Busy As a Bee and A Break

So apparently in my last blog post I sounded quite pitiful.  Hmm, I didn't mean to, or maybe I did?!  My sweet mother in law phoned to see if I was alright and then my neighbor and then my daughter, so I guess I did sound a little down and out.  I'm actually fine, just coughing a bit due to allergies I've determined, which is new for me, I've never really had them before.  And I am always a little bummed when Mr. Tide leaves on short notice to go to places that make me worry for his safety, but after all of these years I'm pretty used to it so it's all good.

(click to enlarge any of the photos in this post if you really want to get up close and personal with the carpenter bee!)

As I was making my way through blogland today I came across a wonderful idea.  It's called The August Break and it is an idea started by the talented blogger Susannah Conway on her amazing blog Notes on Unraveling the Heart...love her blog!

Here is what she had to say and how this all works...

Okay, here’s the plan for the August Break: you simply share one photo (or more!) per day on your blog – Monday to Friday, or every day. Or whenever you feel moved to share. Using any camera – DSLR, compact, Polaroid, Holga, iPhone (my choice), Instax, film or digital – with or without words – anything goes! – for the whole of August. No pressure – just looking at August through your camera lens as a way to be more present this summer. And to have a little break from the pressures and expectations of regular blogging.

There are NO RULES, people! Just sunshine (hopefully) and a bit of fun. And lots of lovely photos to look at.

Although I don't usually participate in bloggy challenges or meme parties much these days, I love this idea and have decided to join in.  I have some great things happening for me right now, more on that soon I hope, so I think this challenge will fit in well with everything else that is going on and it will allow me to keep snapping pictures without the need to have them make sense...if that makes sense?!  I can be random and experimental and then just share my randomness without explanation, which sounds like a plan to me!


So, if you are interested in giving yourself a little bloggy break during August, go HERE and get the details and join in!

I hope you have a bee-utiful day!

No Way

There is no way it's been almost a week since I last posted?!

There is no way it's already August the 1st!!!

There is no way that I haven't returned a single email in DAYS...not one!

And there is no way I can get up every morning and not go outside to check on these sweet morning glories that fill my fence...love them!

I've been under the weather with some sort of cough, most likely allergy related since I only hack when I've been outside, but it's been kicking my behind.  Then Mr. Tide launched off to far flung places for work this weekend with less than 24 hours notice...hate that about his job!  So there is no way I'll be doing anything except the necessary cleaning, cooking, dog and work stuff for the foreseeable future.  

I hope there is no way you are having anything but a perfect day!

Moving at a Snail's Pace

Today I ventured down to our dock to get an up close and personal view of our swamp hibiscus or marsh mallows in full bloom.  They are really outdoing themselves this year.  And I also noticed that we had a few visitors on the marsh grasses...these little snails.

I have decided to name them Gary (in honor of Spongebob's pet snail), and Escar Go (it seems less morbid if I break it in to 2 names and misspell it!), who is visiting from France.

I love their bright green ribbed shells, but I didn't want to keep them in the hot sun for too long or they might become a little dry and crispy!

So after snapping a few shots with my uber cool new macro lens (a treat to myself bought with photo shoot and writing money), they were free to return to the cool shade and slightly cool waters of the creek.

I have to say that I love this new macro lens, but learning to use it has been harder than I thought.  If you move just a teeny, tiny bit, you loose your focus because the depth of field is so shallow.  I'm learning, but it's hard teaching an old dog new tricks!  But when you can get up close and personal with your subjects, it makes it all worth it!  Thanks Kate for encouraging me to buy a macro lens, now maybe I can take pictures as lovely as YOURS! :-)

And thank you for your sweet comments about my new venture into portrait photography.  After I posted yesterday I realized that I had used the low res versions of each picture, but I was just too darned lazy to replace them with the higher quality ones...so they will forever remain a little fuzzy looking on my post!

And one more thing before I go, thanks for your comments on my post about what this time of year means to you, I so enjoyed reading all of your comments!!

A Moment in Time

It's hard to believe that just a few months ago the idea of taking pictures of people terrified me.

I thought to myself, how can I ever capture the essence of someone's personality the way I can something static, like a flower, that I can move around and snap as many photos of as I want?

I thought that the pressures of capturing the "moment" would be too great, out of reach.

And that maybe, I would fall flat on my face and in the process, disappoint those I was shooting, the ones who really want themselves, or a loved one, captured forever and in a way that takes them right back to that moment in time.


 

But I decided to give it a go anyway, throw caution to the wind, because if you never try, you'll never know, right?

And there are worse things in life then failing or falling short of perfection.

And sometimes when you play it safe you miss out on great things, on opportunities to grow, and on chances to test your limits.

Sometimes we have to step outside of our comfort zone and find a new, and much larger comfort zone.

And sometimes the rewards are worth all the angst in the world...like capturing a moment in time to be cherished by someone forever!

Thanks to my friends who let me use them as models (and talk about perfect models!) as I tried to see if portrait photography is my thing.  I already have other people lined up who want me to capture their special little one or their child heading off to college in a year, and someone even asked if I would shoot a wedding!  *gulp*  The wedding shoot will not be in my future, at least not until I feel like I won't goof it up!

I feel so privileged to be asked to take someone's picture, and I'm so happy I took a chance.  I can't wait to see what's next on this roller coaster ride of life I'm on!  I hope you are each taking your own chances and discovering something new about yourself each and every day!

That Time of Year

It's that time of year again.

When branches are weighed down with barely ripe berries.

When the hazy days of summer are in full force and nature tends to show off.

When Queen Anne's Lace fills fields and ditches, and suddenly a weed becomes a thing of beauty.

When patient puppies sit in an air conditioned truck while humans suffer 102 degree heat...

Hoping for a few of these...or maybe a lot of these!

And when even the ants are happy to be hanging out in their newly decorated abode.

Yup, it's that time of year, when a whole bowl of these seems like the perfect summertime dinner!

What does this time of year mean to you?

Black and White

Remember as a child, everything seemed so cut and dry, black and white so to speak?  You knew the general rhythm of things, adults took care of the scary or difficult stuff so that all you had to do was play or maybe do a little homework and some chores.  For those of us with happy childhoods, that was how life went day to day.

Right now I have two friends, both of their names start with the letter "J," and for them life is not so black and white.  Life has become infinite shades of gray as both of them are fighting, and thankfully winning their war against cancer.  One is newly diagnosed, while the other friend has been undergoing treatment for quite some time now.

I hate cancer and all that it requires both mentally and physically!  Yet as the bystander, all I can do is let them know how much I care and to give them some support.  It's not much, and I wish there was more I could do, like wave a magic wand.  But some things just aren't that easy once you are all grown up.

Wishing you all a very calm weekend, and if you haven't told someone in your life how much you love them lately, please do...it will mean the world to both of you!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Remember just a few months ago when we were all saying how cold it was and how we couldn't wait for summer?! *raises hand*

Well, unlike my post title, it's anything but cold outside in most of the US right now.  In fact, it's downright steamy.

My mom used to call this kind of weather hot and sticky.  And I would have to say that that's a pretty fair assessment of the way it is outside right now.

Even the dogs don't want to be outside...well unless the sprinkler is going that is!  Misty Belle loves the way the water gives her that awesome 80s crimped hair look!

I love this out of focus picture of Mr. Quinn chasing the water droplets as they zoom around the yard.  It's kind of how I picture Monet capturing his true essence! ;-)

We over seeded part of our yard so they are loving that we have the sprinkler set up for a little while each day.  And it is a great way to beat the heat, but I sure do spend a lot of time cleaning up wet paw prints when they come inside.  It's a small price to pay for happy, cool doggies though.

Last night we had some crazy weather.  There were storm clouds all around us, but the sun was like a ball of melon colored fire (ok I know it actually IS a ball of fire, but you get my drift) sinking below the horizon.

Then when I gazed up above me there was this...another wonderful heart shaped cloud, drifting amidst the dark storm clouds.  I'm sure it was a gift from a dear friend.

Later we ended up having quite a light show as the storms eventually reached us.  There was also lots of thunder and wind, and thankfully plenty of much needed rain!  Today it's back to the steam bath, but hey at least it's not the 1700s and I'm not wearing "summer weight" wool, and lots of undergarments, without the benefit of AC...so it's a good day I think! 

I hope you are managing to stay cool where you are...or warm, whichever you're in need of at the moment!

Humming Along

Has it really been almost a week since I last posted?!

I guess I've not had much to share this past week, and I've been extremely busy with work stuff.

I've been humming along with picture taking, writing, and cleaning...all the usual stuff.

It's all been a bit of a blur, much like these hummingbird pictures...why won't they stay still just long enough for me to capture their beauty?!  Work, work, work...they have to do that to live, kind of like the rest of us I guess!

I captured these lovelies at dusk tonight as they flipped in and out of my neighbor's yard...you know, the sweet neighbor who doesn't think I'm crazy when I show up looking not so lovely but with my camera in hand!  You gotta love a neighbor like that!

She loves these delicate little birds...the only birds who can fly backwards.

As they buzzed past my head as I tried to snap their picture I realized that it had been awhile since I had really slowed down to enjoy life and snap some fun pictures.  We all need to do that from time to time, stop and smell the roses and also capture them!

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start...and here's a bit of nostalgia for those of you who grew up in the 70s!  Until next time friends! :-)