And they're off!

Where we live, spring means many things. But, one of the unique and really fun things about this area is the amazing horses that are everywhere! Keeneland is just around the corner from our house, and every spring (usually April, I believe), the races begin. Big, fancy hats, and beautiful spring dresses dot the grounds, along with seersucker suits.

We're actually just around the corner from the fall racing season at Keeneland, but this past spring we decided to hit the track for breakfast, and enjoy the morning warmups. We loaded up the kiddos, along with grandma and grandpa, and headed out of the house around 7:00 AM. And it was so much fun! Here's a little glimpse of our morning...

One-day Winter

Hello again! I'm still here...are you?! I sincerely apologize for my long absence from this blog. I picked up some freelance work, on top of staying home with the kiddos, and working my regular job, so blogging (unfortunately) took a back seat. :(

But, I'm still here, and I'm still taking pictures! So, I'll attempt to catch up a bit over the next several weeks, and show you a bit of what I've been photographing these days. Because of my two little ones, I haven't had a lot of photography adventures in the past several months. So, I've found myself trying to find the "adventure" in the everyday. I think that's a great thing to do, by the way. No day is ordinary. There's a spark of mystery and adventure in each and every moment. You just have to see it...or for me, capture it!

Here in Kentucky, we really didn't have that much a winter this past year. That's a huge bummer for someone like me who LOVES winter and snow. But, we did have one bright and GORGEOUS snowy day on March 5, 2012. The drifts were huge, and the sun was bright and beautiful. The sky couldn't have been bluer. It was amazing.

We have an old pin oak in the back yard. It's sick, and probably needs to come down soon. That makes me really sad. I hate to see older trees come down--especially when they are as big as this one. But, with the bright white snow covering it's branches, it was in all its glory.

Dandelion Wine

Dandelions...the bain of so many land owners, and yard lovers...and yet, they hold a special place in my heart. I remember rubbing them on our chins when I was little and then laughing because of the funny-looking yellow residue they would leave behind. I remember blowing the seeds and watching them dance on the wind. But, I LOVE watching my daughter do these things now. It's all come full-circle.

We had so many in our yard this year--probably not helped by my daughter grabbing each "blow flower" she saw and scattering the seeds with her breath. But, I joked that we had enough to gather and make dandelion wine. Shoulda, coulda...

New blooms

One of my favorite things about Spring is the new life that begins to show itself after a long, dead winter. Things that appear to be dead suddenly spring to life again--all things become new!

Hello, Spring!

Maybe you're wondering where I've been...maybe not. Regardless, my nature photography has given way to taking lots of pictures of my kids over the winter. We didn't have an especially "pretty" winter, where we are. It was unseasonably "warm," so there just wasn't a lot to take pictures of, unfortunately.

But, I'm reloading on some really pretty shots of Spring around our house and in the area, and I can't wait to share them.

In the meantime, you can see how much my daughter is enjoying Spring...

Quilty Bokeh...1st week of challenge

To view my submission for last week's Click-ish January Photo Challenge, click here. Check out the other submissions from last week while you're there! This week's new challenge is "black & white." Watch all week long for our member's submissions for this new challenge.

I'm challenging myself this month

So, it's 2012, now. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Most of my photos have been of my family lately, so I haven't been posting a lot of nature photos lately. I'm missing snow right about now. It always provides a lot of photographic inspiration, so it's sad to not have any on the ground right now. But, that's not excuse for not challenging myself, right? That's why the photo group I participate in--Click-ish Photographers--is doing weekly photo challenges in January. Follow along and see what we come up with! And check us out on Facebook as well!