Kim Klassen's 12 Days of Textures

Kim is generously posting 12 Days of Textures during the Holiday Season; beautiful soft textures, for us to use to enhance our photos.

We had some snow on Wednesday, December 14, a day that also included a lunch with a woman that I greatly admire which made it a perfect day!  Grabbed my camera on the way out and on the way home, took a few photos intermixed with some last minute shopping.  

In the high country desert, you have to be quick if you actually want to catch snow on the ground and in the trees because before you know it, the sky is blue, the sun is shinning, and the snow is quickly melting!.

Below are a few photos I picked to use with Kim's 12 Days of Textures:

I fell in love with the shape of this tree below, which I believe it is a native apricot and took photos from two different angles . . . 

This last photo of the native apricot does have Kim's texture, but I bumped it up a bit with two of Nancy Donaldson's textures from her garage series, to help show off the only blue trimmed window on the house! 

    

Today's weather? Crisp, clear, blue sky's and lots of sunshine!

Happy Holidays

I last left off . . .

I was excited about meeting my family for a photography session to photograph the lights on the plaza!  While I did get photographs, I was too lazy (too cold?) to change out my zoom lens, so  the majority of my photographs, except for a couple, were a maze of colors in a darkened sky!

Plaza Christmas Lights

Lumanarios/La Fonda

What I REALLY got into was photographing window displays, which I thought were beautiful and/or unique to Santa Fe!

Pottery Nativity

Pottery Santa's'

Indian Pottery

Pottery Sculpture

Nambe Christmas

Santa Fe Wish List

All photo's above were rendered using Linda Trine's textures, Snowflake and/or Winter Wonderland.)

The "snowstorm" they predicted two weeks ago was a bust, at least for Santa Fe and I really had to work hard to find enough snow to capture . . .

Snowfall/Texture courtesy of  Bonnie at Pixel Dust

Snowfall II

. . . but it is snowing now, building up, and I can hardly wait to get out with my camera!

Tis the Season to be Merry!

52 Photos Project ~ Colors of the Season

This week on Bella's 52 Photo Project, she has asked us to share "Colors of the Season" . . . 

All A Glow

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Having just gotten my living room decorated for the Holiday Season, I decided to try my luck at photographing without a flash with the lights off, also photographed the tree and mantle with the flash, but loved the drama of the photos' without flash.

I share my love of photography with my brother John;  tomorrow evening we have a planned excursion to the plaza to photograph the holiday lights . . . I'm excited and looking forward to our shared adventure!

Happy Holidays!

KK's Texture Tuesday/Celebrate!

Kim's challenge this week was to center around the word Celebrate! in honor of the upcoming holiday season!

I'm kinda known as the "green queen", as green is my favorite color, any color of green and in fact it is amazing how many shades and variations of green I have brought into my life!

In honor of green queen, as a gift to brighten my life and celebrate the holiday season, my sister Melinda brought me a "green" poinsettia!  Not a tinge of pale beige or pale pink, but actually a pale, pale green!  It is GORGEOUS . . . thank you sister!

Texture: Phoebe on color burn at 100%

Textures: Stamped Softly on soft light @ 71% and Music Lovin, on color burn at 100%

I'm a December Baby, and for years I took a pale pink poinsettia to my parents, who transitioned many years ago, on my birthday to thank them for being such caring, loving parents.  

While Melinda brought me the poinsettia for the color, to add to the celebration of the season and because she is a thoughtful, loving and generous sister, I'm not sure she knows the significance of gifting me a poinsettia in December.

I love my sisters, they are supportive, loving, my very best friends and an integral part of my life.

In the light . . .

Obsessing is not a good place to be, so I'm trying to turn from fear, anger and the feelings of helplessness to a place of positive energy.

We received a call yesterday that our sister Merta had been hit by a car while walking across a cross walk by an elderly gentleman who apparently just didn't see her. 

Merta is "fine", she is in the hospital with a shattered  knee and will have reconstructive (replacement?) surgery sometime tomorrow. 

My first thought . . . why Merta?  My (our) sister has survived a heart attack, is a cancer survivor, and most recently, a hip replacement . . . . . .

Trying not to delve into the negative, I thought of my Mother who stated, (at a particular time in her life when I thought she shoulda/coulda been angry and/or fearful) "God never gives us more then we can bear" . . .

Merta is a mentally and spiritually strong woman and she is surrounded by a loving, caring family as well as loving, caring friends.

What I can do best for my sister right now is hold her in the light.  Visualize her perfect healing; see her surrounded by the healing love and care of her family and friends, and envision the professional, compassionate care she is receiving is guided by the Hand of God.

And So It Is, and for this, I Give Thanks.

Texture Challenge hosted by Nancy Donaldson

Nancy Donaldson at all pulped out created 6 magnificent textures from her recent visit to the auto mechanic and has challenged our creativity to create renderings using her great textures!

I choose to use photos' from my recent trip to downtown Santa Fe, primarily because I never cease to be amazed by the town I grew up in and live in.

Museum I/Pueblo Style

Museum II/Pueblo Style

West San Francisco St/Territorial Style

St Francis Cathedral/East San Francisco St

Shopping Mecca

Santa Fe, has a population of 70,000 and has retained a "small town" atmosphere on many levels, yet is a town of many contradictions with its museums, opera, arts, tri-culture and shopping!  

The photos' above were all taken with in a one block radius of the center of town, the Plaza.

The Plaza (Original Photo: JM Hill, 2006)

Founded in 1609, Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the United States and the plaza has been the center of town since 1610, which was the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail.

Again my many thanks to Nancy for her contribution to my ever-growing obsession, and thank you for stopping by . . . .

Snow? Really? I can hardly wait . . .

Everyone wants to talk about the weather . . . making "weather" a topic of conversation is tedious, particularly the lament about weather changes!

Weather is not a disaster or a topic to bemoan, weather is Mother Nature; granted she runs amok occasionally, but "weather" is a part of our ever changing seasons . . . something to be grateful for!

Forecasters are predicting snow and I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival; snow is a blessing, snow brings moisture, snow waters my garden, fills the reservoirs, and allows the ski basins to open; snow adds natural beauty to the upcoming Holiday Season for all our twinkling lights to reflect off!  

I LOVE snow! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . . . I can hardly wait!

Snow, It Is a Coming

Winter Blessings

If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature, there is something wrong with you!  Alec Trebec.