thematic photographic - up

had some time yesterday, so I went to look for pictures of "up" (see Carmi's site http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2009/02/thematic-photographic-36-up.html for details).

The first one was just for fun but I love that there was actually some blue sky - finally. Folks from "sunny" southern California get a wee bit grumpy after a week of rainy weather.

and, while i was outside looking up, i saw this little guy. he made me smile.

Have a nice day!

thematic photographic - new

Carmi's theme this week is "new." visit his site to learn how to get in on the fun. http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2008/01/thematic-photographic-new.html

In a very neglected corner of our yard, we planted some iris - nine years ago. Just to have some color there, while we decided what to do with that area. Other areas have demanded our attention over the years. There is now a pool, gardens, a patio cover, yards of concrete, etc....

But in the neglected corner, I found a treasure yesterday. One lovely iris plant, still trumpeting the coming of spring.

One lovely flower brightening up an otherwise very dreary corner of the world.

Reminding me that it's a new year with new opportunities to make things a little bit more beautiful.

bright summer days....

This week Carmi has invited us to explore "bright." You can go HERE to find out how to play along -- be sure to tell him that I sent you. =D

anywoos....after i decided not to post a picture of my "bright" children (which probably would have been one of them doing something incredibly stupid), my next thought was sunflowers. That was closely followed by the bright blue that the ocean becomes on those beautiful summer days. So here's what I dug out of the archives for this week:

These were taken last June. It had been well over 100 degrees for a week and we were melting. We decided a day on the ocean was in order and off we went.

These dolphins played off the bow of our boat for miles.

shadows....they come and go so quickly!

Carmi's theme this week is "shadows." Click HERE to get in on the fun - you have until Wednesday and then a new theme will be posted.

catching a good shadow pic is harder than you'd think (or maybe I was just naive). We were at Disneyland last night, in Sleeping Beauty's castle. As we turned a corner, there was a great shadow of Malificent. I immediately thought, "Carmi's theme!" lol

anyways, I grabbed the camera (which, in my defense, was my husband's point and shoot... that i'm not familiar with.... that has an incredible looooooooonnnnnnnnggggggg delay) and tried to get the fleeting shadow. It appears (very briefly) and then there is a crash of thunder and a FLASH of lightning. We all know that a FLASH of lightning is not a friend to shadows. good thing there were no people behind us.

so here is the Malificent shadow -- really, it's there -- I wouldn't lie to you:

and here is the neat shadow that you see right after the FLASH of lightning:

Next time, I'll carry MY camera. I was so frustrated last night. I didn't get shots of anything because of the stupid delay. I've gotten spoiled with my DSLR.

"Sweet" is in the eye of the beholder

So I'm finally finding time to post my "Sweet" picture for Carmi's weekly photo theme. You should play along, it's mucho funno.

I'm totally going with the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the word "sweet." I tend to over-think the themes and try to be super creative and then get discouraged because my skills don't match my creativity and then I don't post anything. And that takes all the fun out of it. *grin*

This is my totally sweet ride, man.....(you have to say it like you're a teenage boy who just got his license and is checking out his friend's new car). not the best pic, but it's a 2005 legend lime convertible mustang GT -- it's fast and loud and incredibly fun to drive.

This was my Christmas present from my sweet husband in 2005. I had sold my dad's '66 convertible mustang because it needed more love than I could give it and just sat in the garage. I can't do that to a beautiful car. When Ford introduced this body style, I fell in love all over again. (not super pleased witht the reliability of the car, but it's a looker)

I knew exactly which one I wanted, so we searched until we found one and then test drove it. Fell more deeply in love (and yes, you can love a car) but my hubby (not so sweet that night) said it was too expensive. He then arranged (without my knowledge) for the car to be transferred to a dealer where a friend worked and bought it for me. He brought it to the office (a couple days after Christmas) and parked it outside my window. He walked into my office with a huge grin and tossed the keys on my desk. sweeeeeeeeet! I had to sit there for another hour, staring at my beautiful car, waiting for time to clock out. It was torture!

It's been three years and I still find myself walking toward it in parking lots and saying "that's one hot car." I'm such a geek.

autumn...thematic photography

This is my "light" entry for Carmi's theme of Autum. Being uprooted from the midwest to Southern California, this season is hard for me. We don't get a traditional, beautifully colored change. We go from "really hot" to "not so hot." So imagine my delight when it actually hit the 50s this week and RAINED!!! woohoo! We got to wear jackets....really.....with long sleeves and everything....AND it was too cold for flip-flops and it was only November.


to celebrate an almost real season change, i ran off to the store to buy "fall clothes." look at those fantastic colors and textures. soooo much more fun than tank tops and summer colors. makes you just want to go out for an evening stroll with your sweetie and grab a cup of hot chocolate (with extra marshmellows).


i miss the crispness of fall.....the crisp breezes that make your eyes water, the crisp colors that only nature can produce, the crisp sound of leaves under my feet.....


of course, it's 80+ flippin' degrees now and i won't get to wear any of my beautiful fall colors for another couple of weeks (at least) but it makes me happy inside just knowing that they are hanging in my closet and promising me that cooler weather is coming.


a different look at autumn is in the works.....but it's taking me more time than i thought it would....but it's coming....really....someday.....

still happy

carmi's happy theme has had me digging thru recent pics. thanks for making us focus on the good things in life....it's been a fun week of remembering. =D

at first, boy2 just was dancing thru the line and then, when he realized that i had caught him, he burst out in laughter. teenagers remembering how to have fun always make me happy.

having time to relax and enjoy the world around me always makes me happy. this picture was taken at Sea World, San Diego. The little boy who is holding the starfish was enthralled. He sat sooooo still. His parents didn't want us to take a picture of his face, but they gave permission for us to shoot this. [edit] girl1 took this pic with our olympus camera that is pretty much indestructable....she demands photo credit...cuz she's funny like that.

Who could resist smiling at this

adorable face? This is Guido....he's our

maltese/shihtzu puppy. Someday I'll

write a blog about him and his quirkiness.

and, finally, being able to enjoy boy1 perform is one of the things that always brings me joy. to see him getting to use his beautiful voice to bring joy to others is an amazing thing. here he performs "If I Can't Love Her" from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."

happy, happy, happy

Carmi's theme this week is "happy"....find out how to join the fun over by clicking HERE.

So many things make me happy: a baby's belly laugh; crisp autumn days; Disneyland (yea...i know); puppies; and those special, spontaneous moments that make you smile every time you think of them....

first pic was taken at the "happiest place on earth," on the teacup ride, by girl1 cuz that ride makes me not so happy. (You have to be in the tea cup in order to get a shot like this.) It makes me smile every time i look at it. He's really just having too much fun.

The second shot just screams "JUMP FOR JOY!" to me. A group of friends, caught up in the moment of silliness and freedom after hours on a bus and this is what you get:

You just know that everyone involved was having a great time and everyone watching was smiling. Makes me happy.... (girl1 took this shot also..maybe she should get a blog and join the fun...but then i'd have to actually find my own pictures to share...lol)

Have a happy day!