New Blog

Last month I read several blogs who were participating in Project 365. Basically, it is a challenge to post a picture a day for a year. At the end of the year you get a glimpse into what your day-to-day life was like. There was something about it that I both liked (capturing an image a day) and didn't like (it was too broad for me). Then I saw a variation that I really liked over at Stepping on Legos. Nicki chose to take the challenge but focus on one color a month. She posted this at the end of the month and I just loved it! It was just what I needed to get started.

And so... I started another blog to capture daily images of our life with a monthly color theme. I started February first and just finished the first week. The color theme this month is RED. You can check it out here.

Texture

I stumbled on this great photography blog called I heart faces.

Since I have always loved photography but am quite the amateur, I hope to be able to learn from these folks. There is a weekly challenge. This week is Texture. You can check out some amazing photos from folks by clicking on the "Mr. Linky" on the bottom of their site. Soooo... here is my submission.

[Click on image to see better details.]

This was taken yesterday afternoon.

I love the contrasts of black and white, wet and dry,

along with softness of the sweater against the roughness of the concrete.

Black and White Wednesday

I really had fun this week looking at things with a black and white perspective in mind. One afternoon, the winter sky cast a strange afternoon light and I went out back to the yard to shoot some pictures. It's interesting how things looks different in black and white... so raw and naked.

I really like this first shot a lot. It's a rather strange angle of the wrought iron chandelier I have on my pergola. The braided piece of wood on top was something I found while cleaning in my yard which my friend Lucia had the artist eyes to suggest I keep. I intend to use it one day for part of a wind chime. I clearly just put it up on the fixture so it wouldn't get broken. I had forgotten about it until it showed up in the picture. Isn't it funny how you don't see things after a while?

The second and third shots are of the corner of the yard. I like the textures: the roughness of the fence, the chalkiness of the terra cotta, the shine of the strappy bromeliad leaves and the wispiness of the chinese fan fronds.

The fourth and fifth are shot looking straight up at bare crepe myrtle branches. This was one of the first times I have been able to successfully coordinate the zoom and focus. I actually like the color version of the fifth one better because the sky is so blue in it.

The final shot is of an old tree. I like how the gnarled stumps have given way to new smaller branches.

Check out more pictures at Lisa's blog.

Winter Light

I walked into the living room and was struck by the afternoon light coming through the window sheers. I grabbed the camera and headed out to the back yard to see if I could catch some more pictures with the light so different.

Here are some of the shots I got. While I am still figuring out this now not-so-new camera of mine, I do like how these came out. What do you think?

At Last......

After almost two weeks missing, the camera has finally come home to mama. I have felt like I had a limb removed. I didn't have it for Mother's Day which made me sad. I didn't realize how much I have come to rely on having it available to catch all the little everyday moments that make up life. So thankful I had it to capture this snippet of life this afternoon.

For those of us in Florida.. life has been pretty wet! Isabel and I fed ducks at the park on Sunday... at noon... in 95 degree weather. I was dying..thinking to myself, It's only MAY!!!! What the @#%$ is August going to be like? I chatted with a friend in Asheville who mentioned she was chilly and was putting on a fleece. I gotta say, I was having a hard time relating...what with the rivulets of sweat running down my forehead as I listened. Little did I know a reprieve was waiting in the wings.

Later that afternoon, the rain began...soft at first. Sweet smelling. I got to shut off the A/C and open the windows. The temperature dropped 25 degrees. I was in heaven.

That was three days ago. It's been raining ever since. And while I am perhaps one of the few folks left who is still enjoying it, I do prefer rain's orientation to be vertical. Didn't see a lot of THAT today. Instead, it was blowing in horizontally off the river both when I dropped off and picked up Isabel today. Throw in the umbrella doing the ole flip inside out thing and it made for quite the entertaining scene. The rain is starting to have effects around the city. Traffic is crazy. The ground is saturated. My school's campus is under 3 inches of water back where my building is located. It looks like a lake. The kids were actually creating wakes between classes. Ahhh... good times.

By the time we arrived home this afternoon, the rain had turned into a very light drizzle. Isabel saw the puddles and begged to play in them. Why not? I told her to take off her tights and she could play in the back yard. By the time I got to the kitchen, she had half her clothes stripped off and was about to head out the door in her birthday suit. I suggested a bathing suit might be a more appropriate choice. She flew in her room, threw it on and was outside having a blast within two minutes. I ran in the house and that's when the camera appeared.

Apparently, young Mr. Spock no longer needed it for the movie's premiere and transported it back to me. Ahh... live long and prosper.

Note: I just LOVE Isabel's commentary on the video, all the way from "That's aMAZEing!" to "There's no boo boos." You'll need to hit the mute button on the playlist at the bottom of the site page in order to hear the video clip.

[Update: This morning on the way to the car I heard, "It's like an ocean. Whoa! Where did the sidewalk go?" Needless to say...STILL raining.]

Hang-ga-bur-ga and Mow-Lawners

The things that come out of Isabel's mouth never cease to amaze me. Some of them are quite funny. I have posted here some of the previous Isabelisms Most of them are said while we are driving.... which can be potentially dangerous depending on just how funny they are. We were driving home a short while ago and this conversation took place:

Isabel: I'm tired.
Me: Me too. I am pooped.
Isabel: Eeeww! You said a BAD word!!
Me: Nope. Pooped can mean you're really tired.
[About a 5 second pause and then...]
Isabel: Well then, I'm PEEPED!

For lunch she wanted a hang-ga-bur-ga (but got a hotdog instead) and pointed out that our neighbor had his mow-lawner.


On a separate note... STILL no camera. It's been 8 days. I am started to think it must be gone. : ( I've been looking at the Lumix FZ50. I really like it and the pictures it takes. I know that there is a new G series coming out in June but it's a bit more than I am willing to pay for a camera at this point. Anyone ever bought a used camera off of Ebay or Amazon? I'd love some feedback.