photo challenge #14 sun flare

High atop a mountain

- amidst multi-million dollar vacation homes

- and the most spectacular view,

sits this ramshackle abode

no doubt, developers would love to raze this little gem

but here it remains - steadfast - a little piece of the real Vermont
 - with its own stories to tell

Next up - Faceless Self-Portrait
Ummmm - yeah - I'm really not sure when I'll get around to that one...

Have a great day!

essence of away - winter version

I've been enjoying Kim Manley Ort's book - Adventures in Seeing
This week, our call to adventure is "Essence"
in a series of photos, I hope to capture the essence of our weekends at Away
- winter version -
(I may need to re-do this exercise in the summer)

A couple of years ago, our oldest daughter, Maggie,
visited us during a particularly snowy week in December
(she is convinced that she was meant to be a Southerner
- let's just say that winter isn't her favorite season)

After being snowbound for a day,

and then venturing out, only to get our car stuck in a snowbank on the side of our driveway

- and cancelling dinner plans (opting for a pot of chili at home)

she remarked: It feels like summer here

Me: ummmmmm.......?

Maggie: No, not the weather - but you know how summer just feels different?

Me: (smile)

Maggie: It's like that here, relaxed... friendly, less stressed - like summer

the essence of weekends at Away

and while I'm not fond of living in two homes,
Away provides a place to unwind from our stressful weekday life

and for that, I am very thankful

I'm joining Michelle for Thankful Thursday
and Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday Five

Thanks for dropping in!

photo challenge #13 - reflection

So, I've actually had this one ready to go for a couple of weeks
- and I thought I had set it up to automatically post,
but I didn't, and it didn't
- and so it goes...
Do you ever do that? Have something ready and then...?
Anyway

When I saw this prompt, I thought - huh?
I mean, I'm pretty sure I've had several recent photos with reflections
Yes - well - maybe they weren't intentional
I guess...

So - a bright sunny winter day,
driving along the coast - we stop at Gloucester Harbor
- Greg gazing at the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial

Next up - Sun Flare
(hmmm, pretty sure I've caught a few accidentally - I have a little reading to do...)

Thanks for dropping in!

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

EF24-105mm F/4L IS USM

105mm ISO200 1/60 sec at f/8.0

cape ann - "open"

There's a winter storm in Boston, and I'm thankful for a snow day
- one of those unexpected bonus days with no plans and no where to go
- time to leisurely sort through photos...

Last weekend - a very different scene
Greg and I took a ride along the coast of Cape Ann
I had spent the morning taking photos of "open" for a photography group I had joined
- four weeks late and trying to catch up...

Yeah - anyway

I took several shots of "open" flags outside the shops in my town (a bit obvious),

- and lots of open doors (again - obvious) - and this really wasn't working for me

until

This vast openness resonates
Gloucester Harbor - a hazy Boston skyline in the distance

Rockport Harbor

open for adventure - I used to love exploring the breakwater

and, somewhat unrelated

- Motif No. 1 - a favorite of photographers and artists

the seagull on Motif No. 1 caught my eye
 the setting sun casting a glow on the window

So - as I'm contemplating this scene - enjoying the cast of light
and deciding what my next shot should be,
a woman jumps out of a car, runs towards me with her camera
and frantically shoots off several photos -
as I take a step back - she quickly steps into my spot and takes several more photos,
runs to another spot doing the same
I stand there observing - I guess we're all trying to capture our own stories...

Tomorrow our storm will clear - back to work and reality
but I am so thankful for today

I'm joining Michelle for Thankful Thursday
and Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday Five

Thanks for dropping in!

scene & story - photo challenge #12 - something new

I promise - it's coincidental

- my weekly prompt (for the second time) is also my story for the month

- something new -

Once upon a time,
in the days of yore (some of you may remember),

a baby's gender was a great mystery until it was delivered,
and the doctor proclaimed "It's a ____!!"

- and long months of anticipation gave way to excited announcements,

spreading from hospital to family to friends - by word-of-mouth and telephone

- and this was the "gender reveal" of yesteryear

Skipping forward to modern times,
- January was the month for Jeff and Laura's gender reveal

- months before the baby is due
- and well -

the doctor's office lacks a bit of that old fashioned excitement - so...
a sealed envelope from the doctor was given to a friend
who wrapped a small gift to be opened at a family gathering
and...

It's a girl!!!
 and a few short weeks of anticipation gave way to excited announcements

spreading on social media...

Ummm - yeah, it's a whole new world.

And while I may be a teensy bit amused by this whole new gender reveal thing,
it was actually a lot of fun
- and after Jeff recovered from his shock over the idea of a daughter,
his baby-to-be quickly became "Daddy's little girl"
Needless to say - boy or girl - we're all very excited
- and God willing, in a few short months, we will be holding this little bundle of joy.

I am joining Sarah and Lee
for Scene & Story

Thanks for dropping in!

random moments

A few random moments from my neck of the woods
- and these simple, everyday moments
are the moments I am most thankful for

When your cat doesn’t want to be in a selfie, but he needs to be squeezed anyway

When your daughter discovers that she isn’t the only one taking photos

When you wake up in a cold house with no power and discover 
the coffee brewed before losing the electricity

When you’re riding a slow chairlift alone and it feels like a good time for a goofy selfie

When you realize your loved ones have come back home.

I'm joining:
Michelle for Thankful Thursday &
 Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday Five

Thanks for dropping in!