Day 157

Vacation: Day Two

In going through my pictures, I realized I may as well have named this week's theme "Beach Time!" I definitely took a disproportionate number of shots on the shores of Lake Michigan.

But what of it? It's gorgeous!



We're driving down the road and I see a sign for a lighthouse, thataway. "Ooh!" I squealed. "Wanna go?" asked Megan. "Really?!" I clapped excitedly. "Vroom!" she said and we bumped down the road to the lighthouse. Point Betsie, I believe.




All these shots are from the Betsie-side beach.




Is it too late to become a lighthouse keeper? I think I'd be REALLY good at it!

Vote for me!

One of our local news stations is sponsoring a photography contest called, "What is art?" in conjunction with ArtPrize (google that and Grand Rapids for a better explanation--it's very cool!). And I've entered a picture.

Popular vote determines the 13 finalists and then those 13 compete for top prize of $1300. I cannot tell you how incredibly handy that would be for grad school applications. :)

So if you wouldn't mind clicking on this link and voting for me? All you have to do is hit the "recommend" button. And you can do it from different computers as well. Now, granted, there are pictures on there with six or seven hundred votes, so I'm not all that optimistic that I'll make the finalists--especially since you're only allowed to post until Wednesday (I don't know if you can continue to vote after that). But hey, a girl's gotta try!

Click here!

Day 156

Vacation: Day One

I had me an unexpected little three-day weekend last week. Friend Megan's boss offered her the use of his family's cottage up North in Empire, Michigan. My fancy practice GRE originally scheduled for Sunday was cancelled so I took Friday off and off we went!

I'd just like to say thank you to the person (or persons) who invented the scenic overlook. This one was about 45 minutes from our final destination. It was beautiful from the parking area, but then there were all these stairs, you see. Weirdly spaced, too shallow stairs that messed with my normal stair perceptions of climbing and made me stumble. Still, the very fact that they existed argued for a still more stunning sight from their top.

It was worth the climb, even on the demon stairs. Don't you think?





If you want to get a closer look at a boat or a seagull or people further down the shoreline, this little guy is happy to help! (If you look carefully, you can see me reflected in his coin slot area).

Day 155

Okay, tomorrow I have plans. Big, picture-posting plans! Plans to show you where I was all weekend, what I did on my autumn vacation.

But today, I'm rushing through these so as to get back to work. And besides, this would technically be day seven of Autumn Week, so I'll throw out one more picture from my fall photo fun collection.


Behold, the mighty weed! Every bit as imperious and impressive as the towering tree over its shoulder. Doubt not that majesty is conveyed not by size, but by attitude.




Or by the perspective of your portraitist. So hire a good one.

Day 154

The juxtapositions here make me happy. Rocks and leaves, fall and summer--each highlighting the beauty of the other.

Day 153

Caaaaatching up more.

I do love this picture. Light! Unusual autumnal color change! Movement! Stuff like that!

Day 152

This is me, catching up. Autumn! On a picnic table!

Sidenote

I'm on vacation. Unexpected, free, marvelous vacation. On which I need to study, but that's neither here nor there.

However, though I planned to put together a post for today and just not put it up until this morning, I neither did so, nor got on the computer this morning. Soooo...there's no picture today. I'm on my laptop which doesn't have photos.

I'll put up four on Monday morning!

Day 151

Autumn: Day Three





Is this not the most darling little mob of acorns you've ever seen? If it's not, don't tell me. Just allow me my illusions.

Day 150

*trill* It's Faaaaaaallll!

And yes, this picture is the right way up. The moss is growing up the side of this rocky trough. I highly recommend clicking on this so that its beauty can fill your screen.

Day 149

Happy first day of fall, everybody! Sing along, won't you?

"It's the mooooost wonderful tiiime of the yeaaarrrr!"

Yessirree, this is the season I wait for, that I long for, that makes my heart sing with delight. So, for the rest of the week, I'm putting up pictures that remind me of fall. That may or may not be colorful leaves--it might be wee acorns or a mossy stump deep in the woods or a brown, curled leaf struck by the sun. Today, though, it's a classic shot of color that leaves no doubt about the season.

Day 148

I just like this image. The texture, the bit of sun flare, the color of the rocks...I like it all. It's not the most groundbreaking shot, it isn't a prize winner, it's just--likeable. And that's good enough for me.

Day 147

I take pictures of bees because they sit so obligingly still against beautiful backdrops and don't seem to care how close you get with your camera.

Except this one. She was busy. I was lucky to get this shot of her and she was off again to a different flower the instant after I clicked my shutter. It was the fourth flower in about fifteen seconds. A worker bee eager to earn the title!

Day 146

What's that? In the distance?



Why, it seems to be a note either for or from Owen's teacher!



Do you think this note was delivered before the tar apocalypse happened, or is it just another bit of detritus from the world that is no more, a poignant reminder of the time when kids were still going to gym, when colored clips still kept order, when humans roamed the earth?

We may never know for sure.

Day 145

Ma cherie(s), I hope you enjoy zis flowware.




Argh. I hate Blogger sometimes. This is yet another in the series of horizontal shots that it posts as vertical for NO APPARENT REASON.

Day 144

I love finding unexpected things of beauty. A feather was next to my car as I left work and the contrast against our newly tarred parking lot was something I had to take a picture of. Thereby gaining the attention of one of my coworkers who had to come find out what I was so deeply engrossed in.


It was this.

Day 143

If I'd had any sense, I wouldn't have wasted the flower picture yesterday and would just have gone with my I Heart Faces entries--after all, I've only posted one of those before. But my sense does not live in those particular climes of forethought, so I offered up three pictures yesterday.

Today I had a couple of pictures to post, but I'm saving those for a rainy day. Here instead is the other picture I was contemplating for the Pets entry.




Hamlet, my sweet prince.

I Heart Faces Challenge--Pets

There were only two contenders for my Pets entry for this week's "I Heart Faces" challenge and I loved them both. But ultimately, I love the look on Eowyn's face in this shot. She was so thrilled to have a dog to play with!

Eowyn was trying to give Brandy a kiss and Brandy was trying to get a couple of good licks in on Eowyn's face at the same time -- and this was the resulting adorable crash.

I Heart Faces challenge--Contemplative

This week on "I Heart Faces" there are two contests -- Contemplative and Pets. Click on the button below to take a look at all the great entries. It took forever to find possible entries and, once I did, it took even longer to decide between them. But at last I have done so (thanks for the help, Vicky!).



This is my gorgeous sister. I imagine she's contemplating how to kill me, but doesn't she look dreamy?

Day 142

Nothing fancy today. Just a flower to brighten your day. Enjoy!

Day 141

The seasons are turning and the days are shortening.



And also, I got to work at 7 this morning. In time to capture this shot--so, totally worth it.

Day 140

What do you need when you've scaled the heights for celebratory fireworks viewing? Celebratory cupcakes!

Kalena warns me off. "My cupcake!" she says with her eyes. I back slowly away.




Megan was all, "View? What view? I gots me a cupcake!"

Day 139

When I worked at the Daily Iowegian I got several really amazing fireworks shots at the county fair. So many that we couldn't choose just one and had to feature several in the photo spread for the fair.

Apparently that was a fluke. Perhaps it was due solely to the much nicer camera I was using at the time. Maybe all my muscles have gotten shakier since then. Whatever the case, I've not gotten any really good shots of fireworks since then.

Nevertheless, I quite like this one. I like how it looks like it's sort of clawing its way down the sky. (This really is one that's better if you click on it to make it bigger).




It's a bit like one of those crayon drawings kids do. You know, where you scribble a million colors on a page and then you cover all of them with black--and then you scratch through the black to reveal colors underneath. Do you remember those?

Day 138

On 9-9-09 I attended a lovely birthday gala in honor of Kalena--she of the pearls above. It was a smashing dinner party at sunset on the roof of one of our lovely downtown buildings with good food and wonderful company.

I took a million pictures, of course, but here are just a couple of dinner party details.

Weird side note

Errr...somehow, overnight, I've gone from about 3300 views to nearly 12,000. Would anyone care to explain how that happened? I mean, it's cool and all, but I'm not entirely sure how it's possible.

ETA: I checked the other blogs I manage and they all got about the same number of hits last night. So I've changed the hit counter on here back to 3400 and we'll go from there. I guess I got spammed or something?

Day 137

Happy 4th birthday, Penn!

I'm tellin' ya, you give a kid a hat and a stage and the boogie is inevitable.



Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Penn Roberts!

Day 136

The world is full of evocative things. The Volkswagen Beetle is inarguably one of the biggest. It's a classic, reminding even teenagers decades removed from the car's heyday of the flower child, the free spirit, and the most adorable form of German engineering. Or, if you're my generation, Herbie the Love Bug. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

So when I drove by this bug, taking in the late afternoon rays, I didn't try very hard to resist getting a few shots.



He's a charming old soul, clearly put out to pasture, enjoying his sunset years watching the rest of the world drive by.



Slugbug red, no slugs back!

Day 135

I'm just completely caught up in the sculptured shape of this.

Day 134

Have you ever noticed the incredible variety of leaves? There are broad leaves and narrow, compound and simple, serrated, lobed, and a thousand other fascinating variants. And when they come together, they can create the most beautiful tapestries.



There is art to be found in their patterns.



Soon my camera (and, so, this blog) will be filled with the blaze of autumn's glorious turning. And I love it. But there is extravagant beauty at any time of year if you only pay attention.

Day 133

Ahh, morning. So much of creation rejoices in the coming of sun. The dawn of a new day, the glister of early sunbeams, the reminder of the beauty that lay hidden in the dark of night.

The drying out of wings.



Everywhere there is basking.





(There is also wariness--which is one reason for blurriness. I couldn't get close to this dragonfly without spooking it, so I zoooooooomed).

Day 132

Saturday morning, bright and early, I was waiting in the Big Lots parking lot for the doors to open so I could get me a brand new mattress set (yay for layaway and super sales!). Waiting...waiting...wait...Wait a minute. What's that in the distance?



Oh, how fun! I do believe it is someone hang gliding on this lovely weekend morning!



Still can't quite make him out? Not even when you click on it to make it bigger on your screen? Understandable. How about now? (I apologize for blogger and its confusion about how to post this picture. Please, tilt your head).



And it was far enough away in real life that I didn't know it was a rainbow colored chute (glider? umbrella??) until I got it home and zoomed in. Fun!

Day 131

Every year a local charity called "The Dwelling Place" holds a fundraiser. They put on a great concert and follow it up with an gala under the stars. And every year, the owner of my company buys tickets for anyone who wants to attend.

This year featured the Glenn Miller Orchestra and they were phenomenal. And I'm still blown away by the voice of one of the trumpet players who ditched his trumpet and sang several songs. I'd buy his record in a heartbeat.




My program against the backdrop of the blouse I wore that evening. Shiny!

Day 130

Did you know puffer fish can be grown in a garden?



Apparently this is a lemon cucumber. And, according to my agricultural friend Melissa, all varieties of cucumber have spikes. Who knew they came with defenses?

Day 129

I'm tired, I'm stressing, and I don't feel very good. There ain't no theme this week, folks. That's right--we're back to random pictures, at least for the moment. But I'd like to heartily thank you for continuing to drop by. Bring your friends! Become a "follower" of the blog! Leave enthusiastic and fawning comments! Click on the pictures to make them bigger!

And check out this picture I think is pretty. I mean, it's no dandelion field (earlier this week), but it's still nice.



There. Now don't you feel better?

Day 128

Nostalgia: Day Seven

On my grandmother's vanity were two peachy glass dishes with sculptured handles shaped like deer. These dishes held her jewelry--watches in one, earrings and rings in another.

I used to go through those dishes, festooning myself with the clip earrings and one or two silver watches, pretending I was a society lady attending a function or a fancy dinner or just Tuesday tea with the girls. I'm sure I wore some of the jewelry outside to play, though I'd bet that was a serious infraction of the rules.

None of the jewelry was particularly valuable--at least not that I know of--but I felt like I was wearing real diamonds and pearls.

My aunt has recently been sending me some things of my grandparents, both of whom are gone now. And a month or so ago, another box showed up. Inside were the two glass jewelry dishes. I had completely forgotten about them somehow, but the instant I saw them peeking through the bubble wrap, I went flashing back to those days in rural Arkansas when my grandmother's jewelry made me feel like a princess.



Thanks, Aunt Janie.