Coming soon to a BARK near you!

I'm so thrilled to share that my parents' goofy, happy-go-lucky lab Murphy will be featured in the "Smiling Dogs" section of the next BARK magazine which will be out around July 2!

It even earned my mom a complimentary subscription! :) Yay Murphy!



Now to get Grover in there... gotta choose a big grinning shot. :)

If you're not familiar with the BARK, and you are a dog lover, I highly recommend it. It's a terrific dog lover's mag.

So, can I say I've been published? Hahaha...

Do not laugh.

This is my bike.

It's one of my most favoritest things on the planet. I probably look like a goof on it. But I adore it.

I bought it last year and took this series of pics I was so smitten with it and all its girlie details...


I then got a basket for it, to complete the look. I had to. It SCREAMED for a basket.


Yes, I know it looks like Kermit the Frog's bike. I love it even more because of that.


The best part is that Grover LOVES to accompany me...


I mention all of this only to say that I just love to ride around town with my camera in hand (or basket, in this case)... and these were yesterday's shots. :) And my bike accidentally snuck in, and I decided not to crop it out!












So be sure to honk and wave at the crazy girl on the granny bike with the bulldog in tow! You can't miss her. ;)

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!

Julia

Listen.

Listening to your heart, finding out who you are, is not simple.
It takes time for the chatter to quiet down.
In the silence of “not doing,” we begin to know how we feel.
If we listen - and hear - what is being offered then anything in life can be our guide.
Listen.
(Author unknown)









Received that quote in a weekly HR EAP email at work today... thought it was interesting enough to share. =)

(Do you sense a theme? Completely and totally bizarre that all my recent flower photos have all been PURPLE. =) I guess when you really like something, it's what your eye constantly gravitates to.)

It really is a "dog's life"...

This is how Grover spent the weekend. OK, OK, so did I. It was too beautiful to be inside! And who doesn't love just soaking up all the beautiful sun and warm weather? Especially sitting here in 50* rain again?




And now I'm off to tie up my phone line calling in for David Cook. I've never watched American Idol ever, until this season. And I SO SO SO want him to win. I just want to hug him... he seems like such a good guy and there seems to be a shortage of those around. :) David Archuleta is a cute kid, but David Cook needs to win. Hmpf. That is all. ;)

whatever we lose (like a you or a me)...

maggie and milly and molly and may
~ e.e. cummings

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and



milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and



may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." ~Robert C. Gallagher

Shot this photo two years ago... I love this little old red building, especially in spring time. Alas, a sign has gone up that it is due to be demolished in 90 days. I hate change. I love consistency, routine, and comfort. Even if it means a run down old building.



But change is good, I know. :) So I took these photos this past weekend to say farewell!







Goodbye weird little antique building! I'm looking forward to what moves in! =)

Chickens and kittens and doggies, oh my!!

This weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go crazy photographing a friend's menagerie. (Hi Corrie!) =)

She has the silliest, cutest free range chickens...






And this one just strikes me so funny, looking right at me. What a little character!


She also has two GORGEOUS Newfoundlands, but we decided that the safety of the camera was tantamount, so I only snapped this one before I went in for some Newf-Wrestling. He's 150lbs and GROWING. He's just enormous. This picture does not do him justice. Note: The fence was about as tall as me. ;) Gives you an idea, right?


Holly was a wee bit smaller, but for 10 years old, she could seriously MOVE!


I think my camera truly loved her two gorgeous Maine Coon cats Turkey and Zeus. Aren't they beautiful?!








Thanks for having me over, Corrie! =)

"Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine." ~Jeffrey Glassberg

I drove out to Norwich today to visit the Chelsea Gardens Foundation Butterfly Pavilion. They are just graceful, gorgeous wee beasties. They were plentiful - The New London Day says there were 1,000!


The flowers and plants were gorgeous...






So peaceful, just taking it all in.




They loved to land on everyone and every thing...


But this was the only little guy who landed on me. (Which I was really ok with!)


It's over tomorrow (Sunday) but I'm told they're releasing them into the "wild". =)





Was definitely worth the trip!

Thursday night entertainment/incompetance...

I'd like to consider myself an intelligent, logical human being.

However, I'm hoping some of my photographer friends read this pathetic plea for help.

B&H delivered this lovely reflector to me today as recommended by the lovely Carla Ten Eyck during her workshop. =) And darned if I can figure out how to get this sucker to fold back up. I'm already tired of flinching from fear of its recoil, and being attacked by my rambunctious dog who thinks it's the awesomest giant Frisbee EVER.



It took me a whole summer how to figure out how to collapse similarly built pool lounge floats, but this is apparently beyond my skill level.

If ANYONE is around and feels like posting some incredibly easy "Duh, I can't believe I thought this was hard" tips, I would appreciate it. The "fold it like a taco" tips I googled aren't helping. At. All.

=D