Just some photos...

From a recent trip to Sequoia National Park and one of our drives, more to come! Hope you enjoy these:-)

"Hi, Phoebe!" Continuing my ongoing saga with the Black Phoebe, we spotted this singing cutie at Sequoia - way up high, of course!

I now believe this is "Elegant Rock Cress", or Arabella sparsiflora var. arcuata.

"Bokeh Fun" Ever see something that looks cool, but you're not sure how a photo will come out? Well, this is one of those shots for me, and I think it worked:-) **Any guesses on what the background is here?**

"Grass Nut" or "Ithuriel's Spear" is just starting to bloom in the foothills.

Sun shining through a "Fiesta Flower" (Pholistoma auritum) with a visitor.

"A Little View" Fiesta Flowers are all over right now - such delicate beauties!

And, yay, the Western Kingbirds are back in the foothills! I say "yay", because they've been some of the best ones for landing and staying as we drive by:-)

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Another horse eye photo, though with a little twist - I caught the reflection of the road where we take our drives in his eye:-) "The Road Not Taken" is one of my most favorite poems. It not only paints a beautiful, vivid picture, but it also resonates within me. My mom and I usually take the road "less traveled by", and it's definitely been an interesting journey!

P.S. If you click on this photo, you'll see I've already added it to our shop - it was an instant fave for me! I hope you enjoy it, too:-)

Back on Track!

I needed a mini-break from my blog, hence my absence these past few days. Even though I have lots of ideas, I was having brain-freeze when it actually came time to post something (must be all those Icees I drink;-). Anyways, I'm back on track, and sharing several recent photos. I hope you enjoy them, and if you know what the weird creature is on the last photo, please share - sometimes it's hard to know where to start searching for insect id's.

"Hide-n-seek" We startled a covey of quail as we were driving, and they went up into the trees. Very hard to see, but I was able to capture this gentleman:-)

"Emerging", beautiful wildflower, terrible name: Blue-dick.

"Blending In", this ground squirrel thought if he stayed real still, he was invisible;-)

"Sun Dance", California Poppies can have the best shadows!

"Alien", there were several of these along with other weird flying insects on this Mountain Whitethorn (Ceanothus cordulatus). What are they?

Abraham-Hicks for Today

I've been stuck on what to post tonight. I finally went to YouTube to choose a song video. However, I found myself thinking about Abraham-Hicks. I deliberated over several videos of theirs, then finally had my "Aha!" moment... I chose the one that they just sent out yesterday. It's the simplest explanation of the Law of Attraction, and it also makes me laugh - it doesn't get much better than that! I know I needed a good reminder based on some things that have been happening lately. If you're not familiar with Abraham-Hicks, I urge you to check out their site. I hope you'll take a moment to watch, and let me know what you think about the Law of Attraction and this video. I hope it makes you feel as good as it does me:-)

Survey Says! Flowers:-)

I finally decided to put together my first survey (I think you can tell it's my first, lol!). I'm asking you to select your favorite photo below. I will be looking at the top choices to put in our store ("Dear Life" is already in, but I would still like to see how it does here). Thanks for your help!

1) "Wild Beauty"

2) "Focus"

3) "For You"

4) "Bee Good"

5) "Confection"

6) "Pretty in Pink"

7) "Dear Life"

8) "One"

Lookin' Out For Spring!

Taken this past Sunday - these slabs are a little ways out on the other side of a fence inside what looks like a quarry. The ground squirrels and rabbits love all the hidey-holes! Do you notice anything in particular about this little one? Spring isn't too far away at all:-)

Poppies, Poppies, Poppies!

Yup, three recent photos of California Poppies:-)

"Sunny Side Up!" Love the sheen on poppies when the sun hits.

"It Takes Two..." These were growing out of a steep hill hence side view.

"Sunny Side Up!" Even on a cloudy day, California Poppies are neon-bright!

Bad Horn Day

Some days, it's like that.

Horsey

This is the horse that's featured in my goofy post. We've seen him often, but not as close to the fence. He's a gorgeous chocolate color, but has obviously had a good roll before these photos. He has the most unique marking on his face. Normally, that much white over the eye would mean a glass (or blue) eye. He was super sweet, and I'm not sure if he or I enjoyed his face rub more:-)

He was so cooperative, keeping his ears up without spooking:-)

I have a fascination with horse eyes! This side was in the light (cloudy), with good reflection.

And this eye was on the dark side - I think it almost doesn't look like a horse eye with those markings! I kept playing with the crop, because it looked odd to me. Very cool, though, and I'm thinking there's some Paint in his breeding.

No Excuses

Okay, I finally missed a day. No excuses! So, here I am hoping to make it up with a small collection of pink blossom photos. These were taken this year and last. I have a lot from last year that I haven't published - not because they weren't worthy, but because I have that addiction problem where I just keep taking more and more photos before I finish with the last batch:-) I hope you enjoy these, too, and if you have a favorite, I really hope you'll leave a comment. I also need to figure out those survey things, but for now...

"Dear Life" (Hanging on for)

"Pretty in Pink!"

"Softly Seeking the Light"

"Confection"

"Bee Good!"

A Pretty Stroll

More blossom photos taken recently. Hoping the rain clears so we can get out again tomorrow. I'd like some sunny photos (but really am loving the rain!). Hope you enjoy this selection - who else has fruit trees blooming now? Are you taking photos? Please share how spring is looking to you:-) P.S. Which of these photos is your favorite?

"Slow Dance"

"Pink", ya think? ;-)

"For You!" A little bouquet.

"Focus"

"Wild Beauty", because it was - a little tree on the roadside in the foothills.

Time for Another Song

I'm thinking I need to do my posts just a wee bit earlier in the day, lol! Anyways, for today, I'm just going to share a song that always resonates with me. I heard it yesterday for the first time in a while, and went to check out the video, which I'd never seen (I know, probably everyone else has, but it's worth seeing again:-). I actually don't know much about Tracy Chapman, but I know she has a beautiful, haunting voice and I enjoy her music. I hope you enjoy this, too.

Choosing a View

Sometimes, when I go to add my daily entry here, I think about all of the things I don’t write about or show. Other than one post about this area (well, two if you count the stray animal post), I work very hard at concentrating on the positive. I look for the beauty in an area where it can be difficult to find. I would only have to turn my camera away from the foothills to portray a town that most would believe was in a different country. Sometimes, I want to do just that because I can’t believe it is the way it is, and I can’t believe we’re living here.

However, I haven’t done it, and don’t know that I will (other than just to have a record, I guess). By sharing the images that I do, I believe I am creating the world I want to live in versus the one that surrounds me on a daily basis. I want to share the good energy that fills me when I’m out taking photos of flora and fauna:-) I want to keep a hold on that energy, because my heart really needs it.

I imagine that I’m not the only who creates a different world on their blog from the one that they live in. We all have a story, and we all have our own ways of telling it. It’s what gets us through and helps us on to the next chapter, right?