Sexy Roots

...and NO, I'm not talking about my hair!

Cool, right? I took these shots when Kathleen and I were on a walk at the Audubon Preserve near us the other day. The downside of the trip? Kathleen's phone is GONE. We think she may have put it on the roof of the car to spray on some bug spray, and somebody snagged it. Big bummer. She's now using her old phone, which does NOT have a qwerty keyboard, and she is NOT happy. We're not due for new phones until January, so if anyone out there wants to send me their old Verizon phone w/qwerty keyboard, you just let me know! :-D

But the views sure were purty! This bud was an allium of some sort...almost ready to burst!

The phlox were in full bloom all over the place. They were gorgeous, and their scent was divine!

Look how far back into the woods they went!

I cropped this one so it's just cattails. Click it to see full size...it's fun!

This was me trying to use a slower shutter speed to capture moving water. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I had my monopod with me, but this really requires a tripod and self-timer to get it right:

So...big news! BF has been out in San Diego (installing a job at Legoland) for about a week, and he called me today and said "Want to come to California?" And I said "Hell YEAH!" Heh. His boss is flying me out for the week so we can have a mini-vacation together out there. (He's been working 7 days a week for over two months now...I've hardly seen him!)

So who am I to say no to a free trip to California, right? San Diego, here I come! If anyone has any great ideas on what to do while we're out there, let me know! (The Zoo is first on the list!) I fly out Monday afternoon. Talk about spontaneous! I feel like a wild woman! I just got back from Florida for cryin' out loud! I can always work when I get home, right? It's only bills. Whatever. :)

Country Living in Upstate New York

I was driving down near Rhinebeck, NY last week, and happened upon some lovely sights as I meandered back roads, letting my GPS show me the way. I adored that front porch above, which was attached to this little house, below:

...and this looked like a little guest house.

I could spend some time there. How 'bout you?

I adore peonies. A lot. I need to get some for MY yard.

These lillies of the valley were at my sister's house. I did some playing around in Lightroom to get the effects you see:

I bought a set of rattan furniture yesterday...a couch, two chairs, and an ottoman, all with hideous fabric on them, for $50 total. I know, right? I rock! I'll post pics when I get them painted and recovered. In the meantime, it's ok to be envious. :)

Hiding the Clutter with Fabric!

There it is. My mess. I can't believe I'm posting this picture. My only consolation is that my "after" shot somehow redeems me. :)

See? I was inspired to organize all the crap on that counter, which really tends to be a catch-all. We'll see how long that lasts. But I'm loving my fabric in the cabinet doors. What a difference! It's SO much cleaner and neater feeling on that end of the kitchen now!

Yay, me!

P.S. One of these days I'm actually going to SEW that wing chair slipcover, instead of having the fabric draped over it all willy nilly. Whatever. It's on the list.

Florida's Birding and Fotofest 2010

I'm back from St. Augustine (and have been for a week and a half), and I've finally gotten the time to sit down and get some pictures uploaded for your enjoyment. :)

I went to a number of photography and Photoshop workshops/classes with my father at the Birding and Fotofest, and we had a great time learning, and just being able to do something like that together. It was a very relaxing week, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect...sunny, and not too hot. I was also fed some of the yummiest meals I've had in a LONG time. Dad and Mimi are great cooks, and big foodies. They've inspired me to buy a lot more fresh produce, that's for sure.

Well, without further ado, I give you St. Augustine:
(and PLEASE click the ones you like so you can enlarge them...they're so much better that way!)

This is a wonderful street where the live oaks arch to make a tunnel...so cool. Dad swung me by there on our way to the airport on my last day. What a great photo-op!

I did some playing with shutter speeds after one of my classes...pretty fun!:
(This is a carousel right near Dad's place)

...water looks WAY more fun on a slower shutter speed! This was taken on our ferry ride over to Amelia Island, where we had a lovely day of shopping.

I did a vintagy look with this shot...it looks way better than the original:

The pelicans are so cool!

Below starts my pics from the Alligator Farm during an evening wine and cheese/sunset photo party. The light was incredible, and I took over 340 pics! I'll spare you the nausea, but here are some I like. These are Roseate Spoonbills (of course I had lost the light by the time I got this shot, but they were so cool up there on that dead tree!:

I could swear they were looking right at me!

Mr. Stork, checkin' me out:

Beautiful egret with feathers fanned!

I was the only person at this shin-dig with a point and shoot camera. You would not beLIEVE the sizes of lenses some of these people had. As I was standing next to a guy with a lens pointed right at those babies, I asked him if I could take a gander through his viewfinder. He was right IN the nest! You could see their downy peach fuzz! It was incredible! The best I can do is crop and zoom: :)

I really like this shot:

Spoonbill wings. :)

Aren't they so cute? I love their bills!

Oops...this is a grouper...Dad spotted him in a saltwater pond at the place where they were giving the classes. I couldn't resist:

I may post more at a later date. I may not! :) I just wanted to share some of what I shot. I had a great week (sans kid! :-O), but it's also good to be back home and back in the swing of things, even if it includes cooking, dishes, and laundry. :)