rebooting

Rebooting, coming back to 365 attempt. Back surgery may be on the horizon so I have gotten sidetracked. Miss the camera being in my hand daily though, so back at it tomorrow. WATCH this space.

got sidetracked

I will have to get back on this 365 thing. I have been doing photos, just can't seem to get into a groove for posting them. took a nice nature walk today with the hubster, he bought me flowers and out to dinner tonight. here is a pic from the walk. more soon.

still playing catch-up

the start of school has thrown me off my game. Trying to get into school myself and take a photoshop class. things have been a little crazy. and i have to remember not to wear white after Labor Day, J.d. doesn't want me to get arrested for it. :)
Here is a new pic...
Enjoy.

behind...

I have been finding my house, i.e. cleaning and throwing out stuff, so I am behind on my 365 project. I took pics daily just haven't had time to post them. so here are a few new ones.

of sunsets and children

h
t
I am thinking of starting a portfolio of my sunset silhouette shots of children. I have a lot of these anyhow, I am a day behind, so today's post includes sunday's shot and todays. I have been playing with filters a lot and am working with opacity of layers and toning of pics for different effects. all just a work in progress.

no bananas today

Yes we have no bananas today. I was playing with effects and I like this oddly enough. Used manual settings in my own kitchen, I love that fish salt shaker so I added it to the pic on a whim. today was a difficult day to get a photo done. My back is hurting me quite badly, not sure what is wrong and this evening went to visit my mother in the nursing home. she is doing okay, but I wish she was able to live at home on her own, but it is not an option for her at all.

the life aquatic

I seem to be operating on a theme here this week. river shots at sunset, ducks and killdeer birds. that is fine with me, I love the water and the life about it.

sunset

It is amazing how beautiful the sun can be after a day of such miserably hot temperatures. the end.

river escapes

the river has always lured me to its banks, I used to drive down the river road as a teen and young woman to calm myself when things were going wrong. The river has been a constant throughout my life and draws me back even now. the first pic is from yesterday August 3rd, taken around 6:30 a.m. when I was coming back from driving Jeff to work. There was just haze hanging in the air, intense heat that was misery. and more of the same heat today, makes me long for fall.

solitary nature

the heron appeals to me because of the solitary aspect of the pic. Flying off to fish or just to feel flight...
The duck is testing out his tiny wings in the safety of family. He will eventually fly but for now is sticking close to family.

sunbathing turtle

Since I haven't been posting everyday, although I have been taking pics every day, I think I probably need to come up with a system for this 365 project blog. Maybe one post every Sunday with the seven pics from the week or a Wednesday post, midweek with half of the pics and the rest on Sunday. Or I can try to get a blog up everyday, so far that has been a bigger challenge than the every day pic.
I give you sunbathing turtle, I took this from inside the van as soon as I got out he vamoosed into the water. As far as animals go, I like turtles. what's not to like about a turtle, compact, carry their house on their back... interesting to look at...photogenic...

cleanliness is next to duckliness

Caught this little guy grooming himself after floating about in floodwaters. I have been going out in the evenings mostly with the camera, I don't enjoy the heat.

rainy day

these pics are so different in the mood they evoke but they were both taken today Friday, July 30, 2010. I am up in the middle of the night screwing around with this because I can't sleep. I like the sunflower image because it looks like fabric from a quilt square. I like the street image, because it kind of shows how I am feeling at present, somewhat solitary, waiting, light at the end, like a journey I am taking toward something, moving ahead into the unknown but with hope.

End of Band Camp 2010

tonight was the last night of drill camp for Alton high Marching 100. the band put on a performance for the parents, the show looks really good this year. I am looking forward to an exciting season. I love marching bands. My son Torrey is in M100 and he is a senior this year, I don't know where the time went, marches on I guess. ha!ha! I am so funny, lame really. For the pic above I was playing with filters, opacity and layers. the end result is okay, not thrilled but not awful either. I will probably have a lot of band pics as I enjoy photographing the band and of course my son. M100 is amazing actually, they put in a lot of time and hard work on these shows and it shows. Plus these kids have been out learning this show in 100+ degree temps, that shows dedication and perseverance on the instructors and kids part both. I appreciate their hard work and talent and dedication to their craft. AHS really does have a top notch music program and I am fortunate that my kids get to participate. If you can come out and see a show, or halftime at a football game or catch them in concert or a parade, you will be glad you did.

Yesterday's Pic Tuna Salad Supper

not a great pic, but when I was making our supper the tuna and the egg looked so pretty and yummy that i snapped a quick pic for 365. didn't post till today as I was gone last night for the last night of bible school. Tuna Salad is a fave comfort food for me, but alas had no potato chips last night to go with it. just tuna salad on toast, but it was tasty and Tuna was really cheap at Shop n Save, .37 cents a can. so it felt like a win, easy to make and cheap. little things like this can make me happy.

Summer Sunset

This summer has found me outside most evenings camera in hand waiting for the sun to go down. Once sunset begins, it really goes fast and can be hard to catch or I don't stay out quite long enough and the real spectacular starts once I have returned home. anyway this is what I caught tonight and if I had stayed out later I would have seen an even better show but this will have to do.

deer and the kings of leon

I found this amusing. the kings of leon were performing a concert and left the stage because of pigeons pooing on them. so i took this photo of some of their newest fans.
last night I also got an image I have been wanting to capture for a while. a deer reflected in some water, I like this shot but intend to keep trying in hopes of getting yet another better one. Last night I took Annie with me and she got very close to the deer so close, a young buck did warning foot stomps at her. He would approach her and stand still and stomp, it was a little frightening but in the end we saw their bouncy white tails as they ran off.

365

I am going to switch this blog to a 365 photo blog. Not sure I can pull it off; but ready to try and meet the challenge. I am cheating I guess because I am going to start with two pics from yesterday and work from there. Not sure what will make the cut for today.
The glass was a gift from my darling spousal unit. the dragonfly also a gift and the best part of my day yesterday, Jeff found it and pointed it out to me. We took a short walk with the camera yesterday, which I needed. Summer 2010 has not been kind.

My Faith

sometimes struggle with my faith, not with believing in God, but with being good enough for grace. Oh Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. I really identified with the baggage message in the sermon today, about being weighted down with guilt, and obligation and just feeling burdened. The thief coming to steal joy in life and Christ. The falling apart from carrying the burdens alone.
Oddly enough i had been thinking about control and how I always carry around this illusion that I have control when i really don't. God does. and he should.

The Multitude Project

Starting a project called "The Multitude", hope I can pull it off. It will be artwork based on Revelations and it is important to me that I get it right. Watch this space for further developments. I am excited to try this.

Tulips

Things are going well. Moving in the right direction and it feels good. Welcome Spring.