Speaking of Spring

I found out that my friend Sharon submitted a few photos to "First Person" on the MSNBC Web site and they were posted in a slideshow called Spring Blooms. Two of them were selected as Editors' Picks. Other people submitted some great shots as well, so if you like spring and flowers, you might want to take a look.

I have to admit to having Spring Fever. Seeing all the flowers blooming and grass greening the hills is making me want to go outside and play. But, since it's been cloudy and rainy, I've been having fun playing inside instead. Yes, I am trying to be creative. Scary. Anyway, I just finished adding this card to my Zazzle store. These snowdrops are always the first thing that makes me realize spring is coming when they voluntarily appear in my yard every year — a special surprise. I poked around online for a quote to match my delight. Maybe someone will be inspired to pass along some springtime joy to her friends.

Sitting quietly, doing nothing... by dragonflyseye

Browse Expressions Cards

New Cards Added to My Zazzle Store

I have finally created cards from a few of my more recent images. Hope to be working on more soon! Thanks for checking in...

Spring has Sprung!

I've been waiting for the rain to subside so that I could capture a shot of the cherry blossoms that have been appearing in our neighborhood over the past few weeks. Wednesday afternoon I remembered to take my camera along when I walked the dogs. Of course, they are not really very interested in holding still while Mommy stands around making clicking noises with her silly machine, so a lot of the shots I took were rather blurry. I guess that's what you get for trying to multi-task.

A Valentine

In honor of my sweetheart, husband, soul mate,

I share this poem for Valentine's Day:


salamander days, desert voyages,
misty pre-dawn mornings;
with you, magic is not illusion

with you, coyotes call at midnight
heralding safe passage,
blessing our journey

with you, action becomes effortless
touch becomes language
thought becomes reality

with you, earth bares herself
embraces me
welcomes me home

with you, I am beauty
I am peace
I am whole


October 6, 2000

Emerald Isle

I've been poking through photo files and found this, one of my favorite images from our September hike up Mt. Whitney. I spied this tiny island of moss and grass in Lone Pine Creek near Outpost Camp. It must certainly be a happy home to some miniature denizens of the wilderness?

The Land of Enchantment

My husband and I had the extreme pleasure of traveling to New Mexico to spend the Christmas holiday in Taos. I had wanted to go somewhere "wintery" and I certainly got my wish. We had snowy days and bright, sunny, below-freezing days - and all of it was perfect. Naturally, we packed as much into our time there as possible, visitng art galleries and seeing the sights in both Taos and the surrounding areas. Because I faced a crisis with an ailing dog for a couple weeks in January, I'm still working on getting some of my photos ready to put on my Zazzle site, but in the meantime I thought I could post the slideshow we created to share our journey with family and friends.

Santa Barbara Tea Fire

Since I tinker with photography, I naturally enjoy the photography of others -- especially the real professionals. Someone just sent me the link to these amazing images that Alan Kim Boling, Jr. captured of the Tea Fire burning in Santa Barbara in November. It's always surprising how something can be horrifying and beautiful at the same time.

These images are especially powerful for me, because I grew up in Santa Barbara and my parents had to evacuate. I spent a sleepless night watching from afar as images like this appeared online, the line of fire marching uphill toward their home. Fortunately, their neighborhood was spared.

The Stunning Sierra Nevada

My husband and I backpacked up to Mt. Whitney last week. We've done it before (4 times for him, 2 times for me), but it never ceases to be an awe-inspiring trip. We take four days to do it so that we can truly enjoy ourselves.

Two of my favorite photos are the sunset and sunrise we experienced at Trail Camp. The trail to the summit of Whitney winds along the back side of the ridgeline in these shots - Whitney itself is the right-most peak in the first one.

Argiope aurantia

The latest addition to our "family" is this beautiful spider. We ignored her presence from afar for a while, thinking she was one of the more "ordinary" spiders we get this time of year, but upon closer inspection she turned out to be quite a beauty. Her common names are Golden Orb-weaver (California), Yellow Garden Orbweaver, Writing Spider (due to the zig-zag part of her web), or Black & Yellow Argiope.
Wrapping up breakfast.