The DOOR

For those of you that know me...you know my passion for Owls. This door was made for me....I am sure.  Can you imagine what work it took to do this.  The craftsmanship was awesome.  This is at the South Coast Winery in Temecula.  They had additional workmanship that was also awesome but nothing can top 'An owl'.

I tried to fit it in my purse...guess I need a bigger purse!!!

Future Farmers

After rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, the girls were getting kind of antsy.  Tired of being 'well behaved' I guess you could say.  They were awesome.  So I took them for a stroll out in the wine fields and found a wonderful old tractor to capture some shots by.  That's Lucy on the front.  I truly did not think I was going to be able to get her off of it.  She truly loved it.

So, of course, I had to try to get a shot of the wedding couple.

Muses and Inspiration needed

Yes, I've been in a lul.  A Hole.  A dark alley.  Creativity all...gone. Squished.  Need major overhaul.

The year has been full of weddings, travel, and the downside of moods due to lack of home selling and a few financial surprises..to the red...not the black unfortunately.  Job changes.  Relationship glitches.  It has all taken a toll on my blogging and photography creativity and I MUST GET BACK. I Must.  It is my survival.

Yes, it isn't like I haven't photographed.  I haven't blogged half as much as I should. I've lost track of my Beyond buddies and miss them greatly.  Maybe..maybe the oncoming winter will allow me to re-charge.  But that, hopefully, is still a few months away and I can't wait for that..so..

Off I go.

I signed in to Beyond in hopes of grasping a lesson..much behind on and I have found I can't just start with the most recent because it looks as if they have learned a few things I will need before I can participate much again ....so back I will go...to try to grasp what I need.

Meanwhile, I just popped in to one of the links and found this wonderful place .  This one I must follow and try to play along.

Time to pull myself back out to 'life'.
Time to grasp that dream again.

Walks. I. Love. Walks.

Just need to make them a bit more interesting and not just the same place every time and must take my camera on each and every one of them.

Going to the perfect place to start this weekend.

Now. I. Am. Syked!!!.

What do you do to keep interested?  What...or who...is your muse?  How do you keep from falling in to that 'empty place' of being 'lost'?

After everything - VACATION

After the wedding requirements for the first three days in California we were able to get some enjoyment out of the trip sight seeing and relaxing.

A little enjoyment of the Torrey Pine Beach in San Diego looking for little crablike creatures.

Brown pelicans flying above so quietly.  I almost missed them!!

Kings of the Hill on top of the Torrey Pines hills.

Some San Diego zoo fun.

It was a rushed trip after the wedding. We definitely needed an additional day or two but it just gives me a reason to have to go back again!!

I'm Back....

Really...I do hope to be.  It's been a mish mash of one of those....'life is what happens when you make other plans'.  Between weddings, engagement parties, family reunions, and changing jobs...a little bit of relationship stuff and an unproductive attempt to sell my house....

Let's just say...I was lost.  I hope I've found my way back.  I hope I am encouraged and cheered on...to hang out here again.

In case you missed the entire romantic, get engaged in front of the Eiffel Tower portion of the story...this is my son and his new wife, my daughter-in-law...getting married at a winery in Temecula  California.

It was, of course, beautiful, romantic, fun and just downright awesome.

I don't believe I have ever seen him this happy.  Oh, he has always been a happy child, but he has a bit of his dad's...analness in him sometimes. He is a hard worker and has become a bit of a geek.  All okay.

He is happy.  She completes him.  I truly wish them a very very long life together.  They are so awesome together.

So that was the main even of the year so far....and holy crap...it's more than half over.

So now...I'll go backwards a bit...or maybe I will just roam all over the place in some randomly fun type of order...and entertain you with other activities of this year on that island called 'lost'...in life.

I hope I haven't lost the few of you that were following me.

I hope I figure out how to gain a few more with lots of encouragement...to share.

I'm here to stay!!!


So...has your year been as crazy and lost as mine.  I need to catch up on all of your news also.

Style - Mine - 2BD19

My dear inspiration, Kim, has challenged us to show our style.  Photographic style.  Editing style.  Artisitic style.

I have to admit....I still wonder what I can call my style. I know where my passion is. Nature. Wildlife.  The outdoors.  God's given gift of the earth's bounty and beauty.  I know I've burned myself out a bit on just the shots of a single bird...a photo without a story.  I know...I keep my hand a bit in the portrait photography....but not enough to get some financial satisfaction out of it. (But neither has my non portrait style - a result, I say though, of the job that was supposed to pay the mortgage...now no more....now changed...with high hopes of 'being fun' again.) Portrait photography...I can easily find an excuse for not doing it...on a regular basis.  Nature, wildlife...I am very patient with.

I love the candid shots...sort of like the one above.  I guess, when I think about it...street photography.  Not posed.  I love photographing those that are so comfortable in front of the camera that all I have to do is create with my lens.  The setup stage is all natural.  They do it themselves....especially when they aren't aware of it.  My passion for 'surprise' maybe.  More so though...my passion for natural, simplicity, serendipity.

This shot above..stirs so many passions in me. Maybe because it was one of the few awesome images I captured during a week that was supposed to offer up so much more to me than what it did.  Maybe because of some of the awesome company (my mom and niece and her boyfriend) that joined me on the trip.  Maybe...just because....I'm proud of this shot.  It isn't just a single bird.  It tells a story...for me. It's a beach...and I can hear the waves in the background. The sandpipers just seemed to invite me over.

I like them in focus and her out of focus. It makes me want to walk on the beach again.

My style...not a true...all in focus landscape type person.  I love bokeh.  I love...blur.  I love dreamy.  I love mystical.

I did crop in on this.  I did add texture even though the picture worked for me even without the texture.

This picture...makes me wonder if I shouldn't make this a vacation location on a regular basis.

Does it stir anything up for you?  Does it make you wonder?  Smile? Dream? Does it tell a story to you?

Way Too Long

(slowly peeking out from under all the 'dirt'...thinking it might be safe....to live again.)

It's been way too long for me not having posted.  I truly apologize.   Life apparently had other plans for me.  I let my day job take over my life.  I. Let. It. Happen.

Well...no more.

I quit.

I found another job that so far I believe I will really like...for an office job.  Unfotunately, what I really would like to do just doesn't seem to want to fall in place for me.  My passion for gardening can't make the mortgage payment here, particularly since it is a seasonal thing here in the midwest.

I've been trying to get back into this. Hopefully now that I have removed the main thing that has had my creativity squished up in to a tight ball, I can fall back in to the swing of things and chat with all of you again.

I've had too many days of feeling caged and am happy to be 'free' again.

New beginnings. Coming out.  Springing back to life. Soaking up the 'fresh air'.

I can't wait to have something to share again!!

There is light....all around...outside of the one 'dark closet' that still needs to be cleaned out. Straightened up. Reorganized.

Thank you for your patience.

I guess I just needed a bit of ...nudging.

Please...nudge me.  Please don't let me slip away again.

Sometimes, alone is just way too lonely.

Please...nudge me.

Water me.  Feed me with some good down to earth healthy compost and I promise...to make you smile...time and time again.