Tuesday, June 30, 2009

41/365 The Marine Layer


So another fact of life here is the Marine Layer. I drive into it all the time coming from Ojai down the mountains into Ventura. It can be a perfect, clear, bluebird day up here, and then you drive into a WALL of clouds as soon as you get near the 101... the first time I saw it, I thought there was a fire! Crazy...

Monday, June 29, 2009

40/365 Self...


Thought I'd throw a self-portrait in here for fun... this is harder to do than you'd think... you need to remember to actually look at the lens!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

39/365 1st Quarter



Soon as the evening shades prevail, 
The moon takes up the wondrous tale, 
And nightly to the listening Earth 
Repeats the story of her birth. 
~Joseph Addison

Saturday, June 27, 2009

38/365 Reflection...


Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.

~Albert Einstein

Friday, June 26, 2009

37/365 Ahhhhhhh......


Can't think of a much better way to end a very long week!
I did some effects in ps that make the shot look a bit like a painting if you look at it blown up... kinda neat...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

35/365 Grow Peace


BE HERE NOW... 
I was feeling uninspired today, just driving home with my camera in my lap (something I've started to do- just in case) and BAM. This mural jumped out at me just off the highway. I don't know how long it's been there, I just noticed it today... I take it as a lesson in being in the moment. Gorgeous!

Monday, June 22, 2009

33/365 Prep...


Tomorrow is Brian's birthday... so tonight I made a cake! It's one of his favorites... yellow cake, chocolate frosting... :)
Whenever I use my mixer, it makes me think of when I was a kid and I would "help" my Mom bake. Great memories... she's a great baker, and my biggest job was always taste tester!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

32/365 Shaking off the sand...


Spent some great quality time with my very good friend Renee today... and this picture got me thinking how when we spend some really good time with someone that we are very comfortable with, but who will also help us "see it like it is", it's like shaking off the sand of life... we go through days, and those little irritating granules can get wedged in the worst spots. Then, we spend a simple day with a good pal laughing and releasing, and it's like we just shook the fabric of life and all the irritations are gone... at least for now... and you realize -  I am SO BLESSED!

31/365 Figs



Well, it had to happen eventually.... I took this picture yesterday morning, and forgot to post it yesterday!!! That's what happens when you have a very lazy, cloudy, drizzly day.... you get all off kilter.
ANYWAY! I DID shoot this yesterday... These are fresh figs. I'd never seen one until I moved out here. Our neighbors have a tree that partially hangs over our yard, so we figure that if it would fall in our yard, it's ok to take those. Plus, last year I don't think the neighbors even picked any and many of them were wasted on the ground! I also never SEE these neighbors during the day, so I suspect they are vampires in which case they wouldn't eat the figs anyway!

Friday, June 19, 2009

30/365 Spider Webs


“The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.”
~Pablo Picasso

Thursday, June 18, 2009

29/365 Graduation Day VRCHS 2009


Today we honored our 2009 graduates. Some of our students have to overcome major obstacles to do what they do. I hope they are all empowered by their accomplishment today! 

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

28/365 Keeko




Keeko actually allowed me to take photos during her morning sun bath today. Usually when I try to take pictures of her, she ends up coming up to the camera and trying to rub on the lens... not optimal for a photo. But today, she posed for me for quite a while. 
She's a great cat... she's agreed to live with me for the last 14 years, and she really takes it all in stride. I had no idea how she would react when we drove across the country, but she really just rolled with it, really impressive.
So today is Keeko day!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

27/365 Bougainvillea


I love these plants. They grow in some of the roughest conditions-full sun, no water, they will climb all over anything if given the chance, and they just scream with amazing color... Nature at it's best!

Monday, June 15, 2009

26/365 Cross Park



Bobby gets the credit for this picture even being taken today... he told me about this park above Ventura that you can just drive right up to. It reminds me of Lookout Park back in Grand Rapids. The day today was cloudy, but I can see that there will be amazing views from here when the sky is clearer!
I took some photoshop liberties with this one, the gray sky was too depressing... :)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

25/365 Musical hands


It was a music filled weekend... lots of good stuff! 

Saturday, June 13, 2009

24/365 Music and Wine


Today Brian & Noah played a gig at a nice wine bar and bistro in Carpinteria. Great music, great wine, great company, and a beautiful sunset... what more could a girl ask for?

Friday, June 12, 2009

23/365 A View


Nearly forgot to post this tonight! Another long day and I had actually already gone to bed! I'm sure Brian thinks I'm nuts, and maybe I am :) ... I took this shot from an office window at my school. Sometimes you find something interesting in the most unlikely place...

Thursday, June 11, 2009

22/365 Peaches!


One cool thing about moving into a new rental here is discovering what the heck is going to grow in the yard. The last house had a very messy eucalyptus tree, and this house has a peach tree! I picked a bunch today. They're small, but they are tasty! One of these days I hope to really luck out and get an avocado tree...

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

21/365 Lance Clones


Worked another 10 hour day today, and luckily I work with some good sports who agreed to pose for me! This is Lance... one of our English teachers. Jaime posed for me too, but Lance's pic came out a little better overall. 
This was a lot of fun, and not very hard. Think I may make more clones in the future! I AM a science teacher after all...

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

20/365 Bath Day


Today was a really long day, I worked a double shift... and I can't believe I've only been doing this for 20 days... this was a tough day. 
I got home and Chickie had rolled in something stinky, so she had to have a bath. She looks like a completely different dog when she's wet, like she might be a poodle. It's funny!
Anyway, this is the only pic I took today... tried to play with it a bit in photoshop, but I'm just too tired!

Monday, June 8, 2009

19/365 Chevy


Parked in Trader Joe's parking lot today... classic!
GM and Chevrolet were a big part of my life and the life of my family. It's demise was sad for me when I first heard about it, my dad put more than 35 of the best years of his life in that company, and now they are taking away big chunks of his retirement compensation... but it's a reminder of the impermanence of everything. Change is the only thing we can count on. Everything will change, the only thing we control is our reaction to that change. Sometimes we go kicking and screaming, sometimes we go peacefully. But it's going to happen no matter what we do... I hope to be remembered for rolling peacefully with the changes... most of the time!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

18/365 Hoopin'!


Renee and I went to the park today to hoop at the drum circle, we were a little late and most of the hoopers and drummers had already gone... but we stuck it out for a while with the few drummers left. Gorgeous Sunday in Ojai!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

17/365 WHOAH!

It's a pretty dreary day here again, not much sun. I took the dogs for a walk in the river bed, came home, and just went out in back to sit and look at the horses and cows across the river bed. A shot of yellow in the oak tree caught my eye and I ran into the house to grab my camera to try to catch a shot of what turned out to be a Hooded Oriole. Got a couple of decent views I thought, and it was nice out there, so I was just continuing to sit and watch a mare and her foal run around through my telephoto lens when all of a sudden I heard a hawk calling. I looked around and saw some local Grackles mobbing a hawk nearby (they will do that if hawks get too close for comfort). I pointed the camera over there and then noticed a pretty wild squeaking on top of all the other noise the birds were making. The hawk had captured a ground squirrel for dinner! I just kept shooting away, hoping something would be in focus since I was pretty nerved up about the whole National Geographic - Wild Kingdom scene unfolding in front of me... and lo and behold, a few shots WERE indeed in focus! I was only able to get this angle because of how our house sits up on the bluff above the river bed... 
Nature just amazes me on a daily basis. Whether it's the birds, the flowers, or the weather, always take a moment to enjoy or simply be awed...




Friday, June 5, 2009

16/365 Breakfast!


So... Trader Joe's always has stuff at their tasting station, and a week ago, they had blueberry crumpets and creamy goat cheese.... YUM! It is soooooooo tasty! It has become breakfast for the last two weeks (along with my usual protein,fruit and soy milk smoothie).

Thursday, June 4, 2009

15/365 Frogs


Anyone who knows me at all knows I love frogs. Always have. When I was little I used to catch big toads in our yard and carry them around until it was time to go in the house. Mom never let them come in... 
This little guy is a Pacific Tree Frog. We've had lots around the house, and this one jumped out of the planter by the front door this morning and posed for me!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

14/365 The Chickie



It had to happen... the dogs had to show up eventually... she's my Chickie. She's spoiled, but she listens (in her way, since she's deaf-she knows dog sign language), and she and I have been through a lot together. She really is a best friend. 

'Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened.'
~Author unknown

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

13/365 Sister Moon


Sister moon will be my guide
In your blue blue shadows I would hide
All good people asleep tonight
I'm all by myself in your silver light
I would gaze at your face the whole night through
I'd go out of my mind, but for you

Lying in a mother's arms
The primal root of a woman's charms
I'm a stranger to the sun
My eyes are too weak
How cold is a heart
When it's warmth that he seeks?
You watch every night, you don't care what I do
I'd go out of my mind, but for you
I'd go out of my mind, but for you

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
My hunger for her explains everything I've done
To howl at the moon the whole night through
And they really don't care if I do
I'd go out of my mind, but for you

Sister Moon

Monday, June 1, 2009

12/365 My Guys


The man that helped me change my life, and his best buddy.