only both.
Posted in guest quarters July 8th, 2009 by piablog

This morning I asked my son if he would like eggs or pancakes for breakfast and he replied “only both”. Ok, only both it is! I have been thinking about that turn of phrase all day.

In the last couple of weeks Pia has generously given her time and energy to help me get my own blog up and running. I really have to thank her because I have several projects on my plate and when I think about which one I should focus on I tend to think “only both”. I am very excited to have this new space up and running, so thank you Pia for your support and enthusiasm, you are a great task master!

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The big trip I spoke of in my last post took me from Amsterdam to New York, LA, Colorado and Minnesota. Travelling around visiting dear friends and family in the spring is a wonderful treat, everyone is just coming out of their shells, so relieved that winter is over. I saw gardens on fire escapes and in kitchens, houses surrounded by fruit trees and window sills lined with herbs, and it made me think about my own search for green. I was raised with nature all around me. I made houses in the bushes, collected eggs and learned the hard way about bumble bees. Every spring I had to be the first one to jump in the freezing cold lake near our family cabin. Everyone else in my family has gravitated to places where forests and lakes and mountains are in their backyard. Somehow cities have called to me. Budapest, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam. I love cities. I love discovering them, peeling back the layers to find what is unique to each place. I love the energy, the pace and the confluence of cultures. In the past couple of years something has changed for me. My radar is now searching out the green spots. The vines creeping up a wall, the flowers that come through the cracks, the trees,the kitchen and botanical gardens. I find myself looking back and longing for the nature I knew as a child. I don’t know if it is growing up, or having a kid of my own but it has become increasingly important to me to have in my son’s words, “only both”…

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all photographs and writing by Riley Salyards.


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8 Comments

  1. valeria says

    I LUV YOUR PHOTO STYLE! i also love to take pics of my sweet toddler boy! aren’t little boys the best? i love your pics and thanks so much for sharing, i cant wait to visit your own blog. BDW, what lens do you like to use? just wondering….thanks again:) and congrats on your new blog!

    July 8th, 2009 | #

  2. The Deco Detective says

    “only both” is very Winnie-The-Pooh! I think choosing which task (or wich food, for that matter) one would like to focus on is a hard one, especially when all alternatives are interesting!
    I think you’ve done some really great photography when guest blogging at Pia’s. I’m looking forward to following you on your new blog!
    Trudi

    July 8th, 2009 | #

  3. bronwyn says

    I too have always been a city girl. I have a 3 year old daughter and now find myself always in search of the greener places. Luckily, there are many in San Francisco. We have even toyed with the idea of (gasp!) leaving the city and moving to the coast. These photos are lovely.

    July 8th, 2009 | #

  4. Anne says

    Love the way you weave it all together, the images, the words, the colors. a beautiful reminder of living an inspired life: appreciating the spoken words of a toddler and the routes
    (roots)those words can take one into the mystery. Thank you for sharing such beauty.

    July 9th, 2009 | #

  5. shereen says

    Riley, thanks for sharing these gorgeous images… i love love them!
    also, congrats on your new blog.

    July 9th, 2009 | #

  6. Riley says

    Thank you Valeria, Deco Detective, bronwyn, Anne and Shereen. I really appreciate your kind words of welcome! I look forward to visiting all of your blogs…right now with my cup of tea!

    July 9th, 2009 | #

  7. Juliette says

    CHERIE!!!! you are beautiful, what a joy to read you and appeal to look at your images…More! Jule

    July 10th, 2009 | #

  8. Ely says

    Only both – a variation on the concept when unable to choose between two desirable options. Choose both, you can never go wrong when you so choose. Other words from this young one – more light please! Listen, they just might show us the way. Ely

    July 12th, 2009 | #


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