208 - Evening; 209 - Distortion

This just makes me happy. The other evening, Mister comes into the house to find me to let me know the sky is amazing. We went outside, on the roof and took pics. I'm not a mountain goat or a roof climber extraordinaire, but Mister seems to be. Anyway, after taking a few shots, I ended up cropping one way down and arrived at the above. I really like it. I think because its so very soft and pink. Its not on Mister's favorites list. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

I was in a pinch for a photo, and took this out my boss' office window. I like it too.

Just Read: The Persecutor

Author: Sergei Kourdakov

My brother gave me this book, The Persecutor, to read (duh). I wasn't all that interested, the whole persecution thing being a difficult topic, but I really like non-fiction, so I dove in. I ended up liking this book a lot. Here is the dust cover info - taken from Wikipedia: [The Persecutor, also known as Forgive Me Natasha and less commonly as Sergei, is the autobiography of Sergei Kourdakov, a former KGB agent who persecuted Christians in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, but defected to Canada in 1971 and converted to Evangelical Christianity. The book was finished shortly before his death in January 1973 and published posthumously....]

It was a very interesting view into, what I must presume, was the Soviet Union and Communism during that time. Dreadful things happen in all governments. Its sad and terrible and I do not believe corruption will be eliminated in my life time. We are, after all, humans and there will (more than likely - I hope I'm wrong) selfish or just plain bad ones amongst us.

Anyway. I liked this book.

206 - Farmers' Market; 207 - Staff Jennings

One of the tables at the farmer's market on Sunday. The photo doesn't do it justice, it was so very colorful and pretty and vibrant. I took a few photos, but it was blazing sunshine on half of the stuff and totally shaded by the tents on the other half. I photoshopped the above to death trying to even out the light and dark areas.

Staff Jennings. A Portland landmark sign. They are now shut down and the sign will be gone eventually. I believe they are making room for the new bridge which should be built, oh, anytime in the next 5 years. Maybe longer. Who knows. I am happy with myself for actually taking the signs portrait. I've been meaning to do just that for months. I have a lot of good intentions, I just don't always follow through. This is one time that I did.

205 - Wheel

Got to hang out with my BFF this weekend. We rode bikes, walked, ate and drank and chatted and movie-fested. I felt like I was the one on vacation. I could to that more often.

204 - Just Be

Trying not to over focus on the details. Feel like I'm getting lost in them. you know, can't see the forest for the trees. This is the first time in my life that I understand that saying.

203 - Rubblefield

I was trying to think of some clever way to title this in a Flintstone neighborly way. You know, Betty and Barney. I'm just not creative like that. No, I don't think any of my two readers are inept at getting the gist of stuff, its just that I don't think I'm probably all that good at being subtle or cutesy with wordage. (My blog, my made up words.) Mister spent 6 hours yesterday (photo taken this morning at approximately 6:34AM) breaking up the concrete in our back yard with a 60 pound jack hammer. We've officially broken ground (pun intended - is that a pun when its real...or maybe just dual meaning'ed.....[again, my blog - just sayin']...anyway) on our garage. It will not really be a garage according to my personal definition - you know - a place to park my vehicle out of the elements. But will be more of a shop / storage unit / place for Mister to work on projects and to store his baby blue, VW Rabbit truck. AKA, the love of his life - you know, in addition to me and our Harley. I'm not sure which of the three of us is in the #1 position. I'm not gonna ask.

202 - A rose is a rose is a rose

... and I really do adore most of them.

201 - My Shadow

I realize my blog has changed directions of late. Well, maybe more that 'of late'. Its mostly my 365 photos. I figure, at least its something. At least I haven't completely abandoned my pet project. Its just that I don't have much to say lately. I'm sure that will all change some day, sooner or later. For now though, I feel like I need to be part of the scenery, a shadow melded with some other shadows - hopefully in an artful way. I'm still here, I'm just pondering and trying to keep my head above water. I would like to know what's up with you. If you are of a mind to share such things.

Cookin' Canuck

I ran across this food blog Cookin' Canuck just recently. I actually got the link from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen submittal site. I haven't searched the site history a ton, but, the few recipes I checked out sound interesting. I put a link on the sidebar, let me know what you think.

199 - Disney & 200 - Gate

A neighbor's yard. I have no words.

The back gate, well, to my mom-in-law's house. I think I might spend too much time over there taking pictures. What do you think.

197 - Daisies & 198 - The Gift

The Shasta Daisies are in full bloom in my neighborhood. This is just me trying to get a new angle on them. I think my favorite part is the leafy green background.

I am now old enough to have friends who have been married 21 years. I never really thought about those sorts of things, but now that it is happening, I do. 21 years. Holy monkey! The '67 Ford Mustang above was a 15 year wedding anniversary gift one of our friends gave his wife. I don't want a Mustang, although I would enjoy a Mercury Cougar quite a bit. What would be your dream play vehicle?

195 - Everyday & 196 - A View

This first is another of my endeavoring to photograph everyday things and places and stuff in my life. Its not all that exciting, but it is the top of our living room entertainment system (if you want to go that far) and the wall behind it. The photograph on the wall I bought at a show. Its difficult to see, but its a doorway with a patch of light on the ground. I like doors and it just spoke to me when I first saw it. The framed pictures on the cabinet are just one of my 'things'. I really like having photographs of my family around. I don't see them as often, in real life, as I would like. This is a comforting way for me to be at peace with that. I don't normally go for the stylized (for lack of a better term) photos. You know pics that are rendered completely different from their original. But, I play around with it once in awhile. When I sort of accidentally came upon this version, I really liked it. It just felt rigth at the moment.

Responsibility - by Boho Girl

I read THIS post by Boho Girl today.

It is so obvious and yet I so needed to hear it today. The basics are this: Denise was asked a question "what is the best piece of advice you've ever received". And her (abreviated) response is below. Totally go check out her post, and her blog for that matter, for all the amazing details.

...I was in my early twenties,snuggling up with my friend Suzi, she shared with me something her father had told her when she was upset about how someone had treated her. He said "always take responsibility for your own happiness."I remember feeling like a wide space opened up in my heart when first hearing this. It really shifted things for me. I, like so many people, had spent moments in my life being a victim when I was hurt or feeling alone or misunderstood. This idea of taking responsibility for my own happiness felt so empowering. This realization was both beautiful and hard. You mean I was fully responsible for my choices and actions and I couldn't really blame anyone in my life today or in my past? Wow...that takes work. A lot of work but oh how much richer my life has been and how much more peaceful my relationships are when I remember this...

So, its not an exact quote. I've edited it for space and for my personal use. Its something that I try to keep in my heart every day, but let's face it, I don't. I don't think I feel like a victim in life, but I think its often easier to look outside ourselves to find the source of unhappy. I mean, it so much less work if you don't personally have control over this stuff. Right?! But how enlightening and freeing and eye opening if we each take responsibility for ourselves in this realm. The world could/would probably be a much better place.

194 - Day to Day

I've been trying to focus, of late, on photos that depict every day life, for me that is. I take some of the most mundane photos and I don't post them as my daily, well, because they are just so very boring to me. I did, however, get lucky with the above photo. Daisies from my mom in law's yard in a vase on our dining room table. I liked the silhouette of the fresh new orchid against the window in the background. The slight sepia tone from the diffused light. And the diamond pattern window film we have on our dining room windows gave the whole thing a lovely texture and made it feel like, well, like summer. You know, summer, not too hot and a little bit lazy. A little bit washed out and full of possibilities, but no pressure. I guess maybe summer vacation to a 10 year old.

It all made me very happy. I'm hoping it will give you a teensy bit of happy too.

193 - Bananas

I think there must be an app for the iphones or droids or whatever fancy phone is out there that makes any photo taken look as if it was taken with a Polaroid camera. I keep seeing them on the internet and I know that all these people don’t have Polaroid film. As you are aware I’m sure, I’ve been learning to use Photoshop in the last year or so. And since my current obsession is Polaroid looking photos, I’ve been looking for a free preset action on the internet to do just this. I can find them, but they just add a white border around the photo. It looks like a white border around a photo. I want it to look real. It needs to be not quite bright white and maybe a little smudgey from people handling it and it probably has a few wrinkles in it from the shaking. You know, the shaking of the Polaroid photo. Everyone did it. Turns out it didn’t actually speed up the processing at all, but, we all thought it would. I haven’t been able to find a preset and I haven’t quite figured out my own process for doing what I want. In the mean time, I’ve, sort of, cheated, maybe cheated. Maybe I’m just being creative or ingenious. Take your pick. For the above photo, I took someone else’s Polaroid looking photo off FB, cut out their photo and added my own. It works for now. But I can’t wait to get my own version figured out too. Oh, and this photo was taken in my mother in laws kitchen through her kitchen door glass. I had fun with the reflections, which you probably can’t see, but I know they are there. So, I’m good with that.

Just Watched: Priceless

My mother-in-law rented this movie and shared it with Mister and me. I saw that it had Audrey Tautou in it of Amelie fame. She's rather adorable. I was intrigued. It was a fantastic movie. It grabs your attention from the first scene - expensive things being purchased - all you see is the items with labels like Chanel and the credit card being slid across the counter to the store clerk(s). Ahhh, to have money.... anyway.... its a story about many things but mostly about love and life and living... really living.

When you first meet Irene - Audrey Tautou's character - you like her then you run the gammut of emotions in connection with her, at least I did. Its the same with the other main character, the guy in the film, can't rememeber his name.

I totally recommend this movie, Mister and I both liked it. I would watch it again.

PS - Its not all that easy to write reviews about movies and not give away the story. You know? Maybe its just me.

190, 191 & 192 - the weekend encapsulated

Mister and I spent last weekend with my parents. They live at the coast. I love it there, the coast. The coast of anywhere really. When we left town, traffic was miserable. The drive to Salem, which usually takes less than an hour, took us an hour and a half. Oh, and it was 104 degrees according to the temperature sensor in my vehicle as we sat in traffic. We decided to hedge our bets and head toward the west sooner than we normally do. Just south of Salem, we took an exit and headed into the sunset. (The sun didn't actually set for another few hours.) We stopped in a little market and bought glazed old fashioned donuts - YUM! I don't usually snack while we travel, but, it needed to happen. By the time we got to the coast, we needed food. We stopped a the Rogue Brewery. Mister's burger was good, my ceasar salad left a lot to be desired - hence me knowing how good Mister's burger was. This photo below, is the bridge right next to the Rogue Brewery in Newport. It was a beautiful evening albeit a bit windy. But, that's hard to tell in this pic.

We hung out with my parents at their home, which is just outside of the town they live in. They have a gorgeous piece of property. Its serene and quiet and lovely and homey and makes me nostalgic and sad all at the same time. This is a photo from their driveway looking across the lower portion of their 'spread'. Its just a lovely little valley.

The next day, we drove home up the coast to stay out of traffic and to enjoy the nice weather. We stopped, again, in Newport for a late lunch and photographed a few boats in the harbor. I love boats. I really love photographing them.

189 - Daisy(s)

I saw a patch of these daisies somewhere. I didn't have my camera with me. I made a mental note to go back and get a picture. Unfortunately, I didn't make a mental note of where they were. (duh!) I ran across another patch of them and actually had my camera with me. The light was so amazing. Just the one daisy was lit up like a beacon. I fell in love immediately.

188 - Rosebud

My favorite rose. It has bloomed this year. I am treasuring it. I fear this may be its last.

Beauty is but fleeting.

Its a good thing to be reminded of on occasion.

Just Watched: Nine

Nine with Daniel Day Lewis, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren and a whole cast of other amazing actors. I like a good musical. The caveat being a "good" musical. Nine totally fit the bill. Mister wasn't all that into it, in fact, he didn't watch the whole thing.

Guido, a famous Italian film director, struggles with his latest project. He has nine influential women in his life. They each play a very different role in his life from his mother, his wife, his muse to each of the other nine. I liked how they each intertwined to weave the story of Guido's life. I think he knows the part of the individual women, but I don't know that he understands how they, combined, influence his decisions.

Daniel Day Lewis - he's delicious in just about everything he does and a talented actor too - in my opinion anyway. He doesn't disappoint. Neither do any of the other characters.

I would very much recommend this film. If you have some difficulties and the beginning, it moves a bit slow at first, keep with it. I was very happy, in the end, that I did.

187 - If I Must

As you may remember, I am working in the whole self-portrait thing. I figured if I'm going to do it, that maybe I should try to be a bit creative. Plus, it shows less of actual 'me' this way. I can handle that better. Its harder than you think, btw, to take a photo of yourself in a mirror. Especially a small mirror. I probably took 23 photos, most of which didn't even have me in them. I finally resorted to setting down the mirror and moving myself and the camera around bits at a time to get me in the mirror.

Seriously, try it some time. You, your camera and a small handheld mirror. I would love to see what you come up with.

186 - Blue Herons

I know they don't look all that blue in this photo. The zoom on my little camera isn't all that powerful.

I was riding my bike the other morning and there were probably 25(?) blue herons in Oaks Bottom - a tidal backwater (do you call it tidal when its off a river?) Ok, I just Googled Oaks Bottom and it technically a floodplain and wildlife refuge. So, anyway... I adore blue herons. I don't really even know why, other than the are so beautiful and majestic with their feathered crowns. When I bought my first house, it was on a creek which was in a greenbelt. There was this grand daddy blue heron that came each year to fish from the pond and the stream. He was distinct - I guess that's possible in a bird - you could totally recognize that it was the same bird. He had.... mannerisms, a walk and a slightly disheveled look about him. Strange to now think back on it. I would peer out my window and see him (not sure why I presume it was a him...) slowly stalking up and down the creek, fishing for dinner, or breakfast. The neighbors said he had been coming for years. I saw him for several and then never again. A few years later, there were other blue herons, but they didn't keep returning, at least as far as I could tell.

Anyway, that was when I fell in love with these leggy creatures. It could have been the bird, my love affair with my first home, or any of a myriad of other factors. Whatever it was, I look for herons now whereever I go.

There were all these herons, I had my camera which is rare on a bike ride so I snapped a few shots.

Wow, I've got to get a life.

PS - How crazee fortunate am I to live in a place right next to a wildlife refuge?! *sigh*

PPS - I think that all that white stuff on the surface of the water is the pollen from the million cottonwoods around the area. When they bloom, or release their blooms, or whatever it is that they do, it literally looks like its snowing the air can be so filled with the white poofs. Along the bike trail, it looks as if there is snow on the ground.

185 - Beauty in odd places

Now that "summer" is here (ahem) I'm trying to ride my bike to work. Its really hit and miss, but I'm working towards it being something I do more and more. The bike path I ride is along the river. This pole or tower base or whatever it is that I ride by, always has graffiti on it. I think "I should stop and take a pic". I don't usually have my camera with me and I don't usually want to take the time to stop. But this day I did on both counts. I don't know that there's anything all that special about this particular graffiti. I don't know what it means or symbolizes, if anything. I just like the colors.

184 - Family

My brother and his wife were for about 24 hours last weekend. I really adore spending time with them. I really wish we lived closer together. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to move closer to them. So, I'll just have to enjoy the visits.

183 - Apps

After I chose this photo, did some cropping and posted this, I realize, I think my brother took it. He and his wife were in our home for a little over 24 hours, a layover between their home and their vacation. I'll take whatever I can get in time with them, so not complaining. Mister and I had set out some noshy bits, baguette, salami, basil, beets, grapes, boiled eggs and I bro and I were drinking gin and tonics. We were playing with the camera. I am absolutely unsure if he took this or if it was me. Do you do that? Forget things. Things that seem like they should be so very, very obvious?

182 - Stairmaster

I am one of those people you see walking down (or up) the stairs next to the escalator. I will also walk next to the moving sidewalk thingys at the airport. Its just me. I was taking some stairs the other day and had my camera with me. I usually see something I think might be fun to photograph, alas, camera nowhere to be found.

Do you take the stairs?

181 - Harlo

A friend's son's pitbull. Truly he and another pitbull I met at about the same are the only pitbulls I've ever known. Really changed my mind about them. I'm not even sure why I had the vague opinion about them that I did. I really think its because I don't find them all that cute. So, it was just easy to lump them in the "not interested" category. Harlo, pictured above, is the sweetest lap dog (if you'll let him). He just wants to cuddle with you and is friendly and sweet. The only thing scary about him is his tail. He'll wag it so happily it will nearly give you welts. Not that it actually does.

180 - Harley through the Japanese Maple

He's always an easy subject.

Friday and a long weekend on the horizon

For reasons I won't go into, I've just had absolutely zero energy for blogging. Oh, its in my head and my heart, but not in my fingers for the typing or my eyes for the reading or my back for the sitting in the chair. I feel a bid bad when I neglect this little space of mine. Its mine. And I like sharing it with you. What have I been doing since I chatted with you last? Here's the abridged version of events with a promise to do my best to catch up with the filler later. Mister and I watched Nine - Fabulous; Splendor in the Grass - disturbing; tried to watch Year One - that's all I'll say on that Jack Black flop; So I married an Axe Murderer - Classic; Project 365 photos sit either on my hard drive or on the camera - unprocessed; hiked - should say tried to hike, my body is failing me these days, had to abort hike - don't want to talk about it; have missed phone calls from people I would actually like to talk with - I miss my land line, sometimes; family - crisis/issues - all calmed down now, but stressful during their time; favorite brother and his wife visiting for 24 hours - its never enough time with them; not exercising like I want - don't want to talk about it; work is crazy for no good reason; am glad I can call up some people and just hearing their voice on their outgoing voice message can make me smile and feel ... softer...less harried. I think I'll end on that positive note.

Have super-d-duper long 4th of July weekends!!

Ciao!