A Baby Oak

While walking at White Rock Lake today I came across an area covered with acorns. I noticed the brown color covering the ground and was immediately drawn to take pictures. I took a few pictures of the ground in general and then zoomed in to get shots of individual acorns. I like the ones with the caps still on. This picture shows the detail of the entire acorn.

Camellia

Today while looking for letterboxes at Mercer Arboretum in Spring, TX I came across a flowering Camellia plant. Boy did this bring back memories - these plants were everywhere in Lafayette, LA. I loved these flowers and I always thought they were beautiful. I also encountered a cypress swamp and spanish moss. I felt like I was back home.

The Canopy

Today as I walked the trails at Memorial Park I constantly noticed the tree canopy. It kept me sheltered from the rain, sun and wind. It was beautiful and for today very necessary. I read a little about this and it seems that The Canopy provides so much more.

Mission Espiritu Santo

My drive from McAllen to Houston took me through Goliad, TX. I stopped to do some letterboxing in Goliad State Park and while there I visited the Mission Espiritu Santo. The Mission is not in its original location - it has been moved twice and has been used as a school and cattle ranch. I had a great time wandering around the park.

Nuevo Progreso

Today Regina and I, along with her friend Norma went over to Nuevo Progreso Mexico. We walked up and down the main street. I took a few pictures of some colorful things as we made our way through town. The day started out cloudy but it wasn't long before the sun came out and we had a very enjoyable day.

Blue Skies

I have seen very little of blue in the sky in the last five days. So I was especially excited this afternoon when Regina and I were out to see the clouds finally part. I quickly started taking pictures to capture these Blue Skies. I hope that they will be more frequent for the rest of my trip.

Cycads

Today I was in McAllen, TX visiting my friend Regina. We ran errands all day and the one thing I noticed was all the palm trees. What better way to get a picture for this blog than to take photos of as many palm trees as I could, and from as many angles as I could. This one is in the family Cycad but I am not sure of the species.

Cemetery Angel

My letterboxing took me to a small out of the way cemetery this morning. It was on a back road in Elmendorf, TX. It was so peaceful and very quiet. The cemetery was very small and intimate. And one of the things I liked about it was that is was more casual and not so manicured. I took a bunch of pictures and this one of the angel really stood out.

Ghostly Tree

The last two days I have been traveling through Texas. Today I was in the Hill Country and I went to Enchanted Rock to do a little hiking. The FOG was unbelievable! I realized about halfway there I wasn't going to see anything that was more than 25 feet in front of me. At one point in my drive out to Enchanted Rock I pulled off the side of the road and got this picture of this ghostly tree.

Lion

I started my Texas trip today. The weather was uncooperative when it came to taking pictures. It was overcast and very cold. Mostly I was driving but I did stop a few times. I couldn't resist stopping at a playground to take this picture of this lion.

The Duck Pond at UNM

I was in Albuquerque today running an errand and doing a little letterboxing. My first stop was at UNM. I went to the Duck Pond to find my first letterbox of the day. It wasn't the most incredible box I have ever found but it was nice. A store bought stamp and journal, but a very nice place to visit. I always like the Duck Pond. It is a nice place to sit and relax, although this morning I didn't have much time and it was still a little cold.

Bird Watching

On Tuesday I will be leaving for a two week trip to Texas to visit some friends and to do some letterboxing. Today I stayed home getting ready for the trip. Since I needed to take pictures I took breaks through out the day and did some bird watching from the porch. I am not sure what kind of bird this is but you can go to this Birds of the Southwest website to take a guess.

St. Francis of Assisi

Today was an extremely busy day at work - I ended up working about nine and a half hours. So I didn't have much time when I returned from work to take pictures. Looking around the property I focused on a statue of St. Francis. This is a statue that Thomas' mom has had for years. I have alway liked it. With the sun hitting it just right, it had a "Glow".

Stairway to . . . Nowhere!

Years ago Thomas put up this spiral staircase on the property. It just sits there in the middle of the land with absolutely no purpose at all. Sometimes I will just climb to the top and sit. Looking out over the property and just relaxing. I did a google search for Stairway to Nowhere and I found this poem. I thought it was interesting and goes with the photo.

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, Dear Thomas,
Happy Birthday to you!

Today is Thomas' birthday - I love this day! If it weren't for this day he wouldn't be in my life. Thank you Thomas for being you. I Love You!

Good Morning, Santa Fe!

I was sitting in the living room and drinking my morning cup of coffee before going to work this morning. I saw the tiniest bit of golden light start to peek above the horizon. I quickly put my coffe down and grabbed the camera. I bundled up and went out on the porch and captured this amazing display of color and light. I really love the mornings and I am usually up way before sunrise - I love watching the sun come up - I guess I feel like it jump starts my day!

A Colorful Day

I was up early this morning and did my usual household chores. I then left the house to run errands. Once those were done I drove to PD Bean for my morning cup of joe. I relaxed, read The Reporter and thought about where I could go to take some pictures for today. After mulling over a few ideas I decided on Jackalope. I figured they always have a wide array of colorful things. So I spent about an hour just wandering around all over the grounds and walking through all their buildings. I did get quite a few colorful pictures and had a great morning.

Frosty

I had a few errands to run this morning, so I was out and about early. Once the errands were done I contemplated where I could go to take a few pictures for this blog. It occurred to me that I had not been up Hyde Park Road or to the Ski Basin since it started snowing. So I took the 15 mile drive along the snow covered road. I made it up to the Ski Basin and walked a little ways on the trail. I was able to get a few pictures then I made my way back down the road. I stopped at a few places along the way to take more pictures. I pulled in to the Black Canyon Campground and was surprised to see this wonderful snowman. It brought a smile to my face and I knew it would have to make its way to this blog.

The New Mexico Sky

I took a late afternoon/early evening walk around the property. I was looking for things to photograph. It was a little cold but I ended up walking and taking pictures for about an hour. I took pictures of everything - junipers, rocks, a few birds, yuccas, the sky, the sunset, a few feathers, etc.
I ended up choosing this picture because I seem to gravitate to the New Mexico sky. As I wrote on January 5th I love to watch the clouds. The wispiness of this cloud really caught my attention.

Museum Hill

After work today I went out to Museum Hill to take pictures for the blog. I didn't go into any of the museums today - I just walked around outside and took pictures of the statues they have all over the complex. It was very quiet out there today. It was very nice to wander with just my thoughts. I only saw three people while I was there. This is one of my favorite places to visit in Santa Fe.

I had a very busy day today. I worked out, went to work, ran two errands and went around Santa Fe taking pictures for my blog. It wasn't a particularly interesting day - it was just a day. But after everything my picture for today was taken as I was driving into the driveway. I always love the view from home. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset. And they are always a welcome site. They are the view from my home!

Steel Graphic

Today I went to the campus of the College of Santa Fe. I walked around the Fine Arts and Photography Buildings and took pictures of some of the art pieces that they have around the area. I really enjoyed the walk - it was a little cold but I was bundled up. They have some really interesting pieces and I'm still not sure if I really like them or not. But I have to say they really make graphic pictures. I chose this one as my picture of the day - but I put more pictures on my other blog - My Journal of Random Things . . .
Check them out!

Amateur Birding

This morning while doing household chores I noticed a large population of birds around the house. Since I am looking for things to photograph on a daily basis I promptly put the chores on hold, bundled up, and grabbed my camera. I went out and sat on the porch and let the little birdies get use to me. Once they relaxed and stood still for a minute I started taking pictures. I really liked this one - but after looking at my two bird books and doing a little internet research - I am still at a loss for which type this is. Is it a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher or a Mexican Jay? Or is it something completely different? If anyone has an opinion about this I would love to hear it.

Splash

Yesterday we got about 2 inches of snow - but today the sun is out. Still, on the north side of the house things are still a little bit frozen. The picture today is taken where some icicles were melting and dripping into a puddle on the ground. I was lucky enough to get a good splash after about 20 pictures. I also tried to take a few pictures of the icicles but none of them came out right.

Stark Contrast

I woke up this morning to a beautiful snowfall. It wasn't deep but the ground was completely white. I love watching the snowfall. I just think that the way the snowflakes fall is so graceful. Since it was actually snowing I decided to bundle up and go for a walk. That's another favorite thing of mine - walking in the snow. We have an arroyo a little ways behind the house. I haven't been out there in quite a few years. I had a wonderful two hour walk and ended up taking over 100 pictures. It was so peaceful, surrounded completely by white. I picked one photo for my picture for today but I had so many others that I decided to do a Snow Day slide show.

"Little Reader"

Thomas and I both like to read. And we usually read a little each day, mainly before we go to bed. Today was a lazy, stay at home day. It was overcast and rained on and off all day. So we read most of the day. The rain made it hard for me to go out and take pictures. And since we had been reading all day it lead me to go out and take pictures of this statue we have in our yard. I don't know if it has a name but we call it "Little Reader". After taking the pictures I searched the internet for a list of must reads. The list I found contains picks by Britian's librarians. I think I may have only read 25-30% of the books on the list - I guess I better keep reading.

The Evening Sky

The sky was mostly overcast all day today. And I love clouds. Since I moved to Santa Fe 18 years ago my appreciation for the sky and clouds had grown immensely. So early this morning I took a few pictures of the sky before heading off to work. And as soon as I got home I went out and took quite a few more. It was mostly cloudy with a little of the beautiful New Mexico blue sky peeking out. I was even able to get a few shots of the sun starting to go down and light rays beaming through holes in the clouds. I ended up posting this picture because of the subtle grays and blues - it just calmed me.

Boudreaux

Today was a long day! I worked! The hospital is really busy and one of the therapist called in sick. I arrived at 7:30am and didn't get home until a little after 5:00pm. At that time, I realized I hadn't taken any pictures for today. So I ushered Boudreaux outside for a little photo shoot. I hadn't done that since he was a puppy. Don't get me wrong I take pictures of him, but more of a here and there thing. I think at one point he got tired of me following him around with a camera. He started to look the other way any time I was in front of him. So I took a few last shots and then let him alone. I picked this picture because he was looking so soulful. I really would like to know what he is thinking - sometimes I feel that he should have learned at least a few words to be able to communicate with me - geez, I have been talking to him for 11 years now. Maybe I need to contact a pet psychic so that I can find out what he is thinking in this picture. Maybe not, I think I will just let my imagination run free.

Rudolph in Ice

Today was a day for running errands. I left the house early with a list in my hands and of course with my camera. I completed all my errands except for one - that one was downtown. So I decided to save that one for last and then I could walk around downtown Santa Fe and enjoy the plaza. When I arrived at the plaza I was happy to see that there were still some of the ice sculptures. I usually try to make it to the plaza on Christmas Eve to see the lights and the sculptures but didn't make it this year. So I snapped a few pictures and then continued to walk. I hit all the expected places . . . the plaza, the cathedral, La Fonda Hotel, Burro Alley and Loretto Chapel. I cut across a side street heading back to my car and realized one of my favorite places to visit was open again - Doodlets! It had been closed for a while - they were renovating the building. I was so happy to see it open that I went in and just wasted about a half hour looking around. If you have never been to Doodlets, I highly recommend it.

Yucca Pod

Today was a quiet day - I stayed home and did some of the necessary but tedious chores. So to fulfill my photo a day requirement I decided to take a walk on our property. We have great views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and a lot of wide open space. Trying to find things to photograph proved challenging. Since it is winter and cold and there is still a little snow on the ground I pretty much only had dead plants to chose from. Luckily a yucca plant provided me with this great pod to take pictures of.

Happy New Year!

Well, another year is upon us. Since it is the beginning of a new year it seems fitting to start a new project. I am going to try and take pictures everyday and hopefully get them posted that day - I am looking forward to this challenge. As I was thinking about this project and the new year I looked up information regarding the whole New Year Celebration. I found links regarding the history and traditions, and the way "Happy New Year" is said around the world. I hope you take some time to check out the links.