Monday, April 07, 2008

rocks vs shells

sea ranch: fence

some girls
grew up
with barbie.
my mother
wouldn't
let me
have barbie
(not sure i even
wanted a barbie)
because she was
anatomically correct
(if you can
call her that).
so i had
strawberry shortcake.
i loved
their outfits
and
that they
all came with pets.
i played with them
for hours in
an old dollhouse.
mostly
my dolls
threw
a lot of parties
and invited
the
herself the elf dolls
to come over
(herself the elf
sadly lived
in
a minimalist house
made out
wooden blocks).

i always thought
growing up
with
strawberry shortcake
had an effect
on me.
this may have
been
the genesis
of
my obsession
with colors,
striped tights,
and wearing
mary janes
(instead of
barbie high heels).
strange to think
how toys
potentially
can influence
a young child
so much...

growing up
by the beach
i was never
into shells
(unless they
still had
the animal inside).
my sister
collected shells
and
i combed the beach
for the perfect rock.

sea ranch: rock 2

i have always
been
obsessed
with rocks.
particullarly
rocks with lines.
maybe
due to
an early
exposure
to
andy goldsworthy.



shari
is doing
a photo zine
on rocks...
can't wait to see it.
i wonder if
the participants
are all
strawberry shortcake
types...

. . . . .

next time...
a few polaroids
from
my tour
of
the heath factory
with lisa.

sea ranch: heath

have a great week!
xo

14 comments:

Phillippa said...

Don't you mean "what are men to rocks and mountains?"-Jane Austen......

johnny said...

God I want to go to THE HEATH FACTORY....(saw photos on Lisa's site)...I am properly jealous...I have a feelin' I'd wanna buy the whole store.... If the 2 (sorry, 1 and a half) mugs you two have are any indication...

scaredy-cat said...

the first photo is so beautiful! makes me happy.

Carson said...

I was just having a conversation about Barbie the other day! I wasn't allowed a Barbie either. It had nothing to do with 'anatomically correct' though. Barbie was simply "Bourgeois" ; the ultimate sin of hippie 70s. I coveted my friends Barbie Campervan so much I made my own out of cardboard!
Love those tiles on the outside of the Heath factory.

shari said...

i had barbie and strawberry shortcake, but i liked ss better. ;) love your stripey rocks. thanks for contributing to the zine. xox

robin ann mcintosh said...

hi,

just found your blog via abbytrysagain. i love it!! beautiful words and beautiful images. i'll keep checking in :)

lisa solomon said...

i liked the japanese barbie. she had dark hair....
i had mini versions of strawberry shortcake.... :) striped tights unite

Anonymous said...

I love your story re. strawberry shortcake and possible fashion influence? Beautiful photograph (great angle), looking forward to more rock sharing.

f. pea said...

i would argue that herself the elf had a greater fashion influence on you than strawberry shortcake. SS has the boho frumpy thing happening (despite the cool striped tights), wherease herself the elf has a bit more of that urban-color look to her that you work so well. more classically feminine than SS's country girl look. for instance, i've never seen you wear a bonnet.

A COLLAGE A DAY said...

nice collection of found objects.

have you seen andy goldsworthy's, rivers and tides?

randel

bikeandbeer said...

i only had one doll growing up, a mary poppins with a leg cast (because of my casts from birth to 7). now, i can't really see any influence from that doll in my current life... i do, however, always carry an umbrella ;-)

MWM said...

I had barbie, although I don't think she had any influence on me at all. I made my mom get the dark haired one and I chopped her hair off short in a pixie cut. Then I made all of her clothes myself:)
I always thought ss was a little frumpy...

celie said...

So glad you're back! I didn't have Barbie, which I am pretty sure my princess friends with perfect blowouts did. I see more of Punky Brewster in me. Now there's a fashion statement!

Unknown said...

are we sisters separated at birth? I couldn't have a barbie either. I had the Sunshine Family...
Maybe that IS why I like mary janes and funky, offbeat fashion!
Now I don't need a therapist! Thanks!