I took this photo at the Out Of Africa Wildlife Refuge in Arizona near Camp Verde'.

I have never posted a photo to #caturday before but I am excited to post this guy today.

He put on a remarkable show for us - posing for the longest time. I wanted to stand there all day and snap photos of him, but my family dragged me away.

When he was born he was the runt of the litter and he had a heart defect. He died just after birth and they had to perform CPR on him. He lives today with the help of medicines to keep him alive.

He was named Lazarus, after rising from the dead.

If you live near this place, or vacation near there - go for a visit. It's an amazing place.

#plusphotoextract

I have this photo in my albums already, but I am re-uploading it for a Charity Auction Fundraiser that +Nicole Burgoz is holding for a Photographer friend who has MS

If you would like to place a bid on it, please read the comments below to see the latest bid and add your amount to the bottom. It is for a very good cause!

This photo is of a one hundred year old barn, shot just after a storm passed over at sunset. This was one of my favourite places to shoot, until it was struck by lightening last summer and burned to the ground :(
Thanks for looking!
#photographyauctionfundraiser
#plusphotoextract

I'm not sure exactly how big the print will be yet - but I will know by tomorrow and edit this post with the size after I check with my printer. The final size will either be 11 X 14 or 11X 17 - which ever seems to fit it best!

Thank you!

THis is one of the first photos I uploaded on G+, so I think it's been missed many times! It's one of my personal favourites. I love to shoot in the cemetery, and what better time than a dark and foggy night?

Lazarus

#4 of my top favourites for 2012

I took this shot while vacationing in Phoenix, AZ, last February,  at the Out Of Africa Wildlife Refuge in Arizona near Camp Verde'.
 
Lazarus is a magnificent creature!  He put on a remarkable show for us - posing for the longest time.  I could have stayed there all day taking his photo.  There is just something mesmerising about being in the presence of such a large, wild beast, and yet feeling a sense of calmness and peace.  I can truly see why the lion is considered to be the King Of The Jungle.

When he was born he was the runt of the litter and he had a heart defect. He died just after birth and they had to perform CPR on him. He lives today with the help of medicines to keep him alive.

He was named Lazarus, after rising from the dead.
 
I picked this photo because it was the first of two photos of mine that made the What's Hot list this year.  This photo is a memory.  A memory of time spent with my family.  Of time spent with my Googly friends at my first photo walk EVER.  Of seeing just a little slice of the world outside of my own sheltered existence.  

#bestof2012  

Waking Up To The Silence

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 
#monochromemonday   with +David Orr 

A beautiful storm cloud from last summer!!!

#SkySunday curated by +Simone Linke and +Matt Soave
#StormySunday by +Michael Bonocore
#PlusPhotoExtract

OK! so +Ian Ference called me a Moose riding, beer drinking, poutine eating, hockey playing Canadian..... so I figure if I'm going to be accused of something there may as well be a reason.

sorry - no poutine.. the moose was already complaining about a sore back, and I was having a hard enough time keeping my Toronto Maple Leafs blanket on while the moose was running around.

Thank you to the amazing +John De Bord for letting me borrow his moose.

I can't believe I made and then posted this....

For #SelfySunday curated by +Jeff Smith and +Levi Moore
#PlusPhotoExtract (because +Gene Bowker told me to....

Solitary Confinement

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 
For #moodymonday  

Colour Blind

Taken today.. this is a full colour photo.  In fact, I increased saturation on this to bring out a bit of colour in the trees in the back ground.

I Don't Know Where I'm Going
but I sure know where I've been...

for +Jim Davis  who is in need of a good thunder storm... so I thought I'd share mine with him.

This is the best shot I've ever gotten of a distant rainfall - It was kind of scary to get into my car and drive towards that.....

WOOT!!  I'm Finally done my Ninja painting!!
(sorry - made a mistake - had to repost this!)

This was quite a process.  I tore my hair out over it a few times, trying to figure out how to do certain things (like that damn 3D Shirukan!!).  But.. I DID enjoy it immensely, and I have plans to do more of this kind of work in the future!  

Thanks for sticking along with me through this guys!  I hope you enjoyed seeing the progress shots I posted (if you missed it, view this album and you'll see what I mean)  

Now.....  what to do next....  ;)

Yesterday I Laughed and I Cried


ahhhhh... yesterday.....

It was a special day.  Yep - it was my birthday.  But that wasn't what was special about it.  What made it so special is what happened here on G+.

I'm not a big birthday person... I mean, they are ok, but you know, I just don't tend to make that big of a deal out of them... especially my own.  As I get older I find that I tend to just try to ignore them and let them pass quietly.  I was going along feeling pretty confident that no one around here really knew that it was coming, and then at 11:35 on Friday night.... I saw the first one..  it was +Tawni Henlin  and her hippo shot.   

I knew I was sunk...  but I had NO IDEA how far!!  

OH MY FREAKING MEXICAN JUMPING BEANS YOU GUYS!!!!!

#happymoosedaysandra   hit like a freight train and they were coming in droves!  I sat here in awe, laughing hysterically at one photo and then crying happy tears at the next one for two hours that night.  The next morning I woke up far too early, because I was so excited to see what was happening!  It was like being a kid at Christmas!!  WOW!  All day long, you guys thrilled and chilled me with your happy wishes and awesome photos!

+kimberly pemberton ... you sneaky gal!  You got me good!  I never saw this coming, and for so many people to be involved, and me not get a sniff of it.. well....   kudos to you guys!  (although, +Brandon Luk  was snooping around my moosie photo earlier in the day and that made me wonder what was going on)  

Let me tell you something about Kim.....  she's got you all fooled.   She is beautiful, hilarious, and sarcastic and witty and she sure likes to peddle her beaver, but under all of that, she has a HUGE heart!  I love Kim.  She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Then there was +Cameron Siguenza  who did some detective work and stalked my FB page to go back in time to find when my last birthday wishes were!  Lucky for you, Cameron, that I haven't been very active there in the last year!    Now Cameron...  geez he's an amazing guy.  So smart, sweet, adorable, giving and kind.  And he loves his family above all else.  I am so lucky to call him my friend.

Once this snowball started rolling it was hard to keep up and I'd love to mention each and every one of you but there is no possible way for me to do that, so I won't even try.

But let me say that you guys.. ALL of you guys made my day special.  You made ME feel special.   ♥  I'll try not to get too overly emotional here ('cause you know I tend to do that a lot) but you guys just filled my heart with joy and it is so full, that I'll be feeling it for some time to come.  

What totally blew me away was the creativity and the amount of effort people went through to find things to post for me!  I know, Moose aren't easy to find.  You can't just look outside your door and find a moose to take a photo of - but damn!  you guys brought it!!!    Even the people who had no moose still found a way to get it done, and I still get a little teary eyed when I think of all the amazing things people did.  

I tried to find and comment on each one of them, and if I missed any I am sorry!  My notification box is lying on the bottom corner of my screen panting today, and as Kim says, trying to recover from the massive orgasm it had yesterday!!  If I missed seeing one, please let me know!!

I know this is getting long winded already (what??!!  Me??!!  long winded??  ha!  never!!!)   but I want to talk about something that was brought home to me through all of this..  

Yesterday proved to me that I have even more friends than I know.  I don't know what I've done to deserve it, but I am grateful for you all.  There were even people who I don't know joining in the fun... and I don't' know why - but I imagine that they just saw it and wanted to jump in and have fun too - and I absolutely love that!!!    I say DO IT MORE OFTEN!!!   Get out there and talk to people who you don't know, jump into projects that you find interesting, make a point of talking to someone you don't know every single day... and eventually they will talk back to you, and the circles of friendship here will ripple out and get wider and wider.  

So, I really just wanted to say thank you...  for such a special day, and this  little speech pales in comparison, and this photo seems like it's not special enough.. but I send this out to all of my friends!   My very special friends....  

May every day come to a close with you having seen the beautiful colours the world has to offer.  May you catch a ray of light every day.  ♥

Secret Hide Away

Let's sit for a spell and listen to the loons sing their songs of love....

#plusphotoextract  

Blue  - my submission for the #plusonecollection2012  


Plus One is a wonderful project that Ivan Makarov and  Andy Lee  created,   with the participation of the wonderful photographic community here at G+. 

I chose this photo because it's different than anything I've submitted (or even shot) before.  I figure the project could use a little "Blue" ;)

For more information on this project, or to find out how to participate or support it, visit :  https://plus.google.com/u/1/+IvanMakarov/posts/h7A4z7eTdNz

Either my stream is extremely dead the last few days, or my page is not refreshing properly.......  

Merry Christmas 2012

I will be popping on and off here all day, but for now I am heading off to work for a few hours.  It is -43C with the wind chill here this morning, so I'm not looking forward to going out, but this morning will be for spending a few Christmas hours with my two business partners, and kicking off the festivities.  

I wish you all, where ever you are, and what ever you may believe, a wonderful Christmas, but most of all, may peace find you this holiday season.  

 If I could have a fantasy wish this year, it would be to have a big table, filled with all my Googly friends, and for us to share a wonderful and happy meal together.  

So, in my dreams, I shall see you for dinner ;)

Merry Christmas, My friends!  

Don't Move

Just sit still and let me look at you for a while......

Today +Mark Bottoms asked what the difference between hoar frost and normal frost is.... so I told him I'd post some hoar frost for him to see. I'm not sure what the technical differences are - but hoar frost has long, very white crystals that just covers everything with a thick covering of very soft snow. It's beautiful and when you wake up to see your world covered in it, its a photographer's dream!!

The Road Ahead

We had to travel this weekend for a hockey tournament, which meant leaving in the middle of a huge snow storm.  It actually was quite eerie, driving in almost complete white out conditions.... so I amused myself by shooting some photos of it.   Hubby wouldn't stop for me to get out (too dangerous - we could get rear ended if we did that) so I had to shoot from inside the moving car.  Luckily it was white out, so I could use a fast shutter speed and freeze time pretty well.

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 

My first sunset of the season! No one but me... and the silence..... just the sounds of the ducks, small birds and geese.... It's so good to have spring back again.

When Darkness Falls
and the night light turns on... ;)  

For +Gene Bowker ... just because ;)  

Some Day, My Love

               i will see you again


But not soon enough.  still 15 degrees colder than the average this time of year, and still snowing :(

Have a great day all!!

Wrap The Warmth Of Your Arms Around Me

Cover me with your light............


#plusphotoextract  

Dead Silence

Sometimes, the silence is so thick
so heavy,
that it seems like an actual weight on your mind.

Sometimes,
you just have to make a noise
to shatter your own silence

So that you know that you can still hear.

You're Barely There

For #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 

So...... do you remember this?  I had this photo printed 60" long and put it in my shop...... 

Well, guess what??!!

Someone bought it today!  yahoo!!!!

A doctor!  A doctor!  A doctor! doctor! doctor!

Actually, a dentist, to be exact!  

holy crap that's exciting!!!!!

well, the clock has turned over, the calendar has fallen off the wall and we're all another year older.  

I don't feel any different.  do you? ;P  

 Out with the reindeer nose and in with a new profile photo!   

Happy New Year! 

The Light Will Always Find You

A different edit of the same photo I posted this morning...  It's pretty amazing what a different editing style can make.....

;)

#plusphotoextract  

Eternity

Let's just stand here until the end of time and watch the world go by.


Finally, a chance to experiment with long exposure and water.    I loved it ....  I need to do more of it....

Lovely Lee

I shot this series of purple flowers about a week ago and I shot this against a white concrete back ground with the sun shining through it. The petals seemed to take on a transparency and I fell in love with the shot even before it left my camera.

I was waiting for the right moment to post it, and no time is more right than this moment. I'm dedicating this to the Lovely +Lee Daniels .

Lee is every bit as beautiful as this flower and more - because the sun doesn't have to shine on her for you to see her beauty. She comes with her own little sun already inside her. Each time Lee speaks (or types) she lets some of that sunshine out and you are left marvelling at how wonderful she is and how eloquent her words are.

I'm not a flowery speaker, I tend to get right to the point.. and the point is this:

Lee makes me feel warm and special. She does it to everyone she comes into contact with - and that is because she spreads that sunshine on all of us and we bask in her wonderful glow. Lee makes me want to be a better person. Kinder. Sweeter. Gentle. More caring.

Love you so much Lee... I hope that this gives you some happy thoughts. And know that I am in your corner, cheering for you every step of the way!

#happythoughtsforleedaniels

now this is funny......  I don't know how these guys can even talk...

Jim's Sunset

I've been waiting.....  for just the right moment. 

  I shot this one night last week as a storm was passing through.  I almost didn't get there in time.. but I was so glad I did.

You see... I've got a new motto... WWJD?....What Would Jim Do?  

Whether he knows it or not, I've found a new mentor - someone to inspire me, to make me think about things a little bit more, and it runs through my head while I'm out shooting... What Would Jim Do?  Where would he stand?  How would he shoot this?  How would he frame it?

So, +Jim Davis ... I'm a long way from producing perfection - but this one is for you.  Thanks for the inspiration... and thanks for being such a great friend!  ♥

4 frames stitched in PS

Tullips - the first sign of spring.... I am looking forward to seeing them in a few months...

for #FloralFriday curated by +Tamara Pruessner

Thought it was time to ditch the Christmas/New Years look. Typical me....

Because I Love It   A Challenge for you

We all like to see beautiful things and if you are creating your art to please other people, then yes, it's important to become acquainted with what the general public likes and wants.  If you want your art to be commercialized that is the utmost important thing.

But... what if everyone just created art that other people liked?  Wouldn't that be boring?  Wouldn't it all end up being the same in the end?  What if someone told Picasso he was doing it all wrong?  What if he decided that it wouldn't be popular enough?  Maybe a whole movement of art wouldn't exist.

What about art and photography that is more than pretty pictures?  What about  making people think and feel something more than another pretty scene?  Sure, they might not hang it on their living room wall, but does that make it less valuable, skilled or important than the Ikea posters being pumped out by the thousands to people all around the world who like it because it's popular?  

If all you want is to sell your art, then ok.

I used to do something art related and began to go commercialized with it.  I got a publisher who started to request small changes.  Then bigger ones.  Pretty soon I felt like it wasn't my art at all any more. It killed it for me.  Trying to make what would "sell" all the time.  It became tiring and boring.. and really, I just wanted to create something that came from inside of me.  

In my job, every day people come into my store and see things hanging on our walls and they often make comments about what they see.  There are as many opinions as there are pieces of art on our walls and while one person loves something, another one hates it.  I have broadened my opinions on art so much over the last 16 years... and I am very grateful for that.  I have even learned to like things that I don't love. ;)   

Many of us create because we have a need to put our spin on things. That can be done, while still making the masses happy, but sometimes we just have to do our own thing. And if we like it, awesome.  If others don't ... well, that's ok.  You can't please all of the people all of the time, and you shouldn't feel like you need to.  It can kill creativity.  And maybe in this moment you might be doing something that sucks... but maybe it's part of your journey to get to a place where what you're doing will be amazing.. in it's own peculiar way.  

I challenge everyone, today, or in the next few days to create something that YOU love.  Not something that you think other people will love - but something that truly speaks to you, and post it.  Post it with the hash tag #becauseIloveit  

Let's be creative and create something different.  You know you wanna....

Share this around.. let's see what people can come up with! ;)  

All The Drops in the Dark Ocean

ok - yes, same shot as yesterday, but I really liked the B&W conversion as well, and seeing as I don't have anything new prepared for this morning, I thought I'd share it today.

Hope you have a great day, all!!  

Another shot from the water series I did.

#photoextract

Leading Me Astray

Another one for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré  because I don't really think the other one I posted was quite minimal enough.... ;)

From my first sunset shoot of 2012 - it was a long wait but it was worth it.

#photoplusextract

Baby I'm Going Down

Sinking like the sun


No editing necessary....

All right... well... I told some people that when I reached the big 40 (Forty Thousand) that I would reshare this Selfy, because so many of my circlers have never seen it. And - thanks to +Robert Scoble , I have surpassed that milestone today - so here I am, in all my Moosie Glory.

That's right kids - a beer drinking, hockey playing, poutine eating, moose riding Canadian.

BTW - have you heard about +The Great Canadian Photowalk happening in Toronto on May 25th to the 27th? It's gonna be greeeeaaaat!!!

Sitting here feeling a bit bored and down in the dumps tonight, so I'm going through some old photos.

Took this in 2009 when we visited Ottawa. The parliament buildings are so amazing...

The Genie In The Lantern

You get 3 wishes.....
                                     but only if you can see him. 

The Light Inside

Let it glow

If You Hold My Hand
I won't feel cold at all......

When The Light Hits You

                You
                              G L O W

May a ray of light penetrate your day and make it awesome! ♥

Prairie Ghosts

For #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 

Soon

  I too, will be a streak in the sky........  :D

ok, so let me get this straight....

I was just over at FB......

The pages that I WANT to see, the ones I subscribed to... I will hardly see any more unless those people pay for it...

but they will now put pages into my stream that I did NOT like, with a like button along side of it?  Like a freaking commercial?

Not liking that AT ALL!!!!! 

The Path Of A Wandering Soul

#plusphotoextract  

Don't Close Your Eyes

Shot last night... we've had some wicked skies here the last few days.  I had hoped for a bit more colour but this is all there was!  

Stay Close
and I will keep you safe
 
#plusphotoextract  

Little House On The Prairie

Last night.....  _sigh_

it was heavenly!!!! ;)

#plusphotoextract  

Well, as the scavenger hunt for July draws to a close, the last album "BLUE" goes up and so I am posting my last entry to it!

THis is my eye.  I painted myself again, with acrylic craft paint.  (I've got to look into what kind of paint is actually made for skin if I ever do something like this again)   Right down to the eyelashes.  Only the black on the very inner edge is real make up.

Let me tell you - if you want to see every wrinkle and flaw - put paint on your skin.  Incredibly uncomfortable, hard to blink and all I wanted to do for the 2 hours I had it on was rub my eye!!!  

Luckily, this stuff washes off easily!    

I did change the colour of my eye just slightly to make them appear more blue - as they are more on the green side, but the yellow flecks are actually yellow.  

I shot this using mostly natural light - I sat in a shadowy area in front of my open door.  To get the iris to light up, I took a small flash light and shone it through my eye sideways.  There comes a moment when the light enters the side of your eye that you can feel the light illuminate the eye, and you can somehow just "feel" it and you know the light is right.

I am extremely near sighted, and have considered having laser surgery done to correct my vision... as it would be wonderful not to have to  wear glasses every single day.. but it does worry me, because, these are my eyes, after all, and if something went wrong, how would I be able to stand not seeing the beauty I find in this world every single day?

#photoplusextract  

Thought this one might fit the new profile banner better!  ;) 

Shadows Have No Names

First time getting out shooting with my new 55 - 300 mm I got for Christmas.  I think I like it! ;) 

Dreaming Of Another Time And Place
when the air was warm, and so were your kisses.....

Night Lights

This one is for +Jim Davis

Jim gave me a little advice while shooting the city at night from the island, and helped me get these great shots, so it only seems fitting that I dedicate this to him.

I know it's portrait, cutting out a lot of the city sprawl, but I wanted to get some long reflections (plus, I'm trying to be different than everyone else) .

I hope it's up to your standards, Jim. Thank you for your help!

#torontophotowalk #greatcanadianphotowalk

I Don't Know Where I'm Going

#1 of my personal favourites of 2012

Well, here we are...  finally at number one!

It wasn't easy going through a whole year's worth of photos and choosing only -12- 13 of them.  Even putting numbers to them was a task!

The day I took this photo I almost didn't go out to shoot.  We were under severe storm warnings, and I felt happy enough to just stay indoors where it was warm and dry, but I decided that I should go because stormy weather can be one of the best sources of interesting skies!

I drove around the back roads until I was good and lost, and finally found a good spot to pull over and shoot some canola.  The air was almost electric and as the clouds started to gather  and rumble I wondered if I should get in my car and find my way home.  Then this cloud came upon me.  

I've shot many scenes where the rainfall was not quite so pronounced  but this one blew me away!  It was such a powerful isolated downpour!  The best I've ever seen!  I stood in the middle of the road and was almost jumping for joy over my good fortune to be in that spot at that moment.

Nature is so powerful, majestic and amazing.  I feel that photography has brought me closer to nature in so many ways.  We notice things.  We pay attention.  We see things that most people don't bother to see, or maybe just can't, and we appreciate it more.  The feeling of being so small, and yet a part of something so much bigger than you.

I think that's a pretty amazing side effect.  

I will wrap up my best of 2012 now, and I want to thank you all for being such an important part of my year.  I have seen amazing things, met amazing people, and learned SO much all because of this place, and the wonderful people who make it so great!  

My best wishes to you all for the new year, and I look forward to getting to know you all so much more over the next year.

much love to you all, my friends!  ♥♥

#bestof2012  
#plusphotoextract  

Just playing around with some water drop shots!

+John Getchel +Jeff Moreau +Jeff McDonald

For the 52 project Week #5 Eyes

I shot myself in the eye!!!

I even went out and bought eye make up for this one. I NEVER wear eye make up - I felt like a young kid again - painting myself up... ;)

#project52 -2012
#GPLUS ::P52::2012
#2012project52
#macromonday curated by +Kerry Murphy
#photoextract

Hideaway

We could all use one.......

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Bringing back my Christmas look, for a limited time only!  ;) 

Just call me Rudolph! ;)

Walking On

Sometimes in life, that's all you can do....

This image is my offer for +Ivan Makarov 's #plusonecollection project. :)
Best of 2011 G+Photography book

I chose this photo because it marks an important time in our city's history. The flood of 2011 was named the Flood Of The Century. It took our whole town jumping in and helping each other out with sandbagging, digging trenches, making and delivering food to keep people's homes safe, etc.

I don't get a chance to shoot water that often but this was a time of wonderful photo opportunities.

Dear Scavengers:

due to the fact that I was judging ALL DAY today - we had nothing prepared for supper.

So we had pancakes.

My children thank you.

All That Glitters

should be smiling on +Robin Griggs Wood  today.  Just because......

We ♥ you, Robin!

Hope you have a most awesome day!!!  

#Appleforteacher   #gmapp3  

Once again it is +Selfy Sunday  and here is my selfy.

I actually made this one a few weeks ago but then found out we had a theme so I decided to save it.  You are supposed to shoot a few days from SS but this one was special so I decided to break the rules and use it even though it is a bit old.

+LaDonna Pride  pride played a joke on +Gary Munroe  and I a few weeks back, and started a "dandelion day" in our honour - naming us the curators of the new theme!!

It took off like hell fire and we were innundated with over 400 dandelion notifications coming to our inboxes!

So, this one if for you, LaDonna - in honour of our "Dandelion Day"

It's not easy lying on your back on a sunny day and trying to look directly up without squinting and making funny faces all while trying not to move and dislodge you dandelions!!!....  LOL!!!

Floating On A Whisper Of Wind

Toronto, 2012

Last night I dreamed…

I dreamed of a tree that stood alone in the White Nothing.

The White Nothing was all encompassing and covered everything leaving only the tree, with  me, standing under it.
As I stood under the tree looking up into it’s spindly branches, I felt protected and safe there, as though it was my guardian, and it’s many arms seemed to circle around me in a gentle embrace.
The White Nothing was very lonely, however,  and it pressed in on me like a cold fingerless hand, wanting my breath and the warmth of my soul.   Squeezing it out of me.
 
And then there you were. 

Standing beside me.    Holding my hand.   Creating energy that drove the white nothing back.  We sat under the tree for a life time, telling each other our secret dreams and fears, laughing until we cried, and crying until we laughed again.
The White Nothing stood still all around us and watched.  Curious.  Seeking answers to what it was seeing.
Finally the White Nothing gave up and receded.  Bit by bit.  Little by little,  leaving us to our play.  Maybe we beat it.  Maybe it felt sorry for us.  Or maybe it just didn’t know what to do with us.  But we beat it.  Together.  

We beat it.

And now we still sit under the tree, holding hands and leaning our shoulders together.  Knowing we are not alone.  We will never be alone.  

Because we are friends.

Lay your head on my shoulder, 
while we watch the sun sink in the distance and whisper secrets only meant  for each other.
#photoextractplus  

Showing Appreciation

This is a bit long, but important; so read on at your own risk ;)  



There are times when we all feel like we deserve a little more credit.

With today being Mother’s Day, I’m going to use that as an example.

Us Moms..... we do it all don’t we?  Cooking, cleaning, teaching, driving, attending, thinking, arranging, working, worrying, fussing, scheduling, problem solving, doctoring, consulting,  etc, etc.

There are days when all we do is work and run and the people in our lives don’t realize all the things we did for them, and take us for granted.  There are even days when people  make us feel like we don’t do enough, or maybe that we didn’t do anything at all.  Those days suck, right?  

After all, we only have two arms, and two legs and we can only be one place at a time.  We have a brain capable of multitasking and doing 100 things at a time but unfortunately, our brains are light years ahead of our bodies ;)

I was reminded, tonight, that I have been a bit of a whiny complainer around here lately.  I’ve forgotten how people need to hear the good things and not just the complaints.

So, this is my message to Google+:

Thank you.

Thank you for providing me with a platform that has brought so many things to my life.

Thank you for giving me the tools to meet so many new people.  To connect with them in a way that is real.  In a way that I’ve never had on any other social media site before.  

Thank you for making it easy for me to learn so much about the hobby I love so much, by making it easy to come into contact with the people who I have come to admire and respect.

Thank you for making it easy for me to share my knowledge and photos with like minded people from all around the world.

Thank you for teaching me that the internet is more than I thought it was.  Or thought it could be.  Moving forward from here, I see so many more avenues open to me than there ever were before.

Thank you for giving me a space to make my voice heard, however small it is.

Thank you for the new features you bring us on a regular basis.

Thank you for hangouts - where you can feel like you are sitting in the same room with someone else, who is half a world away.  You can see a person’s face and read their expressions and they can show you their screens as though you were right there looking over their shoulder.

Thank you for the ability to zoom in to photos to get a closer look.

Thank you for introducing me to people in cultures and places so different than our own..  for expanding my small little world.

Thank you for helping to get people involved in photo walks.. wow - what an amazing thing that is!!

Thank you for giving us so, so, so much more that I can’t even think of at the moment.


It’s far too easy for people to forget that the screen we are looking at, that we enjoy so much, has people behind it.  Real life people who have crappy days.  Days where they can’t seem to do anything right.  Days where everything they touch turns to shit.  Days where they are frustrated because they can’t figure out something that should be so simple.  Days where someone bitches and complains that they aren’t doing their job good enough.  We've all had days like that.  We know what it's like.

And then there are the days when things go right.  They are on fire!  They fix the world’s problems with a few keystrokes.  Days where they feel awesome about the job they do.  Days that they SHOULD get some thanks and praise.

Just earlier this week I, and a handful of other people had a problem that was fixed.  It took a little while, but after a few discussions with Google team members, our problem was sorted out and we were all doing happy dances with each other and high fiving, etc.  

But I forgot to say thank you to the team that made it all work again.  

So, THANK YOU to  +Balaji Srinivasan    for your help. THANK YOU +Google+ Help   for jumping in and trying to help.  Thank you to everyone who was involved in fixing our problem and making our email notifications work properly again!  I appreciate your help more than you know.

Google+ is different than any other site I’ve been on in part because here, you have the opportunity to talk to the people who run this place.  They are members of the community and they circle people to make friends and keep track of what’s going on.  So many times I’ve gotten help from +Leo Deegan  +Brian Matiash +Natalie Villalobos  and countless other Google people who’s names I don’t know, and will probably never know because they are the wizards behind the screen.  We don’t see their faces, we don’t know their names, we don’t know how many hours they put into fixing our little problems, and bringing great new things our way.  All we see is the end result of the work they do....  and even with a few glitches here and there... it’s pretty damn amazing!

So, I can’t or won’t promise that  I’ll never bitch or complain again, because I’m not one to pretend that everything is great if I don’t think it is (and plus, you know.. I AM a woman...).

However, I will promise to remember that there are people out there who are working hard and doing their best to give us a wonderful experience, and when I think something is going great, I’ll try to remember to send a bit of Googly Love to the people who worked so hard to to make it that way. 

I ♥ you Google+* , and all of you who make it possible!!!  ♥♥♥
*

Early Morning Rituals Of A Spotless Mind

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 
#monochromemonday   and #moodymonday  
#plusphotoextract    ??  maybe I'll finally get lucky??  *shrug*

Blaze Your Own Trail

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré  ;)

Standing In The Shadows

searching for the light.........

RESHARE:
Just a quick share this morning!  +pi mo  posted this the other day and I find it to be delightfully warming and peaceful!

Check out his work - it is truly awesome!

NOT MY PHOTO _ PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT AND PLUS!

Have a wonderful day, friends!!!

Reshared text:

This was my idea for a Christmas Selfy for the Selfy Sunday project. The theme isn't Christmas though, so I thought I'd do it anyways!

Have a Merry one, all my good friends!!!

#TheGordonChallenge

The Lining Of Your Heart
Icy cold and sharp

There is no sound. Just beauty in the silence.

A Special Thank You

Just For You

In the last few days I have gotten some amazing feedback and comments regarding my sharing new photographers I find here on G+!

I like to find new people and share them because I know that it is hard for new people to gain a following here.  So many of us have been here since the beta days where we all got to know each other so well, and we formed a wonderful tight knit group of photographers.  We were the lucky ones.

New photographers coming in now have to work a bit harder to get noticed and make new friends. (not saying that we didn't  work hard -we most definitely did - but it's slightly different now that so many of us are established)  Many people are not adding new people to their circles because they are either full, or more than likely, just don't often get the chance to see new people's work.

By noticing, circling and including these new people in our circles of friends, we give them a reason to post more often, and to keep coming back.  

Our circles are like gardens.  We must take care to tend to our garden.   As people leave or become inactive they allow their streams to dry and wither up and to keep our own streams alive we must feed it with new seeds of friendship and interesting things.

It's a win - win situation for all of us!  ;)

The way I find these new people?  Well, I wish I could take all the credit for it, but I can't . Many of them find me first, and I just happen to notice them in my notifications so I check them out.  Or they talk to me in my posts so I check them out. Or I see them commenting in other people's posts so I check them out.  And I am so often blown away by their work, that I feel the need to share - particularly if their audience is very low.  

When I came here I knew about 3 people, and I remember when I was included in my first big "circle share" and how exciting it was to watch the number of people go up who were interested in seeing my work.  And no, this is not about numbers - but about connections.  The chance to meet new people, make new friends, learn, share, and see the stuff we love to see!  

By sharing new people, it's my way of giving back. They might not get 1000 new followers over night - but it makes me happy when I check back and see that 30 or 40 of my awesome friends have checked them out and added them.  And I know that those new people will be good to them - because they are so good to me!  

So, this thank you is to YOU!!  My amazing friends who look at the pages I share, and make comments on the work they see, and add the ones you like to your circles.  It makes it all worth while, and my sharing would be nothing if I had no one to share it with.

So once again, I say thank you.

Now, go and watch your garden grow.  ;)

Another from the big flood last spring.

Today it's very cold out... and I have to go out there. I don't want to. I'd rather crawl back under my warm covers and day dream about warmer times...

Have a great day everyone!!!

Going, Going, Gone....

for #minimalmonday   with +Olivier Du Tré 

I tend to shoot a LOT of sunsets and big skies (hence; the name of this album) seeing as we have a LOT of that in the flat prairies of Canada!

My eye are always on the sky! Thanks for taking a look!

 
Not Your Grandma's Booties

no siree Bob!

THese are hand made by beautiful, blond +Mandy Sloan  to help me keep my kitchen floor scratch free (wish I had found her and her knitting sooner before the scratching started!)

I remember my mom having booties on her chairs and they were pretty ugly  but I think Mandy did a great job on these!  

Thank you for doing such a great job, Mandy~!~~

Did you know that Mandy has an etsy store where she sells home made goods?

I'd link you but I can't find a link on her page!

Mandy!  shame on you!  Put a link on your about page!!! ;P

Let's talk about something:

Bullying.

When you first hear that word, most people think of kids on the playground. But its so much more than that. It happens every day at every age, in every walk of life. It might be happening to someone you know. It might be happening to you.

But as adults we tend not to talk about it. We tend to keep it quiet and let's face it - no one wants to admit that it happens to them.

But it does happen.

Someone extremely close to me is dealing with this situation in the work place right now. This person decided to speak out about it. This made the situation go from bad to really bad.

You see.. there are people in life who just aren't happy unless they feel bigger or better or more powerful than other people. They aren't happy unless someone else is miserable. And they are often leaders. They have a way of making people go along with them. They are master manipulators. They turn people into sheep who become mindless and they forget how to think for themselves And even if they do, they are afraid to show that they can, lest they become the odd man out. So they just go along. They wear the spots so they can blend in. Just another face in the crowd. Nothing is their fault.. they are just going with the flow.

But what about that one guy with the guts to stand up and say "NOT ME!"? It takes guts to be that person. What if one of the other people were to shed their spots and stand beside them? And what if one more did it, and then one more and soon there would be people in all different outfits... but without any spots. Then the bullying would stop.

The next time you are in a situation like this.. look down and see what you are wearing. Are you wearing spots, or are you an individual with a mind of your own?

Bullying is never ok.

RESHARE:
Winners Announced!!!


For those not directly involved you may not realize that +Chrysta Rae announced the grand prize winners for the March Scavenger Hunt last night!!

Now that I’m done blubbering about it and it’s finally sinking in, I can talk about it!! I’m so excited to say that I won first place from +kimberly pemberton and I’m so excited about that because I get to pick one of her prints to be my very own! EEEEEEEEEEK!!

Also, I did win the over all Grand Prize!! thud

Wow!
I am shocked and amazed! I truly wasn’t expecting to win the whole thing and I am still reeling from it!! Now, anyone who knows me knows that I get very sentimental from time to time and pretty mushy – so you’re just going to have to deal with another big lump of mush right now. Sorry… but I warned you……
I have to give a great big thank you first of all to +Chrysta Rae for holding this event!

Chrysta – you are such a trooper, cheerleader, tease and amazement all wrapped up in one!
You work at this tirelessly, working on no sleep, being a mom, dealing with life, and yet you still do such an incredible amount of work. I don’t know how you do it all!!
You cheer for each and every one of us – checking up on us to see how we are doing, and telling us that we can do it. Kicking some of us in the ass and just hovering around in case anyone needs you!
And you tease us mercilessly, spurring us on and making us feel like all at the same time we’d like to scream and just get to the finish!!
And amazement… you are amazing. You are so magnetic that everyone loves you (as you should well know by now). I love hearing your so awesome laugh in hang outs and you always have a smile for everyone who crosses your path. You are so beautiful inside and out - giving of yourself and making other people feel special. You do all of this … and it’s just because it’s who you are… and that is truly amazing!

And the judges, who worked so hard to make their decisions….

+Alan Shapiro - Do we know how lucky we are to have Alan judging this contest? Alan is such a generous soul- he is always surprising me with his kindness to everyone and anyone. When I first “met” Alan, I was like “so who is this mysterious guy who is so damn good with his camera? “ I fell in love with his hard hitting portraits and then soon learned that he also has a softer side with flowers and little details. He gives of himself, happy to share his knowledge and his amazing smile. Thank you for all the hard work you do for the hunt, and for all the other things you do, Alan.

+kimberly pemberton - How could anyone NOT love Kim?! Kim is like a butterfly, flitting around from one flower to the next, spreading purple goodness to the world, and showering it in sparkles and … um.. other stuff that I won’t mention here… ;P Kim is always smiling and her sense of humour is just a pure delight! Kind hearted and wonderful… that is Kim Pemberton.

+Nick Gatens … SO many things I could say about Nick!! He’s a kind of quiet guy, but now and again he jumps in with a zinger and disappears as quickly as he arrived. Nick has a HUGE heart and he’s so willing to help out anyone who needs it! Nick introduced himself to me after the Spoofy Sunday and I am so happy that he did. He is a true G+ treasure. Plus, I really dig his photos – he has a way of looking at the world that is just a little bit different than everyone else… and that is so Nick.

Ok , so now that I’ve said my thank yous to the “team” I want to say thank you to the other participants! I KNEW that the competition was going to be tough, and so I worked hard in hopes of just keeping up with the rest of you!! I almost didn’t participate this time around because the first time I had a hard time when it came to the judging! It had nothing to do with anyone but me – I was disappointed in myself and my photos. I felt like I should have worked harder, and I wasn’t imaginative or creative enough. Most of my photos weren’t technically well done and I just felt like I missed the mark. So for 4 days I moped around beating myself up over it and feeling rotten.
When the sign ups came around again, I decided that I would do it again - so that I could prove to myself that I could do better than last time. AND that I could take it better if I didn’t win anything, now that I knew what to expect. For me it was like my own personal test… I had to know that I could do this better – photographically and emotionally!

Congrats to my co winners – +Christopher Germano , and +Brian Bonham!!! You guys totally rocked it and it was exciting to go up against you!!! Participating in the scavenger hunt is HARD work! It’s not easy to have a word put in front of you, and you have to make something amazing out of it! It only looks easy until YOU are doing it! lol! So everyone who finished and submitted – you are all winners, because you got through it and you probably learned a bunch in the process!!!

Being in the Scavenger Hunt has taught me so much… about me, about photography, about how to stretch my mind and try new things. Pretty things, fun things, weird things, and yes, even gross things!! And really, as artists, isn’t that what we should all be doing? Searching into the corners of our imaginations and coming up with new ideas and exercising our creativity and learning?
That’s what the hunt has done for me – so I encourage you to give it a try. Sign ups are today on Chrysta Rae’s page – so don’t miss it !

Thank you so much to the amazing people who donated prizes – +kimberly pemberton +Alan Shapiro +Chrysta Rae +Nick Gatens and +RC Concepcion I am SO looking forward to the Kelby training, the one on one time and the print!! I was thinking about signing up for Kelby training so this is the perfect prize at the perfect time! Now I just need to decide.. should I join the judges for the next round.. or should I play again? ;)

Reshared text:
THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER for the March Scavenger Hunt - the person who scored the most point between all 3 judges in every category...

is +Sandra Parlow
(once again, I am leaking)

Sandra, you are not only an amazing photographer, which you more than proved this hunt, but you are a true delight to thousands of us who recognize the truly beautiful person you are. You make me laugh, you inspire me, you are one of those genuine people that you wish you had in your life... and you realize... you do. You make Canadians proud, sunshine. You give people a reason to smile every single day. You are one of the few beautiful people I know and hold close to my heart.

I am over the moon thrilled to tell you, you have won a 1 year subscription to the +Scott Kelby tutorials (http://kelbytraining.com/) which I know you will turn your photography into more incredible images we all will be honoured to see. I am also sending you a personal "Chrysta Rae Package" because I am so proud of you!!! And yes... yes there will be rice cakes.

ALSO you, as the winner, get to pick one of the 10 items for the May Scavenger Hunt!!!!!

Congratulations sweetheart. I am bawling thrilled for you.

I uploaded this to the official Selfy Sunday themed (WHAT DID I DO LAST NIGHT??) album last night but I had to upload it to my own selfie album as well! I added a few last night to this album that didn't make the official "cut" but I love them all the same! I could only pick one for the official theme!!

Moosie disappeared shortly after this and he still hasn't called. I guess it's over...

Little Beauty
Up Close With Levi - day 2 +Levi Moore

My violet plant is getting tiny little buds on it! I've had it for about 5 years and this will be the second time it's bloomed for me! I love it!

Along The Spine

for #macromonday   and the theme "Autumn"  with +Kelli Seeger Kim , +Kerry Murphy  and  +Jennifer Eden 

Light Explosion

Just when everything seems dark, a light explodes and brightens the world, if only for a moment or two.