New Year's Eve

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We spent New Year's Eve with some friends.

I hope you didn't get too "tipsy" this New Year's Eve. :-)

One more thing to cross off the list :-)

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We went bridesmaid dress shopping today for Miss J's wedding........after shopping at 2 dress shops, and multiple trips into the fitting rooms trying them on...........the girls found THE PERFECT dress!  I can't give too much away...........but I can tell you the dresses are knee length, and available in the colors and style that Miss J had in mind. Now onto the next thing......anyone know a good DJ? :-) 

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 250, 1/30, f2

Oh my Darlin' Oh my Darlin' oh my Darlin' Clementine.......

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Nature's candy. Sweet, delicious, nutritious, AND on sale for only $4.99 a box at Shaw's this week. :-)

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 400, 1/20, f2.7

Blue skies shining on me

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The thing about shooting snow scenes is you have to get out there while the snow is still stuck to the trees. I call it "you gotta get the gettin' while the gettin' is good."

It was great to see the sun today.

I hope you had blue skies shining on you today too.

It's a marshmallow world that we live in........

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Do you remember yesterday's photo of the day? Scroll down and take a look if you haven't seen it. It's a shot of the tree on my front lawn looking across the street to the neighbor's house. Now, this first photo from today was taken at the exact same spot at 5am this morning.  It was kinda still snowing. :-)

This next shot was taken from the same spot this afternoon, 24 hours after yesterday's shot was taken, and after the snow has finally ended.

My poor tree!!!

The Specs:

Photo one: Panasonic LX3, ISO 250, 1/8, f2

Photo two: Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/250, f8, +2/3 ev

Oh the weather outside is frightful.........

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Just a quick shot taken from my front porch as the snow was steadily falling this afternoon. It's going to be a wild night outside weatherwise.

The Specs: 

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/100, f5

Christmas Blessings

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I hope your day was full of smiles and wonderment. Merry Christmas!

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/60, f4.2

What Christmas is all about

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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"

"......That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

A Christmas Greeting

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From our family to your family........I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

I shot this photo this morning at the East Bridgewater Common. It's scenes like this that are the reason why I love to photograph the beauty of New England.

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/125, f11, +2/3 ev

Hope I'm not in trouble!

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I saw the big guy today. I'm not sure what that look on his face and the point is all about. Good grief Santa.......could you have at least given me a little smile? I've been a very good girl.......shouldn't find my name on the naughty list........but this photo has me a bit concerned.

Perhaps I would have gotten a smile if I used the Nikon..........

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/50, f2.5

Winter Solstice

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I hope you find a place to be warm and protected from the harsh winter winds and temperatures. Today is the shortest day of the year....and the longest night. You can look at it this way........the countdown to Spring has begun! :-0)

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 500, 1/3200, f7.1, +2/3 ev

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

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It's snowing here. Finally. I am very happy to see it. Looks like we may have a white Christmas afterall!

Todays photos were taken at Beaver Brook in Abington MA.

The Specs:

Photo one: Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/125. f5

Photo two: Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/100, f2.2

Santa

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"Santa Claus is anyone who loves another

and seeks to make them happy; who gives

himself by thought or word or deed in every gift

that he bestows; who shares his joys with those

who are sad; whose hand is never closed against

the needy; whose arm is ever outstretched to aid

the week; whose sympathy is quick and genuine

in time of trouble; who recognizes a comrade

and brother in every man he meets upon life's

common road; who lives his life throughout

the entire year in the Christmas spirit."

EDWIN OSGOOD GROVER, Vicki Howard's The Book of Santa Claus
       The Specs: Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 25 sec., f32                                                                                                                                     
                                                  

Did you know?

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The cane shape

"The distinctive "hook" shape associated with candy canes is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany, who, legend has it, in 1670 bent straight candy sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's crook, and gave them to children at church services.^[5] The shepherd's staff is often used in Christianity as a metaphor for The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. It is also possible that, as people decorated their Yule trees with food, the bent candy cane was invented as a functional solution.^{"
                                                                                                 ****From Wikipedia****}

Dyno-mite!!!!!!!!!

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What a fun time I had today!!! I did my very first doggy portrait session. The subjects? My friend Matty and his girlfriend's simply amazing dog, named Dino.

The eye's have it!!!!

I can't stand it. How precious is this dog?

And this.......love it in black and white!

Now, these are going to be a Christmas present for Stephanie.........Matty has to keep her away from my blog for the next week. Shhhhhh.........Mum's the word. :-)

No place like "home" for the holidays

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The stockings were hung.....errrrrr.....laid by the mantle with care. This is at my parents house and these are the original stockings of me and my siblings. Can you tell I am the baby of the family? My stocking doesn't match the other 3. I used to get upset by the fact that mine was different, but once reminded that mine was the BIGGEST, I didn't really mind anymore. :-).

One more tid bit about this photo. See the Noel sign? Well, I painted that for my mother a few years ago. Yes folks, not only am I a photographer, but I also can be quite crafty (although I haven't picked up a paint brush in several years. I much prefer pressing the shutter.)

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 2.5s, f6.3

Pretty little redhead

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Here's the scoop. I'm working on a portfolio project for camera club. The theme I have chosen is Family Farms in New England. This project is a pretty big deal, and I'm feeling the pressure. Today, with my good friend and fellow photographer Diane by my side, I visited several farms in Rhode Island. Our day began at 5:30 this morning and we arrived at our first farm destination before sunrise. Oh, did I mention the fact that the temperatures were in the teens today with 30 mile per hour winds? It was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G!!!!

We had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful farmers who were more than happy, and even quite proud, to show us around their farms and barns and greenhouses. I owe a lot to these wonderful folks for their kindness and hospitality.

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/500, f11. -1/3 ev

Landing

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It's such a busy time of the year........rushing here and there.......trying to get all of the shopping done........and the wrapping done.........and the holiday parties to attend..........I hope you can take some time from all you have to do, and find a nice comfy place to land and relax from all of the hustle and bustle.

The Specs

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 500, 1/320, f5.6

Cast of characters

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Does this image conjur up some happy childhood memories? You know, back in the day when life was so much simpler, and each year, you would gather around the tv with your family on that very special night when Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer was on? I was always so excited on that special night.......even though I was afraid of the abominable snowman. (You must admit, he is kinda scary.)

"Rudolph" is Mr. S's favorite Christmas show. He imitates a pretty darn good Yukon Cornelius too! :-) I bought him this set of characters last year. Here's a test for you.........can you name them all?

I added the Christmas light frame (using the program Picnik). After all, it is the Christmas season and I reserve the right to be tacky if I so choose.

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 400, 1/25, f2.1

The story of a wreath

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I stopped by this tree farm in VT yesterday.

See the wreath hanging on the lefthand side of the shed in this next photo?

Well, it now lives comfortably all lit up in my house!

I chose an aperture of f29 for this shot to give the lights a starburst effect.

As The Seasons Change

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I've been looking forward to posting some snow shots here on the blog, and today, I finally found some snow..........up in Vermont and New Hampshire. This is the Pemigewasset River in Woodstock NH.

A barn in Barton Vermont:

And here's some frost on the window of our VT house:

It was such a beautiful day today. The temps were in the 20's, but there was virtually no wind so it felt very comfortable to be outdoors. It was great to see the snow today. I've been looking forward to it. I'm sure by the time March rolls around, we will all be sick of it and anticipating the coming of Spring. But, for now, I am enjoying the beauty of winter in New England.

The Specs:

All Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens

Photo one: ISO 200,  1/5, f10, -1/3 ev

Photo two: ISO 320, 1/200, f13

Photo three: ISO 320, 1/100, f5.6

Caught in the act! :-)

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I went to the mall today to start my Christmas shopping (I know, better late than never). This is a photo of one of my bestest friends, Mary. She bagged me taking pictures at the mall, and I bagged her walking through the mall on her cell phone. It was great to run into you today Mary......literally. :-)

***************************

On another note, today is day 266 which means only 99 more days to go. We are down to double digits!!!! Thanks again to all who support me both publicly and privately. I know there are many others who view my blog project on a regular basis..........I caught Mary in the act today, and she caught me.........now I would like to catch YOU!!!!!!!!!! Come on you lurkers out there...........please let me catch you in the act of lurking and leave a comment and introduce yourself. I really would love to hear from you!!!!!! Thanks!

Cocoa-mojo

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The temperatures are in the teens tonight. A good night for cocoa. It warms you up.........and it's chocolate. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/60, f5.6

The Old Man and the Sea

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A VERY cold and blustery day today. Certainly not a beach day, but I think I've mentioned here before that being by the ocean is where my Dad is the happiest. So, off to the beach we went today. We didn't stay out of the car for long, but the salt air we breathed in for those few moments, was good for the body, and good for the soul!

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/1000, f8, -2/3 ev

"Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated."

Quote from The Old Man and the Sea

Christmas Art

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This is a little tidbit of my favorite decorated tree at the Christmas Place in Abington. There are several "themed" decorated trees there.........all are beautiful........but this country themed tree sings to my heart. I decided to give this shot a little artistic flair including the "snow" I added to the image. Christmas card perfect? I hope you think so!

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/4, f2.2

Do you like cornbread?

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I made a homemade chicken soup for dinner tonight. With my family, it's just not right unless it's served with cornbread. I know this from experience. Last time I made soup and didn't serve it with cornbread, I had to bear the wrath of the masses. :-)

The Specs:

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 0.5s, f7.1

Not a CVS advertisement

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Antibiotic ointment?........check

Rubbing alcohol?......check

Small circular bandages?......check

Did Jay get his lip pierced today?......check

Deep breaths..........I had to keep reminding Mr. S.............he's such a great kid, causes us no trouble........things could be a lot worse................it's just a phase......deep breaths........

The Specs:

Nikon D90, ISO 400, 1/3, f7.1

Finding inspiration

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I went to the bookstore today. :-)

Thanks Andy!

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/13, f2

I've gotta keep swinging

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Photographically speaking, I seem to have hit the wall. There's no doubt about it.......I'm in a slump! I suppose this is a normal thing.....taking a photo every single day for 259 days now is challenging. I'm not beating myself up by any means.......just gotta roll with it and hope to find some inspiration.........soon. :-)

"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."

Hank Aaron 

The Specs:

Panasonic LX3, ISO 100, 1/15, f2.8

I'm not glum, chum!

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After reading yesterday's blog, my sister Nancy called me asking what is wrong.......why was I in a "GRAY" mood?????? I'm sorry if I came across that way!!!! Be assured........I'm fine and dandy!!!!! :-)  Besides, I went for the color today....in a big way! The sunlight was streaming through the kitchen window lighting up the fresh flowers.

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. "

              Steve Martin

:-)

soft petals

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A rose is a rose is a rose...........even when there is no color. I took some macro shots of some fresh flowers that I received for my bday from my friend kathy F. :-) Thanks again Kathy.....I love them!!!!!!!

This is a yellow rose......but as I played around in Photoshop, I really liked the look of these gray tones when I desaturated the image. Normally, I would most always prefer a flower in it's original color state. Don't know what's come over me! I also kept the contrast low. I like the light gray shades and didn't like the image as much when I introduced a darker contrast.

Hmmmmm....gray day yesterday......gray image today. I wonder if a psychotherapist would find some deep rooted meaning behind my images of the past few days?? Maybe tomorrow will bring some color to my photography....and my mood. :-)

Good bokeh

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It was a very gray day here in Southeast MA. I took the folks out for a drive, but the lighting was flat and no photo ops jumped out at me. I stopped at Whitmans Pond in Weymouth on my way home and took some gull portraits. I used the old Panasonic FZ8 today (remember my first love?) :-) I really like the pleasing bokeh that I get from that camera. For those who may not know, bokeh is the blur in out-of-focus parts of an image. Note how sharp the gull (the subject) is, and then note the nice smooth background. The smooth background is good bokeh. Some lenses will produce a bokeh that is nice and smooth and pleasing to the eye, while other lenses produce bokeh which is distracting.

The Specs:

Panasonic FZ8, ISO 100, 1/320, f3.3, -1/3 ev

Blessed

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 Please meet my newest great-niece, Rowan.

She's perfect in every way!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Greg and Jess. We love you and are so proud of you!!!

"Every child begins the world again........"

-----Henry David Thoreau

Wooly bully

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Mr. S and I took a drive to visit a sheep farm in Lyme CT today. (Certainly not the kind of thing Mr S is interested in visiting.......but he was a good sport and accompanied me.........some would even call him long suffering.......but I think that's a stretch) :-)

It was a beautiful blue sky day here in New England, and the perfect day for a drive in the country. I am currenty invloved in a pretty big photography project........more about it at a later date........but that's the reason for today's trip to the sheep farm.

"Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro
Matty told Hatty about a thing she saw.
Had two big horns and a wooly jaw.
Wooly bully, wooly bully.
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.
Hatty told Matty, "Let's don't take no chance.
Let's not be L-seven, come and learn to dance."
Wooly bully, wooly bully
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.
Matty told Hatty, "That's the thing to do.
Get you someone really to pull the wool with you."
Wooly bully, wooly bully.
Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully."