Some Beach Thoughts and More....

Well hello.  How are you?  I'm fine, thank you.  Been a might busy doing fun things and then there is the wasting time thing that I am sooo good at. I really loathe (not sure if I like that word or hate better) myself when at the end of the day NOTHING has been accomplished, not even a blog post. And to top it off I haven't been out with my big girl camera lately.  I have been satisfying my photography thirst by taking pics with my I-Phone, something I said over and over again I will NOT do.  Thank goodness I can eventually bend and embrace something new....but I still can't take cucumbers or brussel sprouts.   Hop over to my Focusing On Life post that I wrote yesterday about this new found passion and some tips on some of my favorite "apps".

A couple of weeks ago (yeah, it's been that long) I took Cinder to the vet for her yearly check-up and shots.  After $200 worth of shots, tests, and for Dr. Minor to tell me that she is in good shape except she needs dental work desperately with a $350 - $550 estimate as to the cost, I took the time after leaving this place that seems to be sucking away at my money to drive through a forest preserve with camera in hand.

OK the first thing I spotted, even backed the car for this one, was this scene.  If the snow would have been tan, I could swear I was at the beach and just over that hill was the ocean.

 
And then I came upon this....

Just like those fences that I seek out when I do get to the ocean....never expecting to find them in the next town over in a forest preserve with no ocean in sight....

PS I took this at the beach in Galveston in October....I obviously had beach envy rattling around in my head on this cold, snow-covered day.

I found this purty tree....

And this...not so much beauty here just interesting with the outline of all the trees....

A couple of things to recommend.  I saw "Whiplash" - terrific acting by J K Simmons, hard to watch at times, but brilliant acting by both Simmons and Miles Teller (the drummer & student).  And I finished reading "Orange is the New Black" for bookclub.  Now I will admit that in hearing and reading about the Netflix production I was a bit hesitant to read this, but it was actually quite good. Very little "language", no Lesbian encounters, just the story of a pretty, white, well-off, supportive family, and well educated woman that made a mistake who was sent to prison and her life, her relationships, her support system and her realization of the injustices to women caught up in the prison system.  One of my friends has been watching "Orange is the New Black" and said it is like watching porn....I guarantee the book is NOT anything like the TV show.

Now I am reading "The Girl On the Train" what a page turner.  I am about 1/2 way thru the book and can't wait to return which I will do later today.  Next up..."One Plus One" by Jo Jo Moyes, I absolutely loved her last book, "Me Before You" so hoping this one is as good.

Hope you are having a good year so far and hope you all stay well....having the flu at Christmas was not fun.

Until next time.....

Water, Water Everywhere

I have been participating in the Leap Into Spring photo challenge (always up for a good challenge) and this week's prompt is "water, rain, etc."  I have waited all week for it to rain here, and it did on Friday night, but by the time I got out with my camera all the puddles, drops, and splashes had disappeared.  So I am going to have to revert to some of my older pics....not too old, less than a month, to fill this post with water and things associated with water.

First up...a little story.  One afternoon I was sitting on my brother's deck in Galveston, half snoozing, half looking around for any possible photo ops when I spotted this heron across the canal.  I watched and this is what unfolded....

Wonder if there is anything edible in these waters...Hmmm, is anybody watching?

Maybe if I lean over I can find something...

Oh just a little bit further...oh I hope nobody is watching my butt sticking out but whatever that is, I just have to get it...

Ahh got it but not sure it was worth all that effort.

The next day, it turned cloudy and the ocean became really rough, but rough seas never stopped AJ from tackling the waves....

The remains of little bits from the sea, I love the trail of bubbles.....

Hoping to get a pic of some brightly colored umbrellas lined up on the beach we stopped and wandered around....the pics were not what I wanted, I didn't want all those people cluttering up my shot but they did not listen to me when I asked them to leave and I even said please.

I did see this cutie patootie having fun all by himself....wonder if he has aspirations of becoming a plumber?

Lovers on the beach....reminds me of that song from Grease..."You're the one that I want. ohh ohh ohh"

And finally, several of the evenings we would make it a point to be at the beach for the sunset, we had it timed perfectly for the best shots.  I would come home with probably 100 shots of that evening's sunset, but this one surprised me.  I think it was just a a moment when my focus was on the bushes and there must have been a cloud that surrounded the sun just perfectly that it resulted in this heart shape.  I added the text, but did nothing to the pic itself.

I am linking up to Nancy at

Alicia at

                                                 

And Rebecca at

Hope you all have a blessed Sunday and a marvelous week ahead....

Until next time.....

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - The April 22, 2012 Edition

Missed last week, down in Galveston, oh Galveston visiting my brother & sis-in-law and had many of the challenges all ready, but boo hoo, no internet.  My brother's neighborhood has wi-fi but for some reason it wouldn't work on my computer.  Oh well, I am here this week, vacation is over, but many happy memories remain.

This week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday challenges are:

• Yellow
• Something/Someone that makes me smile
• Ancient or Antique
• Splash
• In the sun

Beginning with yellow, oh so many images I have this week of yellow, but settled on this one.  My neighbor just bought these sweet chicks for egg laying, but right now they are just teeny tiny, the eggs will have to wait.

Someone that made me smile was this sweet little girl and her twin brother.  We were invited to dinner while visiting my brother, at his neighbor's home across the canal.  Peggy's two grandchildren were staying the weekend and I just happened to take my camera along (what a surprise) to their home.  Isn't she just the cutest?  Abby and I got along splendidly.

Ancient or Antique - I don't know if you could call this ancient, but it sure looks old and I do believe it is one of the older buildings in Galveston, TX.  Kim from Picking Poppies and I met up in Galveston and spent the day wandering the streets, taking pictures, getting to know each other, along with a delicious lunch at the Mosquito Cafe (highly recommended dining).  What a fun day we had together.  And what a sweetheart she is, so full of life and so wise for her young (I know she will laugh when she reads that, but she is far younger than me) age.  

And I am adding this one too....I think this is either the oldest or the 2nd oldest church in Galveston.  St. Joseph was built in 1859 for the influx of German Catholics migrating to this port community.  It remained an active parish until 1968 and now is one of the designated historical places of Galveston surviving the hurricanes of 1900 and 2008. 

Splash - no trouble with this one either, with all those beaches and water around.  The dog you see here is A J, my brother's Golden Retriever.  As soon as the door opens, A J  jumps from the car and heads straight to the water to gleefully splash in the surf.  He tries so very hard to catch a fish, but alas they are just too quick for him.  

And finally "in the sun" - I have a few 100 shots that I could display as "in the sun", but this one has a short, but funny story attached.  I asked both brother and sis-in-law early in my visit if they knew of any spots along the beach that had old fences?  Thinking a few moments, both answered NO.  That same afternoon brother said he was headed to the beach for a couple buckets of sand that he needed for a spot in the play area.  I grabbed my camera and off we went.  What did we see as we pulled onto the beach? house after house with fencing between the houses and the beach.  "I'll be darn, I never noticed those fences before."  Just like a man, he has been at that beach 100's of times and the fences were right before his eyes.  

Trust me, the sun was shining on this as well eventho I converted it to b&w...

Well, that's it for another week.  If you haven't joined in, I encourage you to do so.  It is a fun challenge.

Until next time.....

More of This and That

Spring left, or it left last night and did not return this morning.  It is cool, cloudy, drippy, not an ideal time for a photo walk, so thought I would continue to post photos from Galveston.  I have a gazillion, and each one of them brings me back and floods my mind with special memories.  I don't know when I will ever return since my brother is moving, so these photos will have to remind me of a special time.  

You probably think this is a strange Galveston memory, but they do have cattle there, not for milk, but for beef, eventho the trend is to eat less beef, I feel sure that there are plenty that still love a good steak.  Love those little birds that hang with the cattle, they are Cattle Egrets, appropriately named.  The one on the left looks like he is cautioning the cow not to get any closer.  Sharing this with Nancy over at A Rural Journal for Rural Thursday (I know it's Friday, but that's OK)

I haven't even begun to post the multitude of images I have of all the lovely flowers that were in bloom in the Galveston area...these are just a few.

Flowers grew everywhere, even in the cracks of the sidewalks....

Fences were loaded with blooms...

 Hibiscus...enough said.  Linking this up with Alicia for the Leap Into Spring Challenge.....

I am not familiar with this flower but it was on a bush, resembled a hydrangea but with thick waxy leaves, a stunner.

This little sweetheart was down at the beach being blown by those strong surf winds...

Love these little iris'.  They grew in large clumps with strong saber like leaves and the flowers sat right on top just pretty as you please.

And the roses.....oh the roses were supreme.....

And because it is so grey here today, without sun or surf here is a great reminder that summer will come to our part of the country some day (soon I hope!)

And.....one of the gorgeous sunsets that came my way.  Don't ya think that sunsets and sunrises just seem to be more beautiful at the beach?!  Linking up to Through a Photographer's Eyes....

Whew, I think I will stop now....more to come.

If you aren't completely exhausted looking at all these, I would be most gratified if you would stop by my collaborative blog, Focusing On Life where I am musing on more of  My Favorite Things.

"The unexpected and the incredible belong in this world.  Only then is life whole."  ~ Carl Jung


Until next time.....

This and That About A Lot

Oh my goodness, today has been a whirlwind of 'to-do's', Bible Study this morning, drive up to see my sweetheart and visit with him for awhile, over to pick up Toby from my dog-sitter, who happens to be my daughter, and I am sure she does not want to be referred to as my "dog-sitter".  Oh Toby was a happy, happy dog to see me.  Talk about feeling the love.  Then back home to ready myself for a "Birthday Bunco Dinner" for myself and another lady whose birthday happens to be close to mine.  As a group, we enjoy being together to celebrate birthdays with dinner at a nice restaurant the choice being made by the birthday girl and small birthday gifts.  Tonight I received flowers and plants (what a surprise!!) jewelry, pretty note pads, a darling SMILE plaque, and home-made toffee (I might add that the toffee will not be shared with anyone, it is mine, and mine alone.) Not only is it a lovely way to celebrate but it's also a great way to try out new restaurants in the area.  Of which we have many......35 American Traditional, 29 Italian, 20 Seafood, 21 Mexican, 27 Eclectic/International, 35 Hamburger, 11 Steak Houses and 19 Romantic (hmm, wonder what classifies a restaurant as romantic??) along with other titles such as Tapas, Salad Bars, Ice-cream Shops, etc etc.  Never, never do we have any difficulties in finding a new restaurant to whet our appetites.  If we can't settle on the 100's listed above, we have many more in the surrounding communities.

The talk is from catching up on family happenings, to what books are you reading now, what good movies have you seen lately, who is your favorite on American Idol or Dancing with the Stars? to the latest news.  Sadden to hear that Dick Clarke died today.  After reading that Thomas Kinkaide, who painted beautiful images and was quite a famous artist, and Mike Wallace a TV News icon, had both passed away this past week, it did not surprise me when I read that Dick Clarke had joined them in passing.  What is it about the number 3??  Why do "things" happen in a series of 3 more times than not?  Can't explain the reason why, only that we did lose 3 men who contributed their talents in their respective fields and each of them will be missed.

As I am writing this, my eyes are beginning to droop, my brain is beginning to shut down, so I will end this now and add to it in the morning.  Remember I have many, many pics from Galveston to share.

Back again, since I babbled so much last night, I will put my focus on pics instead of words today.
For two days I wandered thru the historical neighborhoods in Galveston and found some real beauties.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do....

We have blue/green with red doors and red porch swings

sweet little cottages

beautiful porches and windows

purple ones

red, white and blue ones where even the flowers in the yard were either red, white or blue

 gorgeous entryways

even the mono-tones of grey, white & black were stunning against the greens

a widow's peak atop this gorgeous home

who said you can't have a pink house?

or a yellow house with a tire swing in front

Even this soft blue looks right at home on these shutters

I was taken with this color combo since I have a white house, I thought these dark greys, dark reds and whites were quite stunning, might consider a re-do.

oh thought this was a stunning color combo

and peach and light taupe, even the flowers match the shutter color

doesn't this look like something right out of a southern romance novel?

So, here was the first bunch of Galveston photos.  I could move into any of those homes right now, no hesitation.  But as many beautiful ones that I presented here, there were many, many more that were not as lovely.  There is still evidence of Hurricane Ike that roared thru here almost 4 years ago devastating many homes and businesses, along with beaches and piers.  They have done an amazing job of re-building, but still there is many left to tend to.

"I think the most significant work we ever do, in the whole world, in our whole life, is done within the four walls of our own home."

Sharing with Deb at This or That Thursday.....

Until next time......