Holiday Week Life List

LOOKING OUT MY WINDOW It's still dark. Right now as I write this, it is 39 degrees with a promise to rise to 55 today and partly cloudy. It can rain for all I care as I will be indoors pushing paper.

AS I PONDER The news from the weekend locally was not good. A local woman was kidnapped for ransom and they found her body yesterday. She was a 69 year old grandmother. Disturbing. 

WHAT I AM LEARNING To try to incorporate some happy news into my life so the bad news doesn't take over.

WHAT I AM CREATING I started a new project this week called a Bullet Journal. I bought a brand new journal for it. It's an obsessive compulsive person's dream journal. When I get a little further along with it, I'll share a photo. There is no limit to what can go in it. Google it!

WHAT I'M READING I am waiting for a new book to arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, I am reading the stacks of magazines I've saved up on my home office desk. America's Best State Parks Backpacker right now. I'm not a backpacker but there are some pretty photos in this rag and an article titled "Take Photos Like a Pro: 16 Tips on Light, Composition & More".

WHAT I'M WATCHING I didn't watch anything over the weekend. We were busy at a toddler's birthday party and then we took a long Sunday drive yesterday to Ellensburg and Yakima. No time for tv. I'm okay with that. 

WHAT I'M HEARING This morning, I'm hearing the whiz of the heater fans blowing in warm air. And, my border collie shifting places on the floor. She likes to position herself just outside my office door so she can guard me. I love hearing her move positions so that she can watch me and watch for any trouble. Comforting.

WHAT'S ON MY CAMERA:  

This is what's left of a frittata I made for my hubby this weekend.
It was inspired by the many photos my son and daughter-in-law put up
on FB of the gourmet dishes they ate in New Orleans last week.
I love making frittatas on the weekend with the leftovers in my fridge.

 

 

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY KITCHEN I made a trial run of a dessert I'm taking to work tomorrow for the Slow Cooker Contest. The best slow cooker will win $15 and bragging rights. Other than that, I'm going to stuff us with salads this week as we go into the holiday season. I've got pre-cooked items in the freezer I'll pull out and warm up. I love to prepare soups and freeze leftovers for later. 

A QUOTE I WANT TO SHARE:

When elephants fight,

it is the grass that suffers.

Ancient proverb of the Kikuyu people, a tribal group in Kenya, Africa.

 

A PEEK INTO MY WEEK:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: work. 
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: play, eat, rest, walk the dogs, watch a movie, take some photos, have fun.

 

A FINAL THOUGHT My Aunt E died last week. She was 96 plus 2 months old. I will always remember her best as the person who was sitting at the tiny library in a little one-horse town in Oregon. She loved that library and was quite invested in it. She was a very busy person who never smoked or drank. She lived a farmer's life and I think volunteering all those years kept her healthy. She always had a smile on her face and was outspoken but never rude (to me). There is much to be learned from our elders.

love, susan

This Week's Life List

LOOKING OUT MY WINDOW The skies are blue and the wind is blowing. Most people around here hate the wind. I can stand it as long as the sun shines. When I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, I could take the below zero temps as long as the skies were blue. Same here. 

AS I PONDER the election results last week, I feel better every day that goes by. I've been thinking non-stop about the election. I have an opinion about the whole thing but I've decided to do my best to be helpful where I can. Complaining is not going to be helpful right now. Action is my watch word today.

WHAT I AM LEARNING I just finished up a 6-week dog class where I learned to "heel" with my youngest dog. I'm learning that she requires a lot more work than the other two did and that I will get out what I put in as far as training goes. What a blast! And, oh, this week I made my own reservations for a trip I'm taking in April to Nashville with a friend. I don't fly often and never make my own plans so this was huge for me. Technology sometimes brings on a little fear but I laugh in its face.

WHAT I AM CREATING This is a tough one. I haven't been creating much of anything lately. I'm definitely happier when I am doing something creative. I'd better think about this and get busy.

WHAT I'M READING I just finished reading Leah Remini's "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology". I could hardly put it down. Soooooo interesting! I don't have another book lined up just yet so I made a deal with myself that I am going to read every inch of the most recent AARP Magazine sitting my desk. Warren Beatty is the feature story.  It will not be difficult to keep this deal with myself. Don't you just love Warren Beatty????

WHAT I'M WATCHING Please don't judge me.  I'm in the sixth season of HBO's "Californication".  It is so naughty but I am in love with the characters. Hank Moody, a writer with serious writer's block, (played by David Duchovny) is as messed up as anybody I've ever known. And, so likeable. This series has some really raw scenes that I wouldn't want to watch with my grandkids but it has heart. I recommend it for my open-minded friends. 

WHAT I'M HEARING:  People are saying we're going back 50 years.

WHAT'S ON MY CAMERA: 

Shot very early Sunday morning at sunrise near my house.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY KITCHEN: Last night I baked a big chunk of red salmon a friend gifted to us. Ever since that colonoscopy I had done last week, I've been haunted by the gory photos my doctor gave me of my colon. It is incentive enough to eat well every day.

A QUOTE I WANT TO SHARE:

This too shall pass 

A PEEK INTO MY WEEK(END): We've been invited to a one year old's birthday party on Saturday. I will be the photographer. I am hoping to go for a Sunday drive to someplace interesting with my hubby.

A FINAL THOUGHT: If you got this far, I thank you for following my blog posts and reading me. I've been processing my feelings about the election and trying to remain positive. I've also been thinking about the word "Improve".  I think it was the word I chose for my theme for 2016. I haven't done so well improving. It's not too late though.

This blog post idea came from a blogger I follow. She posts this list every Monday and I think it is such a terrific idea that I'm going to give it try. I find myself so empty lately and without enthusiasm to write.  So, a big shout out and thank you to Paula over at Smidgens Bits and Snippets for her ideas!

love, susan

Game Changers

A body in motion tends to stay in motion.

That's right.

Last May, for my birthday, my son and his lovely wife gave me a FitBit. It's one of those little bitty electronics that I can clip on myself just about anywhere and it tracks how many steps I take every day.  Game changer.

I have worn that thing nearly every single day (and night) since it arrived. It it is a reminder to me when I think about taking the elevator to go up one floor (I know, right???) that it will not count my stair steps. I have the kind of mind & body that will always take the easy route. There hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't had this little conversation in my head.

Lazy Susan: "Stairs? Nah, elavator."
FitBit Susan: "It won't count."
Lazy Susan: "You can always take the stairs later today."
FitBit Susan: "It won't count later. Take the stairs."

Game changer.

About a year ago, I was gifted with a wonderful new co-worker who is health-wise in many ways. One day I said outloud that I had a craving for a soda and she non-chalanty said, "what you really want is water, Susan".   Game changer. She said the funny thing about drinking water is that once you start drinking it, you'll want it. She is right about that. I rarely drink soda but even less now that I started drinking H2O. 

Game changer.

Yesterday, I dusted off the treadmill. It has been ignored for ... mmm ... at least 6 months. It still works.  And, so do my legs.  I logged 15,000 steps yesterday between the moving sidewalk and my work escapades. I'm pretty sure that's the most I've logged since May. YEAH ME!  

Game changer.

Hey, I also received my new Samsung Galaxy Tablet 4 yesterday. I've been wanting a tablet for a long time so I could write while traveling. I think  it will be a game changer.

There are many other game changers in my life that I don't have time to write about this instant but you can bet the farm I'll be thinking about them today and I'll get back to you on them. 

Sharing is caring. What game changers do you have?

love, susan

R and R

My dog, Remi, knows how to rest. We often snuggle up every morning after a routine of going outside, getting fed, mama making her coffee, and finding something to sit down and read.  I finished a book last week that was so good I am having a hard time thinking about what to read next. Does that ever happen to you? So today, I sat in front of my happy light and wrote a couple of letters to friends. I wish now I had taken a few minutes to sit with Remi. I wish she could come to work with me. I wouldn't get anything done because the truth is she is not like this for long but I still wish I could have her with me all the time. She's a great companion.

 

I'm tired today. I didn't rest over the weekend like I told myself I was going to. Perhaps next weekend.

I need lessons in resting.

I've been thinking about those hot springs we visited in Montana a couple weeks ago. I sure felt great after spending a couple hours every day in them. I lived in Alaska for 30+ years and only visited Chena Hot Springs a couple of times and I'm not sure I even got in the pools. They were kind of stinky. Boy, if I could have that time back!

Maybe I could join a gym that has a Jacuzzi. That'd be like taking a vacation every single day.

I may be on to something.

love, susan

READY ~ SET ~ GO

Traveling with others is a tricky thing. Luckily, I have found a couple of high school friends who have turned out to be most excellent traveling partners. We just completed our third annual trip and we've got the beginnings of our next trip developing now.


What makes a good travel partner? 


For starters, having similar interests is important. For me, I need to travel with people who are easy-going and flexible. I like people who are okay with a change in plans. Some of the things my travel buddies like to do is stroll through gardens, eat at local restaurants, perhaps take a nap if needed. A little shopping, a little chatting, a little pool time. I'm not one who wants to spend a whole day lying around on the beach or spend more than an hour or two shopping. A little bit of everything goes a long ways with me.


Advantages  One of the great benefits of travel partners is dividing the costs of gas and lodging. On the last two girlfriend trips, we've been able to find great hotel accommodations that when split 3-ways affords us a nice, clean place to sleep. My husband and I are seasoned road travelers and the places we land can be a little rough for the average person who perhaps spends more of their budget on hotels than we do at motels. Truth be known, I can sleep anywhere. However, when it is us girls we go beyond the road motels for something a bit nicer. Read: hotel.  Motel = motor inn. Hotel = more like home. I don't need everything to be gold-plated but if you are the kind who does, this is information that needs to be communicated.    Budget is a consideration when booking lodging. I love it that my travel buddies are conscious of this. One of them was the owner of a travel agency for years and she knows the art of a deal. I personally don't have the patience for it so I'm happy she takes the lead in this. However, our next trip in April will be without our resident travel agent so we're on our own for finding housing. We've got months to look so I (we) should start now. We always confer with each other to make sure we're okay with the reservations. This is key is having and keeping a good travel partner.   Scheduling events for each day is important when you are traveling with others. What I've found the best about my two travel buddies is that we take a look at what there is to do in an area and take a poll to see what each person wants to do. We all try to be accommodating and with three people it's easy to let the majority rule. Each of us are flexible so this has worked very well.  Communication is truly key to a good travel buddy system. Planning ahead six months to a year is also a good rule of thumb. Our next trip to Nashville in April 2017 was placed on the calendar last year. With busy lives, it's good to get such things penciled so a person can do it all.

Do you have a travel partner or two? What have I missed here? Where are you going and do you have a travel partner, or two? Where have you been?  Tell me!

love, susan

Montana Trip (Third Annual GF Reunion)

The grounds at Fairmont Hot Springs

 Just got back from a fantastic week-long trip with my high school buddies. This trip started with a nice dinner meet-up with a couple of brothers we went to school with who live near Yakima. It's hard to believe 40 years has passed by since our shenanigans in school but they (and we) are no worse for the wear and tear. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

 

Kathy (Henderson-Crenshaw) and I took off Sunday morning on our road trip to Florence, Montana for a two night stay at Brenda Lanza's place. Brenda and her hubby, Scott, are always busy outdoors with landscaping and gardening but they love an excuse to stop for a bit and be the most gracious hosts in the history of hostessing. This year, we arrived after harvest. Something new this year was the bees Brenda has adopted for her fruit trees. She gave me an education in how the bees help the trees and then they hole up in a cute little box with holes in it and lay eggs(?) in cocoons. She'll gently remove those cocoons and place them in a little box in her fridge and then place them back outdoors in the spring so they can "morph". Fascinating! I wish Brenda would start a blog with all the interesting things she does at the property.

 

Back to the reunion.

 

City girl gone country!

We spent Monday in Missoula doing what girls do ... shopping, eating, and sittin' still for a pedicure. Soon after that, we put our feet up and roasted hot dogs on the bon fire at Brenda's place. They had just lifted the burn ban that had prevented them from having a fire all summer. Scott was more than happy to build a fire and eat cave-man style. That may have been the best hot dog I've ever had! There is something about cooking over an open fire that brings out the best in people. Nice conversation and the stars and Milky Way were great décor for a perfect evening. The icing on the day was the super cute little frog that tried to hop inside the door when we retired. Ah, country life!

 

The drive to Anaconda (Fairmont Hotsprings) was beautiful. Choosing the end of September for this trip was genius. The temps are still in the high 70's and the fall colors are still hanging on the trees. We stopped in Philipsburg, which is a one-horse town with great charm. We visited Montana Gems for what turned out to be one of my favorite moments of the trip ... dredging for sapphires. I learned a lot about this gem and had a blast sifting through pounds and pounds of rocks to find them. We found 10 sapphires!

The stay at the hot springs was relaxing. We had the huge pool almost to ourselves as the kids are all back in school and we chose the middle of the week to be there. On Thursday, we took a trip to Butte, which is only 18 miles from the hot springs, to tour the World Mining Museum and Berkley Pit. Butte is a photographer's dream in the old brick buildings, painted advertising on the walls, and rugged terrain. However, by one o'clock, the hot springs was calling us back and we headed to our last hours in the pool. Side note: both restaurants at Fairmont Hot Springs are something for foodies to write about. A big surprise for this traveler.

 

There is a petting zoo at hot springs!

I loved every minute of this trip. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have a good travel partner. I have TWO of them (besides my hubby) and feel like the luckiest friend on earth for that. We're already cooking up a plan for next year's adventure which looks like will be Victoria B.C. and Seattle.

 

Traveling with good travel partners makes trips affordable. This topic is a whole 'nother post that I'll write soon.

 

Until then, Kathy and I still have all of today to finish this week long trip before she boards a jet back to Juneau. The sun is shining and we're going to make the best of the day.

 

Hope you have someone to travel with and that you go as often as you can.

 

love, susan

 



Lessons I Learned from a Beagle

Hercules went on to the Rainbow Bridge last week.  I didn't know he was even sick but something happened in his system and the vets tried to save him and he just didn't make it.

 

I saw him about 3 weeks ago when our good friends invited us over for fondue. Hercy (as he was fondly known) let me love on him and was in good spirits, so it was a big shock to hear he left us so quickly.

 

I know my friends are hurting. I received a text several days after he was gone, asking if I had any good photos of him. I didn't know why they were asking. My heart sank because I had just done a huge delete on my computer due to the glut of photos I keep. I was on overload. Luckily, these photos were hidden away in a folder I hadn't dumped yet. This has caused me to take paws and give much more thought to how I preserve my takes.

 

Hercules taught me something very valuable that I want to share.

 

My friends and I have done some trading of house/dog sitting. I met Hercules when they went on an Alaskan cruise for a week. He had a thing going on with his paw that was causing him some pain. He had run a course of antibiotics and the pain had returned while I was dog sitting. He was very verbal and I had a fear that he was going to bite me. My friends assured me he wouldn't and I worked through it with him and learned to comfort him even though he was grumbling. The next time I saw him, he was less grumbly and a couple weeks ago, I don't believe he grumbled even once. People can be that way. Grumbly. Read: I haven't felt my best for about two weeks and have hardly had a nice thing to say.

 

What Hercy taught me is that fear is something to be worked through. I had to trust that he wasn't going to bite me when he was telling me he was hurting. I think that's the way it is with people. That's a hard thing to work through sometimes. I am a runner. I don't like conflict. You growl at me and I just want to get far away from that. I don't want to stick around to find out what that's all about.

 

I also learned to count dogs when I first met Hercy. Our friends had only 3 dogs for quite awhile but due to some circumstances, they took Hercy in and made it an even 4. I would drive to their house at noon to let them out and give them love. The first day of that, I got in the car to go back to work and my OCD kicked in. I couldn't remember if all of them were back in the house. It was then that I started counting dogs. I do it now at my own house because I have a straggler who likes to hide back in the corner of our lot, sniffing the ground and taking her sweet time. It's easy to forget she is outdoors if I don't count.

 

All the dogs in my life had taught me valuable lessons. My heart hurts for my friends and I know it will take a long time to adjust. I'll think of him when I am grumbly or I meet people who are grumbly and try to take the lesson I learned from him. And, I'll keep a good count.

 

Be patient. Recognize. Work through it. Don't run. Count.  And, save your photos!

 

love, susan

 

 

Putting the Lost in Lost Creek

Camping isn't what it used to be for us. The older Gene and I get, the harder it is for us to keep our shit together. Between to two of us, we bumbled through this camping weekend. I was mostly pissed off the entire weekend. I'm not proud of that. Just here to admit it. While I love the fresh air, camp food, and the nice walks, I dislike packing for it and the stress of wondering if we have everything to go off the grid for two days. The thought of leaving behind the lighter for the stove keeps me awake at night. No coffee would have been the end of the world for me. 

 

This trip started off badly when we got down the road and he said, "did you happen to look in the duffle bag to make sure the tent was in there?" Honestly. Nope. I did not. Not my job. If that tent had not been there, I vowed this would be the last camping trip I take. That's how it started.  DIRECTIONS I did print directions to our destination. Or, as it turned out, what I thought was our destination. You see, this annual trek we normally take to the beach but we decided to try something different and head towards Mt. Hood. Reservations were made by someone else in our party but in my mind I thought we were heading to a lake. Lost Lake. Turns out there is a Lost Lake and a Lost Creek. After a very long, windy sojourn to Lost Lake and discovering we were not on the reservation list, I pulled out my now mostly useless phone and looked at the snapshot I took of my last conversation (thank goodness I did that!) with our daughter and said out loud, "oh, this says Lost Creek". We were on the wrong side of the blankety blank-blank mountain. Not funny at the moment but hubby assured me we would laugh about it later. Two hours later, we did. THE UPSIDE ... and I believe there is almost always an upside to everything ...  we passed a Ranger Station and stopped in to make sure we were finally on the right path. While there, hubby was able to buy an America the Beautiful Pass (formerly Golden Age Pass) in less than 2 minutes. We had been wanting to get one but it would require a trip to Umatilla, Oregon to get it and it just never seemed to fit our schedule. When we got back in the car, he sweetly looked at me and said, "this is why we went the wrong way. We were supposed to do this." You know what? I'm totally okay with that explanation. The stress of losing two hours instantly melted away and everything was okay. THE GOOD PART The rest of the weekend was filled with laughter, a few tears, more laughter, stories, Cards Against Humanity (which always brings me to uncontrollable laughter), good food, spawning salmon, a hike, and hugs. THE REALLY GOOD PART This trip is the last one before our oldest grandson heads off to college next week. His excitement is our joy. Our granddaughter talked about being on the dance team and what that means to her ... three hours of daily practice. Can you imagine? That's tenacity for you. The youngest grandson, whose voice is changing but who still gives his grandma a hug, was genuinely happy when he took the lid off the fruit bowl to find the oranges I cut up especially for him. That made me happy. We're proud of these kids and who they are becoming. CONFESSION I'll admit right here and now, I was very bitchy the entire 48 hours. I'm not good at flying by the seat of our pants any longer. I don't know when that switch happened but I need more structure than I used to. I'm going to think about that for awhile. In the meantime, I'll also keep the good things that happened over the weekend in the forefront of my mind. Some healing happened. I'm pretty sure of that.

 

love, susan



 



Nature's flower pot!



The only purple flower I saw all weekend.







9 Things I'd Rather Be Doing Today

Having just come back from the coast, I could name about a thousand things I'd rather be doing today. But in all honesty, on any given day, I'm often thinking about what I'd rather be doing than the task at hand. I've always suffered (if that's the right word) a low level of restlessness and discontent even when I'm doing the things I love.

 

Ever since I got home from the beach on Sunday night, I've been thinking about the cousin I reconnected with over the weekend. She is a little bit older than me and we spent a small amount of time together when we were very young. I spent most of Saturday parked in my chair next to her, learning about her life and what she does to stay busy these days. Although I think what people do to make a living can be interesting, I find myself wanting to know about the here and now. What do you do now that makes you want to rise up and get dressed in the morning? I asked those questions and was fascinated by her answers.

 

The things that make me want to get up in the morning are simple. Things I'd rather do today are ...

 

Walk my dogs a little farther. Work in the dirt. Write a letter. Make a journal entry. Take a photo. Read a whole book in one sitting. Cook a fabulous lunch for my hubby. Pull some weeds. Visit the library. Call a friend. The list could go on.

 

I do all these things but it seems there is limited time. The most frustrating part of living, for me, is having all these things I'd like to do and so little time. Now, it's time to close this entry and go to work.

 

What would you rather be doing today?

 

love, susan

Photography: The Process (Dedicated to My Friend, Barb Black)

I have taken tens of thousands of photos in my lifetime. Photography has never grown old for me. Sometimes I'll take extended vacations from it. Those breaks always bring with it a fleeting thought that maybe my weekend hobby has come to an end but that's a voice I've learned to ignore. The pattern interrupt is necessary for rejuvenating. In those times, I do something else. I read. I write. I cook. I take a road trip and leave the camera home. 

 

Photo documenting life has been in my blood since high school when I was on the yearbook committee. They used one of my photos in my graduating class book. I'm not sure I even have that yearbook any longer but I remember well the image of my hometown (Haines, Alaska) from a distance across the inlet. The skies were blue and it was a perfect picture, in my mind. I have a few photos from those days and all the days since then. Now with digital photography, I have to make an effort to get my favorites printed to go in the heap with the others. I use a lot of my prints to make greeting cards in hopes that my work will sit on your counter for longer than a minute before it gets thrown in the trash. Maybe you'll even frame it. That is the best compliment a photographer can receive.

The longer I stay with this craft, the more I learn about it and myself. This last couple of years has been a growing experience for me. Mostly for being brave enough to ask people to sit for me so I can practice my skills. I've met new people and pushed myself past fear. Picture making has given me way more than I've given it.
 

THE ZONE
You see, when I'm in the zone with my photography, I am never happier. With digital photography, I'm always 20 minutes away from that great moment when I open up my image files to see what I've captured. I imagine ... no ... I know it's like deep sea fishing where you've set your hook into a big fat lunker on the bottom of the ocean and you work hard to bring up your catch and that moment you see how big it is when it reaches the surface ... that's what it's like to open files after a shoot. Or, for you non-fisher people, it's like opening a beautiful, unexpected gift that you've always wanted. My husband humors me when I yell for him to come "LOOK WHAT I GOT!!!!!!"

 

Often I get great surprises. I've come to rely on them, actually. I am always nervous when I go out on a planned shoot. This last two years, I have said yes to anyone who asked me to do a session. This has included two weddings, two newborns, and countless friends of friends wanting family photos. The weddings: I only said yes because my friends had a zero budget for a photographer and as it happens, that's exactly what I charge. No expectations. No disappointments. Well, not yet that I know of. I don't want to take the fun out of it. I don't work any less than I would if I were paid. I take each project seriously. I don't know how wedding photographers manage the stress.

 

THE PROCESS
I wish I could tell you how I feel when I am in the process of making images. It is a process. The excitement starts when I get the idea for what I'm going to shoot next or make a date with a friend or total stranger for a shoot. I've had to go outside of my comfort zone to do this. Nothing is ever gained by sitting on the sidelines. Once I've made a date with someone, I start thinking about all the details like time, light, location. I always confirm my dates and am only mildly disappointed when a shoot gets canceled. Of course, I can use that time for something else but having somebody new to photograph is such a treat. Shoots typically last only 15 to 20 minutes. The real time is in the editing.

EDITING
Over the last two years, I've learned to delete a lot of photos that are not desirable. This is really hard for me and it takes discipline. On an average shoot, I come home with about 200 images. I delete the obviously bad ones. Even then, deleting is what I find the hardest about the process. Over the years, I've learned more and more about editing and I can go back and tweak old photos that I formally thought were useless. Blurry photos get deleted. Photos where mama looks bad get deleted. I read once that it is the woman in the crowd whom a photographer must please. There is a lot of truth to that. Still ... once you hit the delete button there is no turning back. I feel invested in the work I've done so you can imagine it is hard to dump it.

CONNECTION
Some photos, like the ones I am posting here, have a ton of sentimental value to me. I forget a lot of things on a daily basis but I never rarely forget details of my favorite photos. They're like children to me. Let me explain.



This photo was taken at my second wedding shoot. I was invited to come out for the rehearsal and I have to tell you this is right up there as one of my top 10 favorite photos EVER! Our friend, Brent, is so smitten with his wife and this photo shows a side of him I had not seen before. I had never met her before this evening and I found her to be warm and loving. You can tell she is both of those things in this photo. I must mention they both have a great sense of humor. And, doesn't that look like Bill Engvall behind them? That was the preacher. I smile every time I run across this in my albums.

  

This is an image I shot at a pet adoption day. It is as candid as a long lens will allow me to be. The look on this puppy's face says it all. Won't you be my forever person? It kills me every time I come across it. I think this guy and his wife adopted this baby. At least, that's the story I tell myself. I don't know that for sure. This one really gets me in the feels. 

 



This is my photo walking buddy. We have spent many Sundays walking places to find something to shoot. The remarkable thing about this image is this was taken several months after she survived Guillian Barre syndrome. That she was walking on a narrow pathway was a miracle. I fought back tears as I lifted my camera to capture this. She wasn't sure she was going to live through that episode of her life, much less be back on her feet again. We don't really talk about it. We've got pictures left to take and we're grateful for the time we both have left to spend together finding new things to shoot. I love this woman. 

 





I love this simple photo because it marks a great weekend I spent with two high school girlfriends over in Montana. Brenda has a beautiful garden and it was fun to capture the colors and here I loved the water dripping from these freshly cleaned carrots. Gardening is as much a passion for her as photography is for me. It was one of the best weekends I've spent with good friends in a long time.

 

 



Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs. These beauties belong to an acquaintance who invited us out to the country to see his new house. I love the action in this photo. There were other dogs there that night and it felt a little like what I imagine dog heaven to be, a place where dogs can run free.

 

 

 

So, I wonder.

 

I wonder what your passion is? How does it make you feel when you are participating in your life, doing the things you love to do? Do you have a "process"?  Do you get "in the zone" and what is that like? Is there a fear factor?

 

Tell me. I want to know!

 

love, susan

 

Be a Spreader of Joy

Rain in July. That's what we woke up to this morning. It is fitting for the kind of week it has been in America.

 

Shootings everywhere.

 

I can't wrap my mind around such hatred. It's not where my heart lives.

 

This morning, instead of walking in the rain I watched the news. I should have walked.

 

So many questions. I think I know the answer.

 

Just love.

 

Today, I'm going to listen to people a little better. I'm going to hug a little longer. I'm going to be a spreader of joy.

 

Yes, it's fitting that it is raining in the desert in July. It doesn't seem right that the sun would shine today.

 

love, susan