January 1st, 2013

It started out with a beautiful sunrise...the morning light brought forth the dawn song from a plague of Grackles, who were flying back and forth across the lake, egging me on to capture them in a perfect composition on my little iPhone:

The first sunrise of 2013

My poor hubby spent the morning in bed suffering from a cold. Not a great start for 2013 but he still managed to find something good to write down and throw into our "best of" jar (see previous post).

While he coughed, sniffled and sneezed, I retreated from the germs and took refuge in my art room. I wrote and sketched in my 2013 art journal and worked on a graphic art piece that I started a couple of weeks ago. The piece is still a work in progress and I'm learning as I go but what fun it is!

Still in progress, I have yet to name the piece. I need to work on the background, the forest plants and add some details, like a butterfly or two. :-).

While I did art, Sami lounged in her new bed, soaking up the warm sunlight beaming through the window:

It's a lazy day at Casa George

One of the goals I've given myself for 2013 is to process one image from my archives everyday. I'm so far behind on processing pictures...four years worth sit in files on my laptop! Being a photographer means that I'll never catch up. I've accepted that but I can at least keep up with the images I take in 2013 and revisit one image from the archives each day. By the end of the year I'll have 365 images done! That seems doable. So here is the first one, taken in 2010:

Just One

This year, Lita and I are recording all our bird sightings each day on eBird. My count today:

50 Grackles

3 Painted Buntings (2 male, one female)

1 Palm Warbler

3 White-winged Doves

2 Mourning Doves

7 Muscovy Ducks

1 Northern Mockingbird

That's it! Day one of 2013 is done. A sore throat has come upon me as I write this (glares at sick hubby). Hopefully my creative train won't be sidetracked by an illness. Fingers crossed, knocking on fake wood.

Oh...and, pat on the back...I blogged two days in a row!

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Here We Go Again!

Ah! It's here! Another year, another chance to keep a creative train on track.

Are we ready out there? Have you made your dream/visualization board? Or perhaps your a list maker, using pretty gel pens to write out all the goals that have been whispering into your ear this past year. Is your camera ready to capture all the magic that unfolds each and everyday right before your eyes? Are your journals ready? A blank, white page begging to be messed up with pencil, ink, watercolor, paper and glue? Or maybe your creative goals are with music, dance, programming or any other endeavor that gets you into the flow of creation. Whatever they may be, it's a new beginning, a chance to dream big, a reminder that life is worth living because we have so much we want to do!

I spent today getting ready, preparing my art room, my camera, my journals, my lists:

I love a new journal!

My hubby and I will be dropping a little snippet about the best part of our day into this jar throughout 2013. At the end of the year, we will read them and be reminded of what a wonderful year it was!

My dream/visualization board for 2013, with room for additions!

What does one do when there are many interests, hobbies and creative pursuits? Well, roll a die of course!

This is just one way to keep creativity kickin'!

Of course, there are always non-creative goals as well (eat healthy and exercise, the old standards) and blogging more consistently is one of those goals. Sharing more of my photos, art and of myself.  I'm ready! Bring on 2013!

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Woodpecker Humor

Just to make you smile today:

 "I heard he is such a player". "No! Really?"

"Are you girls talking about me?"

Gila Woodpeckers, taken in Glendale, Arizona. 

Catching up on Life

Life has been moving at a rapid pace for me lately. The short version, as to not bore you all, is after the trip to Arkansas, I went to London & Paris with my husband, entertained my family for a week and then flew to NYC for a long weekend, which then turned into a week thanks to being stuck in Chelsea during Hurricane Sandy. I arrived home just in time to make a portrait photo shoot I had to do for my neighbor and her family before turning around again and flying to Arizona for a week of visiting with my friends, family and of course, doing a little birding in Sedona. I've been home for a little over a week and I can't believe how far behind I am on everything. Plus, I had two outings with Lita (one to Key Biscayne, another to Loxahatchee) that yielded even more birds and nature pics! The year is ending and a new one is beginning. This means old goals to try to catch up on, new ones to set for the year.

Birding has been taking up free time. I do so enjoy it. I have plans to begin art projects inspired by all my new feathered friends. I am looking to make 2013 another year of living the best life I can and fitting creativity into my everyday life. I've got some amazing trips scheduled for 2013...both Phoebe and Luke will be coming down to enjoy Florida and Phoebe and I will be hitting Costa Rica together in the early part of summer on a yoga retreat. And finally, my big trek of the Pennine Way is happening in April. I still have in the works, a trip to both NYC and Sedona again next fall for the Fall Migration. We shall see if it pans out, but it's all going on the Dream Board. Also going on there: Peru, Ecuador, New Zealand, Africa and Japan. If you are going to dream, why not dream BIG?  Have you all started your Dream/Vision boards for 2013 yet? Get crackin'! Time is running out! I'll share mine when it's done. ;-)

Until then, It's time to start processing and posting hundreds of photos from all these adventures! Here are just a few from each trip:

 Old World

Visions of Moulin Rouge

Flood Fascination on the Hudson

The day of Sandy's arrival

Naked Cowboy

 Great-tailed Grackle, Thunderbird Mountain, Glendale, Arizona

Lifer #141

 Arizona Sunset

Anna's Hummingbird

Lifer #150

Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with my blog a bit better in 2013. If you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry, I'm just off exploring somewhere. ;-)

A Day in Hot Springs

For our last day in Arkansas, we rode horses in the morning and then headed into Hot Springs for lunch and a little shopping. We had fun using our Hipstamatic around the historic district. It was super hot outside and it made us appreciate living somewhere with an ocean breeze!

 The restaurant we ate at for lunch was so interesting and had a colorful past!

Lita convinced me to give a "come hither" brothel look which then proceeded to crack her up,lol.

 Lunch Crowd

Lita, checking in on Facebook!

After lunch, we walked around and snapped pics of store windows and other interesting things we saw:

 Aristocrat

 Bathhouse Soapery

 Friends Forever

 This skinny bottomed girl had a red velvet cupcake. And it wasn't that good. ;-(

 Chinese Lanterns

 Back in the Day

 Little Red & Wolf

 A bit of London in Hot Springs!

Zoltar! My hubby does a hilarious impression of Zoltar. :-)

After a few hours in Hot Springs, we headed back to the ranch and did our country photo shoot which I shared in an earlier post. Here are some bonus images to wrap up this Arkansas Adventure:

 Cowgirl Lita

The Simple Life

Our last day ended with a beautiful sunset:

And when we arrived back home to Florida and headed to our car in the parking lot, we were welcomed home by a full rainbow:

And so our adventure ends. Two friends with memories to last a lifetime. xo