Tag: photo of the day

Askew

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This has been a lazy day.   There were things I wanted to get done, intended to get done, but I got sucked in by the Janissaries terrorizing the poor Irish in The Stolen Village and gave up on doing anything else. 

I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I don’t take photos everyday.  Oftentimes I’ll take pictures of multiple subjects on a photo walk so that when I am having a lazy day or week, I’ll still have something to post about. 

Today’s photo, for example, comes from a few miles down the road.  I took it last Sunday along with some pictures of flooding and old boats.   The rusty colors in this old, askew post make a good addition to my Rust Canvas collection.   As I was considering it, I thought this might end up bothering David, who loves clean, straight lines.   We shall see…

Cork Photo Shoot

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My friend Trisha has a wonderful tradition.   When she shares a bottle of wine with someone special, she and that other person (or people) sign the cork and date it.   Over the years, she’s accumulated a plethora of corks and signatures that I thought would be fun to photograph.   The photo above is one of many I captured over lunch today.

I learned of this tradition a couple of years ago when I first visited her home.  This inspired me to start my own collection.  Looking through all the names and dates is kind of like looking through a photo album.  I can remember exactly what I was doing and how I felt at the time.   There are only two corks which aren’t included in the general population, and those are the ones I brought back with me from Midleton, Ireland (in County Cork, ha!).

Submersion

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Abby Garden Team Room is, as my regular readers know, a favorite lunch spot.   When Andy dunked the sugar into his PG Tips this afternoon, I thought it would be interesting to get a submersion shot.  Here’s what I got…


Rocky

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Meet Rocky.  I spent the afternoon at the Nolan home with him and his sister, Ginger.    These little dogs were so cute, I couldn’t resist making one of the pictures from today’s photo shoot my picture of the day.

This was my first real photo shoot with animals, and it was both an adventure and learning experience.  First of all, Rocky and Ginger were very well-behaved.  However, it was a challenge getting both of them to look the same direction at the same time.  Also, using a flash made their eyes green.  Photoshop does wonders, of course, but I’m wondering if anyone out there has experience photographing animals and if they have any advice for further projects?   Diffuser to use?  Compact portable lighting?

Barbed Embrace

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11 months down, 1 to go.

How do I kick off the final month of 2010?   I thought this barbed wire seemed appropriate.  Let me explain.

I had high hopes for 2010.   I was enrolled in college courses again and working towards nursing school.  I was focused.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.   And then a single relationship shipwrecked my plans.  

This isn’t a post to belittle the person who broke my heart, because that broken heart was a gift.    I had fooled myself into thinking I had my life together, and that my path was straight.  The truth was, I was lost at sea and whether it was that man or someone else, I was sailing into a storm.    When it passed, and pieces of me were scattered across the beach that’s my life, I found that in my rebuilding I wasn’t at all who I thought I was.  

So, 2010 was what I’d like to call a “Barbed Embrace”.   While I was supported by wonderful people, and I learned a lot both spiritually and emotionally, it still hurt.  A lot.  And while I can’t wait to leave this year behind, I can’t forget what the pain and rebuilding taught me.  

There’s beauty, even in our suffering.

Village Green

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Although it may feel like it, and the snow has been falling already, Autumn hasn’t called it quits yet.   I spotted the Fairhaven Village Green sign on the way to Daphne’s in Fairhaven for hot toddys the other day.   The colors were still so vibrant.  Sometimes the quality of my Motorola DROID camera phone really impresses me. 

This may be the last time to appreciate the colors, though.   More high winds are expected tonight, which will probably clear out the remaining foliage.

Pfaff Cat

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I’m behaving…

I had to share some pictures of Andy’s sister’s cat.   Despite his big appetite, he was well-behaved during the Thanksgiving food preparations.   Or, perhaps it wasn’t good behavior as much as an inability to maneuver his rotund frame quickly enough to snatch a bite without being caught…
 

In My Life

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Kasteel; Oak Harbor, Washington

My friend Andy invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family in Oak Harbor.   It was great to be able to spend the holiday with a family, since mine is 1800 miles away.

On the drive back to Bellingham, I was going over ideas for today’s blog when this Beatles song started playing on the radio.   It reminded me of all the places I’ve been, people I miss, and memories of holidays past.    None of those things will ever lose their meaning to me, but what’s right in front of me and what is to come I need to love more.   The way we celebrate and who we celebrate with evolves over time.  Sometimes the rooms overflow with people and other times we sit quietly alone.  

So today, I am humbly thankful for what is right in front of me.   I am grateful for my friends, my family, and the abundant blessings in my life.  I want for nothing, and I love this life more each day.

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

Challenged and Inspired

Posted in Northern State Hospital, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 14 Comments

I am thankful for the Canon 40d I’ve been using, and that is because of my friend, David Williams.  For some reason, he’s trusted me with this valuable piece of equipment, and I appreciate it probably more than he’ll ever know.  When I eventually do save my pennies and buy my own DSLR, I’ll miss the 40d a lot. 

Thanks David, for inspiring me and challenging me.  Without you, I wouldn’t understand half of what I do about shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation.  Even composition in general.  You rock, coffee buddy!

Photo Information:  This picture is of a very weathered door and was taken on the grounds of the Northern State Hospital farm.