Seriously........

OMG.....maybe you should get used to seeing these guys for the next few weeks. They...Teddy and Tigger....will be my 'subjects' as I do everything I can in the next few weeks to learn how to photograph 'portraits of people'. I've been asked to assist with a wedding. Now, simply enough, my main responsibility will be to insure that the main photographer takes all the desired wedding party photos....but secondly to help take some 'fun' pictures throughout the day.

I'm really excited and flattered. Don't worry about me...this nervous ... tick ... will go away...sooner ....or later.

Different Views

My house is surrounded on two sides by a village park which is used mainly by the neighborhood kids to play ball during the summer and fall plus a bit of sledding during the winter. It's a relatively quiet, peaceful park that provides me with some awesome landscapes through the changing seasons as well as some constant squirrel, rabbit and bird viewing....and of course, provides Lexi with something to bark at or kids for her to invite into her yard with her cute little, sad, needy eyes or maybe it's that wonderful wagging tail.

Currently when we are lucky enough to have some sunshine and thus somewhat of a sunset, the shadows fall very mysteriously across the park although I'm sure I have not exactly captured that mystery as much as I would have liked. But then....maybe it is all in your 'point of view'.

Actually.....I love this view...with the head tilted to the left...even more so than the one tilted to the right. Each tilt making the shadows 'flow' differently thus reflecting a different mood.

The left tilt...just adds a bit of mystery yet the tilt to the right seems to have more of a 'falling effect' to me. Maybe because of the larger tree in the forefront. It even gives me a feeling of a bit of....dizziness...so it seems......

And, of course, the upside down one, well, it gives me the feeling that I have the weight of the world on my shoulders....a feeling many of us experience even without the upside down. I'm guessing....this is definitely a Mercury Retro point of view.

A 'view' to keep in mind when photographing....the view that if at first you don't like what you see...it doesn't feel right....just change your point of view...keep an open mind....there's a positive side to everything...if you look at it 'just the right way'.

To Start.......

...a day with this. Need I say more?

As the years go by, each morning is just a bit more difficult to rise before the sun, to prepare oneself for a day of labor, to make the journey to that place where one will be locked up for the day, closed off from what Mother Nature has to offer....but all it takes is a view such as this to make it all worth it.

I've never been a late sleeper. Sure there are days when I enjoy laying in bed longer than really necessary....but I know when I do....somewhere...I am missing this.

Winter Wonders

These weren't here yesterday nor the day before. Now note, the temps have remained at the below freezing marks...in the 20s today and colder yesterday....so curiously I wonder what initiated the melting to allow for the icycle formations.

Perhaps....another natural wonder created for the mere pleasure of my photography discovery.

A 'Budding' Hope

Father winter dropped another inch or two of snowy blanket on us again last night accompanied with another dip of temps into the teens. This took me back outside today for another snowblowing challenge with the winds blowing the snow not to a pile off to the side but right back onto a spot I had already cleared (or directly back into my face)....no matter which way I pushed the blower, no matter which direction I had it pointed.

In the end..it really didn't matter, especially when I discovered these little 'buds of hope' on one of my lilac bushes. The world is okay. There is hope...that soon atleast one layer of clothing can be hung in the closet with care.

Whooooshhhhhhhhh

Some days....things are just a total blur.

Patiently.....

.....we are not the only ones waiting for the onset of spring, warmer feasts, nesting grounds............

A Little Bit of Quaint

Yes, another winter day after such a refreshing Indian Summer week. The wind is brutal thus keeping us from our evening walk and again struggling to find something to photograph. A call from my BFF neighbors to let their dogs out brought yet another 'quaint' surprise right in my neck of the woods.....aahhhhh...deep sigh....deep breathe.

Grasping for Spring

We were blessed with temps over 40 degrees today allowing Lex and I to take a walk through the local park where the Milwaukee River runs past the golf course. The warmer temps over the past week allowed most of the snow to melt away, yet the river still has a layer of ice in spots. Under the snow, in the distance, the green grass smiles as it soaks in the sun...if even just for a day. Another half a foot of snowfall predicted for overnight. Run river, run....while you can.

Home...Sweet Home

I had an awesome time in Belgium even though it was a very short visit accompanied by two long days of flight....my stay there only being 3 days....cramming in as much site seeing as I could possibly do and enjoying as much time as I could with my Belgium BFF. Its awesome discovering and experiencing another world and....it's just as awesome sometimes to return to the comfort, security, of a place well known.

Tranquility

I spent an entire day roaming the streets of Brussels, oooing and aaaing over the sculptures, the buildings, the gardens, courtyards, landscapes...and yet nothing matched the simplicity, tranquility of this simple moss covered roof found in the 'quiet' yard of the convent in Brugges.

Trees....We shall sculpt

A day filled with walking up and down streets, uptown, downtown, in and out of crowds, looking up to see the awesomely sculpted buildings, insides of churches, garden sculpted with statues and shrubbery, buildings built hundreds of years of ago, buildings under renovation, buildings old and new, people young and old, shops filled with chocolates, waffles, pastries and yet....what fascinated me the most....the trees....barren of their clothing of leaves, trimmed of branches to be presented as naked winter scupltures lining streets and courtyards everywhere you turned.

Cultural View

From the inside out...on to a new world, a different culture. Viewing from a second floor home to the neighbors second floor porch area overlooking the city bedded in a 'bowl' on a hazy morning anticipating the adventure of discovery....a different culture.

A Bed...Well Received

A bed...I will never forget...after a trip that should have taken 12 hours ended up being 24 hours long, Milwaukee to Newark to Manchester to Brussels. Finally...I made it...even if my bags didn't.

TakeOff

Well....not an interesting photo for this day but believe me....it is the only 'sane' looking perspective of the entire 'from here to there' leg of the trip.

Indian Summer Visitors

We have friends/family that have found....dead deer in their backyards....from starvation as the winter has presented us with covered grounds since late November now, making it extremely difficult for the wildlife to find food to hold them over in subfreezing and subzero temperatures. Given this....it is heartwarming to see that where allowed, we can still lend a helping hand to those in need.

BE MINE, VALENTINE

An early Valentine bouquet, an evening walk, a lobster dinner prepared at home, a glass of wine, R&R at home on the couch, warm arms to cuddle in......what more could a girl want.......

Mother and Daughter

I don't know that there is any better bond than that between a mother and daughter. I have discovered that although....that bond may temporarily 'vanish'....hide behind peers....wander another pathway of life from time to time, it will return, stronger each and every time.

Horicon

Finally after 2 1/2 months of white.....the snows are starting to melt away and the temperatures are warm enough to enjoy the outdoors a bit more. Horicon Marsh is one of my favorite places to walk. I enjoy visiting it atleast once or twice during each season as it continuously changes providing new surprises for the wildlife as well as for me. It's really amazing to watch it as it changes it's attire for each seasonal event.

TGIF

Don't you just LOVE Fridays?