It's Me... Honest

Temperatures

2012-02-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Although we're still enjoying spring - like temperatures here in New England, snow is expected tomorrow. Old Man Winter is not quite absent.

Isn't it funny how 50 degrees in October and 50 degrees in February feel completely different?

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments,
embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour."

~John Boswell

Snapseed

2012-02-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying snapseed on my iphone for some time now.

They have a desktop version for macs - being a sucker for photo apps, I tried it out.

It does everything you can do on your phone. I haven't messed around much with the editing features, but tried out some of the other edits. I like the ease of center focus in snapseed, as well as the easily applied vintage effects. It's super easy to use, and will

be handy when processing lots of photos. I'm looking forward to trying it combined with textures in photoshop.

( before)

(after processing with snapseed for desktop)

I just signed up for Susan Tuttle's toy camera with photoshop class. I'm looking forward to learning more photoshop techniques. I've been a fan of Susan's photography for some time, and am excited to have the opportunity to learn from her.

Six Words

2012-01-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

Every day is a new beginning.

Photo taken with Canon Power Shot on miniature setting, processed in PSE using radlab actions with textures by Kim Klassen

Summer !!!!!

2011-06-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

School is officially out, and while teachers everywhere are celebrating, parents probably are not.

I wonder how many kids are bored already?

My niece is not bored - or boring for that matter.

Wearing pink, glittery Chuck Taylors are sure to brighten up any rainy day.

Gloomy and Dreary?

2011-05-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

(If I could, I'd invent a sniff button so you could smell these lilacs...)

The weather around here has been just plain dreadful.

Raw, rainy, foggy and plain old depressing.

My lilacs are in full bloom under my living room window, and it's too cold to

open the window and enjoy the smell wafting in on a warm breeze.

Of course, the dogs don't seem to care if it is raining or not, and need to be walked.

As I meandered through my misty neighborhood with the greyhound and his puggle, I could hear all birds calling and singing, going about their business. The trees, bursting with green, drip-drip-drips of rain landing on new leaves

seem to be relaxing

after the business of coming alive again.

It made me realize that this weather isn't so bad after all.

Texture Tuesdays

2011-04-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

Sweet Treat and Silence textures by Kim Klassen

Keeping Up

2011-04-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

silent night and history textures by Kim Klassen

I've been busy trying to teach myself photoshop... I am no good in classes that all seem to be taught by men who are scientists. I always feel like I need a translator.

Thankfully there many amazing blogs and tutorials out there, with people more than happy to share their expertise.

(And I wonder why I am still in my pj's in the afternoon, with housework and laundry piled all around me...)

Spring

2011-04-09T15:47:00.001-07:00

Ah, hello spring!

So glad to see you here today...

I'm playing along with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.

Will I see you there?

December Flew By

2010-12-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

It's almost the new year again...

December has been good to us.

We are freshly coated in 18" of sparkly white snow.

No fun to shovel, but pretty to look at.

Greg spent hours shoveling. I spent hours cleaning as we had to have

the house appraised for a refinance.

There's nothing like a deadline to make you get organized!

Daisy loves the snow...

Leo prefers the couch.

Time Flies

2010-09-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

QUEEN ANNE"S LACE

I can't believe I haven't posted in over two weeks... yikes!

School has started again, so I've been busy setting up my classroom and getting ready for the new school year. I have an extensive classroom library of young adult books, and seriously underestimated the time it would take me to organize everything.

My students this year are going to fun, so I am really looking forward to a great year.

Not much else has been happening in this neck of the woods.

I visited my friend Pam and met her happy love-bug of a horse. I miss horses!

We dodged a hurricane, which is good - I was not looking forward to flooding in my basement.

The way the meteorologists were talking it up, the end result was a bit boring.

My husband loves salt water taffy, so we headed up to York Beach, Maine to hang out.

Oh, and we went home with two pounds of assorted salt water taffy.

I hope all of hubby's new fillings stay put!

PAM AND GUINNESS

GUINNESS LOVES CANDY

MUNCHING HAY... GUINNESS'S ROOMIE

SALT WATER TAFFY IN THE MAKING

THE TACOS WERE DELISH HERE...

WHO DOESN'T LOVE A GAME OF SKEE BALL?

THE SKY WAS AMAZING!

I KNOW IT DOESN'T LOOK IT FROM THIS PHOTO, BUT THE SURF WAS AMAZING! THERE WERE SURFERS EVERYWHERE WHICH I FIND AN AMUSING SIGHT IN NEW ENGLAND

REFLECTIONS

I hope you are all well, and enjoying the end of your summer.

I don't know about you, but I love autumn, so this is one of my favorite times of year.

August Break ~ Blustery

2010-08-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Textures by Kim Klassen

August Break ~ Before and After

2010-08-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Texture by Kim Klassen

August Break ~ More Catching Up...

2010-08-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

sunbeam

coneflower

sunshine

trio

cowboy

Lake Champlain from Charlotte, Vermont

August Break ~ Birthday Boy (and girl)

2010-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Leo is five years old today.

Seeing as Daisy is the same age as Leo is, and I have no

idea when her real birthday is, I have decided that today is her birthday too.

She doesn't seem as excited as Leo.

August Break ~ Before and After

2010-08-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Break Free Texture by Kim Klassen

August Break Catch Ups...

2010-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

Pink Zinnia ~ 8/4/10

Farmer's Market ~ 8/5/10

Life is Rough ~ 8/6/10

Containers and a Bee ~ 8/7/10

Duo Flamingo ~ 8/8/10

Yellow Watermelon for Breakfast ~ 8/9/10

August Break #2 ~ Smooch!

2010-08-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

August Break #1 ~ Picket Fence

2010-08-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's nice to have a ratty picket fence in need of painting...

Crayons

2010-07-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Just a random Leo picture... we seem to have an extreme case of lazy-itis around here!

One of the reasons I have a hard time posting here on my own blog is that I spend hours and hours looking at everyone else's blogs. There are so many talented people out there it's ridiculous!

I love that blogging has really opened up the availability of "meeting" people and seeing their work that otherwise you'd know nothing about.

I have recently stumbled upon loads of great sketchbook and illustration blogs, and am loving them all.

I have been a doodler and have loved to draw for most of my life, but haven't always been consistent about it. I remember used to spend hours and hours drawing horses and ladies in fashionable clothes. I still have a few of my sketch books from back then.

Remember Brenda Starr?

I used to color the back of the comic strip and black crayon and trace pictures of Brenda over and over again. As a result, most of the ladies I drew on my own always had super long lashes and a sparkle in their eye.

To this day, I still love the smell of crayons. As a matter of fact, I just bought a jumbo box of them at Target. I couldn't resist!

Who knows? I may even get around to starting a sketchbook again.

A Different Perspective

2010-07-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

You might notice that the above picture is upside down. It's not - I was. Well, sort of.

I was sprawled on my living room floor in front of a fan. (It sure has been hot in New England this summer!) I looked out the window and noticed how blue the sky was, grabbed my camera and took these pictures from the living room floor.

Sometimes all you need is a new vantage point.

All ducks in a row

Lazy greyhound

Clouds floating by

Puggle's perspective

Doorways

She keeps an eye on things...

... wrinkles and all

Hope you are all enjoying your summer days - wherever you may be!

To Do List

2010-07-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

1. Clean kitchen

2. Drink ice coffee

3. Water flowers

4. Eat watermelon

5. Do laundry

6. Pick flowers

7. Fold laundry

8. Sit in front of fan

9. Stare at folded laundry and hope it magically

puts itself away

10. Bathe the smelly puggle

11. Chase berserk, soggy puggle around the house

12. Sit in front of fan, put feet up and read*

*Have you read Little Bee by Chris Cleave? I'm really enjoying it so far...

Lazy Sunday

2010-07-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

We are having a lazy Sunday...

It is quite easy to do when it is something like the 14th day of a heat wave.

Our house is a wind tunnel with every fan we own set on high.

I'm not sure why being lazy causes me to feel guilty.

Leo has no problem with it, that's for sure!

Sunday Evening

2010-04-25T19:01:00.001-07:00

Working on "The Skinny"

2010-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

I sometimes neglect to post new entries here because I'm so busy browsing everyone else's blogs.

There is so much talent and loveliness out there!

I discovered Kim Klassen Cafe via Soul Aperature. I recently fell in love with

using textures, but have been avoiding photo shop because it all seemed overwhelming.

Not any more!

I'm taking Kim's "skinny" course that explains photoshop

so that normal humans can understand how to use it.

So far I'm loving it!

If you have any time be sure to browse Kim's blog... there are lots of terrific photos and hints found there.

You won't be sorry if you stop to visit Christina too. Hers is one of my favorite blogs.

Her photos are lovely and her words are thoughtful.

In the meantime, watch this space for my amazing new photos!

;)

If You don't Like the Weather...

2010-04-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

... just wait a minute.

We are having the weirdest spring.

March roared in like a lion, and stayed that way.

We got over a foot of rain last month.

Today it was 91 degrees.

Crazy.

The dogs were less than thrilled about

the heat as they aren't used to it.

It's a bit too early to drag out the fans.

After all, it's supposed to be in the 40's and raining on Saturday.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

2010-03-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

April showers are a month early this year.

Last week, we had a crazy storm that dumped six to eight inches

of rain here in Massachusetts. A few days later, two more inches.

Monday, we are supposed to get another five inches.

Sheesh.

I am a fan of the occasional rainy day, but this is getting ridiculous!

There are so many people around here who have sustained massive

flood damage, and they just can't get dried out.

Let's all send positive thoughts their way...

In the meantime, I will be thankful it hasn't been snow.

We'd probably have ten feet by now.

Spring has Sprung...

2010-03-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

We seem to be having an early spring. Lots of stuff is already starting to bloom, and the trees are starting to bud.

There is also a dandelion blooming happily in my garden. Yikes.

How pretty are these crocus? Or is it croci?

I can't wait to go pansy shopping.

I love pansies.

I'm thinking maybe next weekend will be planting pansies time. I still need to clean up from last fall's mess. Better late than never, I guess.

Don't you just love spring?

January Blahs...

2010-01-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

I officially have the winter blahs.

However, I have noticed hopeful signs that we are on the tail end of winter...

It is staying light out longer, the buds on the trees are becoming a teensy bit more noticeable, spring clothes are out in the stores, there are seven more weeks until daylight savings, and there are more and more people out running. (That probably has more to do with New Year's resolutions and training for the Boston Marathon, but still!)

I hate wishing my life away, but I am really looking forward to spring.

If someone could just come and vacuum up the black icy snowbanks, that might help too!

Love this song!

Winter

2009-12-31T17:41:00.001-08:00

We are ending the year with a wintery day.
My kind of snowy weather... a few fluffy inches.
Enough to coat everything with a fresh layer of whiteness.
As I wandered around with my camera this afternoon, I was glad that
I was lazy about my autumn clean up.

I hope this new year finds you happy, healthy, safe and warm.

Brrrrrr...

2009-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

Dust of Snow

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change in mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

~Robert Frost

The calendar says winter is still four days away, but the wind and temperature say it has arrived.
I don't mind too much... There is still lots to photograph, and we New Englanders take a certain pride in braving the elements.
I hope this finds you all cozy and well.

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-11-17T13:26:00.001-08:00

Whew!
I've been neglecting this blog big time!
My computer is so slow lately, I haven't had the patience for downloading pictures. I'm saving my pennies for a Mac Book.

Daylight savings has really thrown me for a loop this year. I seem to get home from work, eat dinner, sit down for just one minute and -
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ - I'm out!
(My husband says I snore, but I really think it's the dog.)

Despite the early darkness, I love this time of year. There are still bits of color here and there, and you can see the shapes of the trees. It's still autumn, with one toe in winter.
Brrrr!
Time for cozy nights with hot chocolate and a good book.
Fabulous!
Now, if only I can stay awake...

Pink

2009-10-29T07:21:00.001-07:00

Bee
Originally uploaded by kjhp

Stream Of Life
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

~Rabindranath Tagore

Pink Thursday

2009-10-22T17:34:00.001-07:00

Pinkness... in a cute little package!

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

Out and About

2009-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have lived here for ten years, and still can't get over how many people descend on my city in the month of October. Usually we avoid Haunted Happenings like the plague, but this year we decided to chance it. It was crowded - but fun. We'll have to get out more...

I'm not sure why I am always the one doing silly things for the camera...

What can I say? She was cute. :P

I didn't get my camera out in time to get the druid that came strolling out of this place...

This young man managed to act fairly dignified despite his neckwear.

I hope you are all enjoying your cities and towns today, wherever you may be.

Puggle and Postcard

2009-10-10T13:28:00.001-07:00

This is Daisy.

She came all the way from Ohio to live with us. I may need my head examined... Three dogs in a small cape house is a lot! We decided to adopt a third dog because my greyhound Suzie is aging rather suddenly, and my other greyhound Leo cannot be alone. I want to have a dog already part of our family and not have to make a haste decision about a new dog when my old lady girl passes. (Sniff! :( )

Miss Daisy arrived from Ohio this morning. I had to meet the adoption group in a Walmart parking lot at 9:00 am. It was a strange experience. The adoption group trucks dogs to New Hampshire from Ohio in a big Ryder van. (Boy was that van smelly!!) They make this trip every other week. Can you imagine? There was a litter of puppies and about 15 dogs all milling around with the people who were there to meet them and bring them home. The woman was very sad to part with Daisy. She told me that Daisy started her life with an abusive family, then went to a family that had to give her up because they lost their home. The adoption lady had her living in her home with her, and felt she needed more attention than she could give her. Now she lives near the ocean in Massachusetts with us. So far, she is very cheerful, snores quite loudly, and likes to help put away clean laundry. Leo and Suzie don't quite know what to think... they'll keep you posted.

My day has been fun today with the new addition, but it got even better when the mail came...

I got a postcard from the fabulous Christina of Soul Aperture.

Isn't it beautiful? It's such a treat to get pretty things in the mail. The postcard was part of a kindness swap hosted by Pixie Dust.

Thank you ladies!!

Pink: Echinacea

2009-10-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Part One: Life XXXII

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I ’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

~Emily Dickinson

Crisp and Delicious Day

2009-09-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

I have a day off from school today...

Happy Yom Kippur to all of you celebrating it.

It is a gorgeous day - blazing blue skies, crickets humming, a breeze blowing, perfect temperature... all scrubbed clean by a rainy day yesterday.

All I need is someone to come over and bake me an apple pie.

Any takers??

Fall is Here... Almost!

2009-09-21T10:11:00.001-07:00

Today is the last full day of summer.

Summer seemed so fleeting...

I love the days of autumn.

Blazing blue skies,

cozy rainy days,

intense colors everywhere you look.

Still plenty of time to soak up the sun, too.

Back to School...

2009-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

Back to 5:00 am alarm clocks every day and sleepy, sometimes sullen teenagers in the morning.

Boo!!!

The good news is, I can get some fun early morning light shots.

Even if they are a bit crooked.

Most of my sunrise shots are taken by sticking my hand out the car window with the Coolpix while driving.

Rest assured, I do keep my eyes on the road while I'm doing it.

Hence the interesting angle...

How lucky am I that I get to drive by the ocean every morning when the sun is rising?

It makes me resent my alarm clock a little less.

Winding Down (and Up)

2009-09-04T14:11:00.001-07:00

Whew!

A long weekend at last!

OK, so seriously, I can't really complain. It's been a summer full of long weekends (and weeks).

I am one of those lucky people who has the summer off.

Yup.

I'm a teacher.

I started school last week, and am glad to be back, but not glad to set the alarm for 5 am again.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying a long weekend. No alarm clocks!!

Today is absolutely gorgeous - perfect temperature and a slight breeze. I love this time of year. Summer is winding down, yet not quite ready to give up, and autumn is approaching, but willing to share the same space.

Leo loves this weather too...

I hope you are enjoying this lovely weekend, wherever you may be.

Leo

2009-08-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Leo,

I know. I get it.

You are bored.

If I can be really honest, you are

also a tad bit pathetic. I know I've been promising you a trip to the dog park, but there is a small problem with that.

You see, it's been really, really hot this week and the dog park is dusty

and doesn't have much shade.

May I remind you that you hate the heat?? You are also not a huge fan of baths - something you'd be in dire need of after a trip to the hot, dusty dog park.

You should take the advice of Suzie. There's a girl who knows how to spend a hot sunny day.

(Fantastic. I'd be in front of the fan too, if she wasn't hogging it all the time...)

Yes, Leo, and I'd love to have some room on the couch too...

Anyway, things will be more fun soon. It can't possibly be this hot forever, and in two more weeks, dogs will be allowed at the beach again. In the meantime, can you please stop stealing my shoes?

(No problemo... Are those new flip-flops you're wearing?)

Cherry's Meadow

2009-08-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures in my friend Cherry's yard.

There is something fabulous to be found in every nook and cranny.

She has plants and flowers everywhere, beautiful in any season.

I never really looked that closely at Queen Anne's Lace until I started taking photos.

Overstating the obvious I know, but they are so, well... lacy!

Note to self: Plant lots of daises next year...

Summer Bounties

2009-08-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down...

Two more weeks until school starts.

Happy time for parents, unhappy time for teachers.

I love back to school.

I'll miss lazy days, wearing t-shirts and flip-flops, and sleeping until whenever I want,

but I am looking forward to the structure and routine of teaching.

In the meantime, I'll be enjoying the flowers, fruits and veggies of late summer.

Yum!

Rainy Lazy Days

2009-08-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

We are having a couple of drizzly days around here...

Kind of nice, seeing as I have been too lazy to water the tomatoes, and they are starting to protest.

Leo is bored.

I keep promising to take him to the dog park, but it has been raining.

As you can see, he does not suffer his boredom lightly.

He has been languishing on the couch all day, occasionally heaving great, pitiful sighs .

It's working though.

The cookie jar is getting emptier.

Poor dog.

Could you resist this face?

I can't.

Beach Days

2009-08-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Aaaaah... August.

The start of my favorite time of year.

Long golden days topped off by deliciously warm evenings full of fabulous light.

After the June and July we've had here in New England, somebody owes us.

August evenings are perfect for heading to the beach.

Lots of photo opportunities, and no need to worry about sunscreen.

If you are in New England, head to Gloucester.

If you are lucky, you may find me at my favorite beach.

I'll be the one with the camera around my neck basking in the light.

Just make sure you mind your toes around feisty crabs...

Summer Nights

2009-07-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

I just love late summer evenings. The light is golden and amazing, the air warm, (but not too hot!) and sunset seems to last forever.

We went to my favorite beach the other night and searched for treasure with our niece and nephew.

Seagulls...

2008-11-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

I may be one of the few people in the world who really enjoy seagulls.

I don't care if they are the rats of the sea... the beach wouldn't be the same without their raucous conversations and shadows swooping over the sand.

I also really enjoy the fact that they hang around and let you take their picture in hopes that you may have a snack for them.

Superbowl Sunday

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

My friend Christine and I went into Boston this afternoon. She could care less about football, and I can take it or leave it. We met at Barnes and Noble, then walked from the Prudential Center to Faneuil Hall, where we had a fabulous dinner at Zumas. She was very patient with my having to stop and take pictures every ten feet. Turns out, Superbowl Sunday is a great time to go into town. We felt like we had the whole city to ourselves. It's a good thing we are not so invested in football... the Patriots lost.

Tuesday feels like Monday

2008-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

Back to school today after a nice long weekend.

The kids were a bit restless - full moon and end of term stress.

Unfortunately many of my students realize they are failing and panic about it on the last day of the marking term.

Why they don't worry about it during the other six weeks is beyond me.

I still have a cold - if I sneeze any more, my eyeballs are going to pop out of my head.

Leo had a great time while we were at work today. If he could write, his blog entry would look something like this:

Today was very boring. The humans went to work, and I was stuck here, bored.

I can't get the black dog to do anything... she just growls from her spot on the couch when I try to talk to her.

Bored, bored, bored.

REALLY hate this blue boxy thing on my face. I mean really, how's a guy supposed to chew on a nice pair of shoes with this thing on?

Bored, bored, bored.

Hey... maybe if rub my head hard enough, I can get this thing off...

Got it! Yippeeee!!!!

Now for the gate...

[You'll have to imagine the crashing sound here]

Got it! Yippeeee!!!!

Mmmmmm this trash can sure smells good...

Needless to say, Greg came home to quite a mess.

And Leo is not feeling too well.

Sigh.

Who knew?

2008-01-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

I forgot that I had even started this blog. Well, apparently not even started it as I haven't written anything yet!

Sadly, not much in the way of inspiration today. No school (yippee!), but am in the midst of a lovely head cold. Sort of hard to be clever when your ears are ringing.

I visited my friend Leslie in NY this weekend. It was fun - very relaxing. It is always nice to see Leslie. She makes me laugh, and she is a special education teacher too, so she gets what I go through every day.

I stopped in Stockbridge on the way home to take some photos, then stopped at Revere Beach.

Opposite sides of Massachusetts, and equally freezing on both ends.