Evenglo

Autumn is still alive and well here at my house.  Though fading, some of the trees have stood steadfast against strong winds and heavy rain in order to share their vibrant colors with us a little longer.  I never tire of this view, no matter the season.

And I especially love the time of day I have named "evenglo."  It's the time of day when the sun has dipped low on the horizon and the light it casts is strong and mellow.  I love it most during the spring and fall because the sun's angle allows the light to fall perfectly on the trees and rose bushes along our fenceline.

We actually get our most beautiful sunsets in the wintertime since the sun dips gently into the river from behind the trees.

Unlike the summertime, when the sun sets across the field after a long days work, the wintertime sun retires early and with a more gentle slipping away each evening.  The long shadows she casts seem more determined and vibrant somehow than her summertime alter ego.

Thank you all for your kind words about my friend who is ill, I truly appreciate them.  And I hope that each of you has a wonderful week!

My Dream House

I have this recurring dream, well it's a nightmare really.  It starts out innocently enough with Mr. Tide and I shopping for a big new house.

The house has plenty of rooms with high ceilings, a large well appointed kitchen, and lots and lots of storage.  The high ceilings and storage are both things we desperately lack in our current house, so my "dream" house seems like the perfect place to move.

Sometimes my dream house is also located on the water, just like this house, and sometimes it's even better waterfront, with a big huge pier and a luxurious boat at the end of it.

But each and every time in my dream when we have bought the other house, and we're moving out of this one, I feel an overwhelming sense of sadness...shear despair actually!  I break down in tears at the thought of leaving this little house behind.  The dream always ends the same way, with me crying and regretting our decision to move.

So I guess with all of its quirkiness, lack of storage, 8 foot ceilings, and other shortcomings, I really, truly do love this place.  And when we have a sunset like the one pictured above (these photos are all straight out of the camera), well I think it's easy to see why leaving this place would break my heart!

In other news...I am WAY far behind on returning emails, or replying to comments, but I will get there...maybe, hopefully!

And the song below, which was written in 1943 during WWII, is probably not unlike my dream, only much, much worse.  Not knowing if you would ever come home and be with your family again at Christmas must have been a nightmare I can't even begin to imagine!  I hope that during the hustle and bustle of this crazy season, you will slow down and really enjoy those around you, and not focus on the things you and everyone else wants, but be thankful for everything you have!  

The Calm After the Storm

Life is funny sometimes, just when you are ready to throw in the towel, something wonderful happens that turns things upside down, or maybe right side up!

For the last week or so, I've been in the midst of a personal storm, sometimes it was just building with low rumblings and flashes of lightning off in the distance.  And other days it was the full on fury of a storm with hurricane force winds and rain blowing sideways.

It wasn't a storm which involved anyone else, it was all internal, deep down the way some storms have to brew before they can gather and rain down on you.  I was bummed that this little haven I call my blog wasn't living up to my expectations.  It all hit me when I decided to enter the Country Living Blog contest and for the first time in a long time I looked at my actual stats on here.

After a little digging, it seemed that my stats were pretty much abysmal for lack of a better word, and I have to say that it bummed me out to the point of not wanting to keep going.  Now I know on a logical level, and for much of the time, that those stats don't amount to a hill of beans, but for whatever reason it hit me like a ton of bricks.

My inner monologue went something like this, "why are you doing this, no one really likes your photos, no one will buy them from this blog of yours, so what the heck are you wasting so much time on anyway?!"  I hate when my usually cheerful inner monologue becomes sullen and pessimistic, but it happens folks, I can't deny it.

At first I thought, hey look, this is a rough time of year for me, it is after all the anniversary of the deaths of two very dear people to me this month.  My mom passed away 7 years ago on the 26th of this month, and just a few days later it is the 1st anniversary of my dear friend Dan's death.  So I wondered if that was weighing on me and making me feel down.

I also haven't been stopping to smell the roses like I should, and the guilt of getting so far behind on correspondence with people I "really" want to reply to has been weighing heavily on my heart too.

I've felt a little like the house pictured above...neglected, overgrown, lost among the vines and weeds.  So Mr. Tide and I had a long talk about this whole blogging thing, and I also sought the advice of some trusted blog friends...you know who you are, thank you!  And it was Mr. Tide who posed several questions that let me really evaluate the situation and put it into perspective, like only someone looking from the outside can.  He said, "Is it the numbers, or lack thereof, that bothers you, or is it something else? What do you enjoy about blogging, and what do you hate?"

Ahh, wise questions, kind of like Yoda only cuter I'd say.  It turns out my answers were fairly simple.  Yes, I do sort of care about the numbers, I feel like if I put something out there, I want it to be well received or why have a public blog to begin with?  This kind of rocked my world a little since I've always thought that I blog for me, when in fact if that was the case I would simply have a private blog.  I blog for those who take the time out of their day to stop by "my" blog when there are a sea to chose from.  So if no one comes, well that means I'm not producing what makes them want to stop, right?

In answer to his other question, what I like and dislike about blogging it was simply...I love taking pictures, seeing the world in a way that I hope translates to my blog.  I find I wander around and look at things and think, wow, I want to share that with others.  This, I feel, is the gift of blogging, the need to share, to connect, to find oneself through the giving of a little piece of me.  What I hate...replying to comments!  Oh I love them dearly, they touch me and make my days bright when someone takes the time to reply.  But there are times when I feel like people are replying not because they really want to, but because they feel they need to.  I know, I know, you are all confused now because on one hand I said I don't care about validation, but on the other hand I said I care about numbers...it's a complicated emotion my friends!

I think that it's like having your play make it to Broadway.  If you create the work and the theater is packed opening night of the show, it means people are curious.  If they keep packing the theater night after night, even if the critics say it's not good, it means you are touching someone, giving them something that brings them back and makes them want their friends to share in the experience.  That's the best analogy I can use to describe the mixed signals I feel on this topic.

I know this all sounds wishy washy and as though I'm down in the dumps, but trust me I'm not, really nothing could be further from the truth.  I've now entered what I like to call the calm "after" the storm.  Sometimes you have to have that storm, the one that tosses you around and rocks the blue skies of everyday life to get you to the other blue skies on the other side.

I have some amazing opportunities coming my way with art and with life.  I have a very bright future as a photographer right now, and I feel so blessed to be very close to having some of my dreams come true!  And I booked a ticket to Germany (reason for the Beck's Beer Pic, the only German thing I had in my house...for shame!) and France just a few days ago, where Mr. Tide and I will spend 8 glorious days drinking in all that those 2 countries have to offer us!  So life is good my friends, very good, but there needs to be some changes around this place...things I realized a long time ago but ignored.

This blog will no longer focus on home stuff.  Now I'm not saying there won't be home stuff on here from time to time, I love my home, but it won't be the focus.  So sadly, if you started reading my blog for my kitchen reno (still my #1 post of all time), or some other home stuff, well you might need to pack your bags and move on down the line to the hundreds and thousands of other wonderful home design blogs...take a look at my sidebar for a few of the best out there!

And I will no long have comments enabled.  I want this blog to be a place where you pop in and read if you want and then move on without feeling the obligation to comment.  I still welcome emails, especially if you have a question or just want to say hi...I love hellos!  But this will eliminate the guilt that plagues me, and that I tried to ignore, but simply could not...it's in my genes!

I want you to feel like you are picking up a magazine...not a very consistent or focused one, or one that features beautiful houses or pretty things, but one that gives you respite, if only for a moment from the daily grind.  Like with a magazine, you take what you want from it and then turn the page...no guilt, no obligation, just something to look at!

And if some of you think I'm unappreciative in doing this, I apologize, but only a little.  Those who know me, know that it's because of my appreciation for you my readers, and also for myself that I'm doing this, so I hope you'll understand.  And I hope that I will never look at my numbers again, but simply create and enjoy the act of creating and sharing even if just 1 of you visits each day!

And if you don't believe that a picture can touch you in ways unimaginable, check out THIS website my daughter sent me a link to today...it made laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to do this!  Now that is what photography is all about!

xoxo Kat

Don't Let The Sun

Don't let the sun, go down on me...

When I Look To The Sky

Sometimes you just connect with someone.  They can live very far away, and you may never meet them in person, but still a bond is formed through shared ideas, common beliefs, and sometimes it's just something you can't fully explain that brings you together and makes you click.  I recently found that in another blogger, and it truly is a gift.

Yesterday, it was absolutely gorgeous here.  The sun was shining and a breeze was blowing, so I headed out to our backyard to hang out in the hammock and drink it all in.

I wish I was one of those people who could close my eyes and drift off to sleep to the gentle sounds of of the tides rolling in and the swaying branches overhead, but I'm not.  I think maybe it's because I'm afraid I might miss something, like the sight of an Osprey diving into the water searching for lunch, or a the chance to get a wet kiss from a loving pup.

If only I could let my mind slow down or even stop for a moment so that I wasn't always plotting how to fix the world, or trying to figure out a way to invent something to prevent dust from accumulating in my house, but then there are other times when I embrace this trait of mine.

Times when I'm glad my senses are sharp, that I've kept my eyes wide open, so that I didn't miss something that others might pass by or simply ignore.

I've been thinking about my friend Dan a lot lately, missing him and wishing we could have a good chat like we used to, and yesterday was one of those days when I longed to hear his voice again.  And just then, I looked down and saw it, a tiny white feather.  Now you might think to yourself, so what...it's just a feather?!  But then you wouldn't know Dan and how he would send such a beautiful little gift my way.

You see, I spoke to his wife just a few weeks ago, so excited to share in the excitement of the Royal Wedding with her, since she lives very near London.  It hadn't occurred to me that for her the wedding took on a totally different meaning.  Instead of seeing beautiful flowers and a princess in the making, it took her back to her own wedding and to the sadness that only someone who has lost a spouse can fully understand.  As we spoke she fought back tears and I reassured her that Dan was all around her...all around all of us.  She told me that just a few days earlier, she had had the windows in their flat open and a small white feather had floated in and landed on a tiny bird's nest she had sitting out as decoration.  She said she knew it was from Dan, and that the feather was still resting just where it had landed.

I also spoke to a blog friend this week via email.  She too has suffered a great loss, and we spoke about how those who leave us are never very far away.  We talked about signs, and how if you just know where to look and open your eyes, those signs are all around us.

As the sun set yesterday in a fiery ball of orange and red, I knew that I had experienced a perfect day.  The weather, the feather, the sunset, each one a sign from those we love but are no longer physically here on Earth telling us that they are shining down upon us and letting us know that they are ok.

When I had a conversation with someone in the health field a few years ago and told them that I often felt the presence of those who had left this world around me and that I have learned to listen to that little voice within me, he simply smiled.  He said, we all have that little voice, but some of us stop listening to it, so it stops speaking to us.  I will never stop listening, and I truly hope it never stops speaking to me.

When I see a sign like that little white feather yesterday, I take comfort in the knowledge that even in the darkest of times, a light shines through.  I hope that you have a wonderful weekend my friends and that you take a moment and look to the sky!

Some Days are Diamonds

Remember that old John Denver song, Some Days are Diamonds?

Well that's how it's been around here the past 5 days or so.

Last time I posted I was on my way to a photo shoot...my first "real" portrait shoot.

The shoot was done at a beautiful horse farm, and my subject, a friend's daughter, made my job easy.  I hope to be able to share some of those pictures with you soon.

I spent Thursday finishing up the last minute details for my art show, and processing pictures from the shoot, and life was good...very good in fact!

You could say those days were diamonds...but then Friday came, and let's just say that that day was definitely stones...literally.  Yup, I have a kidney stone!  Oh, I've had them before, just not when I was needing to do an art show!!!  Needless to say I wasn't present at the show, even after my photo appeared as the cover background for the paper's weekend edition...can you say bummer?!

And to top it all off, Blogger had major hiccups as you all know, so poof away went my post about Doug's floral demonstration!  At first it wouldn't let me create the post, and then it simply ate it...sigh!  So that will have to wait until some time this week.

For now I'm taking life very easy, and thanking my lucky stars that the attack didn't occur while at the show.  And I'm not complaining, I'm just sad it didn't work out the way I had planned.  But then you visit a few blogs, or read the news and you realize that even when days are stones, there is still a little diamond dust in every day!  

I apologize for not getting back to so many of you...Traci, Becky, Connie...the list goes on and on, but I will this week!

Charmed Life

Last night my computer got the blue screen of death.  For those of you who have ever experienced this, you know it's NOT good!  Thankfully Mr. Tide is kind of a whiz with computers, and he worked tirelessly to get me back online today.

I think we all have days like that, when things don't go right, and you wonder if the world is conspiring against you.  Last night I had lots of work stuff to do, and emails to return, but the universe had other plans for me it seems.
When I did get back online I realized how great this world of blogging is.  Several of you replied to my last post to let me know that several of my crystal "ashtrays" may in fact not be ashtrays at all.  One of them definitely is, but I'm thinking my mother and grandmother are shaking their heads a little and wondering how they raised someone who can't tell a candy or nut dish from an ashtray.  It appears that two of the pieces are from the Victorian era when cut glass reigned supreme.  And they are likely part of the American brilliant cut glass craze that took place from the late 1800s until the early 20th century.  Thanks Tom for telling me I might be barking up the wrong ashtray tree and encouraging me to look into this more, I learned something new!

This evening I wandered in to my living room just as the sun was setting and I realized that even when life throws us a curve ball like a very sick computer, (and trust me I've had plenty of them in the last 7 years), there is always something to keep us going and make us happy.  We all live a charmed life in some way, shape, or form.

I grabbed my camera, and aside from cropping and straightening these pictures, this is what greets me every time the sun is setting in this wonderful little place I call home.

It was the perfect ending to the perfect day, sunny and slightly warm, and most of it spent outside with my favorite furry friends.  

I apologize to those of you whose email I haven't returned or the comments I haven't replied too.  Forgive me, but I was busy enjoying this out my front door, and living a slightly crazy, but oh so very charmed life!

I hope each of you has a charmed life kind of day tomorrow!

Spread the Love...

Digital Photo Walk

Sugar & Spice in the land of Balls & Sticks

The Old Painted Cottage

Sunshine on My Shoulders

This morning I was up with the sun.  I'm not sure why, but there was no going back to sleep, even though I was dog tired!

So with the house dark and quiet, I nudged the dogs, grabbed my camera, and off we went down to the dock.  It wasn't a spectacular sunrise, no real bells or whistles.

But theoretically speaking isn't every day that we get to see the sun rise a special day?  My dogs think so!  Mr. Quinn gazed upon the flickering rays of light as they streamed through the trees.

And I marveled at the fact that no matter how young or old, how rich or poor, how sick or well, we almost all feel better when the sun touches our skin or when we get a glimpse of its powerful rays.

Now I know the sun can damage, it can be harsh and unyielding, even deadly, but there is just something about it that draws me in.

Maybe it's the way it illuminates people, places, animals (like Miss Kylee here), even things that makes it so special.  Everything takes on a different look when it is gently kissed by its light.

Or maybe it's the life giving properties it possesses to make things grow and blossom.

Whatever it is, the sun has me greatly enamored, beholden, and truly devoted to it.

No matter how many times I see the sunrise, walk outside at high noon, or watch the sun melt out of sight in a kaleidoscope of color, I am happy it continues to shine down upon me!

I hope each of you found your own little ray of sunshine today! :-)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm having WAY too much fun with new watermark fonts!  You can go here to find your own great fonts to use!

1001 Free Fonts

or here...

Moorstation

Just Around The River Bend

Hey, want to head out in the kayaks tonight?  It's a beautiful night, and we'll be able to catch the sunset!

Look at those trees barely clinging to the banks of the creek...pretty cool eh?

Look, there is our favorite bald eagle heading back home for the evening.  I told you we should have brought the telephoto lens!

Turn around and look back towards the house, isn't the sun pretty!

And check out the heron flying low along the water.  Dang, next time, I'm bringing that telephoto lens!

See these marsh grasses?  The herons love to fish alongside the tufts of grass!

Keep paddling, we're coming up on the long bridges that connect the creek to the river!

Look, the tide is coming in.

It's pretty windy, the little fish windsock says so!

And watch out for the crab pot lines hanging down from the bridge!  Wonder how many crabs are in there?

I love these old tree roots, don't you?!

Last bridge before the river!  How are you doing...getting tired yet?

Mr. Osprey is not happy that we're so close to his nest!

Wow, we've already gone over a mile, but just wait until you see the river!

Shhh, look up ahead, see the heron silhouetted up in that tree?  If we're quiet, we might be able to sneak up before she flies away!  Oh, and did I mention that we should have brought the telephoto lens?!

Nope, there she goes.  Heron's are so skittish aren't they?!

Hey cool, look...I got the osprey, the moon, and that tiny speck (just to the left and a little up from the moon) which is an airliner...all in the same shot!  

Ok, we're finally here.  There's the river straight ahead!

There we go, out in the river!  See Virginia off in the distance...it's about 5 miles away...think we can make it before the sun sets?!

Yeah, you're probably right...not one of my best ideas...we'll stay on this side tonight!

There's just enough wind to create a little wave action...isn't the rocking motion soothing?!

Such a pretty sunset isn't it?!  Look at how it reflects off of the water!

And check out that cloud back towards the creek!

Ok, the sun is getting pretty low, we better start heading for home, we have a few miles to go and we don't want to lose the light.

The waves make it so much easier to paddle back in don't they?!

Hey, don't paddle too fast or we'll get in trouble with the Natural Resources Police!

I don't know which I like best, going out or coming back in.

The creek is always so calm this time of night.

Wouldn't it be nice to just sit on this bench every evening and watch the sunset?!

And here we are back home again.  Did you have fun?  I know I sure did, we should do this again sometime soon!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes for Mr. Tide, he's feeling much better today!!