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It’s Founder’s Day

Today would have been Caine’s birthday, and we’d like to celebrate it by officially designating the day as Founder’s Day here at Affinity. Caine started this blog in July of 2016, and her witty, insightful and eloquent writing coupled with her artistic talent, made the blog instantly appealing and quickly beloved. Her birthday seems like the right day to celebrate her legacy and all the gifts she shared with us. We decided as a team that we would celebrate today with a collection of photos that remind us of Caine. We hope you enjoy them and encourage you to share your memories of Caine in the comments section.

Note: This post has been updated to add 2 photographs that I missed from rq.

From Charly,

I remember Caine whenever I pick up my camera because she introduced me to photography and bird watching. By publishing my amateurish pictures, giving them platform and having nothing but kind words about them, she gave me motivation to go out and do something at a time when I was suffering from heavy depression, and doing anything at all was difficult. 
 
I have always admired her ability to make the most beautiful and interesting pictures by photographing the most ordinary things. So I took my camera today and I went in the garden to take pictures of completely ordinary things. Not arranging or changing anything, just pointing and clicking. I think I went a bit overboard and I cannot decide which of these are best to publish. They all remind me of Caine in one way or another – the bird-pecked sunflower, the late dandelion, the thorny hawthorn, the rough patterns on an old chopping block… All ordinary things, but each unique and beautiful.

Apple, ©Charly, all rights reserved

Fall leaves,©Charly, all rights reserved

Dandelion fluff,©Charly, all rights reserved

Firebrick pile,©Charly, all rights reserved

Firewood pile,©Charly, all rights reserved

Hawthorn,©Charly, all rights reserved

Sunflower,©Charly, all rights reserved

Strawberry patch,©Charly, all rights reserved

Sidewalk,©Charly, all rights reserved

Rubbish,©Charly, all rights reserved

Rotting Wood,©Charly, all rights reserved

Moss Garden,©Charly, all rights reserved

Lonely plant,©Charly, all rights reserved

From Giliell,

Caine taught me to look at things, really look at them. Oh, she loved the grand, spectacular shots, but she also had an amazing eye for the small things, the things people would just walk by, but that are also just as beautiful.

©Giliell, all rights reserved. Dimensions

©Giliell, all rights reserved. A fleeting moment in time

©Giliell, all rights reserved. Tree bark

©Giliell, all rights reserved. A fairy castle

©Giliell, all rights reserved. Colours. Two varieties of the same plant

 

 I am very sure that Caine would have loved our resident rodents. She just loved all creatures. She showed me that you needn’t be religious or believe in anything supernatural to feel a deep, spiritual connection with the world around you.

©Giliell, all rights reserved. Candy in paradise

©Giliell, all rights reserved. Estelle loves running

From rq,

Daffodils in the snow ©rq, all rights reserved.

Because Caine loved daisies ©rq, all rights reserved.

the hoverfly because flowers + insects and the spring’s first dandelion will be along soon ©rq, all rights reserved.

From Voyager,

I find it hard to put into words the way that Caine impacted my life. Much like Charly, I was in a bad place when I started blogging here. I’d been sick for years and struggling, but Caine believed in me and was endlessly supportive during a time when her own life was full of pain and turmoil. That support helped me redefine myself as something besides being chronically ill and this beautiful blog that she bequeathed to us continues to nurture me. I thank her for the gift of seeing the beauty in common things and for allowing me to become a part of the wonderful community that she created.

My boy Jack who started it all ©voyager, all rights reserved.

A touch of red ©voyager, all rights reserved.

My favourite cathedral ©voyager, all rights reserved.

Frog pond in colour ©voyager, all rights reserved.

Jack doing what he loves best ©voyager, all rights reserved.

A bit of reflection,©voyager, all rights reserved

Fire on the water©voyager, all rights reserved.

 

The Art of … » « Whinge, Knives, Whinge

Comments

  2. Desert Son, OM says

    And to voyager,

    Jack is lovely and warm and grand. All the best to you both.

    Still learning,

    Robert

  3. Ice Swimmer says

    When I saw the story of the degus making their drinking water red with pieces of dried beets, I remembered* Caine’s coffee dyeing mishap (described in another blog, before this one started), when the for cloth to be dyed, for which she had used turmeric as one of the colouring agents, the chemistry went in an unexpected way, turning the expected yellowish(?) colour dramatically to red.
    __
    * = but felt this anecdote would be too tangential for the degu post

  9. Badland says

    Beautiful photos, every one.

    I miss Caine too. She had a remarkable voice which was matched by her gifts

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