107/365-2 Starts With B

"Lots of B"

Something strange and wonderful happened today.  This is my Big Baby (aka my oldest daughter), the one who hates having her picture taken.  During lunch today I texted her and told her that I had fifteen minutes from when I got home from school and then had to leave again for church to get today's POTD done and she was it.  Why?  Her name is Bethany Brooke.  And though my last name is Baker, hers is nut; but, she is a baker by profession.  The letter B just surrounds.  I told her that she could call the shots (literally) regarding what kind of photos I took.  

I was pleasantly surprised when I got home from school and she was ready to go.  She was dressed cutely (in black), had braided her hair for a little extra "B" in the photo, and had her props.  Since she works at the public library, her current stack of library Books added a little more "B-ness."

I am happy to have gotten several fun shots that are truly pictures of her, not the goofy angry expressions I usually get when I point the camera in her direction.

I let Brooke decide which photo would be the official POTD.  Big surprise that she chose a black and white.  That's OK with me.  I am a fan of black and white photographs and truthfully, she is more the black and white kind.

There were even a couple of color images that Brooke said that she liked!  Miracles happened today!

I'm fairly sure that today was my lucky day!  I don't get a real photo session with her very often.  Ever?? The extra photos beyond my POTD are Bonuses - another addition to today's begins with B.

Now I'm going to Bed!

106/365-2 Where I Stand

"To-and-fro"

Today's photo prompt is one of the recurring monthly prompts for 2014.  Its goal is to encourage us to literally look at the the places in which we stand during the day.  

Though my week started off chilly, it is finally beginning to look and feel like spring in Dallas.  This makes my walk from school all the more enjoyable.  I like seeing the newly planted gardens along my way and marking their progress from week to week.  I enjoy looking to see what new colors of blooms I will spy along my way.  The birds are chirping.  The squirrels are playing.  We even have a pair of ducks that has taken up residence, if not a permanent residence at least a frequently visited vacation home, in our yard.  New life surrounds me.  Though I have to confess that fall is hands down my favorite season, spring holds a close second.

As much as I enjoy my walk, I am always happy, at the end of my day, to reach the sidewalk leading up to the front door at home.  For some reason, I seem to be overly tired this week.  The fact that I was standing at the end of today was an accomplishment in itself.

105/365-2 Siesta

"Dog Daze"

Our four-legged family members were able to indulge in a siesta today.  The rest of us had to work.  I got home a little earlier than usual and a nap definitely crossed my mind, but I was afraid that if I had gone to sleep, I would have slept until morning.  Though that might have felt good at the time, tomorrow morning when I was not prepared for the day, the goodness would have come to an end very quickly!

104/365-2 The Chicken Or The Egg

"Knowing What To Ask"

I'd like to say that this photo is the result of being tired, but in all honesty it can only be attributed to a  warped mind.

103/365-2 Comical

"Art Imitates Life"

Nothing more needs to be said here...

102/365-2 Shadow

"Goat Cheese"

We went on an adventure today.  The Heart of Texas Franciscan fellowship had our monthly meeting at Heritage Homestead just outside of Waco.  We shared a meal together at the restaurant there; most of the food is grown by the community right there on the property.  We then moved outside to a picnic table under the trees to discuss the business of the day.  Once we were done with that, the real fun started for me.  We wandered around looking at the handiwork of the woodworkers, potters, blacksmith and fiber artists.  We then strolled through their garden and the barnyard.  For me, this was picture time!

I could not resist the adorable face on this goat.  I did take some better photos than this one, but in an effort to stick to today's prompt, I am posting this one because it has at least a hint of a shadow.

For some reason I was taken with the barbed wire wrapped around the fence.

The further south we went from Dallas, the thicker the spring wildflowers got.  I have never photographed the Texas wildflowers so I was looking forward to that opportunity today.

I love the orange Indian Paintbrush.

And of course the bluebonnets.

I had that wrong lens on my camera when I noticed these cow birds in a sprawling field of wildflowers.  I did the best I could with what I had at the time.

Though I didn't take many photos with it, I am trying to use my Lensbaby a little bit each day in the hope that I will get better with it.

On our way home this evening we stopped in West and got kolaches and a cinnamon roll for sustenance on the long journey home:-)

Today was a beautiful day to be outside enjoying the sunshine and the wildflowers.  It was also nice to spend some time with friends whom we haven't seen in a while and have some new scenery to photograph.

101/365-2 Cling/Hug

"Tree Hugger"

If I had been born a few years earlier I would have made one heck of a hippie except maybe for the drugs part.  Instead, I guess I'm just a tree hugger.  

I needed to get today's photo taken this afternoon because we had plans for this evening.   The only things around to hug were the dogs and the cat.  I knew that there was no way that I could get a shot of even one of the dogs and me by myself.  They are too wiggly and way too uncooperative when it comes to photos.  I decided to give the cat a try.  She is purely an indoor cat.  Every now and then she'll sit outside on the patio in someone's lap, but she never goes outside any other way.  I thought I might have half a chance of holding on to her and getting the auto timer on my camera to work.

I like the the high contrast in this photo.  The sun was a little too harsh for "good" photos so I figured I would just go all out with the high contrast.  The cat and I had the same issues with our white hair:-)  

When Weber got home and before we left for a prayer service this evening (about 20 minutes), I managed a couple of shots of the two of us.  I didn't even look at them until we got home.  Weber was happy to help with a photo that involved hugs though he thought rather than clinging, embracing, or grasping, that groping as the prompt would have been much more fun.  And everyone thinks that he is so sweet and cooperative...