Monday, March 29, 2010

Just some photos...

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

black phoebe, bird

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

wildflower

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

bokeh

"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, wildflower, ithuriels spear

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

fiesta flower, wildflower, bee

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

fiesta flowers

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

western kingbird

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:-)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Road Not Taken

horse eye, macro photo, reflection

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:-)



Monday, March 15, 2010

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.

california quail

"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.

ground squirrel

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

california poppies

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

insect, macro

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

Thursday, March 11, 2010

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:-)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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"

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Lookin' Out For Spring!

california ground squirrelTaken 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:-)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Poppies, Poppies, Poppies!

Yup, three recent photos of California Poppies:-)

california poppy, wildflower, orange flower

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

california poppy buds

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

california poppies, flower, wildflowers, yellow, orange "Sunny Side Up!" Even on a cloudy day, California Poppies are neon-bright!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

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:-)

american quarter horse, bay

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

horse eye photo

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

horse eye, blaze, macro

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.