May 2009 Photo of the Month

Some months I simply cannot choose one; but a storyboard counts as one - right?

22 years and counting...

This past weekend Paul and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. We just went out and had fun. The weather was perfect, the dinner was delicious and we really enjoyed ourselves.




Happy Anniversary to J and C. (They celebrated their anniversary this month too!)

Baby S. 1 year birthday!

The first birthday is a special and important milestone and it was PERFECT!

My first attempt at Skype--a success!

Today was my first attempt Skyping! My daughter called from Oregon and we did it all online on Skype! What a great mother's day present! I highly recommend Skyping for those who have friends and relatives out of town.

Thanks J!

Love you!

As promised from yesterday's post "THE NEWS!"

Those that know my work from way back, know that I shot nature and wildlife for years and was a Field Contributor for Nature Photographer magazine. I've been blessed to have a plethora of wildlife right here in my backyard (literally!)

There has always been this one caveat hindering my ability to really capture the full beauty of the wildlife that passes my windows...and there are... there dreaded window grids, or as Paul and I like to refer to as "rick-rack." I hate them, yes, that's right! I said it, I HATE them!

I have always had to maneuver between 8 x 10-inch squares to get the shot and when I have a big buck walking past my window, Gracie Claire and Coco, or "the kids" (the raccoon family of five we have living here) I have to always shoot through a square--well no more! I LOVE my new windows!!

I couldn't believe how much they opened up the room and made it look bigger. They will take a little getting used to at night, because there is a little bit of "creep factor," because believe it or not the grids did offer some privacy, or at least the feeling of privacy--now it's as though I can touch the darkness.

I'll gladly deal with the "creepy factor" to have these two spacious-grid free pieces of glass from which I hope to get some amazing photos this summer!

There is one drawback we've already noticed within the past 24 hours of having the windows installed... and that is that the birds are used to the grids, so we rarely had them crashing into the windows. They'd bump from time to time, but this morning we heard a "thud!" I was almost hysterical and thankfully Paul rushed to this little guy's aid. I thought he was a goner, but Paul took some time with him and eventually he flew off--success!

Meet Gracie Claire and Coco

If you are a follower of my blog, you've seen Gracie Claire and Coco before, however they weren't Gracie Claire and Coco then. They were a pair of Mallards that just showed up one day.

We thought they were just stopping by like all the other wildlife we're so lucky to see on a daily basis, but they've since become residents and now they have names. Paul and I have become very fond of this pair.

They've been coming to the house every day for over a week and they are smart, they know where to find us and what room we're in and if we don't see them, they will knock with their bills on the back slider waiting for us to come out there.

If we leave the slider open, they'll walk right in and make themselves at home--and that is not allowed! (We're working on that...)

So without further delay, meet Gracie Claire and Coco. (These photos are not the best due to the grids I have on my windows, but I have *NEWS* about this tomorrow!!)