Snow

I'm kind of frustrated because I haven't found the time to go outside and snap photos of the snow. Here's one. Wish I could have made it more exciting.

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event"  

J.B. Priestly

Winter

Had a busy, but fun day today. I decided to go to my favorite place to take a walk. It started doing this funky kind of snowing, where the flakes would become like ice pellets, then turn back into flakes. It was quite cold outside, but at least my photos are starting to look somewhat winterish. I apologize that they aren't very good. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow. We'll see...

partially frozen stream of water

ice crystals on the creek

more ice crystals

raccoon sleeping in a tree

JUGs

I just got home from spending the evening with a group of friends. (JUGs, or Just Us Gals.) I think the original purpose of this group was to plan activities and hang out together once a month. Which pretty much fell apart after the first few months. It's been eons since we all got together, and some new people have joined the group. It was fun hearing all the stories. I'm looking forward to our next "meeting," which is going to take place in another eon. I'm sure it will be nice catching up, once again. 

The flower in the photograph below was so small, I almost missed it. It was taken one summer on Coconut Island in Hawaii. I wish I had a landmark so that you could see how small the flower was. I'd say it was about the size of my pinky fingernail. Luckily, I am always on the lookout for something to photograph and I spied it on the ground. So, being the dork that I am, I got down on my hands and knees to photograph the flower. Then, I had to run to catch up with the rest of the group.

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small - we haven't the time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. - Georgia O'Keeffe 

Give and Take

I had planned to take the camera out today and see what I could shoot this afternoon, but I forgot it. Here's the reason why...I had made plans to meet an old hs bf for coffee so I had things on my mind other than remembering my camera. I hadn't seen him in twenty-something years. I was kind of nervous because he was one of those guys who made me get butterflies in my stomach...you know the kind, when you're a teenager and think that you're in love. What an awkward phase in life. It was good catching up with him. No more butterflies though. So, today in lieu of a winter photograph, you get a summer photograph from a sunny day in Hawaii. I hope you enjoy.

Give and Take...

For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life

And to the flower a bee is a messenger of love

and to both, bee and flower, 

the giving and the receiving is a need and an ecstasy.

- Kahlil Gibran

POTUS

With my need for sleep growing, my creative juices have stopped flowing. I can already hear the groans. Forgive the play on words between the photo and the quote, which I'm sure will go over many readers' heads. I just didn't have any good photos of "change"...

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." B.O.

The Ultimate Challenge

Ug. Auntie B has made a request. She would like me to write inspirational things in my blog. She said that it's not that she doesn't enjoy my photos, but she would like to know about my dreams. Yikes. And she suggested quotes, which I could do, but it would take a little more effort on my part. So, pretty much the "you" in this post is directed towards Auntie B.

I thought about it and I don't think I have ever said or done anything to be inspirational to anybody. Pretty much I'm a smartass who tries to do anything to get people to laugh. Quick witted and often sarcastic are the trademarks to describe my M.O. To step out of this box would be quite a challenge. At heart, I am a true introvert. My intention of this photo blog was to inspire people through my photographs. To touch people in ways that they have never been touched before. I often feel that words just get in the way. One of my nieces recently told me, "My dad takes good pictures, but they have no feeling." My dream is to put feeling into my photographs because I am not, nor have I ever been, good with words.

Here's your quote: "Dreams are necessary to life." - Anaïs Nin


You ask of my dreams. Funny you should ask me to talk of my dreams. I have been recently living a childhood dream. I'm not going to blog about it now because it is very personal, and I have written much about it in my personal blog. However, every time I think about it, I smile. But could I make a photograph about it? Probably, but only one that would have meaning to me.

I do have a wish though. For you to begin your own blog as I know you desire. I've seen your notebooks, your quotes, your doodles, your stories. Take that first step and don't worry about what people think. You often worry too much about what others think. Don't get caught up in petty gossip, for it is that which stunts our growth. Over the past year I have seen you grow and you should feel good about it. Surround yourself with good people and you will be okay. 

Now, I am waiting for you to inspire me...I know you can.

deer friends for my dear friends

Today I went for a walk at one of my favorite places. The trees have lost their leaves, the highway is now visible from within the nature reserve, but there is still a feeling of not being near the city. I wanted to try to get some shots of winter to post. Instead, I'm sharing photos of some friends that I've watched grow up this past year. As you can see, they all stopped to look at me and pose for a portrait. Again, these photos stimulate my desire for a 35mm SLR. Sigh...one of these days...

Frangipani

Here are a few photos of plumeria I shot on a trip to Hawaii.

Happy Birthday

Here's a shout out birthday wish to MDM, who I've been friends with for 23 years. I raise my glass of Italian Moscato for a toast to you (I've upgraded from peach schnapps). May this year (and many years to come) bring you much happiness. Mess, I'm thrilled that you're back. 

Happy Birthday, my friend...I've missed you so. 

xoxo

Nice/Nice

When my sensory integrative faculties are misbehaving, I like to find a nice quiet place to sit and think, or do nothing. This photograph is a prime example of the perfect place I seek. It is one of my favorite photographs taken on a vacation to the Mediterranean. While actually a color photograph taken on a cloudy day, the grayish hues give the perception of a black and white photograph. It was shot from a moving car along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. (Click on the photograph for a better view.)

This is where I want to be...

FYI

No, that wasn't me in the last post. And I'm going to keep it up for a little while because several people said they got a laugh from it.

I Know I'm All That...

This photo/post will probably be removed by me when I feel like being nice. I've been in a bad mood for the past several days. I'm feeling so fat today, so I decided to post a pic of me in my swimsuit on the beach because I think I look so hot in it. In fact, I know I'm all that and a bag of chips.

Seriously, quit looking at my ass. You know you're jealous.

Still Looking Up

I figured that looking up at the moon last night wasn't enough. Today I went to look at the bald eagles. I became entirely frustrated and realized that I really need to buy another new camera. I left my trusty old school Nikon 35mm manual camera at home because I didn't have any film. Poor choice because the digital camera I have doesn't zoom in enough. So, I have some pretty crappy photos for today.


This last photo was shot with me hanging out of the window backwards and shooting at the sky while trying not to fall out of the car while it was moving. Would have been a beautiful shot if I had that zoom lens...

Look in the Sky!

Tonight I was driving home from a lovely evening with a good friend of mine. I looked up and saw how beautiful the moon looked. And then I saw clouds. And then I saw the moon. This went on for a while. I pulled over in my car and got out my little point and shoot and this is what I shot...



All of a sudden I see a floodlight sweeping around. I'll be darned if the cop didn't stop to see what I was doing!

...So after the cop stop, I saw what looked to be a couple penguins who must have gone to happy hour tonight. The penguins were falling over, and good old Frosty in the background had fallen and popped his head off! Dang, even the lawn ornaments know how to have more fun that I do!

What's That Smell?

I'm kind of curious as to what these two are doing. Are they smelling the stick or picking their noses? And what happened to that one little guy's horn?

Byodo-In

Accompanying today's photograph I'm sending a thank you for one of my gangsta friends who surprised me by making dinner for me and my family last night. The kitchen is out of commission because of a total rehab job and I've been getting sick and tired of trying to creatively make healthy meals. RKS, the food was delicious and extremely appreciated.

Thank you so much...my for realio friend...

Remember the building in the photograph? I shot it when we went to Hawaii. It's the Byodo-In Buddhist temple located in the Valley of the Temples on Oahu, Hawaii. It is a replica of the original 900 year old Byodo-In temple located in Uji, Japan.

Attitude

Since it is the beginning of the year, I would like to stop and take a moment to remind myself of something I need to try to do more often, which is why I shot this photograph. (Unfortunately, I was unable to run this race because my knee was giving me fits...sucks to grow old.)

The sign is from a Girls on the Run sponsored race. I wish they had this program (Girls on the Run/Girls on Track) when I was young. It is an amazing program with a worthy mission--To educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The objective is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.

The F word

Today's photograph/post is for a very dear friend (and you know who you are). Your performance tonight was wonderful and you looked beautiful as always. You truly are an amazing and talented person and I am honored to be able to call you friend. You rock. Smile...

xoxo,
me

Regarding the photograph, it was shot the day before my birthday in 2008 at Cascine Rossi (a family member's country home) in Casale Monferrato, Italy...after which the local police stopped us--I think he thought we were casing the joint.

Santa Croce

It's Sunday. I'm not much into organized religion, but here are a couple photographs from the ancient refectory of the convent of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. The bottom portion of the first photograph is a fresco painted by Taddeo Gaddi c1340 of the Last Supper in the moment of the institution of the Eucharist. In the upper part of the photograph, you can see the Tree of Life.


The Last Supper depicts the dramatic moment before Christ reveals that one of his disciples will betray him. "Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve. and as they did eat, He said, 'Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.' And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, 'Lord, is it I?' And He answered and said, 'He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.'" (Matthew 26: 20-23 King James Version)

A New Year

With a new year, comes a new endeavor. This will be a photo blog which I can share with everyone.  (My other blog contains stuff only a few others read and could get me into trouble if it fell into the wrong hands.) 

The above photo is of one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited. It is a salt water pool that is located on a place called Coconut Island just off the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii. Movie stars back in the day used to go to this island when they wanted to get away from it all. These days, the island is owned by UH as a research facility. An interesting tidbit of info is that this island is the one that was used as the opening scene of Gilligan's Island.