A Slow Day at the Winery

It doesn't happen very often, but every so often we get a slow day at the winery bistro where I work. 

Slow enough to bring out my camera and start shooting.

Fancy belongs to one of the employees and often spends her days at the winery.

Isn't she precious? 

Views from the back patio, above and below...

(No, the vines aren't dead. Just resting.)

"Life is beautiful!"

My office.

Such a beautiful place to work.

Travis, one of the sous chefs, with a gourmet wood-fired pizza fresh from the oven.

Where culinary magic happens.

Another cutie who comes to visit. 

I can't remember his name, though!

I loved the contrast of golden light against approaching storm clouds.

Hanging on.

Hope you enjoyed the visit!


Linking up with

Thank you, Hilary!!

Down at the Swimmin' Hole

We're having spring/summer-ish days here (I'm sorry, Northeast!)

 Max needs to go swimming to stay cool.

Our little pond is so much better than one of those little plastic things you get at Walmart.

Belle would rather stay on the side, thank you very much. 

She's a dirt dog, not a water dog.

And she loves Max.

Waiting his turn to go in the pool, um, I mean pond.

My house, reflected.

Work of my artist-husband. More about this HERE.

(Do you see the water birds? 

I knew when I saw these at Goodwill, we'd find a place for them.)

Cedarbrake

Cedarbrake is a nonprofit retreat and renewal center owned and supported by the Diocese of Austin, and located just outside of Belton, Texas. 

I've been wanting to visit for years, 

and finally made a quick trip there this past weekend with other members of my church pastoral council.

Not nearly enough time to fully experience its beauty, 

but enough to give my camera a workout.

This screen porch ran the length of our little 'house'. 

I loved the way the morning light filtered through the trees and warmed the porch.

I'm a sucker for porches, anyway.

Narrow roads and paths meandered through the trees and cottages. 

Another path through the woods featured the Stations of the Cross.

Little surprises like these bronze sculptures were scattered around the grounds.

I'd never walked a labyrinth before. 

Such a great place for contemplation.

I'm not sure what the real significance is of the rocks in the center, but I placed one there, 

sort of like lighting a candle for continuous prayer.

This sculpture of the Risen Christ in the little chapel inspired joy and hope and a true sense of renewal.

During Mass my eye was drawn up toward this beautiful stained glass celebrating the simple works of God all around us.

(I didn't take these during Mass. I snuck back in later!)

I sat for awhile near this little waterfall. 

So peaceful!

Have you ever slipped away to any kind of retreat center?

If not, I encourage it!


Linking with Lissa at...

Secrets of the Moon Whisperer

Moon Whisperer.

That's kind of a joke, 

a name a friend gave me because back in 2010 I took a zillion...

no, TWO zillion photos of the full moon.

About ten came out (semi-)worthy of posting.

I loved to zoom in really close.

Here's the post I wrote that explained my process:

Moon Fever

I still love zooming in close, 

but to be honest, 

the moon doesn't change much from month to month.

Now I challenge myself to capture different images of the moon, 

like the one below.

So my process has changed.

I usually start at the settings in the post above, 

see what I captured, 

and start making adjustments.

Repeat.

I mostly use Lightroom for post-processing now.

For this one I reduced noise

sharpened

added clarity and brightness.

That's it.

You'll find my camera settings for this particular image below it.

Happy Moon Chasing!

Exposure 1/125 sec at f / 5.0
Focal Length 140 mm
ISO 1600