November Mosaic

November is always such a gallop, what with mammo/onco appointments, parent conferences, report cards, 5th grade concert...but lookie there...I took time for a coloring page at The James, a concert at Natalie's, a bonfire,  and a bike ride before NCTE, plus a lovely afternoon at the Audubon Metropark as our Black Friday #OptOutside after NCTE. And of course, NCTE was all kinds of loveliness in the middle of all that other craziness!

You can see the images in this mosaic on Flickr here.

September/October Mosaic

I missed my September mosaic. Time just slipped right by and it wasn't until the middle of the month that I realized I hadn't done one.

This combo looks like an Insect Edition -- at the beginning of September, we were just finishing up with Monarch chrysalises, there was an awesome spider on the porch at the Casting for Recovery retreat (yes, I know spiders aren't insects...), I'm pretty sure that incredible caterpillar will someday be an Imperial Moth, and the preying mantis is eating a stinkbug (go, preying mantis!).

It could also be a Seasonal Colors and Moods Edition, or a Cute Cat / Horse Butt / Caged Dog / Ram Head Edition.

The selfie of me and AJ is a joke. In the background is Thomas Edison, holding up a lightbulb. On first glance, I thought he was taking a selfie, so we took our selfie along with him taking his. You can find Mr. E. in the Ohio Statehouse, which is where we were for the Ohioana awards reception.

The quote in the center was shared by Anthony Doerr (author of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, and as amazing a speaker as he is a writer), and the quote at the end is from THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by T.H. White, the book I'm currently listening to in the car back and forth from school).

The images can be seen full-size on Flickr.

July Photo Mosaics -- New Possibilities

For years, I've been making a monthly mosaic of my photos using Flickr albums and FD's Flickr Toys.

Recently, I learned about a new mosaic maker that is fun, intuitive, and free! FotoJet won't be good for showcasing 30 photos at a time, but I can imagine using it to make cards and other smaller projects. Here are some flower photos from this June and July:

While I was home in Colorado in July, it was County Fair time! Ever since I was a kid, the businesses around town have purchased ads to support the fair. These ads are painted on the businesses' doors and windows. Perhaps because I haven't seen them for many years, they really caught my eye. I loved finding the painter's sense of humor in them, like in this one at Dorman Renewable Fuels where the clown is filling up his truck directly from the corn plant, and the one at Safeway that incorporated another sign on the window:

The entire set of Fair Ad photos is on Flicker.

I shot a few short clips of video while I was home, too. One day when I was out running errands, I heard the iconic sound of an ag plane, and looked up to see that it was working fields right at the edge of town. My dad was an ag pilot until after I was born (not a safe job for a man with a family), so I always feel a tug in my heart for him when I watch these amazing pilots.

The rest of my videos (carousel, rodeo, locust tree) are on Flickr.

I used some of my photos to illustrate a few of the Haiku-a-Days I wrote in July. They are here, here, and here.

Here is my traditional July mosaic (see Flickr for notes about each photo):

May Mosaic

Row 1: Hard to believe the blooming time is long gone already! And one month later, the Land Lab is now in desperate need of another big weeding.
Picture #4 is a joke -- Teacher Appreciation gift of hand sanitizer arrived on the same day as a notice to parents that there had been a case of pinkeye in my class. Ah, the joys of teaching!

Row 2: Food for Thought at Old Worthington Library was Dan the Baker. Yum.
"Beets, With a Side of Maple and Oak"
Race for the Cure, Columbus Downtown on Race Day

Row 3: Fox in the Snow (locals, if you haven't been there -- GO!)
My gerbera daisy bloom looked like it had cellophane on it. When I transplanted it, I clipped the bloom off and looked at it up close in sunlight -- tiny tiny spiders had built a web that encased the entire bloom!

Row 4: Last picture row 3 and first picture row 4 -- tartines from Dan the Baker's Toast Bar. (Again, locals, if you haven't been -- GO!)
Rafael Rosado and John Novak at Cover to Cover for Dragons Beware.

Row 5: Rosado signing and drawing.
Jeni's is back! YAY! I had popcorn ice cream. YUM!
Iris in the sun.

Row 6: Will in the sun.
3 Bean Salad (Summer is officially here.)

Row 7: The sore throat that felt like I was swallowing razor blades was a virus, not strep, but this sign at the Urgent Care was almost worth it. Almost. "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy."
Oh, JOY! ARC of Selznik's new book!
Spotted the work of Sam Fout, our art teacher, in the real world at Rivet Gallery in the Short North.
Mini veggies at Kroger -- quarter-sized squash and finger-length zucchini. Why?



The photos in this mosaic are on Flickr here if you want to see them bigger.

April Mosaic -- Two by Two

Two colors of hyacinth (and fun with a lens).

Cars so small that two can fit in one parking space.

Two yellow blooms in a sea of green.

Two daffodils after a rain shower.

 New leaves and new blooms--two unfurling on the redbud.

April this year was a month for writing poetry, not for taking pictures. Hopefully, May will be a month for both!

Math Monday

3 x 11 = 33

Notes and comments and full-sized photos are on Flickr here.

It's Math Monday! Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning usually has a linkup, but she's on a beach somewhere and is taking a week off!

Math Monday -- A Mosaic is an Array!

Yes, I know it's a stretch to share my monthly mosaic as a Math Monday post, but #arraychat is a real thing on Twitter! Math in the real world. It doesn't get any better.

Row 1 -- The first three are from North Market. The last one in this row and

Row 2 -- the first one in this row are a glimpse of hope for spring! The next three are William and his sunbeam, what a kitty has to do when his sunbeam gets too warm, and the face of a contented cat.

Row 3 -- #DubLit15 -- my Tech Kids, Chris Lehman learning from Franki's Tech Kids, Lisa Graff signing, the cookies donated by Wonderopolis for our afternoon snack.

Row 4 -- The walkway to Tucci's for the after-conference author dinner -- a winter wonderland. In contrast, don't get me started about the over-plowing of our street. Why do so many streets go unplowed, and yet the Snow Warriors come back again and again to our street, plowing shut every driveway on our street repeatedly and throwing slush up onto cleared-off sidewalks. There's no good reason for it.  (deep cleansing breath) The third shot is a jazzy shot of a jazz band at Natalie's. Next is a science shot -- the dark leaf got warm enough to melt down into the snow beneath it.

You can see all these pictures larger and un-cropped on Flickr here.

It's Math Monday! Join Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning for the Math Monday link up!

January Mosaic

Row 1: A fabulous discovery just west of German Village -- Scioto Audubon Metro Park!

Row 2: More Metro Park and Helen Winnemore's.

Row 3: Chocolate chip scones (made by Mr. Mary Lee), Antonio's Pizza, and a mini chocolate croissant made for the Food for Thought program that featured the pastries of certified French pastry chef Michelle Kozak of Pâtisserie Lallier.

Row 4: More pastries (locals, you can find Michelle at the indoor Worthington Farmer's Market every Saturday), the insides of my KitchenAid getting its grease repacked, tracks in the snow.

Row 5 and 6: I was startled to see this little snow man walking his dog on the edge of my review mirror! Alter HS in Kettering hosted a Pink Out event that benefitted Casting for Recovery. I took the court between the JV and Varsity games to do a little casting and then talk about the program. Afterwards, my chauffeur and I ate a lovely dinner at The Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs. (I forgot to take a picture of my scallops. They were de-LISH!)


You can see all the photos in this set on Flickr here.

November-December Mosaic

I can't believe I spaced my November mosaic! But, since November and December were a blur this year, maybe it's appropriate to blend them together.

ROW 1: It had been ages since we went to the art museum, but there was a special exhibit on the art of picture books that gave us the perfect excuse. Because they are doing construction, we had to park a block or so away and I got to see this amazing mural by local artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. I found a great quote in one of the exhibits, and spied the last gingko leaf hanging on a tree outside the museum.

ROW 2: This iconic sculpture acts as a sort of entrance to the Columbus College of Art and Design. The A spans a city street at the base. In other November news, the Parental Paparazzi were out en force at our 5th grade fall concert. The day after the concert, I left for NCTE. The absolute highlight was presenting with Vicki Vinton, Frank McVeigh, Julieanne Harmatz and Steve Peterson. It was also great to meet lots of blogger-friends in real life (IRL)!

ROW 3: Jon Klassen was the speaker at the CLA Breakfast, and the students who created the table decorations knocked it out of the ballpark! I loved that bear so much that I bought him for my classroom! I knew I would need to be early to the graphic novel panel led by Mr. Schu. I had a front row seat and was there when the panelists arrived. Lucky me -- I got to sit next to the daughter of a famous author. She took this selfie of us. After the last session Sunday, Mr. Mary Lee and I did some shopping at the nearby outlet mall (I replaced my failing rolling briefcase at a NICE price). Gorgeous views of National Harbor on the walk back to the Gaylord.

ROW 4: Sunday night we took the ferry across to Alexandria for dinner, then on Monday, we drove into DC to visit our favorite bookstore/cafe, Kramerbooks, and visit the WWII Memorial.

ROW 5: More shots of the WWII Memorial. Back home, I finally had the right combination of decent weather and a bit of time, so I got the garden beds cleaned up and pulled the morning glory vines off the back fence.

ROW 6: Breakfast with a friend, writers with their work spread out, a crossword puzzle created with multiple-meaning words we found in our government/economics unit (and others from our master list).

ROW 7: A new holiday tradition is to spend an afternoon at the Orvis Store doing charity giftwrap for Casting for Recovery. We raised over $200 in two weekends this year! 'Tis the season of indoor recess -- these are all the trading cards I've saved over the years from the classroom's Sports Illustrated Kids magazine subscription! I have baked cookies for my students to decorate every year of my teaching career. This tulip was a gift from a student who knows I LOVE purple!

ROW 8: Mom's little Christmas tree (so wonderful to spend a week with her at the holidays), the joy of finding one of my favorite Indie bookstores (Tattered Cover) at the Denver airport, Christmas lights in the Short North across from Goodale Park, New Year's Eve at Z Cucina for the 6th year in a row with dear friends -- great way to usher in a new year!





You can see these photos in larger format on Flickr.



Almost every month, inquiring minds want to know: How do I make my mosaics?

First, I take thirty or more (and sometimes less) pictures every month.
Next, I make a set on Flickr.
Then, I go to Big Huge Labs and use their Mosaic Maker with the link to my Flickr photoset.
Finally, I download, save, insert, comment, and publish!

October Mosaic

Row 1: Kitten at the car museum (your inference is correct), last of the summer bumblers, Red Sky in the Morning...Sailor Take Warning, October Fest at the Crest, spectacular fungi in our neighbor's garden.

Row 2: First blush of color in the trees, amazing package from Steps and Staircases Lisa, grumpy bunny at the Fairfield County Fair, truth in advertising (at the fair), wacky rooster (at the fair).

Row 3: Budweiser Clydesdales and their dog (at the fair), rides and midway (at the fair), wine tasting near Circleville, dried fruit and nuts to cleanse our palates, Ohio cheese tasting (Food for Thought event) at Old Worthington Library.

Row 4: Fall color on the branch, fall color on the ground, preying mantis on the bike path, AJ on the bike path, me on the bike path.

Row 5: View on the bike path, Jeni's reward midway through a 4 hour bike ride, Mona Lisa mural in the Short North, Brunch and Books was at Tasi (YUM!), plethora of acorns in the front bed.

Row 6: My favorite gingko tree in full regalia, Jeni's reward at the end of a 2 hour bike ride, 2014 pumpkins.



Sigh. I love October. And it always goes WAY too fast.

(You can see all the pictures on Flickr here.)

September Mosaic

The first fourteen pictures this month are from the Casting for Recovery retreat. That will explain all of those splashes of pink. We had perfect weather and a fabulous group of ladies.

15-17 are my Equinox Amazement photos. The day after the equinox, the sun shone right down the middle of our East/West street. The next day, the sun was noticeably further south because its light was further north. The third day, you can barely see the light going down the sidewalk across the street. We are tracking how far the sun is shining in our south-facing window at school each afternoon when we gather for read aloud (where the sun-patch is on the floor before I lower the blinds).

#18 -- Bono Pizza. Locals, if you've never experienced Bono Pizza, you owe it to yourself and your tastebuds to give it a try. Click over to their website and look at the pictures. I promise you'll drool!

August Mosaic

Row 1: These three photos exemplify our flyfishing trip to Vermont: the Orvis Outlet store, where I got my best "catches;"  the river where I probably would have caught a trophy trout...if it hadn't been for that thunderstorm; the Ben & Jerry's factory, where everyone goes on a rainy day in Vermont. We drove in, found a lucky parking spot, used the facilities, just about got nervous hives from the crowds, and left.

Row 2: Reading nook at Thistledown Inn, Thistledown hen, Lamoille River out the back door of Thistledown Inn,

Row 3: Thistledown Inn's namesake, just starting to bloom. Another beautiful VT river where I didn't catch fish.

Row 4: Signs of aquatic insect life (shell of stonefly nymph that started life as a water critter, then crawled out on this rock, completed metamorphosis, and now lives out of the water...it was actually an aquatic entomology class at Stone Lab on Lake Erie that sparked my interest in flyfishing -- the lures we fish with are tied to imitate insects like this at various stages in their lives), same river, Snowflake Bentley museum.

Row 5: On our way home -- island hopping through Lake Champlain to get from VT to upstate NY; torrential rains on I-90 near Batavia, NY; in our room at the Historic B&B in Medina, NY.

Row 6: I had fun with a couple of photo apps this month. This one uses Color Cap to add text to photos. Reading nook, animal heads on table legs.

Row 7: Niagara Falls, secret shut-off valve for Niagara Falls (that's our story and we're sticking to it), Niagara Falls with Color Cap.

Row 8: Preying Mantis in the land lab, mantis with Color Cap, veggies at the Worthington Farmers' Market.

Row 9: This app is called Waterlogue. It turns your photo into a watercolor painting! Last two: even though it was a school night, and even though it was the night after the second day of the school year, and even though I had already spent from 4:00-8:00 at the Orvis store representing CFR for a flyfishing event, I couldn't say no to the opportunity to hear Throat Culture, a local A Capella group, at Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza. They were FABULOUS!!!

Row 10: Then the reality of the school year kicked in and I didn't take another photo (except in the classroom) from August 11-31!



You can see these photos on Flickr.



Almost every month, inquiring minds want to know: How do I make my mosaics?

First, I take thirty or more (and sometimes less) pictures every month.
Next, I make a set on Flickr.
Then, I go to Big Huge Labs and use their Mosaic Maker with the link to my Flickr photoset.
Finally, I download, save, insert, comment, and publish!

July Mosaic

This month I'll tell stories by request. Want to know the story behind one (or more) of these photos? Identify the photo by row or column and position and then be sure to subscribe to the comments so you can see my reply. We'll be traveling today, so I'll get back to you later tonight.


Almost every month, inquiring minds want to know: How do I make my mosaics?

First, I take thirty or more (and sometimes less) pictures every month.
Next, I make a set on Flickr. (This month's set is here, and there are a couple of bonus photos from last night at the Birdseye Diner that didn't fit in the mosaic.)
Then, I go to Big Huge Labs and use their Mosaic Maker with the link to my Flickr photoset.
Finally, I download, save, insert, comment, and publish!

June Mosaic

As of yesterday, we've been out of school exactly a month. It's been a busy month, and just glancing at the mosaic, you can see it's been a green month!

Row 1: The big orange big orange kitty meets the big orange classroom fish, who is home for the summer. We love Snowville Creamery milk, yogurt and creme fraiche. So, naturally, we drove all the way to Pomeroy (near Athens) for their open house. We stayed until the cows came home. Speaking of home, we're already finding evidence that there will be a bumper crop of acorns this year.

Row 2: Dew on the cuke. The fountain in Goodale Park (those are baby elephants spouting off on top -- so cute!), along with the irrelevant sign about ice, the lily bloom, and the

Row 3: ducklings. This dinner on the patio at Mazah's new home inspired the beginning of my "wishes" series of poems (the poem that goes with this photo can be seen at Today's Little Ditty). It has been the Summer of the Black Swallowtail. It all started with this egg on my parsley and these hijackers who came on dill I brought from the community garden. See rows 6 and 7 for where we're at now with this fun project!

Row 4: Ruth Ayres and her family made these cute cookies for all the bloggers who attended the All Write pre-conference dinner. I had surgery on both thumbs June 3. Just this week, I was released from the splint and given permission to swim again. The healing process is amazing. There's that cuke again, and a shasta daisy.

Row 5: Ohio Monsoon Season. 2.5 inches of rain in about an hour created Easement Lake. This is the first time it has ever come all the way up under our back fence into our yard. Then that night, we got another 2 inches, for a total of 4.5 inches in less than 24 hours. It still amazes this girl who came from the arid high plains where in a good year they get 17 inches of precipitation...for the year, and we got a third of that in a day.

Row 6: Three views from The Inn at Cedar Falls, where the central Ohio Choice Literacy writers were treated by über-editor Brenda Power to an amazing writing retreat with the theme "Renewal." Two swallowtail caterpillars

Row 7: and the chrysalis that another made while I was at the retreat. The butterfy "nursery" in my office. The first two tomatoes of the year (black cherry), and there's that cuke again, with some almost big enough to harvest! Watch for my "Cucumber in a Tomato Cage" to make an appearance on the Choice Literacy newsletter, The Big Fresh!



Almost every month, inquiring minds want to know: How do I make my mosaics?

First, I take thirty or more (and sometimes less) pictures every month.
Next, I make a set on Flickr. (This month's set is here.)
Then, I go to Big Huge Labs and use their Mosaic Maker with the link to my Flickr photoset.
Finally, I download, save, insert, comment, and publish!

May Mosaic

May was a beautiful month, don't you agree?!? (And a pretty yummy one, too!)

You can see the pictures on Flickr here.

April Mosaic

April showers brought out the night crawlers and we FINALLY got some flowers. Other than that, the month seems to be about coffee, chocolate and a haircut.

Maybe the lack of photo variety was a result of that poem-a-day thing I did.

Not a bad combination, all in all.

The set can be seen full size on Flickr.

March Mosaic

March was a great month for photos.

We start and end March with birthday celebrations. The March 2 Chocolate Cake was the traditional recipe, but by request, the March 29 cake was made with coffee buttercream frosting. It was probably the best cake I've ever made. I'm drooling just remembering it.

We ate some amazing cinnamon rolls at Sunday Brunch at Natalie's (see that empty plate?!), and I'm trying to get better at taking time to play around with my photos using some of the many apps on my phone. I had a LOT of fun with that picture of Jack Nicklaus and the lampshade reflection that makes him look like he has on a tutu.

The fractal broccoli took me by surprise at Whole Foods. I wrote a Fib once upon a time about fractal broccoli, but I've never seen it in real life.

During spring break we went antiquing in Clintonville, and we went and saw the Bruce Munro light exhibit at Franklin Park Conservatory (with yummy hot chocolate in the Short North after).

Also during spring break, we had a mini-blizzard. Really. This has been The Winter That Will Not End. But spring is springing, whether it is out in the garden (covered in snow) or in the potato bin in the pantry.

Spring break was a great time to try out my new (old) desk I got when we went antiquing (and a good time to take illustrated notes with a few TED talks).

We went to (near) Lancaster to Rockmill Brewery for a tour and tasting. And even though I was on spring break, and on my way to a craft beer tasting, I was noticing an example of erosion to show my students. You can take the teacher out of school, but you can't take the school out of the teacher!

Happy March, even though I'm a week late!



Click to enlarge, or you can see all of these pictures on Flickr.

Celebrate!

Join others who are celebrating this week at www.ruthayreswrites.com

I'm not just celebrating this week, I'm celebrating this MONTH.

Goodbye, February! Been nice to know you! We had some fun times...but mostly we had snow and cold. I know you can't help being who you are. It must be rough to be post-holiday and pre-Spring. You have to wait four long years to special in any way. But you know what? Even though it feels like a grueling effort to make it through your days, you actually help me to fine-tune my Signs-of-Spring Senses. Just the other day, for instance, when you gave us that glorious spring preview and we were able to have salmon on the grill for the first time since fall, I heard the robins singing in the dark.

In this mosaic, we begin with wing tracks in the deep snow that seemed to last forever. The rest of the first row: award winners in our classroom library, a message from the Universe that I have yet to decode, TED notes made with my...new pens... ROW 2: ...that bleed through but I don't care. Community band at Old Worthington Farmer's Market brings me joy every week (their tribute to Pete Seeger made me teary), another message from the Universe that couldn't be clearer (and it's just a tiny bit ironic that I took a PICTURE of it, eh?), the sky at Gene Barretta's airport vs. the sky in Columbus (he was the only author who didn't make it to #DubLit14). ROW 3: #DubLit14 -- student work, authors, celebrities. ROW 4: The last of the snow (or, based on the current forecast, should I say, the last of LAST MONTH'S snow) looks like a beached whale at our curb, auto tracks in a dusting of snow, (next 7) this is a visual rendition of That Silence I wrote about here (and I promise this is the last time I'll link to that review), LASTLY: a mosaic of the March Birthday Cake: "The Making." In the March Mosaic, you'll see March Birthday Cake: "The Icing and Eating."

A better view of the photos in this mosaic can be seen on Flickr.

January Mosaics

I thought it would be fun to take a look at five Januaries, instead of just one.

January seems to be a time for food and snow. I was amused to see the dragonfly yard art make a snow-covered appearance in both 2010 and 2014.

January 2010 Mosaic

January 2011 Mosaic

January 2012 Mosaic

January 2013 Mosaic

January 2014 Mosaic

December Mosaic and Cybils Finalists!

Row 1: Impromptu wine and cheese party, just the two of us, on a Saturday afternoon after errands; CFR did charity gift wrap at the Worthington Orvis store three weekends this month; sunset, Worthington Mall after my wrapping shift; toenail surgery.

Row 2: Birthday scarf; birthday cake (featuring buttercream layers and ganache coating--yum!!); there's always one, isn't there?; winter view from the window of Room 228.

Row 3: More Orvis wrappers; ginger at North Market; December flooding in our easement; more Orvis wrappers.

Row 4: Pre-flight tradition at the airport--headed to Mom's for Christmas; sunrise from our back windows in Burlington; the Italian Panettone my brother made (with just a LITTLE butter--yum!!); playing Sequence with Mom.

Row 5: We took Mom's cats to the vet and the 3-legged clinic cat, Tres, supervised the ear cleaning and fur mat removal.

Row 6: One more of Tres; we picked out new glasses frames for Mom; view of Columbus from the plane window; illustrated notes from Diana Nyad TED talk (more on that in another post.


We've been blogging 8 years, and I've been doing these monthly mosaics for 5 of those years. I make a Flickr photoset (this one is here), then go over to the Mosaic Maker at bighugelabs.com and make the mosaic.

We've been blogging 8 years, and I'm pretty sure one or the other or both of us have been involved in the Cybils every year since their inception in 2006. Franki was a first-round judge in nonfiction this year. The Cybils finalsits have been announced!