Weathered beauty...

I took this after a photo session. I loved the way the white flowers looked against the weathered wood. May 26

Busted...

I don’t know why, I just loved the look of this. Someday I will tell you about my photos of trashcans. Actually, maybe I will recreate them! May 25th

Tye dyed love...

His name is Ty and he is a gift from my nine-year-old partner in crime. Ty was won in one of those claw machines a few years ago and presented to me with much love and giggles. He has been with me ever since. He guards the car so beware of the attack rabbit! May 24th

Peg board?...

Brilliant red and shiny metal = love. Any guesses as to what my inspiration was? May 23rd

Mobile me...

I have entered the 21-century! I have a smart phone. Not that one but one of the other ones and it has an 8mp camera! The phone store kiosk was across from a Claire’s. I thought it was the perfect place to try out my new phony camera. Need I say more? May 22nd

All cracked up...

The world did not explode. The end did not rear up and ask us to step on to the elevator going up or the escalator going down. I am grateful. When I ran to the store to get bread for the next day that was surely coming I saw this in the parking lot. I loved the textures and the shine from the rain puddles. The employees at the supermarket were a little concerned about the crazy lady taking photos of their holey parking lot but what better day to focus on holey-ness than the day we were supposed to meet our maker.

I do believe we should all live as if tomorrow was the day we had to show God what we’ve done with our lives but I am thrilled he didn’t want my rundown yet. May 21st

In the swim of it...

My friend decided to stay in a hotel for this trip. I don’t know why the guest bedroom in my home wasn’t her first choice. I mean it is located right next to my son’s room and you have to keep the door closed at all times or the cats will sneak in and sleep in your luggage. Plus, you get to share the bathroom with a 9 year-old. Sounds like heaven right? Well, she took the lesser option of a beautiful hotel room with made to order breakfast, maid service, plus a workout room and indoor pool. I know, it is shame but she bore it well.

She also made one 9-year-old’s day by letting him swim in the pool and we watched TV in her room. Did you know that the small hotel TV is way better than your own flat screen TV at home? I have been made aware of this fact very recently.

I love the watercolor feel of these images. No pun intended. May 20th

Bells are ringing...

Lunch at a Thai restaurant at an outdoor table; is it even possible? It has been raining so much here that I thought I would never be able to sit outside again! OK, I exaggerate but there has been a lot of rain so it was a joy to sit in the shade in front of this little Thai food place and swap stories. This display of purple bells was ringing off in the corner. I knew I had to take a photo or two. May 19th

Good night...

Some days are just better than others. This day was special. When a friend of too-many-years-to-admit flies over 2000 miles just to see you - that is a good day. When you know that friend is staying for a few days to hang out with you - that is a great day. When you and that friend celebrate her first night in town over dinner, talking about all the stuff that makes you laugh – that is priceless!

Mine was the unsweetened iced tea. Hers was much more tasty! May 18th

The rain! The rain!

I am checking the phonebook for people named Noah. I think it is time to start building again. Until then, everything out there is glistening with the sheen left from the latest shower. May 17th

The week has been quite crazy busy. I am sorry I haven’t posted here in a few days but I have been taking photos. I am catching up now, sitting in a hotel bed, while my boy watches Pokemon on the flat screen TV. Did you know that TV is better in a hotel room? Well, he seems to think so. I am grabbing a few minutes before we check out to post a few days of images. I have to hurry, he wants to swim before we head home. I love his priorities. Nine is an awesome age. Have a great weekend.

Gone dotty...

It wasn’t so much the abundance of small white flowers or the arching cascade that blocked the way to my car that stopped me and made me draw out my camera. It was the green velvet carpet scattered with white polka dots that made me smile. May 16th

Scenes from a Sunday…

This challenge is inspiring. I am always looking for the next image that I can’t wait to make. This Sunday was no different. When I tried to decide which story to tell I couldn’t make up my mind. Should I show you the small windows that drew my eye as I sat and said thank you. Maybe I should show you the ivy that was bathing in an early afternoon shower. Or, maybe you should see the spray of dogwood blooms that was so beautiful it made me turn my car around and go back to capture more images when the wind slowed.

I couldn’t decide so I am showing you them all. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. May 15th

Pink blobs of yummy goodness...

The following should be said with a slight British accent, at least that is the voice I am hearing while typing it.  Sort of like a British voice over for a grade C documentary on the Food Friends Network.  (Don’t look for it, I made it up.)

This post is dedicated to my new friend JoAnn who, after a chance comment from me about introducing my son to fried bologna sandwiches, created quite the stir amongst her Facebook friends.  It was an almost cult like reaction to the mention of this long lost comfort food from a simpler time.  A craving to revisit those smells and tastes of childhood.  True, it doesn’t fit in with today’s food aesthetic and I won’t be offering it again anytime soon, but the longing it stirred in the hearts of those that were reminded of those crispy edges, bubbly centers and that over all oily sheen was something to behold. 

It got me thinking, what other foods hold that same mystical power: macaroni and cheese, corn dogs, Lucky Charms, and then I remembered one oft maligned treat that I thought deserved some time in the sun.  Whether it is in its purest form with a pink coat or dressed for the seasons in winter white, spring yellow and lavender, St. Patrick’s Day green and, I believe but don’t quote me, Valentine’s Day red, the Hostess SnoBall has stood the test of time.  With all its preservatives that was a forgone conclusion but I digress.  I don’t have the words to describe its taste or aftertaste for that matter, and there seems to be a slight coating left on the roof of your mouth hours after you have ingested its overly sweet goodness.  Um… it makes for great photos!  See for yourself. 

What foods do you remember with an almost obsessive fondness?

(In pursuit of full disclosure, I was looking for Ding Dongs but I couldn’t find them. The Snoballs were running a close second.  Do they even make Ding Dongs anymore?)

Have a great weekend.  May 14th

Over the fence...

Friday the 13th, to many a very unlucky day but, as my child pointed out in a whisper to his music teacher today during the third grade concert, not to Italians. My best friend all through high school and to this day was born on a Friday the 13th and getting a baker’s dozen is always a treat. Plus, good things seem to happen to me on the 13th. Take today for instance: I got to see my son have a wonderful time singing with his friends, then I got to have a wonderful time having brunch with my friends, and in between I got to take a series of images I have been trying to take for far too long.

I have seen these flowers growing for years now and every time that I had my camera the sun was too high or too low. When the lighting was perfect, I was without my camera! Frustrating! It doesn’t help that this scene is only a few blocks from my home. I felt cursed. This Friday, however, I had my camera, the sun was hiding behind some beautiful fluffy white clouds and I got these images! Now I call that lucky! May 13th

I loved the way the late afternoon light was playing off the shapes in this chair. I almost removed the string of sneeze inducing flotsam but considering it and its brethren have been controlling much of my life the last few weeks, I left it. Actually, I liked the way it looked. Pollen still is grief inducing though, cool looking or not. May12th

Fuschia Velvet...

Such deep, rich, colors are out there this spring. I don’t know if it is a result of all the rain but the flowers are so beautiful this year. These lonely blossoms were clinging to life at the end of a branch on a dying bush. That deep green backdrop was a perfect counterpoint. May 11th