I Love the Shutter Sisters

I'm a little behind in so many ways. One of the things I've been missing is regular Shutter Sister's posts. I remember when I first found the Shutter Sisters blog. They post a short inspirational couple of paragraphs, then invite readers to share their own work in response to the post. Each post teaches a little about photograph or some personal insight or how it feels to be a woman looking at the world through your lens. I love the blog.


Here's a recent quote....

What happens when you choose once and for all to put what matters to you in the viewfinder, regardless of who approves or understands?

What happens when you claim your craft, your art, your expertise and stop asking anyone more established or proficient or experienced to say it's good enough?

What happens when you throw away the rule book and all the measuring sticks and just say what you were afraid to say all along?

Sometimes, I find it hard to feel that my shots are good enough. I always wish there was just a bit more sharpness and I don't know if it's because of my middle age eyesight or my starter-girl camera - is it my lack of skill or my equipment?? More importantly, why do I worry about it? Whom am I comparing myself to and what is the point? I shot what I see - my photos say what I want them to say. And sometimes I catch something and I think, holy crap, I did it! Few endeavors have given me as much joy as photography has and I'm learning all the time. Maybe someday I'll be able to capture that sharpness that I'm looking for - I know that I will never stop trying.

Another Shutter Sisters post was from a man who described a trip where a whole group of photographers were focused on a single view - a lake at sunrise. He shot the lake, but there was a ripple that ruined the glassy-mirror look and he decided to turn his camera to other things - colorful leaves and frost. He said that the other photographers looked at him as if they didn't understand what he was doing.

I connected to this post because I like to try to see some new detail with my camera. I shot things that other people say "eww" about - spiders, insects, webs - and I like to get down low, all the way, laying on my belly, trying to catch the edge of grass, leaves, whatever as I shoot. I will be the first to admit that I don't technically know what I'm doing, but getting low, shooting the details, it's teaching me how to focus and how to use the light, how to compose a shot in a way that isn't traditional or expected. It's a lot of fun and that's why I pick up the camera in the first place.

A Couple of Words

Not a whole lot to say. It's late. I'm trying to get back into a post-everyday-habit, though, so here's my 365 picture.

And just one more......

Saturday Update...........

Busy week. I haven't updated in awhile. My date went well, but no spark. Here are a few of my pictures from the week.

Lots of cool temperatures and some rain this week. I am always trying to catch the rain drops.

My flowers are waking up. This is a bright pink pansy, but I kind of like it in black and white, too.

Happy Easter to you!

A Little Bit Wordy With the Wordless Wednesday

Not very wordless, but I still wanted to take part. I'm trying to think of new things to shoot, but it's hard because I'm sort of tethered to home, so I'm shooting things that are just outside the door. I like to try to get the insects - got a bee here - but I saw some incredible insect photos today. I have got to get another lens. I want to be able to see his wings.

My daughter is currently sitting outside, on the grass, looking at the moon, with a boy. And older boy. A senior boy. This is a first around here. I'm worried about the boy riding his bike home in the dark. I went out and asked about a light - truly mortifying my daughter. Sorry honey, I just want the boy to get home safely. I asked him to please think about getting one before he rides at night again. They are snuggle-ish. She is turning 16 in a couple of weeks.

Twenty something years ago, Steve was 16 and I was 17, and we were snuggle-ish. I'm hoping that this pair is not quite as snuggle-ish as we were. I'm pretty sure that they are safe out there on the lawn - there's a whole lot of neighbors moving around out there in the evening.

Steve is hoping to come down next week. He will be bringing his older kids, but not Owen. Dang, I really like that Owen. The older kids are pretty cool, too. I'm thinking up some fun stuff to do - we will have a really limited amount of time together. I'm pretty excited.

I'm also sore. I started running in earnest again this week. I'm taking a slow pace, but putting in time and mileage. I want to get my good habits back in order before my birthday next month. I'm giving some thought to a local 10K next month - on the 2nd. Not sure though, I'm really not ready.

Oh heck, sure I am. I don't have to run a good time, just finish.

I am so glad it's not smokey anymore. I'm sitting here with the windows open and a nice breeze flowing through. Very, very nice.

Ruby Tuesday - Red Cannas

I took these out on my patio. The Cannas have been with me a long time, through two moves - my mom's move, when I first dug them out of her yard, and then my own move, from one end of my apartment complex to the other when we needed a larger unit. They love the afternoon sun I get in my newer (5 years) place.

Happy Ruby Tuesday to you!

Wordless Wednesday - Hydrangea

To find more Wordless Wednesday participants, visit http://www.wordlesswednesday.com

July 5th

Today feels a bit like the day after Christmas. Sarah and I, we did all this 4th prep and now it's over. We still have our flag-themed nails on, here's my feet and her hands. I'm pretty tired. Last night Sarah was wound up after the fireworks and couldn't go to sleep until after midnight. Bay called at 12:30-ish and wanted to come home, said her friend would drop her, but she needed me to unlock the door. I fell back asleep - she knocked at a bit after 1. I checked Max on my way back to bed and found him hot - as in almost 102 temp. I don't know what happened, he was only at school 2 days because of the smoke and there were hardly any other kids there. I changed him, gave him some Ibuprofen, then tried to go back to sleep. It was hard, he kept having seizures and I had to check on him or he'd call "Mom, mooom," and back I'd go again.

He is a bit more restful today, a little less warm. These are the times I wish he could speak, that he could tell me what hurts. He's laying very still.

I didn't use my camera at all yesterday, so I grabbed it and went out to look at my patio garden. I have new strawberries. Yum. I'm going to point them out to Sarah. Okay, I did, she's on her way out to grab one now. She told me that she'd been eyeing it and that Karlee told her that when it was time she had called it.

I am surprised that I don't have any green tomatoes yet. In the past I've grown Early Girls. Apparently, Heirlooms take longer. Happily, I found a lot of little buds.
Lots of mint. Hhmm.....what should I do with it? I like it's blue-green color.
I have a mini lemon tree. The first year, I had no lemons. The second year, I had two. This year, I have a ......okay, not a bunch, but a few. Yay!
Bay just got up, it's after 3pm. She is sick, too. The teenagers always seem to come down with something at the same time. They are so darn delicate.

When I woke up this morning, I was surprised that my boyfriend was not beside me. I must have dreamed that he was here for a visit. His absence, I'm really feeling it right now. I've felt so emotional lately, sort of raw, and he gives these huge hugs. When he's here, I feel like the heavy weight of my life, my responsibilities, that's it's a little lighter. He's my peace.

Wordless Wednesday - Cosmo and Smokey Sun

Mom's Garden

Today I went over to Mom's house to pick her up for dinner. I wanted to take some photos for her to share with her cousin, Pam. I'm a dork. I'm still learning my camera. Much of it was not in focus. I was disappointed, because I had to dump a lot of pictures. Now I know I have two places to focus. Oops.

Anyway, here's what I got..........Mom working in the garden. These are a couple of mini rose bushes.
I was with Mom when she found this Japanese Maple at Costco. It's lovely, very fringe-y.
Here's another Japanese Maple. Mom lived with me for a bit and at that time we had 3 large-ish Maples on my little patio. It looked pretty cool, but it gets way too hot out there later in the Summer. Mom's yard is sheltered by a lot of large trees. There are Redwoods and Oaks - it's really very pretty and lucky to find in a rental. The squirrels love it back there.
This Gardenia was huge. Mom cut it way back and it's waking up again. Gardenias always make me think of Grandma Artie. She grew Gardenias in her "tropical" garden, the one I mentioned yesterday. I'm going to se if I can scan some pictures to show how pretty that yard was. They used to entertain there all the time. They had Luaus and family reunions and there was dancing. So much fun.

Peeking Around the Patio

Today was the second day in a row that I talked to a loan-person about my financial situation. I want to buy a house. It's exhausting to think about how much money I don't have and how much debt I do.

I needed a break, so I grabbed my camera and went out to the patio to peek around.
I have so many blossoms on my lemon tree. It's very exciting. Last year I had a whole ONE lemon on the tree. I don't know why it's so healthy this year, but I'm glad that it is. I love lemons. When I was a kid, I used to eat them, not squeeze them on something, but eat the pieces like an orange. This was well before I met a Meyer lemon - those, no problem - but old school tart-y lemons, well I'm not sure what I was trying to prove.
Nobody uses the turtle sandbox anymore. :( I can remember the day Bay got it from Mom. It was her third birthday and her dad brought her home all caked up. I bathed her, cleaned the frosting out of her hair, and the fun began. My brother-in-law was supposed to be delivering the sandbox, but for some reason he decided to go by the Ford store and buy a truck first. He's had a lot of trucks over the years. Another funny day for truck-buying, the day he and Robin moved out of Chico. They bought a new truck on their way out of town.

When I bought my van, my sister talked me through it. I'd call her and she'd say, wait, let me look up those numbers....... and she'd give me the blue book on my little Saturn or the van that I wanted to buy. It helped to have her there on my phone. She knows a lot about purchasing vehicles. I do not, although I do know about a bit about dating a car-man, as S is one. His advice - don't let me (him) talk you into anything. Too late.

Sometime during Max's first year, the seed for this tree landed in a hanging pot of Petunias. It sprouted and I moved it from pot to pot as it grew. It's Max's tree. It sits outside the living room window - right on the other side of the wall from where he lays. I like to keep Max and his tree close. They belong together and some day when I buy a house, I'd like to plant the tree into the ground. Or maybe just a larger pot, but the point is that this tree means a lot to me.
I like to put goofy things around my garden. I have pieces of windchime stuck up with nails - mostly stars, suns, and moons. I found the little Eiffel Tower below outside stuck in the dirt. I stepped on something and it hurt my foot. When I dug around to see what it was, I found this broken tower. I washed it up and it's been in my garden ever since. My friend, Heather, visited the real Eiffel Tower last year. She took pictures of it and told about how it made her feel very emotional to be standing right there by it. I can only imagine how it must have felt - it's such a familiar image and I'm sure it's massive.

I like to put rubber lizards and spiders and frogs in among the plants. We used to take this huge rubber spider and hide it in the house to scare each other. I don't know where it is now, but I think I'm going to look for it, so I can hide it in Bailey's bed. She'll love it.

That Petunia turned out pretty, I think.

I spent the better part of Sunday cleaning up my patio area.

I live in an apartment, on the ground floor, and I have the use of a large cement slab, as well as an interior, but still outdoor area, for storage. Most of my neighbors do nothing with their patios. This puzzles me - why pick this particular location if you have no interest in utilizing it to the fullest?

I have a table with a couple of chairs and a small umbrella - we use this area to sit and do homework, eat, or well just hang out. I use a couple of faux-Adirondack chairs and a small table for lounging and I grow herbs, flowers, and the occasional tomato in pots I place all over. I switched the dining and lounging areas around, added potted trees for an attempt at more privacy and the effect was deemed "magical" and "jungle-y" by the neighborhood kids. I am very pleased - can't get much better than a magical jungle.

We've been experiencing Spring for some weeks in my part of northern California. My children and I are enjoying watching everything come alive again. (With the exception of the returning mosquitoes - what is the purpose of mosquitoes?) I'll post a few pictures of the various views from my lounge chair, as well as a couple of photos that I took when I decided to attempt to make my own home-made lenses on my inexpensive little Olympus. (I shot them through an old pyrex brownie pan). It didn't work like I had hoped, but I do like the distorted effect in a couple.

Good day to you.