Time out toddlers

I thought I was happy with my picture but, clicking without thinking, I lost all the editing work that I've done. One click, dammit! Oh no! I had no choice but to start from scratch. Aaaw :( 

However, looking at this picture now, I think that it is way cooler than the one that I lost. I mean, WAY cooler! :D 

Often, when we find ourselves in a place of having to start from scratch after all the effort, energy and money that we've invested, it can be hard to imagine that the result of the new effort could be better than the old. It is easier to believe the result of the

Puppy Love Collection

Every now and again I take a look back at the photographs that I took when I just started out with my camera roughly eighteen months ago. I love seeing how I've grown in photography. I've also enjoyed seeing how the subject matter changes as I try to figure out what kind of photographer I am exactly. Some people are good at weddings, portraits, babies, etc., while others try to (or have) perfect(ed) wild life, nature, sunsets and so on. 

What is it exactly that I want to do? I can't tell yet but I can say this: I want to capture beauty. Hopefully that shows in whatever I photograph.

If you recall from my previous post (Old McDonald has a farm) I made mention of what a fruitful season it's been with all the young ones running around, including the dogs. At the time I didn't yet have any really nice photo's of the pups but I've taken a few since that I feel very proud of indeed! I call these my Puppy Love Collection. One or two of these are Hallmark Card quality, I'm sure ;) Enjoy!

Old McDonald has a farm

I've been in transition for - what feels like - forever, but I've also learned a lot. One thing I've learned is that, when you look through the eyes of a tourist, you see many things with new eyes and when you look through a lens you can find a good picture almost anywhere. So I've resolved to look through the lens with the eyes of a tourist.

I've never been much of a farm "gal" but I find myself enjoying the animal sounds, especially at night. When I close my eyes and listen to the bullfrogs I imagine that I'm in a bungalow at a beautiful holiday resort somewhere, and during the daytime I've taken a few beautiful pictures of the animals. 

Right now my life is literally a journey and I'm trying not to miss one moment of it. So here's a few of those moments :)

This is the view looking out of the back door. 

(5) Colorado: The fast, the furious and a tragic death

On this day we woke up to our last morning in Colorado. Even though I wasn't cold during the night, I missed my blow up mattress something terrible. While G went out scouting for early morning pictures I took advantage of a few extra layers of blanket and another two odd hours of sleep. And then I was hungry. We still had some leftover rotisserie chicken, ham and fresh bread safely locked in the car and before long we were not the only ones who knew that. Only the coffee was missing. ...And the bacon. And the eggs... ;)

G had this one eating out of his hand! - bird eating bird. Hmm....

(3) Colorado: Breakfast beauty... lunch, sunset, dinner

Yesterday was somewhat overcast and some really cold weather was blowing in by the time I took the picture of the mountain in the back yard - I mean chilly! I was all too grateful to be cosy inside with roast chicken and salads for dinner, a nice chunk of red velvet birthday cake for dessert and a hot shower! 

We certainly woke up to a beautiful morning! After an early breakfast we headed out to Mueller State Park, which we had stumbled across around sunset the previous day.

Standing here, breathing in the fresh morning air, I just wanted to reach for a thermos with hot coffee. I can't say I love coffee but I most certainly get caught up in the smell of coffee early in the morning. There is just something about the way it announces the break of day.

(2) Colorado: From barren to beauty

If you are just joining me - welcome!

We have been driving west from Kansas to Colorado. Most of the way - until we crossed the border anyway - there wasn't a lot to see but the closer you get to Colorado the more the topography changes to look a little more like this (below). Beautiful, isn't it?

These iconic Rocky Mountains was formed between 55 and 80 million years ago and stretch more than 3,000 miles from the northernmost part of British Columbia (western Canada) all the way to New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The mountains can be seen from about 100 miles away and they are truly spectacular - with or without snow!

(1) And then we were off to Colorado

My day trip to New York city was just a few days premature for a birthday present but who cares, right? By far one of the best birthday presents yet! Now it was G's turn. He wanted to photograph the fall colors and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I wonder why some call it autumn and others call it fall? Either way, October is the perfect time for it!

After driving the 1,200 miles to Pennsylvania, the 600 mile drive to Colorado was a breeze but with one very distinct difference: the scenery. Now, I've heard people describe Kansas in two main ways: (1) the place where the Wizard of Oz plays out, and (2) flat, wide open spaces with not even a tree in sight. Firstly - and I'm unsure whether I should feel ashamed or not - I haven't seen The Wizard of Oz. I've heard of it often but I haven't seen the movie, and secondly I haven't seen enough of the States to make an accurate topographical comparison. This trip gave me a whole new insight but how about you judge for yourself:

(8) PA - A long, EXCITING day in NYC

Once I heard that Pennsylvania is not that far from New York City I felt excited. Maybe, just maybe, we could squeeze in going there then? I hoped. A few suggestions were made, one of which was to check with my friend, Nancy, whether she would be up to spending a day in New York with me and showing me around a little.

Nancy and I 'met' on Facebook. We have been e-mailing back and forth for about eighteen months but I have never met her in person. As excited as I was about the prospect of seeing the Big Apple I wondered if we would hit it off as well in person as we did in writing. The thought even crossed my mind, "What if we don't quite gel?" But then again, we had been chatting for eighteen months. Come one! The girl simply adores me! (*giggle*) I made up my mind that we weren't only going to be just fine, but we were going to have a blast - and we did!!

Initially when I found out that we were going to Pennsylvania I really wanted to make use of the opportunity to meet with Nancy but I didn't quite know what we should do for our memorable occasion. Initially I thought maybe just a simple meal at a restaurant or maybe just coffee. However, I have to be honest: those ideas were nothing compared to seeing New York!! Who would want to go for a breakfast if you can take a bite out of the Big Apple instead?!

Once I had mentioned the idea of NYC to Nancy she was in - boots and all! Within a day or two she had