You never know where a path will lead you. The wonder is in the journey especially with a camera in hand.
I really enjoy the creativite path of photography and being challenged to improve technique. I’m currently in an online photo community called Picture Inspiration on the Big Picture Classes website. It’s a 52 week creative space traveling with other women on the picture path as well.
Monday posts will have few words and will be reserved for my favored photos on my picture path. Enjoy!
This Saturday morning my son and I decided to explore the soft opening of Ranch Bakery. We may have a softer side because of it, if you know what I mean. But we were NOT disappointed!
As an aspiring photographer, I had to relish the food first.
Then I dove into deliciousness!
If you’re in the NW Houston area, check out Ranch Bakery owned by a BBQ aficionado, John Homrighausen, who also owns J-BAR-H Texas Catering. He and my husband have shared many a BBQ and bacon fun.
Next week Ranch Bakery will be rolling out meat kolaches, sweet kolaches, cinnamon rolls, bakery pop tarts, and hand-pies!
New York, Central Park has the bird lady and my neighborhood has the duck lady? It’s not unusual (or maybe it is unusual) to find me lurking around our common ponds trying to get a shot of these feathered families. I’m so fascinated with watching nature nurture, protect, defend. I now bring bread (and carrot sticks for Miss Sadie Mae, otherwise she’ll howl) and my Cannon camera.
Mother’s Day weekend was especially delightful to watch them with wonder. Here at dusk, the families have joined together for feasting on breadcrumbs but not for long!
The mamma of eight is definitely the alpha duck. She calls the shots! When the family of five gets too close, she lets them know it. With her beak, she will pinch the tar out of one of the other chick’s neck. It’s so sad.
The family of eight also has the nicer sleeping rock, as it has easier access to the water. Believe it or not, she’s covering all eight here.
The family of five has the higher sleeping rock which requires some maneuvering. And, yes, I stayed until sunset to get these photos. They didn’t seem to mind the flash but they did keep a bird’s-eye on me.
All five are snug as a bug in a rug.
Until the “predator post” and pictures (stay tuned!), good night duck families. Good night.
During the Advent season I blogged about the below photos of Christ Church Cathedral in Downtown Houston at ADVENTure Blog Day 19 Sacred Architecture. However, today I’m entering these photos in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere in the Architecture category.
Of the pictures I took, this simple Christogram in a Moorish style window stood out to me most.
According to Wikipedia, “a Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol… In the Latin-speaking Christianity of medieval Western Europe (and so among Catholics and many Protestants today), the most common Christogram is “IHS” or “IHC”, denoting the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, iota-eta-sigma, or ΙΗΣ. The Greek letter iota is represented by I, and the eta by H, while the Greek letter sigma is either in its lunate form, represented by C, or its final form, represented by S.”
But to me, it’s a sacred window that points to Christ and reminds me that we are His when we believe on him as our Savior.
This photo is also sacred, especially when I took, as there was a priest leading a chapel service behind those closed doors.
Taken in the courtyard of the Cathedral, this photo highlights the stained glass, architecture, and the beautiful landscaping.
Sacred architecture, sacred moments. God is the architect of my life, my body–His Spirit’s temple.
Landscapes are my entries today in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere in the Landscapes category, as well as “Feet” in the Monthly Theme “Feet” category.
This familiar picture was featured in my post Going Off-Road and is the path Sadie Mae and I frequent on our walks.
The below two pictures were taken at Reimers Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas. This beautiful park has almost three miles of continuous frontage along the Pedernales River and is well-known by the rock-climbing community.
On a day trip, I followed my Scout leader husband, our Scout sons, and another Scout dad, as they tested climbing spots for their Scout Troop to experience. I was in photography bliss. We were only there a few hours but those hours in nature revived my soul.
And below are the feet of those I love and am thankful for on my counting up to one thousand gifts.
138) Dad coaching son on climbing
139) Son's climbing feet
This last “feet” picture is my son’s Christmas present. All he wanted were these Vibram Fivefinger toe shoes.
And to wrap up my giving thanks counting to one thousand gifts, I’m also thankful for
140) the quality Scout program my guys are involved in 141) with all they are learning, 142) the skills they are building, and even 143) the values they are applying.
Boy Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Boy Scout Law
A Scout is:
Macro shots were my entries today in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere in the Macro category.
Macro photography are close-up shots of typically very small subjects. I recently borrowed a macro lens from one of my husband’s friends. I am now enamored by small objects. My wish list has “macro lens” written all over it!
Want a piece of me!? I just love the capture of the enticing drop of ice cream. You can enjoy this yummy berry cobbler and ice cream over at Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX (west of Austin). Not only is this dessert delicious but the atmosphere of this restaurant is down-home fun. My Love has drug me to many a BBQ places and Salt Lick, hands down, has the best brisket I have ever eaten. Drive out of your way to experience eating at this place!
A beautiful mum from a simple Costco floral arrangement–I took the arrangement outdoors for God’s perfect lighting and captured these delicate golden and pink petals.
Sunflower capture from the same Costco arrangement–I was taken by the contrast of purple and orange colors and the micro hairs on the purple peddles.
These macro shots lead me to Thankful Thursday and counting to One Thousand Gifts:
132) I am thankful that God created small details of wonder and function–from small insects to the make-up of our DNA…
133) I am God’s created and even called His royalty, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9
134) Thankful for the opportunity to take Mastering Manual Mode photography class over at Big Picture Classes.
135) The joy of teaching children and affecting the next generation.
136) Finding the “want to” in exercise and eating healthier.
137) Studying God’s Word with my mama through Community Bible Study (CBS).
Faith photos were my entries today in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere in the Faith category:
If you know me well, you know that the above pictured verses are my life verses (Matthew 22:37-39). I don’t live them perfectly but they are what I will always strive for, sometimes willingly and sometimes with my heels in the sand because, frankly, I don’t always love my neighbor which can be whomever I’m crossing paths with (i.e., a family member, a store clerk, a fellow volunteer, a teacher, a co-worker, etc.) But I believe the Christian life is summed up in these verses.
Each year the season of Advent becomes more and more special to me as my family intentionally focuses on the real reason for the season. I took the above picture some Christmas’ past. The symbolism struck me after the family departed the room. I sat and reflected noticing the candles illuminated the nativity in the background which led my eye up to the symbol of the cross on which Christ died for us. It was a holy experience that led me to keep the nativity on that same chest throughout each year. I see it daily reminding me, beckoning me to look forward to Christ coming for me when I die or His second coming on this earth.
The Bible teaches us that if we ask Jesus to be our Savior from our sin, we have been adopted into the family of God and He forgives our sins! When Jesus went back to heaven, after His resurrection, He said that He would prepare a place for us (John 14:3), and someday He would come for us so we could live with Him. Knowing that Jesus has made a special place for us in heaven gives us hope.
When we hope for some big event, like a holiday or a vacation, we don’t forget all about it, do we?! We don’t just wait for it but we try to be ready for it! Advent season reminds us that we must be ready. We don’t just want to be ready for Jesus at Christmas—we want to be ready for Him to return at any time.
The way to be ready for Jesus is to believe and love Him, tell others about Him, obey Him, and again love one another, as in my life verse above.
And this last photo entry is of the Bible opened to the book of Luke, chapter 2 which tells the story of the birth of Christ. I used it as decoration in the entry-way of our home at Christmas time. But it wasn’t just decoration. The Bible opened here is a symbol of another life verse dear to me: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”
I highlighted the last sentence because by placing this open Bible in our entry-way, it was a symbol of “writing God’s commandment on the door frames of our house and on our gates.”
How about you? If you took photographs of symbols of your faith what would they be?
Another exciting day to participate in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere! Today, I am entering the People category with these photos:
I’m excited to be participating in the monthly PHOTO CONTEST over at Pix-O-Sphere! Today, I am entering the Food category. I can only submit three photos per category! Decisions, decisions, especially since I have so many pictures of food. Maybe that isn’t a good thing?!
Enjoy!
I’m Counting to one thousand gifts x2. I didn’t post on Thankful Thursday last week, so I’m double thanking today. I am thankful…
115) that my enjoyment of photography is rebirthing and for recognition of my photos on the home page of Pix-O-Sphere.
116) that I am “becoming” more disciplined with my health. God keeps pursuing me, not letting me go on this issue.
117) for the Made to Crave book and webcasts that are motivating me to better health.
118) this verse keeps coming into my life “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
119) that God continues to show me that He is God-I am not. He is the Shepherd-I am the sheep. He is the Potter-I am the clay. He is the Creator-I am His created… Living in that peace, not having to fix life but allowing Him to.
120) for opportunities to hear motivational speakers and serving with leaders who love God and those they serve.
121) for protection on a very long day’s journey.
122) for Financial Peace University and the communication, budgeting, and action my husband and I are taking to have financial peace.
