288/365 Creepy

"Not So Creepy"

I learned today that photographing creepy is definitely not my forte.  I always consider it a good day when I learn something new.

287/365 Around the Corner

"Around"

The intended goal for today was to focus on roads or paths and their leading lines.  I figured I would take a walk on my favorite walking path that is not far from home.  It has a lot of foliage and often nice reflections in the water.  I walked along a took a few photos from various spots, but nothing felt right.  I don't know if this was because the skies were gray and overcast, weather which I really do love, or just that I was just plain tired.  This particular park has a lovely seating area that overlooks the water.  In the middle is a huge tree with a circular bench around its trunk.  Today I was fascinated with the lines and curves in the bench.  And, that sort of fit the prompt.  It did!  Sort of…if you use your imagination!  The photo is kind of abstract but I like it.  

Then there is the path itself...

"Rounded Corners"

286/365 Tradition

"Happy Dance"

After church and a nice brunch at our favorite local cafe, Weber and I went to the Santa Fe Days celebration in Carrollton.  Relatively speaking, this is a small festival, but one that is enjoyable and was manageable in the little bit of time we had before Resounding Harmony rehearsal this afternoon.

Artists of all kinds had booths filled with Native American paintings, jewelry, weavings, photographs, food and public service information the culture.  There were also drummers and dancers.  Though it was a little misty, the temperatures were cooler than they have been in a long time so we were able to fully enjoy being outside.

We can't seem to get away from this place without spending money.  Last year we got some gorgeous watercolors from a Taos artist.  When he wasn't on the list of vendors returning this year, we thought we might be able to save ourselves some money.  Wrong.  We did buy one piece of art that is really cool.  It is a small painting with am actual feather overlaid to look like a tree.  I suppose I could have photographed it; I'll put that on the list of things to do.  Weber also bought me a beautiful silver bracelet with lapis turquoise stones.  The one thing that I had hoped to buy as a souvenir while we were in England was some kind of bracelet.  I never found "the one."  The one I got today is "it"… exactly what I wanted.  I am so lucky to spend my life with someone who spoils me!

Despite all of those really neat things, the highlight of our day was meeting Chester Nez, the last survivor of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers from WWII.  He was there with his grandson signing and selling his memoir .  What a privilege to meet and talk with him and his family!

"Chester Nez"

The things those eyes have seen and the stories that live within…

Then there was the hoop dancer...

We had a great day!  I wish the weekend wasn't over so soon.

285/365 Close

"Saturday Morning"

It is the second Saturday of the month; that means that it is self portrait Saturday.  Woohoo! Not!  And, to make matters worse, I woke up with a horrible headache, the kind the makes morning look worse than shopping on Black Friday.  I wasn't the least bit hungry, but I was counting on a cup of coffee to at least help dull the pain.

"Caffeine: The Drug of Choice"

This is the look of someone who has not yet had enough caffeine or any other drug that might help kill a headache.  After another cup of coffee and the two Hershey's miniature dark chocolate bars that Weber brought me, I felt a little more human and facing the day looked a bit more possible.

284/365 Red Pull

"Red Pull"

It has been one of those weeks - full of the the normal stuff that drains my energy and a few extra things that drained all of my reserves as well.  All of this has left me exhausted and in a "not very good" mood.  

I went to school with Weber this morning because I am going to be serving as a mentor for kids at his school.  I am looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge.  I worked at home this afternoon trying to finish a piece for the choir at school.  I made a fair amount of progress but I am not quite done.  Another several hour stretch of time would probably get it finished, but I don't have that this weekend unless I pass on sleep which, considering my already bad mood, would be a seriously ill-advised plan.

Brooke is busy baking tonight - the normal business bread for the weekend plus the goodies for a baby shower that Erin is hosting on Sunday.  After assessing the situation in the kitchen, I came to the conclusion that dinner was not going to be prepared at our house tonight.  Weber and I went out for cheap Chinese and then when to Target.  Target is a fairly safe venue for retail therapy.  How pathetic are you when you are excited by super chunky colored pencils that are on clearance?

Dinner had passed and I had done nothing about taking today's picture; I didn't even have any ideas for the prompt "pull."  I told Weber that perhaps the best option would be to pull the cork out of a bottle of wine.  He alerted me to the fact that if I decided on this, it would literally be a one shot deal.  Hmm.  I can only have one bottle of wine?  Being the voice of reason, he said that if I couldn't get a good picture on one shot having had no wine, the chances of getting one after finishing the first bottle were slim to none.  He had a point.  

As you can see, I took the low road and photographed him pulling the cart from the cart return in the parking lot at Target.  I'm not sure which is the most pathetic - that we spent our Friday night eating cheap Chinese food and wandering aimlessly around Target or that taking a photo of said experience is the best idea I had for a photo today.

Looking at it now this photo just makes me laugh and I really need to laugh right now so I guess it all worked out.

Oh, my fortune cookie at dinner said, "My most memorable dream will soon come true."  Would that be the one where I drive a fast car through the streets of Dallas or the one where all the mean people in the world disappear?

283/365 Spider Web

"More Spider Than Web"

This is not the photo that I was hoping for today.  I had images in my mind of a beautifully symmetrical web coated with dew glistening in the morning sun - preferably one where the spider was not at home.  As you can clearly see, I did not get that picture.  As the saying goes, "Life is what happens while we are busy making plans."  This is what life had planned for me today.

As I debated whether or not to keep searching for a spider web, it dawned on me that I encountered this spider because she has a message for me.  Spider webs are indeed beautiful, but it is this creature that makes those awesome webs.  It is not right or wise to ignore the one that does the creating.  Sometimes we need to encounter and acknowledge the "not so pretty" in our world to fully appreciate the beauty beyond.  So, I owe this eight-legged creature a big "thank-you" for today's lesson, for reminding me that I ned to look at the whole picture, the foreground, middle ground and background.

For those of you who have a bizarre nerdiness streak in you, check this out.

Do you think maybe caffeine?

282/365 Practice

"Forty-seven Years of Practice"