From Random Mornings in July

Because of work, real estate school, and our recent string of rainy days (hallelujah!), I haven't been taking as many photographs. 

But I do have a growing collection of random morning shots I've been wanting to share with you... 

This is a common sight on our walks.

Max is a water dog, but Belle loves dirt. Every soft patch of caliche we come to...which means every few feet... she plops down and wallows, dragging her nose through it, rolling on her back, pawing...with a look of pure joy on her face. 

Inevitably, a line from Monty Python's "Search for the Holy Grail" pops in my mind: "There's some lovely filth down here, Dennis!"

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click on the link and watch the video. I'll warn you, though...it's pure sillines!)

This is a section of our driveway, about an eighth of the total length.

See the rock piled on either side? 

Tom's been collecting them for ages now for his current project: paving the entire driveway. 

. 

A few morning pinks still dot the Hollow.

They're a great illustration for "Bloom where God plants you", aren't they?

Why are they so afraid of me?

Silly doves.

I cut my leg on a barbed wire fence when I was six. 

So it's kind of weird that I still love them, isn't it?

One morning the cardinals carried on a long conversation all around me. 

I could hear one near me and finally tracked him to the top of this tree, singing his heart out.   

I spotted this handsome frog down by our little pond. 

He's definitely not alone, though. Last night there was a wild frog ruckus going on down there, celebrating all the rain we've gotten lately. 

It's hard to believe such a tiny thing can be so loud!

Tom's mermaid, who lives in the little pond, catching some morning sun rays.

No, I'm not jealous.

Well, maybe just a little.

I hope you enjoyed the walk through my Hollow! 

I'm very grateful I have the chance almost every morning to enjoy the beauty around us.

In every walk with nature one receives fare more than he seeks. 

~John Muir

P.S. Please keep my parents in your thoughts and prayers. They're both in the hospital right now.

  Thank you!

Ten from January

Do you ever get bogged down by photos? 

I haven't had a lot of time to post, but I never stop snapping.

It can be a problem!

Here are a few I want to share with you from the past few weeks... 

My sweet Belle. A pile of sand is heaven to her!

Is it just me or is there a person trying to get out of this dead tree?

It reminds me of a ship's masthead.

Winery gift shop wisdom

If these Diva wine koozies were for sale, I'd buy them all!

Sunset on the way home from work, (iPhone 3 via Instagram)

I stood and watched the sun bring the colors of these trees to life, by way of their reflection in the pond.

Max is running!

I just love old cedar posts and barbed wire.

And silhouettes of trees against the sky.

This is how we heat our whole house, even on frosty mornings, thanks to my design-genius husband.

A Fence, Explored

I'm writing a book. 

Well, actually two books, just bouncing back and forth between them.

I'm trying to keep up with two blogs - one for my overflowing words, one for my overflowing photographs.

I'm trying to get three businesses off the ground... personal history, photography and jewelry.

Naturally, FlickR fell a few places in my priorities.

But I haven't let go. I don't post often, but I still love it. 

This week I posted the photo above... 

Today I found out it was chosen for Explore.

There are no monetary awards with Explore, but each time one of my photos is selected, I feel like I've won the lottery.

Thank you, Explore People!

(To understand why I feel so honored, click HERE to see some of the other photos that were selected on January 3rd!)

And as if that wasn't enough,
Hilary of The Smitten Image picked this as one of the

(Click on the image to see the other Posts of the Week selections.)

Thank you so much, Hilary!

Seeing Stars

On Thanksgiving weekend, we picked up my son from work on our way out of town.

We were early, so I used my time wisely...

Remember this fence?

It surrounds our state capitol building.

I just love it!

And my lucky kid gets to see it every day!

He probably doesn't even appreciate it.

Kids.

Politics aside...

I spent a few hours near our State Capitol today.

My destination was the State Library and Archives building, a great place for research.

But this fence distracted me.

And so did the sunlight on the capitol dome.

I couldn't pass up getting a close-up of the Goddess of Liberty.

This cowboy stood nearby... I couldn't leave him out.

...or this one keeping him company, enjoying the beautiful morning.

Finally, I made it to the Library building.

But was distracted again by this wonderful scent...

...Japanese ligustrum. Heavenly!

Sam Houston reminded me to focus on my goal, and I finally made it into the library.

Thanks, Sam!


(for more on the rest of my day, click HERE.)


Linking up to Lisa's Creative Exchange

Barbed Wire and Weathered Posts

Strands of barbed wire, like strands of time.

Bite me in the leg.

Strands of life.

Linking us all to one another. 

Family, friends.

Connecting, supporting, guarding...

(Forgive me if you saw these on Long Hollow, but barbed wire and weathered cedar posts are some of my favorite subjects. I wanted to include them on this site, too!)