Creating Keepsakes - August 08

Summer photo
Originally uploaded by buneluvr

I was cleaning out some old files and thought I would share this little photo. This was the first photo that I had published in a magazine. I was asked to write a small piece about how I took the shot (long story short, I hid in the bushes). This photo was so special to me for so many reasons. First, I took the photo of my boys on the last day of their preschool. They had both gone to this school since birth, and I was moving them to the daycare at my work....so, I was a little emotional ;) Second, and more importantly, my mom was going through some really rough chemo and radiation when the magazine was going to be published. I wanted her to think about something other than the "C" word and I was happy to surprise her with a copy of the magazine. She perked up right away and then she promptly showed it off to all of her friends & family...She is so proud of her grandchildren!

I love putting a smile on someone's face when I know they need it, don't you?... {I wish I could bottle that feeling, I would make a mint ;)} ENJOY TODAY

Mom's little Falcon

 

When I was little, I remember sitting in the back of my mom's car while she drove.  I can still remember the way the car sounded, it had a familiar clicking sound when she would turn the corner.  I remember the way the doors sounded when you would slam them shut.. Such a solid car.  After a few years we bought a new F150 Truck and the poor Falcon made its way to the side yard where it sat for over 25 years.  

My brother and I always knew that the car was promised to my Uncle V... And so when my father passed, my mom finally decided to do a few home improvements, one which was getting rid of the eye sore.  To be honest, I was a little bummed to see the car go, it seemed like a piece of my childhood had disappeared....but, it was rusted and someone could probably use the parts.

About 9 months after my mom was diagnosed she casually mentioned that she had something to show me.. you can imagine my surprise when I saw this beautiful car restored...She had been having it restored (secretly) for over two years... I love that car, it has such beautiful lines.  It takes me back to my childhood every time I see it.

AHHH EEEE AHHH EEEE OH OH

AHHH EEEE AHHH EEEE OH OH
Originally uploaded by buneluvr

This week's I HEART FACES contest was a little hard for me..I didn't have any willing models for the "Reflection" theme this week, so I had to look at some old photos.
This photo was taken a while ago when my little guy would repeat over and over again "AHHH EEEE AHHH EE OHOH" & something that sounded like "My name is Bruce".

Sunday

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I have been trying to be good and take pictures everyday as part of the 365 project, but... I can't seem to do it everyday... I go in spurts and post when I can. Thank you for your nice words of encouragement, I appreciate the notes that you send ;) I will be posting a picture (as soon as I figure out what I'm going to do) for I LOVE FACES contest a little later... Wish me luck!

This AM I went by the Farmer's Market... I Love fresh fruits and vegetables. I love the smell of basil and cilantro and can't get enough of it. I pulled some garlic from my garden too (wow, potent stuff!). When I was sitting outside this AM, I sat in an old bench that has been rusting. I love this bench... When my dad would come to visit, he would sit on this bench for hours. It was his favorite... It's always nice when you can look at something and it takes you back to a fond memory and puts a smile on your face. ENJOY TODAY :)

Doin' Art

This afternoon I broke out my stash for the boys because they wanted to "do art"... I have been a collector of all things art-- (ok maybe I hoard).  I have all sorts of calligraphy pens, pencils, watercolors, pastels, chalk etc.. and don't talk to me about paper...The three of us sat under the gazebo doing art for a while and just enjoyed the day.  I'm not much of an artist, but since I always tell the boys that they should be proud of their art, no matter what it looks like, I posted my pic as well... Hope you are enjoying the day.

Slow it Down

I woke up this morning feeling pretty well rested and decided to sit in the boys play structure and enjoy a cup of coffee and the view. I am grateful that no one lives directly behind us so that we have an unobstructed view. I really enjoyed listening to nothing... except for the gentle breeze or an occassional car driving by. I haven't just sat and listened for a while, except the other day at the Arboretum. It reminds me of the years I spent in Newport where I could just open my window and listen to the ocean... I really miss living at the beach...If you haven't taken the time to just sit and listen, I highly recommend it... Everyone needs to slow down every once and a while... even me :)

Best Friends

Just a quick post today ... a few pictures to share of my son and his best friend. They have known eachother since they were 8 months old. I caught the shots of my son trying to go in for a kiss, when I was hiding around a corner... Poor guy, his first attempt at a kiss forever documented ;)

Oops-- I lied

Ooops, I lied.. one last post for the Arboretum... This is a sign that I found AFTER I was finished walking around the entire Arboretum... Hmmm, glad I found this out after the fact.. I was wearing a tank top the whole time, so let's hope I didn't get bit by a mosquito :)

Arboretum #3

And the last of the photos

Arboretum shoot (cont'd)

Here are a few shots from my "ME DAY" photowalk ;) I was really taken with the benches that were all over the park... maybe it was the tranquillity.

I also found myself taking pictures of some of the antiques that were in the barns and things with texture like the trees and the benches that were so old the paint was peeling.

My "ME" Day

Today I decided to have a "Me" day.. A day to just chill... . It was absolutely beautiful outside and it was a perfect day to spend a few hours shooting outdoors . I've been wanting to go to the Arboretum for a while now.. It's been a long, long time since I was there. I decided that I would just wander and get lost for a few hours (yes, hours). It was not crowded, in fact I was by myself most of the time, but it was nice, really nice. I want to go back there fairly soon, just to listen to the waterfall or to nothing at all. Here is a quick little collage (some full size pics coming shortly)

I usually don't photograph things, just people so I felt totally out of my element, but I had fun anyways...

Little things

Beautiful weather today, 90 degrees--it's so nice to just sit and relax...The mountains are nice and green (sorry, photo doesn't do it justice) and everything is starting to bloom...
My 4 and A HALF year old drew a picture of me and gave it to me... See the resemblance?

*Just thought I'd share--- my 6 yr old has an admirer.... Apparently the little girl made up a love song and the teacher wrote the words down to share with us.... Wow, they grow up so quick :)

More where that came from...

3 more accidentally-on-purpose blown shots...to share...

Accidentally on Purpose aka my Favorite Mistakes

As I mentioned, I make a lot of mistakes... let me emphasize A LOT! Mostly they are caused by exposure problems...

Sometimes the camera was focusing on the wrong thing (user error)

I once took a whole bunch of photos for some friends and didn't realize that they were tinted green.. ugg.. I didn't want to show any of them (Remember Erin?)..

I just kept telling my friend that I needed to adjust the color, but unfortunately I was not up to speed w/ Elements and it took me forever.

When I'm making something with my hands and I spill or screw it up, I can usually fix it--most of the time... I just chalk it up to being handmade. Sometimes, if I'm lucky and I screw up a shot, it will turn out ok, like I did it on purpose.... Here are some of my favorite accidentally-on-purpose shots...Mistakes are just part of the process~