SuzyQ421's Photo Blog

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Food Preparation

2010-07-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of another Round Robin Photo Challenge and the subject is Food Preparation. I was making a chocolate cake and had the ingredients out or in the mixer bowl to mix up and cook. It makes me hungry to cook another one! Maybe tomorrow, since it's the 4th of July.

Here is the batter in the pan, all ready to bake. Yum!

If you would like to see more of the Round Robin challenge, go to the Round Robin blog linked in the first sentence.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot -- Organic food

2010-06-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today I got a little bit caught up on some of the Ellipsis Suddenly Carly for the week. The only way I know if something I buy in the store is organic is if it has a label to that effect. These bananas are a little on the ripe side and I will probably eat them with milk or cream and include strawberries that aren't.

I will have to eat the bananas up pretty fast -- I try to get them in varying degrees of ripeness but I don't always manage to do that. These may be good for making my Protein Freeze although I'm not sure there's room for even one in my blender with my other ingredients. It sounds good, though! (The Protein Freeze is chocolate whey and it's delicious with peanut butter so why not bananas?) My dishes are getting scarce for such treats so it may be a couple of days before I can make it.

Go to the link above and you will find instructions for how to participate in this Photo Shoot. Have fun!

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #94 -- Faces

2010-06-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

This week the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #94 is about faces. Here I have some kitty faces, although not very close up. Still, I like them a lot.

I do believe they're all of Socksie. She has such a cute little face!

To join in the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, go to the link in the first sentence. You will get instructions there.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shop -- Fire

2010-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit late for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #93, so I am trying to catch up. I don't have a lot of fire around here so I created some. LOL!

I lit a candle and caught it as it burned brightly. This was after trying to photograph the propane coming up from the burners while I cooked eggs and seeing that nothing showed up.

I then decided to use a paper towel to stick under the burner and get a picture of the burning towel. It started off hot and I had to throw it in the sink, having burned my little finger slightly, but I did get the picture of the fire burning in the sink. I was a little concerned about the embers floating around but I pushed them in the sink and ran water on them so all turned out all right.

If you would like to see the newest batch of EMPS, go to the link provided above.
Have fun and have a great day!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Garden Portraits

2010-06-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

For this Round Robin Photo Challenge, which comes along every two weeks, the theme is Garden Portraits. I seem to be in between blossoms out there but I did find some pretty azaleas. First, though, is the side garden, with rose bushes that don't seem at all ready to blossom (I think it's been too cold). There is another nice-sized bush along there, too.

Here is the blossoming azalea. The ones I have are from my late husband, who planted them and cultivated them after receiving the seeds from the Royal Gardener in England many years ago. He was able to sell most of them to a neighboring nurseryman that he had worked for but kept a few for himself.

The azaleas always bring back memories. To see more Garden Portraits, go to the link in the first sentence. This meme is always fun!

EMPS #91 -- Get set, ready, go

2010-05-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Carly at the blog Ellipsis has the theme of Ready, Set, Go this week. I have taken pictures of Socksie getting ready to jump up on the office window and then when she got up there. She likes to cling to the window sill and look out at birds and such.

That's also one of her ways of keeping me company when I'm up here typing. Funny kitty! LOL!

If you would like to play this Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, just go to the link in the first sentence, to Carly's blog, and you will find directions there, as well as other blogs to look at.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Statues

2010-05-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

This time the Round Robin Photo Challenge is about statues. I have a few small statues around my place, including the following. The first is of two kitties and the second is of one.

To see more statues, go to the link in the first sentence and you will find quite a few links to blogs that contain statues.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot -- Nautical

2010-05-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

This is for Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #89, sponsored by Carly of the blog Ellipsis. The theme is obviously nautical, and I found a couple of pictures that I don't think I have used before. The first is of a friendly barking seal on the Newport, Oregon bayfront. The second is of rows of boats moored at Newport's Embarcadero moorage just before sundown one evening when I was staying up above.

Enjoy looking at the pictures at Carly's site and follow the instructions if you want to play this meme.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Land or Sea

2010-05-08T03:49:00.000-07:00

This Round Robin Photo Challenge, we have the choice of featuring the land or the sea. As much as I love the sea, that was a pretty easy choice. Since I had just been on vacation in Astoria, Oregon, staying on the Columbia River, I had some fresh pictures of the water to share. The first one, however was taken at a different time and place, with the seagulls flying about while I watched.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of where I stayed was the trolley that went by, ringing its bell, much of the day (except Monday). I want to ride in it sometime, when I stay out there again. I'm sure there will be all sorts of views of the water from it.

I like the views of the ships from my motel room. The Columbia River has a deep channel in Astoria and there is a huge bridge, the Astoria-Megler bridge, that they go underneath. The bridge isn't real close to the motel I was in but I believe you can see part of it in one of the following pictures.

You can see the other bloggers' preferences, land or sea, if you go to the link in the first sentence and follow the individual links at the Round Robin blog.

EMPS #88 -- Upside Down

2010-05-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the day for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, sponsored by Carly of the blog Ellipsis. The theme this week is Upside Down and I have found a few upside down items in my house to photograph. The first are children's cups that I bought for my grandchildren in Long Beach, Washington, a few years ago. I found one personalized for each grandchild, which delighted me a lot.

The next item is my cat food carrier and scoop, which I placed upside down on the table in my breakfast nook, but not before getting food for the kitties. LOL!

You might want to go to Carly's blog to check out the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoots. If you want to participate, I recommend it -- they're fun!

EMPS #87 -- Lamps

2010-04-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

I like lamps. They put forth such a soft glow. Here are two of my favorite ones in my house, one in a corner and the other between my two recliners.

To play this meme, go to the the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. It's lots of fun!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Anything in Threes

2010-04-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

I am back from vacation and ready to play Round Robin again. This time the theme is Anything in Threes, so I went hunting for things in threes. My biggest challenge was to get my three cats all together at the same time.

I got three bananas at once in the following three pictures and a picture of my three grandsons before Emily was born.

Believe it or not, I got a picture of the three cats together, as follows. That is very unusual. I think I managed it by feeding them first. LOL!

Head for the link in the first sentence if you would like to see other things in threes.

EMPS #86 -- Stairs

2010-04-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Good morning to the folks who are visiting me or Carly's blog Ellipsis or both. The theme this week is stairs, and historical or famous stairs brings extra credit. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the latter -- just regular old stairs.

First I have a picture of Silver on my steps going upstairs. He was real good to cooperate and come down from farther up and look at me in a friendly way.

The other steps are the ones going into my house at the various entries. This is the very back stairway, coming off the porch. It isn't used all that much.

Here is the front entryway, which also isn't used very often. Mostly people who don't know me very well come to the front door.

Here is the most used stairway, in addition to the stairs inside the house. It is how we generally get up on the porch and down from it.

If you would like to see the stairs other bloggers have photographed, go to the link in the first sentence.

EMPS #84 -- In the Forefront

2010-04-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I like this theme of the Ellipsis Suddenly Carly meme, where we are to to show something very dramatic in the forefront while we are also making sure that there is an interesting background, too.

The first is a nice plant, which I think might be a forsythia, in front of the neighbor's trees.

Following is a hedge in front of the trees far in back of the house. In this and the previous case, the foliage in the forefront belongs to me and the trees behind belong to one or another of the neighbors.

The last is Silver, on the washer and in front of the spigots the water comes in through.

If you have the chance to participate in this photo meme, I would love to see your pictures! Just go to the link in the first sentence to find Carly's blog.

EMPS #83 -- My Favorite Things

2010-03-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a new Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, sponsored by my friend Carly. The theme comes from the song in The Sound of Music, "My Favorite Things." We are to picture our favorite items -- fortunately, you can't hear me sing the song. X-D!

Speaking of that, the first item listed is the book I'm reading now, "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks.

The song "My Favorite Things" talks about whiskers on kittens, and I have included Socksie and her whiskers. Actually, I just love my cats in general.

I have just started reading my Bible again, and that is a favorite of mine.

I love my grandkids to pieces! Here is a picture of 7-year-old Noah.

Here is 11 year old Michael -- I can't believe how old he is!

Here is 4-year-old Emily. Another grandchild that fills me with love and wonder.

And here is Alex, at the age of 9 now. Such a big boy!

These children are so much fun. I love their parents, too -- Noah and Emily belong to Jeff and Steph, and Michael and Alex belong to Tony and Kamie. I love my oldest son, J.D., who just turned 41, and his wife Kris. They don't have children but have four cats.

To go to the Ellipsis site, the link is in the first sentence. It's fun to participate!

EMPS #82 -- Goodbye Winter/Hello Spring

2010-03-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year I love, when it's beautiful and balmy outside. The photo memes reflect this, especially this week's, when Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot reflects the beauty of spring. I have gotten a couple of pictures that illustrate just how wondrous this time of year is, with the daffodils blooming. Along with those, I can go out with a sweatshirt and jeans on and feel very comfortable.

To enjoy the beauty of the spring, go to the link in the second sentence above and it will take to to Carly's site, where the winter will say so long and the spring will say "Hey, y'all!"

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Look Up/Look Down

2010-03-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

This time, the Round Robin Photo Challenge is on the subject "Look Up/Look Down". The best examples I have of looking up and looking down are found in my cats. Here, in the first picture, Socksie is not only up on a cabinet but she is looking up. Then in the next picture, she is looking at me from the top of an even higher cabinet.

Now for the looking down portion: It wasn't too long before Socksie was on the floor and looking up at me from the cozy carpet, and here she is. Cats are really good at the "Look Up/Look Down" game. X-D!

If you would like to participate in this meme, go to the Round Robin blog linked in the first sentence. It's a lot of fun!

EMPS #80 -- Animals

2010-03-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

This week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot has the theme of Animals. I am going to seem redundant because I include pictures of animals, especially my cats, every chance I get. They are my babies and my companions. Here are a few pictures of them from today.

I went outside to see if I could get pictures of the neighbors' horses but they weren't outside. I also hoped against hope that the deer that sometimes come around might be in my back yard today but no such luck. So I have kitty pictures and I think they are appropriate, since the cats are my live-in companions. To go to Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot site, use the link in the first sentence. Have fun!

EMPS #79 -- Numbers

2010-03-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

This week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is about Numbers. Carly showed a branch that made the number 3 but it wasn't necessary to find a number in nature for the EMPS -- that was just for extra credit. Any numbers were good. Thus I have taken photos of the following numbers found around the house.

If you would like to play, just go to the blog linked in the first sentence and you will find the instructions there. It's lots of fun!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Blinded by the Light

2010-02-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

This time, the Round Robin Photo Challenge is on the theme of Blinded by the Light. I found a couple of spots of bright light today. The first was on my kitchen floor, where there was a bright spot reflecting off of it. My daughter-in-law Stephanie had just mopped it so that's probably why it was so bright, as well as because of the light overhead.

The second bright spot was the sun, just on the verge of going behind the trees to the west. It shone beautifully and my camera picked up on that.

If you would like to see or participate in this meme, just go to the link in the first sentence. Add your brightness to the rest!

EMPS #78 -- Still life, featuring food

2010-02-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

This week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot sponsored by my friend Carly is on "still life, featuring food." We couldn't use any pictures from our archives, only fresh ones, so I looked through my kitchen to see what I had that would be usable in still life shots featuring food. My first choice was a piece of quiche from the homemade quiche that I made last Thursday evening for when my friend, Sheila, came over for breakfast the next morning. I am gradually eating what's left of it, and it is delicious!

I also decided to photograph the following, my evening snack: a glass of 1% milk and an organic chocolate chip cereal bar and graham cracker.

Last, I shot this picture of a couple of potatoes. I think they are quite interesting.

If you would like to join in with the photo shoot, just go to the link in the first sentence and you will find Carly's blog and instructions on how to participate. I enjoy it every week -- it's a whole lot of fun!

EMPS #77 -- The Cone Zone

2010-02-17T14:15:00.001-08:00

Carly of the blog Ellipsis has presented us with a challenge -- to photograph traffic cones or things associated with them, such as men or women at work. She said to be safe about it, which was my particular challenge, especially after having received two traffic tickets this year. I came upon a safe cone, much to my surprise, this morning as I went through the drive through ATM at my bank. I think it is kept there for when workers service the drive through ATM. Whatever the reason, I had a great shot of it and thus was able to come home and upload it for this meme.

If you would like to go cone-hunting, return with your spoils of the hunt (photos of an orange cone or two) and go to Carly's site as listed in my first sentence to get the directions. Have fun!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Childhood Memories

2010-02-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

This Round Robin Photo Challenge is about "Childhood Memories." I thought I had an old bandana from when I was a girl in my then-church's Primary organization to photograph, but I couldn't find it. Mainly what I have left are these pictures. The first one is of my Grandma and Grandpa McClellan -- my paternal grandparents. The next picture is of my family on my dad's side. I am in there towards the left side of the picture. You can pick me out by finding the little girl in the same dress as I'm wearing in the next picture, where I'm with my girl cousins. I am on the extreme left there. The last picture of me is as a littler girl, probably in my 2's, and I remember the plaid couch I'm sitting on very well. It was the one in our house in Logan, Utah, and before that, in the apartment my parents lived in, upstairs from the grandparents shown. I'm guessing that my dad took all except for maybe the first picture, as he was the family shutterbug back then.

Below is a picture of a miniature Lane hope chest I got in high school. It was to encourage me to buy a regular-sized hope chest but my family couldn't afford that. It's just been hanging around here and has been partially broken so that it won't shut right by a couple of cats I know.

To go see more childhood memories, go to the Round Robin Photo Challenge blog and follow the links as instructed.

EMPS #76 -- Valentine's Day

2010-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

This week for Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot we had the topic, quite naturally, of Valentine's Day. I don't generally have much going on for that day, although today I bought a Valentine's cookie at the store and had it half eaten on the way home by the time I realized I could have used it for this meme, but I was hungry! I did receive one Valentine's card in the mail today, from my sister, Kathy, and her family. It is pictured below.

It is a few days after I posted my original entry here, and today I bought another Valentine's cookie, This time I waited until I took a picture and then ate it! LOL!

Very sweet! If you would like to see the other Valentine's Day entries or enter your blog, go to the link in the first sentence.

EMPS 75 -- Peaceful places

2010-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is about peaceful places, and one of the most peaceful I've ever come upon is the Mt. Angel Abbey in Mt. Angel, Oregon. It is on top of a rounded hill that sticks out in the valley, which is flat all around it. There may be a fault line under it, as the 1993 earthquake was centered there. No damage was done to the Abbey at that time, though. I loved the place so much that one day I talked for a while to a monk, and I tried writing a book called "Sanctuary" that was set there, sometime in the future, but it didn't turn out very well. Still, Mt. Angel has been a place where I could stop and reflect and look at the valley below and all around it.

For more peaceful places, go to Ellipsis, my friend Carly's blog, and see what other bloggers have done with the subject. Their URL's will be in the comments, while URL's for last week's are in the body of the blog.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Water

2010-01-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

The subject of the Round Robin this time is "water", and I had to get pictures of my kitty Socksie drinking the water out of the kitchen faucet. I got three of them, and two show her tongue lapping it up. One just has her near the water. She loves to drink out of it!

For more pictures of water, go to the Round Robin Photo Challenge blog, where you will find links to a lot of blogs participating. If you would like to do the same, you are welcome!

EMPS #74 --Houses of Worship

2010-01-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

This weeks Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot has the theme, "Houses of Worship". Here is a shot of my church, Zion Mennonite, in Hubbard, Oregon.

This is a cute little church in Hawaii, on Maui, when Steve (God rest his soul) and I went riding around that island in November of 1992.

If you would like to see more pictures of Houses of Worship or would like to participate in the meme, go to the link in the first sentence.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Candlelight

2010-01-18T13:04:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit late (try 2 days) in posting to the Round Robin Photo Challenge, with the Candlelight theme. Here are two of my favorite candles, all lit and glowing. The first was given to me by my son Tony, daughter-in-law Kamie, and grandsons Michael and Alex for Christmas. This is the first time I've burned it. The outside itself isn't wax; it contains a votive that burns.

The second is from my friend Linda and was for my birthday and Christmas last year, I believe. I have burned it once in a while. It is scented, "Sun and Sand" and is lovely. It's from the Yankee Candle Company. Yum!

Go to the Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Candlelight to see the many lovely entries.

EMPS #73 -- Winter Landscapes

2010-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Carly at Ellipsis wants to see pictures of winter landscapes in this Monday's photo shoot. Thankfully, I took a picture when it was snowing briefly a couple of weeks ago and here it is.

Since it's an El Nino year, we're not getting much snow here in the Pacific Northwest, at least in Northwestern Oregon, so I had to take the shot while the snow was there. It isn't very heavy but the thin layer is apparent on the lawn.

To see more winter landscapes, go to the link in the first sentence and follow the URL's in the comments. It's fun -- you may even want to participate! You would be welcome!

EMPS #72 -- Pairs

2010-01-12T17:29:00.001-08:00

This week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot has the theme of "Pairs." We can photograph and display pictures of pairs of anything we choose.

I have taken pictures of the following: A pair of CD cabinets, a pair of cat food dishes that match as well, plus a pair of kitties on a light switch.

To go to the blog sponsoring this meme, head to the link in the first sentence. That will take you to Carly's blog. Go ahead and join in -- it's fun!

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #71 -- Weather

2010-01-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

Today I am posting this week's entry for Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, sponsored by Carly of the blog Ellipsis. The theme this week is "weather," and we are to post pictures of the weather where we are right now. We can post a shot of our favorite weather for extra credit, but I'm not sure I have a picture of that. How do you show sunny and 73 degrees? LOL! Here is the weather now, though. The first was taken going down a deserted country road near my house and is of the windshield wiper swiping the rain. The second is of the rain-soaked driveway at my house, taken from in the garage.

If you would like to participate, go to the link in the first sentence. Carly has all the directions on her blog.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Roots

2010-01-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hooray, the Round Robin Photo Challenge is back! There has been a brief hiatus during the holidays but we're up and running again.

The theme this time is "Roots", and I have taken that two different ways. The first is roots as in those found in a tree. My trees don't show too many roots, though. This picture was the best I could get.

The second way I took it was roots as in ancestors, and I have provided a link in the following sentence to a picture I posted on Flickr of my paternal grandparents, Josephine and Charles McClellan.
My grandparents McClellan on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

If you would like to participate in the Round Robin, go to the link in the first sentence of the first paragraph and you will find all the info you need!

EMPS #70 -- Gallery

2009-12-29T11:48:00.001-08:00

This week's Ellipsis Photo Shoot from Carly is themed "Gallery," and is to be a gallery of whatever photos we choose from 2009. I have chosen my grandchildren.

First is a shot taken when I was visiting Bend, Oregon, where my oldest grandchildren live. Here are Alex, 8, his mom Kamie, myself, and Michael, 10.

Next is a shot of my son Tony, Michael and Alex's father, clowning around with his sons.

Here are my other grandchildren, Noah, 7, an engineer on Halloween, and Emily, 3, as Tinkerbell.

Last of all are my grandchildren building their own pizza on Christmas Eve day at the family celebration. First are Emily, then Alex, then Noah, then Michael.

If you would like to play, go to the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot link in the first sentence. It's fun!

EMPS #69 -- Holiday Music

2009-12-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

For this week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, the theme is "Holiday Music." It can be any holiday but I have chosen Christmas, since I have my Nativity Scene up. The song that I am thinking of in consequence of that is "We Three Kings of Orient Are." The lyrics go:

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to rein

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Pray'r and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav'n replies

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

This is especially pertinent because I just received my third king in the Mary Englebreit Nativity Scene mentioned above and pictured below.

If you would like to participate, go to the link in the first sentence. Carly would love to have you!

EMPS #68 -- Holiday Decorations

2009-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Today I am back to participating in the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot thanks to Carly's Ellipsis blog. I don't have a lot of decorations up, it just being myself here and not having a regular tree, which I kind of miss (although I don't miss the needles and clean-up that go with a real tree). Here are my decorations -- a small artificial tree, which is rather ugly from being bashed up so much -- with Socksie next to it, and my new Mary Englebreit nativity scene.

If you would like to participate in the EMPS, go to the link in the first sentence. It is always fun!

EMPS #65 -- Giving Thanks

2009-11-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a bit late for this week's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, as Thanksgiving was Thursday and I'm just getting organized now that it's Sunday. I'm squeezing in before the deadline!

Here are some things that I'm giving thanks for. First is 3 1/2-year-old grandaughter Emily, who is so full of vim and vigor and spunk! She's a joy to be around.

Next are 7-year-old grandson Noah and his dad, my son Jeff, here playing with some Star Wars toys my son J.D. has around for children who are guests at their house. Noah is extremely knowledgeable about trains.

Here's half the group eating Thanksgiving dinner. The food was plentiful and the company was fine. We had a very nice time.

This is the other half of the group eating dinner.

Included were friends of Kris and J.D.'s, my DIL and son who hosted the dinner, Chris and Jolie, Kris's sister Tiffany and her friend Paul, son Jeff and DIL Steph, nephew Nick, the two children, and me and, of course, Kris and J.D.

If you would like to post to this Ellipsis Monday Photo Challenge about Giving Thanks (and I think it's obvious that I give thanks for my family and plentiful food), it's not too late. Just go to the link in the first sentence and follow the directions.

EMPS #63 -- Downtown

2009-11-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

The theme of the present Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot at Carly's blog is "Downtown." We were to take shots of the downtown of our city or town or hamlet. I guess you could almost call Canby a hamlet -- it's not very big in the downtown area.
Here are the pictures I took of downtown Canby today. They go from the new movie theater, to the grocery store, to downtown stores, lastly showing the bricked circular intersections that have added class to the city.

To go to the meme and play the game, follow the link in the first sentence.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #62 -- Autumn Fruits and Vegetables

2009-11-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot by Carly is about Autumn Fruits and Vegetables. I don't have too much in the way of such things but I do have a couple of small tomatoes on a scraggly vine out behind my house. One of the tomatoes is actually two that have grown together. I'm not sure how clear that is in the following picture.

I may have to go down to my business and pick some of the Granny Smith apples growing on a tree down there, too. So this entry may not be finished yet.

I didn't go down and get any of the apples at my business; instead, I am featuring the sweet potatoes I had for dinner tonight (Tuesday) along with some ham.

I love autumn fruits and vegetables, although I'm a creature of habit and generally forget to get them.

To participate in the meme, go to the link in the first sentence and Carly will tell you on her blog how to do that.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #61 -- Halloween

2009-10-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

I am having to obtain pictures from my archives for this Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot in a different way, by obtaining them from Flickr. Previously I could save them but that no longer seems to be an option. So here they are, one at a time.
Princess Stevie 1 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The theme is Halloween this time and I have fairly old pictures of a couple of my cats dressed up. This is of Stevie, as a princess. The next one is of Chester, as a pirate.
Pirate Chester 1 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The next is of me and Steve, dressed up as his mom and dad for a Halloween party back in the late 1970's.
Me and Steve on Halloween on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

And last is grandchildren Noah and Emily dressed up as R2D2 and Raggedy Ann last year.
Close look at R2D2 and Raggedy Ann on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I'm sorry I have to refer you to Flickr but they have apparently changed their format for saving archived photos to our picture files. I think that's a total bummer! Anyway, I hope you don't mind checking these pictures out.

To go to the Ellipsis site, just go here.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Shooting in Low Light (Indoors and Out)

2009-10-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

Today's Round Robin Photo Challenge has the theme "Shooting in Low Light (Indoors and Out). My low light shots seem to be nearly all outdoors. The first two here are near-sunset shots from my front yard/driveway area, which I love to take.

This is my now-gone kitty, Chester, up in a flowering plum out front near sunset.

During my recent trip to the beach, I caught the following near-sunset and sunset shots from my motel room window in Newport, Oregon.

To see more low light pictures and/or to play along, go to the link in the first paragraph.

EMPS #58 -- Bridges and Walkways

2009-10-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is about bridges and walkways. I love bridges in particular, and I have also captured a photo of a walkway with a bridge in the background, so I'm all set. The first shot is of the Yaquina Bay Bridge from my rented condo room in the Yaquina Bay.

Here is the spectacular bridge over the Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho, where my mother lived until her passing almost 2 years ago.

This is the Astoria-Megler bridge, which soars high enough to let large ships pass beneath it, in Astoria, Oregon. It crosses to the Washington side over the Columbia River.

Here is the Florence, Oregon riverfront, the shot with the walkway and the bridge in the background. I'm not sure which river this is.

To see more pictures of bridges and walkways, go to the link in the first sentence and follow directions, especially if you want to participate, which is fun!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- In Motion

2009-10-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

The creatures who are nearest me and who are always in motion are my cats. Here are some pictures of them doing their thing.

Socksie likes to get up on my bedroom door and scrabble around up there. She is doing just that in these two shots.

Socksie starting to go in the closet, up over my basket of shoes that I can't wear thanks to my bad toes.

Here are Silver and Stevie in a fight. That's the ultimate of motion among the cats!

To see the other Round Robin Photo Challenge blog links, go here.

EMPS #57 -- Weeds

2009-09-28T10:44:00.001-07:00

Carly at Ellipsis has designated this week's Photo Shoot as being about weeds. I don't have as many weeds around my place now that I have a landscaper but I found a couple of plants growing in my field next door. Here they are:

As Carly says, a weed that could be used in a flower arrangement gets extra credit, and I think that either of these could be.
To go to the Ellipsis meme, and especially if you want to participate, head for the link in the first sentence.

EMPS #56 -- Welcome to Autumn (Leaves or Flowers)

2009-09-21T11:54:00.001-07:00

Today for Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, we were to shoot fresh (as in not archived) photos of signs of autumn, if we lived in an area where they were available. I was thinking it might be too early until I took my SLR and went outside and found these brown leaves on the ground out back. I believe they are from my oak trees on either side of the driveway.

To go see more such items on various blogs, go to the link in the first sentence. If you would like to participate, just follow the directions. It's fun!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Chickens

2009-09-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, at my business, we had a couple of shop cats (my kitty Socksie's brothers) who were outside cats and who we consequently fed outside. A chicken showed up and began eating the cat food. She was quite a funny girl! Here she is going towards the food.

Here are the chicken and shop cats eating together.

Another shot of the chicken and the shop cats.

She subsequently disappeared, and one of the cats (the black one, Duke) was hit by a car and the other one, grey little Max, went to live with my son J.D. and his wife Kris.

For more chicken pictures, go to the Round Robin Photo Challenge.

EMPS #55 -- Bugs

2009-09-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

I found this bug floating in the cats' water dish this afternoon. Is it a kitty appetizer? LOL!

This is as macro as I can get with my Coolpix. I probably should have tried using my SLR but I didn't think of it at the time. The bug is actually black but the flash discolors it.

To see more Bugs, go to Carly's Ellipsis blog and follow the directions.

EMPS #54 -- Archived Photos

2009-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, sponsored by Carly's blog, Ellipsis, has the theme of "Archived Photos." They must have been taken over a month ago and must not have been published here before. I decided on a boat theme, mainly because I have boat pictures that are in my archives that I haven't posted here before. The first one is from a trip Steve and I took to Hawaii in 1992, of a glass-bottomed boat we went on there, the Lin Wa II. We had an enjoyable time watching the skin diver and the fishes below us on the boat.

The second boat was on Maui, in Lahaina, while the first one was on Oahu. It was named the Carthaginian. It had a skeleton down below and a pretty ship's cat. Steve and I enjoyed being on it.

This third boat is our old sailboat, which Steve named "Sue" but I wasn't crazy about that name. We never did come up with a better one, though. LOL! We spent a lot of enjoyable time on it before he died.

As extra credit, we're supposed to: Tell us about the photo. Where did you take it? Why did you take it? Was there something difficult about the experience?

I think I have told where I took the photos, with the exception of the photo of our sailboat, which was taken in Astoria. Why I took the Hawaii photos? I think that's obvious -- when traveling to such a lovely and exotic place, one must take photos! And I wanted the picture of our sailboat, which I'm glad to have now as it may be the only one I have left. There were no difficulties with the experience.

To go to EMPS, follow the link in the first sentence.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Politics

2009-09-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Round Robin Photo Challenge this time has the theme of "Politics." I live out in the country and not in the heart of the action when it comes to politics or much else. The nearest center of government is the Canby City Hall, and here is a picture of that small office, from the outside.

I do get political e-mail, especially from the Barack Obama folks, since I was a supporter of his (and still am). I don't get out and canvass for him but I still get such e-mails as follow. The e-mail filled up two computer screens.

To go to the Round Robin Challenge site, go to the link in the first sentence. If you would like to play, directions are there. It's a fun meme!

EMPS #53 -- Trees

2009-08-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot and the subject is "Trees." I have quite a few oak trees near my house, and they tend to lose branches now and again. Just last Friday evening as I was pulling into the driveway, the following branch fell out of the tree in the picture after it. It is maddening because of my not knowing what to do with the branches once they have fallen. But this is the story of my trees.

If you would like to participate in the photo shoot, go to the link mentioned above and follow the directions.

EMPS #52 -- Laundry

2009-08-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today is Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot and the theme is laundry. Rather than just show pictures of my plain old laundry, I thought I'd show clean towels folded up in a basket on top of my dryer and with my cat Socksie in them, first sleeping and then waking up. I get extra credit for showing the baskets! Go to the link above, to Carly's blog, for directions on playing along with this meme.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Birds!

2009-08-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

This time the Round Robin Photo Challenge is about Birds. I had some trouble uploading pictures of birds that I had this time, including the logo, so I'll just have to settle for what came up unless the Blogger glitches get worked out later.

The first picture is of TJ the Cockatoo, who belongs to my son Tony's mother- and father-in-law who live back east so Tony and family have him in Bend, Oregon. My grandson Michael takes care of TJ. He talks a little bit, mostly saying "Hello". He's a very gentle bird, although fairly big -- I'd say a foot long.

Here are a couple of seagulls that I photographed on a trip to Long Beach, Washington in the last couple of years. They seemed to be very nonchalant and carefree on the sand, in an area where people could drive their cars on the beach. I may have photographed them out of my car window; I'm not sure. I love seagulls!

Be sure to check out the challenge as linked to in the first sentence, and play along if you would like!

Feline, Furballs, Plus Feathers Friday -- Under the Desk

2009-08-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Socksie, enjoying the cool air in the office thanks to the window air conditioner, under my desk. It is hot today so finding the cool spots is pretty crucial to my felines.

Theresa of Arizona Through My Eyes has been asked to take over Feline, Furballs, Plus Feathers Friday due to the passing of Steven's Pickle Cat. We miss Pickle but it will be interesting to learn about Theresa's menagerie of creatures. Go to the link to see them.

EMPS #51 -- Candy

2009-08-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Carly of Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot wants to see our favorite candy this week. Mine is KitKat, no matter what form it's in. The kind I found today was a long candy bar instead of a flat one with dividing lines, and it said it was "extra crispy." Sounded good to me! Due to my diabetes, I have to be careful -- if I eat candy at all -- to eat that which has a cookie center like KitKat. I can't forego my chocolate!

Go to the link above to find out how to go to the various blogs participating. They are fun!

EMPS #50 -- Layers

2009-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

This week on Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, the theme is "Layers." Carly used the example of two leaves that are layered on top of each other and what appears to be a third leaf is actually a shadow. She wanted us to do something similar.

Here is my picture for the theme of "Layers." I have raspberries and blueberries layered in a bowl with Equal and cream, which all came together to create tonight's dessert!

Once again, Carly wanted to know how we came about finding our subject to photograph. For me, it was by chance, as I went to get out the raspberries to eat, I realized I had blueberries to layer on top of them and the cream (and Equal) to go into it all.

Go to the link in the first sentence to find out more about this meme! It's a fun one!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Bottled Up

2009-08-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the Round Robin Photo Challenge, with the theme "Bottled Up." We are able to show pictures of any bottles we wish or that have meaning to us.

Here are my Lime Perrier bottles. I don't drink the Perrier in great amounts; I just use it to top off my ice water. It's delicious that way -- very refreshing!

I still have a bottle of my favorite light ale, Henry Weinhard's, in my fridge. This was before I had to tank up on diabetes medication and take other meds that meant I couldn't drink alcohol. I didn't drink it very often -- mostly on vacation -- but I miss it. I would give it away if there was someone close enough to come get it.

To go to the site and see the other Round Robin bloggers' entries, head for the link in the first sentence. They are fun!

EMPS #49 -- Pick a Word/Pick a Color

2009-08-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

Today on Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #49, we're doing a kind of word association that winds up with a photo. In my instance, I thought of the word "soft" which led me to the color "gray," and to represent "soft and gray" I took a photo of my black and gray cat, Silver and my gray cat, Socksie.

So here they are, in all of their soft and gray splendor. They are such pretty cats, in my opinion!

For extra credit, we were to write about how difficult this was, and whether it tapped our creativity. I found it somewhat difficult, but not to tie in the cats, as they are quite a big part of my life. I mainly found the challenge getting the pictures, but the cats cooperated nicely!

Go to Carly's site as linked in the first sentence if you need further explanation or if you would like to participate in this meme.

Feline and Furball Friday -- Socksie in a basket

2009-07-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Socksie is in the clean towel basket on the dryer here. She had been asleep but I caught her stretching and waking up.

Feline and Furball Friday is sponsored by Steven of (sometimes)photoblog. Unfortunately, his cat Pickle is very ill and likely will need to be put to sleep next week, which makes me very sad. Steven will no longer be hosting the meme so this will be my last post to it unless someone else wants to be the host. (Update: According to Steven's blog, Pickle passed away Sunday afternoon.)

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- My Vehicle of Choice

2009-07-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

The theme for the Round Robin Photo Challenge today is "My Vehicle of Choice", and my selection of photos is made easy because I have just one vehicle. It is my 2007 Merlot Ford Fusion, which I nicknamed Ruby (but I don't call her that very often). I fell in love with her at the dealership and just had to have her. She has a sunroof that I have never used and a slim and tasteful racing stripe on either side that ends up front with the word "Fusion", as follows.

I have just over 10,000 miles on her, which isn't bad for two years.

The inside has leather seats that are heated in the wintertime. I still don't know what a lot of the buttons are for. LOL! But I enjoy my little car all the same.

To see more participating bloggers' vehicles, go to the Round Robin Photo Challenge site. There are directions on how to participate, if you would like to! It's lots of fun!

Feline and Furball Friday -- More hot days

2009-07-24T19:34:00.001-07:00

It was another hot day the other day, when I took these pictures. The cats were each reacting in their own chosen way. (I didn't get a shot of Stevie, but Socksie and Silver are above.) It has been cooler the last couple of days but it's supposed to warm up again in the next few days, so we will be hot in this house.

These shots are for Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by Steven's (sometimes)photoblog. Go there to see the creatures featured.

EMPS #47 -- Patterns

2009-07-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Ellipsis Monday Photo Challenge again, sponsored by Carly at Ellipsis, and the theme is patterns. She wants us to think outside of the box and I have tried to do that, although I'm not sure I've succeeded.

Above is one of my favorites -- Silver's fur pattern. I could look at it all day! And then it is against the old linoleum on my bedroom floor, which is another interesting pattern. Maybe the two together are outside of the box?

Above are cross-stitches that I made from patterns, and each has its own special look. I liked the bunnies for the kitchen and for a while I had a double wedding-ring quilt on my bed that I made the similar quilt cross-stitch to go with.

This is the pattern on a kimono that my sister gave me for my birthday one year. It's great for summer, being a light cotton.
As for the extra credit, Carly wants to know if I have ever photographed items in groups to show a pattern. I believe that I have done so unintentionally, and I'm thinking of sailboats nestling into their moorage slots at piers out at the coast.
She also wants a paragraph about our photography patterns in general. The kimono is fascinating to me because of its fan patterns all over it, and I like the cross-stitch patterns, especially since I can't do cross stitch any more due to my eyes. And Silver's pattern fascinates me, too, because I can't believe the way a cat's stripes grow in so perfectly exactly the same way all the time.
To see the EMPS participant blogs, to to the link in the first sentence above.

Feline and Furball Friday -- Cats on the Bed

2009-07-17T17:06:00.001-07:00

It's time for Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by Steven's (sometimes)photoblog, and this time Silver and Socksie are stretched out on the office bed and all comfy. That was before the painters put film over the air conditioner and the window, making it very hot up here in the office even with a fan going. They haven't discovered that it's much cooler again, now that the film was taken down this afternoon and the air conditioner turned back on, but I expect they will find out soon enough.
Go to Steven's blog at the URL in the first sentence to find out about the cute kitties and furballs playing with us.

EMPS #46 -- Seen in Summer

2009-07-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's Monday again, and time for Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. The theme is "Seen in Summer," and she wants to know what says summer to us. I had several items that I couldn't decide between. She also wanted a paragraph about the photo we posted and I will make my paragraph about the following picture.
I bought two tomato plants at Fred Meyer's at once a couple of months ago, one for the Topsy Turvy planter I had seen advertised and ordered (see the following picture) and one for this planter that I had outside and hadn't planted flowers in this year. The tomato plant has taken off and thrived in the planter and has two little tomatoes growing on it already. I am very happy to see them! Now I just hope that the blackberry eradicator won't accidentally spray them when he comes to spray blackberries on Wednesday. I will think positive about that, though!

This photo is of a leafed-out tree that has grown volunteer in my back flower patch. I have the Topsy Turvy planter hanging from it since my house is going to be painted.

These petunias are in a basket that my son J.D. and DIL Kris gave me at my Mother's Day/birthday dinner in May. They have really come along.

To see more EMPS entries, both from last week (in the post) and this week (in the comments), go to the link in the first paragraph above. It's a fun meme if you would like to participate, too!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Socksie looks aloof

2009-07-12T12:55:00.001-07:00

Here is my Socksie, on the office bed, looking aloof, according to my friend Cynthia (known as Philosopher Queen on Flickr). The kitty is just dealing with the heat and the camera, I think.

To see more fun and furry creatures, go to Steven's (sometimes)photoblog. There are some fine animals referenced on varying blogs there.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Silence

2009-07-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today's Round Robin Photo Challenge theme is "Silence" -- surely a challenging subject. I don't believe there is a place where one can find complete silence on this planet. I believe it is all relative; at least, that's how I'm presenting it here.

In the picture below, taken outside my house on the road, it was almost totally silent with no cars traveling by and no machinery running on nearby farms. The only noise was the chirping of a few birds.

This picture shows how quiet my place is, out here in the country -- at least the day I took this picture, before the sanding for the painting started in.

Another source of silence is when my TV is turned off. There are still things running in the house, such as the air conditioners that are needed right now, but it is very quiet without the TV going.

Cats are the proverbial quiet animal. Here is Stevie, sleeping in her silent spot, the bathroom.

Then there is Silver, also a very silent guy unless he's meowing to go outside. Up here on the office bed, he is quietly enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner.

This wasn't an easy challenge and I don't know if I did it right. It will be interesting to see what the other bloggers who participated in the challenge came up with. Go to the link in the first sentence to find out! (BTW, I've learned you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

EMPS #45 -- Black and Blue

2009-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Carly of the blog Ellipsis sponsors the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, and today's theme is "Black and Blue." It can include photographs of black and/or blue things or items that make us emotionally blue.

My first photo is of a little cat who makes me anything but feeling blue -- he is such a sweet guy and lots of fun to have around. He is black with silver and I have pictured him on a blue tablecloth so that is my first black and blue item.

My second black and blue shot is of a black photo album, which contains pictures of my late husband Steve, sitting on the same blue tablecloth.

Since I am always curious about what is in photo albums, I thought you might be, too, so I included the first page of the album. It has lots of blue on it!

For extra credit, Carly wanted to know which is our favorite color and why, and how it affects our choices for photography. I'd have to say that bright, primary colors are my favorite -- blue, green, red and yellow. When I have the opportunity to photograph something in those colors it makes me happy. I noticed my mood lifting when I took the picture of the first page of Steve's album, for instance.

If you would like to learn more about this photo challenge, head on over to Carly's blog as linked above. You will find links to last week's challenge posted and to this week's in the comments.

Feline and Furball Friday -- Just being a good Socksie

2009-07-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here it is Friday again, and time for Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by Steven's (sometimes)photoblog. My shot is one taken last week, of Socksie just being as good as she ever is, sitting next to my recliner and possibly even posing for the camera.

To see more neat animals, go to the link above for Steven's blog.

EMPS #44 -- Travel Brochure

2009-06-29T19:05:00.001-07:00

In accordance with the theme of Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot today, I have posted pictures I have that look like they could be in travel brochures. They are in my favorite place, HAWAII!

First is the boat in Lahaina, Maui, that replicated an old sailing ship.

Next is a state park as seen from up above.

Here is my late husband Steve with the Lin Wa II, a glass-bottomed boat that we went out on.

Another pretty Hawaiian park.

A beautiful sunset on Maui.

I don't have any places nearby that I could take pictures of that would make good travel brochures, so I had to go to my archives for these. For more neat travel brochure-quality pictures, go to the link in the first sentence.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Wildlife

2009-06-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

The theme of the Round Robin Photo Challenge this time is "Wildlife." These deer are the most easily-photographable wildlife around my place.

If you would like to join in the challenge, just go to the link in the first sentence and get the details at the site. It's a lot of fun!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Silver drinks from the sink

2009-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Today is Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by Steven's (sometimes)photoblog, and my contribution this time is this picture of Silver drinking from a bowl in the kitchen sink. I'm not sure what had been in it but it might have contained granola and milk, maybe with some blueberries and Equal thrown in for good measure. Silver loves to drink from the sink when he can find something tasty in it!

If you would like to join us or just see the other cute critters at other blogs, go to the link to Steven's blog in the first sentence.

EMPS #42 -- Seeing Stars

2009-06-22T12:18:00.001-07:00

Today is Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot (actually #43) with the theme of "Seeing Stars." I found that I have two items hanging on my utility room walls that fit the bill. First is the picture of a cat in front of the window at night, with stars dotting the sky behind him.

The second picture is a lone star quilt pattern that I did in counted cross-stitch a number of years ago, with a stuffed cat off to the side of it. (Do you see a cat theme here? LOL!) This is one of my favorite cross-stitched items.

Carly wants to know for extra credit what it was like to get these shots. Were there any complicating factors? I didn't have any difficulties at all, nor did I need special settings using my Nikon Coolpix. It was just point and shoot, although I did some cropping of the picture of the cross-stitch star in Paint Shop Pro 9.

Have some fun and go to Carly's URL (linked in the first sentence) to see how to play this game!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Pretty Socksie

2009-06-19T20:00:00.001-07:00

Socksie on the cleaned-off table because today was carpet-cleaning day and everything was taken out of the living room and dining room. (I have already put the books back in the bookshelf behind her.) I think she looks very pretty except for that one winking eye, since she knows that the warning red light means a flash is going to follow and she was bracing for it.

To see other cute critters, go to Steven's (sometimes)photoblog, as he sponsors Feline and Furball Friday.

EMPS #42 -- Cats and water

2009-06-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is about "Playing in the Water." I don't play in the water much myself, nor do I go over to my grandchildrens' house while they're playing in it -- that pretty much leaves the cats. Today I tried to coach each of them to play in water, both in the sink and in their water dish, but the following two pictures were what I got. ;-) The first is Stevie and the water dish and the second is Socksie and the same dish.

Carly, who hosts the EMPS, prefers that we not go into our archives for pictures but try to shoot fresh ones. I did want to show one archived picture, because I have a number of them with Socksie playing in the water when she was little. She doesn't do that any more.

To go to Carly's site, follow the link in the first sentence.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Looking Up!

2009-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today the theme for the Round Robin Photo Challenge is Looking Up! I looked up around my place and these are some of the itmes I found.

First is the Topsy Turvy tomato planter that hangs from the eaves of my back porch. I took the shot from down on the sidewalk that goes around the back of my house.

Here is the top of my new maple tree, facing upwards towards the sky. It is coming along nicely and is fairly tall for a new tree.

My new DISH NETWORK satellite dish is on my roof, having been placed there a couple of months ago.

My huge camellia bush goes over the top of the roof of my two-story house. It is going to be cut back when the painting of the house is done soon.

I also have some very tall trees around my place that I hope will stay in place, especially during the winter windstorms we get, but they are tricky to photograph.

For more Round Robin bloggers looking up, go to the link in the first sentence and you will find the site with the links to them all. It's very fun!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Lazy Cats

2009-06-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today is another Friday, so at Steven's (sometimes)photoblog he is celebrating another Feline and Furball Friday with his cat, Pickle. Two of my cats, Silver and Socksie, were celebrating a lazy day in the above picture yesterday. They were enjoying the way it felt quite temperate in the house -- not too hot and not too cold.

If you would like to join in the fun, go to Steven's link in the first sentence and you will find links to the previous bloggers who participated in the post and URL's of this week's participants in the comments.

EMPS #41 -- Clouds!

2009-06-08T10:59:00.001-07:00

The theme for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot this week is "Clouds!" I wasn't sure what the cloud situation was outside as I had thought it seemed basically overcast earlier but when I stepped outside, I saw the above cloud formation and luckily captured it with my camera. I think it is very pretty!

Go to the link in the above first sentence to get instructions for playing along with us, if you would like to. Clouds are fun!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Kitties on the office bed

2009-06-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

I'm a little bit late posting for Steven's (sometimes)photoblog's Feline and Furball Friday, not having had a new kitty picture to post until today. But I caught Socksie (in front) and Silver (behind) on the office bed before they were spooked off when my son knocked on the back door; as it was, I had awakened them from the sleeping positions they were in before I went downstairs to get my camera and came back up again. Here they are, though, semi-awake.

Go to the link in the first sentence to Steven's blog to find links to pictures in blogs from last week in the post and URL's for this week in the comments. They are fun to see!

EMPS #40 -- Rainbows

2009-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, sponsored by Carly of the blog Ellipsis, is on the subject of "Rainbows". As I don't see any rain in the forecast that could produce a rainbow, nor do I have a sprinkler I want to run to try to make one, I am posting the above rainbow cross stitch that I stitched quite a few years ago -- at about the first of my counted cross stitching experience.

To see more rainbows, go to Carly's blog as linked above and look in the comments. She also has links to last week's participants in her post.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- Growing

2009-05-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

This time the Round Robin Photo Challenge theme is "Growing." It can be about anything that grows, but since I have just been to visit my kids and grandkids in Bend, Oregon, I thought I would make my entry be about them.

First is a picture of my grandsons Michael and Alex here at my house when they were little. Michael was just over 2 and Alex was 2 months old.

Then is a picture of grandsons Michael, then 7, and Alex, then 5, along with their dad, Tony, at a family dinner Christmas of 2006, at my oldest son J.D. and wife Kris's house.

Next is a picture taken in Bend on May 17, just days ago, of Tony, Michael, now 10, and Alex, now 8, clowning around at a park in downtown Bend.

Last is a more serious picture of Alex, their mother Kamie, me, and Michael. You can really see Michael's long hair here! LOL! The boys are really growing up and me -- I'm growing older. I think Kamie will always look young and pretty.

In some ways it's difficult to see the children grow but in other ways, it is welcome. They need to mature in life.

To see other Round Robin posts go to the link in the first sentence and you will find links to the participating blogs there.

Feline and Furball Friday -- The Tuna Club

2009-05-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by Steven of (sometimes)photoblog, and my cats today formed The Tuna Club as they waited for me to open a can of tuna. They apparently have learned by the smell of the mayonnaise and the pickles, when I get them out, that it's tuna sandwich time and so they flock to the kitchen. I then open the tuna can and they get to have flaky bits of tuna in their bowls and what's left in the bottom of the can. They love this!

For more information about this meme, go to the link in the first sentence.

EMPS#39 -- Memorial Day

2009-05-25T20:11:00.001-07:00

Carly of the blog Ellipsis wanted to know today what we did on our Memorial Day. As I had already taken flowers to the cemetery for Steve's and his parents' graves, the day was one of quiet reflection for me. I spent a good part of it in this recliner (when I wasn't upstairs in my office, on my computer).

On the news, I saw a lot about the military and parades honoring our soldiers, plus flags at the national cemeteries. I got a picture of a replay of the space shuttle Atlantis going up on its last mission on the NASA Channel, which I think is one of the brave things that people in our country do.

I would have had other pictures of military scenes from the TV except my battery went dead during the news and wasn't charged until afterwards.

For extra credit, we can write about what Memorial Day means to us personally. I am mostly touched by the loss of those near and dear to me. I am unable to put flowers on my parents' graves as they are in Utah, but I have thought about them. As a member of a pacifist church, I am not strongly militant but I have my own thoughts and beliefs and I do very much appreciate those in the military as well as civilians who died for our freedom.

To see links to others who are participating, go to Carly's blog as linked in the first sentence. This week's bloggers will be commenting on her blog.

Feline and Furball Friday -- A standoff between Silver and Socksie

2009-05-24T16:16:00.001-07:00

Silver and Socksie love each other, but they do play fight once in a while. In this picture, they were in a standoff on my office bed.

Go to Steven's (sometimes)photoblog to see a picture of his Pickle cat and links to other felines and furballs.

Feline and Furball Friday -- Reclining Silver, licking his paw

2009-05-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

A little bit late, this post is for Steven's (sometimes)photoblog, which sponsors Feline and Furball Friday (sometimes there are feathers included, but not lately). It's a picture of Silver reclining on the office bed, licking his paw so that he can get really, really clean. ;-)

To see a picture of Steven's cat, Pickle, and to find links to other participants, go to the link for Steven's blog in the first sentence.

Felines with Feathers plus Furballs Friday -- Socksie on the stairs

2009-05-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's another Friday for Steven's (sometimes)photoblog and Feline with Feathers plus Furballs. My shot this week is of Socksie prancing down the stairs, with the tip of her tail curled over. Probably from another vantage point, it would have appeared to be a question mark. ;-)

Go to Steven's blog for information about becoming a part of this meme.

Felines with Feathers plus Furballs Friday -- Socksie on the desk

2009-05-05T13:08:00.001-07:00

There was a bit of a hiatus in Feathers plus Furballs Friday while Steven of (sometimes)photoblog transitioned off his old blog server to a new one, but he is back and so are the pictures of the critters on the various blogs. This one is of Socksie on my computer desk, where she got up a day or two and nibbled on my fingers while I typed. I had my camera handy and so got a shot of her up there helping me. LOL!

Go to the link above to see Steven's blog and the critters that the bloggers participating in his meme have to show us.

EMPS #36 -- A Walk in the Park

2009-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today, Carly of the blog Ellipsis asked that, for our Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, we walk through a park and take pictures of what we saw. I could tell that rain was on the way but there were just a few sprinkles on my windshield when I ran to Canby, to Wait Park in the center of the downtown area, and took pictures of the park and what was going on there. Due to the impending rain, there weren't too many people there but I did photograph a couple of families playing on the playground equipment.

Here is the sign that welcomes visitors to the park, although there is access to it from every direction. The park is visually-appealing and well-maintained. Notice how even the garbage cans are nicely done.

The Wait Park gazebo is used in the summertime by various visiting bands during the Slice of Summer Concert Series.

Here are children playing on the playground equipment, with Mom joining in.

Interesting slides in the park.

A shot of the slides, taken from an unusual angle.

Carly's question this week had to do with how often we add special effects from photo editing software. As I am a technical dunce at such things, I have to say that I never do. ;-)

To see EMPS #36 at Carly's site, just go to the URL in the first sentence.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- See the Music

2009-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Round Robin Photo Challenge has the theme of "See the Music." What a fun challenge this was! Once more, first of all I went to my embroidery, where I have made the following counted cross-stitch sampler with the music to "Amazing Grace." It's one of my favorite things in my house.

Then, upstairs in my office, on my desk, I have the following cat-themed CD holders, bought off eBay, which I am showing shut and then open. I have an eclectic assortment of music, including songs by Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Alabama, Elton John, and many others.

Last of all is my stereo downstairs, including the tuner, tape player and CD player. I use it mostly at Christmas time, to play seasonal music. Most of the unit was bought when Steve was alive, over 14 years ago, but the CD player was a gift from my kids, Jeff and Steph.

You can find the Round Robin Photo Challenge here, and follow the links on the day they are posted to see what the participating bloggers have done. You are welcome to join in -- rules are given and they're easy! Hope to see you there!

EMPS #35 -- Government Buildings

2009-04-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Monday was Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot (EMPS) #35, sponsored by Carly's blog Ellipsis, with the theme of Government Buildings, and it took me until today to get a photo of the Canby Town Hall. It is a quaint little building in downtown Canby.

Carly also asked the question as to whether we prefer indoor or outdoor photography. I prefer outdoor, as I don't have to worry about if the flash is bright enough. The only problem is that with my new Nikon Coolpix, the picture doesn't show up very well on the camera display when I'm outside.

To go to the EMPS site, follow the link to Carly's blog above. She has instructions there, if you would like to participate, or if you would just like to see what the other participants have done.

Feline and Feathers plus Furballs Friday -- Socksie playing with plastic

2009-04-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Feline with Feathers plus Furballs Friday (that name seems to change almost each week) :-), sponsored by Steven of (sometimes)photoblog. My picture today is once again of Socksie, in a photo captured with my new Nikon Coolpix, which I think may take better pictures than my Canon SLR. In it, Socksie was playing on the dining room floor with a very small plastic bag that came with my new camera. I like her eyes in the photo.

Go to Steven's blog linked in the first sentence above to see the participants for last week and, in the comments, this week.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #34 -- Earth Day

2009-04-20T10:38:00.001-07:00

It's time for another Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot, thanks to my friend Carly, and since Wednesday is Earth Day, this is the theme she has chosen.

My post is featuring a few plants that I am happy about, the first being a big rosemary bush from which I cut sprigs of rosemary for cooking. It was larger but got cut back a little while ago. Still, it is huge!

The next picture is of a tree that has grown volunteer in my back yard flower bed. I think it could be a walnut. It has no greenery on it -- no buds as yet -- so I'm not sure if it survived the winter but I hope it did. I like having another tree on the place.

The last shot is of my red maple, planted by my kids in my back yard several years ago, and which is blossoming out and leafing nicely this year. I think it looks nice against the hedge plants (arborvita).

For extra credit, we could show our reusable shopping bags, and I have been using mine at the Fred Meyer superstore for a couple of weeks now. I keep them in the car and thus have photographed one of them on the back of the car, in the garage, which highlights it against the dark background.

The question of the week was what I have always wanted to photograph but never had the chance, and that would be hummingbirds! I don't seem to have hummingbird-friendly plants because they never come around and so I don't have opportunities to take pictures of them.

For information about joining in the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot or seeing what the other participating bloggers have posted, go to the link in the first sentence. It is a fun thing to do!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- In Flight

2009-04-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

The theme of the Round Robin Photo Challenge this time is "In Flight." My favorite place to go to capture things flying is the Oregon coast. Here are a couple of pictures from trips out there; first, of seagulls flying, and second, of kites flying.

Go to the Round Robin link in the first sentence to find the main blog with the other participants. There are directions on the Round Robin blog if you want to play!

Feline and Furball with Feathers Friday -- Socksie curled up on the office bed

2009-04-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

Steven of (sometimes)photoblog once again wants to see our critters on Friday. They are feline or canine and some have feathers. I got a picture of Socksie again this week, this time curled up on the office bed where she is NOT supposed to be, but I was feeling lenient and so I let her stay up there. Notice that her eyes are not closed during the shot, though -- she didn't quite trust me! She may be confused, not realizing that it's not really her presence on the bed that I object to, but her being in the office in general, due to her history of getting up on the desk and biting me while I try to type and even pick her up to try to get her out. It's been a while since she has done that, though, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt for now.

To see the links to last week's post, go to the link in the first sentence and they will be posted there. This week's URL's are in the comments. Join us if you would like; in any case, enjoy!

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #33 -- Close Ups!

2009-04-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #33, sponsored by Carly of the blog Ellipsis, has the theme of "Up Close!" She doesn't mean macros, but just close ups of things that we like to take pictures of. Right away I thought of my cats, and ran to take close up shots of their faces. Here are Socksie and Silver, close-up. I tried to take one of Stevie but I think she has a cold -- she's been sneezing and has a watery eye, so I couldn't get a good one of her. Last of all, I decided to get a close-up of one of the squares to the quilted wall hanging my daughter-in-law Steph made me for my birthday a number of years ago. I think it is so cute and it is certainly one of my prized possessions. So that is the last item featured here.

For Carly's Question of the Week, she wanted to know if we used an SLR or a point-and-shoot. I use an SLR -- a Canon EOS 10D. It is quite big and bulky, though, so I have ordered a Nikon Coolpix to keep in my handbag.

To see the entries of other bloggers or to participate yourself, go to Carly's blog at the link in the first sentence and check them out!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Socksie looking pretty, on display

2009-04-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Steven of (sometimes)photoblog has set aside Fridays for Feline and Furball day -- sometimes including Feathers -- and here is my post to comemmorate this Friday. Above we have Socksie on my display cabinet, looking pretty and like she is on display herself. She is almost in the "catloaf" position but not quite. ;-)

To learn more about Steven's Friday posts, go to the link in the first sentence. It is enjoyable to participate in this blogging meme!

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #32a -- Flowers

2009-04-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

I was thinking I would have to take a break from EMPS for a couple of weeks as I planned to go to the coast, but I have cancelled the trip and so am able to participate after all. I have chosen to do Carly's Option #32a, Flowers, and I have Extra Credit due to featuring a pink flower. This was a pretty rose that was blooming in my rose garden last year.

If you would like to learn more about EMPS, use the link I have included to head over to Carly's blog. She has directions there for participation.

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- By the Numbers

2009-04-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

This time, the Round Robin Photo Challenge has the theme of "By the Numbers," and I chose to photograph items in my home with numbers on them. The first is a counted cross-stitch embroidery I did quite a few years ago that says, "After 40, it's patch, patch, patch." Obviously, I embroidered it after I turned 40! LOL!

The second is a plaque I was given that says, "Every life should have nine cats." A cute play on words, that.

Last is this month's calendar, which is hanging on my rear entryway wall. Due to light reflection, you can't see the 21st very well but that's my birthday, so the month has a special meaning to me.

To participate in the Round Robin Challenge, go to the link in the first sentence above and you will find directions there. It's lots of fun!

Feline with Furball Friday -- Socksie on the dryer

2009-04-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's Feline with Furball (and sometimes feathers) Friday today, and my shot of cats (or rather cat) for the week is of Socksie reclining on the warm dryer after I had taken out a load of clothes.

To see other critters, go to Steven's (sometimes)photoblog, where he posts the last week's blogging participants and the current weeks' bloggers are in the comments.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #31 -- Footprints

2009-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

The theme of Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot on her blog Ellipsis is "Footprints." Boy, this was a difficult one for me! I guess it hasn't been rainy enough to go out and walk in the mud and track it into the house. There have been times when I have tracked in perfect footprints. LOL! The best I could do was the footprint in the mud of my driveway, above, and it is a little bit difficult to see. The lines on the bottom of my walking shoe are what show up the best.

Carly's question of the week is, "Which is easier to photograph, animals or children?" I would say children, because when they get to a certain age, they will follow directions. Animals just do what they want!

I am looking forward to seeing what the other bloggers do with this theme. To find out, go to the link in the first sentence and check the comments. In the post, you will find last week's participants.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #30 -- Things That Float

2009-03-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

My post today for Carly's photo shoot #30, sponsored by her blog Ellipsis, focuses mainly on boats, since they have been a pretty big part of my life. I have loved them since I was a little girl and my grandfather took me to see them along the seawall in Stockton, California. That is my memory, anyway -- which puzzles me because Stockton is inland a ways. Perhaps there are canals that go inland. I should look it up, no? LOL!

Anyway, my first picture is of my late husband Steve and the Lin Wa II, a glass-bottomed boat we took a trip on during a vacation in Hawaii in 1992. It was quite fascinating to see the fish and underwater plants as the diver pointed them out down below.

We were crazy about boating, and owned the following sailboat for quite a few years. It was our favorite place to be on weekends and even sometimes during the week. We had it moored at Astoria, Oregon. I sold it following Steve's passing.

I still like to go out to the Oregon coast when I can and get pictures of boats. Here is a fishing boat coming in at Newport, Oregon, into the Yaquina Bay Harbor.

I have stayed in Astoria, too, on the river, and got a picture of this container ship and other boats from my motel room window. There is generally quite a lot of traffic on the Columbia River at this spot.

As far as the Extra Credit goes, with Carly wanting to see seasonal shots: Some of the boating activity may be seasonal, as there are times in the winter when the boats can't go out due to storms. The commercial activity I photographed above took place in the spring and the fall.

To answer Carly's question about whether, if I got an offer to be a photographer for Playboy or a similar magazine, I would accept it, the answer is a resounding "NO!!"

To see links from last week's EMPS as well as this week's, listed in the comments, go to Carly's blog via the link in the first sentence. There are always interesting blog entries to look at!

Round Robin Photo Challenge -- The Old Place

2009-03-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

The theme of the Round Robin Photo Challenge this time is "The Old Place." I have a couple of "old places" to share this time around.

The first is my own house, which was built in, I believe, 1927. It is a little two-story cottage and looks like this:

It was remodeled at various times along the way so the inside doesn't look old.

The second "old place" is the Jesse Settlemier House in the nearby town of Woodburn. It looks like this:

I toured it one day and it is an interesting house. It has been kept in its early state inside, for the most part. It was built in 1892 by Jesse Settlemier, the founder of Woodburn. It has 14 rooms. Weddings are held here.

For more Round Robin Photo Challenge participants, go to the link in the first sentence. You will also find instructions to play. It's fun!

Feline and Furball Friday -- Socksie on the coffee table

2009-03-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today is the day for Steven's Feline and Furball Friday, sponsored by his blog, (sometimes)photoblog. I caught this picture of Socksie this morning just as a friend was arriving for breakfast, so it was a quick snap of the shutter to catch her on the coffee table, where she was looking so comfortable.

For more information, go to the link in the first sentence above and you will find links to the participants on his site -- the past ones in the post and present ones in the comments.