Favorite images of 2012

It's that time of year again when we look back over the past year......where we have been....what we have done....and pick out our favorite images we have taken.
I will share my favorites from 2012 here in chronological order.

January of 2012 I was fortunate to not only see a Snowy Owl in the wild, but to photograph one of these graceful predators in Duxbury MA.

A beautiful January sunrise at Duxbury Beach

The winter of 2011/2012 did not bring much snowfall to New England, so I was glad I went to Wollaston Beach one early morning after an overnight snowfall. Here is the Squantum Yacht Club.

"The Solo"

This lone tree image was taken as I was hiking up Prospect Hill in Brownington VT. The lone Crow in the tree makes this image for me.

March brought me out shooting with the new (to me) 70-300 mm lens and I just like the curvature of the branches in this sparrow image.

We spent a wonderful March weekend in VT during maple syrup season and these next three images are my favorites from that weekend.

Sunrise at Crystal Lake in Barton VT

Spring arrived and I got some environmental portraits of this nesting swan in Weymouth MA.

The Spring of 2012 was pretty much spent at my fathers hospital bedside, but I did manage to head out to Saquish in June for a photography outing.

My Dads homecoming after spending 9 weeks in the hospital.

Early September in Middleboro MA

Seyon Pond in Groton VT on a still morning with peak foliage. This morning was my "photographic moment" of 2012.

Thanks for sharing 2012 with me.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas 2012. I can't believe the day is almost over. We had a fantastic day here in the S household and I hope you all had a wonderful day as well.
I want to share with you a picture of my great niece, Rowan.
                      ******CUTENESS ALERT******
 Good Lord this child is adorable!!!!!! I just love her and her coat and hat. That coat and hat just kills me!!!!!!

I know it! I warned you!!!! :-)

Here is Christmas love between mother and child.

Love this,

Precious moments and precious memories.

Bless the little children!!

The recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT has left a profound impact on all of us and I'm sure will change America forever. I pray for all of the families who have been devastated and hope that the love of their families, their community, and their nation will help them to get through this holiday season.
How blessed was I to spend some time this morning with our great niece, Mckenna, who is up visiting from South Carolina. Each time Mckenna has visited over the past few years, I have put her up on the blog and shown her off to all of you.
She is perfection in every way. There is no doubt about it. It's amazing to see how much she has grown, and her little personality is showing through. She's a little sweetheart......so well mannered, and so well behaved. Kudos to Shantal and Brandon for being such wonderful parents. :-0) Mckenna is very bashful, but she warmed up to us after a while. So much in fact that she made her way over to an empty booth in the restaurant where we were gathered for breakfast this morning, and was having fun with the reflections in the mirror.

This is what Christmas is all about!!!! I wish you a very merry Christmas.

Peace and love,

Carol

One of America's darkest days

Darkness......sadness.....how could this happen?

Horror

Anger

Shock

Grief

With tears in my eyes.........grieving for all of those at that Connecticut Elementary School.

Elementary School????? Elementary School???? This can't be real. Please tell me this isn't real.

This isn't supposed to happen.

Prayers.....

Here comes Schnoodle Clause

Rudy is really getting into the Christmas spirit......

Kaitlyn and Joe's wedding

It was an honor and a pleasure to attend the wedding of Kaitlyn and Joe this weekend. You must remember Kaitlyn and Joe???? They have been featured here on the blog a few times over the past year. They got married down the Cape (that would be Cape Cod for those of you not familiar with the term!) The reception was at the Counamessett Inn. It was gorgeous and all decked out for Christmas. The perfect place for a December wedding!!
 Here are the newly wed Mr. and Mrs. taking their walk down the aisle of the church.

Kaitlyn's Mom and Dad are best-est friends with me and Mr. S. I would like to introduce them to you here........Nancy is "THE NANCY I" who frequently comments here on the blog. She was a stunning mother of the bride, and handsome Tony didn't look too shabby himself! :-)

Oh Kaitlyn......you are gorgeous!!!!

Just look at the expression of happiness on their faces. Sigh........so special!!!!

The perfect ending to a perfect evening......

For Kathy

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Kathy, who lost her husband yesterday to Pancreatic Cancer. Kathy was with me a few years ago on the day that  I took this image. She came out shooting with me on a gorgeous Spring day. We spotted this Great Blue Heron and I wanted to wait for him/her to take flight. I knew it was going to be a while, and Kathy was so kind and told me to take my time.......no matter how long it took for me to get the shot I was after......she would wait with me and just enjoy the day and enjoy being outdoors. That's just the kind of friend that she is.

This image is a symbol for you my friend. Be strong......have patience as you go through these difficult times.......and take flight. You are stronger than you think.

Love you......

Winter's First Whisper

The firstsnowfall of the season is always exciting. The first day of December ushered in the first snowfall here in Southeast MA. Not much.......just enough to pretty things up a bit!