Tasty Spring Salad.....

Here's a bit of spring for those of us who just can't stand it anymore!!!!
Toss the following:

fresh greens - spinach or baby spring mix
sliced strawberries
crumbled feta
glazed pecans
fresh strawberry balsamic vinaigrette

To make the dressing, just put several fresh strawberries in a food processor with balsamic vinegar to taste and blend it up. You can sweeten it to taste as well. When I made it I also threw in a bit of Paul Newman's balsamic vin dressing as a base and a splash of blush wine. It was amazing!!!!

Do not be anxious......

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4: 6-7.

It sounds so simple......doesn't it? Why do I make is so difficult? Lately, I have allowed the stressors in life to overtake me again. Most of it stems from my job. I go through phases of this, eventually bringing myself to the brink of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and meltdown. Why do I do this? Why don't I trust the God of all things to handle the little things that I allow to build? Do I really think I can fix them myself? Such pride...... And furthermore, why do I allow these things to even matter? In the grand scheme, those things that I allow to cause me anxiety are so insignificant. Why do I do that? What is it that I think I can do about it? Am I that delusional? (Don't answer that!)

God is so good and so patient with me. He constantly brings me back around to re-focus on what's really important. I don't want to lose sight of what really matters. I don't want to allow these distractions to tear my eyes from Him. I want to be an example of His love. I want people to see a difference in the way I live my life. How can you do that when you're not putting your trust fully in Him? I don't want people to look at the state of my life and think, "Man, why would I want what she has?". I want them to see Jesus. I want them to see joy.

The Lord has blessed my life in so many ways. I am clothed. I am fed. I am housed. My family has health. God has provided me with a good job when so many others are without. I live in a country where I can openly declare my love for my Lord without fear of persecution. And best of all......I am loved and I am forgiven.

So again, do not be anxious...... I think I'm going to have that tattooed. Yep, I just decided. Philippians 4:6-7 will be my next tattoo. And yes, I think it's perfectly acceptable for Christians to have tattoos. :)

Thank God for patience and forgiveness.

Glacier National Park

Overall, our Glacier trip was a great time. We had a few disappointments due to the season. Early July is a bit premature for many of the hiking destinations. We had planned to visit Iceberg Lake, but it was still mostly frozen over. We planned to visit Hidden Lake, but the trail was still all snow. We planned to hike the Highline, but it just opened the day we were there and they said there was still a lot of snow and ice on the trail.......hike at your own risk and don't forget your ice axe. Huh????? Ok, we'll come back in August and try again. We did a few of the trails at the lower elevations. The Swiftcurrent Loop trail was nice and we visited Lake Josephine as a mini side trip. We contemplated Grinnell, but decided against it this trip. We also visited Hidden Meadow which is accessed through the Polebridge entrance. Frankly, it's a long drive for little reward. The meadow was supposed to be loaded with wildflowers. There were a few flowers along the trail, but none at all in the meadow. It was an ok hike, but the meadow was a bit of a bummer. I wouldn't bother again. Last July we did Avalanche Lake. It's a more rewarding hike. I would suggest it if you're looking for a hike at the lower elevations.

I think we'll plan to return in either mid August or early September this year to do the Highline Trail. Iceberg Lake may have to wait until next year because I doubt I'll be able to get enough time off to do both.

We caught this sunset on Thursday night. There wasn't a ton of color, but it was still pretty.

Marsh-mallow

His Auntie Jocelyn has loving bestowed "MarshMallow" upon him. I can't believe he's almost a year old already.

More from the archives.....

I've never been especially drawn to "abstract" images, but as I was sifting through the files this one drew me in. I don't know what it is about it that I especially like.... Perhaps it's the warmth it exudes or the fact that it's from one of my favorite locations. I don't know, but maybe I'll have to revisit some of my more abstract images.....

Random Images

St. John's Cathedral by moonlight. - Spokane, Washington

Lighthouse on Alcatraz - San Francisco, California

Bushong schoolhouse - Bushong, Kansas

Digging Through Old Images.....

Golden Gate Bridge

I'm finally getting around to reviewing some of my images from our trip to San Francisco. First, I have to say....we had an AWESOME time! Thanks to Darla and Rebecca for NOT SUCKING! :) The four of us had a good laugh about "friends who don't suck". Vacationing with other people can be.....let's say, tedious. We're pretty selective about who we'll vacation with. Generally, we fly solo. We love our friends and family, but an entire week or more sharing a vacation with them can be a whole new experience. I wouldn't say that I'm difficult to get along with (others may disagree with that statement!), but I have my ways and they don't always mesh with others. I like to get there, see it and move to the next thing. I don't like to waste my time lingering around the hotel or spend too much time at one location. You might miss something! :) The 4 of us had a fabulous time and no one even hinted at the desire to kill each other. It was a perfect trip. We really enjoyed it. We're now talking about Boston in 2010!

So, that being said, let's talk about our outing to "the bridge". Now, we had never been to San Francisco, but prior to our trip I had done a little surfing online for cool places to shoot. I knew I wouldn't have a ton of time to shoot and that our locations would be limited because we decided to use public transportation instead of renting a car. So, the rest of the group was gracious enough to humor me and make a trip out to the Golden Gate Bridge long after dark. I wanted to shoot the bridge at night because I thought it would offer a cool subject. We weren't sure what the best way to get there would be so we asked the concierge at the girl's hotel if he could assist us in finding the best bus route to the bridge. He looked at us and said, "Now??? You want to go to the bridge, now???". :) I'm sure he thought we were a little nuts. He told us which bus to take and where to transfer. The bus ride took about half an hour I'd say. We waited for our transfer for about 10 minutes so maybe as much as 45 minutes total. When we arrived at the bridge we didn't even get off the bus. It was pitch black out there!!!! There didn't appear to be any lights at all on the bridge. It totally ruined my plan. I was majorly bummed. We just rode the bus back around, transferred again and called it a night. I couldn't believe it!!! Where had all of these beautiful pictures of the bridge lit up at night come from???? Is this the right bridge? Have I completely lost my mind????? I thought it had lights? I felt like a total moron having drug them all out there for a 2 hour bus excursion, in the dark, with the weirdos and for what????

The next day it dawned on me. I didn't just feel like a moron, I WAS a moron!!!! When you're on the bus, the lights are on inside. I'm on the brightly lit bus looking out into the blackness for some monstrously huge bridge that I'm expecting to be brightly lit. The reality of it is that the actual bridge itself isn't lit at all. There are no lights on the uprights of the bridge itself. The bridge is "lit" by huge spotlight style lighting at the base of the uprights. When you're inside a brightly lit "room" (or a bus!) your eyes can't adjust to the darkness outside enough to see the uprights of the bridge. DUH!!! The gang was extremely gracious about the whole episode. We laughed about it the rest of the trip. We also made another 2 hour round trip on the bus back to the bridge and captured this shot. It was cold, it was foggy, it was late.......you were patient. Thank you for not sucking! :)

Heading out.....

Well we're off again! I'm supposed to be packing but since I HATE packing...... I'm procrastinating instead. :)
We're gettting ready to leave for San Francisco this weekend. Neither one of us has ever been there before so it should be fun and exciting. I generally tend toward the wild and unspoiled places, but Rodd was supposed to be attending a seminar so I thought I'd tag along. His seminar got canceled so now we're free to spend all week just goofing off.
I'm looking forward to doing some street photography. The places we generally go don't offer much opportunity for such things. I have to say, if I had been planning a "vacation" just for the sake of it, San Francisco wouldn't have even made the top 5 list. However, we're meeting friends from Michigan that we don't get to see but once every few years so that makes it extra special even if the city sucks.
We don't really have an agenda. Our typical MO is to play it by ear. That seems to be working well so we'll stick with it. We do have a few "must see" places on the list. We want to tour Alcatraz, visit Golden Gate Park and of course the bridge. I'm hoping to catch the bridge with dense fog at sunrise, but I'm probably not going to get that lucky. We also plan to see Chinatown and maybe Pacific Heights for the architectural appeal. We're booked to see "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Orpheum while we're in town. One of our friends is an avid actor and an amazing vocalist so we thought a show would be fun.
So, while we're looking forward to a packed week there are still the parts of traveling that really suck.....packing, flying, unpacking, flying, dirty public transportation, flying, bad hotel beds, flying......did I mention I don't care for flying? It's just such a hassle. It's especially inconvenient with all of my equipment. I bought a smaller camera bag for the trip and I'm going to see what I can scale back (yeah, right!!!). That's one of the reasons I love road tripping. You can bring as much stuff as you can cram in the car and then when it's full, you can start on the SkyBox!!! :)
Well, I suppose......I'd better finish packing and see what I'm going to have to weed out of my camera bag.
I'll try to get something posted shortly after we get home next weekend. I'm being lazy and leaving the laptop at home because I don't feel like lugging it around. It will be the first time in over 5 years that I've not traveled with a laptop. I may regret my decision, but it's just not worth the extra luggage.

More from the latest road trip.......

I'm slowly, but surely getting our latest road trip (b)logged here. It's spotty at best, but hey, who wants to read 21 sequential posts about our road trip?
So, one cool thing that we discovered on this last was that antiques are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP on the route we traveled. I threatened several times to rent a Uhaul trailer and fill it up with antiques. I'm seriously considering a future road trip where we make a similar loop and rent a trailer when we get back there, fill it up and haul it home.
Some of the things we found back there were just amazing to me! I've been searching for an old fashioned panel door for a few years now. I come across them every now and then, but I simply refuse to pay $50+ dollars for one. We stopped at one antique store in S. Dakota and they must have had a half dozen of them for $5 a piece!!!! FIVE DOLLARS!!!! I wanted one so bad I could hardly stand it. Unfortunately, they had windows in them (which made them even more perfect for my purpose) and I was afraid I'd never get them home without breaking the glass. This was on the 3rd day of our trip and I threatened to strap it to the roof rack on the Yukon, but I was afraid I'd break the glass on some of the rough roads we planned to travel in Colorado. I still should have done it. I should have at least tried.....if I broke the glass, oh well. It was FIVE DOLLARS!!!! What was I thinking leaving it there!!!! I've been kicking myself ever since I got home.
I did find an antique tricycle (probably from the 50's) on the way home in Kansas. I bought it for $25. It's absolutely adorable and will make a great prop. I also bought 2 dolls, a hat box, a few dishes, an antique leather suitcase (for $10) and a few more odds and ends in S. Dakota. Oh yeah, I also finally found the antique tractor seat I've been looking for. I've found many of these here in the Northwest, but again, you're looking at anywhere from $50 - $100. I picked this gem up for $5!!!!! I almost felt dishonest!!!
So, if you love antiques and you're traveling east, take I-90 across S. Dakota and I-80 back through Kansas. Don't forget your trailer!!!!! We are seriously considering doing such a thing on our next trip out to see family. We had a great time in these antique stores and the prices were absolutely unbelievable!!!!

Just for Fun.....

My friend Denise and I got together over the weekend for a "just for fun" photo day. Her daughter and daughter's friend were gracious enough to model for us. They're such good sports. :) We had a great time. It's always fun to shoot with a friend. Here are a few from our "just for fun" photo excursion..... :)

Tagged!

I was tagged by Heather...... Gee thanks.... :) So.... 6 "unspectacular" things about myself.......
Here we go!

1. I always mush the pulp out of my tomotoes because otherwise it gags me. It's kind of snotty, really.

2. I have 2 tattoos and 11 piercings. Tattoos are actually kind of addictive and I've had to restrain myself from getting more.

3. I hate holidays. Yes, all of them.

4. I hate being the passenger in an automobile. I get bored and restless.

5. I love the Lord, but I hate religion. It's about the relationship, not the religionship.

6. When I shop, I always get a push cart instead of a little hand basket....even if I'm only getting one or two things. My theory is that if someone sees you barreling toward them with a big ol' push cart, they're more likely to get the h-e-double hockey sticks out of your way. A hand basket just isn't very intimidating......

So, there you have it!
Now, I don't have 6 people to tag so I'll just add a couple.... I tag Phil, Jen and Rodd.

Smile....... It's contagious.

The Big Butts

On our recent trip we thought we'd stop in at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. It sounded like an interesting place. I thought maybe it would be photo worthy. I was wrong....... :) While somewhat interesting from a geological standpoint, it was a little drab photographically.

So, instead we took some pictures of these little prairie dog things. I think that's what they were..... There were literally hundreds of them on the drive up to the tower. They have these enormous rear ends and we affectionately dubbed them "the Big Butts". None of the images are works of art, but they're cute..... :)

Ashcroft, Colorado

If I remember correctly, this is the window of the saloon in Ashcroft, Colorado. Ashcroft is a little ghost town easily accessible from Aspen. It has probably a dozen old buildings and cute little wooden boardwalks. If you're in the area, it's a fun stop.

Montana Relic

I love this old car....... We discovered it a few years ago on our way home from Yellowstone NP. It's on Hwy 287 around Harrison, MT. I have to stop and shoot it now every time we get into the area. I'm hoping to someday do a series with it, but I have several years worth of images to gather of it first. My luck, someone will move it next year..... :) It's one of my favorite "roadside finds".

Chapel of Transfiguration - Grand Teton NP

This tiny little chapel is found just about a mile from Moose, Wy. It's not a spectacular photo..... I just liked the way the cross was silhouetted in the window......

Solo....

Bushong Piano

This old schoolhouse is found in Bushong, Kansas. There's isn't much left of the auditorium but this old stage. The coolest thing about the place was the old piano left there. The keys are frozen in place, the ceiling has crumbled down upon it, the foot pedals are rusty and broken, the strings are now silent......... Honestly, the place was a little bit eerie, but very cool nonetheless.

One of the Many Reasons I Love Colorado

This is one of the many reasons I love Colorado. This was probably the most awesome display of color we have seen on treks through the Rockies. It was just phenomenal and we were so fortunate to catch it at peak this year. It was such a perfect mix of color....... I couldn't have asked for better. This was taken at Kebler Pass.......one of my favorite places in Colorado.