Category Archives: Photography

Happy Trails To You

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Having walked in the wet grass, my shoes were taken off at the patio door yesterday morning.

I didn’t give it another thought ’til the afternoon when they spoke to me as I passed by.

Perhaps it had to do with the afternoon sunlight streaming thru so I took pix of the whole ordeal…

No matter where you go or what you do, here’s wishing “Happy Trails” to all of you this weekend!

Today is Hubby’s Friday off and I can’t think of anything better than hanging out with him.  We kicked around some ideas of what we want to do this weekend.  Namely getting rid of more stuff around the house.  He’s working on advertising on Craigslist, I’m working on getting pix together for him.  It’s turning out to be a great productive weekend.  Oh and we enjoyed a little lunch date out on the town.  I love days like this!

Blessings – Debbie

August

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Today is the day to catch up on the blog.  It appears I’ve taken a very long unexpected break from blogging.

I’m thrilled to announce that hubby and I have been seeking a new healthy lifestyle since mid June.  We’re experiencing good results!

In the above pic, you’ll notice I’m using a “Weight Watchers” jug for my water.  To be clear, I’m not doing the Weight Watchers program.  I’m just eating healthy foods and counting my calories.  Back to the jug, I love it as it holds a whopping 32 oz of fluid.  There are many days I’ll easily drink over a gal of water.

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Have you ever taken pix of every single bite you had to eat in a day?  It was August 3rd that I got the notion to photograph my eats.

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs with a generous portion of sautéed peppers and onion.  Topped with 80 calories worth of cheese and loads of black pepper.

Lunch:  After such a hearty breakfast, fruit was all I wanted.

Mid Afternoon Snack:  1 serving of craisins + 30 g of walnuts.

Dinner:  Tuna + Corn + a nice hunk of onion = goodness.  If you’re thinking yuck, you may or may not be interested to know that sardines is also one of my favorite evening meals.  Did you know the little sardine is a giant when it comes to foods?  It’s been dubbed an “Important Superfood”, King of Omega-3’s, Brain boosting, good for joints, High-Quality Protein, without the saturated fats, bone-boosting calcium and known as one of the healthiest fish around.

And that’s a wrap of my food intake for that particular day.  I can’t imagine being a food blogger and taking pix of everything, but I did enjoy the experiment.

August 8 – The day I dug deep into the closet to find an article of clothing to inspire me.

Oats and walnuts are a huge hit.  This is going to keep me on track to get back in that dress.

August 10 – Oh the places I went that morning.  Hubby flew out-of-town bright and early.  I didn’t plan on anything other than to get myself home as we were up at 4am.  But home was not what I wanted to do once I had my cup of coffee.  So I ventured and enjoyed some me time at the harbor and beach for just over 4 hours.  I already have a notion to return again soon…

Lunch on the day hubby left – Lettuce, peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, ground (Jennie O) turkey burger seasoned with taco seasoning, salsa for my dressing with a sprinkle of (80 calorie) cheese over the top.

August 11 – To say I enjoyed my “Spa Day” would be an understatement.  I’ve been on the hunt for a good hairstylist since we moved to San Diego (nearly two years ago).  Let’s just say “I’ll be back”!  I loved the whole experience.  Next time I plan to stay a while longer to get a chance to enjoy the resort.  I truly was not expecting such a treat…

August 12 – I was such a happy wifey ~ Hubby was on his way home ~ I was down a dress size ~ I was in a dress I haven’t worn since I don’t know when ~ It was such a great day!

August 15 – I was in the mood for a reward while doing my food shopping early that morning.  So I picked up this dandy Prevention mag and found a nice place on the patio to indulge.  I also had a not so pleasant thing happen.  I had my regular cleaning at the dentist and discovered I had a cavity.  The good news “it was small and on the surface” + more good news “no numbing or pain to have it filled”.  The bad news, I was sad, really sad as this makes the second filling in my life.  I guess I just wanted to keep my teeth healthy for life.  Oh well, the world didn’t come to an end.

August 16 – I started walking again.  Do you ever quit something because you have a good excuse and then allow excuses to fill in when it’s time to pick it back up?  Well that happened to me regarding my walking.  I didn’t post this experience on the blog but I did indeed have another fall.  No sooner did my hands heal from my fall (about 6 or so weeks ago) and here I up and fell again!  I don’t even want to talk about it but truth be told, that’s why I stopped walking but not a great excuse as to why I didn’t get right back at it.

August 17 – Cheers!  This brings us to today!  I’m pleased to announce I got my walk in before I so much as had a sip of coffee.  I’ll say that’s a pretty big deal but so worth it getting out there first thing.

With that, we should be pretty much all caught up with August and this makes me very happy!

Blessings – Debbie

June Happenings

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I can’t think of a better way to kick off the month of July than to kick off June from my list of things to do.  I hate being this far behind and only seeing three posts last month has me a bit disappointed.  There is only one way up and that = start where I left off and catch up as much as possible.

Time was spent in the studio creating – this vase stands 21″ tall.

Another creation…

I find the garden to be a soothing place to chill, even if it is for just a short break.  Picture taken just outside my kitchen window.

Fresh summer produce – these guys have already made some amazing strawberry smoothies.

A little statue in the garden – love him.

Time in the studio – one of my favorite pastimes…

Creating what comes to mind…

And letting some things go with the flow…

I started my diet in June and I feel really good with the progress I’ve already made.  Just thought I’d throw that in here somewhere.

Hubby and I spent many hours last month around the pool table.  I’m thrilled he takes the time to help me improve.

Another joy last month was taking pix in the garden and playing with them in Lightroom.

Lightroom fun…

The joy of Lightroom, I can’t seem to get enough.

We’re also busy downsizing.  After much thought and consideration, we came to the conclusion that it’s time to part with our china.  I spent time taking lots of pix for craigslist.  Love that place!

On the evening of June 27th, I had a little accident.

I had a spill off my bike Tuesday evening = Two hands messed up + one very sore knee + 1 scraped up arm + a scrapped up tummy (my stretchy pants did not stay in place).  I think I’m going to be ok.  Hubby says “next time I’m going to have you in full body armor” and I won’t argue with him either.

The above picture was taken after airing my hand 24 hours.  Hubby wanted me to see the Doctor (yesterday), I’m glad I did.  At least we know there’s no infection and the antibacterial soap and prescribed ointment should do the trick.  The Doctor also wanted x-rays of my knee, the results came back normal.  It will take 4 – 6 weeks for my knee to feel happy again.  I certainly can live with that.

Cheers to July 1st, it’s a new month and time to get back on track.

Blessings – Debbie

The Last Couple Of Days

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Tuesday was another big day.  Not only was it my birthday but it was the first time we fired the kiln (for a glaze firing) since 2007.

It was a day to keep really good records of the kiln temperature every 1/2 hour (not a requirement, something we wanted to do for interest sake).  It was fun to record and sometimes I was out there jotting every 10 min (not something we’ll do again).  The records will help us in the future, especially if the kiln is not firing right/taking too long to fire.  Then we will know to check the coils and health of the kiln right away…

So during one of my 30 minutes away from the kiln, I took interest in this butterfly.  He/she allowed me to get especially close.

The wings – I could see this as fabric with that beautiful trim along the edge of a long flowing dress.

I took pictures of roses while in the garden…

Here’s a couple of test tiles (the end result) that were in that glaze firing.  Note:  The glaze firing top temperature reaches 2,170 degrees F and held there for 15 min before the kiln turns itself off.

Remember how I made these test samples?   Now they serve as my guide based on how the glaze will respond to the clay body I’m using.

Yesterday was a day full of glazing.

The bell (in the above pic) on the top right would be the color I used on the lid of the purse below.  That spring green color on the flower is the color I used on the base of the bag.

The same colors were applied to this bag as well.

A labor of love is all I can say.  Words can’t begin to describe how much fun I have when I’m in the zone.  Lets just say I had no breakfast, only coffee and from 9 – 5 I didn’t so much as have a drink, use the lady’s room or have lunch.  I was totally in the zone all day.  Now these guys are in the zone as the kiln was fired up at 5:30am.  I couldn’t help myself nor could I get back to sleep.  As I told hubby, “a million things are going through my brain per second”.

I have so much to be thankful for.  I’m especially grateful hubby shows interest and supports my greatest desires.

Blessings – Debbie

Fred's and Friendship Go Hand In Hand

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What yesterday afternoon and evening was filled with.  It truly was filled with friendship, laughter (lots of laughter), yummy dining and a nice visit into the evening hours.

I was invited up to my friend’s place (Beth) in downtown San Diego.  It was a nice low-key afternoon in her condo.  I also got to see her son AJ as he’s in town visiting for the summer.  I met AJ’s friend (Ethan) who is also staying with Beth as he’s working on an internship for the Navy this summer.

And I got to see sweet Mitzy again.  She could very well be the most well-behaved, loveable  pup on the face of the earth.  I totally wish I had taken another shot of her with the lighting in front of her.  But she’s too cute not to make the blog.

I love this shot of Beth and Mitzy with my phone and the fun app used to create the drawing.

Beth took this shot of me and used the drawing app.  Can you tell we were having fun?

Here we are in Old Town visiting Fred’s for Taco Tuesday.  AJ’s in the red shirt on the left, Beth is at the hostess station and Ethan is in the beige shirt on the right.

Yay for Fred’s good food!

Beth, AJ and Ethan

We enjoyed the outdoor seating.

AJ and Ethan – “Is you mean with wid it”

Two cool dudes – these two kept us laughing all night.  We laughed so hard our tummies hurt.

These two did not sign up for having their pictures taken together.  However, I had plans to at least take a stab at it.  I didn’t position them, just kindly asked them for a picture up there on the stairs.  Thank you AJ and Ethan!

My photographer brain was screaming “no gaps”.  I wanted to see if I could get them a bit closer.  This is the reaction I got.  Ethan giving the, are you serious look with a grin and AJ cracked up at the notion.  I like this raw emotion shot.

And one last shot of AJ (Ethan was already outta there) – The idea of “no gaps” didn’t go so well but I truly enjoyed the expressions so much more.  How fun.

Ethan did express an interest in getting a fun shot holding the sun at sunset.  He had it all planned out, all the way down to his expression and holding his chin with his other hand while looking at the sun in deep thought.  Or something like that, great idea Ethan.  As you can see, it was not working out as planned.

What do?  Ah, bring him into the picture as a silhouette, now that will work.

Ok Ethan, now bring your hand in towards you a little more while dropping it a couple of inches and kiss the sun.  That’s it…

Depending on the focus point, I had a crisp background and blurred subject like below.

Or a nice crisp subject with a blurred background as seen in this picture below.

This is the part I asked Ethan to pucker up and kiss the sun.  At that point the entire room broke in laughter, including him.  Cool pic tho, very cool.

He laughed so hard that he could no longer hold the sun or kiss it.

But we managed to stop laughing for just a bit to snap some more…

There are no words to express the amount of fun we all had.  I can still hear Beth in the background saying “I wish we were recording this”

And one last shot with the focus on the sun/background and the subject (Ethan) blurred.

The boys carried on with video games after this fun photo shoot and Beth and I dried our eyes from laughter and carried on with a nice little visit into the evening hours.

I hope I get to see these guys before they leave this summer.  If not, I enjoyed and will always remember the fun we had last evening.

Blessings – Debbie

A Change Of Plans

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Good afternoon!  It’s a lovely day here in sunny southern California.

An early morning stroll in the garden proved to be a joyful experience.

Buds and blossoms were so pretty in the morning light.

This multi colored rose is my favorite rose in the garden.  There’s just something about those colors…

Today has been one of those change of plans kind of days.  I thought I would start work in my studio this morning.  I went craigslist shopping instead.  It was fun to get out there and see what was available.  I didn’t buy anything “yet”.

Hubby invited me to join him for a nice little lunch date.  I did that instead of playing in the mud.  Dates are always the best choice when given the opportunity.

This afternoon was filled with a bit of laundry from the weekend and getting all caught up on the ironing.  It’s truly a feel good kind of Monday.

Blessings – Debbie

Thru The Spokes

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I haven’t spent much time in the studio this week but I have spent time behind the lens.

Thru the Spokes is the title of this shot. 

I must have taken 200+ shots of lizards this week, but this is my favorite.  I used the Post-Crop Vignetting in Lightroom to achieve the border.

The funniest part of that day went down like this.  These shots were taken with the zoom 100 – 300 lens, I had to keep a nice distance between me and the subject as to not scare him.  So, while shooting this big guy, he would at times make random dashes here and there.  I was all caught up with him behind the lens when all of a sudden he made a mad (people, this was a MAD) dash in my direction.  I jumped + let out a little scream + felt my heart race + laughed at myself as he was not even close to being in my neck of the woods.  It was pretty funny, if I do say so myself. 

To see what others are doing, check out Behold My Work Thursday hosted by none other than Crystal B.  It’s a place to check out what others are up to these days. Thanks so much Crystal for creating this day, I love it!

Blessings – Debbie

Saving The Best For Last

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Good evening (my time) or good morning.  Depending on where you are in the world, it could be one or the other.

I snapped this today during a little misty rain.  For whatever reason, I like the soft hazy tone. 

Q and A

I was asked “how do you make the lines so straight with the drill bit”?  This question came from (Beth) regarding my post Drill Bits + Clay = Cool Designs.

I thought it would be nice to do a little show and tell, so this is the way the straight lines were achieved.

Here we have a little scrap of clay to demonstrate and a massive drill bit.

 

Take the drill bit and simply roll it across the clay, using a little pressure.

It makes precise lines and a pretty cool pattern.  That’s all there is to it.

I tooled around in the studio today and came up with another creation.

By days end I was feeling great with the accomplishments of the day.  I closed the doors to the studio sometime around 7:30 PM and came indoors to chill for the remains of the evening.

I just sat down in front of the computer, when I finished taking that last swig of soda and it hit me.  The colors from my monitor seemed to twirl through the glass and they struck me.  It was an immediate reaction to capture that feeling.  Does this hit you like it hit me?  That is my hand wrapped around my glass and those amazing bright colors are from my monitor.  And that right there floats my boat.

Hence, saving the best for last.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

The Streets of Seaport Village

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Yesterday morning proved to be a rude awakening as we hit the road at 4:30 AM.  It took a while to gather myself, but I did it.  Hubby was off to the airport so I thought I’d spend the early morning hours in Downtown, San Diego.

I stopped at a nice little park and sat in my car enjoying this view (for the most part) ’til the light broke.

I moved the car to enjoy another view while it was still too dark for me to be out roaming the streets alone.

When I stopped to take this shot (still inside the car) the security guard stopped to ask if I was ok.  He prolly thought I was a dork or a crazy person or both.

The early morning hours are magical.

Ah, finally just before 6 AM I was able to comfortably get out of my car and feel safe to start my adventure.

Follow along if you want to see the good, the bad and the ugly. 

But for now, it was all good.

I walked the streets of Seaport Village.

This is what is called the Seaport Cookie Company.  Although the doors aren’t open, they are certainly well on their way.

It’s such a fun village.

And charming to be sure.

Restaurants were so quiet at 6 AM.

As well as the little streets and shops.

Here’s where I make a great big fuss.  It’s still all good, nothing bad yet.

And the fuss about this picture is the sunrise!  I like the camera setting and the way the sun appears to be squeezing in between the buildings.  And those golden sun drops, oh the golden sun drops, love them.

Loved everything about watching the sunrise between the buildings.

The stroll continues…

And this is the part that starts to change.  I think I lingered in and around this little pond a bit too long.

Once upon a time there were 5 baby ducks.  And now there are 3.  How do I know?  Continue on if you must, to see the bad and the ugly.

I witnessed the kidnaping of two, yes I did.

The mean Black Crowned Night Heron, he’s responsible.  But I guess that’s the way the circle of life goes round.  But…but…where was the momma duck?  That’s what I want to know…Ok, the bad and the ugly is over and that’s all I have to say about that.

The cool feature about him is that he/she can really stick out that neck.

See how short the neck looks in this pic?  Interesting…

I moved along…

And enjoyed the splash of color along the way.

Somebody musta ordered a rather large order of pineapple.  Ya think?  Loved watching this shipment head out to sea.

And I conclude that the hours spent here was just what I needed after saying goodbye to hubby.  I miss him and things are never the same when he’s away.  The plan is to keep myself busy, that always helps.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

 

Rumor Has It

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What catches your attention? 

 

This guy caught my attention while preparing lunch for hubby this morning.  I get sidetracked pretty easy.

And I do realize this has nothing to do with rumors.  See previous sentence, well the sentence before the previous sentence to be exact.

Rumor has it that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth or so that’s what my girlfriend (Linda – Hi Linda) down in FL thinks.

Ignore the white stuff slathered on the flower.  It’s just wax resist – It’s there to protect the flower from drying faster than everything else.  I just finished applying it to the handles after I shot this pic.

Rumor also has it that I won’t answer hubby’s calls…(Hi My Love)

He came home for lunch yesterday (teasing) stating that I won’t even answer his calls these days.

Rumor also has it that I really need a phone in the studio as I can’t hear it ring when I’m out there creating stuff.

But the one thing I am grateful for is this.  Hubby loves that I’m doing what I want to do when I grow up.  And I love that he supports my dreams and helps make them come true in every way.

Just for today, I finished up two purses that needed a little more attention.   And I’ll be closing up the studio doors so that I can get on with the cleaning of the house and laundry.  Yay, tomorrow is hubby’s Friday off!  I love these three-day weekends together.

So with that, I’m outta here.  Happy Weekend Everybody!

Blessings – Debbie

Another Day – Another Creation

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Creating in the studio would be one of my favorite things to do.

Speaking of creations, this is the creation I came up with for lunch.  This was as enjoyable as the patio dining.

Utensils

Playing with my utensils

I lingered a bit longer playing around to see what else I could come up with.

And with that, we’re off to a great week.

Blessings – Debbie

Work And Play Friday

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A cool rainy day proved to be a productive and fun day all the way around.

This morning the washing machine and dryer worked while I played.  I had fun snapping pics between loads. 

By mid morning I worked on getting myself ready for a lunch date with hubby and his group.

By around 2 pm I was back home to finish up around the house before the weekend.  And part of that included taking more pics in the garden while dodging the rain.

The sky was so heavy.

I find it to be a lot of fun to toy with the camera settings while shooting in manual mode.  It’s a whole new world out there for me.

There are some days I want to linger a little longer in the backyard.

Taking a time out, yes, this would be my favorite way to do so.

It was so refreshing between the changing of the sheets, towels and moping of the floors. 

The last few days have been a bit too chilly to work in the studio (garage).  But I’ve found other things to do to occupy my time.  I feel warm and fuzzy as I’ve created some cool designs for the near future.  Stay tuned.

Blessings – Debbie

One Of Those Days

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It was one of those days I had to get back into the groove of housework, laundry and ironing.

One of those days I packed hubby’s lunch for the first time in a week.  Not because I didn’t want to, rather he was home with me, sick.  He did see the doc yesterday, but still struggling with that nagging cough.

One of those days I lived in my jammies all day long.

One of those days I took a nap.

One of those days I needed to absorb the great outdoors.  It’s a source of inspiration.

And I love that all these pics were taken in the comfort of my jammies/backyard.

Lots of thoughts crowded my mind.  Thoughts of my studio and pottery and wondering exactly where I’m going with it.

Will I strictly be known as the purse lady or what else shall I create?  Shoes – high heel shoes – fun strappy high heel shoes – bright colorful shoes – flip-flops – perhaps shoes and purses – matching shoes and purses – just one shoe or will I make a pair?  Oh I don’t know, these are just a few of the many thoughts running through my mind…

Even though the questions go unanswered, I’m creating and doing what I love.  In time, the answers will come.

I had more fun in lightroom this afternoon.  When playing in lightroom, I think about pottery and all the colors out there begging to be used.

I strolled the winding paths in the backyard.

And found the lilies, lots of them.  But the little snail on this one caught my eye.

This rose hails from a bush that must be 7 – 8 foot tall.  It’s loaded with roses.

That rose underwent the lightroom as well.

But for now, the plan is to clear my thoughts and enjoy the remains of the evening with hubby.

For more outdoor fun, enjoy a trip over to A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday!

Blessings – Debbie

Play Date

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Hello x 2!

Crazy thing happened, as you can see.  Before my play date (yesterday), I was trying out the timer on the camera as I haven’t used it in a while.  I had no idea of the reflection ’til I downloaded the pix at the end of the day.  I like to think of it as a happy mistake.

My tripod was already packed – I had plans to set it up and take some pix of Beth and me.  Long story short, we had so much fun and ended up not getting pix of ourselves.  One day…

But we did have fun and enjoyed an amazing lunch date.

And a trip to wine country!  Just a short 30 min from my house.

There are no words…Other than the fact that snow-covered mountains are so beautiful while we enjoyed our nearly 80 degree afternoon in the sun.

Our afternoon was spent visiting right here.

Our visit was so refreshing and good for the soul.

You know me AND Lightroom by now, so I leave you with this.

Blessings – Debbie

ISO

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I realized (after the fact) that yesterdays pix were not given the proper ISO.  Basically ISO means sensitivity to light.  The higher the number, the greater the sensitivity or more light.

Here’s another back to back example.  However, this time I used the exact same angle for both shots.  The ISO was adjusted from 400 to 100.

Can you see the difference between the next two shots?  Hint from yesterday: Depth of field.

That same pic after a trip to Lightroom.

And just because I love color.  I couldn’t think of anything as colorful in the house as these pool balls.  In case you’re wondering, this was done in Photoshop Lightroom where I love to play with color.

So there you have it.

I’m going on an adventure today.  I hope to work some practice into the agenda.

Blessings – Debbie