W is for Waffles #AtoZChallenge

Our grandkids used to come spend a week at spring break and another week in the summer at our house. I loved it because we could get crazy with cooking things they chose. This day, we made waffles with store bought cinnamon rolls. You can see they met his seal of approval.

 

The grandkids are now teenagers and we've fallen off the radar for awhile. I'm glad I have images from the times we've spent together. I've always known that time flies and tried to make the most of our visits. Still ... I wish for some of those days back.

 

Do you have photos of special moments with people? Do you ever go back and think about those days?

 

love, susan

V is for Vino on the Vine #AtoZChallenge

Washington and Oregon have been made famous for their wines. Before I moved to Washington, I had never seen a grape vine. There are miles and miles of grape vines in our area which makes for fun photography. It's exciting to watch them grow in stages throughout the summer and capture the rich colors in the late fall. In some places, the air is thick with an aroma that reminds me of my childhood and Welch's grape juice. There are dozens of wineries here and it has become a huge tourist trade.

 

Do you have an industry that has made your state famous? Do you have a favorite wine? Do you love Welch's grape juice? 

 

love, susan

 

 

 

 

U is for Unlimited Love #AtoZChallenge

This image was taken at our local annual pet adoption day. I got some great shots that day but this one gets me in the feels every time I scroll past it. There was a couple looking at this dog to adopt. This moment that I captured is, to me, priceless. They ended up adopting this little one. Who wouldn't?

 

Do you have dogs? Can you relate to this image?

 

love, susan

T is for Trips #AtoZChallenge

Earlier in this blog series, I mentioned I love Spokane. This was taken at Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane, one of my favorite day trips. There is so much see in and near this great city that I think we could go every weekend and find something new. Besides Manito Park, the downtown area is fun to explore with its tall brick buildings and beautiful landscape. The restaurants and cafes offer great city cuisine that I don't find  where we live. They also have a Trader Joe's, which I try to visit every time we go. I never turn down an offer to drive to Spokane for the day.

 

Another 15 miles east of Spokane is the lovely town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which is a sweet little town to visit. Both cities make for a nice Sunday drive.

 

Have you ever been to Spokane or Coeur d'Alene? Do you have a favorite go-to place? Let's bring back the Sunday drive, shall we?

 

love, susan

 

S is for SuddenlySusan #AtoZChallenge



Hi everyone, that's me! My hubby and I were out on a motorcycle ride this day in 2008. We live in eastern Washington where I love the hot, dry weather in the summers. I remember how it felt when he shot this photo. There was a slight wind blowing wonderful, hot air in my face. Behind me is the Columbia River gorge. When we got home, my hubby pointed out the animal carcass that was 3 feet from me in this photo. Eeeks!

 

By now, you may (or not) have wondered why I named my blog Freezerburned. I grew up in Alaska and left when I was 42. I've never had the urge to go back. I hate being cold and never want to feel that cold again. SuddenlySusan is an old nickname but it is one that says a lot about me.

 

Can you guess what kind of animal that was? Do you have a story in you? What's the story behind your blog name? Do you have a nickname?

 

love, susan

R is for Rest Stop #AtoZChallenge

This is Starvation Creek on I-84 in the gorge, not far east of Portland. My hubby and I like to make a rest stop and bathroom break here on our way home from visiting family. This place has provided me many opportunities for photo images to add to my files. There is a nice trail we can walk to stretch our legs before we continue the 4 hour trip home. In the 8+ years we've been driving to Portland, we never pass by this beautiful place without stopping. It is an unspoken rule.

 

Do you have favorite places where you love to stop? Do you have driving rules?

 

love, susan

Q is for Quote #AtoZChallenge

Oh, the things you find when you visit the cemetery!

 

I love this quote.

 

My photo walking buddy and I often have no idea what we're going to shoot when we go out together. The idea of photo walking came from the local digital photography club we belonged to. They held a photo scavenger hunt in the park once. Ever since that event, my mind was opened to the possibilities of what I can see when I go looking.

 

What is your favorite quote? Do you find great quotes in odd places? Have you ever been on a photo scavenger hunt? Idea: It would be great thing to do with the grand kids who have cell phone cameras!

 

love, susan

P is for Pure Joy #AtoZChallenge

This image is from an afternoon trip we took to the country for a visit. It is not often I am envious of other people's material things but I'll admit I felt jealous over the acreage these dogs enjoy every day. I have 3 dogs and it takes a concerted effort to get them to a wide open space to run. Sometimes I feel like I've cheated them out of a very good life for that reason alone. Otherwise, they couldn't have it any better. When I do take my dogs out, I wonder if they later dream about running free like this image.  I would.

 

Do you have a place for your dogs to run? Do you ever have guilt about not getting them out enough?  Have your felt envious of other people's stuff?

 

love, susan

O for Orange #AtoZChallenge

Our local library has a beautiful community volunteer garden. We had lived here 3 years before I heard about it. It has become one of my favorite local locations for taking photos of friends and is where I shot this image. The colors change with the seasons. This winter some friends wanted to do outdoors photos there because we had an unusual amount of snow. They all dressed up in their Sunday best and met me at the garden. The session was fairly quick because I don't cold much any more.

 

There is so much see in this world when I take the time to stop and investigate.

 

Does your hometown have a community garden? Do you have a favorite place you like to visit locally that maybe you didn't know about for a long time? Are there places you haven't visited in your town or city but have always wanted to? What keeps you from going?

love, susan



N for Not Forgotten #AtoZChallenge

This is my friends' dog, Hercules, who died at a much too young age. I had seen him probably a week before he took ill and the vet just couldn't save him. I was honored and glad that I had images of him when they asked so they could choose one to place on the little wooden box urn with his ashes. You can see he was a beautiful example of the beagle breed. I love this image because I feel like I can see right to his heart through his beautiful eyes. And, you should have felt how soft those ears were. Gone but not forgotten.

 

If you've kept up with my A to Z so far, you can see that documenting life is important. Do you take photos for other people? 

 

love, susan

M for Married in Michigan #AtoZChallenge

This photo was taken one night while I was taking a walk with my son and my lovely daughter-in-law in old town Lansing. There was a wedding reception going on in the building to the right of this car where the window was the full face of the store front and we could see the wedding party dancing. My son was horrified that I would even think about lifting my camera to take their picture so I relented and just captured the car instead. When I look at it, I remember that walk with my kids. It was a really special trip.

 

Do you have moments in time that you remember vividly? Do you have a photo of it?

 

love, susan

 

 

L is for Love With Skin #AtoZChallenge

As part of my series in the A to Z Challenge, here is L.

This is my friend, Rosemary, with some of her reasons for living. When we get invited to go out to her place, I always take my shooter and I am never disappointed with my takes. She is a great subject because she doesn't pay any attention to my lens and just carries on with the business of feeding and loving her animals. As you can see, the love is mutual.

 

Who is your love with skin?

 

love, susan

K is for Kids #AtoZChallenge

This post is in my April series of A - Z Challenge.

Kids Spell Love: 
T - I - M - E

 

When I'm carrying a camera, I see things I may miss otherwise. Most times I go out in the world with zero expectations about what I'll find to shoot. It's better that way. Keeping an open mind and a ready camera is best when looking for messages. This may have been taken on a long road trip, or a Sunday drive. I don't remember.

 

Do you go on Sunday drives?
Where do you go?
Do you pack a picnic?
Do you take pictures?

 

love, susan

J is for Japanese Garden #AtoZChallenge

We're halfway through the A - Z Challenge and this is perhaps my favorite photo in this series.

My favorite destination these days is the Manito Park gardens in Spokane, Washington. Pictured here is the Japanese Garden, which is one of several themed patches of beauty in this park. When I visit any botanical gardens, the Japanese garden is always my favorite, followed closely by butterfly houses. This image was shot on a clear September day. I wish you could see the rest of this park ... you'd be amazed! Just writing this makes me want to get in the car and go tomorrow.

 

Do you have a botanical garden near where you live?  Have you ever visited a botanical garden?  

 

love, susan

I is for In Lansing, Michigan #AtoZChallenge

I know.  My "I" is a stretch.

I've only been twice but I love the capital building in Lansing, Michigan. It is set dead-center of a street where I can go stand in the middle of a mini garden to shoot a pic. This one I took on our last trip there in May, after having dinner with our kids at a downtown watering hole. I wish you could see the inside of this historic building. It is worth half a day to venture through. I'd like to think most capital buildings are worth seeing.

 

Have you been to your state's capital building? Did you go inside? Did you think about all the laws that are made there, and how it must feel to have that for a work place?

 

love, susan

H is for He Who Humors Me #AtoZChallenge

My hubby is a great sport when it comes to having his picture taken. I discovered this location near the airport where the backgrounds are colorful and run down. I wanted to test it before I took a family there for a photo shoot. Since this day, I've taken quite a few people to this great location for a shoot. I keep thinking I should start a file listing my favorite locations but haven't done it yet.

 

Do you have favorite places you go to take photos? Do you have a favorite spot where you write or make art or read?

 

love, susan

 

 

G is for Get the Shot #AtoZChallenge

The Saturday Market in Pasco, Washington is a great place to go for colorful shots. I truly love to capture people randomly but I'm still a big scaredy cat when it comes to asking permission to take a stranger's photo. So, I stand back with a long lens. 

 

What is it about your craft that scares you? 

 

love, susan

F is for Flight #AtoZChallenge

Every April, the pelicans fly in for fishing at a levy near my home in Eastern Washington. I never tire of traveling out to Horn Rapids to watch them eat and fly. I didn't realize how magnificent these birds are until I saw them form a ballet in the sky. My favorite scene is when they come in for landing. By this time of year, the temperatures are perfect for bird watching and definitely a welcome sight after a long week at the office.

 

I'm grateful to have a hobby that takes me outdoors to see the wonders in this world. Sometimes I have to shoot a hundred frames to get one good shot. I don't mind.

 

What is your favorite hobby? Tell me about it!

 

love, susan

 



E is for Evening Shoot #AtoZChallenge

This is a young friend I've been photographing for two years. She loves to find new locations and took me to a sand dune near my house last fall to shoot senior pics. How I have lived here for 8 years and did not know about this spot is beyond me. We had been shooting all afternoon and this was our last stop in a race against sundown. I love how this one turned out. It doesn't hurt that she is the cutest thing on two legs.

 

This day reminded me how important it is to have friends of all ages and from all walks of life. They know things.

 

What have you learned from your friends? Do you find new places where you live and wonder how it escaped you?

 

love, susan



D is for Day Trips #AtoZChallenge

 

 

This image is from a day trip my buddy and I took to Spokane. She hadn't been up there for at least 20 years and I don't need much of an excuse to get in the car to go. We visited the riverfront in downtown Spokane as well as Manito Park, Trader Joe's, and the downtown U.S. Post Office (great old federal building). She loved going to Trader Joe's maybe the most.

On this day, we went into the old post office to see what kind of photos we could capture. This post office has those original vintage mailbox doors with gold colored combination locks on them. They don't make them like that anymore.

This photo conjures up great memories of that day.

 

Do you ever take day trips?
 

love, susan