Hey. You. No, no ... not you ... you. Are you ... hungry?

I was a little bit more focused this evening while shooting photos for +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt and managed to not eat the the entire goddamned bag of cookies at one go. Was there temptation? Sure. But there was also discipline. Eight cookies isn't really that many, after all.

Where does the time go? It's #LastCall .

the hunger

I'll bet that people are pretty tired of seeing me pimp this particular image, and for that I apologize. But. It's going to be my submission for this year's version of the Plus One Collection. You can find all the details pertaining to this project on +Ivan Makarov's stream [http://goo.gl/AgHcA].

I chose this particular photo mostly because I had fun making it. It was a technical challenge, and in the end it actually came out better than the way I had originally envisioned it. And this: I was able to learn quite a bit in the making of the picture, and that was the best part of all.

#PlusOneCollection2012  

I fear that I have not been keeping up with one of my favourite themes recently ... it's time to get back into the swing of this thing.  It's +Tamara Pruessner's +FloralFriday today!

#plusphotoextract  

and now our backs are against the wall

Today is Thursday and can only mean that another #FloralFriday is almost upon us!

#FloralFriday   has a community here: (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101224450803598731206). Feel free to shower the community with your floral love -- we'll be interacting more in that venue in the future!

Here's what you'll need to know about this theme:

-- Use the hashtag #FloralFriday and/or tag +FloralFriday on your photo.

-- You can plus-mention all of the curators like this: +Tamara Pruessner +Beth Akerman +Kiki Nelson +Eustace James, but please don't  tag us in your photo.

-- We will try to share some pictures throughout today ... your photo has to be posted as public and unlocked.  We won't be able to use everyone's shot, so please don't get upset if yours doesn't get shared.  We will be picking randomly.

-- Please be sure to share this post if you want to be a part of the fun and spread the word far and wide and have EVEN MORE flowers in your stream!

Playing with the new G+ layout gives me a chance to do this test. Now I get to see how photos work after all these changes ....

hope floats

It's settled. My favourite flowers are gerbera daisies. I can never keep them alive, though! So I have to keep buying them ...

a million dead-end streets

A bed of roses is an overrated and impractical place to try to get a night's sleep.  The smell eventually becomes overwhelming, and the thorns can be ... troublesome.

(In other news, I really should be more proactive about my sleep schedule.)

You know how when you have a new toy, you have to play with it? Yeah, this photo is what happens. (It helps that my wife is very patient with me.)

#LastCall [The +Last Call Gang and +Christina Lawrie]

third eye

I haven't been shooting a whole lot lately. So to get back to where I want to be, I'm going to shoot the things that make me comfortable. Like these flowers. Shooting them this way is like breathing for me.

i'm your huckleberry

One more thing: my cat says that we're not done with the #eyewars  until he's done with the #eyewars .



OK. We're done.

It has been a busy weekend!  My family has been celebrating my wife's birthday and preparing for my son's high school graduation.  All that having been said, here's a true thing I've learned: there's almost always time for flowers.

sparkle and shine

Did you know how much I love you
Is a hope that somehow you
Can save me from this darkness

Johnny Cash - I See A Darkness

We are #lyricallyinspired  by +Jason Jakober, +Tara Romasanta, and +Amanda Recker.

Look. #ThatsMyTat  ... or one of them, anyway.

And coincidentally, this being #halfnekkidthursday , this photo probably qualifies for that as well (even if it's an older one!).

No words today. It's too early to think.
[+Tamara Pruessner loves #FloralFriday, and so do I!]

this little light of mine

No-one has sent me to bed tonight, but so much the better, it seems. Ever since I was in school, I've always seemed to be able to work much better the later it gets. I'm not up to blazes of 3 am brilliance any longer, but it's probably best not to expect coherent answers from me at 3 pm, either.
Anyway. Here's what I did tonight with some gerbera daisies. Gerberas are my favourite.

love, like blood

BY the time +Tamara Pruessner's #FloralFriday  rolls around tomorrow, I will be in a car on the long, long way home, so here's my early contribution!

our lady of the water

There are flowers exploding all over my stream.

Thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic participation in today's #FloralFriday theme!  Here are a few favourites from the floral explosion in my stream today.

+Swee Oh 
https://plus.google.com/102390118349128083852/posts/aHceEvNipdr

+Diana Boyd 
https://plus.google.com/102698568624233195241/posts/445ar8TmRV9

+Linda Daugherty 
https://plus.google.com/101138224878685054321/posts/K4eGG5aCwXG

+Steve Barge 
https://plus.google.com/116985892549750076024/posts/FBrJ44xtiYn

+Mark Steven Lewis 
https://plus.google.com/105742320020889639269/posts/jNzxXEHNWkz

+Nadia Pewinski 
https://plus.google.com/100432265657380354319/posts/NxJ7qvXwitJ

+dietmar rogacki
https://plus.google.com/115410587965033872537/posts/G7nA2F9h7QL

+Paula Thomas 
https://plus.google.com/115541572952609738763/posts/JzWZxyEftU5

catch the sun

One more #portraitpoker  photo for +J. Rae Chipera, +Kelly-Shane Fuller, and special guest +Jeff Smith.

Sometimes, it's not about the blood. It can also be about the knife on some days.

one false move, and the fucking bunny gets it.

There are things about this photo that I can't explain. I don't know why there's writing in chalk on my legs, for example. And I am wearing sunglasses, but that I can explain -- it's because I'm fucking cool (and believe it or not, those massive shades were tremendously cool in the mid-eighties). I was only sixteen when this photo was shot, and it seems so, so long ago. Someday I'm going to take a follow-up shot and you'll see just how much I've changed since this was taken.

+Blast From The Past (featuring +Cheryl Cooper, +Isabelle Fortin, and +Mark Rodriguez!)   #blastfromthepast  

There's some darkness on the edge of town.  Or maybe the darkness was just on my front porch this evening.  

That's how it goes, I guess.

I was really, really skinny when I was young. A former teacher of mine showed me this photo and I instantly realized that I can't pester my 17-year-old about how fucking skinny he is, because ... well, look. I had probably just turned 17 when this was taken, and I was slender. Also. What am I wearing on my head? Why do I have that expression on my face? Yeeeesh.

#BlastFromThePast is curated by +Mark Rodriguez, +Isabelle Fortin, and +Cheryl Cooper.

I blame my wife for all my flower photos.

That's not 100% true, because I love to shoot them ... but there's this: I'd probably bring home far fewer plants and bouquets if I wasn't married. And just look. When I bring something like these flowers home, everybody wins! (Gerbera daisies are my favourites.)

it takes two

This is the reason that I hang out here at Google+. I have received (literally) hundreds of messages today -- from people I know well, from casual acquaintances, and from people completely unfamiliar to me, all of whom took the time to greet me with a Happy Birthday message. It may not seem as though that's a lot to do, and it may not seem as though it's a very meaningful gesture, but I have to say that to me it was overwhelming, and very touching. Thank you -- all of you -- for helping to make my day memorable. Here's a pretty flower for you.

fading into you

So, the boy came home from school for the holidays. He and the dog are just the same.  Neither of them will ever take anything seriously. But that's not such a bad thing.

faces

Word on the street is that today is American Gothic Day, upon which the birthday of iconic American artist Grant Wood is celebrated. With that in mind ... I give you this.

Yes. It's the Dibble House in Eldon, Iowa.

#Americana

I bought new flowers. My flirtation with gerberas is in abeyance for now. They've been discarded in favour of tulips ... for now.

#monochromemondays  [curated by +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr and +Martin Heller]

brightness falls from the air

Well. It's winding down toward the end of the first #FloralFriday during which I've shared curators' duties with +Tamara Pruessner and +Beth Akerman. I have to say this: WOW, Tam! I can't imagine how you've been doing all this on your own until now. And this: I've really enjoyed the amazing quality of the images that have been coursing through my stream all day today. And this as well: I'd like to share a few of the numerous images that caught my eye throughout the course of the day.

by +Eilidh McHale [https://plus.google.com/113616415514109228464/posts/daXY1i8vkxc]

by +Jason Jakober [https://plus.google.com/111397628815301589258/posts/9UvQDbbNsep]

by +Melanie Kintz [https://plus.google.com/114127684466692817416/posts/c8XzNwSgWYq]

by +Rick Leaf [https://plus.google.com/117949314904695168818/posts/FrZhkxxoJyd]

by +Ruslan Hrushchak [https://plus.google.com/117447520272601697462/posts/A3g2z11XT5U]

by +Celso Carvalho [https://plus.google.com/106633617085865801018/posts/f8wkSRA6KYU]

by +Allison Sekuler [https://plus.google.com/112366735963271550830/posts/gY48QScF9v9]

by +Kathleen Kent [https://plus.google.com/107033542025676408078/posts/aQJgmYpEHmc]

by +Ypille Mia [https://plus.google.com/101834135358005698952/posts/WxQhkpyC6YT]

by +Iva Pas [https://plus.google.com/117371228393907747239/posts/MggPd7wW9tK]

by +Roman Gretsch [https://plus.google.com/u/0/115077687273698950755/posts/Py9yqb3FiCS]

Thanks for the beauty, everyone. Abject apologies to those I missed seeing. And I'm looking forward to seeing you all again next Friday!

you don't see me

I've been working on these for quite some time … and this is how it finally came out.

#NewYearsResolution  

Happy birthday, +Tai Mi! I know you love the flowers, so here's one for you. And also, a secret that you may not have known: the flowers love you, too.

your smallest fan

They're so alike, yet something makes the one turn away from the other. But they're not sad. They've simply grown apart.

in the eyes of the stranger

I shoot a lot of flowers -- I suppose that's one of my things. Although I love to shoot them, and I love the results I'm getting lately, it'll eventually be time to move on to the next thing. It'll be interesting and exciting to find out what finds me next. Until then .....

hey kid. you like flowers?

I am like a very tiny child. I run through photos and process them, and then I have to run out and show them to people immediately. This photo? I was going to save it until Friday. Not happening. Ah well .....

#plusphotoextract

aurora

 I never really realized what a variety of flowers my wife keeps around the house, both inside and out.  It almost makes me wonder why I bother buying flowers.
Almost.

they're fluffy, like cotton candy

What do I sound like in your head when you read my posts?

snicker

#BreakfastClub

Four flowers. Four ways.

Look at me bein' a slacker. I'm showing up late to +Alan Shapiro's #sitinthebackoftheclasswithchrystarae classes because I had the audacity to go to a basketball game last night. And now that he's made +Chrysta Rae move down front, whose pigtails am I gonna get to pull? sigh The humanity!

#BreakfastClub

Happy birthday to Mr. +Alan Shapiro, who is a mentor and a selfless, endless source of inspiration to everyone he touches. May your day be filled with gladness. And bourbon. And a little bit (or a lot) of Nutella.

Today, we do it #AlanShapiroBirthdayStyle .

The benefits, such as they are, of yard work: there's stuff around that's just waiting to be seen and shot. The detriment: sometimes you have to wait until everything is completely done before you can pick up the camera. The remedy: light 'em till they glow, then shoot 'em in the dark.

So. Tomorrow is +Chrysta Rae Day [ #ChrystaRaeDay ] , and in celebration, we're having a rice cake party. I have something a tiny bit different, 'cause I've been wearing a rice cake for a little while already. I promise ... I'll have something for tomorrow as well, but for today, this will have to do!

[This will fit into the +G+ Profiling Project, I think.]

An Ode to Rice Cakes ... Part One

If ... if I were to retire tomorrow, I might choose to live in South Dakota. It's places like this that call to me.

Every photo has a purpose.  This one was created to show off for the ladies of the #MacroMonday  team, just because macro makes them happy.
[+Kelli Seeger Kim +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden]

turn me up. tune me in, turn me on, drop me out.

Today I said goodbye to my friend.

He was thirteen when we let him go. And I guess he was ready. His arthritis was beginning to get the best of him in a house full of stairs, the poor guy. His boy has left home for university, and I couldn't work from home to be with him any more. Spending your days sad, hurting and alone is no good way to live. There's an empty Bruce-shaped space in the house and a hole in our hearts tonight.

What? I picked up a camera again?  It's been a little while, I guess ... but who can resist hyacinths in bloom? Happy #FloralFriday , y'all. [+Tamara Pruessner]

i knew you were waiting for me

two much of a good thing

Happy #FloralFriday  everyone!  

#FloralFriday  has 2 new curators (with one more to be added in two weeks)!  +Beth Akerman and I will be joining the inimitable +Tamara Pruessner to manage this marvellous theme!

#FloralFriday  also has a community here: (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101224450803598731206). Feel free to shower the community with your floral love -- we'll be interacting more in that venue in the future!

Here is the info for #FloralFriday :

-- Use the hashtag #FloralFriday  and/or tag +FloralFriday on your photo.

-- You can plus mention all of the curators like this: +Tamara Pruessner, +Beth Akerman, and +Eustace James (wait! that's me!). Please don't  tag us in the photo.

-- We will try to share some pictures throughout today ... your photo has to be posted as public and unlocked.  We won't be able to use everyone's shot, so please don't get upset if yours doesn't get shared.  We will be picking randomly.

-- Please be sure to share this post if you want to be a part of the fun and spread the word far and wide and have EVEN MORE flowers in your stream!

All the flowers from outside are finally gone, and none of the ones inside the house are in bloom. That's a sad thing. I'm digging into the archives for this older photo on #FloralFriday [+Tamara Pruessner w/ special guest star +Kerry Murphy].

So lay your pistol down, Granny
The duty of men never fell to you
When you unknit your brow, Granny
Your friends, they are jewels, twice as beautiful and few.

Iron & wine - friends they are jewels

This was going through my head not only as I worked on posting this, but also as I shot it. That's a pretty clear case of being #lyricallyinspired  to me.
+Jason Jakober | +Amanda Recker | +Tara Romasanta 


twice as beautiful and few

There ought to be a theme for "living things that aren't quite flowers." What they really are is this: they're the forgotten parts of the flower that are verging on developing an inferiority complex.

Green is a vivid colour, so I will tag this for #ColorsOnFriday [+E.E. Giorgi +Erin Henderson +Christina Lihani +Gilmar Smith]

an angry blade

You guys kept me up late! But I have to say ... it was worth it! Thanks, y'all!

I want to introduce you all to a brand new favourite of mine. Her name is Zantedeschia Aethiopica, otherwise known as the calla lily. I suspect that I'll be showing off more of her and of her friends over the days to come.

I forgot! Today was a holiday in these parts, so I forgot that It's now the tail end of #MacroMonday . Many thanks to this theme's fabulous curators -- +Kelli Seeger Kim, +Kerry Murphy, and +Jennifer Eden!

Now that +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt is up and running again, I promised myself that I'd lay off the trash talk.

The owl? He said nothing of the kind.

This has long been one of my favourite manly things to do: use improvised tools to do stupid, stupid stuff. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

It's one of those #ManlyMondays! Curators -- +Alan Shapiro, +Barry Blanchard, +Kjetil Greger Pedersen, and +Mark Rodriguez.

Now that I'm done (for now) with +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt photos, I can actually go hang out with my family, moose hunting and shooting flowers.  Back to more of the same old shit, I guess ... :-D

find the river

This is what we did with our day.  We met and made friends with the kitty-to-be-named-later.

Even without the benefit of colour, it's easy to see the beauty in the sunrise ... and easy to see that a floral sunrise is just as beautiful as the other kind.

One more share to shut down a fabulous #FloralFriday  [+Tamara Pruessner]. The morning glories and the sunflowers are just starting to blossom in our garden ...

the dark half

Hello, #FloralFriday . I've been away for a little while, and I've missed you a little bit. How have you been? :-D

(for +Tamara Pruessner's pleasure!)

three libras

Although I am no longer a coffee-drinker (I switched to tea -- the horror!), I do have from the old days a contribution for +Jason Kowing's #CoffeeThursday theme.

Another hot cup of coffee

So. THIS happened today.

My schedule is completely upside down. Instead of posting photos, I should be sleeping. Instead of shooting flower photos for #FloralFriday [Hi, +Tamara Pruessner!], I should be shooting scavenger hunt flower photos.

At this time of night, it's probably #LastCall.

sink or swim

I heard through the grapevine that +kimberton pemberly has been going through some tough times with her health lately, and that she could use a little cheering up.  Here's to you, Pemberly.  Hope you get back to feeling better in no time at all.

#weloveyoupemberton  

I've always said that it's fairly easy to shoot and light these photos. It's only one light that I use, and there's a lot of experimentation that goes on before I find a shot (or many shots, now that I'm better at knowing what to expect from my light placement) that I like. One light, a Demb Flip-it, and my 105mm f/2.8 macro lens ... light in one hand, camera in the other, hoping that I don't get too tired to hold the camera steady before I get the shot I want.

I have not yet begun to defile myself

loving the alien

Guess what tomorrow is .... yes! #FloralFriday  is just around the corner again!

The news: +Kiki Nelson is now part of the #FloralFriday  curating team! Welcome! As for me, I'll be pretty scarce over the next few days, as I'll be helping my daughter celebrate her 12th birthday and helping my wife celebrate Mother's Day with our family. But please plus-mention me anyway so that I can enjoy all the flowery goodness when I return!

#FloralFriday  has a community here: (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101224450803598731206). Feel free to shower the community with your floral love -- we'll be interacting more in that venue in the future!

Here is the info for #FloralFriday :

-- Use the hashtag #FloralFriday  and/or tag +FloralFriday on your photo.

-- You can plus-mention all of the curators like this: +Tamara Pruessner +Beth Akerman +Kiki Nelson +Eustace James. Please don't  tag us in the photo.

-- We will try to share some pictures throughout today ... your photo has to be posted as public and unlocked.  We won't be able to use everyone's shot, so please don't get upset if yours doesn't get shared.  We will be picking randomly.

-- Please be sure to share this post if you want to be a part of the fun and spread the word far and wide and have EVEN MORE flowers in your stream!

[ #plusphotoextract ]

You knew it was going to be flowers, didn't you?

For the lady over whose sleep I watch ... ;-)
And for the lady whose indefatigable energy and ebullient spirit is always an inspiration ...

I wish you the happiest of birthdays. May the best days of your past be the worst of your future.

#HappyBirthdayChrystaRae [+Chrysta Rae]

My daughter, the gymnast. Although she didn't perform as well as she might have hoped in this particular competition, we're still pretty proud of what she did and of all the hard work she puts into this every single time she gets into the gym.

This can fit into +Juan Gonzalez's #weareparents  theme! +We Are Parents

I am a terrible procrastinator. I've been planning to change that, but I keep putting it off. :-/
Here's a late share for +Tamara Pruessner's  #FloralFriday .

the world is half made of death

I'm looking at you, +Sandra Parlow!!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/114764567692252908296/posts/X5wcCE8dud9

Of course, the irony is that she has cookies in her photo, where I don't! But that's because I eated them.

You're welcome.

Shared for #MixedMessagesMonday (+Jake Easley, +Gilmar Smith and +Anna Lowry).

This is one of my favourite things ever. My daughter gave it to my wife and I when she was seven. Every now and again, I look at it or I look at this picture and I remind myself how lucky I am to be surrounded by a loving family.

dear mom and dad

After long, long days, sometimes it's nice to get a little bit of quiet.

so why don't you slide?

It's #NationalComingOutDay . We really should be at a point where no-one gives a fuck about what other people do with their genitals (see what I did there?). What people do and with whom is no-one's business but their own.

It's not about the sex, you know. In the end, it's about the love.

So I wish everyone happiness and love, especially those who are taking the courageous step of coming out today.

he has stars in his eyes

I found a new friend at the zoo today, and I am not sure what I should call him. :-/

The Horror

You had to know that more of these were coming. Because I need to keep an eye on y'all.

#MacroMonday [+Jennifer Eden +Kerry Murphy +Kelli Seeger Kim]
#BreakfastClub

Because I love this lady's eloquence -- her words are always elegant, uplifting, and beautiful, I would like to share some #HappyThoughtsforLeeDaniels (in the form of a small calla lily bouquet).

I'm goin' down ... to Alphabet Street ...

I've said this before. I'll say it again. People really need to get me to go to sleep instead of eating potato chips and editing images.

move, bitch

#SelfySunday was a hoot this week. I was out most of the day, and returned to an album full of spectacular photos. Check it out here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115961021629090154025/albums/5684679645327806801

Many thanks to +Levi Moore and +Jeff Smith for their work organizing this theme on a biweekly basis.

My humble effort this week? Here you go.

Clearly, I have made some bad decisions.

This is what happens to you at our house when you can't keep from nosing around the place on your anatomy where your doggy-business used to be. Fucker.

#fidofriday (courtesy of +mel peifer, +Wes Lum, +Lisa Lisa, and +Suhaib Ayaz)

I don't get out to the mountains much for a couple of reasons ... first: I'm a flatlander, and I live nowhere near any such things. Second, it turns out that I have a fair amount of trouble adjusting to higher altitudes -- it takes a day or two before I can really feel comfortable anywhere above about 4000 feet. So this kind of picture? You won't see it often from me. That having been said ... mountains are awfully pretty!

#MountainPhotos [+Baki Karacay]
#MountainMonday [+Michael Russell]

It's taken me most of the day to type the list of curators for this, but it was so worth it, because #dolphinsarecool !

+shane holsclaw +Jeff Moreau +Adrian Rodriguez +Kelli Seeger Kim +Mark Rodriguez +Tom Tran +Sam Weinstein +Nick Gatens +Jake Easley +kimberly pemberton +Ricardo Williams +Chris Miller +Isabelle Cardinal +Robin Griggs Wood +Shelly Gunderson +Kelly-Shane Fuller +Tana Teel +Lee Daniels +Kerry Murphy +Jeff Smith +Craig Szymanski +Jason Kowing +Brad Buckmaster +Cheryl Cooper +Levi Moore

Google does not want me to plusmention +Kristen Hill for some reason. Fuckers.

In case you were wondering, this is how the sky gets to look like that.

I'm playin' some #portraitpoker , selfie style, courtesy of +J. Rae Chipera, +Kelly-Shane Fuller, and special guest +Jeff Smith.

You look through the lens, and it's ordinary, and then you look again, and somehow, you get to see. And then, between first look and last, between the blink of your eye and the click of the shutter, that's where it happens.

And that's why I love to take pictures.

Today, my #FloralFriday  [+Tamara Pruessner] posts have a sunrise theme, it appears.  My previous post was set to Rumi's poetry.  This time, y'all can have some MJQ.

"Softly as in a Morning Sunrise"Modern Jazz Quartet in London.

Kitty has been given a name! Her name is Mittens, and that's short for the following: Sergeant Charlie Fuzzymittens, Third of Her Esteemed Name, Sovereign of the Majestic Nation of Catatonia, Long May She Reign.

Or so says our daughter.

Flowers: getting close to the heart of them calms me. Gets me to the heart of me.
[ #FloralFriday , for +Tamara Pruessner]

raise it up

I typically don't celebrate many anniversaries, but I realized just yesterday that it has in fact been just over five years since I had my last cigarette. That's worth celebrating, I think.

Nothing says "I love you" like a heart. Especially a heart with a giant erect phallus right through it. Yep.

this is how we say I love you

First. I have no idea what my mom or dad was doing with the camera tilt. Second. Don't hate on the socks, because they were my favourite.

The medal around my neck is for the 50-yard dash. I could run pretty fast back then.

[ #BlastFromThePast -- +Cheryl Cooper +Isabelle Fortin +Mark Rodriguez]

The first couple of albums from +Chrysta Rae's Scavenger Hunt have been posted, and both "cookies" and "flowers" are in the books.

I had a couple of questions about how this was done, and about out-takes. There was one out-take that came with this setup. That's mostly because I was completely uninterested in cleaning up (and crying over) spilled milk. The other thing is this: this was a one second exposure in the dark. Complete darkness (or almost complete darkness) means no ambient light, which means that the flash both freezes the action and lights the scene appropriately.

So. Make it dark. Open shutter. Pour milk. Trigger flash.

And eat cookies.

Cookies [A Refreshing Change of Pace]

Right. I was in the middle of posting something and my machine bluescreened and crashed because clearly, no-one is meant to see this photo, ever, except for me.

(And maybe you, if you can see it.)

chaos and order

Shot handheld from my front porch. I was thinking toward the end of the day that there would be too many clouds to see the moon, but it cleared up nicely not long before dusk.

#SuperMoon
#SuperMoon2012

all hail the SuperMoon

I have my shit together. My ducks are in a row. I am ready to start shooting these scavenger hunt photos -- which means that I'm way ahead of where I was the last time we did this. I'm coming for you.

Tiara.

+Johan Swanepoel was right. This needs to be my profile photo.

Every couple of months, my family and I enjoy the chance to join a much larger global family. We (and believe me, it's not just me!) get the opportunity to join the worldwide group that +Chrysta Rae has brought together to participate in +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt.  

There's this: some of the best photos I've done have come from participating in this series of Hunts. I'm granted the privilege of not only expressing my own creativity but also to see what turns out to be an astounding array of incredible work by other photographers who I've come to like, to admire, to envy, and to respect.

I used to shoot a lot. I only recently picked the photography hobby up again, and these Hunts have given me the motivation to continue not only to shoot, but to shoot often and to shoot well. I've been able to produce photos of which I'm proud, and that's not something that comes comfortably or easily to me. So at the end of the day, this labour of #huntlove  is and will always be one of the best and one of my favourite things about Google+.

And this: here's a pretty picture to look at -- it's one of my favourites from the past Hunts.. :-)

I'm gonna hop on the #kerrymurphypartytrain !

+Kerry Murphy's a friend that I've known online from since well before the Google Plus days. A warmer, kinder individual you're not likely to find anywhere around!  

So.  Here's a photo for you, Kerry. It's for colours, and for quiet, and for places to let your heart and your imagination roam free, which is what you've been inspiring me to do for quite some time. Happy birthday!!

We're barely an hour into #FloralFriday where I live (in the Eastern time zone), and the hashtag is already trending at number five! Although I won't be around as much as I'd like to be for the next couple of days, I'm looking forward to checking in to see what you all have left me!

Use the #FloralFriday hashtag and be sure plus-mention the four curators -- +Tamara Pruessner, +Beth Akerman, +Kiki Nelson, and +Eustace James so that we can see the work you've submitted!

As for carnations, they are not my friends. I don't particularly like taking photos of them, but I can occasionally find an angle that seems right.

gone from me

Once upon a time, I bought a bag of craft feathers, and I plopped some of them onto a table. For some reason, I thought it might be a good idea to drop some water into the mix as well and take a photo of it. Then, I took it into Lightroom and Photoshop to play with it even more, 'cause to me half the work happens behind the lens and the other half happens in front of the computer screen.

And then I brought it here to show it to you guys in the hope that you'd enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed the process of making it.

[ #macrofeatherfriday  -- by +Robin Griggs Wood and +E.E. Giorgi]

fly, you fools!

The tiara. It's probably the most manly accessory I own. That includes my skirts and my man-purse, in case you might have been thinking of those.

The curators of #ManlyMondays are +Alan Shapiro, +Kjetil Greger Pedersen, +Barry Blanchard, and +Mark Rodriguez.

Now who's the queen, bitch?

Don't worry up your mind
People are sick and mean sometimes
Don't worry up your mind
They're only words
It's only words
It's only words

-Ryan Adams

[Today is #PortraitTuesday, curated by +Laura Balc]

Why yes. As a matter of fact, I have been posting photos of mums all week long. But of course, I saved one for +Tamara Pruessner's #FloralFriday  theme!

poor soul, you were just too high-strung

My office has a view these days. I got bumped out of my old place in favour of a new admin assistant and took the office of a colleague who's off on a year's parental leave. Although the view from here is better than the non-view from my old space, I'd still rather be working from home.

Wonder where I'll sit next.

This week, the theme of +Laura Balc's #PortraitTuesday is friend.

They say that dogs are man's best friend, but I'm not sure that the cliché is always true. That having been said, our dog Bruce has been the best of friends to our family since the time we brought him home from the Humane Society cages. He's always been unconditionally patient and loving with every single one of us -- what more can you ask than that?