In Celebration of the Vernal Equinox

Just to Be Out of Doors

Just To Be Out of Doors! So still! So green!
With unbreathed air, illimitable, clean,
With soft, sweet scent of happy growing things,
The leaves' soft flutter, sound of sudden wings,
The far faint hills, the water wide between.

Breast of the great earth-mother! Here we lean
With no conventions hard to intervene,
Content, with the contentment nature brings,
Just to be out of doors.

And under all the feeling half foreseen
Of what this lovely world will come to mean
To all of us when the uncounted strings
Are keyed aright, and one clear music rings
In all our hearts. Joy universal, keen,
Just to be out of doors.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Wind and Sky

My husband and I took a day trip through parts of San Bernardino County yesterday, on multiple errands. At the end of the day we headed to an art show in Palm Desert to meet desert artist Carl Bray and see some of his recent paintings (we acquired one of his early ones last year). Anyway, as we were driving along I-10, the wind turbines were all a-twirl in the high winds. In the distance, a mass of storm clouds was making its way over the top of the San Jacinto Mountains. The blues and whites in the waning light were absolutely beautiful, so I had to snap some "freeway photos" as we flew by. This one captured the scene. Sometimes the machines we humans build do have a certain kind of magnificence.

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.