Fourth Generation

Thanksgiving.....a time for family to gather all in one place at once to enjoy one another, catch up one each others lives and give thanks for all that we have.  This year we held our gathering at a local park and held a photo shoot along with our dinner.  Portrait photography isn't my expertise and having 30 plus family members was quite challenging, but I think we all did a pretty darned good job and we got some great shots.  This made me want to do it all again, but in the Spring at a time when everyone isn't pulled in all directions.  Because in spite of having everyone in attendance on Thanksgiving, we still didn't have everyone present at the same time.

October Beach Wedding - 2nd Shooter

16/52 - Muted Tones

All dressed up and ready to go save the world.

15/52 - Standing Tall

Finally, we made it out on the boat again. Shooting our Florida waterways is one of my greatest pleasures and it's been five months since my husband has had a break to be able to get out again.  I just can't ever get enough of this scenery.

BlackRapid Camera Sling

Jeannette's 80th Birthday Event

True Beauty - 14/52

These ladies were celebrating one sister's 80th birthday and they partied hearty.  How beautiful it was to see these senior citizens dancing up a storm all night long and celebrating life.  The leader of this conga line is a mere 89 years young!

Rainy Days & Sundays - 13/52

So the theme this week was "Architecture" but, as you can see, the weather wasn't too cooperative this week.  And the bottled up energy the kids had was making us pull our hair out.  So, what do you do with kids on a rainy day (when there is no lightening or thunder)?  You put clothes on them that mud won't hurt and send them out the door to be a kid!  Who doesn't love jumping in puddles?  They wear themselves out a bit by burning off all that pent up steam, then you just strip them down and put them in the tub when they're done.  You see?  Rainy days aren't always a bad thing.

A Taste For Vintage -12/52

This week's theme called for vintage, so this shot fit the theme pretty well.  We had beautiful weather, so it was a great day to take my retro-style Mustang for a drive across the Bay with the top down. 

...Or Maybe These Eyes Have It

I'm kicking myself that I didn't have this one to use for the last theme "The Eyes Have It".  I mean, who could resist that look?!

The Eyes Have It - 10/52

This is "outside of the box" for sure, but when I saw my grandson attempt to pick this flower I saw how the sun was hitting just right. I just couldn't pass it up.

Momentous Moment - 9/52

Not one of my best shots, but it's the best that fits the theme ;-).  The Roundup and WQYK welcomed Chris Cagle for an acoustic concert this weekend and sounded as great as ever.  It's been a long time and we're glad you're back on the road, Chris!

8/52 - Thirst....for Knowledge?

So the theme for this week was "Thirst for Knowledge" but all we wanted this weekend was to let loose, have a good time and de-stress.  Work life as we have all known it came to a screeching halt with the layoff of myself and two others who worked with us, along with about 93 other Hillsborough County staff.  I has been a long, mental drain these past three months and we wanted to have some release and not have to drive anywhere.  So a place at the beach was just what the doctor ordered!

Man vs. Nature - 11/52

These two little munchkins have been digging holes to China, so I thought it fit perfectly in the "Man vs. Nature" theme.  It's so enjoyable to watch them through my back window as they use their imagination and play in the yard for hours on end. 

Lazy - 7/52

It's Not Easy Being a Weed

They may be a nuisance and bring unwanted "stickers" into the house all stuck to your clothes and pets, but sometimes you just have to step back and realize....even a weed can have a pretty side.

This weeks theme is "Lazy" and I guess that would be me! lol...Not that I was too lazy to take some shots, I just didn't search out something that truly fit the theme.

Connections - 6/52

Connections

Although, it appears these two are about to make a connection, this is more about my connection to them and all of nature. I just can't get enough of watching and shooting them.

5/52 - Slow Down & Look Back

When we have little ones the time goes so quickly. It seems just yesterday he was born and now he's already a year old. It reminds me of not only when my girls were this age but when our other grandchildren where this age. They grow so fast and time slips away quickly. Maybe it doesn't seem like it as much as you are the parent going through it when they are toddlers! lol! But soon you are longing for those innocent days again.

4/52 - My Favorite Time of Day

"My favorite time of day"......is when I sit at my computer and can look out my back window to see the nature that passes through our yard.....with my camera ready.

3/52 - Sky

This was taken while doing one of my favorite things in the world....taking a road trip! My husband had a mission and we turned it into an opportunity to visit with and deliver some household goodies to our daughter who just moved into her new apartment in Georgia.

I just love to travel the roads and see the changes in landscape, the jewels and personality of the small towns and sometimes the gifts of special scenes that make you wish you had shutters on your eyes so you could capture the moment before it's gone. Of course, I have my cameras in my lap and ready for the challenge of capturing a scene while traveling down the interstate, resisting the urge to shout "STOP! Go back!" My greatest dream would be to have the opportunity to simply drive to nowhere in particular and be able to stop at any time when I spot a scene that captures my attention, be it nature, inanimate objects or people.

2/52 - A Letter of the Alphabet

This week's assignment was " A Letter of the Alphabet" and I wanted to do something outside of the box. At first I'd spotted an Elephant Ear and thought...hey! There's a "V". But when I turned around I noticed that our Staghorn Fern offered quite a variety of letters and "W" is the one I decided to choose.

1/52 - Get In Close

Bee in a Buttercup

These little guys are so pretty and they are usually found out and about around my buttercups in the morning.

There are some 500 species of Halictidae in North America [1]. Many are easily recognizable due to their beautiful, iridescent green or golden colors, making them favorites of many insect photography hobbyists. Most are pollen feeders and important pollinators, especially in light of the worldwide decline of the domestic honeybee. However, continuing destruction of their habitat due to human encroachment and modern agriculture's unfortunate love affair with vast monocultures of self-pollinating crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, rice are exacerbating the general decline in viable populations of wild hymenoptera.

Happy Father's Day

It's Father's Day and we celebrated some of the Dads in our life by giving them a day to soak in the pool with cool libations while I helped my friend Debi cook up a feast and kept their drinks fresh.

I so enjoyed spending time with her family and getting my "kiddle fix" from watching her neice's two little ones have such a great time in the pool. The are exactly the same age as our daughter's children and, since they've moved to Austin, TX, I miss them so.

The Party's Over - Let's Just Kiss & Say Goodbye

The guests have gone and it's time to load up our belongings and head back to face the real world. We had fun while it lasted, even if work did make it's way in to put a damper on my emotions at times. I feel so grateful and blessed that we were able to have this opportunity again this year and to be able to share it with some of our friends that we don't get to socialize with outside of the norm. If the Lord sees fit, we'll be back next year. But if not, we have plenty of great memories to hold on to and relive.

Soaking Up One Last Day

It's the last day of our vacation and we decided to take it easy so we could soak up every last moment in the pool, jacuzzi & enjoy each others company in the quiet.

The OneThat Got Away - Excitement of the Day

You've heard about the one that got away? Well, this "catch" put a new spin on it. This trout may have been a keeper...we'll never know. But as Terri began reeling in her fish something grabbed it, flew out of the water and was gone with nearly half her trout. This photo isn't too good because there was quite a bit of excitement with everyone speculating just what it was that took a bite. And oh damn! Why couldn't it have gotten hooked?

Another Whopper Trout Trophy

Today's fishing trophy goes to Sadie! She was one happy girl with this big trout that was just shy of 24". Not a bad catch for a novice fisherman!

Oh Yes, It's Friday Night & The Feelin's Right!

Today a new batch of guests arrive to enjoy Memorial Day weekend with us. We never get to socialize with Brenda & Corey outside of work events and this was a great opportunity to finally do just that. Naturally, we kicked it off with our own happy hour. So....cheers! Here's to a great fun-filled sun n' fun weekend of a different kind :-)

Right Place - Right Time

I am so excited that I was able to capture this shot! I only wish I'd been closer so it could have been more focused. This dolphin was a part of a large pod that we spotted from our fishing spot. They were on a hunting expedition and after grabbing a bite a couple of them decided to put on a short show for us. I never tire of watching these beautiful creatures.

Chilling with the Noodles

Today we stayed at the house relaxing in the pool.

The Bite is On

Yes, the bite was on and by these guys who can lay a very painful one on you if you're not careful. We decided to get back out on the flats and try new ground and found some beautiful spots that were just scrr-eaming Redfish and Snook, but no bites from them. The only bites came from a couple of Bonnetheads and this juvenile Blacktip. But even so, it was an absolutely gorgeous day, the water was clear and we enjoyed each others company....oh yes...we did.

A Day of Relaxation

After a great week spent with company and going out on the boat for the past five days, we had the day to ourselves and decided to just hang out together and relax.

These beautiful flowers were a part of a bouquet that one of our guests brought to me. Unlike some of the other lilies in this species, these have a really nice perfume fragrance to go with their prettiness.

Top Prize of the Week

This week's prize catch goes to Bob who hooked this whopper trout today out on our favorite trout spot. Doesn't it figure....the guy who never fishes gets all the bites, lol! It was the only one we could bring home today, but it was a doozie. Great job, Bob!!

Interestingness of the Day

This would have to be one of the most interesting thing we saw. We heard the chimes of an ice cream truck as we were sitting at Woody's Restaurant on Pine Island and turned to see this former Paramedic truck. Gave us good laugh, lol.

Then, just when we thought it was safe, we were beached on Picnic Island to watch the sunset and I spotted this! We joked "Oh my God! It's an asteroid!" Actually, it was just a jet headed up...not down ;-)

First Day in the Deep

Today we headed out past Sanibel Island for the aqua waters to try for something new and it was a day of observing the beauty of nature. It has been years since I've fished out in the Gulf and to be able to do that again was so cool. With the boat we had before, it would need to be a calm day just to fish the bridges, don't even think about going out into open waters because the wakes from the yachts and cigarette boats would just soak us. Not nowwww :-) This year we've got the tri-toon and we can have to best of both worlds. The water was gorgeous! We didn't catch anything to bring home this time, but I got to see one boat hook into a tarpon and it was awesome to watch that silver king come out of the water. I tried to get a shot of it, but they were too far for it to come out clear. We also saw a couple of huge rays leap out of the water. That's when you wish you had shutters on your eyes, lol! Just can't capture that quickly enough. After getting into the small sharks and changing spots several times, we headed over to try for some snapper at the bridge. We didn't have any luck there either, but were treated to the sight of a couple of duuuuuudes......loggerhead turtles. The second one surfaced close to the boat, looked over at me with that grin and then back down he went. Another eye shutter moment.

Two for Two

I wasn't exactly optimistic for our prospects of bringing home a good day's catch after feeding the pin fish and then catching this little guy (I didn't even know I'd hooked something when I reeled it in! lol). But then we decided to leave our old hot spot for a new one that we found yesterday. It was dead for about an hour and just when we thought about leaving.....DaBullG caught a winner! And I turned around and caught one nearly as big. Baked these guys in olive oil, seasonings, fresh parmesan with diced tomatoes on top. Added sides of hush puppies, broccoli & garlic bread. Deee-lish :-) Between the two boats we caught 5 keepers, but lost one to a shark.

Success is Ours At Last

We got 6 keeper trout between us :-)....caught many more, but I swear ......there is something about 14" trout. Why are there so damned many of them when they have to be at least 15"? lol! And the catfish ratio was nice and low. Now that's a great day fishing!

Let The Sun Shine In

We finally made it out on the water Tuesday. It was still a bit windy with a light chop, but we got to wet our lines later in the afternoon. Didn't get any keepers but had some good bites. Just warming up for the good days and taking the edge off of the withdrawal symptoms :-)

Rise and Shine

I don't know why it is this year that I'm able to go to bed early and am up early in the morning without even having an alarm set. Ordinarily, I have to force myself to get to bed in the evenings and struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Must be the jacuzzi, lol! Oh how I'd love to have one at home.

Sittin' By the Dock of the Bay

Once we got her docked that's where she's stayed. This cold front brought windy conditions (25 mph gusts) and we are jones-in' big time to get out on the water. No boat on the water also brings few photo ops, so I'm having double the withdrawals. This year we aren't staying on Pine Island, but rather in Cape Coral and the differences have their pluses and minuses. It's a heck of a lot closer to get to any kind of store you may need, but you have more city noise. And there aren't any water birds around here. All I've seen so far are blackbirds and mockingbirds. Not the first egret, heron or pelican to be found. So no local unsuspecting models...well, except for the lizards, lol! Guess those that aren't from these parts might find them quite the treat to photograph.

Vacation at Last - Day 1

Vacation....ahhh. We work and we work all year long just to pay the bills and have a getaway once a year to reward my very hard working husband. We have been blessed to take a real vacation for the past 4 years and hope and pray it isn't the last for a while. The economy is changing the world and wouldn't it just have to happen when I can finally enjoy some of the nice material things? Dammit! So for now, cheers! Here's to tight lines and great cocktails by the pool!

Sunday - April 17, 2011

What a beautiful morning! I woke up, with the help of my coffee, early enough to look out my window and watch the sun come up through the trees. I so enjoy this wonderful weather. It's nice and cool (in the mid-60's) with a soft breeze.

This is what caught my eye when I looked out on the patio. Looks like my Iris is ready for another round of blooms.

Stand Out in a Crowd

I can't believe it's been so long since I've last posted!! Lately, I'm feeling more confident in my skills and in the shots I'm producing and am striving to stand out! I'm not there yet but I'm reaching for the sky!