Letting Go

Ooooh I'm so bad at letting go.  So bad, well I don't really know how to interpret this one.  Maybe I need to let go of expectations I'm putting on myself.  That will make it a wide interpretation.

Room for Dessert  BW

 

I've been on a nutrition plan for more than a year.  At this time specifically for sensible weight loss.  It's working (more than 25lbs), but I still have another 7 or 8 pounds to go.

Therefore there has been a LOT of letting go of stuff like this.

 

 

Weighing In BW

 

No this is not my goal weight, but it's fun to dream about.

 

Jump BW

 

I'm TRYING to let go of winter.....

 

Side Street

 

.....winter has other plans.

(p.s.  I'm not sure I can fake being even partially pleasant much longer)

 

Becky May

 

I'm letting go of my dear friend Becky who is moving to Florida.

 

Window Wash BW

 

That one ain't easy either.

 

Letting go sucks.  I think.  Where's the upside?

 

 

 

 

I Want to Fly Away

 

Here's a letting go image I did about a year plus ago.  I always liked this photo. Plus I was working an open house where like ZERO people came, so it gave me something to do during that two hours.

 

 

 

These thoughts on letting go are courtesy of Kathy over at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" for this week's Songography.  Anyone can join in.  If you're thinking of trying-I double dog dare you.

 

 

Speaking

 

I often wonder what my photos are saying.

I guess I'll just let them speak for themselves.

I should do that more often.

 

 

 

Snow Cap BW

 

At Night

 

Beside the River

 

Because they Like Pink

 

 

 

That's Why They Call 'Em Warning Lights

I Brake for Photo Ops

Do you ever just want it?  A photo?  Do you ever turn around the car to go get it?  I do.  For a long time I've challenged myself to say "snap" out loud or silently inside my head when I pass by a scene I see that would make a great photo IF ONLY I had my camera with me or the time to stop (usually the later).

What is it, that intuition that says "I want that"?  I don't know.  There are many times when I have to force myself to find something, anything to make a photo.  But there are those other beautiful times when "boom" photographic blessings hit.  Either while driving or out walking about I try to answer that call.

Here are some.

Walker BW
 

Sunflowers

 

The Hot Dog Vendor
 

Open Studio
 

Order and Chaos BW
 

Three BW


I am really pleased with this last image.  I was driving over the little bridge between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, saw it and said "that's a photo"....turned around, parked, and sure enough my intuition was spot on.

 

Rescue Me

Brave.

It isn't always easy to be brave.

It can be really hard work to be brave.

Tula


This is Tula.  Tula Dot.  My rescue dog I've shared my life with for the last 7 years.

Late Day Model


She's a nice dog, but suffers from a lot of fears and anxiety.  Much of it surrounding heavy commercial vehicles; dump trucks, the garbage guys, UPS, oil delivery, school bus....you get the idea.
 

Pensive Tula

She isn't really afraid of the camera, she just doesn't particularly like it.  There are many things she doesn't particularly like, but has to work around: plastic grocery bags, the broom, people reaching their hands out to meet her (she likes meeting people who are sitting down and ignoring her-it normally takes 15 min +), things that move suddenly.  Anything "different" than her normal routine.

I have a gazillion photos of her in this pose.  She waits while I'm taking snaps, of her or anything else really.  No eyes toward my camera.
 

Soon Summer

 

 

Here's the same pose in the opposite direction-sometimes it helps create a photo though.  Thank you Scooby Doo, Skipper Joe, Valentine, Lady Bug, Tip, Toop, Tula Tu, Tula Dot and the other parade of names you've collected.

Soulful

I caught this one the other night when she was already on her bed.  I took about 10, most had ears back and eyes averted.  She was sort of "trapped".  Getting off the bed would have been more bother than just enduring me and "that damn camera again."  Honestly, I don't subject her to it very often.


 

Ferns

 

Lest you feel sorry and sad for this dog.  Don't.  She's got it really, really good.  Walks in the woods or on the beach, plenty of food, spoiling on each visit to Grandmother's house, almost everyday spent in the office with me-she's got it rich.

Romp


And every once in awhile I'll catch her in a mood that I often see, but that gets tucked away when another person enters the scene.


Each time I'm having an anxiety day-and I get them with enough frequency to know-I think how brave she must be to deal with a high level of anxiety most of the time.
That's brave, even though she's not dancing in the streets like the folks on the video.


Linking with Kathy at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" for Sunday's fun Songography.

Unwritten

Unwritten.

I'm a work in progress.  It doesn't always go in this order.

Linking with Kathy at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out".
 

Photo Heart

Kat's PHC link up hasn't shown up yet, which means either I missed the memo about it being cancelled this month, or she's running late, which is very un-Kat-like or something is up.  Meanwhile I got this done is a super timely manner (on 1/1/14) , so I'm going to post it now, and link up later if I see the meme in the reader.



Linking with Kat for Photo Heart Connection-last of the 2013 edition.  Praying it goes on to 2014.  It's not only a practice, it's a positive addiction.

Orange

This month was tough; really tough to choose a photo my heart connected with.  Frankly, in looking thru my images, I didn't feel very connected to any of them.  Photo Heart Dis-connection anyone?


I guess it's most important to be connected to yourself.  Kind of like I used to tell my first grade students-it's hard to make friends if you don't like yourself first.  Geez-I need to give myself my own advice sometimes.  That whole everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten book may have a point.

So....here I am connecting to myself.  I do like taking selfies.  I share only the ones that satisfy, but each time I shoot some there are always a bunch-many deletes, and many that just hang in the files.  I suppose in taking them I'm looking to figure out "who am I"?  I can't speak for anyone else, but I still haven't a clue.  Part of that is losing my career-my passion with music.  I'm trying to re-invent myself without music as the driving force.  It's hard.  My mama used to dance with me in the living room when I was little.  Music was always "the" passion.  This re-inventing is taking a long time.

I don't know what I'm saying other than....I'm still searching.  I think maybe life is a continual search.  I'm not sure we ever figure it out.  I am learning/accepting that I am doubly blessed.  Once with the ability, or gift of musicianship, and again with  "an eye"...the one that people keep telling me I have.  I know it's a gift.  I can hone that gift and work to make it better, but there are many times intuition takes over.  Being the most non-religious person I know, I do know and appreciate that God is smiling on me....that my "eye" intuition is a gift.

Yah.  So this month I'm connecting to me-on the empty fishing docks-on Christmas Eve, alone in the setting sun, getting my head swiveled toward this rusty retaining wall of orange, drenched in warm light, totally unexpectedly....yah, that's what I'm connecting with.

Thank you to all those who PHC with me.  Extra special thanks to Kat for hostessing such a great meme.

2013 Memories and Dreams and Stuff

Linking up with Ashley for this year's Memories, Dreams, and Reflections.  A great way to take one last look over your shoulder before speeding into 2014.

1. Me

Yup.  Me.

2. I Love You

I love her too much if there is such a thing.

3. Still Laughing

Her laugh is so contagious....and how the hell does she still look beautiful in that funky hat?  Not fair.

4. Winter Wonderland

When it's falling is the only time I'll admit it's pretty-if I'm in a good mood.  It's beauty is short lived. It comes too frequently and lingers for too many months, but I'll give you the "pretty when falling thing".

5.  Birthday

I took this on my birthday.  I think this year's wasn't one for the record books.

6. Friends

Note to self:  Being the last one in gets you the worst seat.

7.  I Was Inspired

Inside an amazing old house in Kennebunkport.  3 story circular staircase.  Wow.

8. Spring Fever

This kind of light makes me feel good.

9.  Travel or Vacation

I only had one long weekend of vacation all summer...glad I got to spend it with my friends hiking in Maine.

10. Summer Days

Fading summer.

11. A Day in My Life

I go.  Everyday.  Like clockwork.  And insanity.

12. All Smiles

I like this cherub's melancholy smile.

13. Autumn Harvest

Well, when you rake them, you're harvesting, right?

14. Family or Home

It's pretty quiet at my house.

15. Celebrate

I bought these before I turned 50...as a rebellious celebration.  They still work a year plus later.

16.  Let's Do It Again

 

On a whim I asked the owners of this field if I could go on their property to shoot hay bales.  I'm glad I had the courage to knock on their door.  I hope I'll be brave again when I see something I want to photograph on private property.

17.  I Miss You

I remember this evening in July.  I remember sticking my hand out and running it through the grasses and knowing it doesn't get better than this.

18.  Beautiful

Early summer flowers.

19. Dress Up

She was so happy and carefree in the water, watching birds and enjoying the evening.  I don't know her, she just oozed delight.

20.  Macro

Tula.  Tolerating the camera.  Barely.

 

 

21.  Holidays

Dressed up for Christmas Prelude.

22. My Favorite

This was the luckiest shot.  Princess P kept coming around while I was trying to shoot selfies.  I scooped her up at just the right second and got this.  It wasn't meant to be in the mix.

 

23. Don't Ever Change

 

Chasing light like this.  I hope I can always do that.  I hope that will never change.

24.  Just Because, So There

 

One of those moments that just popped up.  I don't know if all the blur is good, but I like it, so there.

 

 

25.  Hopes and Dreams