Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Eyes


There is something about our eyes. They say so much without saying a word. This photo is one of my favorite photos I have taken with my phone so it will never be seen on a large scale but for viewing on the web it is perfect. The eyes in this photo are very expressive. They show love, sadness, excitement and most of the time joy. This particular photo shows a number of feelings , it seems to change with each time I view it.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Tower


The Tower is something everyone who has ever attended the University of Texas knows about. It sits smack dab in the middle of what use to be the center of campus, with all of the growth I would guess it is more likely considered on the west side of campus. When I was a young student the tower and the Texas State capitol were visible from just about any part of Austin. Now with all of the growth you almost have to looke for the two buildings between the high rises. It was a very sad day when I realize I couldn't automatically see them with just a glance. I took the time to go out to what is now Barton Creek mall and photograph the two buildings from a distance before the downtown sky got crowded. So proud of my very novice accomplishment I opened up the camera to take out the film only to realize there was no film in the camera. I never got back out there before the construction took over.


I was walking across campus recently and looked up at the Tower as I usually do and notice some amazing light. Despite the pain in my feet from walking in heels I stopped and pulled out the point and shoot and captured this image. It isn't perfect but I like it and so I turned it into a thing of art. I don't think the fine detail will show up in this size image but trust me it looks like a painting in the full size image.
There is a rich and not always pretty history of this tower but we will just enjoy its beauty today.


Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Obvious


I have acquired my first cell phone with camera capabilites and today I captured an obvious and yet what I think is a fun image.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Lost in Time

An eerie scene, walking through a retired train car with just a few lights on and all of the blinds closed. Hard to imagine traveling by train from a time lost in history. Very few kids today have traveled on a train and I would suspect most of those have no idea that people use to fit in those little pull out bunks that hung from the ceiling, emphasis on little.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ode to Ford


Came across this car today, a sign of simpler times.

Seriously I do not think the average American could even fit in this car. Makes you wonder at one point along the way we found happiness in all of the over indulgence. I will concede this car was probably originally a huge indulgence but compared to today's environment it looks so simple.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Steeple


I am amazed at how many different styles of steeples there are, I came across this simple gold cross atop of a steeple.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My favorite photo of the day-Springtime


I had to go out this morning and take photos of various landmarks around town anywho, this is my favorite shot of the day. Found this spot yesterday with the help of a friend and went back today. Not the best light but I worked with what I had. About an hour earlier or much later today would have been better but that's life.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Weed


Kids love 'em, gardners hate 'em.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Donny



Meet the newest member of our family, Donny. Well actually this photo is more to show the beauty of his shell. One of my offspring returned from college with this little creature. He evidently found him on the pathway lost and far away from water and has taken it upon himself to care for Donny. I share this with you so you can see the ornate nature of his shell. Absolutely beautiful and the bottom is pretty cool too.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Living in the Country


I often refer to the location of our home as living in the country and there is a reason for that. We actually live smack dab in the middle of the big city but our block was one of the last blocks developed and the house across the street was one of the last houses to be built in our block. The family that owned all the land in our block actually use to own all of the land as far as the eye can see in all directions. The son that owned all of our block kept the two lots next to his house until the late 70's early 80's. I grew up just a few blocks away but always felt like the block I currently live in was in the country. Well today after a huge rain storm blew through I looked out my front window to find this beautiful creature trying to find worms in our yard. It is a yellow crowned night heron. Not sure where it came from but it made my day.

Friday, April 24, 2009

White Balance Nightmare

I got a little bored the other night during a lacrosse game and decided to take a photo of the light standard against the blue sky. After looking at it I now know why white balance can be a nightmare at stadiums. Look at the different color temps of the the actual bulbs. Supposedly they are looking into improving the lights at our stadium which would be nice and not so nice all at the same time. Nice because we could actually get photos without a flash of a running back making a dive into the endzone and see his face, or capture that very common airborne catch in the corner of the endzone. Both photos are near impossible with the light dropping off at about the 5 yard line causing the endzone to be pitch dark. The reason the coaches have gotten behind this is the receivers say they can't see the ball in the dark endzone.

Why you ask did I say it would be not so nice, well because as it is now you have to have an idea of how to work a camera to get a good photo and with great lighting everyone will decide putting their camera on sports mode they can capture an award winning photo translating into even more crowded sidelines. In the mean time I have a much bettter appreciation of the bad lighting after seeing the bulbs in action.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Unexpected Beauty

I have been trying to turn over a new leaf and keep the house clean but today I found a bonus from being a day or too late to toss what was some beautiful tulips. The bonus was I found them to be absolutely gorgeous as they were shrivelling up. They appeared to me at least to look like art created with broad brush strokes. You just never know where beauty will appear next.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Waddler


Thought for the day...Even when you waddle they can't help themselves they have to stop and watch your back end.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Childhood Memories


We all have them, things that instantly transport us back to more simple times of our childhood. It might be a restaurant, a book, a song, a special food or a smell. The restaurant that every child I grew up with would relate to was a place called Jaimie's ( Not exactly sure of the spelling) but the cool thing about it was it was a special place we only got to experience on big days like birthdays. To get service you would raise a little flag on a rope on a pulley system, it was always one of my favorites until it experienced a fire and I sort of remember it being rebuilt or moved or something, but it was never the same.


One wonderful thing about this time of year, besides my birthday is that my neighbor has honeysuckle growing all over his fence. When I was younger, our elementary school fence was also covered in honeysuckle, we all loved to suck the honeysuckle juice from the blooms. The minute the honeysuckle begins to bloom I remember those days I would stand by the school fence enjoying the smell and the taste of honeysuckle. Where has all the time gone?

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Gone to the Dogs

Well I suppose you could say this place has gone to the dogs but I just couldn't help myself, so I am posting this image because I like it and it sort of freaks me out. Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Wild Dog

Playing around the other day and found myself trying odd things. The dog was running wild due to the airsoft gun just out of the yard being shot by kid. The dog refused to sit still anywhere near me but I caught her standing still and shot her through a bush. Not the basic photo but I think I like it, throw in there the special lens I used to keep only the dog in focus and everything else is softly thrown out of focus. Didn't have too much else to post so her she is, my wild dog.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Details Again

I know I keep hammering this home but details are all around us and in general we never notice them. There I stood at a fairly exciting softball game with beautiful light and all of the sudden I noticed the ball that had been thrown down after a third out. It wasn't so much the ball but the whole scene that caught my eye.

Simple and yet there is something there.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Pleasant Accidents


Sometimes in life you set out to do something but you you find yourself with a final result which is not what you intended and it becomes a pleasant surprise. That is exactly what happened today. Playing around with some fresh flowers I discovered my first shot to be totally different from what I intended but I kind of like, what do you think?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Vacation Reflection

I made this friend of mine stand still for a moment specifically to catch what I thought was an interesting image in his glasses. The best part is that it was pretty bright on the beach and my vision any where from my eyes to my finger tips is not quite what it use to be so I really didn't see the detail that was captured in the glasses until I downloaded the file. The empty morning beach, the beautiful blue ocean and sky. I apologize for my reflection ruining the scenery but the rest of the scene was so pretty and the glasses reflection worked just as I had hoped it would.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Poppies

I love poppies, there is something about a flower that is so bright and cheerful and yet so dainty. Poppies have that crepe paper look about them and yet as the wind blows they dance with joy.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Still Cleaning

I spent most of yesterday cleaning out a cabinet and countertop in the kitchen, yes it took me most of the day. Actually truth be told, I spent about two hours cleaning off the countertop and purging old meds from a cabinet only to be told by my daughter I had not done a very good job. She then took over and began to toss everything in sight. To appreciate the depths of the mess around here I must give you a visual, there is a little plastic thing that you can screw between two 1 liter plastic drink bottles. You fill one before you attach it to the other. You then swirl the bottle in the air and it creates a tornado effect in the bottle with the water as it drains into the other bottle. During my clean sweep I deemed this little plastic piece to be of the utmost importance, seriously you just never know when the mood to make a tornado with left over bottles might hit ya'. My daughter on the other hand, tossed with total disregard for the entertainment value the little plastic piece held. Such a sad moment in my day. I have no idea what other things went in the trash but I am sure my funtimes will be a lot less fun without all the things that have disposed of.
I did come across some fun things and rather than just toss, I took photos of them. So todays photos are of old, very old bottles of Testor paint. I just love that stuff! I am proud to say I tossed after I photographed.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Tail of Two Photos

Taking photographs is a lot like life, there are always different ways to look at things and depending on your view you might have different feelings. I am including two photos of the exact same scene just seconds apart. The lighting is pretty much the same so that doesn't really affect it but the perspective and the composition of the two frames leave you with a different feel. The one on the left surprises me because I am not at first sure of what I am seeing, it also leaves me with an uneasy feel but I keep coming back to it. The one above (horizontal) has a nice diagonal line pulling the viewer in and it is a little more clear what it is and has a much more peaceful feel about it. I am not a huge fan of tilting photos but in this case it sort of works. It doesn't hold my attention as much as the vertical, maybe because I can more readily recognize what is going on and move on from it, not sure. Bottom line is both photos have merit but the one that make me more uncomfortable actually holds my interest since I don't really get it at first. Maybe that is why we can't help but rubber neck while passing an accident on the other side of the highway, why we can't get enough of celebrities doing stupid things like getting dwi's when they have drivers to take them where ever. Maybe it is just me because I have a curious nature and want to know more about things I don't understand. Sorry for getting a bit deep there but I am about to commence on cleaning out major sections of the house and am looking for a distraction to put the whole process off for a while. Happy Tuesday!

Monday, April 6, 2009

More Life's Lessons

There is something that has been missing in our culture's make-up. It is slowly creeping back into our lives courtesy of our slow economy. The movin' and shakin' has slowed down because all of that keeping up with "the Jones" cost money. People are playing more board games, using their hobbies to occupy themselves. The gentleman in the photo is one of my all time biggest heros. He is always there for me and that is pretty amazing since he is a very, very busy person. He really has important things that take up his time but some how he always finds time to help me out, even during very critical times in his life. He loves to garden and takes great pride in his yard. The fact is that he has so many huge things going on that gardening gives him an escape. I suddenly realized that seeing him in his element doing what he loves is really a photo I needed to make. I would have liked to work some beautiful light in to the image but I had to work quick so I just slapped the flash on, dialed it down and let the ambient do its thing in the background. Basically I am reminding you to stop and capture the important moments and people in your life. With the simple fact that everyone has a camera and is really getting caught up with photography don't forget to catch those moments that will have importance down the road.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

My Grandchild

Well sort of my grandchild. You see my son is taking a family consumer science class, formerly referrred to as home ec, or home economics. This particular project made me laugh a little. Each student was assigned a plant for a week, a few lucky chaps got twins. The students were to care for the plant as if it was their child, taking it where ever they went, watering it and basically being its parent. My son made sure his plant got plenty of sun and water and he kept the plant with him at all times except when he had to attend a campout in freezing temperatures, he made arrangements for a responsible party to "sit" his plant during his brief absence. The part of this project that made me laugh is that some of the plants were boys and some were girls. The girls had not budded while the boys were in full bloom with magenta petals. That in itself confused me and I believe my son's poor little plant to have left our home with serious sexual identity issues as I referred to him as Priscilla, seriously between the multiple blooms and their color she was totally a Priscilla. By weeks end my son had admonished me multiple times for referring to his boy as Priscilla and then he made the slip, referrring to her as Priscilla, catching himself he smiled and quickly corrected his statement with a "HIM" instead of a "her". So I would like you to take a look at my grandchild and see if you think it is a her or a him.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A Different View


I came across this window the other day and loved the look it created with the morning light.

Monday, March 16, 2009

R and R

As you can read from my previous post my week was a bit hectic, the reason being I was on my way to a little R and R. Not the best traveler in the world but here I am on a sunny beach. The last time I went south to the beautiful beaches of Central America, I was much younger and much cuter and I lived on coca cola and tried to not get sick. This time the food is more edible and I am still trying to hit my vacation stride but I did spend the first seven hours today on the beach, the first few under the shade of this wonderful tree.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Deep Breath

What a week it has been! I have to tell you I have done some self discovery this week only to find I live a very disorganized life. Being disorganized takes it toll on you too! I think if I was only responsible for myself, I would be fine, it is all of these other folks that seem to think I have it all together. I have come to a decision that it is time to get off of the crazy merry go round and get my act together. I haven't always been a mess, but I find it easier to be a mess, no one really counts on you to be responsible. Some where in the last ten years I changed gears and forgot to really worry about the small details. Give me a project and I am terribly organized, it has a place and a time line and I know where every part of it is. Give me a life and whoa, it takes a lot more time to keep all of the pieces in place. My March resolution is to limp through the spring while trying to get my act together so when summer comes and time is more free I will have a head start. Hopefully by next fall when the wheels come off again I will have it all together. Only time will tell. Today I am taking a deep breath as I seem to have caught up on current projects and have a brief window before the pace quickens again.

I leave you with one of my favorite flower images, it is of milk thistle, the plant looks like a weed and yet the flower that blooms is beautiful. Just a friendly reminder to be careful and not discount something before you see its true beauty.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Out of Control


Have you ever had one of those days, weeks or months when you sense you have lost total control of everything going on around you? This week is my out of control week, it isn't that I am terribly busy but things have spun out of control. I got a phone call today that I was being picked up in ten minutes and be ready we were flying to another town to take care of some business. Small detail that was actually a huge detail was not renewed so I would have to do the renewal in person. I spent the day flying across the state, sitting in a room with a lot of other people that basically were in the same boat as me, only to be told be back here tomorrow at 2:30. Well considering I flew (no pun intended) out of the house with only my ID, Ipod, phone, reading glasses(sad but true), two magazines and some cash I wasn't sure how I would manage spending the night and coming back. It all sort of worked out and in a few days if all of the loose ends come together it might be taken care of , if not I will jump in the car and try again. I left a few things undone today but in reality was not given a choice and I apologize to those I let down. I will make it up to you some how. I have my fingers crossed that this has been resolved and I will never let this happen again. Some how this photo has always spoken to me in a chaotic sense and today totally represents my current state of affairs.


Friday, March 6, 2009

People

I found myself the other day taking the time to stop and notice the world around me, what I saw once I slowed down was some real life people interaction. It was very interesting to witness how people watch over each other and genuinely enjoy each other's company. I first noticed a parent driving their teenage son to school, they were sitting at a red light as I turned past them. What a great time to catch up with a teenager when they are almost held captive in the car. I use to gather maximum information from my teenager during an hour drive to and fro soccer practice. Inside the car I saw at the traffic light the young man was smiling back at the parent, seriously that is big time for a teenager, they usually just grunt and shrug. I then noticed two women at the grocery store, they were either sisters or good friends. They were making joint decisions on their choices of groceries and generally having a great time just going through the mundane task of grocery shopping. Another moment I watched unfold was between some high school kids, one is a player on the varsity basketball team and one is the manager. The manager has overcome the challenges of down syndrome, all of the kids are very protective of him and in this case the team had just lost a playoff game, ending their season. The player protectively placed his arm over the disappointed manager's shoulder. It is refreshing in a world of over eager, negative often down right mean spirited people that there are actually nice folks out there who watch out for each other. With the "E" (can't bring myself to say the actual word) in the tank, maybe we as a culture will get back to what is truly important in life and that is people instead of things. I challenge you to take the time to brighten someone's day or just listen to them and give them a smile every once in a while. You would be amazed what a simple smile can do to brighten their day.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Break

Not that anyone noticed but I took a few days off figuring a few days of silence from me would do you all good. A quick review, we celebrated my baby girl's 18th birthday, watched a lot of sports with one underdog winning a big game and only went to one meeting.

I also had an interesting thing happen, not sure that is the best way to try to explain it but something came to me over the weekend but here it is. I had another epiphany! Life is a funny thing and what goes around really does come around. What am I trying to say?? Well it came to my attention that when my daughter goes on a weekend trip I am counting on her emergency contact, should she need anything, being a boy who is a close family friend that I use to step in and help with when his mother needed help. For example, the day his mother was making arrangements for her mother's funeral he had driver's ed class. Anyone who has ever dealt with driver's ed class knows to miss a class complicates the whole license process so I stepped in and picked him up. Flash forward how many tens of years and he is now my safety net when any of us go to the town in which he now lives. Really weird but he is all grown up, responsible and has a job, that in its self is quite an accomplishment these days. As much as I hate to admit it but I am coming to understand that it really does take a village to raise kids and having friends and family you can count on to help you along the way is amazing.

I leave you with this photo I snapped over the weekend. Please know that despite the nice warm looking image the temperatures were near freezing, at least a fountain I drove by was frozen which was enough proof to me it was cold.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Spring Stopped by Today

81 degrees outside today. My winter legs made a brief appearance, I can tell you it wasn't pretty. Much motivation to get back in shape. I was inspired by the weather and created a little photo combination.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tea Time


I have been meaning to photograph this tea set that belongs to my daughter. She recently re-arranged her room and the tea set is no longer a fit for the look. What is really special about this set is that it is tiny, ceramic and personalized. One tea cup has my daughter's name and the other reads, friend. (To give you a size reference the radius of top of the tea cups is only about two inches.)

I will carefully pack it up in hopes of seeing a granddaughter play with it down the road, of course that is dependent on my recollection of where I actually stored it. Go find a friend and have a spot of tea just to keep life interesting today. While sipping on your tea don't forget to take in the moment because time is truly fleeting and swim suit season is almost upon us. Sorry to break up the moment there but the guilt over eating pound cake the last two days is weighing heavily on me, or maybe around my mid section.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Lacrosse Season -Yea!

I love lacrosse! It is finally lacrosse season and that usually means nice weather, fast paced action and games that have a running clock. I enjoy a lot of different sports but lacrosse is still fresh. I had never seen a lacrosse game until about seven years ago. I was asked to be one of the team moms for my son's seventh grade team. Sure I figured I could line up families to bring the gatorade for after the game. I had no idea what I was getting into. First off the internet was standard in most homes by then, not fast and not terribly reliable but would speed up communication. That was the smallest part of the job. There were two of us that served as team mom and we were responsible for paying the refs, keeping track of the stats, the penalties, the time, the penalty time and blowing the horn which doesn't happen except for specific times in the game or specific calls by the refs. One game I found myself painting the field which was never intended for lacrosse and was really a field of mounds of grass, try to paint a straight line going up and down clumps of grass. One of the kids asked what idiot had painted the field and when I responded I would be that idiot, they quickly changed their tune and told me what a fine job I had done. I learned a lot about the game in its simplest form, most of the kids on our team were first year players so play was a bit slow and predictable but the rules were different and the sidelines were quiet since most parents didn't have a clue what was going on, they couldn't yell instructions to their kids or insults to the refs. Those were the days. Any how I have moved on to having the distinct priviledge of trying to catch an amazing move or play with my camera. I love it, every game is different and every kid has a different style. On top of all of that the jerseys are usually colorful and the sticks and heads can add to the photo. I enjoy girls lacrosse too and they have really colorful sticks but not as much brain crunching action. Tonight I share with you my excitement over the fact that it is finally lacrosse season and that means delightful evenings at the stadium are not far behind.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sitting Around


This was not a weekend to sit around. For some reason this weekend was packed with activities and time with friends. Off to prepare for a new week.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Ready Set 123 4


Don't know why I took this but I did so you are now subjected to it. I was standing in the cold wind, but nestled up against the side of the stands to avoid as much wind as possible and this photo presented itself to me. Once you stepped out on the four I swear the temperature dropped thirty degrees not to mention the wind knocked the camera around pretty good to.

Friday, February 20, 2009

A Real Artist at Work

I had the opportunity to help out a friend today by taking photos of some of her paintings and drawings. She is very talented and I was in awe of her work. The coolest thing was her studio behind her house. Wonderful daylight streams in through two high windows, one east and one west. The walls are all white but not pristine white, workable white. She has artwork she has created all over the walls, just taped up. No fancy frames, very accessible and all over the place. While she was putting a piece of her work on the wall I snapped a photo of her making a last minute adjustment to get it straight so the photo would work. Using available light and a slower shutter the photo was happy surprise.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Parenting 101

Anyone who has every been a parent or a very involved aunt or uncle or family friend knows that parenting you very own child or one close to you has its ups and downs. That said the last week has been a roller coaster as to parenting. A trip to the orthopod confirmed we may or may not have a fractured wrist. Of course rather than get a full fledged cast, a partial cast was placed on our arm all the way past the elbow. With the arm in a cast, hanging in a sling we instantly become one handed. Fast forward five days and the ordinary morning wake up became not so ordinary when my one handed child couldn't move his neck. After a day of watching him writhe in pain and his neck lean more to one side we headed out the door to the pediatrician. Did I mention we just started going to this pediatrician this summer and haven't seen him since a basic check up. Oh and he can't put a shirt on because the arm in the cast can't bend and the other arm couldn't move due to the muscle spasm preventing him from lifting his arm or moving it all for that matter. I wrapped a coat around him and off we headed for the doctor's office with his head all bent over to one side. We got a lot of strange looks but ultimately we discovered he was suffereing from a really bad muscle spasm. So you are wondering what the photo means. Well today we got up, after a dose of muscle relaxers he could hold his head somewhat upright and we sat on the couch eating chocolate kisses and watching tv when he was comfortable or just sat when he wasn't . To me this photo says so much, a day with my youngest, eating chocolate and being a mom.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Mud Scrapers


Raise your hand if you remember mud scrapers! Seriously, we all had them outside our door growing up, you were suppose to scrape the mud off the bottom of your shoes before you came into the house. One of the two things I love about our house is that we have mudscrapers at the front and the back door. My kids wouldn't know what to do with them but they remind me of a simpler time, a time when kids actually played outside and a little mud wasn't the end of the world. The mudscraper in the photo sits just outside my back porch door. The dog runs past it regularly and I might just actually scrape my shoes for fun every once in a while. I dare you to locate and then place a mudscraper by your door.


Are you curious as to my other favorite thing about our house? (the two mudscrapers count as one item since they are basically same category.)


On a random note, I was retrieving a burger, fries and a shake for my Wednesday patient who was laid up by a muscle spasm in the neck when I glanced into the window of a new gifty type shop next to the best burger joint in this part of the state. There were a number of items with little thoughts on them. One particular one jumped out at me. At the risk of totally ruining it, it went something like, In today's world you can be anything you want, why not be yourself.


hmmmm, deep thought.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Practicality

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my tennis shoes. I have a size 2 D foot, so needless to say my balance is suspect and tennis shoes are a no brainer for me. This photo makes me scratch my head and wonder out loud. It was taken at a walk-a-thon to raise money for a fellow student who needed a medical procedure and a donor of sorts. Kids walked for over two hours around the track, some ran. This child preferred to wear flip flops instead of nice cushy tennies. If I walked for a little bit in this kind of shoes (can we really call these shoes?), first I would trip since my feet don't work in flip flops, then my calves would begin to ache from shin splints and then I would sit down and complain. Not this chick, she kept walking in her stylish flip flops as all her classmates were zipping around her in more suitable shoes. All in a day of being stylish and functional and mission accomplished the classmate did get the procedure.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Night View


This church has some of the most beautiful stained glass and I always think I will stop and get a night shot of the front. Year after year I mean to and this year is not different. The problem is that it is cold and I can be a wimp when it is cold outside. I wear jackets almost every month except the ones that have temperatures above 80. Just don't do well in cold, then the problem becomes the leaves on the surrounding trees block the view of the glass in warm weather. I was actually about an hour late to get the shot I wanted but figured I would share anyway and admit to still not getting the shot I was after. I experience a sense of mystery as I took this considering I was laying on my belly in plain view of every car that drove by. I tried a couple of different exposures and this one is not what I was after but will have to do until I can go back and do it properly about an hour earlier. For what it is worth it was dark and the long exposure allowed the lamps by the doorway to overpower the window which I what I was after. Had I been there earlier the sky would have shown up for the pary and the lights would not be so prominent. The lovely green tint across the top is from the awful tree lights. Again earlier would have kept the green away too. This is why planning is so important, this was more of whim.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Back View

Ever have one of those days you just know people are looking at your backside? The lady in this frame speaks to me, don't know why. Perhaps because she has the best view of this reflection pool that leads to a lake on her left and all she has to do all day is sit there. Or maybe because while she sits there enjoying the view, oblivious to everyone walking around her, she is actually flashing a flattened out rearend. Haven't we all been there! I once had someone send me a photo of myself working on the sideline of a football game. Fortunately for me it was out of focus but you could still see my wide backend in what I thought were some awfully cute khaki shorts. Needless to say I burned them soon after viewing the photo. Seriously why would you take a photo of someone's backend? It became very clear to me that my backend needed some work and in the meantime I would limit the view to my backend as much as possible.

Side note: An astute eye will notice the distortion of this photo, where the parrallel sides of the "frame" around our big bottomed lady are not perfectly lined up, that is actually the distortion from the wide angle lens. I kind of like it but am aware of its shortcomings when working with actual people.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Hearts and Valentines

Happy Valentines to all!

I am not sure exactly what the purpose of Valentines day is. I realize it's a day to let that special someone in your life know how much they mean to you, but aren't you suppose to do that every day anyway? If you take the daily route to showing those you care about how important they are to you, you won't have to pay the ridiculous price that I can guarantee you will have to pay on February 14th. Honestly how can the grocery store $9.99 dozen rose packages sell for $50.00 on February 14th? The $9.99 roses are actually better quality and will last longer than the more expensive ones due to the demand and the process the roses have been through to be here for the 14th.
Ok with that rant behind me, I have to admit there are certain indulgences with every holiday. Ironically not one of my children shares my appreciation for these fine delicacies. Candy corn in October is a must, candy canes only taste good in December, it is weird but come January 1st they lose their flavor, and of course Valentines means candy hearts! I'm not talking about tons of them, just one box will do. This year a strange thing happened, none of my kids had a Valentines party at school, which meant no candy on those cute little cards, which meant NO candy hearts for mom. As if an odd alignment of the stars forsaw this way before I did, a gift arrived for me with candy hearts attached. Fortunatley this year I was saved from missing out on my important valentines ritual of overloading on candy and praying to not crack a tooth. Rest assured that next year I will remember this year's shortfall of candy hearts and will purchase in advance of the day to avoid any unvoluntary withdrawal from my personal holiday ritual of candy hearts.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Runway Day


No, no I didn't strut my stuff on the runway but I did attend a luncheon and fashion show benefitting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was shocked to learn a gal I know but hadn't seen in a while (different neighborhoods, activities etc.) had passed away two weeks ago. After that news wore off a gentleman that has a daily battle with a chronic version of blood cancer discussed his current fight with the cancer after beating it round one and having a clean bill of health for about six years. If that doesn't get to you then my hero for the day, a young lady who plans on being a pediatric oncologist spoke about her diagnosis at age 14. Do you remember being 14 or your kids being 14? I can not even imagine how fighting and beating this awful disease during your teenage years would affect everything in your life past, present and future. She stood before a packed ballroom to tell her story, let me tell you if you are having a self pity party today, get over it and take a long look in the mirror and be very grateful you had an ordinary day with no terrible surprises like these people did when they woke up one day like any other day only to find out their life would never be the same. Afterwards some of the top models in our here parts did actually strut their stuff. I am including a couple of photos to brighten your day and to remind you to partake in your upcoming Valentines' Day chocolates with some self discipline so you too can strut your stuff if you get a call from Top Model.





Thursday, February 12, 2009

Ignorance Is Bliss

Going through each day without much thought is so easy, never really stopping to think of others in our daily rush as our day zips by turning into night. Today I share with you one of my favorite photos I took years ago. I did use a tripod and put some thought into how to achieve the photo I imagined in my mind but honestly it was pretty much dumb luck without a lot of effort. I live literally one block from this statue but never noticed it until one night when I turned the corner and there it was, sitting bathed in light under a starry night. One of the most beautiful things I had ever seen sitting just one block from home. The irony here is that it sits on the corner of a small park which many people walk through every day and probably never realize the park is really a memorial to neighborhood children who have moved on to heaven leaving a grief stricken family behind. The walkway is lined with bricks engraved with names of children whose lives have been cut short for some unimaginable reason. Ignorance is bliss to most people who walk through this beautiful little park, I still find it hard to walk through the park without being sad despite being surrounded by the park's beauty.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Peaceful River


When at rest this river is one of the most peaceful places on Earth, when it acts up, watch out. I have the good fortune to visit this place now once every summer and spent a lot of time during my summers growing up in this river. The pace is slower and people who live in this area understand the true meaning of life, helping your neighbors and going about a slower pace enjoying life and all of the things around you. Living in the middle of God's beauty day in and day out with few distractions makes you a different person, more true to yourself and to those around you.