Project Athena - Day 94 (My Life)

Our House is A Very, Very, Very Fine House

Really, all I want to say for this blog is that I love our home. I have lived in 20 different houses and this one is by far my favorite. Nestled up against the foothills in Loveland, CO, it has a great location, is well built, and feels like a warm hug every time I walk through the door. Just gratitude for what is.

I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.
— Maya Angelou

Our House

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 18-55mm lens • 18mm • F/6.3 • 1/20s • ISO 400

Project Athena - Day 93 (My Life)

Where the Magic Happens

By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.
— Robert Frost

Welcome to my office. I tidied up a bit today because it's going to convert into a temporary bedroom for a few days, starting tonight. Tomorrow's post will explain that detail, I'm sure of it.

I have been "working" at this same Steelecase work station now for 20 years. It has traveled with me to 2 different retail locations and now resides in my home. I don't envy the ones who have loved me enough to set it up, tear it down and set it back up each time but it has certainly served me well in my businesses.

I LOVE working from home! I never have felt that one should have to leave their hearts at home to go to work. I especially love being at home in the winter when the snow is flying and the temperature drops below zero. My car is tucked warmly in the garage and I never have to change out of my pajamas. My commute is 30 seconds from the kitchen to the office. I break for anything whenever I want, and on the occasional jobs that I have to work late at night, I can crank the music and feel completely safe in the sanctuary I call my home office.

Home Office

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 18-55mm lens • 18mm • F/22 • 1/6s • ISO 400

Project Athena - Day 92 (My Life)

That's A Wrap

Accelerate on the curves!
— Me

My Prius with Mandala Wrap

Nikon D3200 • Nikon 55-200mm lens • 80mm • F/22 • 1/40s • ISO 800

This week's theme is "My Life." When I selected this theme at the beginning of Project Athena, I envisioned taking photos that represented "a day in the life of me." Now, it feels more important to ask a deeper question like what is profoundly affecting my life and how can I represent that in a photo.

So this first image is of my car. I bought this Prius brand new over 10 years ago. I have never had a car before "Pree" that seemed to have a life of her own. Here is her resume:

140,000 miles (Mostly commuting and a few wonderful road trips around Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming and New Mexico)
280 tanks of gas (she has a small bladder, literally)
35 oil changes (give or take a few)
8 sets of tires (the girl loves a new pair of quality shoes)
1 minor accident (when she slid into a snow bank testing her traction control)
1 speeding ticket (she had to know how fast she could really go just in case so we opened her up on an country road in Wyoming and of course met the only Wyoming State trooper for hundreds of miles just as she reached 92mph.)
4 years without a garage (and she lived outdoors through the snowiest winter I can recall)
5 years in the warmth of cozy garage (Hmm. Feels good to be protected from the elements)
2 car wraps (The first was a gorgeous moon goddess designed by my dear friend Kelly. And now this mandala wrap.)
HUNDREDS of gawkers and admirers of the wrap with superlatives ranging from "cool" to "sick" to "WOW!" ( I have even had people chase me down in parking lots to talk to me about this wrap.)
ZERO - Drive-in theatres, drunk driving, camping, major repair work, or break-ins