Day 160: Empty

I drive by this everyday.  EVERYDAY.  It used to be a car lot that well, is no more.  I wish something, anything would move in or someone would tear it down or something.  I drove by it this evening on the way to school and pulled over into the left turn lane (trust me no one was going in there), rolled down the window and snapped a shot.

Day 1589: An inside look

I'm probably going to be living at the Arboretum for the next week or two.  Its so beautiful.  I found this tulip missing a few petals and I couldn't resist snapping a shot.

Day 158: Everything is blooming

It was really really hard to pick a picture today - everything is so beautiful at the Arboretum right now.  I may go back there tomorrow.

Day 157: Life moves pretty fast.

And it does....today also has to be the day filled with Ferris Bueller quotes.  Everywhere I went someone was quoting Ferris Bueller.  This was shot on the way home from dinner.

Day 156: Kiss me goodbye

Oh sweet ray of sunshine,
Kiss me goodbye.
Your day is now over,
I wish you farewell.

Day 155: A Diamond

Ok, not a real diamond, but it sparkled like one.  I was sitting outside in the front yard, on a stool my dad made me, listening to the beautiful song of a cardinal.  I looked down and thought what is in that daylily.  It was a water droplet and the sun hit it perfectly.  I wish I could have captured the cardinal's song for you too because it was just as beautiful.

Day 154: Home away from Home

This isn't at my house, but it happens all the time at my house.  The boys at each other, it's typical, but not always what a mother wants.

Day 153: Trash can

This says more than I can write here.  It wasn't what I intended to post, it wasn't even what I expected but it feels so lonely and so isolated I had to make it the photo of the day.  We all feel this way sometimes.

Day 152: Gull

They dived bombed us.  I've never managed to get on this close and in focus.  OK, next task.

Day 151: Yellow & Green & White

This is the strangest weather year.  73 on Friday - 6 inches of snow Sat/Sun & 70 today.  What a day today.  I took the kids to the Dallas Arboretum after school.  1 hour & 125 photos later.....I felt revived.  The perfect break between classes.  While this was probably not the best shot of the day, it was the most springy and I needed some spring after the snow.

Enjoy!

Day 150: Spring

This is what I woke up to this morning, yes this is the 3rd day of Spring I think.  Hmm, anyone want to party on the patio?

Day 149: Spring huh?

I took this not 10 minutes ago.  Yes, I live in Texas and its March 20th.  I can't explain this.  I planted my garden yesterday in 70 degree weather.

Day 148: His first "cast"

H2 fell off the trampoline today.  Yes, we have a safety net, but he fell while getting off the trampoline.  It's not broken, just a bad sprain and he's so excited to be able to wear this to school next week.

Day 147: Theme Thursday, Lines

I'm spending way too much time on this HTML book.  I much prefer to spend my time with my camera.

Day 146: A story

The boys and I went for a walk.

We saw some beautiful things.

The Bluebonnets were up, but not quite blooming.

It's St. Patrick's Day.

They threw some rocks into the stock tank.

Upon reflection.....

It was a beautiful spring day.

Day 145: Cattails.

Bending with the wind....It's something we all have to do.  It was a little more grey than yesterday, but the sun is suppose to be back out tomorrow.

Day 144: Don't freak out. Yes, I these are people.

Its Spring Break and I have 5 days with my boys.  I asked for a quick walk, they complained as soon as we got 6 feet away from the car and began asking if we could go home.  I tortured them for about 30 minutes before I turned around.  E is on the top only because  I took that picture first, H2, well, I'm sure he always feels like he comes in second, but he has a spark in his eye that no one can beat.  It's like he always knows a secret or what's about to happen.

I'm looking forward to my 5 uninterrupted days with my boys, although I might need to be medicated afterwards(ha! ha!).  I took some awesome pictures today, I think I'll have to go back and take a few more so I can use them tomorrow.  These were by far the closest to my heart.

Day 143: Pink

In the office again today, its hard to do that on a beautiful warm day like today.  I'm so looking forward to the week off of school, with the kids, my camera and a little extra time to read, catch up, among other things.

Day 142: What time is it now

Nothing inspired me today.  NOTHING.  I worked all day on a beautiful day at a desk with no windows.  It was hard.  So I kind of stared at the clock a little too much today.

Day 141: What was Mother Nature thinking

Seriously these could star in a crazy nightmare.  The color combination alone is enough to cause panic.

Day 140: Spring has officially Sprung.

After going to the Dallas Arboretum, I would say that Spring has officially Sprung.

Day 139: Clouds

What can I say - there were big clouds over the lake, but what got me was the wispy things in front.  Any excuse to get outside on a beautiful day like this.

Day 138: The Corner of Hope & Peace

I'm a little quirky, I admit it.  I like cemeteries.  LOVE THEM.  I thought I was the only one until I met a second person who likes them just as much.  Its really quite funny, because I wouldn't be caught dead in one.  Seriously, I don't want anyone to waste precious ground to bury me, I'd rather go in a garden flower bed and fertilize something beautiful that sit in a place that doesn't get visited very often except by quirky photographers and the few people who still remember me.

It was an amazing day today and I wasn't far away from this treasure trove of inspiration. Every time I come into this cemetery I fall in love with the street signs, most don't even name the road(s) in the cemeteries, but this is a historical site, maybe that has something to do with it.  There are tons of Civil War Veterans, I've even found one from the War of 1812.  There is a section just for Union soldiers and several for Confederates.  This is Texas after all.  There are more streets, too many for one post - There is Friendship, Liberty, Justice to name a few.  I love the Corner of Truth & Justice, but for some reason I didn't take that picture today.  I wonder, which corner would you choose?

Day 137: A part of a cloud

Sometimes doing a series with your 1000 mm lens is not always a good idea.  It rained buckets until about 5:15 then this strange light came through the windows and I realized it was sun, so I grabbed the tripod and ran outside and there was the most amazing rainbow, it was actually a double rainbow or a rainbow with a halo effect or whatever.  But guess what?  Couldn't take it with the 1000 mm lens.  NO.  So I got part of a cloud and got frustrated and quit.

This is the last picture in the 1000 mm lens series.

Day 136: An Announcement

I love spring.  Spring with its bright bold colors, bright flowers, green grass, blue skies and the ever-present opportunities to day dream at the drop of a hat.  On a bright sunny day (yesterday) I took this and somehow managed to to get no light except for the light reflecting on the flower.  The background was really green bushes, but that pesky giant 1000mm lens just got me the flower. As my daffodil bulbs are the first true flower of spring in my yard I feel like this flower is screaming - "IT IS COMING! SPRING IS COMING!"

Day 135: Daffodil

The daffodils are open in my front yard, I was shooting and shooting and then went to the side of my house to get the dual-colored ones.  I couldn't get a good shot so I thought "PROFILE", and wa-la.

Day134: Dew

I woke up to see dots on my chairs outside, instead of going out in the cold, I got the BIG lens out again.  I found it was dew on my chairs.  What a surprise, but not as big a surprise as finding out I was today's Feature Friday. I knew it was coming, but I didn't realize it was today and it made my today.  I want to say thank you to Tasra for a great write up and for getting us all together.  I know that I have grown by leaps and bounds not only by taking pictures everyday, but by learning from each other.  The #tasra365 group on twitter has influenced me, inspired me and given me the right push at the right time.  I'm so excited to be a part of it. I'd also like to thank Scott Bourne, for if he didn't retweet Tasra's original tweet, I never would have known about it.

I'm so loving this 365 day project that I can't really express myself in words.

Day 133: Bokeh

I'm taking a day off of the 1000mm lens to participate in Theme Thursday which is bokeh.  This was taken at my favorite "picture-taking" spot. The Dallas Arboretum.  The strings are part of a garden sculpture.

Day 132: Acorn Top

This was the shot I was trying to get yesterday.  Finally did it.  YEA!  Persistence does pay off.

Manual:  I'm reading a whole section.  Its not manual Monday, but I need to catch up.

Day 131: Brake Pads

I am having the most fun with that 1000mm lens.  I walked all over the front & back yard today.  TONS of macro shots, I was trying to get pictures of these little daylillies that were just peeking through the dirt, but I couldn't get the whole thing in the picture without standing over 25 ft away.  All I got was the acorn top and it took up almost the whole frame. Seriously, the whole frame.  I need to do a little more work on this.  I was surprised at the ridiculous things I could take close up from really far away and if the wind ever dies down, I've got some climbing rose bushes to take.    This is not something you look at everyday - but maybe we can all use it as a reminder to "slow down" a little and enjoy the day.

Day 130: Wet

 

  

It has been a wet and dreary day, and decided to use the 1000mm lens for something other than the moon.  I didn't even have to get wet, because I only opened the back door.  I didn't even plan it.