Sneak peek ......

Friday, Jan 16 - Temps in the low 50's. MY TYPE OF WEATHER. Met my friend Dianna for lunch, then an afternoon up in Conroe just shooting whatever hit our fancy.....

The day was a bit overcast with some awesome looking clouds. I wanted to include them in all my photos. Here is one quick sneak peek. More to come, hopefully. Tommorrow I am off for some more fun shooting at the 1940's Air Terminal Museum. Can't wait for that one.

Let's welcome 2009

Alrighty folks……….

Did you think I really just fell of the edge of the earth ?

Well, I didn't - I have just been busy with lots of personal, family and friends type of things that I had to set some priorities and the blog lost out. So I am back for now, no promises for future update frequency, but let’s get caught up for now ….. I will make it quick

Warning : you might be tired after reading the list …. or maybe a nap !!!

• Photo on display at Houston Center for Photography
• Got my hair colored once and cut twice
• Hurricane IKE --- yowser !!!!! No power for almost 4 days.
• Took down 4 trees and did lots of yard cleanup in the coming weeks
• DID NOT put back ½ of the yard crap that was out before the hurricane.
• Sunday night picnics in our living room as Dan and I watch TV together
• Went to Austin to do some minor assisting to Eric and Hollye as they moved into their first new house
• Trip to Buffalo, Dan’s family and friends visits and a 2 day drive into finger lakes region of New York
• Celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary
• Went to a movie or two with Dan - 'senior' day is Monday !!!!!
• Backed up my harddrive at least twice
• Watched a family of chickadees fledge the bird house right outside our dining room window
• Attended a few Woodlands Photography Club events, meetings, board meetings
• 3 miles walking Mon-Fri with Bonnie --- (with a few days off for bad behavior)
• Toured and photographed Chinatown here in Houston
• Had a minor addiction to Panera Breads soups and salads … I think I am ok now. I have since moved on to LaMadeleine soups and salads and scrumptous chicken salad sandwich - yuuuuummmmy
• Introduced my friend Dianna to the finer lunch experience of Genghis Grill
• Kept in touch with friends via email, instant messenger, telephone, shopping, visit at home, lunch, dinner
• Finally upgraded our old TV to FLAT SCREEN ---- believe it !!!! Thanks to Dan’s diligent research and hard shopping
• Dr. appointment, blood work labs, bone density test
• Thanksgiving at our house for 23 people --- family and friends ---- awesome
• Christmas in San Antonio, Austin, Tomball (not in the same day)
• Set up Christmas lights in the cul-de-sac once again this year
• Shooting stock photos
• Had a laughable 'grandson diaper experience' while out with Hollye and Ruben - it was a doosie to say the least
• Changed face care products and routine – thanks to sister Carol
• Spent time with family many many times.
• Still working on getting a grip on my organized clutter – continuing to scale down on ‘things’ - give it away, sell it, donate it, hand it down.............
• Looking at my entire health picture ( diet, nutrition, exercise )
• Trying to connect the dots – you know, MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
• Did photo shoot at Alzheimer’s center again this Christmas – words CANNOT express……….
• Have been photographing - but not processing !!!!!!!! he he he he
• Signed up for my 3rd year on the board for the photography club ( each year I get demoted -- he he he he )
• Started pampering myself with foot baths several nights a week
• Started listening to guided imagery tapes - love them.
• Brought in the New Year with several friends – dinner & dancing (yea, got all dressed up)
• Cooked blackeyed peas on Jan 1 --- ya gotta !!!
  

Back at ya later .............. hopefully with some photos !!!!

Have a wonderful 2009 --- make it all you want it to be !

September trip to San Antonio

Got our fix of grandbaby #2 Ruben, last weekend when we all descended on San Antonio for my mother and brother-in-laws birthday's. I won't spend too much time talking -- just let you take a look at this new little critter. He is sooooo huggable. And he smiles and laughs and sleeps and crys and poops and pees and alllllllllll that baby stuff. Just over 4 months old.

Too cute. Huggable to the max. Beeeeeautiful baby.

Sleeping away .... shhhhhh, all swaddled up so he doesn't wake himself up !

Eric and Hollye feeding Ruben some lunch or breakfast, or whatever

Just learning to eat some solids, a little at a time. Likes it alot.

Uh oh, following in Daddy Eric's footsteps

SOUND ASLEEP ------ aaaaaah ----saved the best for last !!!!

FIRST EXHIBITION

I KNOW - I KNOW ---- seems I have reduced myself to be a once a month participant in this blogging game. Better late than never I say.

OK -- can we say ' I'm excited ??? ' -- yes indeed. My first exhibition at Houston Center for Photography http://hcponline.org/exhibitions.asp?gx=future&gy=&exid=38 Exhibit will be September 12 through November 1, 2008 - SIX WHOLE WEEKS. When choosing a photo for exhibit, I'm thinking, do I pick something 'pretty', one with a 'story', 'Avant-garde' or just some silly photograph ?????? For pete's sake, what's a girl to do ? In the end, I decided on a photo that represents two forms of photography that I love - low light and architecture. The photo also seems to tell a story too, whatever story you want. I know my story. Dianna knows the story. What's your's ?

So here is my bragging photo .... certainly interested in your comments.

BUSY WEEKEND

OK --- so I still haven't mended my ways. Been way too long since my last post. No excuses, just lazy and not focused. Lots of photos since then, and all I really have time for right now is to focus on what I did this weekend. Saturday I did a portrait lighting learning session just to broaden my horizons. Had fun changing backgrounds, adding gels to strobes and adjusting the lights. Asked Tristan if he would wear some hats for me during the photo shoot. He quickly said yes, and oh boy was I happy. Well, I started him off with real 'safe' stuff. Baseball cap, my straw hat and Dan's leather hat.......... then came the fuzzy girly cap. And his immediate response was a laughing ' Oh NO, I'm not wearing THAT ' . Well guess what. He knows the power of keeping your word, so he gracefully put it on and was the bestest super duper sport this side of the Mississippi. Here are some shots of Tristan and David from Saturday.

OK --- you see why Tristan really really really wasn't keen on the last hat ??? Cutie anyway.

Well then, comes Sunday and I headed down to the butterfly house in the museum district. There has GOT to be a better way to see butterflies than in a more than humid rainforest setting. It's July folks. Tell me why it made sense to go? Oh yea, photo club event - nice to chum with your buds, and for me to shoot a different subject than normal. I had fun. I loaned out my macro lens for most of the time, so had fun with different lenses.

Well, until next time -- keep in touch.

Just a bunch of links

OMG --- It has been nearly a MONTH since I last posted. This is becoming a habit of mine. I must do better to keep in touch. I have been getting some really cute video attachments to emails lately. If you have a few minutes, take the time to relax and be entertained. Be sure and turn up your speakers to get full enjoyment on the clips.

Here is one that cat lovers will TOTALLY understand, and if you are not a cat lover or owner (is that possible??) I am sure you will be amused anyway

http://





Then, here is a commercial that should have been a superbowl ad --- this one is very endearing.

Now this one - you may have seen it before - CLASSIC !!!!!

JOHN MCCAIN: Took me a moment to realize it was real - it is....... the last segment is my favorite. We all ought to have a sense of humor.

Then there is this innocent, pitiful little robot - - NOT !!!

And ONE final clip ---- this poor guy just wants to 'PRINT SCREEN' - hillarious office moment for sure.

Something From 1992

OK OK - - It has been nearly 2 months since my last blog. OMG. Where have I been and what have I been doing??

I have been busy, I promise. AND, I have been lazy too. I have been learning, working, spending time with family and friends, anxiously awaiting grandbaby #2, and I have been spring cleaning (honestly, I am ALWAYS spring cleaning). Not to mention just being distracted sometimes. I ran across some old photos. I HAD TO STOP AND SCAN THEM. My scanning abilities meeger, so enjoy them none the less.......

Here, I present to you Mickey and Woody all the way back from

1992 ......

Austin Diaries, Part 2

OK - so it's been a long long while since my last blog. Just trying to balance everything . Our recent family trip to Austin made for a full, happy weekend. Moving, Birthdays, Cedar Allergies, LaMadeleine (twice !!), BBQ, Lake, Traffic Violation ( I am not naming names ... it was a bad rap ), Rain, Cold, Cleaning, Wii and more Wii sort of like Wii Wii, Homemade IceCream, Baby Belly kicks, Knock Knock jokes.


First off, you gotta know, we felt like the Beverly Hillbillies travelling. Dan, David, Tristan and I were crammed into the yukon with a bunch of donated baby stuff from Paula and 2 twin latex mattresses with not much room to spare for us to fit ourselves. In spite of that, David drove us in the stormy rain and we all laughed like there was no tommorrow as we told KNOCK KNOCK jokes for over an hour. We got pretty desperate with them the longer they went on.....

Dan and I and Tristan took turns laying on top of the mattresses in the back. Now THAT is the way to travel. What fun. Food on the go was the standard for the weekend, as we helped Eric and Hollye finish moving some of their final things from point A to point B . Ask Tristan what is more fun than moving and I GUARANTEE he will say 'ANYTHING'..... On Sunday before we left to head back to Houston we went for a quick outdoor BBQ meal and then a quick drive down to one of the parks on the lake. Here are a few shots from that weekend.

Tristan looks like he just came up with

the next best joke to get Tio Eric

Are they comparing bellies ????

If they were, I guess it had a happy ending

cuz they are a Happy Couple - love them

My testosterone supply

my token 'wildlife' photo ( if you don't count Tristan ) hee hee

Houston bound
The end. Stay tuned for more chapters.

Cats and Dogs are out of the bag

Photo delivery has been made - the cats and dogs are now officially out of the bag. Along with Zippy the 35lb tortoise and Spud the Guinea Pig. So here I go posting some of my favs from this fun photoshoot. Take a look at the handsome group - a few fun and wacky shots included.

SPUD the guinea pig - adooooooooorable

ZIPPY the 35lb tortoise

munching on cactus and hibiscus flower -

stay clear of his jaws, major damage if he gets your fingers !!

What a fun group of people and all their furbabies were precious - every single one of them !!!!!