today is her birthday...

I was so young when she passed that my memories are few. I always think of her on her very special birthday. My father used to love to tell the story of when he realized he had more official birthdays than his mother, born on February 29. I am so blessed that my grandfather and father liked photography too. I don't know who the photographer was for this photo but you can see the love in her eyes. My grandfather's handwriting is on the back "up on Higgins Farm". It is so precious to me. We still need to print and write on the back of photos, don't you think?

Happy Leap Day!

I love it when bobcats come to visit...

He showed up on Thursday. For quite a while, all I saw was his backside. As I tried to watch him, I realized that he may be around a lot more often than I realize. He hid easily among the salvia and later behind the roses. I saw him watching where one of the tortoises is hibernating (at least I think that's where Tillie is). He circled around started pawing into the area. I decided to try to startle him away, something I never do. My knocking on the window didn't bother him at all but he didn't find a tortoise. These were some not very good photos from Thursday:



He was back today. Never even thinking of him, I walked outside this morning to take some shots of the roses. I need to be more aware. I had taken several shots and then I saw some movement to the right of me. There was still plenty of distance between us. He was not aggressive but I need to be smarter. I had been working with the macro so I wasn't set for pictures of him. I grabbed my longer lens from the table (which is why my dining room table is always filled with lenses and cameras, despite the fact I like a pretty table) and went back to find him. By that time, he was on the wall, ready to leave since I had disturbed him. He did pose nicely for a moment or two, without hiding behind the brush. The light was in my favor. Here are a few from today:

At first he paused.

Then he looked at me as I looked at him.

Check out those paws.





















Love his tongue in this shot.

Then he plotted his escape or spotted some breakfast.

And then he was gone.



Hope he comes back soon.

my baby girl...

Today is her birthday. Yes, we had a "just about Christmas" baby. We would never have named her Christmas, although it would have been perfect with our last name. We mentioned this to her when she was four. Without telling us, she announced to her preschool teachers and friends that her real name was Christmas but they could call her Crissy. I didn't find out until I saw the papers she had worked on at school with the name Crissy (her decision on the spelling), in familiar handwriting. She didn't see anything wrong with changing her name to what it really should have been. Eventually, she went back to her given name but it always makes me smile to think of her making the change.

She is exactly as she was as a baby, happy, social, interested and sure of herself. It is amazing the glimpses we get of our adult children when they are young. The things that are so true are there all along. We just don't recognize them until many years later.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl. You are too far away this year.

an iris for Christmas?

This December may turn out to be one of the coldest on record. We haven't had a high yet this month that has hit the average temperature. While those who love Arizona for its warm winters may not appreciate it, I am loving every bit. Last Christmas Day, we had dinner outside without the need for sweaters or jackets but definitely sunglasses. Tonight, there is a possibility of snow. Yes, snow. I am hoping and hoping.

Meanwhile, there is a little treasure in my yard who is very confused. It is very short and its first bud froze last week. This is its first bloom. As much as I have enjoyed the peek into spring, I am hoping it will understand that it needs to come back in March. In March, it will love being here.

at the street fair...

One of our favorite events is the street fair, held twice a year, in the spring and in December. The sights, the sounds, the smells and the people watching are a delight for me with camera in hand.


You can eat...

Have your fortune told.




















Listen to music.

Find the light in the middle of chaos.

Become inspired.

Gaze into store windows.





Listen to music that is so unique and inspiring that you can't help but buy the cds and take enough pictures that will somehow, you hope, bring that moment back.

This group is called "The Missing Parts" and for the record, we had Navajo tacos for lunch. Yum.

a little gathering of nature for Christmas...

Pine bough from our Christmas tree, red berries from the nandina bush, pine cone from my birthday picnic on the mountains. Annabelle texture from the 12 Days of Texture by Kim Klassen.

thank you, Kim Klassen...

As a photographer, I feel like my creativity ebbs and tides. Sometimes I am on a roll, sometimes I feel like things are getting repetitive and stale. Friends introduced me to textures last year. Thanks to Kim Klassen's lovely textures, I am able to jump start my creativity by playing around in Photoshop. Kim is hosting the 12 days of textures right now. Check it out.
I can't stop photographing jingle bells.