A Door - Focus on Life: 2014 - Week 36

Our topic for September for the Focus On Life: 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge is

 'Simplicity' 

and for week 36 Sally prompted us with

 'A Door'

Well, if you didn't already know, I'm a bit obsessed with doors.

I've got a 'Door Porn' board over on Pinterest 

that helps feed this obsession. 

So, when we got the prompt for this week I thought, 

"Yeah Baby! I'm not gonna have any problems with this week's prompt!"

Wrong. 

Other than the grocery store and my house, I haven't gone far this week and didn't manage to capture even one photo of the cool doors I saw down in Mexico last weekend. (really?!?)

So, I leave you this week with one of my favorite door photos of all times.

Italian villa in Sommocolonia, Italy. Photo by Michelle Buettner

This beautiful home is in a little hilltop village called Sommocolonia, 

above the village of Barga in Tuscany, Italy. 

Sommocolonia is a magical place. 

When I die my ashes could be spread up on the hill, underneath the remains of the magnificent stone towers where the memorial plaque to the Buffalo Soldiers of WWII hangs, and I'd be eternally happy. 

This village is 'A Door' to another world.

 Simplicity rings through out this beautiful hilltop village, behind each door, and welcomes you with open arms. 

I'm excited to see what simplistic doors the other participants were able to capture this week.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and A Door to a Simple, Peaceful Place!

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

**I posted early because I'm down in Tucson at the Fall G&LW Gem Show tonight!
I'll try to visit and comment on every one's posts on Sunday!**

 

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Playing Catch Up

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks around here. 

Busy, fun, crazy, happy, excited, stressful, frustrating, confusing, shocked, sad, lost,....we've run the gamut.

So, I'm playing a bit of catch-up today with the Focus on Life: 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge.

Sally over at The Studio Sublime, gave us these two prompts for weeks 24 and 25.

Week 24:  Have FUN and get snappin'. To shoot with abandon, basically. 

These folks are kinda making fun of me taking photos. We're all 'snapping' each other 'snapping' each other - fun. And FUNNY! (it was to us, anyway!) I laughed so hard last weekend my sides still hurt.

Week 25: Be Colorful 

a) full of interest; lively and exciting.

b) having much or varied color; bright. 

Each day this summer I've tried to 'drink my colors'.  I mixed various fruits in my glass each morning, add ice and water and drink several glasses and then at the end of the day, eat the fruit. It's really refreshing, especially here in the desert with the 100+ degree temps.

I hope you're all having a great summer!  Be sure to hop around and see what 'colors' every one else has captured this week!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Colorful Fun!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 22 -

May's topic for the Focus on Life 2014 weekly photography challenge is 

'In, At and About' 

and for week 22, Sally (The Studio Sublime) gave us this prompt:

"This week we are focusing on what is IN Bloom!"

The only thing blooming here in the desert right now is the heat.

Well, there's tons of saguaro blooms that are looking pretty awesome right now, but I couldn't capture a good pic of those this week.

And, bougainvilleas and bird of paradise are always in bloom here when it's summer and super hot, but the pics I took of those didn't come out as well as this shot of one of the last roses in our rose bush. 

The pics from the top looking down on the rose showed all the scorched petals, so I chose this angle because it looked the prettiest!

Okay, back to the bloomin' heat!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Beauty In Bloom!

Cheers,

~Shel~

*A little side note,...

Today would have been my Dad's 95th Birthday. 

Happy Birthday Dad!! 

Miss you so much - every single day! 

 

May 31st, 1979- My 8th Grade Graduation and my Dad's 60th Birthday

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 20 - The View About The Ground

**If you are looking for the 
Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! Blog Hop II
Info and Sign Up Post, Click HERE. 
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May's topic for the Focus on Life 2014 weekly photography challenge is 

'In, At and About' 

and for week 20, Sally over at  

The Studio Sublime, gave us the prompt:

The View About The Ground

I'm always looking at the ground - usually for cool rocks. 

I decided to photograph something else this week though.

The grass with it's tiny yellow 'flowers' and this fallen leaf from the Grapefruit Tree.

 

This seemed a bit more 'summer' than rocks. 

Plus, the rocks were hot to stand on and photograph in my bare feet and the grass felt good despite the 104 temperature!

Hop around to the other participants this week and see what they captured in their "View About The Ground". 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Looking About!

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14- Week 17 - Evening Moments

Continuing with April's theme of 'Moments', Sally, over at The Studio Sublime, gave us this prompt for week 17 of the Focus on Life: 2014 weekly photography challenge:

 

 

 

Evening Moments

 

"There is a moment when the day begins to quietly slip away from the earth and the calm of evening floods over the land.  Colors deepen, stars peek through pin holes in a twilight sky.  We begin to exhale and slowly let the world of the day slide from our shoulders."

 

Dusk, next to dawn,

is my favorite time of day.



 

Especially in the desert.

 

 

 

For my birthday last month, my sister took me to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly Exhibit. 

 

His glass sculptures are out of this world!
 

 

It was so cool to see how the sculptures mimicked the desert vegetation.

 

We went an hour or so before sunset and enjoyed all the beautiful flowers blooming on the various cactus.

 

 

 

Then, as the sun settled down and the day turned into evening, we were able to see "Chihuly After Dark".

 

 

 

 

It was a breathtaking 

Evening Moment in the desert.

 

 

This one was my favorite. The way the sunlight glistened off the tips of the glass as day turned into night
made for a very special moment indeed!

 

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Life's Evening Moments!

 

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 16

To continue with the month of April's prompt of "Moments", Sally, over at the Studio Sublime, has given us the photo prompt of "A Moment Best Captured in Black and White" for week 16 of the Focus on Life 2014 weekly photography challenge.
 

 

 

 

 

Sally said: "Sometimes, when there is no distraction of color, the image is no longer just a photo but a clean, honest, deeper look at life."

 

So true!

 

Left Photo -Violin Case Handle  /  Right Photo - Violin

 

 

I have a very special violin that is approximately 100 years old.

Possibly a bit older.
 

 

It was my Uncle's and he gave it to my Dad.
 

 

It's one of those things that although lovely in color, I find it most beautiful in Black and White.
 

 

Possibly because it's a

'Moment of History'?
 

 

Hop on over to the other participant's blogs and see what 'moment' they captured in black and white this week!
 

 

Until Next Time,
 

Peace, Love and Antique Moments!
 

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 15

It's Week 15 for the Focus on Life: 2014 weekly photography challenge.

 

 

For the month of April our topic is:

Moments

 

Our weekly focus this week:

A Moment of Focus

 

"Allowing yourself to focus on one moment, one subject.  A crisp, clear moment of focus."

 

Sally really gave us some great tips over on the Focus on Life Blog this week, and I tried out the 'depth of focus' tips. 

 

Here's my 'Moment of Focus' this week:

 

 

 

 

This one was fun. Fun taking the photo(s). Fun editing. Fun learning.

 

I still don't always have it down right, especially when I'm trying to do this with my jewelry shots - but I do love to try to get the type of shot where something in front is totally in focus and the background is blurred. I think it looks really cool.

 

 

 

 

Check out what other Moments of Focus the other participants have captured this week!

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Moments in Focus!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 14 - Morning Moments

It's week 14 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at The Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Moments" for the month of April.

 

 

This week our prompt is

"Morning Moments".

 

Sally asked us to photograph what our Morning Moments consist of; whether it be a quiet, coffee drinking moment or a mad dash to get the kids off to school, a 3a.m. feeding for those with little ones or stolen moments waiting for the train or bus to take us to work.

 

Most of you know that I capture as many 'Morning Sunrise Moments' as possible.

 

Despite the fact that I LOVE the time where the sun starts to rise and it goes from dark to light and the day officially begins,

my favorite morning moment is actually chatting with my son for a while

 before he leaves for school each day. 

 

But, since he wouldn't let me

snap his photo (surprise!)

or capture any of these moments on film

(digital camera! LOL!),

I captured this Morning Moment instead,

 

Yep, pretty much everything is 'outta-focus' until I have this! :-)

 

 

Ah, the morning Cup O'Joe!

 

It's my second favorite morning moment.

 

Okay, well maybe it's my third, favorite!

 

 

 

Please go check out what

Morning Moments

every one else has captured this week!

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Morning Moments!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Expression

It's week 12 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at The Studio Sublime has given us the theme of

"Checking Out" for the month of March.

 

This week's prompt was:

 

Expression

 

"Whether is is someone by themselves, interacting with others or (this is always the best) the way they interact with their animals;  the way a person expresses themselves is always so interesting.  This week we are checking out expression.   There are many definitions of expression and it doesn't have to be a capture of the face."

 

 

So, I captured two snapshots of Mike.

 

One of him working in the garage on some pewter skulls for me.

 

 

 

 

 

And, one of him helping me with

my apple pie crust.

 

 

 

 

A very 'serious' expression in both

pics if you ask me.

 

 

But, then I thought of these two silly kids.

 

 

 

My son and his girlfriend - what a cute and funny couple!

 

Yep. They make me smile!

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Expression Fun!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

An InLinkz Link-up