the leaf.

In the waning light of a post-daylight savings time November, I decided to take advantage of the conspicuous lack of snow and go for a walk along the Erie Canal. The canal is only about a 10-minute walk from campus, so it's quite normal to see many Nazareth students, as well as community members, taking advantage of the path that runs along its edge. On this particular Tuesday, I set off armed with my apple, camera, and book a little after 4pm, just after I had finished my classes. I walked for about forty minutes before turning back, so the sun had already set by the time I returned to campus. I never did end up sitting down to read at all, but I spent time capturing some of the last fall light and, of course, carving a well-inspired leaf into my apple before eating it.

Here are a few of the pictures I took along the way, some of the inspiration for this particular carving:

the hedgehog.

I'd like to introduce a little hedgehog the came into being a few weeks ago (I just uploaded pictures today). He is the first carving I've done in a long time, despite the near end of apple season. I started university this year, so I've been swamped with work, and it took a little while to get used to life on campus and try to get over missing Belgium (which still hasn't been successful, by the way). But at least I finally found time and enough inspiration to get back to my apples, and I think mr. hedgehog was a good new start.

here's a closeup:

mr. monocle & mustache

Mr. Monocle & Mustache came into being last Sunday, when I was on a trip to Darien Lake with a group of Nazareth students. The trip was part of the "Welcome Back Weekend," since it was the upperclassmen's first full weekend on campus. I only paid $5 dollars for a ticket, and we spent most of the day there. It wasn't very crowded, either, since it was so close to the start of a new school year. So, I chilled with my R.A. and three other housemates and we had a pretty good time on the roller coasters and various other rides.

the bicycle.

I made this bicycle on the train on Wednesday afternoon, after spending the day at Walibi Belgium with some friends from school. We were completely soaked, since it rained almost the entire day, and when we got to Ottignies, our train got canceled. We ended up having to take an international train about a half hour later, but the train was completely packed. We had to stay standing until Namur since there were no seats. I was leaning on someone's bicycle in between train cars. I had to use it for support since there were no bars near to where I was standing.

the airplane.

This airplane was done while I was sitting in the Salle des Rhétos during an étude, when I probably should have actually been studying. Instead I was talking to Danielle, another exchange student and my very good friend, who will be leaving Belgium tomorrow. I have been thinking too much about my own departure from this beloved place that has become my home.

Il y a du temps...quelques mois, même, j'ai adoré regarder les avions dans le ciel. c'est quelque chose qui a commencé quand j'étais très jeune et je voulais devenir pilote. maintenant, je ne peux plus les regarder sans avoir larmes dans les yeux...

the elephant.

I carved this one after gym class one Friday, while I was waiting for the bus. I had gone to see De l'eau pour les éléphants earlier that week. I absolutely adored the film, it was so beautiful.

les bonhommes.

I carved these little guys on another long bus ride: a four-hour trip back to Arlon, Belgium from Antwerp, where my senior class went to visit the shipping port.

the raccoon.

This is Omer, the raccoon that represents Odyssey of the Mind. I carved him during a five-hour bus trip to Binghamton, NY for the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition in March 2010 (where my team ended up taking fourth place in our division).

the music note.

I carved this apple when I was at an all-county band festival. I played xylophone in the orchestra, and in the spirit of the music, I decided to carve an eighth note. And if you're wondering about the position of my hands, yes, I did like Twilight at the time. I had just read the first book, I think.

the beginning.

Hello. My name is Mary, and I like apples. I'm also a little bit of an artist. As a result, I like to play with my food. A while ago, I started amusing myself at lunchtime at school by carving faces into my apples before I ate them. Tools are simple- I just use my fingernails to cut into the skin of the apple. These three apples above are what I created when I just started. I think I carved them a few years ago, and unfortunately the photo quality isn't great.

Anyway, that's just a little introduction to my new blog of apple carvings. Enjoy.