Random Mix

Today's photos are a random mix. I just photographed some things that appealed to me for no special reason.

I decided to finally seal this package so I could get it out in the mail on Friday. The first package headed to my temporary "home" in Hawaii.

While I was photographing the package I pointed the camera at the candle and realized I had discovered the subject of my next photo. I love candles and one advantage to staying home all day is that you can burn a candle for a loooong time and really get the scent going.

I wanted to get a shot of the snow. I took one shot through the kitchen window, and then decided to check the other windows around the house to see what was out there.

When I got to the living room, there was my faux Tiffany Lamp, and being inspired by the close-ups that Bridget has been doing, I decided to try it with the lamp shade.

As I'm writing this, its 11:44 pm. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

Marley and Me

My husband wanted to see this movie. It was the first time in a very long time that I've been to a movie theater. It was pretty good. Just goes to show that there doesn't have to be sex, violence and vulgarity in a movie to be a popular movie.

Boy, some of these posts are pretty lame. But at least I'm still in the running.

Accessories

A friend of mine asked me to photograph some of her jewelry so she could keep it documented. These cameos were part of the collection. I think cameos are so beautiful.

When I got home tonight, this lamp was on the counter. It's one that Caleb made. (the shade is crooked because the shade-holder isn't secured properly). I think it's very cool. He made one yesterday too. He's on a roll.

After having a long email chat with Trish today, I decided that I'm going to change something. I'm going to change the way I think about my photography. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I know I won't keep them. But this is going to be my New Year's "goal". When I think that one of my images is good, I'm going to say so. Not bragging--just saying what I like about it and why--but still be open to critique.

I challenge the rest of you to the same goal.

Sunset

It was 4:35 pm when I looked out the window and saw this beautiful sky. I grabbed my camera, and even though the scene itself isn't a keeper, I was excited about capturing the beautiful light and color. Just two weeks ago, it would have been completely dark at 4:35. Not only that, but it's been so gray and gloomy lately, that seeing this bright scene was envigorating, albeit, short lived. Spring is on the way, hooray!

Yesterday...

Yesterday when I was talking about the New Year looming in the very near future, 5 days from now to be exact, I began calculating how old my father would be, had he lived till now. Well, he was born in 1915, so that would make him 94 next May. That's very close to 100. Imagine all the changes that folks of that age have seen in their lifetimes.

So I did a little research and I came up with some 1915 trivia.

**On Jan 25, Alexander Graham Bell, in NY, called Thomas Watson in SF.

**On Jan 19, the electric neon sign was patented.

**Born in 1915: Ingrid Bergman, Orson Wells, Eli Wallach

**Typhoid Mary infected 25 people while working as a cook in New York's Sloan Hospital. She was placed in quarantine for life.

(This is for you, Trish)
**Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit, Mich.

And some songs that were popular (this is by no means a comprehensive list--I picked out the ones that I've at least heard of):

Bells of St. Mary's
For Me and My Gal
Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here
Over There
12th Street Rag
Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag

11.5 Days and Counting

I decided that I'd better get some shipping boxes and get busy sending some of my things to HI pretty soon. It took me by surprise when I actually stopped to count the days left till I leave. After hearing the weather forecast for the next few days, it can't be soon enough.

New Year's Day, just 6 days from now. Hard to believe we've come through another year. It has been soooo good. Even through the worst times, I realize how blessed I and my family are, as well as my friends. I'm really learning how to try and keep things in perspective, and by doing that it's easier to recognize the blessings.

I hope, as we approach the new year, that you all can look back on the year that has passed and recognize your personal blessings. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's been a while since I quoted from "Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me", so here goes:

*"The path you're on looks different when you turn around." (good for life and good for us photographers)

*"As soon as you understand two times four, you can't believe there was a time when you didn't understand it." (another one that's true for life and for us photographers)

This book rocks!!!

Christmas Day, 2008

Our day started off this morning with a phone call to Leah in Kenya. She was surprised and pleased. It was good to hear her voice. My son's phone has a "speaker" setting on it, so we all gathered 'round and talked with her that way. Very fun.

After the phone call, while I was waiting for everyone to get ready to open presents, I wanted to see what things look like from the cat's perspective. Interesting.

While we were at Jessica's, Caleb willingly let me take this photo while he posed as The Thinker. Whether he actually looks like it or not, I was happy he was agreeable to the photo.

At church last night, Lauren had on her green princess dress and these cute shoes. I'm in the middle of reading, "Wicked", about the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz, and all I could think of every time I looked at Lauren was Glinda and the magic shoes. I kept waiting for Lauren to click her heels together. Cute.

Melodies of Christmas, 08

Every year Friehoefer's and WRGB cohost Melodies of Christmas at Proctor's in Schenectady. Proceeds are donated to the child cancer section of Albany Med, and according to the statistics given on the show tonight, in the past 29 years, they've raised over 5 million dollars. AWESOME!

The Empire State Youth Orchestra and Chorale perform. They are amazing musicians and vocalists.

When Leah was entering 8th grade, I took both her and Caleb out of school to homeschool them. That year Leah decided she wanted to be a volunteer usher at Proctor's. I, too, volunteered. If I had to drive her to Schenectady, I needed something to do while she was ushering, and that was as good as anything.

Among many other productions, we attended the Melodies of Christmas for the next three years. It's a beautiful evening, and quite the tear-jerker when children from the cancer center take to the stage.

While Leah was in college, she would come home every Christmas. Several times we attended the Melodies as part of the audience and several times we watched the presentation on TV, but when she left for Hawaii she was unable to see it. So I would tape it and send her the VHS tape. She loved it.

Now, what to do now that she's in Kenya and doesn't have a VHS player? I've got it! Tape it and then find someone to transfer it to a DVD, or, see if there is a DVD to purchase. Eureka, I can't wait to send it to her--I really think she'll be surprised. Don't you love to surprise people?

So these are some scenes that I photographed from the TV. Not great quality, but I think it gives a good idea of the presentation. FYI it will be broadcast again on Christmas Day on WRGB (CBS) from noon to 1:30.

Dakota

My husband's dog, Dakota. Too complicated to explain why I'm posting his picture. Suffice it to say that even as unkempt as he looks, he still takes a better photo than I do.

Two days till Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.

Brrrrr!

Brrrr, it was cold today. I had some important errands to run today, so I went to town pretty early this morning. Good call. It was cold, but not windy. By the time I returned home, things were quite different--almost white-out conditions at times.

So I started a pot of chili, baked a pie and hunkered down in the house for the duration of the day. It occurred to me that this was another day for "comfort food". Praise God for our blessings.

Chili and pumpkin pie on a cold and blustery day. Yum.

A Walk Through Glen

Well I did it. I finally got out for a walk, and my timing was perfect. The snow had stopped, the roads were pretty easy to walk on and there was no wind. Come along with me and see some of the things I saw while on my Walk Through Glen.

Snow, Snow, Snow!

So it's only 11:30 on Sunday morning. No church for me today, I'm long past thinking that there will be a crisis if I don't attend church/meeting/whatever in spite of the weather. Life goes on, and I'm much more content with it going on with me being safely and peacefully at home instead of being on the road, hyperventilating.

I haven't gotten out of the house yet today, but trust me, this WILL happen. Cabin fever is setting in big-time and I hear my camera calling my name and telling me to get my butt moving and "do something creative". BUT, I did manage to take a few shots through the window this morning.
Enjoy the SNOW, SNOW, SNOW...

An Empty Space

I should have posted this before I looked at the other posts today. It's pretty boring compared to them, but the reality of it is awesome to me.

After our snowstorm yesterday, I decided that I wasn't going out on the roads today, and for some reason I got really motivated to clean. As mentioned in previous posts (I think), I'm purging this house.

When you look at the corner of this hearth, what do you see. Pretty much nothing, right? THAT'S MY POINT--NOTHING!!!! An Empty Space. This morning, there was about 1.5 feet of books and papers and junk. Now there's an empty space. I LOVE empty spaces.

Five days till Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS my friends.

White Christmas

Some people have been singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas". Others have been hoping for a white Christmas.

This year their dream will come true. Snow on Sunday and then again on Christmas Eve.

Off the Beaten Path

While on my drive today, I passed this stream and decided to get a photo of it. Everything along the road was dirty and ugly, but just a few feet off the beaten path was this stream with pristine white snow on its banks. The image isn't an award winner, but as I drove away I began making the connection between the scene and people. Confused? Good. I don't normally wax philosophical when I photograph, but this time the thoughts just popped into my head.

Look off the beaten path to find the beauty within those who appear grungy, cranky, unpleasant, etc. This is a great season to start the habit. It's usually contagious, too. Merry Christmas.

At Morette's

Okay, so I'm beginning to do a lot of repeat images, probably because I do a lot of repeat activities. Tonight was photo club night, and as usual some of us met at Morette's for dinner first. Not only was this the last night for the next three weeks due to Christmas and New Year's, but it was the last night for me until the middle of next April. So it was somewhat bittersweet.

When I first sat down I noticed a beautiful wreath hanging on the wall. I tried to photograph it without flash, but the shutter speed was too slow, so I deliberately moved the camera to get this creative?? look. It's not "awesome", but it's kind of interesting--and it was definitely fun to do.

Then I put the camera on the table and guess what? I couldn't resist trying some more shots, also without flash, so this next one isn't quite sharp. But I like it too.

I think I'm kind of getting into this photography thing. I might just keep it up. Actually, since my friends have joined me in this "Post A Day" thing, and I purchased my very own point-n-shoot, a fun avocation/vocation has become even more fun. So once again, thank you everyone for joining the challenge.

Another One

Here's another one of my few concessions to Christmas decorating. I can't even remember when/where I found these stacking boxes, but I really like them. They're so simple, but so "happy". Besides that, what I really like about them is that when the "season" is over, I don't stack them inside each other, I store other decorations inside them.

What I'm wondering, though, is what in the world are we all going to do for photo ops once the Christmas season is done and all the decorations and lights are put away?

They're Framed!

I bought these ornaments many years ago to use for props. I once made an image with them, planning to use it for Christmas cards. I never did. But Steve's image from yesterday reminded me that I had the ornaments tucked away in a closet, and I decided it was time to get them out and once again, Frame Them.

Through the Hurricane Lamp

This morning we had a different teacher for Sunday School. I needed to take some photos to put in the historical records. Once I took the "traditional photos" I put the camera on the table in front of me. So how could I resist experimenting.

This is through the hurricane lamp. I think it's interesting.

By the way, I was paying attention to the lesson.

A Step Back in Time

I'm sitting here watching It's A Wonderful Life. A step back in time.

This is a new photo even though it might look familiar. I photographed this same house a few weeks ago, and said I'd like to try again when it wasn't so dark and when I had my tripod. Well, it wasn't so dark today, but once again I didn't have my tripod. Anyway I think it's better with some ambiant light than it was when it was pitch black. Again, I'll say it reminds me of a Gingerbread house--a step back in time.

When my husband was a boy, his father and uncle owned and operated separate dairys. One delivered in the Fonda area, the other delivered in the Amsterdam area. He worked for his father delivering milk. We have several bottles with the family name on them. Another step back in time.

It's easy to think that things were so much better "back in time". Maybe they were and maybe they weren't. I just know that when I see/hear about the good parts of those long-ago times, it soothes my soul

Eclectic Thoughts

It's still snowing. Much fodder for photos.

While watching CMT this morning (yes, I'm a HUGE fan of Country Music), they showed a video of The King. Couldn't resist this shot. I still get sad when I see him or hear his music. His beginning was so different from his end. I could wax very philosophical & melancholy, but suffice it to say that we all have choices in this life. The right ones bring blessings, and the wrong ones, well, you know.........

Then there's my cat, Bella. All she asks for is some love, some food and a soft place to sleep. And what she gives back is "priceless".

What's Taking So Long

When I got to work this morning I took my camera out and left it on the desk in the hopes that I'd pick it up and photograph something. No such luck--things just got more and more crazy at work and then the snow started piling up on the roads and the terror of driving home on icky roads began taking over. So no photographs!

When I got home (I hitched a ride with my son who drives a nice, safe Saab, and left the car I'm using--a Caravan--which by the way, I consider to be a death trap on snowy roads--in the driveway at church) I was very relieved, but I got busy doing some things and completely forgot about taking any photos. I'm not at all motivated to take photos of snow.

Then while working on the computer my husband turned on the tv news, and oh,,,my,,,gosh,,,am I depressed now. On top of snow outside, which alone is enough to depress me on my best day, and the weather report of all the bad weather everywhere (it seems), one unhappy story after another was being told. Did I get up and leave the room? No. I thought about it, but I was working on the photo club newsletter, and didn't want to stop in the middle of it. So I tried not to listen.

In addition to that, it gets dark at 5, probably 4:30 today. And the first day of winter hasn't even arrived yet! Sigh.

Well, some happy thoughts. Three of my photography buddies will probably have a snow day tomorrow--I'm glad for them. I have absolutely no obligations tomorrow, so driving in this mess isn't even a consideration. My daughter doesn't have to go driving tomorrow either, so I know she'll be safe. God is in His heaven and is still on His Throne, and that's probably the best of the news. We are all safe, warm and healthy. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

But!!! I still haven't taken today's photo. Aaargh! What's taking so long?

Okay, it's an hour later and after strolling around the house aimlessly looking for a subject, I decided to show you the next book we're reading for Bookgroup. I'll let you know how it is when I finish it.

Wednesday Night Again

It's Wednesday night again. Photo meeting night. Morette's night. Talking, breathing, eating, seeing photography, waiting-all-week-for-it-to-get-here-again night.

I arrived at Morette's way early tonight, so I decided to take some photos. There's a mirror on the back wall, and every season the "mantle" in front of the mirror is decorated for the season.

We have the cutest waitress. She's been waiting on our group every Wednesday night for about the last two years. She knows what we each drink, how often to bring refills, and most of the time knows what we're going to eat (since we're all pretty much creatures of habit, and usually have the same thing every week).

Wednesdays just wouldn't be the same without Morette's, Tabitha and the Photo meetings.

The Pressure's Off

All day long the question kept swirling around in my head, "Who would win the coveted Blogging Award tonight?" Remember, there were 5 of us in the running. "Who would it be, could I (we) bear it if Trish won again, would my blogging life be over?" As we gathered for our meeting at Bridget's house, the tension eased a little as we smelled the wonderful dinner she had prepared for us. We talked and laughed during dinner, we cleared the table, and then the moment of truth arrived.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO..... Me! Now remember, this trophy is not for image quality (although there have been some really great images posted by all members)--if that were the case I would have been drummed out of the group on several occasions--but it is for T E N A C I T Y. How tenaciously, voraciously, determinately, faithfully, painstakingly we take a photo and post it EACH day.

So for tonight, the pressure's off. In a few weeks the trophy will travel with me to Hawaii--it may find itself the object of several beach shots.

As we were getting ready to leave Bridget's, I turned around and there was this great cat. My first thought was "the Cheshire Cat himself" although this one's a little cuter. I couldn't resist taking a parting shot of him on this great Victorian chair in front of the lace curtain.

Ahhh, I can sleep easy tonight, but starting tomorrow, the pressure's back on--59 more days of a photo and a post per day.

Christmas Blocks

I've noticed that in the past bunch of years that I'm becoming more and more Scrooge-Like. Bah, humbug, I don't want to bother with any of it--decorating, the tree, baking. I'm still into giving presents--I love to do that, but all the rest seems like way too much trouble for what it's worth.

Well, anyway, today I stayed home and got a lot done. I wrapped presents, ordered some presents, cleaned the house (I even finally got motivated to put the storm windows on the storm doors--after all, it was 2 degrees this morning--thought it was about time) and then I even went so far as to put a few decorations out.

I found these blocks at a great little gift shop last year and couldn't resist. I love wooden blocks and am sad that kids don't play with them anymore. So in an effort to take a step back in time, I display these on my mantle.

So, ignore my Scrooge-ness, remember the Reason for the Season (Jesus' birth) and Merry Christmas to you all.

Victorian Stroll in Troy, NY, Dec. 08

Steve and I went to Troy today to do some photography at the Victorian Stroll. I've never been to one before, but it seems like they're popping up all over. Just last week I heard of one in Saratoga, and Steve told me that there had been one in Johnstown.

We really lucked out with the weather. We arrived in Troy around noon, and there was hardly any wind and the temps were tolerable. I didn't know what to expect, but I was a little disappointed. I thought there would be more people "strolling" around in Victorian dress.

Well, we managed to get some shots, and although I'm basically disappointed with my images as a whole, I'm satisfied with these.

We stopped for lunch, and by the time we got back to Amsterdam, the wind was really blowing and the temps seemed colder and of course the sky was greyer. But we had a good time and I'm not sorry we went.

Encounter of the Windy Kind

This afternoon I was in Target shopping, when I decided to use the facilities. Well!!! I was just about blown away when I used the hand dryer. Remember when Trish did her post about the hand dryer practically blowing her away? Well, now I understand. The skin on my hands was rippling... Very funny.

Earlier today I went to church with several other people to decorate for the Christmas season. So here's another picture of another (several) tree with another set of lights. The picture doesn't really do it justice.

Backing up a little, last night I went to bookgroup. There was an awesome cat there. He was so lovable and friendly. But while we were standing around talking, before bookgroup actually began, he decided he would show off his skill of drinking out of the fishbowl. It was very comical. He didn't even try to get the fish--and the fish stayed well out of his way (at least as much as the limited space in the fishbowl would allow)--by staying as close to the bottom as possible.

So not only was bookgroup great, as usual, but we were well entertained by the cat.