The Places I go...

texture Tuesday hearts

2012-02-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've always loved these 'conversation hearts', they so say much with so little. Behind them a cute little design to dress up the box - punched out hearts on pretty paper.

Kim Klassen's new 'Felicity" texture, with some coloring from PW's actions on PSE.

More lovely Happiness themed Texture Tuesday here.

Have a wonderful day!

Spiritual Sunday

2012-02-12T02:23:00.000-05:00

An early Valentine's Day rose.

It takes courage to love, but God provides such an unconditional example for us.

He also gives us new opportunities everyday, to show our love for Him and for each other.

Spiritual Sundays and Scripture and a Snapshot.

M.E.

Thursday challenge

2012-02-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

I wandered over to a new meme for today, Thursday's challenge - red.

A photo card I made for a friend. I took the berry photo, added some Kim Klassen layers and text. Printed the photo and added some colored card stock and ribbon.

The red sauce on my delicious moussaka at dinner this week. A couple friends were kind enough to help me move some furniture, so we headed to new local Mediterranean joint to try out their menu. A complete win! We'll definitely be back to eat in or take home.

Of course looking at this food photo, I think I need to start learning from Ashley Sisk and her new Tuesday food tutorial...look for that to come.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, a red rose (from the archives). I love this garden every spring and can't wait to take more photos this coming year.

did you see it?

2012-02-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

For a couple hours this morning it was cold and snowy and dare I say it, winter.

By lunch time is was almost gone - the roads dry, the sun out and snow a memory.

Did you see it?

M.E.

Asian slaw

2012-02-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

One of the things on my 2012 "to do" list is to make a recipe from one of the church cook books every month. For January (yes, I know I'm late posting) I made some Asian slaw. This is something quick, easy, makes a good amount and goes with lots of other items usually found at a pot luck. It's also nice for a picnic or a change of pace for your meal's veggie side.

1 (12 oz) bag shredded broccoli slaw

1 package chicken flavor Ramen noodles

1/4 c toasted slivered almonds

1/2 c veg oil

1/4 c sugar

1/4 red vinegar

sesame or sunflowers seeds

(sweet onion or green onion if you like - diced)

Mix the slaw, onion, crushed noodles and almonds (I didn't have slivered, so I improvised) in a bowl, set aside. In a smaller bowl mix the vinegar, sugar, oil and flavor packet from the noodle mix. Stir into the veggie bowl coating well. Add the seed as the end, mixing briefly.

This should be served pretty promptly. If you are traveling a bit to your destination, keep the dressing separate until you get there, then mix everything together.

M.E.

February sky

2012-02-02T21:22:00.002-05:00

"When the sun goes down, we'll be groovin'
When the sun goes down, we'll be feeling alright.

This old guitar and my dark sunglasses
This sweet concoction is smooth as molasses
Nothing to do but breathe all day
Until the big moon rises and it's time to play"

-Kenny Chesney

SkyWatch Friday

Happy Weekend Everyone, I hope it's a good one for you.

M.E.

Barn fun

2012-01-31T19:18:00.001-05:00

For the Ohio Bicentennial anniversary, an artist painted this design on at least 1 barn in each of the 88 counties in Ohio. It's great to see some of them looking so good a few years later.

I thought it would make a neat postcard (maybe to be printed at a later date). Using a texture from Shadowhouse Creations and the Vintage layer from Pioneer Woman.

And just to perk up a January day (which was fabulously warm!), a little ZING barn color and light. This is stylize glowing edges filter from PSE 9.

Linking with Barn Charm.

M.E.

overlapping hobbies

2012-01-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

Since I'm not finding quite as many photo opportunities right now, I thought I would use the time to do something with the pictures I already have. Occasionally Walgreens, CVS, or Snapfish will offer free prints. I have taken advantage of the free 4x6 prints, which I pick up at the store to avoid shipping costs. Here is what I have done with them:

I combined my photo hobby with my stamping hobby and made some cards. I have a ridiculous amount of stamps, punches and other tools to make all kinds of designs. After sorting through my craft room - and let me tell you it was a tight battle for me to win - I decided to pull some things together. One of my new year's thoughts was to say 'thank you" more often. Here are a couple example cards for just that purpose.

I have made scrapbooks, mostly for others, but it's really not my thing. Cards however, can be done in a reasonable amount of time and make a nice impact on someone's week. So, if you're interested in doing something like this yourself, just be on the look out for the freebie giveaway days and maybe grab some craft supplies with the JoAnn or Michael's coupons in the Sunday paper. They even sell mini kits for card making, so you don't have to start large.

M.E.

fabulous fog

2012-01-26T18:46:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned our wacky winter weather thus far. Today wacky winter turned in to fabulous fog in late afternoon. I was able to get some shots before the fog took over the area.

Usually I only catch this in the morning, so to see the layers in the late day, even if they are gray, was fun. You have the blank sky, the trees, the fog, the trees/sky reflected in the water and then the edge.

Here the trees reflect in the puddles instead of the river, but I thought they were lovely anyway.

A final shot of the fog, almost out of sight as I was losing the light.

Not quite that same as the autumn morning shots -

without the fall colors and leaves, but peaceful.

Linking with Weekend Reflections and SkyWatch Friday.

M.E.

winter...hello?

2012-01-24T21:51:00.002-05:00

Last year at this time we had been living with snow for 6-7 weeks.

This year we have had a total of 6" all winter. I'm not complaining, but I do miss the photo ops.

Here is a brushing of snow. We're expecting a bit more Sunday,

but really it's been 2 days of winter and 5 days of spring around my neck of the woods.

Very odd, especially the morning thunderstorms.

Sometimes we just get a foggy, fuzzy morning. Which is a lot like me at that time too!

I keep carrying my camera in hopes of catching something interesting to share with you all.

Off to work training tomorrow, so probably nothing fun there.

I did have some really good and productive works days over the past week, so at least I'm accomplishing something during this sorry weather!

M.E.

cozy cuteness

2012-01-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

I work with a woman who should be referred to as the Crochet Goddess. She makes all kinds of blankets, hats, scarves and kid toys - in a blink of an eye.

I saw a winter headband in the store a couple weeks ago. I really liked the design, but they didn't have any colors that matched my ski jacket. Not that I ski anymore, but it's the warmest coat I own and it fits over everything, so it's my go-to coat this time of year.

I took a couple photos with my phone, brought it in to show Kelly and asked her if she could make me one. Sure thing! I brought her yarn and a button and Ta-Da! It's the perfect size and using the button means I can put it on and take it off without messing up my hair. Isn't she wonderful?!

M.E.

hearts around the house

2012-01-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

This week for Guest Heart Thursday I found a few hearts around the house. First, my cinnamon apple waffles for dinner. The leftovers (because of course I made extras) will be lunch with fruit salad and yogurt tomorrow.

The second heart was an illustration of a slip knot, found in the new intro to knitting book my Aunt and Uncle bought for me around new year's. It may be a while before you see something from those needles! I crochet fairly well, but knitting is all new and I'll need to practice and try to figure out how to keep the tension even...you know after I figure out which way to throw the yarn. I'm ambidextrous, so we'll see which "side" I use for this new hobby.

Visit Clytie and friends for more fun hearts around the world.

M.E.

friendly fences

2012-01-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

For this week's Friday Fences, I came across some non-traditional fences.

A gate-fence on the driveway, with a little holiday cheer still hanging.

And a rock wall-fence around the yard. There are tons of these in this area of town, generally made from the rocks dug up in the area when building the homes. I used to have one in my backyard and loved how it looked with flowers growing along the base.

M.E.

cooking fun

2012-01-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

You know how people use January and the new year to kick start a healthy eating habit?

I'm not that girl.

Just before Christmas I came across some of the "church lady" cookbooks I've been given over the years. I guess technically that name is inaccurate, because some of the contributors are men, but the vast majority are those nice ladies that always provide things for church events. Every church has them (as is evidenced by the 4 different books I have from different places).

So I decided that I would cook one of those traditional, old school, down home, from your grandmother's memory recipes each month and share it with you. I may do more than one, but we'll see how time works out. I'll try to pick some of my favorites as well as some of the most-often-seen at-church events. The best part is that most of these are made out of things we all have in the cabinet or fridge (sorry Rachel Ray, love your stuff, but jeez you use a lot of ingredients) and they are generally pretty easy to put together.

I'm going to be replacing my previous book challenge tab (under the header photo) with this one and add the posts along the way as we eat! Feel free to come walk down food memory lane with me.

M.E.

[BTW, I changed the comments section so now you can comment to me or reply to others. It does require picking the "embedded" option in Blogger settings, so let me know if this causes anyone problems. I just really like the idea of being able to answer the occasional questions people ask. ]

line of barns

2012-01-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine was driving the other day so I was able to snap a few barn shots along the highway. You can see we still don't have any snow, so the corn stalk leftovers are visible. It was a sunny clear day on Saturday and I got some lovely shots. This was a good size farm and I was able to snap a line of barns!

More Barn Charm here.

M.E.

2012 Phrase

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

I was trying to think of my 2012 "word". Something for me to aspire to or remind myself of over the coming months. But I couldn't really find one word that spoke to me. However, on new year's day, one of my friends said "this one will be better" and I thought, yes - it will. How simple is that? Not "I have to shoot for the moon, be perfect, seek peace in every moment, achieve to be something new," but simply this one will be better.

This year I will be in the moment a little

more often and this one will be better.

This year I will try not to be frustrated

with people who don't want to learn.

Acceptance will make this one better.

I will let go of the life I planned and live

the life I have and this one will be better.

I will remember the happy times for

the gifts they are and this one will be better.

I will make more of an effort for hobbies

and fun and less for housework,

and this one will be better.

I will take more pictures as art to stretch

my comfort zone, so this one will be better.

I will say thank you more often, for all

kinds of things and this one will be better.

I will write more notes and send photos

just because, so this one will be better.

I will find some new way to become involved

in my community and this one will be better.

I will reach out to friends and family and make

sure in their world, this one will be better.

M.E.

goodnight sun

2012-01-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

I know you're wondering when I'm going to stop showing you sunrises and sunsets every week. I keep snapping these shots because I know we have a very long gray and white winter ahead. It hasn't appeared quite yet, so in the meantime I'm going to celebrate these amazingly colorful skies on Friday!

I stopped to take this shot, but sat and watched as the sky changed.

This is why I carry a camera in my bag...

More lovely skies here .

M.E.

tiny heart

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Rita made these amazing ginger bread people. Before enjoying every last bite, I took a photo of the craftsmanship too. Look - a tiny heart on the bow made from itty bitty candy canes.

How cute!

More Hearts:

M.E.

Candy floss fun

2012-01-03T21:59:00.002-05:00

On New Year's Day we all were well fed by my brother and SIL. While we were there, they showed us a cotton candy machine they were borrowing. I'm a huge fan of cotton candy, so having a personal little machine seemed liked a really good idea!

Here Mom put candy cane pieces into the center portion where they melt and then spin into sugar floss. They tried jolly ranchers too, but those didn't work as well. The cherry flavored candy cane was my favorite.

You can see she's still waiting for the two front teeth - since they didn't arrive for Christmas!

Luckily, no new teeth required for this treat!

Here's big sister trying to eat and not laugh at me sticking the camera in her face, again!

And to top of the night, a little Wii dancing:

M.E.

New year, new lens!

2012-01-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Christmas help from family, I finally got my 35mm f/1.8 prime lens for my Nikon!

I haven't had a ton of time to play with this yet, but I will definitely be sharing my fun along the way. I did take it to my brother's house on New Years, so I have some cute shots of my nieces I need to download. This is a really fast lens and it works beautifully in lower/indoor light. Gives you some really nice bokeh. Now that I have a larger f-stop range, I can really practice more with manual settings. Not that I don' t like the presets available on my camera - they are very handy, but I'd like to be able to adjust more when taking portrait type photos too. So here is a sample from lunch the other day, at the tea house.

I'm still pondering my 2012 photo goals. More on that later in the week!

M.E.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T18:25:00.000-05:00

HELLO 2012!!!

I'm so looking forward to you.

Happy New Year Everyone!

SkyWatch Friday

2011-12-29T19:17:00.000-05:00

It's almost worth getting out of bed for this...

I'm sure my boss appreciates my getting to work on time too,

but it's the sunrises between rain storms that make me happy.

More beautiful SkyWatch Friday here.

M.E.

2011-12-27T21:50:00.002-05:00

Bits o' my week...

One of my holiday weekend events was dinner out with some cousins. A couple live near me, but one flew in for the weekend, so we jammed an early dinner in before other obligations. We hit a local Mediterranean place (Mazah) because a couple of them are vegans and this place has a wonderful selection of all kinds of stuff. More importantly, the food is fabulous every time. It's a slower paced place, which gave us time to chat and catch up while enjoying our samplers.

One of my wonderful gifts this year was the good knife with a matching cutting board. My nieces picked out the perfect green color to go with my kitchen. I promptly christened it by cutting myself when I took it out of the safety guard to wash it. Clearly I don't have much practice with really sharp knives! I'm excited to use it. I like to cook and bake, but realized that all of my good kitchen stuff has been given to my by my family. Good knives, nice stainless steel/aluminum pots, pyrex glass baking ware - I think they are trying to send me a message!

This is peppermint ice cream time of year. (yes, it's pink, but apparently the iPhone camera has trouble with that color in overhead light). I love it, can't get enough and try to stock up before it's gone. Which reminds me, I need to grab a few more containers this week!

My friend Anna and I were heading out to lunch the other day and I told her I'd bought several containers of this ice cream - and then ate one of them the first week.

She asked "they only sell them in small containers?"

My response, "Umm, nope!"

Apparently, I'm a book snob. Who knew?

I just recently joined the wonderful world of eReaders with a Nook simple touch. It's fantastic, light, easy to use, holds tons of books, has a long battery life and most importantly allows me to download FREE library books at will.

The snob part reared it's ugly head when I read one of the free books I downloaded from Barnes and Noble's collection. It was a mess. Not an editor to be found in association with the book. It was 360 pages of typos, bad grammar, inaccuracies (it was based in Wales) and spacing issues. After about 3 pages I was annoyed beyond belief. It was also a really interesting story - so I read it anyway. I almost wish I had the paper version, so I could have edited it myself and shipped it back to the publisher. I imagine it was either an inadvertent release or it was free because the final copy was not available in the e-version. I'm through venting now, thanks for listening.

I chose the eReader over a new sleek tablet for a few reasons. It fits in my bag (and even small purses), it has a non-reflective and non-back lit screen which is easier on my eyes after 10+ hours a day in front of a computer, I got a really good deal on cyber Monday (not at B&N), and I can travel with it without worrying about the potential replacement expense of a tablet.

I hope everyone is recovering from their holiday and getting ready for the new year. I know I'm looking forward to it!

M.E.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

M.E.

Holiday fences

2011-12-22T23:28:00.000-05:00

I found a few fences decorated for the holidays this week.

(This next one is a little blurry, sorry).

You can find more fab fences with Jan and friends.

Happy Friday!

M.E.

Sharing the Nativity

2011-12-21T21:51:00.000-05:00

A friend's church does a live nativity event. In addition, they have a room where the members can loan their personal nativity to share with everyone else. It's spectacular to see in person. Here are just a few of the wonderful ones on display.

They were all different sizes and styles, some were figurines while others were lighted or wall hangings. Some of them looked handmade. What fantastic traditions all gathered together.

This last one is one of my favorites, although there were many to choose from. This one just spoke to me with its simplicity. Remembering the reason for the season.

M.E.

Surprise Angel

2011-12-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

I have such wonderful friends.

I've always known that, but once in a while I'm reminded through a whisper, a kind word, or an action. This beautiful Remembrance Angel found its way to my door and my heart. My friend N. sent it too me, to reach out across the miles and share a memory of the friend we lost 3 months ago.

This little dear will sit over the fireplace, near the Nativity and keep some very good company through the Christmas holiday season. I think she may even stay there longer, keeping me company through the cold winter months.

Some days I think about the future we have lost. But more importantly, I think about the amazing gifts we have. We have memories of a beautiful woman, we have her family to watch grow, and we have the friends we would have never met without her. These friends that stretch across place and time, to share a story, vent about their day, or laugh about the good things. Because of her, we will never not be family again, we will forever be bonded and that is a surprise gift as lovely as my surprise Angel.

M.E.

December Sunrise

2011-12-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

No snow yet in my neck of the woods, but I still think winter sunrises are amazing. Here you can see the bright orange trying to push the clouds away and take over the sky. It didn't last as long as we would have liked, but made for a great morning commute.

Bits O' my week:

- I wanted to get a specialty coffee the other day and hit one of the local coffee shops in the early morning hours. I was about 5 steps from the register and some little chicky cut in front of me and went to order first. Now, there are many unwritten rules in life, and cutting someone off before morning coffee (especially a non-morning person) is what's known in my world as a "poor choice maker". In the wrong place and time you could be putting yourself in harm's way. I let it go, she ordered her medium drink and went to wait for it. This is where karma steps in and kicks her to the curb, I had a cheap coffee deal that was being offered by the coffee shop, all you had to do was show them the coupon on your phone. So she was in line first, but I paid less than half for the same drink.

- We had our holiday pot luck lunch today at work. I think next year we should rename it "Crock-pot Fest". So many delicious hot items! 3 kinds of green beans, corn souffle, only 2 kinds of meatballs this year (we've had as many as 4 different in a year), homemade chicken and noodles, homemade pizza bread, and of course desserts. One of the most darling were these individually wrapped mini-pecan pies. So cute - see?

- I have candlestick lights lining the walkway to my front door. They use the old school screw in light bulbs that you used to be able to buy everywhere and in a range of colors. Apparently now they are out of fashion and I cannot locate replacement bulbs to save my life! So a few of my candles along the walk appear to be different colors (the paint has chipped off in the weather). For the rest of the season I will be scanning every store in hopes of finding these bulbs - and if I do I'm stocking up!

- I took my car in for a regular maintenance trip and the guys there actually seemed a little annoyed that it was in such good condition and they couldn't even try to sell me anything I didn't need. Good times.

- It has rained so much where I live that we a .8 of an inch shy of the wettest year on record! And we're expecting more rain next week - I'd say we have that in the bag. Now, if we could not repeat that for another 30 years, I'd appreciate it.

Bring on Friday!

M.E.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T20:39:00.000-05:00

M.E.

Night lights

2011-12-12T23:32:00.000-05:00

I decided to cruise through the neighborhoods and get some fun fairy light shots. Some houses have a few, others have gone all out. It was fun checking out the work put in by these folks. Outlining with lights....

Santa and a friend with presents.

I like the multicolored lights on this house - very bright in person.

Two neighbors on the cul-de-sac. I like how they are different and both lovely.

Monster sleigh!!

This one was GORGEOUS! I have to believe they hired a team to do this (or maybe it's their company that does it for others), because otherwise I feel like a complete slacker - my house will never look this festive or pulled together. It was a perfect combination of colors and white lights, Not to much to take over the street, just right. Kudos to them.

The one below had moving/blinking lights. Ya know how much that messes with autofocus?! I was taking shots with the camera propped on my car door, no tripod. It took several tries (manual) to get even this clear of a shot on this house. I really wanted a better one, but I thought my bosses might not see the humor in getting arrested for stalking the house for a good photo!

Ooo, more lights all over the bushes.

And of course, one yard Santa and friends that hit the eggnog a little early!

M.E.

Breaking hearts

2011-12-08T22:27:00.001-05:00

Our hearts and prayers go out to the Virginia Tech family.

May you eventually find healing and peace in the season.

Memories in Blue

2011-12-06T21:28:00.001-05:00

M.E.

Autumn barn

2011-12-05T21:06:00.001-05:00

This barn is used as an office and meeting building. I do like the extra big porch on the side, attached to the regular barn shaped building. It would be a great place for lunch or dinner on those picnic tables. As you can tell by the clear blue skies and sunlight, this pic is a couple weeks old. :)

More barns with Tricia and friends.

M.E.

A not-so-bad-very-good day!

2011-12-01T22:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went to my favorite place for lunch. It is an Asian restaurant with gloriously good food and friendly people that are always happy to see us. Of course, since I go there about once a week, they know how much I appreciate their talented chefs. On this day I had spicy baked scallops with asparagus and shrimp tempura with crab sushi. As you can see I was so excited to get it, I ate the first bite before I took the photo!

Then, they brought me a surprise - a frozen strawberry dessert with strawberry and chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a little cookie. (And for the record, the sauce was pink, but the lighting in the restaurant makes it look a litte orange in the photo). I think it was ice cream wrapped in marzipan. What a sweet surprise and how nice of them!

So after my fab lunch, I headed back to the office for an afternoon of semi-expected chaos. I can already tell you election year is going to be very long next year. We did survive the events and I even received a nice thank you e-mail from a lead secret service agent for some help I provided. I was pleasantly surprised by that e-mail, the feds don't always reach out after the fact.

As middle-of-the-week days go, mine was a complete win. Here's to more of those this month.

M.E.

Out of the fog

2011-11-29T21:12:00.001-05:00

I've noticed my blog entries are on the repetitive side. There are some reasons for this fog. The last few months have come with a few expected and a few unexpected challenges. That's life I suppose and I normally roll much better with the punches, but this late summer and fall seemed to be kicking my derriere.

On top of all this, I have been working long hours and for a few months, every other Saturday. Now, I realize there are many folks looking for work or dealing with difficult circumstances, so I'm trying not to complain. My house, on the other hand, would very much like to complain as I have not done such a great job with keeping up with everything! As a result, my creativity has taken a sabbatical and my get-up-and-go, got up and went without me.

So, as I pretend to ignore the rain (again) and search for a few more opportunities to find some fun and interesting photos for you very patient readers and followers, I will also share some ideas I have for future creative outlets.

1. Try to get more of my book challenge (reviews) completed. I may not get all 10, but I can certainly shoot for 2-3 more.

2. Work on a photo project idea for 2012. I generally don't like to push time forward, but I am ready to let 2011 be part of the history books. Overall, a taxing year and I'm ready to let go.

3. Seek out some fun Christmas cookie recipes for the neighbors this year.

4. Jump back into photo memes and seek out some new ones. Feel free to suggest some of your favorites!

5. Begin to write more about the places I go, when I might not have the photos available. I have so many good memories of my travels and the people I've seen/met that I should be sharing!

Thanks to all of you who have hung in there with me and especially for all the encouraging comments along the way. I truly appreciate them and they have helped me sail through these choppy waters and find the calm on the other side. Looking forward to more fun and sharing.

M.E.

A week for thanks.

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Getting the cranberries ready for the big feast later this week. Hoping you and yours have a peaceful and happy week.

Taking a little blog break to enjoy it all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Purple lights

2011-11-22T00:09:00.001-05:00

Last night all over the US, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network held purple light events.

Goals were to raise awareness, support those fighting PanCan and remember those we have lost.

I was with friends and family and many more folks who braved the ugly weather and came out for the cause.

Know it.
Fight it.
End it.

After the rain

2011-11-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

It's rained for a few days here. A lot of water and gray skies before the day ended liked this.

You can see the gorgeous light in the clearing sky and reflected in the puddles on the field.

More gorgeous skies from around the world here.

M.E.

(This is an SOOC from my phone. I'm starting to think a good 2012 project might be a daily "where I am" using just my camera phone. Could turn out to be entertaining!)

Park fences

2011-11-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

This white line fence surrounds a local park.

It makes it seem like a private farm or ranch, but it is open to the public.

M.E.

Linking with Friday Fences.

Walking the Sky

2011-11-15T20:38:00.001-05:00

This art piece is on the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Pittsburgh. I saw it when I was visiting the area over the summer. We passed it several times and I was intrigued by the size and location of it. It's called "Walking the Sky" by a CMU alum, Jonathan Borofsky.

I was sorry there was construction adjacent to it. We went around different portions of that side of campus trying to get a better photo of the sculpture without getting the fence line in, but didn't have any luck. So here is the best I could get just before the skies opened and a storm saturated the area. This is just another nice piece of Pittsburgh.

M.E.

Not everyday

2011-11-14T17:56:00.001-05:00

You know how some offices have a central place for receiving mail and then it's distibuted to the individual people? Have you ever seen a FedEx delivery like this one?!

(testing the Blogger phone app with this post, BTW)

M.E.

iPhoneography

2011-11-12T11:38:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine showed me a neat app for the iPhone where you can take panoramic photos. It was free when I downloaded it, but that was a little while ago. I think it is $1.99 now and I would pay for this app. It's called DerManDar.

This looks a little distorted because I was up on a slight hill and the road does curve away from me. When you pan from side to side, it wants to curve it slightly the other direction, messing with the road a little. BTW, those yellow trees were completely green 1 week ago and then BAM! yellow one morning!

Students rushing the field after the OSU v Wisc game in October.

More phone photos here.

M.E.

Hearts in my corn

2011-11-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

I noticed one of the field corn cobs was made up of little heart kernels.

How much fun is that?!

More wonderful hearts:

M.E.

Colors of Autumn

2011-11-07T23:23:00.001-05:00

Some fun colors found at the local market.

They had a wonderful selection of local produce and bakery items.

My nieces hanging out in the really BIG chair!

No, they are not small, this chair is huge.

It was quite the popular photo op destination for all the visitors, with kids and without.

I will definitely be back to stock up at this place.

M.E.

Friday fun

2011-11-04T20:42:00.002-04:00

A dual entry today. This was a barely lit foggy morning without the Nikon, so it's a bit grainy. These horses are art sculptures in front of an apartment neighborhood. I like how they flow with the "barn" and pretty fence.

Happy Weekend!

M.E.

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

I came across a photo I forgot to post earlier.

My niece in her new "kitchen", cooking while watching college football.

We are teaching her well!

Also, that day after watching me take pictures with my phone

she took it from my hand and did it herself. I'm pretty sure

it took all of 10 seconds for her to figure out how it worked.

We're going to have our hands full with this one!

M.E.

If heaven wasn't so far away...

2011-11-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a dream.

I suppose I actually dream every night, but last night was a little different.

My friend Nancy and I were going somewhere and just before getting in the car,

my friend Heather showed up and said "hi guys!"

Sounds pretty average, until you consider Heather died last month.

So I looked from Nancy to Heather and said, "I have to tell ya, I'm a little freaked out by this."

Heather just laughed her normal laugh and said

"I know, but it's all right. Really, it's ok."

We all smiled,

and I woke up, peacefully.

Intellectually and academically I understand how the brain works, how my subconscious uses my down time while sleeping to process my daily thoughts. And I do think of Heather often. But, I also know the will that Heather has and if she thought we needed to hear something, she was going to come back and tell us. Even God would understand that she needed to take a break from all that help she is giving him, to pop back down here for a minute and let us know everything is ok.

Thanks, Heather!

M.E.

Again?

2011-10-31T22:50:00.001-04:00

I have to go back to work again? Uugghh!

After a weekend full of college football, great meals out with friends, and leftover Halloween candy, it's back to the work grind on Tuesday. I think Molly's photo says it all!

M.E.

Friday Fences

2011-10-27T21:54:00.001-04:00

I saw this adorable picket fence by a gazebo and pond. This is a brand new housing development, but I really like how they have reverted to designing a community, not just rows of houses. These homes have front porches that face each other and garages in the back, out of the way. They have communal green spaces and streets wide enough for kids to ride their bikes without being in the way of traffic. What a great way to bring neighborhoods back into fashion.

M.E.

Texture Tuesday

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't done this in a while, so here is today's photo with some help from Kim Klassen textures. Today's challenge was any photo with 2 of her textures. I used "silence" and "mayzee".

These are extra large pumpkins setting outside the market at a local orchard. My family and I headed there a week or so ago. It was a sunny, warm, but windy day and there were HOARDS of people every where. I think we were all trying to fit in a fun day while the weather was on our side.

We didn't get a chance to pick our own apples (too many people in line), but we did secure 3 large bags of different types from the market. I have made applesauce and apple cobbler and still have tons of monster sized apples left for a few more weeks of goodness. Then we went home to watch college football, where my favorite team won!

More fun use of textures at Kim's place.

M.E.

Purpose

2011-10-23T22:03:00.000-04:00

"To every thing there is a season,

and a time for every purpose under heaven."

-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I love living in a part of the country with distinct seasons. It's like getting a new chance to have a better season every couple of months. This autumn I have noticed more yellows and oranges, but less reds on the trees. I'm sure it is related to the differences in weather this summer, more rain, wind patterns, etc. What I see though, is individual gifts, continuously new views, and a reminder that every thing has its time.

A reminder for me, through these bumpy past couple of months, that there is a plan and a purpose for everything. I continue to seek and listen for the answers.

M.E.

Changing season

2011-10-18T22:21:00.001-04:00

It's interesting how a change in season can change an entire view of a place. Here's a pond in a park near my house. The first photo was taken this summer, for my photography class. Green, green, green!

This was taken last week while I was looking for all things autumn. Turning yellow and brown, and quite a windy day, so the reflections isn't nearly so clear. Also, a few clouds in the sky. You can tell it was still quite a bright day.

I think I will continue this series through the next two seasons, like my previous 4 Season project. (I might have to tweak these a little, that second one is a little blown out. ) It is kind of fun for me to see how different the same place looks and anticipate what I will find each season.

Watery Wednesday here.

M.E.

Bzzz...

2011-10-16T20:37:00.000-04:00

While out trying to catch some of the last blooms of the season,

I surprisingly also caught this little worker bee.

If I had been paying better attention, I would have upped my

shutter speed to eliminate the last little blur still visible.

But, sometimes life happens without planning and you just have to go with it!

More Macro Monday here.

M.E.

Fall reflection

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

I grabbed a few shots of the gorgeous colors, with early morning sun, reflecting in the river.
Here is one of my favorites from that day.

You can see a small area still in the dark. The sun was coming up over the ridge behind me and there were a few trees high enough to block the rays. Still a darn nice way to start the day.

Weekend Reflections here.

M.E.

Tree top heart

2011-10-12T23:18:00.000-04:00

I was sitting, stuck in traffic after work, and looked up through my sunroof. There was a lovely tree top heart peeking out from behind another tree. Since I had the time, I snapped a shot with my phone. It made the day just a little bit better.

I hope you find some hearts in your day too.

M.E.

Rossi Pasta

2011-10-11T22:51:00.000-04:00

During my short trip back to my friend's home town (Marietta, Ohio) a couple weeks ago, we made sure to stop in the little downtown area. This is a small town on the river and Saturday nights they all but roll up the sidewalks about five. However, the special pasta shop was open until 6 and let me tell you, the purchases our group made probably helped their whole day's receipts!

The store is Rossi Pasta. They have all kinds hanging on the drying rack in the window. They make fresh pasta in all kinds of flavors, sometimes changing with the season. They also stock specialty jams, sauces, oils, and do gift packs really well.

This was always a must-have stop whenever we visited Marietta. I'm sure it will continue to be when we come to town and hang out with her family in the future too. These were the two kinds I picked up. So far I cooked some of the pumpkin with cauliflower and had a light cream cheese sauce. It's not overly pumpkin-y or spicy and makes the kitchen smell yummy. I think next time I'll try a light red sauce or maybe just olive oil.

I'm looking for a white chocolate sauce to try with the chocolato Cabernet noodles. Kind of like a little dessert or something. And maybe some berries to go with that too. Still pondering this one. The down side is I cannot eat a lot of things with gluten (gives me migraines) and I don't drink wine (also the migraine thing), but I'm hoping small amounts with other food will be ok...because the taste is so good I hate to miss it!

The late afternoon sun coming directly into the shop and through all the lovely colored pasta made a fantastic design in the store. Ah, the elegance of small town America.

M.E.

Barn Charm

2011-10-10T21:57:00.000-04:00

A pair of barns that have a little life left in them.

You can see the bean field hasn't been cut yet.

Also, some of the trees are turning orange and yellow,

but plenty of green left due to the higher than average rain.

We'd be happy to send some to the southwest.

More lovely barns with Tricia:

M.E.

Friday Fences

2011-10-06T21:43:00.000-04:00

Jan has started a new photo meme, Friday Fences. Here is a lovely split rail covered with roses.

Don't roses make everything a little more beautiful? I'm thinking of putting some in my front garden next year. I love the color and smell and would really like to see them when I'm hanging out on the front porch.

I'm hoping to find some fall color this weekend. The weather folks promise us gorgeous days and nights, so the camera bag will head out for adventure. I might even bust the tripod out of the trunk for a change...well, let's not get too carried away.

More fences here:

M.E.

A fun win!

2011-10-05T17:06:00.000-04:00

Misty, over at Misty's Musing, My Dogs Keep Me Sane, had a lovely giveaway and I won!

I won the My Memories Suite, which is a digital scrapbook software. Also, after I downloaded it, I received an additional $10 credit to buy a "kit" or something from the website.

This is so much fun. I'm still working on figuring it out, but it is certainly much faster than how I personally scrapbook with paper and embellishments. Now don't get me wrong, I love card making, but I can do that much more quickly than scrapbooks. Now I can also add on to the software with digital scrapbook kits if I want. On the website they also have tutorials and weekly challenges, so you all may see more of my creations here.

I put this "page" together in about 30 seconds. Seriously, they have preloaded sets, plus tons of other options you can do once you master the software. Here, I also exported the page layout as a jpeg. So, if I wanted to put together some ideas and email it to my sister for her to check it out, she can open it without needing the software. Although, after seeing this, she might want it too. :)

Thanks again Misty - I'm have a ball with this new toy.

M.E.

Baby Belle turns 2!

2011-10-04T20:46:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, my niece Isabelle and about a half dozen of her little friends (and their sweet parents) headed to the Little Gym for her birthday party. They set up the equipment and activities according to the age of the group. After and hour or so playing in the gym, the group heads to the adjacent room for pizza and cake. It was adorable.

Here's Belle dunkin' baskets with Auntie Linds.

This flip looked like to much fun! She loved it and after said "Again!"

This part cracked me up. The rest of the little kids are in the middle of the parachute, but there's our Belle, supervising from the outside. She did eventually get on board and liked being swirled around inside.

Here she and a friend are swinging on the pole. At first she didn't love the idea, but then saw her friend go for it and caught on quickly. You can also see some of the other equipment in the room and the chairs and observation area outside for the parents and others not in the gym portion.

And there she is, running through the group as the parents lifted the parachute up. Notice how the others are kind of just sitting and enjoying the tent-like idea while our little one zooms back and forth? Yea, she gets that too-much energy from both sides of the family!

A good time was had by all and I bet a few parents went

home and took a nap while the kids did too.

M.E.

Camera Critters

2011-09-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

Today I'm combining my camera critters with iphonography.

First, a photo of Alix, our visiting kitty. He was falling asleep on the top of the couch.

I also have one of my cat, Molly. Yes, we do nap a lot, why do you ask?

I also took one using the iPhone app "Embossing". You can take the photo in different colors and degrees of grain texture. I like how it uses depth to show color differences in the subject.

It is a different look for photos, kind of an art approach.
Too bad I couldn't use this during my summer art class.

M.E.

Thanks!

2011-09-30T12:12:00.000-04:00

Late in the summer, Laura from Life with Laura passed on this lovely blog award! Thanks so much!

You should stop by her blog. She talks about family fun and documents her travels with wonderful photos. In fact, if you're looking for ideas for a European vacation, go through her daily updates from her summer trip. Really neat places I had not seen before and some that will definitely be on my future list.

Now I'm suppose to share some things about myself. I had planned on sharing a photo project from my summer class, but the end of summer went wonky and I didn't get a chance to shoot the photos I had in my head. So I'll try to think of a few things anyway.

- At work I have not less than 7 different screens open and running at the same time on my work computer. Luckily I have a couple really big monitors to keep up with me. It helps me get things done, because with my short attention span I can float back and forth between items. Occasionally, I do forget what I was working on and find in later in the day!

- For a short time I have been babysitting a friend's cat at my house. My cat is very used to having the house to herself (she let's me stay too) and let me know how she feels about this visitor. The visitor just wants to play! So, I've had to rotate their free time roaming the house, kind of like balancing a bad divorce.

- I spent 5 years as a residence hall director at a large Midwestern school. After that, I learned enough to work in almost any department at a college or university. Also, a core group of us have remained friends 15 years later and being spread all over the country. The stories we could tell would keep you from sending your children away to school. (So we don't, ha!) But seriously, it was some of the hardest and best work years of my life.

- I believe chocolate and/or shopping can make any day better.

- I am taking a short road trip to my littlest niece's second birthday party; apparently we are going to the gym. I'll be sure to take photos of the little one's jumping all around.

- I was in band all four years of high school, playing flute in the marching and concert bands. I competed in solo and groups events. My instructor hated my "hand position", but it worked, so I never did correct it.

- Last night the "Girl's Night Out" group went to a local favorite German restaurant. It's been featured on the travel and food channels. We had jumbo cream puffs!

photo credit: Schmidt's

I hope you have a great weekend - More fun coming when I get back!

M.E.

Much too soon

2011-09-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

A little over a week ago, my friend N. and I headed to Maryland to visit our sick friend. The plan was to help get the house ready so when she came hone from the hospital she would be comfortable. Unfortunately, by the time we reached Baltimore, she had been admitted to the University of Maryland Medical Center MICU.

We were able to see her and talk to her, but she was sedated to help with the breathing tube. I know she understood we were there, what we were telling her and that everyone loved her very much. She was able to understand and respond to basic commands, so we know she was truly with us in spirit. I was very grateful we had the time to be with her, because the next day she succumb to the complications of her illness.

I spent a lot of that weekend reminding myself there is a plan, there is a reason. I'm still looking for a little light into what that plan might be...

This weekend many of those who loved her got together to tell stories, share memories, and make new friends. The group is made up of folks from different parts of the country, but the one thing we all had in common was our friend. She would constantly keep each of us updated with the others' lives, even when we didn't really know the other people. It was just important to her that everyone become part of one big unit, and this weekend we did just that.

We went to a local tavern in her hometown and had a toast to her

as well as a fried bologna sandwich, their signature dish!

And just so we knew she was really with us that day,

here was the sunset she sent us on the way home Saturday.

M.E.

Ooops!

2011-09-23T13:02:00.005-04:00

Hello!

So, I needed to adjust my primary email on this blog and now I have lost "following" on all of your lovely blogs.

Oh no!

I will be looking for everyone to follow again over the weekend, but feel free to leave me your info in a comment so I can get right back on the list.

M.E.

Watery Wednesday

2011-09-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

A little late today, but beautiful anyway...

This is a river that runs near the Blarney Castle in Ireland.

I tell ya, it is so beautiful in that country, the photos all but take themselves.

Maybe we'll get back there next year.

It's been raining on and off here, and cloudy so no pretty pictures.

Hoping for some inspiration this weekend.

M.E.

Quiet on the Riverfront

2011-09-15T23:02:00.000-04:00

A little foggy this week in the mornings.

No rowers or fishermen on the river this day.

Just a quiet reflection of the still green trees on the calm surface.

I'm a sucker for these mornings, I live to capture a few good shots to start the day off right.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Heading with others to help my friend this weekend. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for her and the family. I will be sure to share them from all over the world. She will truly appreciate them!

M.E.

Of course it was pink

2011-09-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

One of my nieces had a birthday party at the local roller rink. Do you remember those days? They had pizza and pink lemonade along with the cake my Sister-in-law ordered. Of course it had pink frosting too.

The party go-ers all seemed to have a great time and loved the cake.

Here's my question, how on earth do you get THAT bright a color in frosting?!

I'm pretty sure it was even brighter in person.

So there's your fun and happy color for the day!

M.E.

Matthew 11:28

2011-09-12T21:20:00.000-04:00


Matthew 11:28

This is all I could think of today.

A friend of mine has be diagnosed with a terrible disease

she has young children and a wonderful husband

she's one of the hardest working people I know

and not just at work, but in church and community

she's the girl scout cookie Mom

and the donuts and coffee after church lady

I want the doctors to be wrong, some how

to say there's a quick fix or a better outcome

It shouldn't be about how I feel about it

but today it is, a little

Mostly, I want to support her and the family

so they can rest and reflect

so the days today are better each day

while we can do as much as we can

and pray for a miracle through the doctors' hands

Well, I'm open to pretty much any kind that comes her way!

M.E.

Joining:

Mello Yellow and Macro

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

I thought I could use a little pop of color to start the week. What's not to love about yellow and roses? I took the two photos on different days, but both were lovely and sunny, which brightened up the roses even more.

M.E.

For more Monday fun, click on the boxes below:

Where were you when the world stop turning?

2011-09-09T23:28:00.001-04:00

I thought I was ready for this 10th anniversary, turns out I was wrong.

Ten years ago I was a police officer working nightwatch. I had come home, exhausted as usual, scanned the early morning headlines and went to bed. I slept amazingly well, something that wouldn't happen again for quite some time. I woke up and saw the light on my answering machine blinking furiously. The phone only rang in the kitchen of my house, so I could sleep during the days. I never heard the series of calls all day long. After the third message, I turned on my telephone and saw just how much the world had changed...

The skies were clear for several days and nights after that day. No planes allowed. It was a shocking silence that is difficult to put into words. There was no traffic pattern to rely on, no lights in a dark sky, no way to tell time by in the increase or decrease in plane traffic. It is something you don't even realize is important, until it is gone. Maybe that was a lesson all by itself.

Until that day I lived in a world where I believed the best of society. It's not that we haven't had tragedy in the US, in fact the previous few terrorist events had been domestic - Oklahoma City, Waco, and Columbine. I think maybe that's worse, but really how can you measure loss? We lost our collective innocence that day, along with the people in the planes, the Towers, the Pentagon, and the field.

We lost mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, parents, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles, and best friends. We lost first responders who went to work that day, like every other day, knowing they might not come home. Their families supported their choice to be the ones running into the chaos, fire, and danger when everyone else was running away. They supported them because they loved them and they knew it was a calling. And that day, they were called to serve a greater purpose.

What we found that day were heroes. Not just the finest and the bravest, but the strongest and the terrified ones that held open doors for their co-workers, carried friends down the stairs, made last minute phone calls for help from a plane, dragged strangers out of the rubble, and comforted each other in a mind-bending situation. Heroes that never signed up for that role, but lived up to nonetheless.

Then there were the photos - every where - of missing loved ones. Posted on fences, telephone poles, walls, street signs, and shown continuously by the media. I think those walls of photos are ingrained in my mind as much as the dusty aftermath of the towers falling and the hole in the side of one of the largest federal buildings in the world. Those pictures and what they represented were far more important to me than any building structures or what they represented. Those scenes have become part of American history.

I have traveled to parts of the world, landing there while they too found themselves under attack. I have a job now, that was developed partially as a result of blatant ongoing terrorism in the world. I live through and with these events a little each day, so I thought surely re-living the paradigm shift of 2001 wouldn't be so emotional. And yet I remember all of the moments immediately following that day. I remember the flags flying high as a symbol in defiance of defeat. I remember the blood drives and the red cross support and impromptu meetings to send help to the places in turmoil. I remember the people thousands of miles away trying to find a way to connect and hold on and send prayers to families and communities they had never met. I choose to see that new America as the result of that terrible day.

I choose to believe again in the power of good winning over bad.

Source unknown

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve...

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua 24:15

(Items in the photos from the moving 9-11 memorial, if it comes to your town - go see it!)

M.E.

On Sunday visit :

And Spiritual Sundays.

Early morning skywatch

2011-09-08T21:51:00.000-04:00

I'll never be a morning person, but starting the day like this certainly lifts my spirits.

Happy Friday!

(Taken on my iPhone, edited with the Camera+ app).

M.E.

Horsing around

2011-09-06T21:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I promised these photos days ago. My real life schedule has been hijacked and I'm pretty sure I'm not getting it back for a couple months! I'll still try to post often, but understand if there is a pause or two along the way. Thanks!

While in NY, a couple of the cousins hopped right up on one of the horses. Both horses are extremely well trained, but one is older and a little bit better for the smaller kids. I included a few pictures of the other horse, because she really wanted to play with us too.

This is Sierra, she was watching the other horse get saddled, wondering when it would be her turn. I thought it was hilarious to see her hanging out there. I could almost hear her thinking.

M has had lessons and loves riding. She is still new at it, but here she is trotting toward me. I have never taking a photo with a large animal coming right at me! I was not too concerned because 1) the horse is really good and 2) the barn was right behind me and I figured she'd at least stop for that!

The younger one, holding on for dear life the first trip around the yard. She couldn't reach the stirrups on this saddle, but by the second time she was really loving it anyway. If we were going to have her ride a lot, we would have put on a smaller saddle.

Now, here was something I learned that day. Although I took most of the photos outside and in a similar place in the yard, I had to continuously make adjustments for exposure. First of all, it was early afternoon with really high sun and a terrible time for photos. However, you take the shots when the opportunity presents itself! Second, the horses are different colors, varying enough in shade that when I went back and forth between them I had to adjust the exposure. Otherwise, this one (above) would turn out completely blown out or the other would be too dark to see the facial features. Just a fun fact for you to consider.

A couple more portrait type shots for the family living room. :) Actually, I used some of these photos as part of my final photography class project. I had planned on completing something else, but life interrupted that week too, so I switched ideas. Also, it was great practice for me to work with children and animals. It made me start looking at prime lenses for future portraits. I'm not sure it's going to become a main focus, but I would like to take more of friends and family.

One more of Sierra running down the fence line. Kate (the darker horse) was just outside the fence and they were playing together, sort of.

Before you think I'm brave (or stupid) for standing in the sight line of a running horse, I was actually on the other side of the fence. Only the Nikon was brave as I stuck it over the fence :)

M.E.

Weekend reflection

2011-09-01T22:26:00.000-04:00

The week flew by, I'm not even sure how I've made it to this point the way my head is spinning!

I liked how still this little pond was in the front yard of a home. The reflection of the trees and even the clouds in the water was such a nice find.

Fun horse photos for weekend critters...if I can get back to my laptop Fri/Saturday!

M.E.

What a difference a week makes...

2011-08-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

When we were growing up, we spent a great deal of summers and occasional winters in Schenectady, New York. And you have to know I know people from here, because I can spell the name of the city without having to look it up!

One of the best places we always visit is Jumpin' Jacks drive-in (which is actually in Scotia, NY but go with me here). They have the best fried clams ever. They pretty much fry everything, except for the ice cream treats in the building next door. It is located by the GE complex and many folks stop in for lunch during the season.

Before leaving town last week we stopped in for one more not-at-all-good-for-you-but-delicious meal.

Here's baby Ty reaching for some of my goodness while waiting on his parents to get some.

Some shots of the cute buildings where you get the food and ice cream - YUM. (Pay attention to the yellow sign, you'll see it again later).

One of the neatest parts of this summer hang out is the Water Ski Team practicing and performing on the river, right behind the shops. On this night they didn't get into the water until dark, so my shots are not that good (I didn't bring the tripod on the trip). The following photos show a couple skiers coming in after letting go of the boat and the boat under the river.

Ok, see how much room there is between the river and the bridge? You can barely see the ski boat in the back (middle) of the photo. You can see the dock that the folks stand on when they are talking about the ski tricks going on in the water below.

Now, look at the same summer hang out after storm Irene came through this weekend. This photo is taken from above, because clearly, there was no going down any closer.

See those white things and the yellow sign? Those are the TOPS of the buildings!!! That is the river flowing all over the parking lot, buildings, and I imagine the park on the other side of the street. I'm guessing their season is over for the year.

(Video from the news after the water receded.)

I can't wait for them to re-group and we can go back for great food and memories next year!!

To all the east coast and NE folks still dealing with the after effects of the storm, we are with you in spirit as you dig in and clean up.

(If you are interested in other photos from Schenectady, visit Buck at daily Schenectady Photographs.)

M.E.

Saratoga Co barns

2011-08-29T19:51:00.000-04:00

Today for Barn Charm, a couple different barns I snapped while going through southwest Saratoga Co, New York.

As you can see it was a beautiful day for a drive. This was about dinner time, when the sun was just starting to come down, but before it was dusk. The first one was relatively new and still all pretty. The second one is more commercial/working and well maintained, but not quite so shiny. Both were clearly a part of their working farm.

M.E.

Darker sky ahead

2011-08-25T21:29:00.000-04:00

This was taken on our drive north on the NY thruway about 2 weeks ago. It was somewhere approaching Syracuse, and the clouds are a good indication of the hours of rain we drove through on the last part of the day. As the elevation increased, we actually drove into the clouds and the rain increased. If you looked down into the valley, you could see how clear it was. Very interesting phenomenon. Well, it would have been if I wasn't so focused on staying on the road through the driving rain at that point!

I thought the colors of the plants among the bare trees made an interesting contrast.

M.E.

wee bit (of me) wednesday

2011-08-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a fun new link up, Wee Bit Wednesday over at Leigh Ashley.

{one} what's your guilty pleasure tv show?

TMZ or What not to wear (WNTW)

{two} ear piercings on men: yes or no?

Um, no.

{three} do you have dish or comcast?

Neither, Time Warner

{four} what's your favorite current fashion trend?

I love that pretty wearable dresses are back in the stores.

{five} if you could learn to do anything, money not being an issue, what would it be?

I would like to be multi-lingual, so I could travel and be respectful of other cultures.

{six} red or white wine?

I'm allergic, so neither.

{seven} what type of food is your favorite (ex. italian, mexican, etc.)

Japanese

{eight} hp or mac?

MAC, every time, everyday, no question.

{nine} what color is your bedroom?

cream and steel blue

{ten} what's your favorite form of exercise?

kickboxing and walking through the woods with my camera

Hop over to see more entertaining answers or join in the fun!

M.E.

She was there too

2011-08-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

Last week, after 98 years with us, my Grandmother was called home to be with Grandpa and Aunt Jane. We all headed to upstate New York to celebrate one of the best Ladies I will even know. She was a small woman with a strong force built from love and family. We spent the week doing a lot of the sames things I had grown up doing, but now with another generation of children added.

We got together at my uncle's house (my cousins live next door), set out a lot of food, sat around the table and on the porch and watched the kids run around the yard. Seriously, that's what we always did at Grandma's house. Here is my youngest niece playing soccer with cousin Mark - note the dress did not seem to hinder her skills at all!

Here are the three youngest cousins chasing the remote control car around the yard. It was a hoot to watch. I'm sure Grandma was laughing. For the record, the car ran out of steam long before the kids that day.

And since we have part of the barn in the picture anyway, here are a few more shots of my uncle's barn, which is beautiful inside (with electricity and continuous water) and the horses really like it too.

Linking with : Soli Deo Gloria and Barn Charm.

M.E.

Photo assignment: Fiction

2011-08-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

I generally take photos of real places and events I visit, people I meet, and beautiful objects I find along the way. So I was challenged by my class assignment where we had to pose things for photos. I'm not sure I grasped it as well as I should have, but here is my attempt at telling a story through posed photos.

Beware, it does not have a happy ending...

This is a story of love and life and how sometimes we let life get in the way of what we have in love.

Details:

I was able to create the photos to match the idea in my head for the stages of the relationship, which was done using things around my house. (The ring is actually something I inherited.)

I took each shot at the kitchen table, to add to the consistency of the tale.

I used a tripod and the same settings to be consistent with exposure, reflection and color.

I focused on the ring in each scenario, to make it the subject throughout the series of shots.

I actually shot the photos in the portrait layout, but when I cropped them for size (for the assignment requirements) I realized the landscape layout made them far more interesting!

This is still not my thing, but I hope the instructor gets what I was trying to do.

M.E.

Bridge reflection

2011-08-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

This is a park near my home. It was extremely busy this day, but amazingly, I was able to get a peaceful clear shot of this bridge and the reflection. I love how blue the sky is to, so perfect.

More weekend reflections here:

M.E.

Book challenge - What should I read next?

2011-08-17T05:11:00.003-04:00

This is challenge 7 in the Take a Chance Challenge 3. In this one the What should I read next website picked the book for me. The result: The Shop on Blossom Street.

Image from Amazon

Author: Debbie Macomber

Genre: fiction, romance

Published: 2004, 2005, 2010

Available: Hardback, paperback, eReaders

Length: 400 pages

This is the first in a series of books. Some of the characters are carried throughout the series, others join along the way. I realize this is not a new book, but I have not read any of this series and it seemed to make the most sense to begin at the beginning. The shop is opened by Lydia, a single young woman who has survived two rounds of cancer, but has lost trust in love and relationships along the way.

The three other main characters in this book are introduced as they join Lydia's new shop and knitting classes. Each woman has their own unique reason for wanting to learn to knit. The four women are not likely to have become friends in another context, but over time and events find support and confort in each other and the knitting.

The three women include Alix, a early 20's woman on her own after growing up with alcoholic parents and a foster care life. Jacqueline, a 50's married socialite with an only child who recently married someone she considers completely inappropriate. Finally, Carol, who has been trying to have a child with her husband through any means possible, and sees the baby blanket starter class as a sign from God that her prayers will be answered.

My thoughts: I was happily surprised by this book. It is well written and the transition back and forth between the characters' stories worked for me. I like that she provides enough detail to feel present in the story, but not too much to bog you down. The characters are diverse enough to relate to a large group of people. Also, the author gives them real life problems and issues, some big - some not so big, to deal with through the book. Additionally, I appreciate that it is part of a series, which really works for me. I look forward to reading the rest as the year progresses.

M.E.

2011-08-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Matthew 11:25-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

(A quilt made for the Ohio State fair - artist unknown.)

I love the design of this quilt, it's curves and lines unique but repeating. It reminds me that we are all connected in different ways and that our lives overlap each other. Some days all of that color and energy needs to be set aside, while we appreciate what we are given and rest to enjoy it.

M.E.

Linking with:

iPhone Camera Critter

2011-08-13T16:59:00.000-04:00

My sweet kitty hanging out on top of the futon in the sun room while I waste the Saturday away!

I used the PicFrame app here. I used three separate photos and added them together. Love it!

Linking to Camera Critters and iPhonography.

M.E.

Irish fest, close to home

2011-08-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

As much as I wish I could visit Ireland more often, I'll have to do with an Irish festival close to home. I took a good number of photos, some to use for a class project, some for cultural purposes, and some just for fun. Here are a few of my favorites.

A weaver using an American made loom, but Irish wool.

He was full of the Blarney and such a nice soul!

He explained the complicated process of setting up the loom, counting the different strands and how to create your patterns. He threw a few jokes in along the way and we were all charmed.

They had many booths of items, but the bag of footballs caught my attention. The colors were beautiful in the sunlight and photographed rather nicely. I love when that works out.

There were many beautiful pieces of jewelry, religious items and musical instruments. I tried to convince my friend that if she bought me a $925 hand made flute I would go back to playing regularly. I was not successful in that negotiation, but I did appreciate all the work put into the craftsmanship.

The final shot is of baby Carter, my friend's son. He was so good for how long and hot the day was. What a cute kid. He liked the lemonade. What is it with kids and lemons?!

M.E.

Fun at the fair

2011-08-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

My friend A and I headed to the Ohio State Fair last Sunday. It was the last day of the fair and scorching hot, as the state fair must be in some comic law book. I tried to avoid going on a weekend - crowds and all that - but we had a very good time with the folks this last day.

While we did see some lovely animals, especially these gorgeous dark colored show horses, I didn't take many photos of the animals, fair foods, rides, etc. We just enjoyed seeing them all and eating the occasional fried items...although nothing on a stick this year!

However, I did take photos of some of the more unique items - like the cows and the space shuttle made of 1500 lbs of butter! Here are the cows:

Not to be outdone, there were also chocolate pigs!

There were many craft and art competitions. The cake decorating had a wide range of ideas, skill levels, and colors. The winner was the rubber ducky in the tub - about 3' high. The chocolate owl was stunning as well.

A few culinary schools had a fruit carving contest. These folks have some serious skill. There were 3 refrigerators full, here are some examples of ideas for your next party night!

The 2 more unique competitions involved creating things with scour type pads - in this case an elephant!

Seriously.

Also, there was a collection of antique goods. They got itty-bitty ribbons. These were so adorable in person, I couldn't stand how cute they were!

I competed in the photography and scrapbook challenges this year. I have NEVER entered a state fair competition prior to this, but a co-worker of mine and his family rock them every year. He encouraged several of us to try our hand at some of the skills. I was glad to do it and will probably enter some things again next year. It just goes to show, you can win ribbons at the state fair and not have to raise cattle.

Although, the winning cattle this year went for $85, 000, so it might be something to consider!

Hope you enjoyed the trip with us.

M.E.

They liked me...

2011-08-07T22:12:00.002-04:00

Here are a few shots from the Creative Arts competition at the Ohio State Fair. These are categories for non-professional artists.
(The fair has a fine arts competition for the professional folks).

I won a first place in the landscape photo category!

And I won a second place in the human interested category,

in this case the flag photo with the man and son!

Here are the original photos too:

More from the fair later in the week, when I get a few more minutes!

M.E.

Playing with slow shutter

2011-08-04T21:43:00.000-04:00

When I was supposed to be out composing good quality photos, I also wanted to have a little fun and experiment. The first shot is in my living room with a 1.5 sec shutter speed. I had on the 18-55 lens and when I pressed the shutter release I twisted the lens smoothly throughout the open shutter. I learned this trick from one of the wonderful blogs out there a while ago. I'd tell you exactly which one if I could remember - thanks to that sweet person.

I tried this several times with different things on the TV screen. I found something with a darker background worked best and this screen shot happened to have words that jumped out of the TV. Neat!

Then while outside sitting on a bench a police SUV cruiser went by. I had it set on 1/2 sec (I think) and moved with the truck as it went by. I think the resulting light streams and bumps show a little bit of the uncertainty and slight adrenaline rush that ensues when a police car takes a call.

This could have been a little clearer, but I wasn't really ready to catch it, so I'm good with this result for a first try.

Off to the fair this weekend - I hope!

M.E.

It's in the details

2011-08-03T22:42:00.001-04:00

I haven't done a lot of night time photos. The few have been shots while waiting for friends at the airport and a few with the tripod and remote, just to figure out how everything worked together. So, when part of my last assignment was to take several night shots with different settings, I ventured into a sleepy little town at night and snapped a few.

Bad shutter speed, wrong ISO, a little movement because it was hand held. Not what I was hoping for.

Ta-Da! Corrected ISO, better shutter speed, good white balance and I propped the camera on the back of the bench for stability. I think I even used the manual focus, since the AF and dark don't get along too well. So much better. I suppose it's a bit blown out with the lights, but when upped the exposure a little to see the rest of the building, it also made them a bit stronger. Still, I like this one much better. So, taking a few extra seconds to pay attention to all the details - yep worth the effort.

(BTW, slightly cropped and watermark added, but no other edits).

I hope to get more practice as the summer and fall go on. Right now it's a little harder because although I love the night time, I have to be up and at work early. Fall makes it a bit easier to get night and morning pictures in the dark.

M.E.

Barn Charm Tuesday

2011-08-02T09:17:00.000-04:00

While out and about a couple weeks ago, I came across these barns along the road. I love the color of the blue one. I wanted to take that home with me, but I thought the owners and my neighbors might mind. The other one is quite large and about 5 different colors in person. I think it's been kept up just to keep it useful, not to be pleasing to the eye. I didn't have time to check out what it was used for, but I'm guessing grain storage.

More barns with Tricia and Barn Charm.

These are SOOC shots from my phone. Not bad for an itty bitty device!

M.E.

Up and Down SOOC Sunday

2011-07-31T14:28:00.001-04:00

These are a few straight out of the camera shots working on perspective. This is pretty much an ordinary shot, taken from a standing position, headed south toward the building. I do like that if you look closely, you can see one of my classmates on the corner of the library walls taking shots down the wall.

Walking inside, you come to the center of the building and you can look up into the stacks of books for about the first 6 floors of the library. The reflection in this shot is from the atrium in the middle. There is glass on all four sides of the inside here, really impressive in person.

Here we are looking down the rows of books and down the hall in the reading room. The reading room has old fashioned table lights and beautiful solid wood tables. The floors are marble and the ceiling has a sculptured arced ceiling with large rosettes.

From the 11th floor, you can see all around the campus and into the city downtown. This is the honors and scholars house, tucked in amongst the trees. The stairs on the back side (which is the side we see here) are part of an outdoor stage. It was once the President's residence, before the president moved off campus. It's a lovely building inside as well.

Then, after all my time in the library, I caught one more lovely sight, up in the hundred year old tree.

Off to take some more photos for my assignment. It isn't that long of an assignment, just very specific and a bit task-y so I wasn't able to take them all at once. For more SOOC photos, visit Murrieta 365.

M.E.

Portrait reflection

2011-07-29T11:00:00.002-04:00

After today's class I went to the library next door and took a whole host of photos. I was working on manual settings, white balance, framing, and perspective. I came around the corner and caught my reflection in the glass. I thought it would be fun to snap a "portrait" of me, with the portraits of the university presidents below (I'm pretty sure that's who they are). I also thought including the books was a nice side note to remind the viewer we were in the library. What do you think?

More Weekend Reflections HERE.

Except for a bit of cropping, this is SOOC. There is an atrium in the middle of the building. This means there is a combination of natural light pouring in and mixing with the fluorescent. I played with the white balance and found that parts of the building called for the sunlight setting, while others did better with fluorescent or cloudy setting. I read on a blog the other day that many folks find the cloudy choice to be useful inside buildings not using regular light bulbs (tungsten) lighting. Seems to work for me.

More library shots coming for SOCC Sunday.

M.E.

Summer school

2011-07-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

So, apparently I can't stay away from the classroom. I'm taking an introductory photography class at the local university. It's technically an art class, so it is a combination of learning to use the camera well (I hope) and creating good pictures that tell a story and can be seen as art. We'll see how much of that I accomplish in this short 5 week session.

This is one of my favorite 'accidental art' kind of photos. It's from the Bon Jovi concert and I took it will my cell phone. Love it! Maybe I'll learn how to do more like this on purpose!

This was one I took to use as a backdrop down the road. I need to reverse the flags (the wind was blowing pretty well that day) and then I could use text or other photos as an overlay. That could tell a story.

I wasn't sure how much of the class time I would share here, I don't want to bore you! However, after the first 4 hours session, I knew I'd have some stories to tell over the next few weeks. First, the instructor has quite a diverse educational and work history, but I'm not sure pedagogy or classroom management were on the list. In his defense, 30 people is entirely too many for a summer seminar class, especially when most of them are just there trying to meet a general education requirement. Reminded me of herding cats...

We spent the first couple hours outside, appreciating the mini break in the humidity. What I learned is that 2 hours on the hard ground without a break to get up and move around doesn't feel like it did when I was an undergrad...a-hem, several years back!

Part of the course is also the history of photography in general and how we reached this point with digital media and photography as a legitimate art form. That is really interesting to me. I tend to learn better when I have the whole concept. Learning how we've come from chemical type engraving to using digital photos, with all the steps in between tells a story in my head that I can remember when I'm trying to take good photos. Also, the sheer diversity of people and majors in this class could be a hoot!

I will post some of the photos I take and the purpose behind a few of the assignments as I go along. Luckily, the state fair is going on while I am in this class, so I will be getting all kinds of good shots from that little trip...and stories too. Wish me luck for the second 4 hour session tomorrow, after I work all day.

M.E.

Barn Spotting

2011-07-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

I had to travel out of town last week for work, so I took my camera along for the ride. I was out in the land of corn and soy beans. Quite honestly, with the amount of rain we had late into the spring, I wasn't sure how the farms would look. They were beautiful and green! Kind of strange to see that much green this late in July. It was also a little foggy most of the morning. The new header photo was taken last week as well.

These are two similar photos of the same barn with some color play by me. The first one has the PW sunshine action applied and the seond one has a photoshop vintage action applied. I like both for different reasons. The color one shows neat contrast of the peeling barn with the new tractors. The vintage one kind of smooths it all out to one "days gone by"feeling.

More great barns with Bluff Area Daily Barn Charm.

Sunshine for your mouth

2011-07-24T17:20:00.001-04:00

I realize this scripture meant more spiritual filling than food, but in this time of farmer's market perfection, I'm reminded that God provides for us in all kinds of ways. The rain for the crops, the fruit for our bellies, the kindness of strangers making friends, supporting local growers and developing community at the market.

Linking to Scripture and A Snapshot and Macro Monday.
More inspiration to be found if you click the links.

M.E.

Book(s) Review - The Book Seer Pick

2011-07-23T00:08:00.001-04:00

Reading Challenge #6, The Book Seer Pick. I am a Nora Roberts fan, especially when there is a series. So the "Seer" suggested several options. I read all three books in the Key Trilogy.

The Key of Light begins the series. You meet 3 women on different paths in life, that converge one night at the beautiful house on the hill. They are given an opportunity to pursue a quest. With success comes great spoils, but with failure comes great price.

The women, and the reader, must make a leap of faith into the magic of Gods and of friendship like they have never known. Each woman must seek out a key to free the souls of the other world's King's daughters trapped by evil magic. Only their understanding of their role in life, love and happiness will lead them to the key.

The three women are an artist (book 1), a librarian (book 2), and a single mother (book 3). They each are given the choice to participate or not, with the understanding that all three must complete the task for the quest to be successful. Along the way their lives become intertwined by work, love, friendship and family.

These are written in modern times, contrasting with the fantasy of magical kingdoms. They are romance novels, but with enough character development to carry you through the series with interest.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this series very much. It makes for a good summer read. Interesting enough to want to continue, but light enough to distract you from every day stress. I enjoyed the differences in the women and the men that join them along the way. Each book could stand alone, but makes much more sense as the series. As with many of her more recent works, the mystery influence of her other writings peek into these romance novels a bit as well. She creates people you would want to get to know and maybe become friends.

I realize I have not provided a very detailed description for this "review", but I would hate to give away components of the storyline that make it unique. If you appreciate the type of writing by Nora Roberts or other similar writers, you will not be disappointed in this series.

Linking to the Take a Challenge 3 , The Book Seer pick.

M.E.

Every day hearts

2011-07-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

A couple hearts I found last week for Guest Heart Thursday:

Hearts in a gate in the Cathedral of Learning on the Pitt campus.

A yellow heart in the middle of my lovely peach lily. My mom planted this for me in my front yard and so far I have managed to keep it going for the third year!

M.E.

Not your average shopping trip

2011-07-19T21:09:00.001-04:00

While I was on vacation, my friend the Dean and I decided to go shopping. We didn't have any really important things on our list, but more a time to chitchat and pick up things from places we don't have around us. Something you should keep in mind, is that both of us are from different towns than where we went shopping, different states in fact. I mention that so you understand that we knew no one in the area, no one knew what we do for a living, no one had any background to work with, it was just one of those days.

We started at IKEA - aka the Mecca of household goods. If you have not visited one of these stores (and I realize they are not available everywhere) you should plan a road trip or pilgrimage or something. You will have hours of happiness in this store, there is even a cafe for snacking along the way. (Side story, my SIL and I went by ourselves one time with my brother's big truck...after our success we were never allowed to go without him again, Ha!)

Our next stop after lunch was a music store. The Dean wants to learn to play the guitar, so we thought we'd have to try some different types, styles, sizes, etc. and see what felt good to her. There were about a dozen patrons in the store when we arrived and half as many clerks milling about the place. We went to the acoustic/classical guitar section and starting looking around. As we were there, commenting on assorted brands, sounds, and string types a man came in with his young son in an umbrella stroller. You know, those kind that fold small and when open really only hold the child. He was trying out guitars himself, and clearly knew how to play. He started talking with us, sharing his preferences for brand and type, (completely unsolicited), playing a few tunes to show the Dean how different sizes sounded and the like.

And then it happened, he drifted into over sharing. He talked about how he had been in the music scene, but alcohol and drugs destroyed his marriage and his job. He proudly told us he had been sober for 2 years now and his new girlfriend (and I imagine his son, who looked about 2 himself) helped him live the good clean life. Most people might have reacted uncomfortably to this revelation, but most people haven't found themselves in this moment as much as the Dean and I have over the years. You see, she comes from a 12-stepping family, so instead of awkward discomfort, she congratulated him on his success and encouraged him to keep it up no matter what. The conversation continued and got a little sidetracked into politics, which is when I started to head for the door. The man bid us farewell, wished us luck in our shopping and genuinely seemed happy to have been able to share a piece of his life with us.

Our next stop was the mall. It was heavily air conditioned (yay!) and not overly busy. We looked for tennis shoes for her, shiny things for me, wandered in and out at will. We laughed about the music store man and how we must have something on our forehead that read "therapist is in" like in the Peanuts cartoons. As we got to the last of the smaller stores, she went into one and I went into a gifty kind of place. There were no other shoppers and by brightened look on the clerk's face at seeing me, there may not have been any for some time. I was looking at the baubles when the nice lady asked me a brief question. I answered and off she went, telling me her life story. Her oldest son was in town for the weekend to introduce the new girlfriend and the woman didn't really know how to take her, Her youngest son still lived at home, although he did work a lot, she was sure to inform me. And she wasn't really supposed to be playing the music she had on in the store (I liked it), but she was the only one working that day and she was tired from her breast cancer treatments...

After sentence three, I realized I was in it for the long haul. So I just leaned against the counter, let her talk, added appropriate comments and just listened. It was clear all she wanted was someone to listen to her. I could do that, I was on vacation, I had the time (and incidentally, a master's in counseling), I could be present for that moment. As soon as the Dean walked in the store, she could tell by my posture and facial expression that this lady was the music man all over again. She browsed without interrupting and when there was a break in the conversation, gave the woman a graceful way to change the subject and move on.

I did end up buying a small shiny thing there, (because it is a weakness) and we said our goodbyes. As we headed back to the car in the heat, we again revisited the strange encounters we'd had. I hope both folks felt a little bit better by meeting us that day. I guess some days God works through you without giving you a head's up before hand!

Sharing with Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood today.

M.E.

Pretty Places

2011-07-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has wonderful exhibits, but is also visually pleasing to walk around. I snapped a few shots of the museum itself, because it reminded me of glory days gone by.

Gorgeous grand staircases with columns, ironwork, and marble. Wonderful carvings at the base and stunning lamps that make a statement all on their own.

The Museum was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1896 and I think some of the workmanship shows the "Victorian Era" as interpreted by a growing city of Pittsburgh at that time. It remains one of the leading museums in the US.

All lovely venues must have a gilded elevator, right?

The detail and relief on these doors and the steel doors that enter the museum is so impressive. I'm sure people wondered why I was staring at the doors, but not going into the elevator!

And then I did.

So I could go up to the top and get this view one last time before leaving.

I'm pretty sure I would have been happy during this era...well maybe not the heavy dresses and limited options for women part, but I could have really rocked a party in a place like this!

M.E.

Some time with Monet

2011-07-16T19:35:00.000-04:00

Most of the time I spent with friends in Pittsburgh was on the University of Pittsburgh Campus. Also nearby is Carnegie Mellon University. The area is home to the Carnegie Natural History Museum and Museum of Art. By the time I reached this section, I had been over a good part of the campus and it was 90+ degrees outside. To say the inside quiet, calm and air conditioning was a relief is putting it mildly!

These are a set of stairs on one side of a courtyard that is walled in glass. You can see the courtyard in the reflection of the stairs. I liked the bright colors and smooth design of the stairs. When you go up them, they lead to the galleries.


Monet - Waterloo Bridge

I was extremely impressed with the collections in this museum, but having 2 of Monet's most well know paintings was the icing on the cake. The Waterloo Bridge painting was slightly smaller than I thought, but the frame around it was magnificent. It made me want to be in London in the early 1900's.

Monet - Water Lilies

Nothing could have prepared me for seeing one of the Water Lilies in person, oh my. The line and post along the bottom of the photo is the ropeline to keep you a little distance from the painting. I point that out to give you a perspective of the size of this painting, or actually, a series of panels all put together. It was amazing. I sat down on the sofa in the middle of the gallery and just took it all in. Since it was a summer Wednesday afternoon, there ware almost no one in the gallery with me. I felt no guilt about hanging out there, just resting after a busy afternoon. I don't think photos really do this painting justice, but I wanted to share mine with you anyway.

More Pitt photos to come, especially from the rest of the museum.

M.E.

Since I took these with my iPhone, I'm linking up with:

The Shoes...

2011-07-14T21:53:00.001-04:00

Friday's link-up writing prompt this week at The Red Dress Club was "shoes" (max 625 words). Mine is a little bit story, a little bit memory, and a little bit reflection on just how important shoes can be.

There are more wonderful stories to be found if you click on the link.

(I promise more photos over the weekend!)

I still miss her some days.

Okay, a lot of days.

She was energetic and fearless and could find fun anywhere. She would go running across campus alone at night, just to clear her head and breathe. It drove her cop friends crazy. Oh, they weren't really worried about her safety, she was strong and young and even before she became a self-defense instructor she could handle herself. They had seen her in action both with drunks in the middle of the night and Vice Presidents at committee meetings during the day.

She had these perfect blue Addidas running shoes. They matched very little of her wardrobe, but what they did match was her belief that she couldn't fail, even though she had never been a runner before. It took her months to find a pair that made running not completely suck and once she found them, she bought three pairs. One pair for outside trails and track, for running 5K events to raise money for causes, and for keeping her friends company on their daily routines. One pair was for the rainy day treadmill grind when she would pop in her earbuds and zone out for the required miles of the day. On those days she focused more on her breathing and just surviving the run. But she would do it to prove to herself she could and eventually because her job would depend on it.

The last pair was a backup. That third pair was more an emotional backup than anything else. It was a symbol to her that she would always keep running and need yet another pair of perfect shoes down the road.

She loved to dress up, sometimes to go out, sometimes just to feel good for the day. She loved shopping of all kinds, but shoe shopping came with an extra little boost of energy. She had a classic style. I think she never really felt like she fit into trendy and couldn't completely give up the suburban Eddie Bauer look. Her favorite kicks were brown lace-up, hard soled cowboy boots, even though she was never a farm girl. She worn them unapologetically with her khakis and polo shirts and they silently projected her fun, but strong personality.

She had scores of heels, a weakness for sure, but the navy pumps got the most wear. They weren't stilettos or pointy toes, even when that was all the rage. They were traditional and slightly practical and would never go out of style. She was one of the few staffers who wore dresses even when the workday didn't call for one. She balanced being thoroughly girly with having grown up a little-bit tomboy.

She knew before everyone else she was going to have to leave, to let someone new take over. She had been making subtle changes over the years, ones no one really noticed. She stopped wearing the heels so often, and chose pantsuits. She had difficulty finding "just the right shoes" a little more each time she tried. And before she left, even though she knew she'd never use them again, she couldn't let go of that last pair of perfect running shoes. She couldn't let go of who she had been in them.

It's funny, what a pair of shoes can mean.

M.E.

The Places I go...

texture Tuesday hearts

Spiritual Sunday

Thursday challenge

did you see it?

Asian slaw

February sky

Barn fun

overlapping hobbies

fabulous fog

winter...hello?

cozy cuteness

hearts around the house

friendly fences

cooking fun

line of barns

2012 Phrase

goodnight sun

tiny heart

Candy floss fun

New year, new lens!

Goodbye 2011

SkyWatch Friday

Merry Christmas!

Hark the herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled" Joyful, all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With the angelic host proclaim: "Christ is born in Bethlehem" Hark! The herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King!"

M.E.

Holiday fences

Sharing the Nativity

Surprise Angel

December Sunrise

Wordless Wednesday

Night lights

Breaking hearts

Memories in Blue

Autumn barn

A not-so-bad-very-good day!

Out of the fog

A week for thanks.

Purple lights

After the rain

Park fences

Walking the Sky

Not everyday

iPhoneography

Hearts in my corn

Colors of Autumn

Friday fun

If heaven wasn't so far away...

Again?

Friday Fences

Texture Tuesday

Purpose

Changing season

Bzzz...

Fall reflection

Tree top heart

Rossi Pasta

Barn Charm

Friday Fences

A fun win!

Baby Belle turns 2!

Camera Critters

Thanks!

Much too soon

Ooops!

Watery Wednesday

Quiet on the Riverfront

Of course it was pink

Matthew 11:28

Mello Yellow and Macro

Where were you when the world stop turning?

Early morning skywatch

Horsing around

Weekend reflection

What a difference a week makes...

Saratoga Co barns

Darker sky ahead

wee bit (of me) wednesday

She was there too

Photo assignment: Fiction

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"