Fluff and Stuff

Halle has blown her coat for the first time!

If you have never had the opportunity to brush a dog who is blowing coat,  you probably have no idea what I am talking about.

I am talking about a fur explosion.

Have you ever opened a milkweed pod?  That would be pretty similar!

This is what I got after just one swipe of the comb!

 When I was done (two hours later),  there were 3 large piles of fluff - very soft down-like fluff.

Maddie found it very intriguing!

And Halle looks like she lost 10 pounds!

 

Melody-ous Monday!

I had soooooo much fun on Monday!

I had the privilege of spending the day with Melody.

Mel and I spent most of the day together taking pictures of each other in Hartford.

It was soooo much fun because we didn't plan anything.  We just strolled around the city and took pictures of each other.  I wanted Mel to take pictures of me so I could see how it feels like on the "other" side of the camera.  And I knew Mel likes to be "behind" the camera as well as in front of it!

These first pictures were taken under the Charter Oak bridge.

We felt like we were in another world!  The stone arches rose out of the river to support the bridge, looking like white marble and glowing softly from the reflected light off the water.  The light was PERFECT!

Then we took a few pictures on the steps in front of the river.

Heading onto the streets of Hartford,
Mel was up for anything
 and didn't mind acting silly
 in front of many passersby.
 It was great!

We pretended to be looking for a hat at a street vendor JUST to take a few pictures!

After lunch, we headed to Bushnell Park and passed by an old graveyard with beautiful iron gates.

The scenery at Bushnell Park seemed blah and uninspiring until Mel fed some goldfish crackers to a few squirrels.

It wasn't long before every pigeon in the park joined us for a snack!

I had a lot of fun!
Mel did too.
It was one of those perfect unplanned days!

Graduation Cards and Oprah

In this season of endings and new beginnings,  many of us are stocking up on cards for our family members and friends who are graduating from high school or college.  I usually am attracted to the cards that attempt to give the graduate a message to inspire them to do great things.

This year, as I was in the card aisle at Whole Foods,
it dawned on me that these cards were inspiring
for me personally.

Why should we give them only to graduates? 

Everyone can use a little pep talk.

No matter what age we are, we are all still "becoming" something new.

I think all graduates this year should watch
the final show of Oprah.

I think EVERYONE should watch the final show of Oprah.

Oprah Winfrey celebrated her last show after 25 years.  In that time she didn’t miss a single day’s work, an achievement even the most diligent of workers amongst us may find challenging to claim.

For me the thing that is most apparent about Oprah is that she lives her passion and purpose everyday through her work.  This, undeniably, is the primary reason why she has found the strength and motivation to get up day after day, go into work and shine her light.  Her work is her passion and when we feel passionate about something it doesn’t feel like work at all.  In fact, Oprah’s number one parting message to her audience was the absolute importance of discovering our purpose and following it.  This, she believes, is fundamental to “living your best life”.

For Oprah her purpose and her job are one and the same, however she emphasized that it doesn’t have to be that way.  She advised that it’s the job of each and every one of us to uncover our purpose and follow it.  For some our true purpose may be a part-time pursuit.  For others it may be full time.  For some it may be income-generating.  For others it may not be.  For some it may be to be the best mother we can be.  For others it may be through the paid work we do; through charity work; through scientific discoveries; through entrepreneurial pursuits; through creating works of art; through providing beauty or inspiration….  We are the only person in the world who truly knows our purpose.  No one else can tell us what it is.

So watch Oprah if you have a chance...

and take some time today and ponder what YOUR purpose is.

Somewhere, Right Now, At this Moment...

A great thing happened on Saturday!

It may not seem so exciting to some,
but for me it brought back a lot of memories.

It brought back memories of a day in 1977
when I spent $300 for my first nice camera.
I couldn't put it down.
A whole new world had opened up for me.

On Saturday,  my friend Andrew
made the best purchase of his life.
He bought a sweet Canon 5D!
He plans to minor in Photography in college,
so he will no doubt put it to good use.

I recognized the look on his face - probably much the same as mine that day back in 1977.

I couldn't begin to count the number of pictures I have taken since then.

I found this article on a photography blog that pretty much explains why photography is so GREAT!

Somewhere, right now, at this moment....

A photographer is preparing to make a photograph that may change someone’s life, forever.

A mother glances at a photograph of her now grown son, when he was only 14. It makes her smile, and remember that time when…

A photographer is awaking, ready to embark on the biggest job of his career. Anxiety and excitement fill his thoughts… and he carefully prepares.

A photograph is being shown to someone who never thought they could look that way. They can’t wait to share it. The photographer smiles.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

Someone is writing their two week notice. They have been planning for this for years, and it is time. 

Trepidation, excitement and fear and wonder all make for a bit of nervousness. But they know they have to do this.

A photographer put the finishing touches on the new portfolio. It will be called in day after tomorrow… but he doesn’t know that now.

A photographer is going through an edit of the best work she has ever done. It all came together on this shoot, and she is absolutely thrilled to be able to show the client.

A photograph is being made of someone who is dying. The image will be a last remembrance of their life for the ones who will miss them. The photographer fights back tears, but works with a smile to make the shot.

A photographer just took a photograph that will change the way thousands, maybe millions of people think about something important. 

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

An editor is preparing to assign a photographer to a project that will result in an image that will shock and surprise everyone.

A photographer sits at a computer carefully retouching a photograph for a new client. It has taken a couple of hours, but it is close to perfection… just one more layer and…

A bride has made the decision, and a photographer is about to receive a call.

A photographer has reached out for a mentor, and a photographer has responded with guidance and help. It will forever change both of their lives.

A photographer suddenly understands something about her own work. She saw it while shooting today, and it just felt right. A style is evolving.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A young person is picking up a camera for the first time. We don’t know their name… but we will someday. 

A hobby is becoming a passion for a photographer. The passion will become their vocation and avocation soon.

A camera is being focused on a subject, and decisions are being quickly made, and the inevitable shutter click will record something we haven’t seen before.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment, something that will happen only once in a lifetime is happening… and a photographer is there to record that instant, that tiny fraction of a moment that a photograph records. It is time frozen, a moment recorded forever, to be held in the time it was made, while the rest of the world grows old.

It is a photograph. 

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A photographer is making something magical, unique, important, remembered, and special.

That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.

Speak to the Earth and it Shall Teach Thee!

To create a garden 

is to search for a better world.

In our effort to improve on nature,

we are guided

by a vision of paradise. 

Whether the result is a 

horticultural masterpiece
or 

only a modest vegetable patch,

it is based on the expectation 

of a glorious future.  

This hope for the future

is at the heart of all gardening.
-   Marina Schinz

I love gardening. 
It makes me happy.

Gardening teaches us so much about life.

 

It teaches us that beauty comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes.

It teaches us about new beginnings and the renewal of life.

It teaches us that we can all live together in harmony.

 

It teaches us that we all have different needs in order to flourish.

It teaches us to take care of one another.

  




And it teaches us to keep our chins up and our eyes bright ...

... and keep growing!

Why stay on the earth except to grow.  

                                     ~Robert Browning

Am I Ready (or not?)

I know myself very well.
I guess it comes from so many years of being me.

If I had to tell you my best and worst traits,
they would be one and the same.

I am a perfectionist.

Perfectionism has worked well for me in many ways. 
I did extremely well in school, especially in math.
My attention to detail and need to get things 100% right were great attributes during my career as a computer programmer.

But more often than not,  my fear of "not being perfect" has deterred me from trying new things in life.
I don't like this about myself.  In fact, I hate it. 


Lately, I have been in conflict with myself once again.

Entering what I think of as the 2nd phase of my life,  I know I want to do something with photography.  It has been a love of mine since I was a child.  More than anything else,  I love taking pictures of people.

Two years ago I purchased a really nice camera and really nice lenses.  For the past two years I have been taking courses and practicing.  I have become very good at portrait retouching, realizing that less is more.
I have photographed quite a few people, each time learning something new.

I am happy with my progress.

My goal?  I'd like to become a professional photographer of some sort.
Why?  Because I love trying to capture the "beauty" of people.

I have learned so much about photography since I bought my first camera back in high school, but have I learned enough to expect people to pay me for my services?

It's easy to take pictures when it is just for fun.

BUT...

Do I know enough?  There will always be more to learn.
Am I good enough?   There will always be those who are better than me.
Am I ready?  Sometimes I believe I am, and sometimes those old perfectionist doubts come creeping into my head!

I am trying hard to push those doubts aside.

I really am!

But old habits die hard.

52 Pick-up

 

I just celebrated my 52nd birthday.

Fifty-two.

That's a lot of years!

To give you a visual,  I have lived one year for every card in this deck.

That's a lot of cards!


Don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.

I am celebrating.

I have made it though the insecurities of youth.
I have conquered many adversities.
I have experienced the joys of raising 3 exceptional children.
I have realized love.

18980

I have lived 18980 days.
That's a lot!

On each of these 18980 days, I have learned so many things.
I DON'T FEEL a lot older,  but I DO FEEL a lot wiser.



Did you know the Mayan calendar  has a 52 year cycle?

I am thinking my life does too.

I feel like I am on the brink of the second cycle of my life.
I look forward to it.
I embrace it.

So here is my new deck of cards. 
I am starting the deck over.

The mind that is wise mourns less for what age takes away; than what it leaves behind.
                                                   - William Wordsworth