Birds

When I first saw the subject of the current Round Robin Photo Challenge I was going to pass.  There were plenty of excuses, mostly lacking time to get out and find birds to photograph.  As I was thinking that my 'Tookie Bird' (his name) started whistling at me as if to say "HEY, what about ME!?!" 

Ohhhhhhhhhh, I have Tookie Bird to photograph and I don't even have to get up from my desk as he's right here next to me always trying to entertain and capture my attention away from working on wedding photos. :-)

Isn't he a handsome fellow?

He's also curious about things happening around him. 

A peacock I found roaming outside the zoo parking lot.  He was hoping I had a treat for him.  I didn't and he quickly lost interest in me.   Such vibrant colors on the fellow above and then later I found an albino peacock sitting near a picnic area of the park. 

This last photo isn't of a bird, it's my precious little guy, Jett who spotted a bird outside.  While he knows he can't go close to Tookie Bird, he seems to feel wild birds are open game. ::sigh::

Please be sure to take a look at the others who participated - Round Robin.  Those who stop by, thank you!  I will visit your blog on Sunday as I have a long wedding to photograph on Saturday. 

Peek-a-Boo

I see you! 

It's been a while since I've had time to participate in the Monochrome Weekly photo theme.  Today as I was going through an old file from last year, I found this little guy who begged to be shared.  Please take a moment to check out other participants and please remember I always appreciate the time you took to visit and comment! :-)  (I'll stop by to visit your blog and comment ... I just might be a wee bit late!)

Sunshine Flower

I don't know the real name of this flower but, it made me feel happy like a ray of sunshine.  So, I call it my sunshine flower.

Doesn't it make you smile too?

For other delightful and cheerful yellows be sure to check out the other participants at Mellow Yellow.  For some awesome looking macros check out Macro Monday. Of course it's always fun to see flowers from different parts of the land at Today's Flowers.

My Vehicle of Choice

This weeks theme for the Round Robin Photo Challenges is "My Vehicle of Choice".  I drive an older SUV, a 1999 blue Honda Passport.  I LOVE driving it, especially in the snow or on the beach.  :-)  If only I could drive on the beach more often.  Photo taken when I bought it.

I TRY to obey the traffic laws as I don't want to get stopped by one of these guys who's vehicle of choice is a motorcycle.  These police officers were visiting some children at the local children's hospital.  What a line up!

I've enjoyed riding on the back of our Gold Wing - as long as my hair was tied up!  Well, I did until my husband 'dropped' the bike as he was driving to work.  I'm just glad I wasn't on the bike when he went down!  Yes, he's fine, no injuries except to the poor bike.

If you really want to save fuel, there's always the pedal bike.  The second one (red helmet) is my husband Sonny on a tandem bike he built.  He's now building a tandem for two.  I'm looking forward to riding with him. :-)  This was taken during the 'Tour de Pierce' last month.

Some folks might opt for the taxi to get them around town.  This looks like an interesting taxi! It's no Cash Cab, but, it should be a ride filled with grins and giggles. 

"Baby you can drive my car, and maybe I'll love you ..."  This was a car that belonged to John Lennon.  I don't think they'll let us drive this car.  No matter what, it's an intriguing vehicle of choice.

And my vehicle of choice right now IF I could, would be this sailboat sailing off into the sunset.  Peaceful, serene and graceful.  I could use a little of those in my life. right now.  Just click on the photo to enlarge and let your mind escape. 

Be sure to check out other vehicles of choice from the Round Robin participants.  Round Robin.

Dahlia's

Lately I haven't had much time to participate in any of the photo themes listed on my sidebar.  Today I'll be truly multi-tasking and posting photos that will fit the following photo themes:  Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday, Today's Flower and the last but certainly not least Ruby Tuesday.

While the flowers aren't predominately yellow, they are stunning and are one of my favorite flowers.  I hope you enjoy these two Dahlia's, that I took at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA.

Shades of Silence

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence: see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence ... we need silence to be able to touch souls. "
                                                                  ~ Mother Theresa

Living in the great Northwest, it's easy for me to find many wonderful silent and peaceful locations that are perfect for thoughts and prayer.

Looking out on Elliot Bay in Seattle.  This was taken moments before an outdoor wedding was to start.  They got married with this view in front of them.

 

Commencement Bay, Tacoma at sunset.  Taken as a wedding reception ended and all the music and festivities ended, leaving us with some much desired peace and silence.

This is my personal favorite oasis at Mt Rainier National Park, Mowich Lake.  I always walk away with a great sense of peace with the world and/or myself.   No weddings, just some much needed rest, relaxation and SILENCE.

Shhhhh, silence please.  Daddy's little angel, a flower girl at a wedding we photographed is now sleeping.

Now quietly make your way over to the Round Robin's to see what others photographed for the subject of 'Silence'.  Also, thanks to all who played along, I look forward to seeing what you have and I of course appreciate your comments.

Tacoma Sunset

Tuesday means it's time for Ruby Tuesday and My World Tuesday and amazingly I'm able to pull double duty out of one photo. :-)

Yesterday when I was returning home from an Operation: Love Reunited photo shoot, I saw that the setting sun was casting a pink shade of color on Mt Rainier. As much as I wanted to head home and just put my feet up for a wee bit, I couldn't let this pass, so I headed to my favorite elevated spot to get this photo.

Today I share with you one of our Tacoma Sunsets. :-) I love living here.

Razzle Dazzle

The other day we were doing a photo shoot for Op: Love Reunited.  It's a free portrait shoot for military who are deploying, deployed and for the homecoming.

During the session, we went to the Rose Garden at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma and these particular roses caught my attention.  For a brief moment I was distracted from the job on hand.

However, I knew it would be a good fit for Martha's Color Carnival.  The roses are an explosion of reds and yellows.  I hope you enjoy the colors.

Now be sure to check out the other colorful sights found at Color Carnival.

Mt Rainier Sky Watch

I've only participated in the Sky Watch photo theme once before and as promised, I went back to the same location to photograph the sky around Mt Rainier.

This first photo is from the first time I played along - this is for those who may have missed it the first time.

The second photo was taken today from the same location.  Can you find our beautiful Mt Rainier?

Nope, I can't either, it's as if there is no mountain there.

Please be sure to check out the skies from other parts of the country and world!   Sky Watch Friday.

Blooming Delight

I know that right now I SHOULD be working but, here I am blogging away instead. Honestly, I'm not feeling terribly guilty about it ... yet. :-)

This flower is a triple photo theme entry. It's Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday and Today's Flowers. Many thanks to those who host these fun photo themes. Be sure to check out the others who have shared their Mellow Yellow photos and their Macro's by clicking on the links provided.

Unfortunately I'm NOT the gardner in our family so I'm clueless on the name of this beautiful flower.

Thanks for visiting and your comments are always appreciated. :-)

*** Update:  I've learned the flower is a Peony.

Looking UP!

As always, I'm stunned to realize two weeks have once again flown past me. I am happy to say that I have a NEW photo that I'm sharing. However, I also went into the archives for the other two.

* All three photos were taken with my trusty in the purse point and shoot. Not sure why but, I've decided that maybe I should be pointing that out as I often use that over the DSLR which is for "work".

Before I get into a rambling rampage, the theme for this weeks Round Robin Photo Challenge is "Looking Up".

This man is inspirational and had me completely memorized. If anyone ever gets the chance to see Ray Bethell perform in person, DO! Below is a link to a clip found on You Tube.

Ray isn't flying one kite, he flies MULTIPLE kites doing aerobatic maneuvers reminiscent of the Blue Angels. Ray is an older gentleman, age unknown as he doesn't share that bit of information. His assistant told me several years ago that Ray had to be in his late 80's from conversations they shared.

The last photo is of my beautiful 26 year old (can I say she's still single and looking) daughter who was just pre-approved for a home loan and is now in the process of house shopping! It's such an exciting (and stressful) time in her life right now. Things are looking UP in her life. :-)

Be sure to check out the other participants by clicking here-> ROUND ROBIN. *I'm heading of town this weekend and will visit all the robins when I return.

In Search of Mt Rainier

We live fairly close to an Army post. You can tell new soldiers that behind the clouds is a great mountain. They'll look at you like you've lost your mind. It looks as flat as can be from the post on a cloudy day.

When we finally get a beautiful clear day and they walk out, they are stunned to find a HUGE mountain. Our beautiful and most majestic, Mt. Rainier.

I decided I'd join Sky Watch Friday's and photograph the mountain from the same vantage point over the next few months. (It's highly unlikely I'd be able to play weekly) It will give you an idea of how she often cloaks herself with the clouds.

One day it will look as if you could reach out and touch her. Other days she looks very distant and then there are days, sometimes weeks you don't see her at all.

I hope you enjoyed my first entry for the Sky Watch photo theme. Be sure to check out other skies around the world. Sky Watch Friday.

Pick Quick

One of my favorite places to go for a hamburger is "Pick Quick". There is no indoor restaurant style dining here. You order your meal, wait for it to be cooked fresh.

Then the best part comes, on a beautiful day you take your tray of food and find a picnic table surrounded by trees and cheery colorful flowers. This place full fills more than your taste buds.

After each meal I feel at peace with the world and myself. That may sound hokey but, when you sit there eating your mean surrounded by greenery, flowers and chirping birds you can't help but feel grateful to be alive.

So, if you come to my part of the world, be sure to stop here for a visit. Eat a good hamburger, smell the flowers and feel good!

Be sure to take a moment to visit other parts of our world. My World Tuesday.

Double Trouble

Martha and her son at Menagerie started a new photo theme for Tuesdays called "Double Trouble". This is running on a trail basis so I hope everyone goes over and encourages her son to keep this up.

The idea is to find and photograph something in pairs.

So, I hear you asking, WHY am I photographing a SINGLE dog? I suppose I could say he has a PAIR of LARGE ears. But, that's not the real reason.

While he appears to be a sweet looking single dog, he seems to have this invisible evil twin who knocks over the trash and scatters it ALL OVER the house on a daily basis ... at least ONCE a day if not more.

This 'twin' also took a rotisserie chicken that I bought for our dinner and I had put it on the back part of the counter until dinner. However, when I returned to the kitchen I found that this invisible evil twin had pulled the chicken off the counter and ate the ENTIRE chicken!

One morning when I was busy with my two granddaughters, I found the evil twin had pulled plates out of the sink and dropped them to the floor so he could lick them clean for us! Oh and he broke a few while trying to clean.

No, this is NOT my dog, he's my grand-dog. My son (a cop) rescued him from the streets. Gage was bone thin and abused. They are working hard to train him ... errr his evil twin that is.

I must add, that despite the problems his 'twin' caused, I fell in love with Gage. Both my granddaughters climb all over him and he just looks at them and sighs. The baby gets a way with the most. She sleeps on top of him.

The first morning I was at their house, I started to go in the girls room and he stopped me cold. My son, assured Gage I was okay and he handed me my youngest granddaughter. The dog watched me carefully and when he saw the baby hugging me and happy, I was allowed into his pack. :-)

Gage is a keeper, his evil twin on the other hand ...

Smile!

It's once again time for a Mellow Yellow Monday #22.

My husband bought this for me recently and put in a houseplant. He said it made him think of me as I was known as Smilin Mon by several of my co-workers when he met me.

Now tell me, how can you look at this and NOT smile? Come on, you know you want to smile! :-)

Nature Reclaims

I've been wanting to participate in the Monochrome Weekly photo theme and haven't until now. This is my first time to participate.

I debated about the title, 'Nature Reclaims' or 'Abandoned Dreams'. The person had spent a lot of time building a small pond with a little waterfall near that bench, it looked as if it would have been an ideal place to daydream or find some inner peace.

Shake it Off

I originally wanted to save this photo for the camera critters photo theme. However, I'm not very patient and decided to go ahead and share my very wet boy, Toby as shakes off all the water.

That's all water droplets flying toward ME! Lovely.

Be sure to check out other water theme photos at Watery Wednesday by clicking right HERE! And what the heck, I'm adding this and the raccoons below for Camera Critters which can be found HERE.

Double Trouble

My friend Martha (from back in the days of AOL journals) and her son are hosting on a trial bases a new photo theme on Tuesdays, called 'Double Trouble'. I hope this catches on and they take it past the three week trial period.

For this first time, I'm digging through my archives and decided on these two who seem to be in search of trouble.

These two were approaching us while I was doing a family portrait session at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. They kept inching closer to us and we decided they must've wanted a family portrait too.

Who was I to deny them a nice portrait? I've done many other portraits in that area and I've yet to see any sign of my racoon friends. (sigh).

Gum Wall

This is my second time to participate with the Ruby Tuesday, and I hope it's only the second of many more to come. :-) I keep my eyes open for photo ops at all times now.

What you are looking at is known as the "gum wall" at Post Alley in Seattle. You are not going to believe the "ewwww" factor of this tradition that has become a living art installation sought out by photographers.

The Market Theater in Post Alley at Pike Place Public Market has given up cleaning the gum it's patrons began sticking to the alley's brick wall while they were waiting in line. It's a habit that has stuck. Originally coins were pressed into the colorful gum blobs. Some people still affix a penny, but those quickly disappear.

After two complete removals and cleanings, the theater realized the futility of trying to keep the gum off. It is now become a 'public art installation', and a participatory one that grows daily.

Please be sure to check out the others who have shared their ruby photos here -> Ruby Tuesday.

My World - Tacoma

This is my first time to participate in the 'My World' Tuesday. Since I gave up the world of blogging as I knew it, and am now only focused on photography (a HUGE part of my life), by giving up the chatty blog it has allowed me to actually go out and have FUN with the camera.

This particular photo was taken from downtown Tacoma a few days ago. While Tacoma isn't a tourist destination like Seattle, I feel it has some very worthy qualities that get overlooked. My hope is to share some of the quirks and beauty of Tacoma with you over the weeks/months ahead.

What appealed to me was the view of our majestic MT Rainier and the bridge off to the left, all this from a downtown location. .

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the time you took and I won't lie, I LOVE when comments are left too! :-) Be sure to check out other parts of the world by clicking on -> MY WORLD

Yellow Begonia

Is it cheating if I use one photo for two photo themes? I think not, I've seen plenty of others do it so, I'm going to myself. :-)

This evening Sonny (my husband) and I decided it was a perfect evening to have dinner at the park. We grabbed some sandwiches, our drinks and enjoyed our meal at a local park.

Once there I was wishing I had my camera,then I remembered I had my little point and shoot camera, and that would work!

A close up of a yellow begonia.

Be sure to check out what others found that's yellow: HERE And for Macro Monday, just click HERE. A 3rd photo theme, Today's Flowers can be found HERE.

And for those of you who haven't seen a yellow begonia (like myself) here is a link to check out: yellow begonia.

Growing - Round Robin

When I heard about the subject for this weeks Round Robin Challenge I had ideas of sharing some photos of my dog as a puppy growing, or possibly of my own children growing.

Then it hit me, it would mean I'd have to scan photos to do either of those entries. Right now my scanner isn't playing nice. Besides, it would be nice to have some new current photos to use!

As I was walking into the house a few days ago I found my subject for this photo challenge. Off to my right as I enter my house is a large colorful Rhododendron bush.

I photographed the same bud as it grew into this bright large blossom over the week.

Be sure to check out the other photographers who have participated in this weeks Round Robin Challenge.

Colorful Kayaks

My Friend Martha is once again hosting the Color Carnival this weekend. No rules, just COLOR!

For those of you participate in the Round Robin Photo Challenge, you may recognize this photo as I recently posted it for their theme of 'floating'.

We were standing on the pier enjoying the peace and serenity of this "hidden" spot. Within minutes of us finding this gem, a van pulled up and all these kids with their colorful kayaks appeared. I was so glad I had my camera handy! However, a man who had been fishing there wasn't happy and left in huff.

The Boys

Time again for Camera Critters! I say that like I've played along for ages. I've commented on participants I knew is all I've ever done in the past. I'm changing that and will start sharing some of my own camera critters.

On the left is my daughters cat, Hunter who is the old man of the two. He's rather anti-social. He will allow you to pet him when HE desires the attention and not a moment sooner. Otherwise, leave him alone on his perch by the living room window.

On the right is my rescued baby, Jett. He could fit in the palm of my hand when we found him last 4th of July weekend in the street. He's one who NEEDS (demands) lots of attention and love. I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with me holding him ALL the time when he was such a wee one.

It's been told that when I was back in the DC area for 3 weeks my baby would sit and cry by my desk chair. He missed his human mama!

BTW, Hunter lives up to his name and brings home several treats for my daughter. Mice being his favorite treat to present his princess. Jett lives up to his name by jetting around under your feet leaving you to crash land on your bum.

My husband said if we ever get another cat, he wants to name it "recliner" in hopes that it would just lounge around.

Click here to check out the other Camera Critters.

Approach with Caution!

It appears there has been a Bridezilla sighting in the area.

Those who have followed me from the AOL journals and my now recently deleted blog, know I fell into wedding photography about 5-6 years ago. Let me say, it's been a fun ride!

One of our brides assured me there would be plenty of signs indicating how to get to their private wedding location. This was one of the signs leading us to the event. You just gotta love a bride with a sense of humor.

*** Thanks to Martha for suggesting a new site, I've added this photo to the Thematic Photographic #50 photo theme of 'signs'.

Unfortunately I can't get to that particular blog from my computer, I had to use my daughter's laptop to view it and she got rather testy that I was taking time to view other signs. I will certainly visit your signs as there some fantastic ones out there!