Dreaming of Spring

Today I tried to remember what the local landscape actually looks like without all of the snow. I thought about how green the valley looks when spring reawakens the earth. My imagination allowed me to breath in the fresh air and drown myself in the sweet rain. And the spring flowers dotted the countryside: snow drops, crocuses, daffodils, and tulips. (I make the above photo last year when the tulips were in bloom.)

I had a group of seven year olds in the library today. They wanted to know how many days are left until spring arrives. So, we looked at the calendar and found out that there are 12 days left until spring is suppose to arrive, even here in Central New York State. They also knew that the snow will still be on the ground on March 20!

Fortunately, the temperatures are suppose to be a bit warmer starting on Saturday. The daily high temperatures are suppose to be above 40 degrees F. We are going to start daylight savings time on Sunday, and I look forward to the longer days.

It has been a very strange winter here indeed. Actually, we didn't have much snow at all here until the end of January. We even had a green Christmas. However, we have suffered with all of the snow and very cold weather since the end of January. I read in the local newspaper that we received 85 inches of snow last winter and our total for this winter is 115 inches.

I recently found a quotation that brought me some comfort, "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." (Hal Borland) And so I hope and pray that winter will give way to a gentle spring.

Get to the Point: A Digital Photo Project

I was viewing some of my first photography projects when I came across this one entitled "Get to the Point". The original photo was taken with my trusty Canon point-and-shoot camera. First, I took a photo of ordinary yellow pencils. Next, I used Paint Shop Pro and created a digital photo art project.

I liked the effect of the digital editing technique. Now the ordinary pencils almost look like they glow in the dark. It's fun and challenging to use programs such as Paint Shop Pro because the possibilities are endless!

I have been spending a lot of time inside because of the terrible weather that we have been experiencing here in Central New York State. We had white out conditions on the roads yesterday due to very high winds. It was below 0 degrees F here this morning and the wind chill factor made it feel like -25 degrees F. We had yet another snow (or I should say cold day) here. This makes the 7th snow day that we have had (all in February and March.) That's a record! We will probably have to make up at least 3 days, so the school year will be extra long!

So, it is good to spend some time looking at my photos!

Baby Oh Baby!

I was so happy to be able to visit with my little nephew yesterday. Christopher is just seven months old and he is such a good baby. He loves to jump around in his jumper and babble. He can even sit up now!

Christopher brings so much joy to his family. He squeals with delight when he sees his parents (my sister and brother-in-law.) His big sister Rachel just loves to hug and kiss him. Of course, his grandparents (my Mom and Dad), argue over who will hold him. And his Aunt and Godmother thinks that he is such a handsome and smart little fellow.

I am posting my nephew's photo here in my blog. I took it yesterday and it is a very informal photograph! (I forgot to bring my Canon Speedlite flash.) However, I know that this photo will definitely go into his scrapbook!

Now, I have to start a scrapbook for him. I have started scrapbooks for each of my nieces and my other nephew. I plan to give them their scrapbooks when they are older. Kay loves to look at the photos in the scrapbooks when my mother and I are working on them. It is well worth the time to put these scrapbooks together (although I never seem to be caught up on them.) "We gather up pictures and bits of our past and scrapbook them into a gift that will last." ~Kim Rinehart. Does anyone else do scrapbooking projects?

I am going to have an early night. We are having horrible weather here in Central NY State again. The wind is just terrible and it is blowing all of the snow we already have around. We are getting some snow flurries and the visibility is very bad. And it is bitterly cold. Where is spring?

Make A Wish

I had a wonderful visit with my niece this afternoon. Kay is a very lively eight year old who just announced that she has goals! She thought of these dreams all by herself and said that they were not for a school project. Here is her list:

--- Visit Hawaii

--- Learn to play the drums

--- Learn to ride horses

--- Learn more about cameras

--- Save money

--- Become a Librarian when she grows up

What an impressive list of dreams and goals! She even wants to learn more about photography. (I call her my photography assistant and let her use my Canon point-and-shoot camera.) I am especially proud of the fact that she wants to follow in my footsteps and become a Librarian when she gets older!

I am posting this photo of Kay blowing bubbles because it reminds me of her wishes. " God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them." (Anonymous) Although her goals will certainly change and evolve, it is refreshing to know that she is already dreaming about what she would like to do in the future. And there is no better time like the present to help her to begin to achieve her goals.

Just Ducky

I just wanted to post a fun image today, so I choose "Quackers". Quakers is one of the Ty Beanie Babies. The Beanie Babies were a real fad here in the US several years ago.

Our weather has been so dismal and I just wanted a cheerful photo. It didn't turn out the best, but it still make me smile. I like the bright, contrasting colors. I tried to photograph the duck using a different angle.

I can't wait for the spring days when I can get out and take photos of real ducks!

I hope that everyone is having a very good weekend!

Informal Potrait Photography

I attended my local camera club meeting this evening. Our speaker was a local photographer who owns his own portrait studio. He brought all of his photography equipment, including the lighting. It was very exciting to see him demonstrate how he takes studio portraits.

Our club was fortunate to see this photographer in action. We learned so many valuable tips. He showed us just how important it is to know the different ways to pose the subjects in a potrait. The club members acted as his models and we were able see the creative ways he composes his potraits.

In addition, he showed us how he uses his lighting equipment. Light is everything in photography, whether it is natural or studio lighting. It was so helpful to see him work with the lighting equipment. "Light is the signature of every good photographer." (Bill Hurther, Editor of Rangefinder Magazine).

I enjoy taking informal potraits of my nieces and nephews using natural light. Today's photo is one I took of my niece Rachel last spring. I used the available window light (to her right). She is such a natural model. I really enjoy taking photos of her and she is so patient with me!

It was wonderful to be able to get out in order attend the camera club meeting. We had a horrible winter storm here early this morning, complete with freezing rain, sleet, snow, and rain. It all turned into a slick coating of ice. The wind was so fierce this morning. I thought that we were going to lose more tree limbs. Luckily, the power did not go out. I am ready for some calm, peaceful spring weather!

I hope that all of you have a fantastic weekend!

Santuary

The wintry weather seems to be in full force here in Central New York State. Tonight we are getting sleet and freezing rain mixed in with snow. And the wind is just howling outside, too. This lovely mixture is falling on our enoromous snow banks.

So, I am trying to think about more pleasant thoughts. I am posting this photo because of all of the soothing green hues. I took this photo last spring at my favorite local nature perserve. It is called Root Glen and it is located on the Hamilton College campus in Clinton, New York.

I like to visit the area with my camera in hand. (Many local photographers go there, too.) There are many trails for hiking. There are benches thoughout the area, too. Birds sing and streams babble and meander. You can just be alone with your thoughts and it is such a peaceful place.

This is another one of my special places to just sit and think. Do you have such a favorite place?