Sunset & Sea Grass

“It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.
"Are—are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

—The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 5) by C.S. Lewis

The sea and everything in it...

"He is the One who made Heaven and earth

The sea and everything in it

He is the One who keeps every promise forever

He gives justice to the oppressed

And sets the prisoners free..."

—From the song "Praise the Lord" sung by Natalie Grant and Laura Story 

(Glory Revealed II) 

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.

Crazy

My husband and I can be a bit crazy sometimes. Usually, when one of us is crazy, the other is rational, but there are rare moments when we are both out of our minds crazy. My husband was the crazy one, the Thursday before Labor Day. He convinced me that it would be fun to take a spontaneous, 10-hour drive camping trip to Virginia Beach for the weekend with our two children, both under 3. It sounded fun, but I really thought he was a bit nuts. Not only was it a long drive, but we couldn't afford a huge vacation. His solution...take any food we had in the fridge/freezer/pantry with us. We had an air mattress, and a lot of our own camping gear. We didn't have a tent that would accommodate our family (we had a 2-3 man tent from our pre-children days). He said we could borrow one! My reasons for not doing it were dwindling. Besides, I like that he keeps me young by wanting to do such playful things! I looked online for available campsites at the area state parks. Nothing was available...no wait! There's one! Oops...it's taken. No wait...it's available again! I grabbed it. We were committed. Yikes! So, we threw our stuff together, found a willing friend who let us borrow their family's tent, loaded up the kiddos, and took off for Virginia Beach for Labor Day weekend.

It was absolutely gorgeous, and we made some wonderful memories as a family. Was it a little crazy? Sure! But what is life without a little crazy to keep us sane?

Americana

This picture seems so "American" to me. Does it strike you that way? I was standing on a good ol' American farm, looking around over the rolling hills, and something just make me take this picture. The sky was so blue that day, and there was a wonderful breeze. We were in the middle of Fall. I wasn't thinking "America" when I took the shot, but now that I see it, it just strikes me that way. It transports me back to that beautiful day, and I can almost feel the breeze again.

I'm being featured on I Heart Faces!

I couldn't believe it! I had to do a double-take! My photo (below) is being featured today on . . .

Hop on over to IHeartFaces.com to view this week's challenge: "Week 28 • I Heart My Country." Enter your own photos, and view the other participants' photos. There's so much talent in this vibrant community!

I took this photo several years ago on either the Pentwater Beach (Pentwater, MI), or the beach at Ludington State Park (Ludington, MI). The gulls were all lined up so perfectly, and although the day was overcast, the sky had a fun dull-blue hue. I love the red of the roof against the sky, too.

Under the Umbrella

Nibblin' on sponge cake

Watchin' the sun bake

All of those tourists covered with oil

Strummin' my six-string

On my front porch swing

Smell those shrimp they're beginnin' to boil . . .

—from "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett

Grackle

What kind of name is "Grackle?" Poor bird! You see them all the time, and they make a slightly obnoxious sound, but why tag them with such a hideous name?

This guy was hanging around at the end of this dead tree in a park near where we use to live. I loved the way he was silhouetted against the evening sky, and I'm lucky to have captured him just the way I wanted to. He was backlit just enough to make him look completely black against the soft blue sky.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (my husband will be proud):

Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape.

The Mouth of the Platte

The mouth of the Platte River, where it empties into Lake Michigan

We've been traveling a lot lately, which is why I haven't had regular posts. We first traveled to the Alabama Gulf Coast, then up to North Michigan. I'll be in Illinois next to celebrate my grandparent's 70th wedding anniversary. Then we have the holidays coming up, too! Whew!

This photo was taken when we were with my husband's family in Northern Michigan. My daughter had never seen Lake Michigan (even though she's 10-months-old and won't remember it), so we had to take her—if only to get pictures of her there. The Michigan side of Lake Michigan is so beautiful! It definitely smacks of home for me. This particular day was very cloudy (as you can see), but the reflection on the water was amazing! It's hard to believe that this is where a river empties into a Great Lake—it's just too serene. You can see Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background. Even though there was no blue sky, it was a beautiful day to see the Lake.

Apple Picking

One of my favorite things to do during Fall is apple picking. I love it! We picked a good day to do it this year, too. It was a bit crisp, the sky was a beautiful blue, and the sun was shining. It's been so rainy lately, that we ate up the wonderful, clear weather. The day we went was really busy, but it was fun seeing all the families eating caramel apples, cider donuts, drinking cider, picking apples and pumpkins, and having fun. We walked away with a 1/2 bushel of various apples, an apple pie, a dozen cider donuts, and a jug of cider. Mmmmm . . . I love Fall!

Smokies at Sunset

This photo was taken several years ago now, when we were vacationing in the Smokies. I can't even remember where I was standing, but I remember seeing the layers of mountains and being fascinated. I loved the subtle hues of the sunset, and the way the mountains took on different shadowy shades. What a beautiful place!

Perdido Key Sunset

We were recently on vacation in the Florida panhandle and Alabama Gulf Coast. It was wonderful!! I've loved this area for a long time. I grew up vacationing there. It holds a special place in my heart. This year was special, since we were celebrating our anniversary while there, but also because it was our first family vacation with our daughter. It made it even more special having her there. The water was just as warm as ever, and the air was just as salty, but it was all enhanced by having my family with me—my husband and my daughter. I'm very blessed, and very thankful.