Tangerine Dreams

I got my first point and shoot camera about 10 years ago. I always had an interest in photography, but my lover affair with photography began with that first P&S camera. I have a few of my photos from that camera that are still in my top favorites of photos that I have taken over the years. "Tangerine Dreams" is one of those photos. I took this photo on a visit to Naples, Florida, from the 5th floor of our hotel balcony. The sunset with the sailboat just cruising on the water made it a scene that will always be a souvenir in my mind, of that wonderful trip!

Journey Through the Walk of Life

Well, it's been a busy week for me, and not in the best way. My step-son and his family had a house fire this past Monday morning that started in-between the walls of their fireplace. It slowly burned all of Sunday night, and was not discovered until Monday morning when they heard crackling in the wall of the fireplace. The family is so blessed that this fire did not take their lives in the middle of the night while they slept, as my two grandson's room was directly above the fireplace wall. I believe the house is a total loss, as what did not burn, was heavily damaged by smoke and water. Times like this are so devastating to people, to the point that you can't even think of what to do next. I cried when I saw the devastation to the house, as it was once home to me, my husband, my daughter and my step-son. It was also the last place we ever saw my other step-son alive, as he passed away last year at the age of 26. So, I have been busy with a "go-fund" fundraiser that I organized on Tue. to get my step-son and his family some emergency needs, as they have lost everything in this fire. I posted the "go-fund" on facebook, and the out-pouring of of donations and support have been truly amazing! We are already more than halfway to our goal. So many people have offered clothes, coats, shoes, etc. that we also had to set-up a central location to drop off donations. This week has taught me about love and support of total strangers. There will never be a way to thank all of these people enough for all that they have done to help my step-son and his family. It's hard for a man and woman, with their 3 children to look at what once was. Now, they are taking a new journey into what is the unknown for them. Our family is strong, and they will literally rise from the ashes in time. This is just another "Journey Through the Walk of Life." Happy Thursday everyone!

Embracing Unchangeable

Well, it does not look like the cold weather is going away anytime soon. As I am writing this, it is actually -9 degrees outside. Schools are closed once again, etc. I cannot ever remember a colder winter in my life. The kind of cold that actually takes your breath away, and can cause frostbite in minutes if your not properly covered in the cold elements. I decided to actually take myself outside with my camera because I am going stir-crazy with cabin fever. I didn't go far, just outside my front door. Did I mention, it showed all weekend too? Here is a little photo of me trying to embrace what I cannot change, the winter's bitter cold! I am looking forward to the weekend when the temperatures will be in the 20's. I think it will actually feel like a heat-wave in comparison to the temperatures we have had in January. So everyone, enjoy the day, and please keep warm!

Puddle Jumping!

I was looking through my many photos, and I came across this one that I have always liked for some reason. I took this last year in Florida, on one of the many shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It was near night, which always brings in the tide. In this photo, the tide would wash out and take large amounts of sand with it, creating several pockets of holes in the sand. Then when the tide rolled back in a few seconds later, the large amounts of sand would wash back up on the shore with the tide. This is one of those photos where you can actually see the sand rolling back to the shore. Hope you enjoy!

Bridging the Gap

This is another fall photo taken at one of the parks I frequent all year-round. I loved the look of this scene because of the many colors that were on display for fall. The bridge goes over the man-made lake that has fountains sprouting through it in the summer. Even in the winter, when the fountains are off for the season, I always find something interesting here to photograph. Hope you enjoy!

Washed Away

It seems like when the Fall season starts, time changes in preparation for Winter. This particular Fall seems like it is going by much faster than I can ever remember. I went back to the cider mill for the last time this fall, and was really surprised as most of the trees are already close to bare. It was cold and windy, so the river was flowing pretty fast that day. While I stood there watching the river, I saw a fair amount of leaves being "Washed Away" down the path of the river's current. In this photo, there is a clump of leaves that got stuck on a rock, and had not yet been washed away. Enjoy!

Through the Path of Colors

Fall is a special time of year in Michigan, where everything changes in preparation for Winter. The air outside is crisp and fresh, the leaves on the trees change from green to golden yellows, oranges and reds, just before falling off and covering the ground with a great deal of leaves that crunch under your feet as you walk the ground around you. This is a photo I took in the park a few days ago as the winding path was a backdrop of gorgeous fall colors!

Fall-The Last Sail!

I've been to about 5 different parks in the last two weeks, just to go see all of the beautiful fall colors! Each park has something different as far as the colors go. There is a great variety of colors at each park. Some of the parks have water, as they are my favorite kind of parks. This one, I took a few days ago just sitting in front of the Coast Guard Station at one of the marinas. It was extremely cloudy outside, but the sun was still shining. This lonely sailboat caught my eye, as it appears to be the last boat in the water. The colors of the trees around the area of the boat, created a pretty photo. Hope you like it!

On the Set - "Transformers 4"

This summer I was able to experience something that we do not normally see in the Detroit area. In the heart of downtown Detroit was the filming of the movie "Transformers 4." A few city blocks made up the set of the movie, which was disguised as Hong Kong, and no longer Detroit. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Mark Wahlberg, but there was no actual filming being done at the time I was there. Still, it was pretty cool to see a real movie set here so close to home. Here are a few photos from the movie set, looks like it will be a good movie when it is released in the Spring of 2014.

Dawn's Early Light

Last Sunday, 9/29/13 was 9 months since my step-son passed away. I woke up with this thought on my mind, and thoughts of him. I looked out one of my back windows and saw that the sky looked like it was kind of pink. Then, I went to my front window, where our house faces Lake St. Clair about 4 miles away. The view unfolding before me was spectacular! The sky was such an amazing color with the clouds rolling by in different shades of yellow and orange. Somehow I knew at that moment, that my step-son was ok, and that he knew I was thinking of him, especially on this morning. It was also a reminder that life has to go on, and there is still beauty in all the world has to offer. So, this is the "Dawn's Early Light" as the sun came up last Sunday.

Exactly As I Saw the Sunrise!

Nature and landscapes always amaze me. I went down to the Lake early one morning last month to try and catch the sunrise. I figured that maybe I was too late judging by the sky. Was I ever wrong! This is what I saw the moment I parked my car and got out to walk towards the lake. You just can't make this stuff up! A few moments later, I saw the beginning of a red ball rise from the lake. It was absolutely beautiful! Will post some photos of the big red ball rising in another post. Enjoy the day, it's going to be in the 90's here in Michigan today. Thanks for looking!

The Journey

Life is a journey. For most of us, it is a journey into the unknown. We ask ourselves where will our journey takes us if we pick door #1 or door #2, if we go left instead of right, etc. Many people just want to quickly get to their destination, and give no thought to the journey to get there. More often than not, the journey is more rewarding than the destination. When you take a moment to look back at how you got to the destination, you might realize the incredible steps you took in the journey to get there. It happens more than we realize in our everyday lives, "The Journey" is often more memorable than the destination. Have a great week!

Let the Light Shine Down

The woods in our yard at our summer place are beautiful. I can sit and look out there for long amounts of time and never get tired of the view. On the side of our woods is a path that the deer have created for themselves in which they go back and forth from the woods to the street. Usually, in early morning, they can be seen playing in the street and at dusk go back through their path and into the woods. Occasionally, a wild turkey runs across our yard, and the amount of different birds to be seen is pretty unique too. I have been trying to really learn about natural light and how to capture different kinds of photos with them. This particular photo is a picture of the woods where the trees seem to go on endlessly. I did not like the photo as much in color as I did while playing around with Infrared and B&W. I think this depicts more of how I actually saw the woods on this morning. The sun and the shadows the light created really stand out a lot more than the color version of this photo. So, "Let the Light Shine Down." Hope you enjoy!

Fire in the Sky

One of the advantages of being surrounded by the Great Lakes of Michigan, we have the opportunity to see some truly beautiful and amazing sunrises and sunsets on the waters. At out summer place on Lake Huron, I only have to drive about 3 miles to go and watch the sunrise on the lake. To see a sunset on the same lake, I have to drive about 15 miles to see it. As you can see from this photo, the 15 mile drive is so worth it! When the sun finally starts to drop down into the water, the whole thing lasts only about 5 minutes, as it drops really fast. The beauty of the water with the backdrop of the changing sky is incredible to watch. This is something I could do everyday and never get tired of seeing. I hope you enjoy this "Fire in the Sky" as much as I did!

Sunrise Freedom

As I came down to the lake a few morning ago, I felt so peaceful watching the sunrise. I was all alone, with the ducks, the geese, and my thoughts. Of course, I was trying to think of how to create a beautiful sunrise photo as I watched the sky slowly change from darkness to the beautiful sky seen here. My other thoughts were of the meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is always bittersweet for me because of my great memories of celebration every year as a child, and handing down the same traditions to my two kids. For the last few years, my memories of this weekend are of my nephew Steve. Steve was just 19 years old when he joined the Army. When he was 20, he was stationed in Iraq. He was there for 4 months when he was killed on Christmas Eve in 2008. To this day, it is so senseless to me that we have lost so many lives fighting for this country. Steve was one of the best. A great smile, infectious laugh, funny sense of humor and I always loved having him around. So, as I am able to "freely" stand here and see another beautiful sunrise, I am giving thanks to those that paid the ultimate price and gave all!

Sunday Sunrise in the City

A cold, but beautiful sunrise this morning. Living in the city, it's really hard to capture sunrise and sunset photos at home. I happened to look out the window and saw this beautiful sky. Took a photo anyway, as I thought the clouds were a spectacular color.

Is it Real?

It looks like Spring may have finally arrived here in Michigan. I took my Mom who has Alzheimer's Disease to one of her favorite parks for coffee and a bagel on Sat. morning. The ice on the water is gone and it looks like sunny days ahead.

This is where I want to be. My home away from home. The place where life is simple, no worries, and something of beauty to see everyday. It's a place on Lake Huron about two hours from our home. We have this little place that we can't seem to get enough of in the Summer. Was the best investment we ever made. There is not enough money in the world to give us the peace and tranquility we find when we are here. As I wait for the warmer weather, get rid of my shoes, and grab my camera, here is another of my abstracts that I made. I love the yellow daisies!

Michigan Weather in Days!

Well, I was really hoping Spring was just around the corner as I saw this beautiful tree while driving down the road early on a foggy morning a week ago. I took the picture as a passenger in the car going 60 mph and was unable to get a really clear shot of this tree. It looked so beautiful and serene just sitting there in a mist of fog. A few days later, it was raining and all of the snow was gone! Getting really happy now, as it really looks like Spring is in the air! There was even a rainbow after this rain, but I could only capture a photo from my front porch. Two days after what I thought was Spring rain, I woke up to two inches of snow. I tell ya, Michigan is so fickle with it's weather. So again, I will wait for the real Spring, to go out and smell the air, soak up the sun, and get out there with my camera!

Winter Fades, I Hope!

Friday was an absolutely beautiful day here in Michigan. The sun was out and it smelled like Spring is in the air. I decided I had to get out with my camera for awhile and went to one of my favorite local parks near Lake St Clair to see if any of the ice had melted on the water yet. Well, it has not melted yet, but is definitely showing signs of moving in that direction. I love the way the sun was reflecting off of the snow and ice. I saw a few other weird things there too! I have so much to learn, but love each and every minute of taking photos, looking for my mistakes and what I can do better next time. One thing I've been trying to remember each time I am out is, to "look up".