Sunflowers & Pumpkins (not just for carving)

I love harvest season. Especially when it brings the most beautiful sunflowers! Couldn't pass them up at the local farmstand by me. They were so big and bright. I am planning to grow my own sunflowers next year on the side of the house. Can't wait!


We also just baked a cheese pumpkin, one of our ingredients (ok the main ingredient) in Apple Pumpkin Soup. We'll let you know how it turns out and share the recipe if it's a winner.


OH, and we put up a fence today in our backyard. Started at 8am and finished at 1pm. I'm exhausted, but happy, because we've had the two dogs visiting for the last week and they have been quite non-compliant about going into the front yard and into the street. Its a quiet road, but still....bad habits are bad habits. We dont want them getting hurt.

the story of my inspiration

Ok, so this may seem like a strange place to start my blog but...

I was sitting in the bathroom just now, not really thinking about anything in particular, except that I'm loving the makeover we just gave it (but that's another blog - with lots of pictures). Anyway... back to it... i was just sitting there when I heard the TV from the other room start bellowing out a song - True Colors by Cyndy Lauper - CLASSIC 80s chick! Love her.

But even more than loving her, I love that song. It has had a profound effect on my life. It all started back when i was a child of 8-9 years old. My father - always trying to give his family the best he possibly could- took us to Disney World. We spent a week in a cheap hotel, as most of the money was spent on the (even then) expensive park tickets and dining out every night. It was that very first year (or maybe the second year) that my mom and dad dragged us along on this boring tour of condos. Can you say "sales pitch"? We didnt really have the money to purchase anything but my dad is no fool - we went on several of these tours in order to grab hold of the "free" Disney tickets they offer just for listening to them for 2 hours. (These days they have it all figured out with kid clubs that entertain the children while mommy and daddy decide on taking out a second mortgage for a vacation rental.)

Anyway, at some point, my dad's company did fairly well and he purchased a small timeshare about 2 miles from the Disney entrance. It was awesome. Some of my greatest memories were made spending time with my family swimming in the pool, paddle-boating on the lake out back, and playing shuffleboard. Some years it was just the four of us (mom, dad, me and my brother) and some years we had as many as 20 other family members taking the trek with us. My dad will often remind me of those years where he had to physically drag me and my cousin Karen out of the pool to go to the parks.

For years and years we did our "annual" family vacation in Orlando. It was such a strong part of my life growing up that, even now, when my dad talks about selling the timeshare, i put my foot down and tell him he BETTER NOT! I have every intension of taking my children there and making the same memories.

I digress....back to the song.

For years, my brother and my cousins all thought Epcot was "the boring park" ... the "adult park". So we spent most of our younger years exploring and memorizing Magic Kingdom, until of course MGM Studios came into play and then finally Animal Kingdom. We became instant experts on the best way to tackle the parks - what rides to go on first, what rides were worth the wait for a second run etc etc.

But somewhere in the middle of all this exploring, I grew up. My desire for roller coasters and thrill rides relaxed a little and Epcot seemed more appealing with its two separate areas of the park: The World Showcase and Future World. Traveling the world suddenly seemed so cool and what better way to do it then hike around the lagoon and visit a dozen or so countries in the World Showcase with authentic food, people, and faux decor. It gave me a taste of a world (or many worlds) I had not explored yet. At the other end of the park was Future World, a taste of things to come - new computer games, new technologies. It was here that I was inspired, not on a ride or in any of the pavilions, but waiting online for the Michael Jackson 3D movie (now the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" 3D show for you WDW fanatics). Disney doesn't make you wait online without some sort of entertainment. So, there I was, standing in darkness and "True Colors" begins to play as a slide show of photographs begin flashing before my eyes. The show culminated into a story of life, love, living, growing up, capturing moments and spending time with the ones we love. Tears gushed down my face. I was instantly captured and inspired to do the very same. I yearned for a camera and have had one ever since.

Because of this inspiration, I now have hundreds of photos of family, friends, landscapes, people, pets, animals, flowers, trees, the ocean... all interacting with each other. My ultimate goal? To capture people in their element... in their moment... to remind them of that moment... to inspire them to keep that moment alive... remember who, what, when, where, why and how they had that moment. I now have a website, a photoblog. I have had numerous photography jobs. And my inspiration, skills and desire to learn has only increased as time went on. It's a work in progress.

You know how some things just suddenly make sense? Yeah well... I had an epiphany in the bathroom tonight(of all places!). That song has reminded me that there is a reason for my life and photography is definitely one of them.

My class

So, I'm really enjoying my class. We shot on location last night near a dock and I got a few good shots. Take a look at my photoblog when get a chance.

I really think I need more hands-on classes like this. I can't stress enough how much i have learned in the last two weeks.

Some day I'll be over you

There will be a day
When your presence,
Often found seeping through the very core of my being,
Won't cause that deep pang of desire
Or the jittery restlessness
That makes my knees weak when you linger in the air
I spend my days wishing they would find a cure
Or a less toxic form of you
So that I could indulge my desire once again
And surrender to your fiery seduction
Breathe you in
And release you through my pursed lips

Insanity!

Sooooo.... what a week i have had so far.

I started this class at BOCES in between all my other activities - travel, work, home update projects. The class is great. It's called "Photoshop for Photographers". So far two days into it, I have learned SO MUCH - not just about photoshop but about photography as well. It is exactly what i need to get my technical skills more on target and a chance to learn how to process them in Photoshop.

The picture shown here is my cousin's little one. She has stolen my heart! Check out her "Wizard of Oz" ruby red shoes! I plan on putting more pictures up tonight or tomorrow night on my photo blog from the Reunion, so stay tuned.

I am babbling at this point because i am so over-tired from my 31 hour trip to Washington DC and back (that's gate to gate, people and included a 4 hour reception in one of the Senate buildings).

still alive and kicking

Isn't this change of weather awesome? I love the cooler evenings. LOVE THEM!

I am still here but it happens to be the busiest few weeks of the year for me at work. Event after event, phone calls, emails, etc etc etc...starting with an overnight trip next Tuesday to Washington D.C., strolling into October with our annual golf outing and then ending with the Riverhead Country Fair.

Did i mention i start a class next Monday night and that i am heading to a huge family reunion on Saturday all the way in Pennsylvania? How about the fact that i have purchased a space at a Fall festival in my town to promote my photography?

So if i seem a bit quiet...thats why.

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around I will be THOROUGHLY ready for that vacation in Tampa. Wouldn't you say?

sexy legs

at Nan Patience's request....

top to bottom.

Isnt it great? LOL

what i learned at the Rennaisance Fair

1. Never buy a sausage on a stick and expect to be respected.




2. bring wipes - even if your kid is out of diapers and (3) never put chicken fingers (or any food for that matter) on the top of a child's stroller. You never know if he will grab the top and pull everything down onto the ground in front of him.


4. Never tell your girlfriend that you want a "BIG JUICY PICKLE" from the pickle man. She may try to embarrass you.





5. Expect the unexpected. That includes grown men in jean mini-skirts.





6. Always expect to share whatever food you have in your hand when there is a 2 year old around.





7. Never volunteer for something on stage when a chainsaw is involved.

Photograph Challenge

Check out some new photos on my photo blog (link on the right).