Wednesday, December 30, 2009

225/365 Day 2 Agape Retreat


Explored the desert a bit this afternoon in between sits, made a new friend.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

224/365 Agape New Year's Revelation Retreat


So amazing... first day decompression time...

Monday, December 28, 2009

223/365 Bloom


Beedge gave us an Amaryllis for Christmas... it's blooming... :)
Spent the entire day preparing for the retreat. Laundry, what to pack?! Clean house, clean dogs for my friends who are dog sitting, snacks for the road...

Sunday, December 27, 2009

222/365 Surprise Sunset



Went down to the beach today to take some shots for a friend and THIS is what greeted me on my drive home!
Nothing beats nature for an amazing surprise show!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

221/365 Chickie models her new Snuggie!




Perfect for when she wants to "couch potato".

Friday, December 25, 2009

220/365 Christmas Day hike!


It's become a bit of a tradition for us to go on a Christmas Day hike. Today we expanded Ei's horizons with some rock hopping across the water that is now starting to flow in the river bed. What a trooper!

219/365 ugh


Went for a drive up the 33 yesterday, then a hike into one of the older burn areas... a little spooky, but beautiful too.
Then last night, I spent most of the night in the Animal ER with Keeko. She hasn't been eating well since her vet visit, and she really looked bad. Turns out she had a raging UTI on top of everything else. Luckily all her blood work was really good. So now she's on antibiotics and I'm still syringe feeding her, but she DID eat two treats today, and she's grooming herself again. She just needs to start eating better on her own...
Got home around 1AM and I was NOT going to mess with pics then! I DID take this one yesterday though! SOOC - taken with the nifty fifty.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

218/365 Eileen and her boys


Christmas dinner number two! On the eve of Christmas Eve... At Treasure Beach Cafe, new place in Ojai. YUM!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

217/365 Tough day for Keeko


Poor Keeko had to spend the day at the vets getting enemas... :( She's had this little problem for years, and it got really bad this week, so she had to go get a "move" on. She's home now, resting...

Monday, December 21, 2009

216/365 Silent night...


Had a bit more rain today on the first day of winter. Thank goodness that the days will now start to get longer!
This shot is straight out of the camera... love that 50mm 1.8 lens!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

215/365 Another fave...


CHOCOLATE! Mostly dark... but if it's really good, I'll eat ANY. Eileen (my mom-in-law) got us these for our anniversary yesterday. From Robitaille's in Carpinteria... YUM!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

214/365 Patience


I am, by nature, a very impatient person. But I can feel what it must be like to BE patient when I'm working on getting a good shot. I don't even notice time passing (if my subject isn't a person) I'll sit for an hour next to a jade plant and wait for the bees to get used to me. I'll sit long enough to see a Ladybug, and even a Fly!
When you are truly in the "zone" you won't have to be patient. You will just BE. (with the Bees!)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

212/365 The circus is in town!


So this is a bit of a ritual around here, and it was our next door neighbor's turn. I guess people have to do this every ten years - tenting for termites- whether or not you've got them.
We are plant sitting for them... alien sight.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

211/365 New Moon Visioning


I'm so grateful for such a gifted friend, Renee, to lead such a sweet visioning tonight!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

210/365 Peace


People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong...Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Monday, December 14, 2009

209/365 Let Go...


A cloud doesn't fight it's way around a mountain, it surrenders to the flow of the wind moving it...

An excerpt from a Yoga Journal article:

A truly surrendered person may look passive, especially when something appears to need doing, and everyone around is shouting, "Get a move on, get it done, this is urgent!" Seen in perspective, however, what looks like inaction is often simply a recognition that now is not the time to act. Masters of surrender tend to be masters of flow, knowing intuitively how to move with the energies at play in a situation. You advance when the doors are open, when a stuck situation can be turned, moving along the subtle energetic seams that let you avoid obstructions and unnecessary confrontations.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

208/365 Ramsey Family shoot


More practice with portraits today!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

207/365 The work we were made for.


Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.
~Rumi

Playing with my new nifty fifty and pushing the limits of what it can do in low light today... pretty impressive. Now if only I had a full frame camera...

Friday, December 11, 2009

206/365 My Favorite Things...


Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Thursday, December 10, 2009

205/365 Fly


“You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”
~Rumi

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

204/365 A new perspective...


Learned something else in photoshop today. You can rotate preset brushes before you use them! Now, I'm sure to those who already knew this it's like "duh"... but this is HUGE information to me! I'm going love using my brushes WAY more now!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

203/365 Winter is here!

Snow on Chief Peak in Ojai this morning.

Monday, December 7, 2009

202/365 Joy


Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing.
Phil Jackson

Sunday, December 6, 2009

201/365 Oh Hell...






A VERY fun card game!

200/365 WOW DAY 200!!!


I can't believe I've been at this for 200 days in a row. Haven't missed a day yet! Some days have been posted late (like yesterday) but the picture was always taken the day of... crazy... 165 to go...

Eileen and John are in town for a visit and maybe a stay for several months! We went out to eat at a GREAT place in Montecito last night - Trattoria Mollie. Great Italian food.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Thursday, December 3, 2009

198/365 The Invitation


The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.


This is one of my favorite poems! ~Vikki


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

197/365 Training Day


Had some down time today during a tech training, so my great co-workers let me take a few pics of them!
Great group of people...

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

196/365 Snow in So-Cal


I find it interesting that even here in Southern California, where it only snows at high elevations, people still decorate with snowflakes... and fake snowmen... How many of these people have ever even SEEN snow, let alone made a snowman? I mean, half of the country never sees snow in the winter.
Who decided that snow = Christmas anyway? Probably Hollywood, which just adds another level of irony.

Monday, November 30, 2009

195/365 It begins...


Thanksgiving is over, so now the Christmas lights come out in force... this is only the beginning.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

194/365 sunset...

This would work better with a different picture, but I was a bit sick today and didn't leave the house. So I took a shot of the sunset tonight and played with some new photoshop skills.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

193/365 Growth


“If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.”

~John Maxwell

192/365 At the Mint


Late night last night at the Mint in LA. Good music!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

191/365 Happy Thanksgiving!


What a great day... nice hike in the AM with a great little group of friends, then cooking lots of yummy veggie food... bonfire tonight and cards.... now sleep...

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

189/365 Easy Day


Spent most of the day chillin', cleaning, doing laundry, and editing photos. Brian gave me a great massage... nice day...
This is one of Keeko's favorite ways to get a drink, lots of cats love running water and she will usually drink right from the faucet. This is a little fountain that I put together, and she decided that it's her personal water dish. So I added a filter and only fill it with distilled water. She's the queen!

Monday, November 23, 2009

188/365 Trying to get a whif...


Met this guy on our walk today... went way down the bike trail on the way to Ventura one hour down, then only took 45 minutes back (we were thirsty!). I'm one of the lucky few teachers that has the whole week off for Thanksgiving Break!!!
Anyway, I thought it was sooooo cute the way he was shoving his nose out the knot-hole. Brian and Louis made a couple of passes so I could catch him in action.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

187/365 Surfer Chick!!!


This is my co-worker/friend Bobby's girlfriend Shawn surfing... I love to watch surfers, just like I love to watch other athletes do what they do. They make it look so easy! I would be a train wreck (not to mention a nervous wreck-sharks!) out there... I think I'll just stay on shore, and do what I can do... Appreciate with some awe!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

186/365 The Birthday Girl!


Happy 50th Birthday Katherine!

Friday, November 20, 2009

185/365 Truly


“If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.”

~Roger Caras

Thursday, November 19, 2009

184/365 Being an amateur...


Every artist was first an amateur.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

183/365 Everyday Miracles


“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

182/365 Take time...


No matter what insanity is whirling around you, always take time to roll in the grass!

Monday, November 16, 2009

181/365 Sunrise


This was the sunrise today on what I have come to regard as MY mountains. They live in MY backyard after all.

I made what may be a very crazy decision today. I offered my photography services (such as they are) free of charge to my coworkers for a one-time deal for the holidays. I really want to build my portfolio and get some experience, but no one will hire me if they can't see the kind of shots I can take! So... here I go! I've already got two families and a few singles with pets and one couple lined up! I'm reading a LOT about posing people, so I have a launch pad, but I'm pretty personable... and I think that's key. Making the people feel comfortable and relaxed... looking forward to the challenge!
I was also reminded that I need to bring my camera with me ALWAYS!!!! Today on the way home from work there was a bunch of trees on fire right next to the freeway and I didn't have my camera!!!!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

180/365 Cozy Dell Reprise...


I can't believe I've been at this for 180 days STRAIGHT! I haven't missed a single day yet... cool.

I was really tired today for no particular reason... so it was a great time to get out and go for a hike! Our good friend Beedge came up and we all made it to the top before dark! The hike down is always my favorite part. It's like when those wheels touch down on solid ground at the end of a flight... sigh of relief...