Day 221: Medications

I've been sick - in the hospital sick.  I've never been in the hospital with the exception of getting or giving birth.  Different experience to say the least.

Day 220: Open Gate

Day 219: Dragonfly

I love dragonflies.  Love them, but do you see the other bug who wanted a little attention?

Day 218: Reflections

Its not the exact shot I expected when I took them.  I'm not sure if I love it or am disappointed.  The one thing I know is that every day I take a picture I learn something and I every time I learn something I can improve my photos.

Day 217: Foot Bridge

I never did figure out what the undressed guy in the kayak was doing.  He had tied his boat to the bridge pillar.

Day 216: For Ms. Wooley

My son's 1st grade teacher is THE BOMB.  The most wonderful woman in the world.  I swear (I'm not lying here.) Anyway, her favorite color is purple.  Today, I saw these and I took them and thought of her.  I also brought her a purple bath bomb with her favorite scent, lavender.  She has been the most wonderful teacher for H2.  I thank her for all she has done for my baby over the past year & offer this picture as a tribute to the wonder that she is.

Day 215: Pink & Yellow

I'm going to come right out and say I have NO clue what this is.  Its a rare occasion that I find a specimen that is not a bud or 1/2 dead.  My only failure is my inability to tell you what it is.  I will tell you that they are in a water feature and but obviously not your typical lily.  If you know tell me.

Images & Inspirations: My friends on Twitter.  Each of them inspire me and show me something I never imagined.  I truly love to search #tasra365 & #project365 on Twitter and see my daily inspiration.  Today is Twitter Tuesday after all.

Day 214: A seat with a view

I realize you can't see the seat, but my backside is on it.  What a way to end the day!  Take that stress and worry & welcome to relaxation.

Day 213: In the rearview mirror

I have two kids, but you would never know it - one is a much more patient with mother about photos the other just wants to enjoy life.  I hope this one never really grows out of it, because I would truly miss him.

Inspirations: Motherhood

Day 212: The Road to Know-Where

Do you ever look up and stare at a tree?  Its branches are like paths - you hit a fork and you choose.  It doesn't matter which way you go; there is no right or wrong only choices.  Sometimes if you look long enough you aren't thinking about choices anymore your mind just wanders where it wants to go and the stress leaves your body and your mind is where it wants to be.  Sometimes you have to know where it is you want to be before you can choose a path.

And sometimes, you just find a little peace staring up at the branches of a tree.

Inspiration:  Mother Nature

Day 211: Echinacea

For an incredible colorful flower, it so popped in black and white.  I've started a #photoconvo with @sentient_image such a great idea this photoconvo.  Telling a story, conversing, making people think and using a photo to relay that thought.  I've had a great day today, but all of a sudden feel a little tired and worn out, need to get myself back in the game, so I'm going to take a little echinacea for what ails me and renew myself for the morning.

A reboot sometimes can make the whole world look new.  Or redirect a lost soul, or a blocked mind.

Day 210: Theme Thursday, Flight

When I was a little girl, I used to spend a week every summer at my grandparents farm/ranch whatever you want to call it.  They had a huge garden, a big old birdhouse to house the Martins in, a stock tank to fish in and a bunch of cows to chase.  The one thing I remember the most was I used to list all the different species of birds that I would see over the week.  I love the Cardinal, the Blue Jay, but the week wasn't complete until I saw a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.   That's just the way it was.  I have found several around my favorite walking trails and it always makes me think of those summers way back when.

I'd like to tell you that I spent hours stalking this bird and other birds for the perfect in-flight picture.  Truth be told, I did stalk the bird, but the bird was very generous in letting me get these shots.  Less than 30 minutes of chasing him from tree to tree got me these shots.

Day 209: Pink Explosion

I love the days I can pull a photo directly out of the camera and post it with no editing.  I just think that's the way photos are suppose to be.  Ansel Adams didn't have Photoshop or Lightroom.  Not that I don't appreciate the ability to fix my photos, and not that you can't manipulate negatives.  It just feels good to post an unedited photo to prove you can do it without all the fuss.

Day 208: Somebody's hungry.

I had a meeting at the elementary school this morning and afterwards I didn't hesitate to run over to the Arboretum for a little fun.  I found this little guy eating away and he didn't hesitate to let me get up close and snap his picture.

Day 207: Up in the air.

Today, it was all about clouds for me. I was pulling an onion out of my garden and I looked up and wow the clouds were amazing. When I downloaded the photos two stood out.  The one above because to me it looks like a light from heaven.  The one below, because it looks like an x-ray of the cloud and it reveals an angel.  Anyway, in my opinion, the clouds were divine today.

Day 206: Purple in the middle

I don't know if it is a fluke or they are all like this, but I loved the little purple flower in the center.

Day 205: H2's Choice

I went somewhere in the house, but left Lightroom up on the computer.  I came back to my room to find  H2 (we call him H2, mainly because his name starts with H & he was the second kid) my 7 year old budding photographer not only looking through my photos for today but processing them. YES - PROCESSING THEM.  Mainly he plays with the presets, but the funny thing is he uses auto tone.  A 7 year old.  Anyway, I decided to find the photo he liked the best and we processed it together.  We tried setting by setting what he liked & didn't like.  This is the finished project, his goal was to have the road look blue.  I think we succeeded and I think I hired a photo assistant for the summer.

Day 204: This one has whiskers.

Day 203, The one with the "worn-out" bug

Yes, the bug is dead and not "worn-out" but Theme Thursday is WORN so lets go with its just resting from a long day of whatever it is bugs do.  I actually laid down on the walkway to get this picture - luckily there weren't that many people around.  I did hear a giggle while I was taking it though.

Day 202 Empty Field

All I see when I look at this is snippets from Field of Dreams.  It is baseball season after all.

Day 201: Bubbles

It's the little things in life that make us happy.  I was blowing bubbles in the backyard with my youngest and the light bulb went off in my head.  It was a toss up whether to chose the picture for H2's face or the bubbles.  This time, the bubbles won.

Day 200: What is Behind the Green Door

I saw this and it struck me funny, interesting and different.  It was also the only photo I took today.

Images:  I watched a wonderful show on Ovation last night that I had recorded called the Eloquent Nude.  About Edward Weston & Charis Wilson.  It made me think different. I highly recommend watching it if you get the chance.

Day 199: The Park

Obviously on a black & white kick.  I loved the difference in texture from color to black & white.  It totally changed the picture for me.

Day 198: The back hall

I work only on the weekends, and this is the hall I travel on Saturdays and Sundays.

Day 197: Experiments

This is one of those things where you love it or you hate it.  I haven't decided yet.

Day 196: Invader

Well, we are back to the scary flowers - and it comes with a bug.  Since today's Theme Thursday is Color....I guess this was a lucky shot.

Day 195: The mist

I didn't really do anything fabulous to capture this - just managed to catch the little pond as the misting sprinklers went off.  But somehow I can't help but look for the monster in the depths of the water.

Day 194: Can you see this?

I took my youngest to the eye doctor today.  It is always hard when we go to the eye doctor.  To say he has poor vision is an understatement.  To say we have an attentive eye doctor is an understatement.  She spent our appointment time and her lunch hour with us.  He's got eyes so bad they don't have a fraction to describe it - its worse than newborns, but you would never know it from watching him and he doesn't see it as anything else but life - for him its always been that way.  For his mother it's heartbreaking.

He is an amazing child.

Day 193: The Crossing Guard

I don't often take pictures of humans - but I have more fun making this man laugh.  He probably prays for me nightly, but never fails to laugh at any joke I throw his way.  He is a man that truly enjoys life and that is a rare and enviable thing.

Day 192: Spider web

I got up this morning to this beautiful spider web, it was nasty and grey but the spider web wasn't wet.  I couldn't find my spray bottle, so I got my spray bottle of vinegar and made this pretty picture.  I don't think the spider is going to catch much after the vinegar though.

Sorry Mr. Spider.

Day 191: Playing with presets

So I've downloaded a few new presents in Lightroom.