Boston and beyond

I spent the weekend after my birthday (still celebrating, of course!) in Beantown with my mom and my lil sister. It was good to get away from home for a little while, get quality time with my family, and take pictures again...
Boston's downtown area is so neat... buildings from "ancient" history, or at least as far back as this country goes. I got a little obsessed with taking pictures of some of the headstones in the old cemeteries... my sister refused to set foot in one more church or graveyard by the end of the day!

This is Revere Park, with the Old North Church in the background. I love the story of Paul Revere.... that must have been an incredibly exciting and scary time to live in this country. Our forefathers were rebels, man!

We visited Harvard University and caught part of the unofficial tour of "Hahvahd" by some of the students. It was highly entertaining. Harvard's library is IMMENSE.

We ended the day in the North End, at Giacomo's Ristorante, a restaurant that we had to wait an hour and a half for a table, but the food was worth it. Rigatoni with sausage, portabellos, and broccoli rabe in a plum tomato and smoked mozzerella sauce. To die for. And normally I don't eat fungus.

More pictures coming SOON. Spring is here and photo-taking will resume with a passion. I'm looking into making photography generate some income for me... cross your fingers!

I'm not dead yet!

Well, I'm not! I haven't been here for a couple months, and I am sorry. I'm sorry to those of you who actually visit and I miss the chance to keep posting my photos. It's been a busy, hectic, anxious couple of months, including a car accident that took my car from me for almost a month. I'm injury-free, thank goodness, but financially it took it's toll. I'm back on my feet, though, and two days away from turning the big 3-0....

This was the very beginning of March, on a perfect Friday afternoon... the sun was just starting to go down and the sky was a perfect blue.


This was not such a perfect day.... the sun was out, but it was a high of about 8 degrees that day. The walkway goes out into the lake, which was frozen over. Where the stone wall ends on the right is the beginning of the water.

This is my parents' cat... the snow was so high that she could actually climb up on TOP of the birdhouse if she wanted. This seemed to be her preferred position, though.... but I don't think the birds were falling for it!

I hope you all are doing well, and I'll be around for a visit here soon!

Stop Flashing Me!!!

One of the things I've been trying out a lot lately is using the natural or just the existing light when I'm taking pictures. I'm getting better at steadying my hand without using a tripod or flat surface to set the camera on.

This series is my "Ode to Pottery Barn":

I can see how the natural light in these makes such a huge difference. Everything is just a little softer... no real hard lines...


I think this picture is really cute. These toes belong to my brother's nieces and they insisted my sister paint their toes last time we saw them. I wish I had another picture of them as they were posing for this one... arms around each other, staring down at their toes...

I love the contrast of neon in the dark, and this has the reflection on the glass as well. This is the regionally-famous Dinosaur Barbecue, the best pulled pork in the North. A genuine honky-tonk where you can find bikers and businessmen sitting side by side on any given day, it's a great place for a sandwich, a beer, and some great music. No, they didn't pay me for this endorsement.... but that's an idea...

Tiddle Your Wink

My brother is a good sport, most of the time. He doesn't like losing games and can get sulky when even his football team has a bad day, but for some reason, when it's just me and him, he does alright with losing.

It was just me and him last night at the parents' house. Lil sis and I had gone shopping all day and so I was hanging out there, eating free dinner and chillin'. Sometimes I get in these moods to play games from my childhood, so I pulled out Battleship and Tiddlywinks. We had to read the rules of Tiddlywinks, because all I remember from playing as a child is pursuing the little plastic disks all over the dining room floor!

Can you find the flying wink in this photo?

We played with catching the winks mid-air with the camera. It was a challenge, but so much fun!

This wink almost made it into the 100 hole in the board, but ended up skipping over... We must have spent at least an hour or more playing. My brother is the Tiddlywink champ.

I took this one with no flash... adjusting the light levels needs some more playing... but I love the textures.

The Dailies

That's what I've taken to calling my resolution photos. The Dailies. Makes it sound all official-like. I haven't taken any outside shots since Monday, much to my regret, but it calls upon my imagination to be more creative here at home, too.


My view through the kitchen window. Where's my window washer?!?



The Holy Family in a chili pepper. An ornament from my friend Paul. The lighting was really hard to get on this one.

This one is today's.... and I love it. I LOVE it. I got this figurine in an import shop in Orlando, FL. I am inspired by it constantly. There's a power in the pose that's undeniable. I love how the light washes out the left upper edges of the figure. In this picture, I think of the figure being in the presence of God, hiding his face in humility and God just washing over him.

The Year of 30

This is the year I turn 30. Granted, I still have a few months of 29 left, but instead of being scared, panicked, and depressed, this is the year I am going to celebrate my life and myself and make it a year of acceptance, new beginnings, and growth.




One of the things I will do this year is take at least one picture a day. This will stretch my photographic imagination and also get me out on those days when I just don't FEEL like it.



Another thing I plan to do is make a list of at least 52 people, and once a week, write them a note about how they've impacted my last thirty years. There are people out there that have changed who I am in such amazing ways and I want them to know.



Thirdly, I'm going to kick my diabetes in the ass. I'm going to shed the weight that is holding me back and I'm going to get off my medications. I'm going to go to the gym and exercise at least three times a week and this is for ME, not for my family, not for a future spouse, for ME.



I'm going to get my finances in control. I'm going to finish paying off those annoying bills that I've been neglecting for months. I'm going to feel the control and lose the anxiety.



So far, this is my list. I will be adding to it as we get further in to the Year of 30. I really want to push myself. I didn't like 29. There was a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, and maybe that was in preparation for 30. I can only hope.



Happy New Year.

The City at Christmastime

I love New York City. I love it any time of year- cold and blustery, hot and sticky, when the leaves are falling, or when they're just starting to peek out of their buds... but my favorite time in NYC is Christmastime.

There's something magical about the city at Christmas. The lights, the decorations.... it makes me feel like a kid again. I was just there last weekend, and I think each time I go, I see my favorite places with new eyes.

This is Cartier, in which I have not ever been, but they decorate a little differently every year. I love the boxes all tumbling down the building.

I think the Chrysler building is my favorite building in New York. I love the architecture, the clean look... it has it's own presence among the rest of the skyscrapers.

The clock at Grand Central Station- where my grandparents arranged to meet during WWII when my grandfather had leave for 72 hours. I think that's incredibly romantic.

I like this picture... I think that may be the Plaza Hotel on Central Park that's reflected... not sure...

Me and my friends at Rockefeller Center! The must-see place for every tourist to NYC, especially during the holidays.

Update on my diabetes: Thank you for your kind comments and thoughts. The initial shock took me a little while to get over. I'm on an extra medication to help my body use it's own insulin and I test my blood sugar level twice a day. So far, I've been staying in normal levels. I see the doctor in a week.