A bit of a stretch

I'm so ready for the snow to melt that I find my eyes lingering longingly anywhere there is a sign of melting.











In order to constantly be creating, I set myself little challenges. One challenge is to find the beauty in our surroundings always and I try to accomplish this by taking at least one new photo while waiting for my daughter's bus each week. This is fairly challenging because we live in one of those large apartment complexes where everything is landscaped and lined up in neat little rows. It might be nice, but it's not exactly inspiring. So this is from last week. It's maybe a bit of a stretch, but it's the only one I felt was outside of the proverbial box.

Zzoooommm!!!

This shot was taken with the camera set to auto-focus. It came out zoomy (that's a technical term, I'm sure) but slightly focused on his face. So I exaggerated the zoominess (again with the technical terms) and messed with the color a bit. I think it's a really cool picture.

Change is not Merely Necessary

“Change is not merely necessary to life, it is life.”
~Alvin Toffler

The Sun Has Got it's Hat On!

The sun has got it's hat on,
Hip, hip, hip, hip hooray!
The sun has got it's hat on
and it's coming out to play!

That's the song Ab asked me to sing when she saw the sunrise from her bedroom window. "Should I take a picture?" I asked.

Once I saw a little bird...

... come hop, hop, hop.
And I said, "Little bird, won't you stop, stop, stop?"



As we were waiting for the bus in this morning's frigid cold, these little birds and the blue sky behind them reminded us that Spring is on it's way!

Bubblegum

Sunrise in early February

Different stages of the same sunrise with a few different effects.

Art Reminds

“Life beats down and crushes the soul
and art
reminds you that you have one.”
~Stella Adler



Most of the snow has melted and I realize that soon these naked trees I love to photograph will soon be covered with leaves again. This mostly thrills me, but also makes me a little bit sad. I love these photos.

Jonny Lang: Part 1

We went to see Jonny Lang and his brilliant band play at the end of last month. I've been a fan for many years, but never had the opportunity to go see him live. My husband bought me tickets to the show and a night out of town sans children! It was great!



If you've never had the opportunity to see Jonny play live, GO SEE HIM! It was a fabulous show. Not only is Jonny a phenomenal musician and singer, but his band is amazing as well. You will not be disappointed!

Bus Stop

I've started taking my camera out to the bus stop with us in the morning. These are from this week.

Hope is the Thing

"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all."
~Emily Dickinson

Winter Light

Thy Word.

"Thy word is lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." -Psalm 119:105

Butterfly Stained Glass

It's not stained glass. It's a butterfly I colored from a "stained glass" coloring book we have. Looks pretty cool against the winter white sky, with a little "boost" from a photo editor.

Bones

I love trees in winter. Ok, I love trees in every season, but there is something so intimate about trees in the winter. So naked, so exposed. I love the contrast between their bare bones branches and the cold sky. They are one of my favorite subjects to photograph.

Snow Bean

Queen of the Mountain

Welcome President Obama!

My heart is absolutely bursting today!!!

I don't normally post commentary on this blog, but feel that today is too important to just let it pass without saying something.

I find my eyes welling up with tears every few minutes. I voted for Barack Obama because I believe in his message. I believe in his abilities to reach across party lines and unite this country. For the first time in my adult life I am really and truly proud to be an American!

For some reason, my heart has always gone out to the African-American community. I've never thought it fair that even though I face some of the same hardships as so many people across this country, that my path might be a bit easier simply because of the color of my skin.

When I visited the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, Michigan I was able to sit in the same seat on the very bus that Rosa Parks refused to move from so long ago and I wept as I heard her tell her story over the speakers installed in the exhibit. I wept because not only am I moved by her courage to buck the system, but also because she should never have had to. She was not unlike my own mother, but my mother would never have had to endure what she did, simply because she was a white woman. I list Rosa Parks alongside my mother as people who inspire me in my life.

And now Barack Obama is on that list as well. I am so proud that my children are young enough that they will never remember a time when the collective questioned whether or not it was possible for a black man to be elected President of the United States. They will know that it is possible for ANYONE who possesses the determination, the intelligence, the charisma, the work ethic and the education to be President!



My prayers will be with President Obama & his family as they lead our country! I'm so proud to be an American! I'm so proud to be a citizen of this world! My heart is absolutely bursting with pride!!!

Compelling Force

“Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit.” ~Ansel Adams

BluBirds

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” ~Muhammad Ali







These birds aren't blue birds. I have no idea what kind of birds they are, but I had fun editing this photo. It's one of my favorites taken in Montpelier, Vermont in the winter of 2007.