FOL14 - Week 26

Wow - half way through the year.  The first part has flown by, if you ask me.  Hopefully the second half of the year will slow down just a tad bit so we can all catch our breath, right?!

For week 26 of the Focus on Life 2014 weekly photography challenge, Sally has given us this prompt:

June 2014: Putting the Fun In Photography

Week 26: Free Space!

"Like the good old bingo cards state, "FREE SPACE" right smack dab in the middle of the card!  We have reached the half way point of the year, REALLY!  

We are half way through 2014!  

For this week you have a "free space" to photography what ever you would like in what ever way you would like."

Oh, so many possibilities.

I took some pics over Memorial Day Weekend while we were up in the mountains at my sis and brother-in-law's cabin.   

I rather like the look of this one, so I played around with editing it a bit. 

And, being our country's symbol of Freedom, I thought it would fit nicely for our 'Free Space' prompt.

I haven't watched the video that Sally no nicely put up on 'softening' your photos - so I'll have to do that because this one might look cool that way. 

Please check out the below links and see what every one else chose as their 'Free Space' this week, won't you?! 

Oh, and be sure to come back 
here tomorrow for the 
Pearls! Pearls!! Pearls!!! 
Blog Hop - Link Up.

I'd love for you to link up with us and show us what you've created with your pearls!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and "FREE" Space

Cheers,

~Shel~

Free Space to Grow! ;-)

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 11 - Beauty All Around

It's week 11 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 is:

 

 

Beauty All Around

 

You've all seen the sunrises and sunsets I've been posting lately, which would have been super for this week's prompt, but I'll spare you yet another one!

 

I was out walking in the neighborhood keeping a keen eye out for something to photograph that would embrace this prompt.

  

This was some of the
beauty I found all around.



Pretty flowers outside our subdivision

And, even more.

Beautiful Bougainvilleas

 

 

Okay - so I couldn't resist.
 
Here's another sunset.

Friday Night's Sunset Over the Big Lake
(sorry I couldn't make it bigger w/out it running off the page!)



And here's a duck landing on the water, too!

  

 

 

 

Please go check out the "Beauty All Around" that everyone else found this week, won't you?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Beauty All Around!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 10 - The BIG Picture

It's week 10 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 is:

 

The BIG Picture

 

"As for this week, we are expanding what we are 'checking out' and looking at the BIG picture!"

 

I have a hard time with getting these types of pics to turn out the way the I want them to.
 

 





Click to enlarge - you'll be happy you did! :-)

 

 



 

These photos might not have been exactly what Sally meant with her prompt, but I did try a few different things this week, including trying to read the online manual for both my cameras.  (grrr,.....)

 

Well, after not having much success with that whole thing, I grabbed my phone and snapped the beauty around us while we were on a little walk about the neighborhood the other night.

 

 

 

 

 

I also captured this sunrise one morning with the 'panorama' setting on my phone.

 

 

click to enlarge

 

I'm a bit obsessed with sunrises and sunsets - as you can see.

I'm sure you're getting bored with them lately,....especially if you follow me on Facebook or over on Instagram.

But hey, I'm having fun and enjoying each moment I capture!

 

 

 

I looked. I focused.
I held my breath.
I clicked.

I captured what I found beautiful.

 

 

This one I used an edit on and then put a frame on it - but it still looks pretty much
the way the sunrise did. Except for the green glowing houses across the lake. :-)

 

 

I never thought in a million years that I'd say this but,...

I think my phone camera might be a better camera than either of my actual cameras.

 

Well, except for the macro shots I get w/my Lumix.

Those can be pretty awesome. 

 

So, I wonder what 'big' pictures everyone else captured this week?

 

Let's have a look, shall we?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Getting the Big Picture!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life 2014 - Capture Color

It's week 8 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at the Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Cabin Fever" for the month of February and our prompt this week is:

 

 

 

Capture Color!

 

"For the last week of February, we will be focusing on something that can snap me out of 'cabin fever' and hopefully you, too! Bring on the Color! Capture color in all its vivid brilliance!"

 

I'm visiting the lovely little haunt of Jerome, AZ with my sister and some friends this weekend, but here's some 'color' that I was organizing this week and snapped a photo of!

 

 

 

 

Please enjoy all the other color that everyone else was able to capture this week, won't you?!

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Color, Baby!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life 2014: Week 7 - Collage of LOVE

It's week 7 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at the Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Cabin Fever" for the month of February and our prompt this week is:

 

 

 

Collage of Love

 

 

"One of the best ways to beat the feeling of cabin fever is to feel the L❤VE!  It may be as simple as that warm and oh so  inviting cup of coffee, the cold nose of your four legged family member or the smell of a certain flower!  This week l❤ve is everywhere and it's your job to capture it, no bow and arrow needed, just a camera! "

 

It's been a very packed week this week, so I cheated on my collage and grabbed pics I had already taken.  But, they are things I love and it was a good thing I looked for some photos because I found there's tons missing on my computer and they're not on the back up hard drive either.

 

Were'd they go?  Your guess is as good as mine.

 

But, we are in the middle of retrograde, so this is not a surprising discovery.

Disappointing yes, unexpected no.  

 

I even searched some of the sub-folders thinking I'd dropped them in to the wrong place by accident. Nope. No luck. So, I spent a good portion of time searching and backing up newer things.

 

Back to this week's prompt,...

 

I snagged a silly shot of my boys awhile back and although it's blurry, I still love it.

 

I love them!

 

I love Pearls (ya, think?!!)

 

I love where I live.

 

And I love Coco and Kiki. (Crazy Lovebirds!!)

 

 

 

 

On Valentine's Day, Arizona celebrated its 102nd birthday.

 

On Valentines Day 20 years ago, Mike proposed.

 

On Valentine's Day 6 years ago, Iron Man (aka-Mike) got a 'defib' put in his chest that they now say he doesn't need (figures, right?!) but that we have been thankful for.

 

Valentine's Day is a good day!

 

Until Next Time,

Peace and LOVE!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

Please check out all the other participants this weekend and see what they LOVE!!

 

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life - Quiet Calm

It's week 6 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at the Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Cabin Fever" for the month of February and our prompt this week is:

Quiet Calm

 

 

 

"The world begins to emerge from its wintry blanket quietly, calmly.  Subtle cues emerge with very little notice. For this week's photo assignment we will focus on the quiet calm of the world re-energize around us."

 

Well, for those of you experiencing the winter blanket coming back to hit you yet again this week - I feel for you.

 

Here in the desert of central Arizona, we're getting hit with possible record breaking temps and it's going to be topping out this week in the mid to upper 80's.

 

Just like those of you who are tired of winter, we're ready for winter to actually begin.

Or 'semi-continue' as I heard someone say.

 

With our warmer temps, things have really started to bloom.

The trees that line the streets of my subdivision, which just finally lost all their leaves around mid-January, are starting to bud and bloom again and little signs of bright green are bursting from their naked little branches.

 

I traveled to Tucson last week/weekend for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows and our friend's that we stay with have lots of cacti in their yard and surrounding area. I went for a little 'walk about' and found some great colors in the 'Quiet Calm' of the desert.
 

 

 

 

I hope you are all having a great week and staying warm where it's cold and 'chillin' where it's hot!

 

Please take a look around and see all the great shots everyone else captured this last weekend, won't you?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and The Quiet Calm of the Desert!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Focusing On Life: Week 49 - Add A Little Sparkle!

Well, it's week 49 for the Focusing on Life: 52 Photos weekly photography challenge and Sally from The Studio Sublime gave us this prompt:

 

 

 

Add A Little Sparkle!

 

 

Well, I did manage to get the tree up this week so there is a "Little Sparkle" going on in our house!
 

 

 

 

Click on the images below to see how every one else "Added A Little Sparkle" to their week!

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Sparkle!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Focusing on Life - Week 48: Giving Thanks!

This is week 48 for the Focusing on Life: 52 Photos weekly photography challenge and our prompt from Sally over at

The Studio Sublime was:

 

 

 

Giving Thanks!

 

What are you thankful for?

 

 

I do know that I am thankful for this journey through life that Sally has 'prompted' us to take this year and I'm so very thankful for all of you.

 

Every one's been saying how they're sad this photo challenge is coming to a close and they are hoping Sally (or someone) will keep things going on some level or in some capacity.  I'm hopeful of that too, and would take on that challenge if my life didn't seem to be headed in what I believe to be a totally different direction next year.

 

Right now I'm thankful for hot tea, soft blankets, the warm fire and the festive way the cabin is decorated by my sister for Thanksgiving!

 

I'm thankful for the various stringed instruments that have been played by my nephew, my brother-in-law and my son and the joy I get from hearing their music!

 

I'm thankful my hubby's restocking the wood pile and keeping the fires lit! 

 

I'm thankful I have a good, loving and fun family!

 

 

click photo collage to enlarge

 

 

I guess most of all, I'm thankful for the life I have been blessed with and for those in it.  

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Giving Thanks!

 

Cheers,

~Shel~

Giving Dad Bunny-Ears!



 Be sure to stop by and see what everyone else is 'Giving Thanks' for this weekend!