151/365

Apartment Building

Wandering around Sarasota, FL, I saw this apartment building with these great balconies right across the street from and facing the marina.

If you like apartment living, wouldn't this be a great place to live?  If you don't like apartment living it would probably seem like a nightmare.  But if you HAD to live in an apartment and could afford such a place, wouldn't that balcony be wonderful?

My heart is grateful for:

singing my favorite hymn before Bible Study tonight~~

And Can It Be

150/365

Naked Cake Topper

My friend makes beautiful hand-made flowers that can be used as decor and/or cake toppers.  These lovely pink and white flowers sit atop a personal sized naked cake.  Once the cake is devoured eaten, the flowers make a beautiful display in a small vase set anywhere in a home.  

If I lived close enough and didn't have to worry about them being destroyed during my flight home, I'd definitely purchase some for my home.

 

My heart is grateful for:

heading home to see my friends and family

 149/365

Painted Oranges

Dunedin, FL is know for it's orange crop, in addition to other crops.  Artist Steve Spathelf decided it would bolster the self-respect of the town if there were oranges painted throughout the small sea-side community.  His work has become so popular there's now a waiting list for his artwork on businesses and personal homes.  

It's fun walking around the town seeing how many oranges you can see.  What a happy idea.

My heart is grateful for:

the beautiful sunset we saw last night at the pier

148/365

White Crane

We were at the dock and there are always cranes hanging out, looking for food and hoping the fishermen would drop morsels of fish on the dock.

I'm not good at bird photography, but I managed to get this decent shot of a crane lifting off into the air.

My heart is grateful for:

rain in my hometown

147/365

Unconditional Surrender

This is one of the most beautiful and meaningful sculptures I've ever seen.  This one is at the marina park in Sarasota, Florida.  I saw another in San Diego years ago.  

I actually felt weepy today thinking about how these two and all of the world felt at the end of WWII. 

My heart is grateful for: 

the freedoms we still have today, knowing how hard we'll have to fight to keep them

146/365

Coleus in Black and White

Seen at the Sarasota Botanical Gardens.  I was practicing with the bw setting on my camera and took this photo as a test shot. When I looked at my camera, I KNEW this was a keeper.

My heart is grateful for:

the beauty that surrounds us if we but have the eyes to see

 145/365

Outside Staircase/Emergency Exit

I saw this when I was walking around downtown.  No entrance this way, just an exit.

I'm grateful for:

peace in my life right now

144/365

Miniature Carnations

Beautiful blooming miniature carnations.  It's been fun watching them open slowly over the past few days.  

My heart is grateful today for:

a peaceful, cooler morning at home

143/365

Tote Bags on Display

A wall of tote bags on display in a gift shop in Dunedin, FL

I'm grateful today for:

good books

142/365

Kids playing on the Beach

Dunedin, FL.  No other words needed.

My heart is grateful for:

Sunshine

141/365

Wall Mural

The friend I'm visiting has a room she uses for her creative endeavors, her studio.  She wanted to decorate one of the walls but couldn't find anything she liked, so she drew her own beautiful design and then used a paint-pen to finish it.  

Oh that we lived near each other and she could decorate my home....

My heart is grateful today for:

the down-time I've enjoyed for a while before we head out for our daily excursion

140/365

Paper Flowers

I'm visiting a friend who is one of the most creative people I know.  A while back she decided she wanted to make paper flowers and try to sell them.  

The flowers she makes are just plain beautiful, all kinds, all sizes, different colors.  While she was out of the house the other day, I grabbed a few and took some pics.  This is just a sampling of the gorgeous work she does.

My heart is grateful for:

other creatives from whom I get inspiration

139/365

Dalmation and Fire Hydrant

I saw this while walking through a residential area in Dunedin, Florida where a few of the homes were decked out in funky artistic styles.

I just thought this was cute.  

I wouldn't want it in front of my house, but to each their own, and it definitely makes a statement about the people living in that house.  Good for them!

My heart is grateful today for:

finally learning that it's not possible to be discouraged/depressed when feeling grateful

138/365

Hearts and Locks

Seen in Dunedin, Florida along one of the public walkways.  Many of the locks have sentiments of love inscribed on them.  This is one of the iconic tourist destinations in Dunedin.

My heart is grateful for:

having so many photo opportunities today

137/365

Sunset at the Beach

After walking through town and having a delicious ice cream, we wandered down to the beach and saw this beautiful sunset.  I've never been good at photographing sunsets, but I tried again.  

This is just an average image, but being near the ocean soothes my soul.

My heart is grateful for:

the opportunity to spend some time near the ocean with a good friend 

136/365

Disguising Electrical Boxes

Visiting a friend in a small coastal town in FL.  Walking around downtown I saw this wall art and how they used it to disguise these ugly electrical boxes.  If you were quickly walking by, you might not even notice the boxes, just the artwork.  What a great idea.

My heart is grateful for:

the safe trip to my friend's home

135/365

Wall Art

One of the newer burger places in town is in a complex with other food businesses.

Wherever there's a garbage bin area, the bins are surrounded on three sides with a cement wall and the walls are decorated with beautiful wall art.  

What a great way to provide some beauty to hide an ugly (but necessary) sight.

My heart is grateful for:

being able to celebrate Mother's Day with my daughter and her family

134/365

The Lamp

The burger place where we ate this afternoon had this lamp on display.  How fun.

My heart is grateful for:

being able to spend some casual time with my daughter, her husband and 

the grandkids.

133/365

Driftwood

I went to the local lake today and this was the most interesting thing I saw.  

Today I'm grateful for:

finally getting the energy and interest to run a few errands that I've been putting off for awhile

132/365

Cowboys in Training

Grateful today for:

spending time doing some volunteer work today

 131/365

Waiting for a Sale

The Western Heritage event at the Fairgrounds. An outdoor booth selling roping equipment.

I'm grateful for:

sharing a volunteer job with another companionable and friendly volunteer

130/365

Just One Word

Seen during my visit to the cemetery the other day.

My heart is grateful for:

being able to do a volunteer job today

129/365

Another Fire Escape

I spied this fire escape while cruising around downtown Abilene, TX looking for today's photo.  The building is a 1941 Carpenter building and even though the windows look fairly new, the building seems to be deserted.  It's located in a not-so-busy area of downtown.

My heart is grateful for:

the beautiful, sunny, breezy afternoon

128/365

Brazos Bend Cowboy Church

The building looks like it needs a little TLC  It probably has a small congregation so not financially able to spiffy things up.  The important part is sharing the Word of God with people.

I'm grateful for:

The Word of God and how blessed I am

127/365

Cowboy Church Sign

There are Cowboy Churches all over West Texas.  I was driving to a photo op location with a friend when I saw this sign for the church and stopped to take a photo of it.  

Grateful today for:

having no appointments or deadlines today

126/365

Another downtown Silo

I saw this from the main road, turned down the side street and was able to get this image.  I didn't see a name for this business so I don't know anything about it.

I just love the structure

My heart is grateful today for:

spending some time with a friend who was helping me learn more about LightRoom

125/365

Chapel on a Corner

This is a cute little chapel in downtown Abilene.  To the left of it is a serenity garden that I've seen before, but today the gate was locked and it looked like there might be some construction going on.

It's so good to see green leaves and green grass after the brown winter.  

My heart is grateful for:

the new elder who was installed at my church this morning

124/365

Flower

I made this image with my cell phone.  I think it was at a flower show that the local garden club held a few weeks ago.  I should have noted the name of it and I should have used my SLR.  But since I didn't, this is what you get to see.  

Still beautiful.

My heart is grateful for:

the rain we've had each afternoon for the past several days

123/365

Sign on Wall

There's a new bookstore downtown.  This is a sign painted on the outside of the business.

I think it's a perfect sentiment.

My heart is grateful:

that we've finally have a new elder at church and the burdens of ministry will be shared a little more evenly

122/365

Decor

Kind of desperate for a photo for today.  It's beautiful outside right now, but will get much warmer as the day progresses.  Grabbed this shot on my patio.

My heart is grateful for:

the anticipation of my visit with a friend I haven't seen in 4 years

121/365

Taylor County Courthouse

A family at church was finally able to finalize an adoption that seemed to take forever to complete and some of us from church were at the ceremony to help them celebrate.  

Most of us went out for ice cream afterwards and we had a great time visiting and enjoying the kids.

My heart is grateful for:

the new member of a beautiful family

120/365

Feed Mill

This feed mill produces animal feed and nutrition products.  It's located downtown along the railroad tracks for easy transportation.

Grateful for:

spending some time catching up with a friend after Bible Study tonight

119/365

Newborn Session

I'm trying to play catch-up by posting more than one pic a day since I didn't post for about 5 days due to my role as au pair this past weekend.  I felt like I had no life while I was chasing after 3 littles from dawn to dusk, and then had to attend to one, two or three of them throughout the night.

So this is a throwback image of one of them from a few years ago.  Once upon a time I thought I wanted to be a newborn photographer, then I came to my senses and decided I preferred architecture.  I still like capturing images of children, but I'm older, get more tired, and I don't really have the patience needed to deal with ill-behaved children.

This morning my heart is grateful for:

being able to sit on the patio, working, in the cool of the morning before starting my day

118/365

Blue and Gold Macaw

This Macaw is a resident of the Abilene Zoo.  He/She is on one of the branches of the tree almost all the time.  I don't think I've ever heard it talk, but maybe he's just not motivated when I'm there.  

These large parrots eat seeds, nuts, fruits, palm, fruits, leaves, flowers and stems as well as a large variety of vegetables.  They can live up to 60 years and often outlive their owners.  Macaws bond for life and are monogamous.

My heart is grateful for:

so much beauty in the animal kingdom 

 117/365

Sweet Little House

I got to my grandkid's lesson a little early today so I grabbed my camera and walked around the neighborhood a little.  Along the way, I saw this cute house and just had to grab a photo of it.  The architecture is way out of the box for all the new construction happening these days.  I love this.

My heart is grateful today for:

sleeping in my own bed after 4 nights away

116/365

Another abandoned gas station

I spent the weekend in a situation that didn't allow me one moment to have a thought to myself or take any photos, let alone post them.

But on my way home I saw this old, abandoned gas station, the style of which I just love, and I couldn't bear to drive by without getting a few shots.  

I really wonder why so many of them just stay abandoned, they could be made into such cute convenience stores, or even "little homes".  Maybe there are gas tanks underground and the expense of removing them prohibits people from wanting to bother with them.

My heart is grateful:

that I was able to do childcare so my daughter and her husband could get away for a few days to a convention to celebrate his wonderful achievements at work