Winter, a door and Tulips

Hello, all and a good Thursday evening or Friday morning to you!....depending on which coast you are  closest to here in the USA..... I was looking for a theme in my photos and I found a winter picture that made me think of Spring!....Our door has beveled tulips in the window inserts along with the side windowpanel.   I've been seeing Tulips in the stores too and at my sister-in-law's house over the weekend...Spring is just around the corner....you have to have Winter before you can have Spring!   It's just the way things are and maybe that's why contrasts happen....so we can appreciate them so much more.   Remember that there is always a door to the next season and when the door leads to Spring...bring those tulips in the house!

      

         

              

               

           

       The animated tulips are compliments of  Chris at
                                                Cab's Creations:                    

                                                                                      

   Mousepad nametag compliments of Missie at Chat2Missie

Clouds and Wooden Carving

 

One more entry...I had taken this moon and clouds photo a few days before the big snow...the clouds looked like something...something that might just swallow the night sky...with that mooneye staring at me....what do you think? 

Then later on my walk in the wetlands I saw this wood carving of a fish head on a tree trunk..it looked like it wanted to swallow something...maybe me...

I wonder how many walkers by were startled by this art object...gasping for air....  Luckily for us the little woodmoon fairy is watching over things....thanks to D's Designs... 

               

   Sometimes the day seems to swallow me up.   It just ticks away until the night comes so quickly.  I have protection though...in my slumber I come out the other end into a bright new day guided by the fairies of my hopes and dreams for a better outcome and a brand new day!   Maria

Theler Wetlands - 2

            

 

Hello all! I finally got my Thelar wetlands photos to post..however, I'm doing it in a roundabout way......whatever works.  I can usually find a workaround if I have to do it!   The dragonfly woodcarving really got my attention..it's huge!  Instead of changing my previous entry I've created a new one.   The lesson on these photos is to be early wherever you go because you will never know what you will find on the way to enjoy and learn from.  Even if you don't take photos...take the walk, explore the place, jot down some notes on your reflections,  journal about them.  I realized during this walk that even in the depths of a grey and wet winter, when the snow has melted, there are extraordinary things all around us.  I was open to them this day...I'm so glad I stopped.....took the time...such a simple little thing..only took an extra 30 minutes which I had because I was early!   What's in your area?  What paths have you yet to take?

 

 

  Maria

Simple things

  It's amazing how we can let the simple things slide when we are busy or get frustrated.    So then,  take time to smile,  get plenty of rest and don't get too obsessed with anything...especially these journal pages.   I will be analyzing my photos up on my ftp space and will soon be adding some more.    Hope that you have been taking time to enjoy the simple things too...the days fly by so fast.  Get out of the house,  run that errand,  take that walk!  It's a simple thing...to get out there and enjoy the day or night...I know I can always come back and journal about what  I saw, heard, felt, smelled or spoke about! It really is an amazing world.  

 

Nature Walk at Theler Wetlands

Hmm..this is beginning to sound more and more like a broken record.  I am having trouble loading pictures again.  However, here are a few photos using AOL pictures of a recent walk I took in the Theler Wetlands which is in Belfair, Washington.  I was about 30 minutes early for a birthday party so I happened to see this little sign that directed me to these trails.  The community had done some really wonderful things to make the wetlands walkable...this time of year that would be impossible.   There were wood carvings and wooden plank pathways all the way out to the shore.  Here are a few of my photos...enjoy!

Maria

Birds are Wise

Birds are quite wise in their actions.  Many of the things they do speak  louder than words...however I have chosen to add some words for effect.  Hope these two shots speak to you the way they did to me...or maybe in other ways.  That's good too! 

 

Look closely and you will see two ducks balancing on one foot...on the icy pond...not far from shore where a little water is showing through.

Then look at the high and faluting crow..always picking a grander view...

  Animation signature from Jenny

Snowy Days Slide show for you

Rock You Snowy Days Slide Show!    Had to delete the html for this...it was taking up too much space and I couldn't download any more picture...but you can see the neat pictures if you click on the link!

Snowy paths and Life

A Good Saturday morning to you all!  I was on a little walk the other day on snowy paths.   These are paths that I've walked before but they were entirely different because of the snow and the sunshine.  The storm of a couple weeks earlier had an effect as well since branches were leaning over almost cutting off my way.  Warning: my reflections coming..LOL...  Isn't life like this?  Paths that you've taken in the past over and over can change overnight.  They are ,however, still the same paths underneath.  It's just that due to the changes falling on them one has to adjust and do different things to respond to walking on them.   Nothing stays the same even though you think you are the same you underneath...guess what?...since yesterday you grew and are not the same.   Maybe it was the storm that was overcome, the pain that was borne or the joy that was experienced it all changes what is underneath the surface a little even though it still feels the same.   Growth happens, we can't stop it.  Things fall on us.  We are the one path we cannot get away from and must travel over and over each day.   We can improve it, build on it or let the beauty that is around us become a part of it like these snowy paths.   Funny, now reflecting on this walk I remember feeling so much a part of this familiar path and wanting to come back over and over to see what has changed since the last walk.  Reminds me of January too..setting goals...yep been here and I'm back again. One thing to be sure of....we will grow.....we must grow...just remember it's the same path with differences on the outside falling down and driving change on the inside.  Snowy, bright paths filled with white light remind me of this.

Snowy Days!

Hello all, working from home this morning and taking a little break to post a couple of photos.

Seattle has had the most beautiful snowy days!  The sun has been shining both today and yesterday. Makes me think of my younger days in Pittsburgh, PA....the sun makes all the difference.  The photo opportunities are amazing.  I have at over 150 photos to choose from.  I decided to start with a couple with birds...ducks and geese.  Enjoy...(yes taken with the new camera....the jury is still out though...I'm missing my old one.)

 

In with the new..Camera that is

Here is the new camera I got for Christmas!  Ta da!  Nope, not an SLR...which I may regret a little later but I was so tired of lugging around my old camera that I decided to see what I could do with a slimmer version with higher megapixels and less optical zoom than my old camera.  The old camera,  will still be my backup camera...it takes better night sky pictures.  I wouldn't even have replaced it but the latch on the battery compartment is only working partially so it's just a matter of time before it breaks all the way.  It will take me some time to get used to the focus feature on the new camera. and I'll miss the little view finder..it helped me to frame things better....the new camera has no little view finder.    The pictures below were taken by the opposite cameras....:)  with a little help from me of course.  

In addition to the camera change, I'm also changing printers as soon as my ink cartridges get used up.  The feeding mechanism is broken and only allows one page at a time...however, the printouts are so beautiful I'm going to be sorry to see it go...I bought another printer same manufacturer..HP Photosmart but it's an all-in-one..scans, copies, prints and faxes.   I don't know about you but I just hate to change.  Why do things have to break down anyway?  One thing I've noticed about technology is that it's not very longlasting...seems that new gadgets either have hardware problems after a couple of years or become outdated around that time.  It's like they have lifespans like we do only shorter.  The humorous thing about changing my camera is that originally I wouldn't even use a digital camera for the longest time...it seemed so daunting..then one day I started using it and wow a whole new world opened up for me with photography.

 

So there you have it!  My camera switch for 2007.   My next entry will have a picture of some roses I took at my sister-in-law's house with the new camera...this was prior to myfiguring out how to focus it correctly.....but it's a start.   Lighting and focus are key to good digital photos.  Although I may whine a little about technology I do see it as a gift to us in this age.  It's incredible stuff.  This week in Las Vegas it turns out that there is a technology expo with some cool new things coming out.  We really need to appreciate this world we live in with the rapidly developing gadgets...who knows how long we will be able to keep this up?  In many ways, it is an amazing age.....

                     

Tag compliments of Sazzy!

New Years Resolutions- as guidelines

Happy New Year!....a few days into the year..LOL..about time I added an entry don't you think?   I got a new camera and am getting used to it....however,,,here is a picture from last year just for the memories from my old camera.

 

                          

 

About those resolutions, I wanted to pass on some thoughts. 

I know there are varying philosophies on new year resolutions...I usually make them just to have some goals.  I like to have goals...however, for those who maybe don't want to get into the whole race of it all here are some general guidelines to follow for any year that was sent to me by a friend:

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: R espect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.