What the heck is that?

There it was perched on the western landscape like some big giant white bird. You could see it from quite a distance, the geometry an antithesis to the natural world. It beckoned, we came. What is it, where is it? Any ideas?

Spring Snow on Stellers Ridge, Colorado

The snow that we were waiting and waiting for finally arrived. It caused major mayhem on the freeways and in town but on Stellers Ridge we were happy to see it.

This was a moderate snowfall for us. One that really did not cause us much trouble at all. One that we are very grateful to receive. So the snowplow came out of the corner of the garage at last and onto the F150. A path was plowed from the house to the saddle a third of a mile away where our street sign tells us where to turn. (If the sign looks out of place to you in the photo you can imagine how we feel about it.) And in the last photo, if you look real close, you can just make out our mountain abode at the end of the road. Drop in for a visit anytime. But be prepared to stay awhile if it snows.

Friday Favorites - Flower Photography

I would like to introduce a new feature to my blog called Friday Favorites. There are many great photographers with many different styles. I will select a new theme each Friday to offer an enjoyable and grand variety.

Today I will share three of my favorite flower photographs. With the cold snow piled up against my doors and windows these luscious flowers bring spring to my little studio in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I hope they bring you delight too!

Be sure to click on the photographers name (or the item name) to go directly to their shop.

allieart4children
original 5x7 fine art photograph....evening



zuppaartista
SPRING SALE-BOGO FREE-Cotton Candy Petals-rose photograph-signed 8x8 print



McGuinness Photography
Romancing the Lily - Photo Greeting Card

I would like to invite all of you to start your own Friday Favorites page. We can start a network of outstanding photography! Any photography blogs want to join? I'll add your blog link to my Friday Favorites page too!

Western Bluebird Art Print

Western Bluebird Art Print
Can you hear the melodious song of the Western Bluebird as he sits on the yucca searching for his mate?

Western Bluebirds

The other day I was driving down to the mailbox and noticed seven or eight bluebirds! I was so excited because I have rarely seen one. Luckily I had my camera next to me. I tried shooting out the car window but that did not work. I quietly opened my car door and gingerly peeked over the hood expecting them to take flight. But they seemed quite unpreturbed as they perched on the yuccas allowing me to shoot several shots. Let me know which one you think is the best capture; one bird, two birds or three birds.

Sunday Morning Gallery - Writing Contest for Children

Here's the challenge kids. Write a story, 200 words or less, about the stone giant that you see in the pictures below. Hmmm. Looks like a head, heart, foot and hand. Wonder why his heart is broken? Why does he have only three fingers? Is he smiling? What do you see?

I will have two age groups, 4 to 8 and 9 to 12. Parents please feel free to type and help your child email me the story but do not write the story for your child. This is for the kids! The two winners will have their story published in my blog and receive a 5x5 print of the giant's head. The deadline for entry is April 11, 2009 and the winners will be published April 19 just before Earth Day! Good luck kids!

Please send me your story with your first name, age, and where you live. Send to: jsoulen@stellers-park.com Good luck!

Tattoo

Last night I went to have a consultation for my first tattoo. I spoke with Mez Love. I had in mind generally what I wanted but still had some questions as to the design. She was wonderful to work with and immediately came up with a great idea. I can't wait to see her finished design!

My inspiration was this little statue of a wolf sheltering a woman. It has always reminded me of my "soul dog," Keota. She was ever watchful over me in the gentlest of ways, like a wise old spirit, as I believe she was and always will be. So I took my photos of her and this little statue. Part of the design is also a white dove that has great spiritual significance to me. This is so exciting an experience for me and I am so happy to have a true artist doing my first tattoo!

Sunday Morning Gallery - Hope Rises Each Day

For me hope rises with the sun. I can not help but feel renewed when I see our beautiful star rise above the horizon. And even though I have seen many sunrises they are all different. Every one. Some are soft and innocent like a newborn, while others are bold and full of explosive energy.

With so much fear and despair in our world I offer hope that with each sunrise we have a new day to do better and be better. Go for it!

Road to Town

It is an unsettled spring day in Colorado. The dark cloudy sky looks as if it is about to dump rain or snow but there is no moisture in the forecast. The dusty road winds across the top of the ridge to the saddle, a low point, where the road turns down into a steep ravine. It is always this ravine that becomes impassable when the spring snows come. This year they did not come so we hope for rain instead. It makes going to town easier when the steep road is clear of ice and snow. And there are no complaints when the plow sits idle. For now we will wait and see if the rains come. These are my thoughts as I bump down the dusty road.

Many Thanks!

I have so much to be grateful for that it would take pages and bore you all to death! But I can not let pass unnoticed some wonderful photographers that have been a support and inspiration to me.

First let me mention a wonderful blog about two of my favorite things, M45: A Nebulous Conglomeration of Music and Photography. In the recent post, Sepia Sunday, C. Wade has been generous enough to include my work, "Lust". Check out her blog for wonderful photography.

Second I would like to thank the photography blogs; Gypsy Moon Designs, Celtic Cat Photos, and allieart: photography benefitting children. Each one has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! Thank you so much!



Here are the rules: List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are KReATIV!

In no particular order of importance here are my seven.

1. Photography - I've always had a creative side to my personality but it was not until my husband saw a talent and encouraged me to pursue photography that I became passionate and emboldened about my work.

2. Dogs - I have been so lucky to have found the wonderful four leggeds that have enriched my life. As with people, they come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. Each unique. Each a blessing.

3. Home - I have fulfilled my dream of living in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. My brother gave me a sign that says it all, "If you are lucky enough to live in the mountains, you are lucky enough."

4. Friends - I do not have a wide circle of friends, but a small and intimate one. Each are teachers, therapists, and true buddies I am grateful to have in my life.

5. Books - Books were my first love. They took me all over the world. They showed me new cultures and experiences. I went to the library every week as a child. Now I am lucky enough to have a library in my home where I keep all my treasures.

6. Health - I am so blessed to have a strong and healthy body in my 50s. I've always loved hiking and I am proud to say I can still bushwack up a steep rocky slope to get that perfect shot or just take in the view. In fact, I just tore my jacket crawling through a barbed wire fence this week. Some people never grow up!

7. Family - I'm not an overly "mushy" kind of gal, but when it comes to my family I melt. My husband of 37 years still sweeps me off my feet and we are blessed to have a beautiful talented daughter.

Check out these wonder photography blogs that I am nominating for the KReATIV Blogger Award!

Matt Allen Photography
Rareimage Photography
Beholden to Nature
Honeytree Photography
Joshs Photo Vortex
Urban Junkies Artist Lounge
365 by Joanna

Sunday Morning Gallery - Friday Night

The night was warm for the first week of March in northern Colorado. The storefronts of the small western town were ablaze with light giving the narrow sidewalks filled with young lovers a festive feeling. The gallery and bistro doors were open, beckoning all to come in and browse or have a micro brew. The serious conversations of the week before were vanquished in the magic of the night and the evening was filled with mirth and good will.

Old Style with a New Edge

Sometimes what I see with my "mind's eye" is not always the same as the raw data that the camera captures. It is fun to look at something old, rusty, and broken and see new beauty in a different way. These photos have been altered to change the focus and target specific elements that I saw when I shot the original photo. Here is what I saw.

Old Style

I love old things; old jewelry, old furniture, old houses, and old wagon wheels. I'm not sure why but maybe it is the patina of age that gives things an aura of beauty. Most things tell their history, including people, in the lines and scars of age. It always makes me stop and wonder who rode in that wagon long ago. Was it a family on a picnic under this very tree where I am standing?

There are plenty of old wagons returning to the earth of Colorado. Here are a few of the images I have captured along the way of my journey.

Sunday Morning Gallery - Song of the Flower

Many talented poets and writers have written about flowers so today I will share a favorite of mine.


Song of The Flower

I am a kind word uttered and repeated
By the voice of Nature;
I am a star fallen from the
Blue tent upon the green carpet.
I am the daughter of the elements
With whom Winter conceived;
To whom Spring gave birth; I was
Reared in the lap of Summer and I
Slept in the bed of Autumn.

At dawn I unite with the breeze
To announce the coming of light;
At eventide I join the birds
In bidding the light farewell.

The plains are decorated with
My beautiful colors, and the air
Is scented with my fragrance.

As I embrace Slumber the eyes of
Night watch over me, and as I
Awaken I stare at the sun, which is
The only eye of the day.

I drink dew for wine, and hearken to
The voices of the birds, and dance
To the rhythmic swaying of the grass.

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

But I look up high to see only the light,
And never look down to see my shadow.
This is wisdom which man must learn.

- Khalil Gibran