quiet time

I had a wonderful time with my family, this Christmas

- and now that the festivities have ended,

I'm so very thankful that I work for a university that closes 

for the week between Christmas and the new year.

- for this quiet time -

I am joining Michelle for Thankful Thursday

photo favorites

As I am planning my transition to a new blog,
I have been sorting through all my photos
I need some focus...

Fair warning - this is a long post (for me)
I thought about splitting it in two, but then thought
Nah, let's just go for the gusto

Some of my favorites photos - to be very frank - are terrible, in a technical sense.
But - they speak to me in one way or another

So - in no particular order -

Taken in Laura's hospital room with my iPhone - the lighting was horrendous!

This photo is a story in itself - and one I will never forget.

Auntie Maggie meets her newborn niece.

One of my early Vermont photos, and still one of my favorites -

This is Vermont - weathered sugar shack, rusty pickup truck and muted gray sky

Okay - yeah - I don't know. I don't even like the colors very well

- but, it's a path, and paths speak to me

A quiet afternoon - Greg with our infant granddaughter.

Enough said.

As it turns out - as much as I like snapping photos of barns,

I like old school houses even better.

Greg and I stumbled on this one room schoolhouse and returned to catch it in the early morning light. I goofed with the ISO, but tell myself that the added noise enhances the old-time feel.

I'm sticking with that...

Okay - so I don't even know these people
It was a relatively quiet day at the beach and I was watching the colorful kite
- then noticed the little girl - the joy in her arms, reaching for the kite

Taken with my iPhone - I love everything about this photo.

Attending my nephew's wedding, the sun setting beyond the trees cast a soft radiance.

Laura loves being a mother, and Ella is a happy baby - smiling at her dad, outside the frame.

Sooo - there you have it
 - these are my favorites and not necessarily my best -
The selection process wasn't easy - it would seem that I have a preference for soft lighting, quiet settings, and family scenes -
and - if you have been following me for any length of time,

you will probably remember me saying - more than once

I DON'T DO PEOPLE

well - time to learn...

If your photos have a theme, what would it be?

Thanks for dropping in!

Scene and Story - May

Wow - May... it went by in a blink
- yet was full of so much -
Mother's Day, a graduation trip to Arkansas, Laura's 30th birthday party,
and a cup of coffee with my blogging friend, Sarah, at Paisley Rain Boots!
This was our first time meeting face-to-face, but felt like getting together with an old friend.
- And since I dumbly took no photos (I know, right?),
I'll share my story of playing at being a photographer...

"But I don't photograph people"

Yeah - that was my reply when Laura asked me to take photos of Jeff and her.

A maternity photo shoot - so to speak.

Ummmm - I don't do people, and I stand by that.

 "Don't worry," Jeff remarked, "Laura doesn't want a photo shoot

- she just wants One. Perfect. Photo".

Haha - yeah well, I'm not sure about that,

but we did have a lot of laughs - in between all those awkward poses
- and we caught a few cute candids.

I really do have a new appreciation for photographers who do this work.

So - my advice to the parents-to-be
 When the baby actually arrives
- and they want that One. Perfect. Photo

Hire a real photographer!!

But this was kinda-sorta fun, anyway.

I am joining Sarah and Leon for Scene and Story

Thanks for dropping in!

thankful thursday

So yeah, work is still crazy, and life has been crazy

- and I'm just a wee bit stressed out about, oh - just about everything

- but we all know how that goes sometimes

- and this blogging break of mine has gone on for far too long

- so it's time I give myself a swift kick in the pants (figuratively speaking, of course)

and get back to it!

anyway - 

last weekend we had the fortune of having family and friends join us at Away

where we enjoyed exploring a newly reopened (pedestrians only) covered bridge

with beautiful vistas

I was very excited to hear this bridge had reopened

- it's the little things...

and as always, I'm so thankful to have special people in my life to explore with

So - this coming weekend is the Strolling of the Heifers

- not sure I can miss that excitement!

How about you - are you looking forward to weekend plans?

I'm joining Michelle for Thankful Thursday

Thanks for dropping in!

thankful thursday

Thanksgiving weekend was absolutely wonderful

- downtime at its best

Reflecting back, I'm thankful for so many things:

- sharing holidays with this crazy crew 

even when it's loud and hectic and the stuffing is a little dry...

- finding out there will be a new family member joining us for next thanksgiving

yep - I'm going to be a grandma

:-)

- misty mountain mornings

there is nothing I'd rather gaze at while enjoying my coffee in the morning

- the annual tractor parade - shared with another branch of our family

the best way ever to get into the Christmas spirit!

- riding home from a family outing, when Greg and my son-in-law

spot this beautiful owl in the woods on the side of the road - 

and I actually have the right camera lens with me

and so much more

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

whoa - it's December, already - how crazy is that?!

Thanks for dropping in!