Have you seen my cell?

Neither have I.  Here's hoping it surfaces pretty soon.  I seem to go on a scavenger hunt for lost items almost every day.  Phrase most often heard around my house:  "Today we're looking for . . . "  

My friend seems interested in joining the search.  Hey, have a wonderful day!

FOUND IT!  YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!  Don't you find that if/IF you're finally able to let go of whatever it is that's missing, that the item magically resurfaces?  I'm not so sure about the sleep lost last night while trying to reconstruct my life since the cell was last seen.  I think I just might find those hours on the flight home!  YES!  How great is that?  Spectacularly so.

2010-03-22

Helium-depleted balloons still hanging on from Stasia's shower.  Vibrant, incredibly colorful violas, Pellegrino, limes, fresh mint from our garden, pomegranate juice and/or do-it-yourself, far-less-acidic coffee.  Cost Plus critters.  Wonderful women sharing resources, laughter, ideas, questions and answers.  Things yet to be discussed.  And conquered, such as HOW THE HECK DID SHE MAKE THAT MONTAGE OF PICTURES/MIX OF MUSIC INTO THAT WONDERFUL YOUTUBE THING?  I'm sure it's very easy.  Yeah, right.  Tutorials next time.  Gifts of information and wonderful, wholesome creams to spread on our skin/thank you.  I'm sure I'm forgetting something.  I'll remember tomorrow.  Or not.  The last day to enjoy this year’s unbelievable crop of tulips, thanks to Don, The Gardening Guy/he'll be here next time, promise.  Hands helping others create a project that could go in so many different directions/send photos of where it went, OK?  Good.  All thanks to Ninon who shared this bit of brillance last week.  Side conversations which need to be continued.  Emails to and from Kathi regarding our upcoming pilgrimage to healing spots on the island.  A spring-time celebration.  Definitely a day to remember.  Thank you, everyone.  Jack Johnson, on Pandora as I type.  OMG/Better turn him off before I'm awake humming his tunes all night again.  Finally, The Most Wonderful Dessert, literally lapped up from Nacole's plate/you HAVE to HAVE this recipe/all from our garden.  Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont would be so proud!  How lucky am I?  Incredibly so.  Sweet, spring-infused dreams, all. 

Don't Delete the Duds.

Still one of my all-time favorite gifts: generating captions for pictures that I might have otherwise tossed.

I carried old photos with me as I ran errands along with Post-It's and pen to jot down possible captions. A bit of insanity leaked out at each red light.

As I sort through thousands of paper pictures, I have to remind myself that what was tossed in the trash could very well be a keeper.  All that's required is a little time in traffic combined with a willingness to take life a little less seriously. And we all seem to have that opportunity each day.  

Forget the flash

Which, in my mind, totally obliterates all the magic. Given the choice, I’ll Almost Always pick a slightly blurred shot over A Far-More-Flattened, significantly brighter, photo.

Simply steady your camera or yourself against a tree, post, rock or table/anything sturdy... Turn off the auto flash on "point and shoot" models, crank up the ISO if that's an option and fire away. For additional stability, use your camera’s timing device and/or a mini tripod.

So here are some of my favorite hand-held photographs. Know that I took a LOT of pictures to score a keeper. I'll add several stabilizing devices, such as tripods I use, on the product page.

What could be more incredible...

...than nature, herself? These two pictures are part of a much larger series dedicated to taking a closer look at all that is around us.  IF we take the time to notice. 

The first is one of my favorites. Cashews! Can you imagine? UNBELIEVABLE. What could be more creative/more colorful/more amazing? OK, perhaps the beginnings of what will eventually become a banana just below the cashew.