Ten Truths . . .

In my "Beyond Layers" class with Kim Klassen

she shared ten truths about herself and invited us to join in and get to know each other better.



1. I've been having a torrid love affair...with the beach. It's the place that knows my secrets and holds my heart.
2. I love Cheeto balls, and diet coke. (oh and the seagulls love Cheetos too)
3. The color Pink . . . I love it! Over 2 years ago, on a whim I got pink highlights for breast cancer awareness and haven't looked back.
4. I could probably write a book on the stories that complete strangers have shared with me. And it's why I believe that truth is stranger than fiction.
5. I wish I could either sing or play an instrument - well both would be nice. 
6. I'm allergic to spiders. . .  I love to garden. . . Houston we have a problem? LOL
7. Hi my name is Kim. . . .I am addicted to exploring life with my camera! I have always been a nature  lover, but I'm now obsessed with capturing anything and everything I may have missed.
8. Once upon a time I had eight birds and a snake, and when my daughter was in the fourth grade I took 3 of my birds and the snake to all eight fourth grade classes. I had . .  the time of my life!!
9. To expand on #8, a dream of mine has always been to have a mini zoo of reptiles and such to help educate children on the wonders of nature. P.S. And snakes aren't slimy! ; )
10. I have held a tarantula (remember #6). It was at a birthday party my son went to when he was younger and I was the only adult at the table of critters elbowing waiting for my turn, ha! It was very cool!
11. I hope I never grow up!!

Ummm, yes I'm a bit of a nature geek! 

I would love to know more about you so if you feel inspired to share a truth I would love to hear it! 

Happy Tuesday!

Love, Kim

XO

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Another one bites the dust . . .
Another week, well almost another month - yikes, where does the time go?

It's still really gloomy around these parts, and I'm getting a little anxious for some beach time!
I'm longing for it actually . . .

But soon enough it will be in the 90's and the a/c bill will be out of control, in April! 

So for now, I guess I'm going to embrace the gray days so that when the sun does shine it will be just that much sweeter. Oh who am I kidding, I'm not doing very well at embracing this weather and I'm feeling
vitamin D deficient! I think a trip to the tropics is in order?

Okay . . .  ready, set, go!

1. Crossed: The bridge you cross when you get to it?

2. A Glimpse: I was enjoying the aroma of pink jasmine when I got a glimpse of this woman through the vine - oh and I may have had a glimpse of the sun for a few seconds as well!

3. Handwritten: A couple of postcards from my grandmothers side dated August 18, 1918, one a picture of a relative that did not make it back from WWI.

4. Bliss: I'm thinking that the flower to the bee is nothing short of pure bliss!!

5. Gray: Is it gray or grey? Well both are correct, but in America it's grAy and in England is grEy. Either way if we're talking skies they are both, dull, dreary, dismal and gloomy. . . and monotonous when it's day after day after day. It did make for some nice tones though and perfect for making into sepia!

Until the next hunt -

Love, Kim

XO

Foto Friday - Courtesy of the Cuttlefish

Just as predicted, its been another really gray week!

And while we don't have to contend with snow, we are quite used to seeing the sun

on a regular basis. I have to say, the sun . . . its been MIA!

This past weekend my daughter had a solo and ensemble competition and instead of taking the bus and 

waiting there all day, she asked if we would drive her there when it was her turn. 

After we dropped her off we had about forty minutes until we needed to go back and get her,

and yes of course, I brought my camera. It was a very rural area, and every now and again

we would find a small herd of cattle, maybe even a very small barn. But as luck would have it on these

2 lane roads, it seemed there was always a vehicle behind us when I found something of interest

and not much a shoulder to pull off over and let them go by.

  What was that about a cuttlefish you ask?

Well, I'm sure most of us know that when we talk about Sepia in photography that we're talking about

a photograph made in a brown color. But I was curious as to what the actual definition was and found

something interesting that I didn't know. I learned that sepia is a brown ink-like pigment that is secreted

from the Cuttlefish when alarmed. It's used with brush or pen in drawing and as an artist's watercolor.

They began using this toning effect in the 1880s giving the black and white a warmer tone. And lucky

for us in the digital age we can do this with a click of a button as you can't do this to a color photograph

in the darkroom.

So, since this was such a drab and gray week and given what I did find to photograph this week (mostly brown anyway)  I decided that they looked more interesting in the sepia tones.

Soooo much rain lately, which is helping to ease our drought, but a little too much at one time....

    

Normally water isn't found in these, it's just for run off and it looks like those horses found a few puddles!

{P52 - Cabin Fever - I think even the horses were glad to get out after all this rain!}

 

This was on the coastal birding trail, and just when I was getting in the car I saw (and heard) him flying through the trees and got back out and crossed my fingers that I could find him AND that he wouldn't fly away. He must have been hungrier than he was bothered by me and I just watched in amazement as he

caught fish after fish.

{Shoot, edit, submit}

And the bees are busy again!

{Photo Art Friday choice #1 - It started out sepia and I added a little color back in, a slight dual tone

with blue and yellow, and some pencil sketch}

Is anyone else a little freaked out that February is almost over? It feels like father time has turned

up the dial and I'm not liking it at all! Hope this finds you at the edge of a wonderful weekend!!

Love, Kim

XO

 

                                                  

I spy . . .

. . . with my little eye . . .

"And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know.

There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play,

singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around - in the air and on the ground.

And if you watch all nature's things, you might just see a fairy's wing."

 ~Author Unknown

 . . . the flowers and the light were so magical I thought I saw . . .

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,

it's a way of looking at things through the wrong end of the telescope.

Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

- Dr. Suess

- I think that Dr. Suess was really on to something -

Hope your day is filled with imagination and creativity, you just never know where it may lead!

Love, Kim

XO

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Well, I am thankful that I was able to get all but one of these prompts

inside this week - I think I saw the sun but once as it's been raining, raining, and raining some more!

And I'm NOT complaining mind you, we have been in such a severe drought, it's

just that this adventure girl is getting a bit of cabin fever!!

And well, everything is overflowing its banks . . . .

I'm hoping to be as lucky this coming week . . . I don't think the rain is leaving anytime soon.

So on to the prompts . . .

1. Love - I sure have gotten a lot of mileage out of my pink roses this week, and decided to combine an image of a rose with some words I wrote this week about love . . . .

2. Duplicated - I have a bit of an obsession lately with reflections . . . AND taking the image, duplicating it,   and combing the two.

3. Trend - My trend is to well, not follow trends . . . I have a tendency to dance to the beat of my own drum, oblivious to what is in or out - it makes life a whole lot easier! ; )  But, and I'm so glad because I have a photo from this week that works, I googled color trends for Spring 2012 and Tangerine Tango is one of them. And so is Cabaret {intense rose}, a form of pink and my favorite color. So it looks like I'll be trendy by accident this Spring!

4. Paper -  This is a two for one {Love and paper}, I have always wanted to do this and had a hard time finding the right book . . . it definitely needs to be a bigger book so the pages will stay in place.

5. Plastic - This prompt had me looking around the house to find something interesting. . . and then I remembered these little beauties in my studio . . . vintage lucite trumpet beads {aka, plastic}. Now I'm feeling a little inspired to create something with them. Lucite was used extensively in war supplies during WWII after which they started using it for the ever popular lucite rings in the 50's and 60's.

Until the next hunt,

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. - Don't forget to check out everyone else's prompts, they are always inspiring!

A Little Piece of Heaven . . . . .

. . . . . and the promise of Spring.

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want-oh,

you don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

Yes, this is exactly how I felt when I was at the nursery otherwise known as Cornelius, or if
you live in the Dallas area, Calloway's. I don't get there very often as it's an hour away, but I had
a doctors appointment and it's just down the street from there. And talk about timing . . as I walked
into the store I kid you not the song from Top Gun came on, "You Take My Breath Away"!

And that it did!

I felt like a kid in a candy store a person with a camera in a flower shop! ; )
It was like . . . walking in . . . and finding a little piece of heaven.
 And after the gloominess of the last couple of weeks, it was much needed. So much gorgeous
color and every single petal on every flower was simply perfect, and I snapped my heart away!
Most everything was on tables that were only a foot tall, and if I wanted to get eye level with
 the flowers I was going to have to get down on the ground.

Did I mention that they had just watered? A lot of water?

Yeah, I was pretty much a soggy mess when I left, but hey it's all about the photo op, right?
I did manage to get some very curious looks, and some interesting questions. I even had a lady
pull out her point and shoot camera so I could show her how to work it. I'm afraid I wasn't much help.

It was partly sunny that day and these flowers were inside, but instead of a roof there were
mesh tarps which acted as a wonderful diffuser. I just loved these Osteospermum's and spent so much
time with them that I didn't get to much else. I may have to make a trip back.....

{Shoot, submit, edit}

{P52 project -My 3 boybarians}

{Photo Art Friday, Foto Friday with Lori}

I hope you enjoyed the little piece of heaven I found, and wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Anyone else have Spring Fever?

Love, Kim

XO

 
 
 

Love . . . .

It's universal

and knows no bounds

it has infinite power to change lives

does not divide . . . but multiplies

it lives within all of us

and is not something you can keep just for yourself

strong, yet so fragile

and should be nothing but unconditional

it's an expression of yourself

and being open to the expression of others

it represents compassion and affection

and when used appropriately it is . . . colorblind

supporting, yet not overbearing

 a basic human need

and a deep spiritual connection in the depth of your soul

understanding and forgiving

although sometimes it's complicated

it has a unique ability to stretch the heart

 patient and kind

definitely not boastful

one huge requirement is acceptance

and it should include random acts of kindness

sometimes, it just feels like and unexplainable mystery

a feeling that is hard to define

it's sharing, believing and dreaming

and it endures all, hopes all, and bears all things

it is spoken in different languages all over the world

and in unselfishly expressed actions

it hurts when that special someone doesn't feel it back

something that can make you laugh and cry at the same time

there is no age limit

you feel this when you genuinely care for someone

a parent, a child, a friend

but, let's also not keep it from strangers

sometimes it's scary

our words put into action

it can be passionate and romantic

and it will have its highs and lows

sometimes sadness and tears will come with it

songs are written about it

it is expressed in our art

and millions of words have been spoken about it

the bible says to do this to our neighbors as we would do unto ourselves

it may not make the world go around, but it's a really good place to start

and is something no one should ever be without

it seems to be one of the most motivating emotions know to man...

It's called LOVE and I hope it spreads like wildfire!

I {heart} you,

Kim

xo

 

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