Back Above Board!!!

Inspired by surviving the cookie weekend, and 2 days to recover, I decided to take Lil’ Red out for a lazy SUP trip. I slowly paddled out about fifteen minutes and let the current do most of the work on the way back.

It was fantastic to be back out on the water, and equally fantastic to have 2 days to couch surf as needed to recover.

Forgotten Dock

Hidden Turtle

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Teenagers NOT playing video games

Junior Heron

Questions anyone?

Mini-Van Dance of the Great Egret

 

Keeping Memories

I wonder how many millions of photos were taken this past year?

I have a 10 year old desk top computer that is slowing everyday.  I know that I may have to say goodbye to it soon, so I began to transfer files to a flash drive.  There were a couple of documents that I transferred, but by in large, photos were items that I wished to save.  Most of them are from film or my first digital point and shoot.  Some of the photos represent vacation memories but others are of family, friends, and pets.

Knowing When to Stop

This is a picture of a painting I am about half done with. I do not paint very often and do it for entertainment purposes only. There seems to always be two critical moments during the painting process (and any other creative endeavor). 1) The moment when I have to make a big decision and commit to a direction. Like one of those books I loved when I was a kid. “…if you want to go into the cave turn to page 112.” There is a 50/50 chance that cave will be your doom.
2) The second moment is deciding which brushstroke is the last. I usually keep going too long. Often, in an effort to fix moment “1”.
This photo is at stage one. I now realize that the painting looks better in black and white. Maybe that is my painting style: bad technique and use of color fixed with photoshop! 8)

p.s. Be a part of the biggest comeback in history and vote for my photo (or any of the awesome photos in the contest). //www.bucketlistpublications.com/portfolio-view/travel-photo-contest-14/

Try Not to Blink

Sitting on the green shag carpet, I would watch my father go back and forth from the makeshift dark room to the sink.  When I peaked inside the room, I saw magic liquid in small plastic bins.  I knew the liquid was magic because it came from special, shiny silver containers.  All I saw was water, but dad knew how to harness the magic to make paper turn into pictures.

Silver and Gold

A song I learned in the Brownies (mini Girl Scouts) was:

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

My old friend met one of my new friends this weekend.  They seemed to take to each other.  She would ask about him and he would serenade her.

Fred hangs out on my window to watch the sunrise.  He likes to sing to me, especially when it rains.

Chasing the Sun

Inspired by http://forkinmyeye.com/2012/06/26/the-summer-country/.

I grabbed my camera and headed out for a walk tonight.  My legs had a nice hill workout and my arms were lifting weights.  As the sun was setting I felt like I was chasing the sun around the neighborhood.  Hurricane clouds are so very cool.  There are layers of clouds all moving at different speeds and sometimes different directions.  I tried to take a video with my phone, but the speed of the lower clouds was still hard to appreciate.

My PSA for the week:  It is always good to be prepared.  Hurricane, flood, blizzard, earthquake, 2012, nuclear disaster…there are reasons to always have a few days supply of water, food and flashlights.  Do not forget a plan for your family in case something happens when you are scattered out doing various activities (ex: work, school).

The View From My Phone

My phone seems to track my life.  Today I share the view from my phone.  This is just a random sampling.

Plumeria blooming in the driveway.

Tiramisu Cake. Not bad for a first try. Not sure about the lady finger layers.

Lumbar MRI-not mine. This person is doing well now. No surgery needed.

Walking After the Rain

I took a little stroll after last weekend’s rain.  So, Now I present to you the cast of characters that I met along the way.

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Cloud Gallery

Ever since I was a child, clouds and the the sky in general have fascinated me.  Sometimes the colors of the canvas are just so brilliant and awe inspiring.  Sometimes the shapes and dimensions project a story across the sky.  They may conjure feelings of hope or fear.  Each moment in life happens but once.  Each sky portrait is to be seen but once.

As I was organizing some photos, I noticed that I had many photos of clouds.  Therefore, I thought they deserved their own page.  A new gallery was formed.  If you enjoy clouds, take a peek and I hope you enjoy.  All of the photos in this first batch were taken from my neighborhood.

Versatile Blogger and Photos

Thanks so very much to Shelby at www.100poundsin1year.wordpress.com.  She has been so very kind as to nominate this site for the Versatile Blogger Award.  She is on a terrific journey to shed 100lbs and shares so many wonderful things about her journey beyond the exercise and food.  Her recent post about the RPE scale altered my perspective on some of my own health adventures.

There are some rules with this and I will try to not color too far outside of the lines.

Random stuff about me: