FMTSO-Water

It's been a long while since I've posted anything in this space. I'm still very much active with my photography and in my camera club, but quite honestly, I've been more focused on my mail blog. Today I decied to join in on the Friday My Town Shoot Out because I have always loved participating in the different themes. And, because I have time for once. And because I kinda miss it. Today's theme is all about water. None of these were taken where I live, however, I take a lot of road trips and I think it's appropriate to showcase here, especially, since one of the photos come from the town I grew up in.

The above photo was taken in Oceanside, California. The photo isn't very sharp but in my defense it was a very windy day and I took this from quite a distance away while standing on the pier. This was taken in April while on a field trip with my camera club. Two other ladies and myself drove to Oceanside on our own in an attempt to catch the sunset. While waiting for the sun to go down, I captured these boys on their surfboards.

The above photo is the Kern River which flows through my hometown that I grew up in. This particular area is actually in the town of Kernville about an hour drive from where I used to live. This guy in the kayak is practicing maneuvers for his job as a river guide. The Kern River is very popular for white water rafting. When I was in highschool I lived for summers. They were the best because a bunch of us kids would float down the river with tubes tied together. It was so much fun. I really miss the river a lot.  The closest river to Las Vegas is Laughlin. Sometimes I will take a drive there but it's just not the same.

The photo above was taken this past weekend in Yosemite National Park in an area called Tuolumne Meadows. I love lakes and rivers more than the ocean. Granted, this photo was taken at the wrong time of day and it was a bit hazy out but I love this photo nonetheless. It's so serene.

A fallen pinecone rests in the water at Tuolumne Meadows.

This photo was taken in an area called Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park. It's about a two hour drive from Tuolumne Meadows. These boats belong to the park ranger. We drove to Hetch Hetchy Valley to see the dam that was built in 1923.  We walked across the dam and through a tunnel to the other side. It was great exercise but it was really hot out. I was sweating profusely.

This is a picture of my husband taking photos. This is the other side of the dam after walking through the tunnel. 

I took this from the bridge of the dam. I had to squeeze my camera lens through the railing to get this shot. I'm not sure it's a waterfall in the normal sense, but water was coming out of these rocks hard, fast, and loud. I love the sound it made. Almost like big waves at the ocean, except it was at a river.

Coming back from Hetch Hetchy this is past Tuolumne Meadows and closer to the entrance of the park. I could sit here all day and just listen to the water flow over the rocks. It's a good way to quiet the mind and to mediate. Shortly after leaving this spot it began pouring rain.  We were headed to a campground to have dinner with fello photographers, about 18 people total. But when we pulled into the camp, I didn't have an umbrella or a warm jacket and I personally did not want my hot dog bun to get soggy. So I was the snob of the group and I went and got food somewhere else. My husband and I came back with a bottle of wine and some beer once the rain stopped, about 15 minutes later. 

I have some more photos that I took on this trip, specifically of Mono Lake. However, these are mostly sunrise and sunset photos so maybe I will post those next week for the theme of sunsets.

I hope you al enjoy my photos as much as I enjoy looking at yours. 

For those interested but not a part of the Friday Town Shoot Out please click on the link to browse all of the amazing water shots for this theme.

Have a fantastic weekend. 

I have a camera club meeting tonight. Our guest speaker is Cole Thompson who lives in Colorado. Check out his fantastic photography on his website.  Also, if interested you can learn more about my camera club here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Start of the Day.

What does the new day bring in your town or city? How does it start? Share with us the morning light or your drive to work, or other chores you have in the morning. Maybe it's even a trip you start early in the day. Or it can be another type of start, that doesn't necessarily begin in the morning. Show us your city at the start of the day.  (FMTSO theme)

Well, I can tell you that I'm not much of a morning person these days. I wake up anywhere from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. I'd much rather be an early bird, but the body wants what the body wants and that's usually a lot of sleep. Oh, and I don't get out much as I am always doing stuff inside the house. So here's how my days usually begin.

 

As soon as I wake up, and before I even get out of bed, I will set the timer on my phone for about 12-15 minutes and I will just write whatever pops into my head. I do not worry about punctuation or grammar. I just write until the buzzer goes off. Sometimes, I will write about a dream if it is still fresh in my mind, other times I will write about all of my desires such as new adventures, business ideas, things I want to manifest, etc.  This morning writing is to just put the vibration out into the universe.

 

 

As soon as I finish my writing, I will go downstairs and make a cup of hot green tea. This is what gets me going. After the hot tea is gone I will make myself some iced black tea and that's what I drink all day long. (water in between as well)

 

 

I love tarot cards and angel cards so I often play with these in the morning.

Sometimes I will give a reading to myself or a friend.

 

 

 

This morning I did a reading for all who read this blog post.

 

The first card represents a current issue or circumstance such as emotional or psychological toxicity. Archangel Uriel appears in this spread because he is here to help remove any anger, heartbreak, or negative thoughts from your psyche. He is with you now to help you with any emotional blocks that may be holding you in a state of lower vibration. All you need to do is ask for his help.

 

The second card represents an action to take. In this case the card Maya appears in the spread. My interpretation of the message is to always keep evolving. Learn something new and continue to grow. Do not become stagnant in mind, body and spirit.

 

The third card represents an end result if you follow the action that is recommended. In this spread, the card Shanti appears. This card is all about peace and tranquility.

 

Summary: Call upon the angels to intervene with help and guidance.  Always be growing. When the student is ready to learn, the teacher will appear. It doesn't matter whether you continue with formal education, read books at home, listen to audio, research web-sites, talk to mentors or whatever other means you come across. The point is to always learn something new. It will reap you great benefits and lead you to your life's purpose. If you allow yourself the opportunity to grow, the ultimate reward will be peace of mind, tranquility, and smooth roads ahead.

 

And so it is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was bright and sunny yesterday morning as I went about my daily errands. First stop was gas.

 

 

The price of gasoline is starting to climb again. I believe it was $3.43 at the pump yesterday.

 

 

Leaving the gas station. Don't worry, I'm stopped at a light. I do not text or snap photos while the car is in motion. 

 

 

Time for Dr. Laura. Sometimes I will listen to Oprah Radio while driving. It depends upon my mood. If I listen to music, I usually listen to first wave or prime country as my top choices. But sometimes I'll listen to altnation. I'm a flipper of the stations so it really depends on what song is playing or what topic is being discussed.

 

 

I decided to check in at one of my favorite stores. I hadn't been in since before Christmas.

 

 

I bought several books and some trinkets. I also received a free aura reading and a free stress test.

 

 

This is Karen, the owner of the store. She is the most amazing person. Her soul is so genuine and she is the kind of person that you want to be around. She always welcomes me with a hug and kind words.  Her store is amazing too. There is always some kind of class or event going on and I have taken several classes there.  Whenever I need a pick-me-up, the Spirit Within is where I go.

 

 

 

Later, I went to the post office. This mobile post office is usually open for business outside the post office. But I didn't need any services.

 

 

I wanted to check my mail.

 

 

I hope there is something inside.

 

 

A letter from Randall. Yay!

 

 

My favorite shop for inexpensive and cute clothes.  I tried on several items of clothing yesterday and all I can say is that I am very frustrated with myself.  I'm kind of at that in between stage of weight where nothing looks good. Ugh!  I bought one blouse because I need to add some color to my wardrobe. I have way too many blacks, greys, beiges. So, I bought a pale green blouse.

 

 

In the evening, I attended a birthday party for one of my friends in my camera club. She takes phenomenal photos of wildlife with her focus on Africa. You can see her amazing work here.

I didn't take any photos of the party but there was quite a crowd of varying ages all they way from toddlers, teenagers, twenty some-things, and on up to the 70's. She had an Italian dinner catered and there was a slew of alcoholic beverages, sodas and water to drink. I, of course had a couple of glasses of white zinfandel. It was a good night.

 

I'm sure this post wasn't very exciting, the photos aren't great quality, BUT you did get to see a day in the life of me. If you'd like to see more starts to the day please visit the Friday Town Shoot Out main page and click on the participating links.  It's not too late to participate yourself if you'd like to join.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FMTSO: Space

Hello my fellow town shooters. I'd like to take you on a tour through Red Rock Canyon located in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Most people who have never been to Las Vegas have a preconceived notion about the city. After all, we are considered the city of Sin, what with all the gambling, drinking, strip clubs and 24 hour non-stop partying going on. It must be quite hard to imagine quiet neighborhoods, serene mountains and beautiful canyons with a variety of wildlife.  Let my pictures be proof that there is another side to my town.

Most people who come out to Red Rock Canyon are local hikers, rock climbers and photographers. There are some tourists who come and are awestruck by the view.  There are big rocks to climb on and  if you squint, you might be able to see the city in the distance.

There are also wildflowers that sprout up in the desert spaces at Red Rock Canyon.

Of course, it's always windy when I try to take a photo of the flowers.

There are cave-like spaces where some birds dwell.  I believe I've heard the vocalization of quail around these parts  but I am not 100 percent positive on the type of bird noise I've heard.

There are spaces in the rocks where critters can hide, such as this lizard who is trying to blend in and not be noticed.  this little guy was very hard to capture because he was moving all over the place.

I was amazed at how much space this tortoise covered in such a little amount of time as I followed him around.  He was quicker than I thought he would be. The group I was with tried to give him some water.

The three guys in the foreground are in my camera club.  They are very serious about photography.

I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Please check out some more open/closed spaces in other towns by clicking on this whole sentence.

Thank you and have a fabulous weekend.

FMTSO: What Light's up your town?

It's been awhile since I've posted and I've been feeling the pull to come back for some time now. My desire for going out and taking fresh photos with my camera is still lacking, however, I do take lots of photos with my phone.  I will be posting some archived photos for this weeks FMTSO theme, and since it's close to Christmas, I will be posting images that convey the Christmas spirit, the winter holiday, etc.

This photo was taken in 2012 and is a photo of a Christmas village.

It looks better in black and white because I forgot to adjust the white balance on the camera before aiming.

A sunburst of natural light.

This is at the Resort at Mt. Charleston.

The same area where the sunburst was shining, only this was taken from inside the resort.

These photos were taken with my phone just over a week ago.

Playing with fire.

This was taken in March of this year with one of my photography groups that I belong to.

Wrong time of day for a photo shoot!

All of these photos were taken in outlying areas of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gosh, I kind of feel inspired to get out there and start taking more pictures.

Thank you all for viewing my participation.

I appreciate you stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

FMTSO: From The Ground Up

I absolutely love this week's theme for the Friday My Town Shoot Out.  I cheated though because I didn't actually go out this week and take photos.  These come from my archives and were taken last September while I was on vacation, so they are not actually from my town but they are still my photos in different towns.

Galvastan, Texas.

Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

A block wall with horses painted on it.  Again, in Amarillo, Texas.

Well that's it for this week.

The day's come and go so fast anymore that Friday is here before I can even blink.

Hopefully, next week I'll have some fresh photos for the theme.

Join the gang or check out other participants here.

FMTSO: The Five Senses

Happy Friday!  Today's theme is the five senses.  I picked out several photos for the theme but in the end I just didn't think they were good enough so instead I will post just one picture which represents all five of my senses.

 

First, I SEE it, then I TOUCH it, then I SMELL it then I TASTE it and then everyone around me can HEAR me say Mmm Mmm good as I devour my sweet treat using all of my senses.

 

 

Last Friday, while out of town,  I scoured Los Angeles and Hollywood for graffiti for FTSO and I found some, but unfortunately, I never made it to the computer, so I will share my graffiti with you now.

 

 

 

 

 

My sister up at the top to the right and her friend Julie on the left.

 

 

 

And lastly, a not to subtle message.

 

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!



FMTSO: Machinery

Hello Friday Group! 

I'm a bit late posting and I'm digging into my archives once again but I did not want to miss this theme.

 

 

This is an oscillograph at the Clark County Museum.

 

 

An Intertype.

 

 

 

A book binding press.

 

I thought these were interesting machines, especially the intertype.

 

For those of you not familiar with the Friday My Town Shoot Out, I urge you to visit the home page by clicking here, which is also where you will find the links to view other participants take on this theme.

 

Have a great weekend.

FMTSO: 4th Anniversary

In this week's post share something about FMTSO.

Tell us when you started linking up with us, share memories, repost your favorite theme from one of our topics, or talk about the friends you have made. If you have a chance, invite one of our former participants to come back and link up this week or just to stop by and say hi. You can find them in the older posts linkys, comments or the side bar listing which has not been updated in a while. You don't need to know them to invite them. Just introduce yourself and extend the invitation.

Let's make this a special week!

 

 

This is the very first photo I ever posted in FMTSO.
It was July 17, 2009 and the theme was Yard Objects.
I have posted a lot of photos of my beloved Sasha in the Friday My Town Shoot-Out.
I remember I was very nervous to post anything at all because I wasn't real familiar with the blogging community and I was afraid that my pictures would be seen as boring and amateurish.
(they were very amateurish)
It's amazing to me when I look back on all my posts for the FMTSO, how much my photography has evolved since then.
Honestly, If it weren't for the FMTSO gang I probably would not have had the desire to join the Nevada Camera Club which I solely did for the purpose of getting better for the FMTSO themes.

Just as Ginger mentioned the passing of Barry, it also is very significant for me as well.
I gained so much inspiration and compassion by reading every single word that Barry wrote.
He was such a talented writer and so brave and positive.
I felt such genuine love for this man that I never met before and I was heartbroken when he left this earth. I remember we did a special post about Barry and this is what I posted.

Barry's death really impacted me a lot harder than I anticipated and my reaction took me by surprise. Here is my tribute to Barry. These are just a few of the things that Barry has inspired me to think about or rather when I think about Barry these are the words that come to my mind.

 

Also, when I think of Barry I can't help but think about my sister and what she's going through.

Today, Feb. 28, 2013 I went back and read the last few posts on Barry's blog and I cried.
See my photo above with all the words about Barry-well, I just erased that board about two weeks ago. That's how long I kept the tribute to Barry hanging on my wall.
I'm not sure why I felt such a connection to him, but I did and I admired him in many ways.
RIP Barry!

I also really appreciate two comments that Pauline and Rebecca made on this post.

Also, at one point Ginger and I decided to collaborate a writing project on another blog.
It was off to a good start but vacations, first her then I, and the death of her husband and my health issues stalled that project but I am very proud of what little we accomplished and I got to know Ginger on a more intimate level. It was challenging and fun. You can read our stuff here. 

I feel connections with several people in the FMTSO.
I'm not sure they feel the same about me but there are a few that I think I would get along well with in person and would love to meet someday.
With that being said, I did get the opportunity to meet a blogger from the FMTSO gang back in 2011.
Doreen came to Las Vegas and I played tour guide.
I for one, had a great time while she was here and it was awesome to meet someone from the blogging community.
I have pictures and a whole post about the visit which you can read here.

I'm not really sure I have a favorite post but I can say this:
All the people in this group are so talented, nice, inspiring, creative and real.
I am so happy that I found all of you because during the times I am feeling low, it is you who always motivates me to a higher elevation.

Thank you, FMTSO gang!
I love you all very much and I thank you for still being here.

If you'd like to participate or just read other entries click here for the list.