Camera Crazy

Rewind to yesterday. I can't tell you how rewarding an experience the assisted living photography session was. In fact, as the title makes clear, it will be hard for me to describe it.

It started by my hearing on NPR about a photographer visiting a nursing home and photographing the residents. Before some of you knew me, I was a queen with old folks. I had patients in their 90's, and we got along famously; they looked forward to their yearly mammogram. This seemed like an excellent idea for me to pursue. Serendipitously (is this a word?) a woman who comes to the market frequently turned out to be an activities person at a local assisted living center. We made plans, they got moved, we made plans, this time it was a go.

When I first arrived no one was waiting. It wasn't long before one woman came forward, then another, and you get the picture. I would introduce myself, shake their hand, ask their name, and age. Some were proud to tell me.

Rose, pictured yesterday, suffers fr…

This is Rose, aged 99, taken today at the assisted living facility. I'm super tired tonight because after that photo shoot (17 people) I drove Carol to Melbourne and drove home after visiting. We'll catch up tomorrow.

Before I forget, the song playing is now used in a commercial for Orlando. Talk about taking words out of context. I love this song and was stunned when I heard it coming from Bruce's television in the garage. I quickly went to take a look and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but images of children frolicking at WDW. Who knew?
If you don't know the song a favorite bit of mine is: "We are young, we are free, keep our teeth nice and clean." People are so silly and clever.

When I re-upped with flickr I was to receive ten free Moo cards. It's been thirteen days since they shipped...hope they get here soon. My niece Amanda brought some last year to our Thanksgiving celebration, I loved them. I've got about ten of hers taped to my refrigerator door.

This morning I went to vote; the workers said there had been quite a few voters already at 9AM. It's great how this election has spurred people to vote who never do. After all, how can a person complain about …

The market was finally super busy yesterday. I sold eight pieces which I was happy about. I take pictures of the market happenings every week for the manager. She then shares them with everyone at City Hall so they know what the market is all about. Lately they have been giving her what she wants; the latest, a large banner on the street.

Bruce did all the set up then took off with David to take his Mom to lunch for her birthday. During set up the weather was horrible--windy, gray, and cold. As predicted it turned glorious. They met her near where she lives, about twenty miles from us. Thus, Bruce was gone most of the time, meaning that between talking to folks at the booth and picture taking I was a busy girl. One woman who was particularly kind and interested in my work was the local chairwoman for the Sierra Club. She ordered one of the prints in a smaller size than what I had on hand.

Now to today's pictures. The other day when I had Baxter with me we saw this manhole cover off …

The immigration debate continues. These darling boys are the sons of a Mexican father the same age as Bill and Dave. Roaming the park with Baxter in tow these innocent little faces struck me hard. Silly me... I started crying telling Bruce about my encounter. What is to be done?

Here's what's happening:

Husband Extraordinaire fixed the roof yesterday morning; he cleaned the gutters while on the roof, two miserable jobs. Putting on dress clothes he assumed his normal work persona. He's indescribable!

Homemaker finally cleans kitchen floor--LONG overdue.
Incorrect flea medication returned--duh! they sold Bruce the same dose he was on, clearly not sufficient.

Matt called!! Yeah. He's going to Brussels next month, as well as a return trip to LA. Acting as a consultant, both he, and Carol were kind enough to give me feedback on this: ? Submissions?
As you know I've been applying to shows. The latest one, and I'm presuming the hardest to get into, wants TWO slides. I'm incapable of choosing two, thus my solicitations. I've posted it in case you want to add your two cents worth. So many decisions to make.

Consultation with David regarding the business. He's trying to convince me to go with what sells, treating it more like a business r…

Once again I drove Bruce to Vero. The thing is I'm not a big fan of driving his BMW, thus I'd rather drive my car and drop him off enabling me to roam at will with no trepidation. My first stop was the Riverside Park. There are some lovely rocks waterfront that I may be showing in the near future. My last visit a ranger pointed out an osprey atop a very tall oak tree. Hmmm... I tried with little success. When you have the zoom out so far it is easy to get camera shake. Today I brought my tripod with me--I looked sorta dorky but really, who cares?

At any rate I was concentrating on the rocks when I heard a very distinctive bird call. I looked up, there was the osprey. For those unfamiliar with that species it is a fish eating hawk. I've just checked and apparently the plumage was used for women's hats. I'm not so good at judging heights but it was WAY up there. I set up the tripod with the camera on MAX zoom and here you go.

My market manager hates birds. I always ha…

For as long as I can remember I've begun each day with a glass of orange juice. When the children were young they would be in serious trouble if they emptied the orange juice jug without my knowledge. After the oj I make the first cup of hot tea. I am not, and never have been, a coffee drinker, in fact, I hate coffee. It's funny how it smells so good when it's brewing; once I was given a cup by mistake in a dark cup, took a sip, and about died--ick!!!

As regular readers of this blog you have first hand knowledge of how out of shape my body is these days. I'm feeling so much better that I've talked about exercising again, but the truth of the matter is I never liked it. You might be too young to remember a time when every day people did not actually go someplace to exercise, they worked. I'm talking mowing the yard, gardening, cleaning--the stuff that needs doing to make one's environment as pleasant as possible. This morning I took steps to rectify both my …

Yeah, the sun has come back out bringing warmer temperatures!

I couldn't resist posting this--I saw it on my drive out to Costco to pick up my 4 X 6 prints for entry photos. I am very pleased with the results.

If you can imagine I got out of Costco for only $70--practically a record. Here's what that bought:
dishwasher soap
dog food
chicken breasts
food wrap
mixed nuts
golden pineapple
slice of pizza for lunch
25 4x6 prints

Most of the above will last for months--an excellent bargain. In another piece of exciting news, the nice lads in the tire area will put air in your tires if you ask. I've been going there for years unaware of this important fact!!!! I'm no good at it, and as you well know, Mr. Bruce is busy, busy, busy. It slips our mind. I got 30 mph on the way to Melbourne with tires 8 lbs. low--imagine what I'll get now.

Because the weather was so wonderful I needed to take some photos. I stopped at the horse barn near the house; always good subjects there. This time …

Indeed, where has the time gone?

We've been very busy the last few days. Mentioned last week, here is the booth makeover. The highly-anticipated panels arrived on Friday afternoon by UPS. I stayed home waiting, which was challenging as the day was so darn dreary I wanted to get out. I bolted the minute they arrived. One thing about living in Florida is that every day pretty much you can go and do what you want, unlike some places. Jonathan called and the weather in Chicago is brutal at the moment. He described the cold as "shocking". They pretty much holed up all weekend; hopefully it will warm up a bit for the work week. This morning it was in the 40's which is cold to us. I envisioned Jonathan and Alissa leaving for the train in sub-zero temps bundled up and miserable. Happily, they are doing better than anticipated.

Back to the panels. Bruce got up early on Saturday morning intending to put it all together for the photo op. What I mean by that is for show applicati…

Fortune Cookie Unwrapped
Remember when I told you I went out at 5:30 in the morning to shoot with the tripod? I went to this little park nearby thinking I could get the fog through the trees--didn't really work out as planned but here's the effort nonetheless.

Speaking of fog, I was in one most of yesterday. Our little Baxter did his wake up call around 3:30, apparently urgently needing to go out. He whimpers until I rouse. There was a fierce storm happening with howling wind and driving rain; the wind chimes were tinkling to beat the band. I shuffled to the back door and out he marched heading to the end of the house. I prayed he would hurry up, waiting with towel in hand to dry him off. Eventually he reappeared and we settled back in our respective beds. The problem was that my mind started swirling with ideas, combine that with the sounds of the storm and it was a while till I went back to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of the doorbell, not a good thing. The clock said 8:30 the…

Here's the Rest of the Story

If you regularly check out my photos on flickr you may have already seen my daisy picture. I used Bruce's new desk as the background, and the natural light streaming in the windows of the sun room.I must say I was extremely pleased with that image; I knew we loved this new set up!

As you know I am hoping to exhibit at some spring art shows. I'm wading into new territory pretty much unprepared. As such, many shows are already filled because applications needed to be in by the end of November or early December. Nevertheless, I'm working diligently on it. There are several web sites that list shows all over the state. Next you have to send in three images of your work, plus one of your booth. Our booth is getting a makeover this weekend with new mesh panels arriving Friday. Back to the images--how, oh how, do I pick only three? Seeking EDITOR-- no experience necessary--apply here.

While having my hair cut last week I mentioned that they needed some art work on the walls. Here&#…

Coming Soon to a Mall Near You

Yesterday on our way home from the market in the driving rain we saw the Story Corps trailer in front of the library. The minute it quit (really, after we unloaded), I zoomed back downtown in the MINI to get this shot. I figured it might never be in Orlando again, in other words, a part of history. I wish I had scheduled an appointment to participate, that is, if I could get anyone else to do it with me. Maureen said NO WAY! Speaking of her, she is improved, but still not up to par. No word for sure on the outcome of her car.

If you are unfamiliar with Story Corp, it is a project begun about five years ago. Based on the concept that everyone has a compelling story to tell, in NYC's Grand Central Station a booth was set up to record one person interviewing another. These are non-professional interviews, typically, they are two family members. Our public radio station plays the stories on Fridays--I've heard some remarkable stories. Blogs like mine are a one sided thing--I tell m…

All is well here--we'll talk tomorrow. In the meantime check out this article from the Times.
Medical Myths
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Now playing: The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
via FoxyTunes

Actually today I was up way before the sun. This is a shot through the windshield on our drive to Vero. Bruce prefers that I wouldn't do it while driving and I'll take that into consideration.

I'm not sure where today has gone but I did spend a bit of time helping Maureen around the house--she is much sorer today than yesterday. I'm heading back over momentarily to share some of my cache of pain medication. I've not taken any forever, thus I have a large supply.

Speaking of accidents, you may have seen on the news the incredible story of a SEVENTY car pile up on our major interstate. The fog has been thick lately. Adding to the fog was smoke from a controlled burn that went awry. The interstate backed up for FOURTEEN miles, and is still closed in that section. Every kind of vehicle you can imagine was involved including many semis.

For some unknown reason our little Baxter woke me up a few hours after I went to sleep to go out and then again around 4:45. I've no…

The trip yesterday was great. The drive over was easy, the weather spectacular, and I got a few good shots. Mind you, there were people on the beach with these massive cameras and lenses who looked at me as if I were a nobody--little do they know I am a somebody. Seriously, a few made comments about my small camera, but I just smiled saying you might be surprised at what interesting photos I can take with it. One thing that REALLY helped was the tripod. I am still learning which levers do what, so I'm sure I look pretty dorky, but what the heck--I just keep practicing. When I picked Bruce up at the job site he asked me if I got any shots of girl surfers, I told him it was only a contest for guys. Lo and behold, when I uploaded the pictures what should I find but a girl surfer. What happened is that there were a large group of surfers to the left of the competition site which I ended up concentrating on who were pretty far out there in wet suits so their sex was indeterminate from …

Because I've taken everyone else's picture I thought that I show you what I look like these days. I went out back to clean the pool and heard our cardinal from last spring. If you don't recall, we had a nest with three eggs--only one survived. I brought my new tripod out to see if I could get a photo of the male when I was done with the pool. He disappeared quickly, probably because Baxter goes nuts when I use the cleaner. He barks like a little maniac which is unusual for him. I finally had to put him back inside. Did I mention it was 80 degrees today? Really nice.

I realized after getting done with the pool that I could try taking my own picture with the self timer and tripod. Believe me, it took lots of tries before I got this one. I cropped it because previously it showed how my upper arms have gotten so weird since I've not been lifting weights. Even though I am very slender, skin sags where you don't want it to at my age. I suppose I'm lucky that I'm…

Some of my readers will recognize this house, others won't but it's my first attempt at Christmas lights etc. I hope they like one of them as I took plenty.

Apparently I did not give enough details about B & D. I may have been remiss at not relating one of the most exciting, yet in some ways, traumatic stories. When a model arrives in a city with fashion shows they meet with their agent who then sends them on "castings." It is more or less a cattle call with everyone hoping they will be selected, if not for the money, at least for bragging rights. Calling me from Italy, excited as all get out, they related that they were sent to Giorgio Armani's atelier. When their turn came up there was much excitement on the part of Armani and assistants regarding the prospect of identical twins in the show. Loud conversation ensued with the result that they had them walk together down the runway etc. There was much excitement in the Peck camp as well, only to have hopes d…

For those of you who are new to my family's history I mention that Bill and Dave modeled for a few years when they were in their late teens. Yours truly took the photos to get them noticed I might add. However, they quickly got some from a professional to catapult them into the big time. One of the places they went was Milan, Italy to do the men's shows. You can imagine our trepidation letting them travel to Europe alone--it was somewhat traumatic for all concerned. The very first show they did was for twins. Picture our boys being the first ones on the runway doing their very first show with gazillions of photographers surrounding the runway. The design house is called DSquared, identical twins showed identical twins. Their picture was in the Milan paper as well. Tuesday when I was at Marshalls I spotted these shoes by DSquared. At the time they did the show we had never heard of them, but Madonna ended up making them famous by using some of their clothes in her shows. Fortun…

Tonight it's the heat. Finally we are experiencing a cold front, as I type this it is 39 degrees which is a mighty big change from the 80's of last week. People often say the cold in Florida is worse than up North; I cannot speak from experience, but I will say that Jonathan claimed it had warmed up a bit in Chicago at 40 degrees. I just spoke with Bruce in Virginia, he's worn out from the cold. He hasn't traveled in several weeks now so it will be challenging to get it going again; I've no doubt he'll be up for the challenge.

A scheduled photo shoot for Michelle went off as planned today. Doesn't she look fabulous? I'm not sure how she did it in the windy cold weather but she did. Finding this little jacket in my closet I asked her to wear it to keep her slightly warmer. Other outfits were skimpier, and believe me it was hard to smile in the cold, however she is getting more comfortable in front of the camera as I am behind it. My new tripod came in su…

Sparkles and Champagne for the New Year.

We had a marvelous time last night with the Harrisons and the Goldbergs at Antonio's last night. Orlando is a casual town but last night people dressed up a bit. I wore a black velveteen dress that had spent about two years in my closet unworn which proved to be comfy. I hate to wear dresses that leave you cold or uncomfortable. Our dinner was wonderful, the conversation lively and the wine superb. After our meal we went to the Michael and Jane's for fireworks. They've been through South Carolina lately bringing back spectacular fireworks. Michael placed them on the dock in rows lighting the bunch at midnight. Other's were doing the same around the lake which made for a brilliant start to the new year.

Bruce brought home not one, but two, tripods for my birthday. I was thrilled spending the next hour or more practicing. One has bendable legs for my baby camera, the other can elevate to about 4 feet. I was finally able to take a …