It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” 
~  William Shakespeare ~


My destiny today was to get out of the house despite the cold, gray and rainy weather. When I arrived at my favorite beach, I noticed that there were a number of people out in their sailboats..I walked, drove aimlessly for a little while, and then decided to go buy some colorful flowers..By the time I got home it was raining relentlessly..So I dove into a good book and did a little bit of still life photography ...I am looking forward to doing still life work with my flowers tomorrow if there is a break in the rain, lol.. All in all today was a pretty good day  :-)

This bird seemed colder than me..He and one white pelican were the only birds I could see  at this beach..

Another Gray Rainy Day

This is a morning of coffee and rainy day fun, lol...**A morning of finding inspiration** Setting up and taking still life pictures..Using editing software to play with old photos....Until I can chase the next colorful sunrise :-)    
Linking to  Friday Finds

I didn't know a dried starfish could be considered a yummy doggie treat. I walked away
 from this still life arrangement for just a moment to answer the phone.When I came back, I discovered
Simon had stolen my starfish and was eating it. Both of my doggies love seafood..
The starfish must have had a smell that was irresistible to them, lol :-)

Sunrise

I made it on time to today's sunrise but the sun was late, lol.. It has been gray and rainy for the last several days....

Odds and Ends on a foggy day

On this foggy Monday my friends and I got together to indulge in our addiction ~ photography~
Today I didn't have a theme in mind, odds and ends were what caught my fancy :-)

Christmas Eve Sunrise

This month has been a gray one, lol..Christmas Eve sunrise gave us some much welcome light and color.

First Day of Winter...

Today the first day of winter started out pretty quiet..Just me and the doggies spending time with each other puttering around the house..My favorite time to do still life pics..In the afternoon I went to the Kemah Boardwalk for a short stroll..Then onwards to a favorite Trail near Pine Gulley. Given that the weather was more springlike, I had to peel my sweater off, lol..

Ahhh, what a beautiful first day of winter!                                                                                                                                                                     

.

To brighten a rainy day :-))

If You Catch a Firefly

BY LILIAN MOORE

If you catch a firefly 

            and keep it in a jar 

You may find that 

            you have lost 

A tiny star. 

If you let it go then, 

            back into the night, 

You may see it 

            once again 

Star bright.

Amand Bayou on a cool December day

I took my walk mid afternoon..It was a gray day, the sun was being shy..There was a desolate beauty in the scenery around me..

Morning Walk

It is a blessing to know exactly where to go when one gets cabin fever..And I steer clear of malls, lol...

..I am fortunate that some of my favorite retreats are within a short driving distance :-)

Gratitude

I love these sculptures! At dusk they light up with an inner glow..I enjoyed my time walking around and shooting at Harmony Walk in Houston....I was across the street and headed to my car when I saw this sunset take place.. :-)

Autumn Colors

                                                           

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  
~Albert Camus

Winter Mood

It is so beautiful outside! It feels like spring! Today is a day to find a pretty trail to walk and collect some pine cones and acorns..Or take my camera and go for a drive in the country...I was spending some time on the patio, last February,when this fella made himself heard...He was so very busy munching out, so I had time to grab my camera and this shot...

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

When pigs fly

During my morning coffee I decided to work on textures..I was following directions that I found in an instructional article.... I layered two pics that I shot with a texture..This scene reminds me of some of my dreams, lol

Divine Day

A fine Tuesday..Every time my friends and I get together we have a beautiful and fun day..Yesterday was no different..The sunrise greeted us with some surreal and heavenly colors..Coffee at Starbucks with conversation and getting warmed up was next on the agenda..Our afternoon was complete after a bowl of lobster bisque, gumbo and salad :-))) A day that was good for the body, mind and soul :-)

Coooold Windy Day

Although it is sunny outside it is windy and bone chillingly cold.. So I am having fun reading, writing and updating my website, blog etc..My doggies are lazily snoring by my side, keeping me warm..Working with layers in photoshop has become addicting and fun..I spent a lot of time this morning experimenting with layers....The first color photo has one very subtle texture layer..The scene and the colors are as seen thru my camera :-)  The second color pic is made from two of my photos that I layered together..The black and white image is a still life photo that has not been photoshopped....

When or if it warms up a little bit, I may do some patio time and shoot more still life photos :-)

Fall is in the air..No cold snaps, but the weather is gorgeous :-)

Ben and Melissa's Wedding Day

Ben and Melissa made this bench by working as a team :-)

Video I compiled