Dono's Feet

This is a SOOC!!

A straight out of the camera shot.

White Cone Flower

Cone flowers have to be one of the most satisfying flowers to take macro pictures of. The center is so three dimensional and just pops when you get it right. My eight year old thinks the center looks like an "orange world". I put my camera on manual for this and focused in as close as would allow and then moved myself until the flower came in clear. This I remembered from my first photography class in highschool and my absent minded teacher Hans Bauer. He would go to the supply closet for a screw driver to adjust an easel and become distracted by something or someone with a question. By the time he would eventually emerge the bell would ring and class would be over. He taught many art classes at the school and was inspiring just the same. I vivdly remember him sharing a photography book with us on landscapes of CapeCod and the beautiful quality of light that is unique to that area. He encouraged us to take photos with natural light and let us know what a day with ideal quality of light for outdoor pictures looked like. I still register days like that and think what a waste, I should be taking pictures with this light.

First Tomato

This is the first and only tomato that has come from our measley garden thus far. When we got home from vacation nearly two weeks ago I was admiring it and waiting for just the right day to harvest. I guess I waited too long. What happened to our tomato I asked the boys when I noticed it was missing. They told me Daddy picked it and it was rotten so he threw it out. I find that a little odd since it was nearly perfect the day before. A week later and I am still waiting for the next one ripen.

Elizabeth

This little doll came to visit us over the weekend. She is my brother-in-laws daughter, my neice. I am her aunt, and today she became an aunt for the second time. Her first born neice is less than a year younger than she is, her oldest brother's first born and her favorite playmate. That little one became a big sister today when her Mom gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Girls, girls everywhere! My first born was a girl and then I had three boy's in a row (who I do adore, usually, when they are not being cruel and unusual to each other), however I really enjoy the girls. My first born neice, her sister Mary drove her and another sister to spend time with their Meme and visit us. She is just as much a quintessential girl as my youngest is boy. She played dress-up, falling in love with the tutu costume, and insisting on wearing the one ballet slipper we could find. She took time and consideration picking flowers and letting her cousin Donovan help to place them behind her ear. She looks so sweet and time-less in this picture that I couldn't resist turning it sepia.

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Marble Sky

Another picture of a flower

....is what my kids and husband have been exclaiming lately. I can't help it. They are the perfect model. Beautiful yet unique and they sit perfectly still and don't talk back or fight with their siblings as your trying to take their picture. I found a new blog I love: www.theblogisfound.com. Very inspiring. I am going to try and take more people pictures and maybe use my tri-pod for a family photo. Good luck to me with that thought! In the mean time my cone flowers are starting to bloom.

Eolia

This is the Summer Mansion of the Harkness family. It was built in 1906. I love how by just adjusting the color saturation a tiny bit and warming the temperature a little, it looks like a photo taken years ago, or even an oil painting that the family might have had commissioned in the early 1900's. The Harkness family gave this mansion to the state of CT in 1950 and it remains much the same. The 230 plus acres are an ideal place to have a picnic or fly a kite; or even have your wedding pictures taken. All this and more was going on when we were there recently. Folks of all ages just enjoying a beautiful Summer day in a timeless setting on Long Island Sound.

Another Bee Photo

Golden Boy

We spent the day at an ocean side park basking in the glorious sun. After so much rain everyone just wanted to soak it in. You couldn't help but feel happy and content. I took this picture just before we left to go home. It was really gray for a color photo, with little contrast. I played around with it and was able to pull some color out and warm it up.
This little guy is destined to be a golden boy. He is amiable, outgoing and generally well liked by his peers, of all ages. He makes friends wherever he goes with children and adults alike. He is kind to animals and thinks little babies are cute. He lives everyday with intention and passion giving 100% effort to whatever he is doing, from playing baseball or four square in the driveway with his friends, to practicing to be a comic book artist, or bugging his Mom for three straight hours to take him to the dollar store. Really, you can see it in his eyes if you look closely. He dreams of one day becoming Captain America and saving us all from the "bad guys". Sometimes I think he just might.

Keeping Busy

I tried to take this picture in macro mode, but the darn bee was moving so fast he blurred a little. Still I did get a good angle of him. He sure was busy and so were we today. Two trips to the gorcery store, one in which I came home with cherry stone clams, my husband's favorite for only 78cents a pound. I cleaned the inside of two minivans, motivated by the ding in the exterior of our newest vehicle that I made when I forgot we had 5 tons of mulch and a wheelbarrel still sitting in our driveway waiting to be shoveled and scattered. It's only been there a month now. I was on my first trip to the grocery store and backed right into it. I thought I should at least try to keep the inside looking as new as possible. We also worked on shrinking the mulch pile, did msc. weeding and tree trimming, as well as the usual laundry, cooking and continuous cleaning of the kitchen. Not to mention the shucking of the two dozen clams. That part I just watched.

More Prayers

Walking in India

I have never been to India, but I can't help but think that they have done a pretty good job at the Disney Animal Kingdom of making you feel as if you really are there. I love that section between Africa and India where all the faded prayer flags are hanging limply in the heat. I love the colors and the way the light shines through them, hung so randomly looking a lot like laundry strung in an overcrowded city. They are really beautiful.