Louisiana Belle

Finally at rest...

2012-02-18T13:01:00.002-06:00

Life is but a stopping place,

A pause in what's to be,

A resting place along the road,

to sweet eternity.

We all have different journeys,

Different paths along the way,

We all were meant to learn some things,

but never meant to stay.

Our destination is a place,

Far greater than we know.

For some the journey's quicker,

For some the journey's slow.

And when the journey finally ends,

We'll claim a great reward,

And find an everlasting peace,

Together with the Lord

Hope to be back to blogging and visiting everyone soon. Right now I'm overwhelmed and also a bit numb. My love and appreciation for each of you is immeasurable.

Hanging On

2012-02-11T08:39:00.000-06:00

I deeply appreciate the care and concern on my last post. I am also thankful for the caring emails and it is killing me that I'm unable to respond to them. I've been stuck at the hospital with only my iPhone for internet. My eyes aren't that great so I was hoping soon to go home and update you and hopefully give good news.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Yesterday I made the horrendously difficult decision to remove my mother's life support. The dr. thought she'd be gone in a few hours, but here we are 16 hours later and she is still hanging on.

I've been blessed with the support of family and friends throughout this ordeal. We are in a Catholic hospital so my mother has had lots of annointings, prayers, and rosaries said for her. She loves this faith and so this has been a great comfort.

Thank you all deeply for caring and I will touch base with each one of you very soon. God bless.

Get Well Wish

2012-02-05T16:32:00.000-06:00

Mama, no matter what happens after all the trauma we've been through this week, I'll always remember you as a beautiful, gracious, southern lady. But please hurry and get well. I feel painfully lost without you. God, I could really use a miracle right now. And if I only get one, I'd like to use it here. Thank you.

The Language of Windrush Gardens

2012-02-01T11:18:00.000-06:00

Having a little fun today. :)

Hey down there! Anybody have some deodorant I can borrow?
(Statue: Wounded Amazon)

Perhaps after my bath, darling.
(Statue: unknown)

Can't you see I'm deep in thought here? Stop pestering me! You've been like that for a century, anyway.
(Statue: Young Hermes)

This ivy is a cool adornment, don't you think?

Hermes: That Wounded Amazon reeks!

Zeus: You're telling me!

I think I'm too far away to help you, Amazon!
(Statue at Barton Arboretum just outside Windrush Gardens)

Sorry, I'm busy with my grape harvest. Perhaps some flowers will grow up around you and mask the smell.
(Statue: unknown)

No can do. I'm part of the grape harvesting team!

Fallen camelia bloom

Camelia

Never fear! Hippomenes to the rescue! Here, catch!!

Forward! March!

Tell me, George, how did we end up in this swampy mess?

Stop complaining Stella and follow me. We'll ask this fella perched on the branches if we should stay or go.

It's not that bad, guys. Just give the swamp a chance.

Mrs. Photographer, can you cease with the annoying clicks? You're scaring me, therefore, I refuse to pose for you! Scram, okay?!

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for visiting (and humoring) me today!!

Rural Life

2012-01-31T18:59:00.000-06:00

The pull of photography is almost a physical sensation. Today I HAD to get out of the house, and what better way to get my fix than the LSU Rural Life Museum? Take a glimpse of Louisiana housing in the 19th century. (I used my 55-250mm lens for these shots and didn't realize until I was almost done that the Image Stabilizer was turned off. Boo. I hate when that happens. Thankfully, I was able to salvage a few.) More to come!

See below for image detail of door.

Detail of door on image above. I'm trying to research to see if this was a common thing for slave quarters. I thought it was very cool!

Brown Pelican Facts

2012-01-27T13:38:00.004-06:00

For my dad's 75th birthday a group of us met for lunch in the historic city of Madisonville, about 60 miles east of Baton Rouge. The restaurant is located on the Tchefuncte (Cha-FUNK-tah) River with dining outside. I was so thankful I listened to that inner voice nagging me to bring my 400mm lens, for when I looked out onto the water there were dozens of brown pelicans and flocks of gulls. I immediately removed the 55-250 mm lens and strapped on the big guy.

Most pelicans hunt for fish by swimming on top of the water, scooping up fish as they go along. But the brown pelican approaches food gathering in a more physically demanding manner. Soaring above the water, they look for fish swimming close to the surface. Visually spotting their prey, they dive straight down from a height of sometimes 60 feet, stunning the fish on impact. This method of plunge-diving causes about 3 gallons of water to fill their huge pouches. As they open their bills and shake from side to side to release the water they will sometimes lose a fish or two. The gulls are right there to scoop up any cast-offs. I actually saw a gull brazenly nab a fish directly from the bill. Talk about drama! Yes, I'm easily amused.

This isn't my best work, but I'm posting it anyway. Normally I would say click on the photo for a larger, better view. But please don't. :)

Gull: GIve it up!! I know you're trying to hide it!!

Preparing for a dive

This pelican is trying to empty his pouch underwater in an effort to prevent the opportunistic gull from stealing.

Gull trying a sideways maneuver possibly to throw off the pelican's equilibrium.

Haha! Where are you now, you thieving gull!

Ooops, spoke too soon.

Meal is safe and secure. From the pelican's viewpoint anyway. I'm sure the fish feels a little differently.

There was a quaint little antique shop (formerly a grand home) on the same street as the restaurant. I loved this little outhouse that sat whimsically on the property.

Not totally dependent on thieving, this gull actually dived down and got his own meal. Made me feel a little better about them.
CORRECTION: This is a Forster's Tern. Thanks, Hilary from The Smitten Image!

Brown pelicans became almost extinct because of the chemical DDT which caused thinning of egg shells, hampering their ability to produce young. At one time a population of 50,000 brown pelicans had dwindled down to a few nesting pairs. Since the ban of DDT their numbers have bounced back.

I hope you enjoyed the bird lesson today!

All Along the River Road

2012-01-24T14:14:00.000-06:00

My grandparents grew up along River Road or Hwy. 75 in Sunshine, La. They met, married, and raised their family there. The city was originally named "Forlorn Hope", but renamed in 1944. Across the street from all the homes on Hwy. 75 is a long and winding levee. It stays green most of the year, sprouting clover and other wildflowers in the warmer months. These are some photos I took on my drive the other day:

Snowy egrets looking for lunch behind the levee

Top of the levee

Too early for alligators, but this sure fooled me for a second!

Wildflowers growing on the levee

Nature's "crystal bowl" growing atop a fallen log

Because Baton Rouge has become so overcrowded due to hurricane Katrina, buyers are scooping up property in Sunshine and building some very nice homes. Still, my heart belongs to the decaying structures that were once beautiful decades ago.

Oh, how I wanted to drive up and investigate the interior of this abandoned structure. Alas, I'm a rule follower and respected the sign.

Mama took me here when I was a young girl and said I could choose any cold drink I wanted.
Growing up I was not allowed to have soft drinks very often. My mother believed water was the healthiest choice. Spying a group of Dr. Pepper bottles sitting on a barrel of ice, I made my selection and enjoyed every sip. Even so, to this day I still drink mostly water.

This was the church that my mother grew up in just a couple miles from Sunshine in St. Gabriel. To the back of the property is the new, modern, brick church. Since the 1700s this church has survived many hurricanes, but in 2008 Hurricane Gustav destroyed the steeple. Looks like it has since been repaired.

Hope you enjoyed your tour along the River Road!

Survived Another Week

2012-01-21T20:30:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am entering week 3 with my mom. The air conditioner is blasting and I'm wearing capris, a sleeveless top, and open-toed shoes. That's January in Baton Rouge, cher!

There has been little rest for me as I delight in waiting on my mother. When she says JUMP I leap through the air and add two somersaults as a bonus. For the first time in my life I am making the beds each morning and I don't hate it. Also surprising is that I'm cooking almost every day. We somehow worked in visits to the beauty parlor, church, and doctor. Mama's birthday last week was celebrated by watching The Help and dining at our favorite restaurant. Overall a pretty productive week.

The TV situation has somewhat improved. Last night we actually graduated from reruns of Little House on the Prairie to Animal Planet! Woo hoo!! Animal hoarding was the featured show and my mother was fascinated by the psychology of someone who thought it perfectly normal to own 59 dogs and sleep in a kennel with them. As Jim Morrison sang so eloquently: people are strange. Turns out we both love learning about them.

A decent offer was made on our house, then 3 days ago the guy got cold feet and backed out. Boo. My bff from high school is now a realtor in Baton Rouge, so we've had fun reconnecting after 30 years. The first few minutes were awkward but since then it's as though we've never been apart. Strange how that works. I am confident and excited that she is going to find us the perfect home.

In other news I started the Couch to 5k program and I'm loving it! Ran/walked 6 miles this week and I feel great! I highly recommend the iphone app.

Still finding pockets of time for my favorite hobby. Here are some photos I've taken over the last week:

This concludes my weekly broadcast! Later gators.

Braving the Bayou

2012-01-16T18:09:00.014-06:00

Last week I drove 45 minutes west of Baton Rouge to Breaux Bridge, LA to check out a bird/wetland preserve at Lake Martin. A Flickr contact, Image Hunter 1, posts the most amazing photos of roseate spoonbills and egrets and hawks. Now did I see any of that? No, but once I took a gander at the landscape and quiet beauty surrounding me, I accepted the lack of birds pretty quickly. The swamp, cypress trees adorned with moss, and beautiful blue sky were nothing to sneeze at. Okay, I did do some sneezing, but you know what I mean.

I raced home to see what exciting things I had captured with my camera. To my dismay the photos were sub-par! I think the sun was too bright which made the lighting rather harsh. In hindsight I probably should have lowered my ISO to 100 and shot on manual to control the shutter speed. One of these days I am going to jump on board with manual. Sigh! (Update: I shoot on Aperture Priority because that seems to work well..most of the time). :)

Taken with my iPhone - my phone actually produced better results!

This Cajun cutie wanted to pose for a picture. He feeds these stray cats every day. He was so friendly and sweet I wanted to take him home with me. :)

Locks of silvery moss hung elegantly from old cypress trees.
We wore moss like wigs as children until spiders crawled out one day!

Who would be so STUPID?! This sign is probably specifically for Boudreaux. :/

Breaux Bridge is known as the Crawfish Capital of the World, so before heading home I stopped at a restaurant called Crazy Bout Crawfish and indulged. You can't pass through Breaux Bridge and not get crawfish. It's just not done. I dare you to defy this unspoken rule.

After I placed the order, I realized I would have to use their facilities. I had a choice to make:

Finally time to go. This is the bridge that brought me in and led me out of town.

After that rickety structure there is the harrowing Atchafalaya Basin Bridge which goes over the largest swamp in Louisiana. The bridge is 18.2 miles long, but it might as well be 180.2 miles. I DREAD going over it! The wind was blowing so hard that I had visions of being swept off, plunging into the murky, alligator-infested waters below. It sure is difficult to relax after driving white-knuckled for that long.

But I WILL be back to get those Roseate Spoonbills!

Friday funny and sneak preview

2012-01-13T14:03:00.000-06:00

One day Boudreaux (Boo-droe), his wife Clotile (Clo-teal), and Boudreaux's friend, Pierre went to the city.

While Clotile went shopping, Boudreaux and Pierre decided to go check out one of the tall buildings. Inside the building, Boudreaux and Pierre came to a set of big golden doors.

Boudreaux said, "Wonda wot dees doors lead to?"

Boudreaux and Pierre stared at the doors for a few minutes until an old woman approached. She pushed a button, the doors opened, she went inside, and the doors closed.

Boudreaux and Pierre watched as numbers above the door changed from "1" to "2" to "3", then the numbers stopped and changed again from "3" to "2" to "1".

When the doors opened again a beautiful, young, voluptuous woman walked out!

Boudreaux excitedly told Pierre, "Mais you saw dat!? Hurry up--lets go find Clotile so we can put her in dere!"

Yesterday I drove to Breaux Bridge, LA to a wetland/wildlife preserve at Lake Martin. More to come! Hope your weekend comes with a dash of Sauce Piquante!

Growing Pains

2012-01-11T18:10:00.000-06:00

Will someone please sit down and have a cup of tea with me? I need to vent a little.

I'm in fleur de lis heaven here, y'all!

My mother can be summed up as a gracious, southern lady. Although we look similar, grace is not a trait that I inherited from her. Apparently, it skips a generation because my daughter has an abundance. Oh, I can be gracious on occasion, but most of the time I speak without thinking, usually saying what's on my mind. For a sensitive person like my mother, my bold pronouncements can hurt, even when I don't mean them to.

Yesterday was my seventh day living with her, and I suddenly became acutely aware of the cacophony of the TV. I'm the type of person that can put up with an aggravation for some time, then one day I'll decide that I've had enough and explode.

Having this contraption blaring most of the day and night has frayed my tangled mass of nerves. I'll settle in to sit in front of my computer at the dining room table to do a little work for my boss or catch up on emails, or photography editing, or your lovely blogs—just trying to reconnect with my normal. My "office" is about eight feet from my mother and her beloved television, and in addition to the aggravating sounds of The Price Is Right (sorry Drew Carey, you're awful at this gig), every other minute she'll ask what I'm doing or she'll remember something to tell me, and my concentration gets broken. Each time I stop what I'm doing and look directly at her so she knows I'm listening, answering politely.

Lather, rinse and repeat. Sigh.

Unable to uncork on my mother and at the same time begging God for just a morsel of that elusive grace, my solution yesterday was to mute the television when she went to the bathroom. On her return she asked why the sound was off. In a matter-of-fact way (possibly through gritted teeth), I explained that sometimes it feels nice to have quiet in the house. She replied that having the TV on all the time helped her feel less alone. (I hope she meant pre-me.) After my small act of rebellion, she kept the TV off the rest of the afternoon even though I told her she could turn it back on. When she finally resumed her favorite activity, the volume was kept insanely low, and throughout the evening she asked repeatedly if it was bothering me.

At least I see where my sensitive nature comes from. Big sigh.

So today I awoke with a new plan. When I got up she asked me how I slept and even though I listened to her snore and babble and even laugh in her sleep for most of the night, I replied that I slept GREAT! The rest of the day went much better, but when The Price Is Right came on she immediately pressed the power button. And I did not argue.

This was how the rest of the day was spent:

Louisiana State Capitol shot through the car window

Cathedral of St. Joseph as seen through last year's Mardi Gras beads :)

Clock tower of St. Joseph's

Anyone remember Huarache sandals from the 70s? I bought my first pair from this dilapidated shop. It was a cool, hip place in its heyday with the grooviest clothes. :)

After we returned from our little drive I heard all kinds of birds chirping as we emerged from the car. Armed with my camera, I went to investigate. The crunchy leaves were scaring them off, so I decided to check out this fallen tree instead.

As I got closer I noticed these clam-shaped mushrooms growing all over it

Too bad they absorb water so easily, otherwise they could serve as water bowls for the birds

Thank you for letting me vent today! I feel much better. :)

Let's Geaux!

2012-01-09T19:29:00.002-06:00

My mother was having a lot of trouble getting around today so I helped her dress and bathe this morning. After that I looked online for some recipes to try, then made a quick dash to the grocery store. While dinner was simmering I went out and got these photos. Every few feet I breathed in the strongest scent of roses, yet when I looked around there wasn't a rose bush in sight! I came home and told my mom and she said the Blessed Mother must've been with me. I don't know about that, but it really was weird!

Azaleas are still in bloom!

ID help needed - anyone know what kind of bird this is?
UPDATE: Eastern Phoebe
Thanks, TexWisGirl!!

Growing from a tree stump
Entered in The Creative Exchange

When I returned from my photography session, mama was eager to get ready for the LSU vs Bama game. She already had on her LSU shirt, so I found her LSU socks and the LSU slippers my daughter sent her for Christmas. She is convinced LSU is going to win the game because of these magic slippers. I'm going to have one depressed little lady on my hands if they don't win. :/

Back From Exile

2012-01-07T22:00:00.001-06:00

It feels so good to be back and reading what you all have been up to! There has been so much to do getting ready for my move, celebrating Christmas and birthdays, savoring every minute of my daughter's visit from Portland, and ending my job of 23 years. Something had to give and unfortunately it was Google Reader.

After getting through all that, a tragedy greeted us the first day of 2012.

The phone rang at 4:30AM New Year's Day. Paralyzed with fear, my stomach flip-flopped and my mind raced. It was my stepdaughter's husband asking to speak to my husband in a grave voice. I handed the phone over and braced myself.

To make a very long story short, my youngest stepdaughter was involved in a fireworks explosion and lost her left eye. We are all devastated. It was a stupid, stupid thing that should never have happened. She is now recuperating at her mother's home and faces more surgeries and a prosthetic eye at some point. I'm so grateful that she is still here and that she didn't lose both eyes. There's so much more I want to say, but I'm still in shock over it and feeling a little overwhelmed with my own situation.

With six kids there is never a dull moment.

I am finally in Baton Rouge--my new home. We spent the first few days setting up the internet, visiting relatives, and running errands for my mother. Trying to carve out a little space for myself in a 700 sq ft apartment has been quite a challenge. My mother seems happy to have me here, so that's all that matters at this point.

Here are a few shots I took with my iphone over the last couple days:

Coffee Call - famous for beignets and cafe au lait! YUM

Bread pudding at Cafe Americain
Topped with pecans, Bailey's Irish Cream, and chocolate rum sauce

Boudin Balls at The Chimes Restaurant
Pronounced "Boo-dan" but silent on the 'n'
a Cajun specialty consisting of rice, sausage and various spices;
kind of like rice stuffing
My pants are already getting a little snug. :(

A wallhanging at The Chimes

Double D & me at The Chimes
1/7/12

I've GOT to have one of these! (the tail, not the car)
Baton Rouge is known as Tiger Town, after all.

These were taken today with my 400mm lens at LSU Lakes:

White Pelican

Snowy Egret devouring a perch or brim

Close up

I'll be back with more photos and updates soon. Until then, laissez le bon temp rouler!!

Conquering the Chaos

2011-12-11T21:59:00.001-06:00

We have been working on our house nonstop since last Thursday to get it ready for market. I am TIRED. My arm is sore from scrubbing the oven, scrubbing scuff marks off the stairs, and scrubbing blinds. Paint has freckled my hands (permanently, I fear) and a big blob ended up on my favorite jeans. Why did I wear those even after I said to myself "Now don't wear these, you'll get paint on them!"? I'm so mad at myself. No matter how careful I say I'm going to be with paint, it always ends up in places it shouldn't.

Moving on, the curling wallpaper is glued down, windows are washed, the ceiling fan blades are dust-free, and the window sills are painted. A carload of my son's belongings were moved to his dad's storage space, and the smelly dog toys are in the trash. The listing for our house goes "live" tomorrow and I still have 2 more bathrooms to scrub, doors to clean, and more touch-up painting. I'm starting to think we may never get it all done and it is going to have to be okay if we don't. We have three family gatherings to host and church and work, so I'm about to put this thing on cruise control and coast, cher.

I met my favorite girlfriends for dinner last week. When I see their faces I light up because I know we are in for lots of laughs and sharing and dog talk. Friends that allow you to be who you are and accept the less-than-perfect you are rare, and I am so grateful that we are friends, journeying through this life together.

I was presented with a beautiful heart necklace, a book called "Joys of Friendship", and a card that says "Your strength may surprise you". Wow, I totally did not expect any of it. The necklace says "A True Friend Reaches For Your Hand But Touches Your Heart". Awww! I was a bit overcome, I could hardly express myself properly.

I've known these girls since my days at the animal emergency clinic 10 years ago. I was a newcomer to animal medicine, green behind the ears with a weak stomach. These two girls helped me through countless nights of frantic "parents", dying animals, irresponsible animal owners, smells, vomit, and doctor idiosyncrasies. I honestly don't know if I would have lasted as long as I did without their expertise and guidance.

Even though we no longer work together we continue to have our girls night once a month or whenever our schedules permit. I'm going to miss them so much, for our bonds have grown beyond animal medicine; laughing and crying and sharing personal heartaches. It is not uncommon to have 3 hour dinners and try to solve the world's problems over margaritas, or lately, ice tea. :) Missing them already....

Hope everyone is preparing hearts, minds, and homes to receive the true gifts of the season. Peace and blessings to you all!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-12-02T20:53:00.003-06:00

Even though I still have 27 days left before I leave my job I packed up my office today, managing to fit all the items neatly into an Office Depot paper box. I sat and stared at that box for quite some time wondering where 23 years had gone. There was the autographed picture of Patrick Rafter that my boss had so generously given to me one Christmas, proud that he had won the bid on eBay; family photos; a ceramic heart my daughter made for me; a Wimbledon teddy bear also from my daughter that she had brought all the way from England; a Norwegian vase from my boss' wife; a wooden cross from Israel. All these treasures will now call another place home.

When I returned to my desk my computer had fallen asleep and was scrolling the words I'LL BE BACK. It seemed wrong to leave it that way, so I changed the marquee to LAISSEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER! (Let the good times roll!), leaving a little piece of my Cajun personality behind, I suppose.

Other than antsy-ness I am feeling so relaxed about things, concerned that I'm a little too relaxed. This is so unlike me, worrier extraordinaire that I am. I'm also famous (or infamous) for being high-strung, emotional. I feel none of that. What is happening? Can it be that God has answered my prayers for peace and to "know" when the time is right to make a move? Yes, that is my belief and I am sticking with it. So, 'thank you, God'.

I've been looking online at smaller, older homes in my mother's neighborhood. The area is very woodsy and settled and conveniently located to everything we might need. I was happy to see that many homes in our price point have wood or laminate flooring. That is a must-have, especially with three dogs. The lots are much larger than the little postage stamp lots in Dallas. With trees. Lots and lots of trees and tropical plants. I am going to be able to breathe for the first time in a long time and not have neighbors right on top of me.

In other news boy-wonder became part of the Occupy L.A. movement (to my dismay) and is now incarcerated. His phone has been disconnected for a couple of weeks now (for failure to pay, I'm assuming). He did not call me or my parents or his dad with his one phone call. We found his booking information online. I'm not surprised by any of it to be honest. My most recent prayers have been for him to have shelter and food and safety. Well, he has that in jail, so in a way my prayers are being answered.

If I sound rather detached, it's because I am--but only by necessity. I haven't stopped loving him and my heart is heavy, but I have stopped enabling, stopped letting every destructive decision he makes bring me down. It took me a long time to get here, to realize that HE is making these decisions and that I cannot rescue him anymore. At 31 years old it's way past time for him to straighten up and fly right.

A heart can only sustain so many traumas, so many cracks, so many aches, then it starts to toughen up or risk dying. Besides, I have my mother and her needs to think about now. Here she is battling a disease that she did not choose. It's right and fitting to suffer for your own poor choices, but quite the opposite when you are a victim of something you did nothing to bring on yourself. My greatest desire is to make my mom's last years as comfortable as possible. Pouring my efforts into this scenario is much better use of my time and talents. Can I get an amen? :)

P.S. This is Patrick Rafter, former #1 tennis player (be still my heart!).

Guaranteed gratitude or receive a refund!

2011-11-24T22:34:00.000-06:00

I wasn't going to post anything today but this evening I was catching up on my blog reading and became inspired by all the "Gratitude" posts. Realizing that even though my family is scattered and our future is so uncertain, my heart is filled with joy despite the whirlwind around us.

I was fortunate enough to stumble on this youtube video by Louie Schwartzberg of TEDxSF which was posted on cottage 960's blog. It's almost 10 minutes long, but so captivating and inspiring, I just had to borrow it. And if you don't have time to look at it now, bookmark it for later. I promise you will be uplifted. Guaranteed or your money back! :)

God Bless Double D

2011-11-17T16:21:00.002-06:00

It's 4AM and I can't sleep.

Isn't that a song lyric?

I had started a post a couple of days ago but that has been scrapped. What a difference a day makes.

My mom's doctor advised that she needs more assistance than Independent Living will provide. The next level of care is too costly for her comfort zone, eating up all of her monthly income.

Double D graciously suggested I move to Baton Rouge to be with her. He will stay behind until we can sell the house. My mom is thrilled. And relieved.

I resigned from the tennis association as web site director and tendered my resignation to my company today. My bosses were super supportive, caring, and understanding. The best part is that I can still do some work remotely for my main boss, and for that I feel incredibly blessed and grateful.

Hopefully I'll get some awesome bayou photos to add to my portfolio along with a variety of birds native to the area. Another positive is visiting more often with my crazy dad, his lovely wife, and the rest of my immediate family. Daddy and I have talked about going fishing once I get settled. Doesn't that sound nice?

Yes, I think this is exactly what was supposed to happen, at the exact time that it was supposed to happen. I feel such an immense sense of relief.

Double D is an amazing man. I adore him with all my heart. He has taught me so much about patience and kindness and unconditional love. Christ's love truly emanates from the center of his being. Love is patient, love is kind...it is not self-seeking....(1 Cor 13).

May God bless Double D for this enormous sacrifice!

A Taste of Louisiana

2011-11-12T18:38:00.000-06:00

Below are a few photos I captured while zipping around Baton Rouge and surrounding areas the week of 11/1/11. Sadly, some of the previous years' hurricanes have wreaked havoc on many of the trees in my beautiful state. Many were uprooted or beat to a pulp. Boo to Katrina and Gustav and Ike. You were not welcome and we curse thee.

Magnolia Mound Plantation
Baton Rouge, LA

Found floating inside a rusty basin at Magnolia Mound Plantation.
The caretakers assured me it was not real.

My first spotting of a Belted Kingfisher. Had to crop this down significantly which results in a less than stellar photo; wish I could have gotten closer.
Watson, Louisiana

Grace

An old kettle in my godfather's back yard. We had many a crawfish boil in this kettle when I was a girl.

My godfather's property is on a hill that backs up to a lake which is why there is a slope. This ferocious little dog is his neighbor. Each time I took a step toward him he retreated backwards, barking all the while.

"Don't come any closer! I MEAN IT!"

"Oh, I guess she doesn't mean any harm."

This was the above attacker's sidekick.
I named him Barney Fife.

St. Gabriel Cemetery ~ St. Gabriel, LA
My Uncle Bobby tells me this cross has been black since he was an altar boy in the 1950s, probably to represent death. All the priests in those days wore black vestments at funeral masses.

There's something about these crypts from the 1700s and 1800s that I'm drawn to.

No visit to Baton Rouge is complete without photographing this unusual tree wart.
I think I pronounced his name Boudreaux last time I saw him.

The rest of these birds I found right outside my mother's apartment:

Goodbye, Normandy Village

2011-11-10T09:12:00.001-06:00

My mother will be leaving her home of over 30 years to start a new chapter of her life. Rather than go into all the minutiae, let me just tell you that she is out of the hospital and has no lasting effects from the stroke.

Two doctors confirmed that she is in the advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease and that she should not be living alone. She had fallen a few days before her mini-stroke and admitted to me that she had fallen several other times in the past, as well as hallucinating some days, and recently waking up from a daze to find her cache of pills strewn all over the living room floor with no knowledge of what took place.

Scary.

With two referrals in hand for a nearby senior community off I went early Monday morning. A sweet, energetic tour guide named Karen, excitedly showed off all the amenities. It felt like I was sending my mother to kindergarten. I was thinking how I'd go back and say "Oh, mama, you'll absolutely love the LSU room. Wait til you see all the beautiful LSU wreaths the residents made for their doors!"

This current role of caregiver to my independent mother (think Mary Tyler Moore) is new and strange and jarring. It is one of the drawbacks of being an only child. I'm on deck for every little decision, responsible for it all. With three of her brothers and a sister looking on, I cannot fail. There's no one else to point to if something goes wrong.

Mama was super stoked to go visit the facility so back out to the home we went. Karen was gracious enough to do the tour all over again even though I had just left her 30 minutes prior. As we walked toward the unit that my mom might soon call home, we ran into a group of very well dressed, manicured ladies who stopped to chat. One lady decked out in purple and gold said, "How 'bout those players Saturday night? I wanted to give each one of those boys a great big kiss!" (#1 LSU had played #2 Alabama, with LSU the victor.)

As we walked away Karen whispered, "That was Les Miles' mom."

Les Miles is the head coach of the LSU Tigers.

You should have seen my mom's face! Her eyes were huge and she was literally beaming.

I said, "Well, if this place is good enough for Les Miles' mom, it's good enough for my mom!"

So there we are. Once the paperwork is in place I will go back and help her pack for her exciting new adventure.

At this moment I want to give all my special blogging friends a great big hug! I was so busy and so distraught that I hardly noticed being without a computer for seven days. But as I was waiting on my flight I thought of all the blog reading that I normally enjoy each day and I was suddenly missing you all terribly, wondering what you had been up to. Obviously I can't go back and catch up on every single post, but I will do my best as time allows to get caught up with all of you. I truly MISSED YOU!

These flowers are for you. My uncle, whom I refer to as "The Godfather", picked them himself. :)

Cajun country update

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-06:00

A quick update from my iPhone. My mom had a mini-stroke during my visit so I am detained in Baton Rouge for at least a couple extra days. Fortunately the episode did not leave any lasting effects. Please keep us in your prayers.

What's going on...

2011-10-31T11:20:00.002-05:00

After reading the post title were you suddenly humming that Marvin Gaye song?

My youngest boy made 3 CDs for me last Sunday: Dr. Dog, Wolf People, and Citizen Cope. I know! Strange names, huh? Turns out I really, really like Citizen Cope. My boy knows me well. Very bluesy, soulful, and relaxing. Just what I needed. Michael is so very thoughtful and I love his sweet spirit.

It's been almost 3 weeks since boy-wonder took off for California. The frequency of phone calls, texts, and emails have increased exponentially, with the communication being mostly positive; however, he does have a cold. Despite his illness and no place to really call home he sounds happier than ever.

Last Thursday Double D and I celebrated 21 years of marriage. It was nice to receive texts and emails from most of our kids as well as my daughter's two friends. I can honestly say I love Double D more than ever and I'm so glad that God put us together.

My daughter texted this photo of severed fingers that she baked for a Halloween party on Saturday. My girl is so talented with such a fun spirit! Her visit in December can't get here fast enough. I will not even think about how fleeting those 3 days will be...

Yesterday Jay, texted me these photos. I had been begging the kids to go to the Japanese Gardens in Portland to get me a photo of this Japanese Maple ever since I saw a photo of it on 500px. My mouth dropped open in amazement. It takes my breath away. Don't you agree?

Although I can't compete with Jay's photos, here are the pics I took on Saturday. The rose garden was beckoning me again. It's so relaxing out there with the delicate scent of roses wafting over me and birds happily chirping. It's my non-medicated approach to dealing with stress. I highly recommend communing with nature on some level.

I am leaving for Baton Rouge tomorrow morning. My mother wants us to have quality "girl time" together, getting our nails done and shopping. No doctor visits or unpleasant appointments. Yay! Oh, and my parents--who have had a frosty relationship since their divorce over 40 years ago--are now on friendly terms. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that although my worlds collided a la George Costanza, it also has its advantages. One of them will be eating lunch together on Thursday like a real family. And BOTH of my parents are looking forward to it. I'm standing in the middle of it all going, "What the heck just happened?!" LOL I'm joking. But it is a little weird. Good-weird, I guess. :)

Fair Time!

2011-10-25T09:47:00.003-05:00

All week long we looked forward to the State Fair of Texas. As we boarded the train I was all set to read the new book I had downloaded on my Kindle when hubby uncharacteristically morphed into Chatty Charles. Not wanting to ruin the happy mood, I politely responded to the first 12 interruptions. After that I became engrossed in the book so he pulled out his iPhone and began obsessively checking the score of the LSU/Tennessee game. Technology to the rescue!

1986 was the last time I went to the fair, and now I remember why. Crowded places leave me feeling claustrophobic and nervous. And grumpy. Every single time I stood in line to eat some god-awful fried thing, someone got right in front of me as if I was invisible. Hubby encouraged me to be bold and stand my ground. He wanted me to muscle my way in. I angrily complained that I was taught to stand in line and wait my turn - all said loud enough for the offender to hear, I hoped. I'm a rule-follower, what can I say?

In retrospect, maybe God was telling me to stay away from the food. Everything was fried--even the drinks! I kid you not. There was a fried frozen margarita! What the what? Not my beloved margarita! We're a pretty conventional couple so we stuck with the tried and true: corny dogs, frito pie, funnel cake, praline fried sweet potato poppers, and corn on the cob.

Burp! Oh, excuse me, I think my tummy is still rebelling.

Double D drooling over the Camaro. He was wearing his LSU tee shirt and Texas Ranger ball cap. During the parade a clown pointed out that he was mismatched, laughing at him. A clown with abnormally large feet, a flower protruding from his cap, and a red bulb nose thought Double D looked funny. Ha!

Somehow, horrible food and rides like this seem like risky business.
Am I the only one who worries about being vomited on at the fair?
My neuroses know no bounds.

The line was unbelievably long for the ferris wheel.
I was too tired and grumpy to wait.

Pumpkin art by Farmer Mike Valladao - also known as the
The Picasso of Pumpkin Carvers

Birds of the World Exhibit
Hyacinth Macaw

Does anyone know what kind of owl this is?

Trainer: Did you fart?
Owl: Yes. I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have had the fried birdseed.

Golden Eagle

Small Postman

Owl Butterfly

Look at all the people! I think their main objective was to aggravate me.

Iconic Big Tex

Overall it was a fun experience despite some of the annoyances. However, if the length of time between visits remains consistent, I will be 75 years old by the time I'm ready to go back. I can't even imagine myself at that age.

Do you enjoy going to the State Fair? I'm very curious to know what you all think about it.

All Aglow

2011-10-20T20:35:00.008-05:00

The weather has been absolutely glorious lately! There were some days--as recently as last month--when I didn't think I'd survive the heat. The equation breaks down like this: intense temperatures + lack of rain = pretty miserable summer. Yep, this one hit the record books. But it's all over and we lived to tell about it. I've almost forgiven Texas for what it put us through this year. Almost...

On Oct. 1 I visited the rose garden at Gussie Field Watterworth Park with a friend for photography. Upon entering the garden we were quite disappointed to find row upon row of scorched blooms. But it was understandable considering our drought situation. So I made the best of the afternoon by focusing on the assortment of butterflies and other winged creatures.

Last week we received a little rain. I really didn't think that much of it, knowing how low we are for the year. I figured we were so far behind that the couple days of rain wouldn't make a difference. Well, it's actually quite miraculous what happens to a parched rose garden when even just a little water falls from the heavens, caressing the plants, and soaking into the ground. Imagine my surprise last Sunday when I decided to pay the same rose garden another visit.

Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. ~Richard Brinsley Sheridan

This lantana reminded me of Rocky fist-pumping, "Yeah! Take THAT you brutal summer heat! You didn't kill us! You only made us stronger!"
I only wish the "fist pumps" were in focus. You see it, don't you?

A zinnia with pink freckles. :)

The scent was intoxicating.

A Northern Mockingbird surveying his kingdom. He was quite vocal. I like to think that he was expressing how happy he is with the revival of the garden.

I caught the sun just as it was setting. I love the light at this time of day.

This is pretty much straight out of camera except for a little sharpening in PS.

I've always liked stripes. Such personality. And that orange glow? It's a street sign way off in the distance. Weird, huh?

The sun is giving off the last of its glow for the day.

Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend! We are going to the State Fair of Texas on Saturday, and on Sunday I hope to see my youngest son; the only one of my three children still living nearby. Hope everyone has a good one!!

Farewell, Fearless One!

2011-10-15T16:54:00.001-05:00

In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

On Oct 11, 2011, 6:00 AM, I bade my eldest child farewell as I dropped him off at the Southwest Airlines terminal. He was armed with a one-way ticket to Los Angeles that he had purchased only one week prior.

My fearless boy-man. Who always will be, now and forever.

In his fast way of talking he spilled out how he felt God calling him to start a new life in California. Instantly, my heart became gripped with fear. Although I have known for some time that his greatest desire has been to move to Cali, I couldn't help feeling...helpless, for the ticket was purchased and his mind was made up.

As the words rolled off his tongue, hovered in the air, then settled onto me like a cold, soggy blanket, haunting passages from The Grapes of Wrath came to mind. Words that Pa Joad might have uttered about making a fortune...endless opportunity...fresh fruit...fresh air.

Gonna get me a whole big bunch of grapes off a bush, or whatever, an' I'm gonna squash 'em on my face an' let 'em run offen my chin.

Leaving most of his possessions behind, my boy has plans to take California by storm, to make a fortune in a fragile real estate market...all on a shoestring budget. I worry that he will end up like the Joads, living in a tent, or worse.

To California or any place—every one a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day—the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it.

JB, as he likes to be called now, has been a challenge from the moment he was conceived. Three months of morning sickness alone nearly did me in. Despite all we've been through with him, I love him with all my heart. He exasperates me to no end, but I see the potential in him; the sharp intellect, the relentless drive that sometimes causes him to make poor, impulsive decisions. Times too numerous to count I have stayed silent when I wanted to shout STOP THE MADNESS. Sharing this life with JB (at times) feels like a nightmarish roller coaster ride that has left the rails and is now careening wildly through the galaxies.

They knew that a man so hurt and so perplexed may turn in anger, even on the people he loves. They left the men alone to figure and to wonder in the dust.

I want off the ride sometimes. I want to say how foolish he is being. But I do not want to constantly be the wet blanket, the party of No, a Negative Nellie.

Helplessly, I stand by and watch as he free falls. Which he actually did 11 years ago from a 6-story parking garage. And if the parking garage had not been located just outside the county hospital's doors, we would have lost him forever on 4/11/00.

Maybe we can start again, in the new rich land—in California, where the fruit grows. We'll start over.

Today he deals with the pain of being put back together like Humpty Dumpty, with screws and nuts and bolts in just about every part of his body. Arthritis has set in. It threatens to crush his spirit. But somehow he manages to put on his big boy boots and keep going.

Honestly, I don't know how he functions at all. I would have given up long ago. I am astonished at his determination, his tenacity to keep going. These traits cry out to be admired. So I do.

And here we are.

More than once this year I asked God to take me from this earth if that would settle him down and straighten out his life. And I meant it. The price would have been well worth it. Crawling to God on my hands and knees is a frequent exercise these days. Some days I beg for an ounce of peace; most days it's for protection for my son. Occasionally, I am granted some tender mercies for which I am thankful.

This is the photo that comes up on my phone whenever he calls. I wish I could freeze him at this age. So full of life and innocence, blue eyes shining, such a silly boy, always trying to make us laugh. If I had that power, I think I might just use it. And who could blame me?

I like to think how nice it's gonna be, maybe, in California. Never cold. An' fruit ever'place, an' people just bein' in the nicest places, little white houses in among the orange trees.

(bolded, italicized words are passages from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck)

Memory Lane

2011-10-11T12:25:00.004-05:00

When Steve Jobs passed away last week I began thinking about my introduction to computers Way Back When. My first office job was in 1979 working for a small, family-owned plastics plant. My aunt worked in the Accounts Payable department and recommended me for a data entry position.

The behemoth below is similar to what I entered data into. Back in those days computers had to be housed in a cold room; so cold that I needed a sweater in the middle of summer. I loved that! And instead of an ENTER key there was an OCK key. To this very day whenever I press ENTER on a keyboard, I oftentimes think OCK instead.

If I ever develop Alzheimer's and ask where the OCK key is, you'll know why.

I was fresh out of high school and still very immature. Several times my aunt was forced to leave her work space to come lecture me on office etiquette and using a quiet "office" voice. In those days I was a free spirit with my whole life ahead of me and not a care in the world. My objectives back then were having a good time and resist conforming to "the establishment". In my defense, this inappropriate eye chart which hung on the main wall of my department doesn't exactly scream puritan values. Actually, it encouraged a pro-sexual harassment environment which is a big no-no today.

I can't believe I was able to find the same exact chart on Google images!

So dedicated was I to this job, that I worked a few hours the day I got married.Not really. My boss offered to take photos of me in my wedding dress (actually my aunt's dress) for the local paper one Saturday afternoon. Afterwards, we decided to take some photos of me "working". He wanted to trick everyone into thinking that he was such a slave-driver that I was forced to work on my wedding day. No one, except a couple of clueless souls, believed him. Two years later he was fired. His replacement kept me late one evening, and as he helped me into my car, bent down to kiss me through the driver's window. Terrified, I fled as fast as I could in my pea green Pinto. Soon thereafter, he was fired for something else, and I was relieved.

My next job was working for a credit card processing firm. In 1987 I was promoted to Purchasing Clerk. My job was to come up with the artwork that banks embossed on their credit cards. It was mostly straight line type, but sometimes a logo was involved. For this I used a Macintosh like this one:

In 1988 I went to work for a promotional products company and I am still here. My boss sat me in front of this Radio Shack contraption where I tallied up Texas Sales Tax totals each month. All other paperwork was typed in triplicate form. Mistakes were corrected with colored white-out that matched the form color. Most times I was too impatient for the white-out to dry properly so I'd end up with gooey typewriter keys. For this reason and for my perfectionist tendencies, I tried my best to minimize mistakes.

These 7-1/2" floppy disks only had 256kb of memory.
Disk 1 had Texas cities A-G; disk 2 had cities H-M; disk 3 had cities N-Z.

Well, that's a brief history of how my love of technology began. The only thing I miss are the frigid rooms. Currently, my eye is on the Kindle Fire, but my logical side knows it would be best to wait for the 2nd generation. Oh, it's so exciting to think of all the cool gadgets down the pike that have yet to be born! Riding the technology train is thrilling, isn't it? So much for my anti-establishment views, huh? Ha!

(images from Wikipedia or Google Images)

Afternoon Delight and a Possible D-I-V-O-R-C-E

2011-10-03T22:14:00.002-05:00

Did my post title alarm you? No worries here. Yet, anyway. :)

On Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting with a church friend for part of the afternoon. We met at Gussie Field Watterworth Park, a National Earthkind™ Trial Rose Garden. One hundred rose cultivars are evaluated for research that includes four countries, seven universities, and twenty states. However, since we're in a severe drought, this is obviously taking its toll on the roses. The plantings around the rose beds such as lantana, zinnias, salvia, and daisies are doing better than the roses.

Whether the roses were blooming or not was of no consequence to me since I'm drawn to the living creatures feasting on and making their homes in the garden. The life that these plantings attract is simply fascinating to me. This is just what I like to photograph and I don't have the strength to fight that urge. Besides, I'm from the "if it feels good do it" generation. Nature photography makes me downright giddy, so why fight it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On an unrelated note, is it possible to overdose on watching televised sports? I think my husband is dangerously close to needing intervention. Or a divorce. I can just see the legal papers now: "Reason for divorce: alienation of affection due to spouse's excessive watching of football, baseball, and basketball." Lord, please help me through the baseball playoffs at least. Of course, he could always countersue with the same thing, replacing ball games with photography. Ha!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now on to the photos!

American Painted Lady

Skippers

I love the bokeh in this one.

A decapitated statue in the cemetery next door

I believe this is a corn earworm moth

Red wasp. When he landed he began clutching his head like, "Ouch! That hurt!"

Say, "CHEESE!"

My Photography Top 10 and Book Winner!

2011-09-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I got a kick out of Paul Harwell's blog post entitled, "Top 10 Signs You Just Might be a Wildlife Photographer". Boy, could I relate! So I thought I'd try to come up with my own Top 10 for photography addiction.

My daughter took this of me in Portland.
One of my first outings with the 400mm lens.

You know you're a photography addict when:

10. Just the idea of going outside with your camera makes you giddy.
9. Your camera bag is with you more than your purse.
8. You are keenly aware of how light is bathing an object even when not shooting.
7. You spend more time editing photos on your computer than with the family.
6. A gentle breeze is now considered a nuisance.
5. If an outing doesn't involve photography or isn't favorable for photos, you're not interested.
4. You feel naked without your camera.
3. If you go more than a few days without shooting, you dream about it.
2. When watching a sporting event you are more interested in the camera lenses on the sidelines than in the game.

And the #1 reason you know you're a photography addict:

1. You would rather have camera gear than nice clothes or jewelry.

What about you? Can you add to the list?

And now for the winner of the Jesus Calling book: NADINE, Chewy & Lilibell!! I have been so excited for this give-away. Nadine, please contact me with your mailing address and I'll have it shipped to you asap. Congrats! I hope you'll be as blessed by it as I have been. :)

In Gratitude

2011-09-23T14:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I wrote a light-hearted post on reaching a compromise with my son and our (seemingly) neverending war. War of words, war of wills, you name it. If I had described just how serious the problems are you would get depressed with me and I certainly don't want that. While we still have a ways to go, at least things are stable for the moment. After all, each moment is all we really have, and I am learning to be content with that.

Today, I'd like to publicly thank God and those who have been so faithful in prayer for us. I'd also like to recommend a book that has helped me tremendously called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It instantly spoke to me from the first page. Not only did it speak to me, the comfort I have received from it is beyond description. This book is a little different from other devotionals in that it is Sarah's personal journal of God speaking to her. So each day it is as though Jesus is talking. Here's an example of the entry for August 23 that I kept going back to during The War:

Entrust your loved ones to me; release them into my protective care. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands. If you let a loved one become an idol in your heart, you endanger that one--as well as yourself. Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac. I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from son-worship. Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father's undisciplined emotions. I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.
When you release your loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand. As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them. My Presence will go with them wherever they go, and I will give them rest. This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me. Watch to see what I will do.

Related Bible verses: Genesis 22:;9-12; Ephesians 3:20; Exodus 33:14

So, with a grateful heart, I would like to give away a leather-bound, deluxe edition of this book. Maybe you are not all that religious, but you know someone who could benefit from its wisdom. Christmas will be upon us before we know it and I think this would make a lovely gift. Since receiving this book in June I have already given away 4 copies, all received with the same amazement at how it comforted and spoke to them.

This is not a ploy for comments, but obviously I do need you to leave one to be eligible for the prize. You can simply say "hi!" or share how God has helped you or whatever you're comfortable with. Contest ends at 3PM, Thursday, 9/29/11. I will use random.org and announce the winner on Friday, Sept 30. Have a safe and blessed weekend, my friends!

Comments are now closed.

Maxine, Boudreaux, and a Compromise to the Rescue!

2011-09-22T16:43:00.001-05:00

Some days, Maxine really nails how I feel.

My eldest son and I have been locked in a battle for some time, and things all came to a head this week. Finally, in a last-ditch effort to stop the madness he called last night asking if we could just start over from scratch. Forget the past and move forward. Me, immediately latching on to that offer said, "That's the best thing you've said all day. I'll take it. Deal!" Then we exchanged some lighthearted text messages and I finally slept the sleep of babes.

Earlier in the day someone had sent me some new Maxines (which I love), and the one above couldn't have been more perfect. Then my aunt sent me a Cajun joke.

Boudreaux was in New Orleans. He was patiently waiting and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing. The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, "Okay, pedestrians!" Then he'd allow the traffic to pass.

He'd done this several times and Boudreaux still stood on the sidewalk.

After the cop had shouted, "pedestrians!" for the tenth time, Boudreaux went over to him and said, "Ain't it 'bout time ya let the Catholics across?

If you're not Cajun you may not get it, but it put a smile on my face. Here's one more and I'll let you go:

Pierre looks out the window and sees Boudreaux standing out in his field. Pierre tells his wife, Marie, that he is worried about Boudreaux.

The next day he looks out his window and he sees Boudreaux still standing out in his field and tells Marie that he's REALLY worried about Boudreaux.

The third day he looks out and Boudreaux is still standing out in his field. Pierre says, "Marie, Boudreaux has lost his mind and I need to go help him!"

He walks over to Boudreaux and says, "What the hell are you doing, Boudreaux?"

Boudreaux says, "I'm trying to win de Nobel Prize."

Pierre says, "Mais, how you plan to do dat?"

Boudreaux says, "I saw a show on TV and dey said if you want to win de Nobel Prize dat you have to be out standing in your field."

Thanks for humoring me. Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Lost In Translation

2011-09-13T14:59:00.003-05:00

My grandfather, born in 1907, was apparently quite the player in his day. My dad found these photos after the death of his parents in 1986. Looking at some of these women made me realize that my father and I might never have been born if my grandfather had chosen to marry someone besides my grandmother.

So strange to think about, isn't it?

I was able to translate the first two photos, but the others I'm not too sure. My grandfather spoke Canadian (Quebec?) French, which may be why I can't get proper answers from Google Translator. In fact, the writings may actually be a combination of Canadian/Acadian/Parisian French. If anyone knows what is written on the "Marie" and "City Park" photos, I'd be very appreciative! Merci beaucoup!

Thankfully, in English :)

More of Ray's bevy of beauties. Some of them look like saucy little tarts. :)

on the back: Ray and Rowena
She has quite an air about her, doesn't she?

I call this one Betty Boop. Look at the mischief in her eyes!
It's like she's saying, "Wanna see what's under my skirt, you randy boy?"

Girl in the grass

Girl and her shadow

I think this is the same girl as above without the hat and gloves

Girl in the sand. Looks like she's had a few too many...

Girl in bathing suit. Back when it was

okay to have some curves. :)

Even more curves! Trixie on the Model T (I just made that up)

Cigarette girl on ladder

My grandmother is on the left, hugging my grandfather; not sure why the other girl

is also hugging him just as tight. :/ I know who won that battle! :)

My grandparents are off to the right and seem so close.
The poor girl on the left looks like she's about to get
smacked by the flag. Being a third wheel never works out. :/

Badly Needed: God's Grace

2011-09-12T14:58:00.004-05:00

Two people who actually know me [in real life] have stated that they miss reading posts about "me". I think I've been subconsciously hiding behind photography for over a year, so I think I'll give it a shot today.

Warning: some of it is not pretty.

I'm still loving the worship at St. Matthias, despite the fact that our beloved priest was forced to retire early due to his wife's Alzheimer's, and there is one parishioner who openly dislikes me. Recent case in point: last Sunday when I offered to help clean up after a function I had no idea where to start, so as "Mrs. Tortoise" walked by I asked her what task I should do.

She tossed out the following words rather rudely as she scurried by, "Go ask someone in the kitchen; they'll help you."

I wanted to shout in front of everyone, "WHAT DID I DO TO YOU?!" For this was not the first instance I was on the receiving end of her being rude to me or worse, being completely ignored.

Remember Evelyn Couch, the character in Fried Green Tomatoes? The scene in the grocery store parking lot where she's carrying all her bags to the car and a young punk slams into her, knocking all her groceries to the ground? That's what I felt like in the Great Hall of our church, like timid Evelyn Couch whimpering, "Why are you being so mean to me?"

Like the bully in the store parking lot "Mrs. Tortoise" didn't even try to hide her disdain. I felt hurt, angry, and rejected. There she is, politely having discussions with other people, but never once has she introduced herself or even smiled at me. Oh, there was that one time that I forced her to, when I made eye contact and smiled at HER in front of others. She replied with one of those tense, fake smiles...you've seen 'em; lips stretched straight across in a tight line, eyes completely devoid of friendliness.

She might as well have flipped me off with that pathetic effort.

After I acknowledged the hurt that her cavalier response to my question caused, I became angry. I wanted to go up to her face--which is strikingly similar to a turtle that ate a sour apple--and inform her that she is not being very Christian.

Yes, my turtle comment is blatantly unchristian.

So there it is: my ugly side. I am aware and working very hard to rectify it. I'm a pretty nice person unless you hurt me for no good reason. In my youth I would have said what I thought about her to her face without stopping to think. These days I still have the ugly thoughts, but at least I stop and think about the consequences before I open my mouth. Now that I'm 50, I'm pretty good at the practice, but sometimes I just want to let it fly...it would feel so good, wouldn't it? Yeah, for about 5 seconds. :/

After I think of several different ways to confront her, The Lord's Prayer comes to mind (forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us) reminding me that no one is perfect (even though some may think they are just because they are polishing the marble altar down to a glare-inducing shine), and I ask God for grace.

And I try to concentrate on the people who seem to like me.

"Mrs. Tortoise" and people like her really make me want to stay home on Sunday mornings. But the worship at St. Matthias is so beautiful I've decided that one sour apple will not keep me away.

So I continue to ask for God's grace.

It's become a mantra.

Have you ever encountered such a situation in church? If so, how did you handle it? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Zoo Challenge

2011-09-09T11:23:00.001-05:00

Texas finally received a break in the oppressive heat last weekend. By Monday, Labor Day, it was too beautiful to stay indoors, so Double D suggested we take the DART train to the Dallas Zoo. The frequent stops are kind of annoying and some of the folks looked sketchy, causing me to white-knuckle my camera bag, but other than that, it was a pleasant, leisurely way to travel.

As a nature lover, I do not really care for zoos, but I do understand and accept their place in our society. Being an amateur photographer, I do enjoy capturing part of God's creation that I will never see in my neck of the woods. Now you'd think that taking pictures of zoo animals is super easy, like catching fish in a barrel or something. Not! I think the biggest challenge was all the kids! The other one was wires, fencing, plexiglass, etc. Further adding to the difficulties were the animals themselves refusing to pose for me. The nerve!

I started out with the 55-250mm lens. Because of the crowds, I was unable to get the reach I needed, so when I finally gave in and decided to change to my 100-400mm lens, I got lots of stares as well as comments. People would move out of the way, parting like the Red Sea, when I came to an exhibit. I did feel rather important, and while I didn't exactly enjoy that feeling, I embraced it pretty quickly, using it to my advantage. I'm always chasing the elusive "perfect" photo, after all. Is there such a thing? I won't stop trying; I'll continue to try until I have arthritis in my fingers and can no longer press the shutter button.

Saddleback Stork

White-headed Buffalo Weaver

Side view

Macaw

Llamas

Baby Giraffe

Marabou Storks

Chimpanzee

Penguin basking in the sunshine

Meerkat

Collared Lemur

Golden Palm Weaver

Cougar

Rhino

Macaw

Klipspringer

Flamingo

Tortoise

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Today I am getting a set of Kenko extension tubes so I hope to have some interesting photos to share next week! Thanks, Lisa, for the advice!

Update on extension tubes: Amazon sent the wrong ones. The particular vendor they contracted with will only issue refunds. I can reorder but since the box was incorrectly labeled I'm afraid the same thing will happen again, so I've put the tubes on hold for now. :(

Tessa Mae

2011-09-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend's 13 year old Great Dane, Tessa Mae, passed away on Friday. Tessa was a special, beautiful, sweet girl, living much longer than the average Dane. I think her longevity is a testament to how very much she was loved and cared for by her family. This is the slideshow my friend created to celebrate Tessa's life, which she gave me permission to share here. Rest in peace, beautiful girl.

Nightmares and Sunsets

2011-08-31T09:44:00.001-05:00

Night before last I dreamed there were huge alligators floating in my house.

My son—who was still a little boy—kept trying to cross the room, even though he was well aware of the dangers. I kept reaching out, pulling him by the back of the shirt, saying sternly, "NO! Don't do that!" I would lift him up by his collar, feet dangling just out of the reptiles' reach, and deposit him on the bed beside me. I watched as the deadly creatures circled around us, their large eyes peeping just above the murky surface, looking for something to devour. Despite my warnings, I struggled to keep my boy beside me.

My son continued to ignore me, seemingly oblivious. Repeatedly I yanked him out of the water just in the nick of time. This exercise was replayed ad nauseam. I was getting very tired, and wondered how long I could continue to save him. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he insisted on taking that risk!

Funny how our dreams, even abstract ones, can mimic what is going on in our lives.

My grandmother used to say if one dreamed of snakes it meant the devil was trying to get a foothold. I wonder what alligator dreams mean? They're in the reptile family, after all. Hmmmm. I also have recurring dreams that I forgot to bathe or feed my kids. I hate that dream when it decides to visit me.

Last night my husband went to a business dinner. I had a somewhat stressful day at the office and felt restless home alone. I ventured outside to see if there was a sunset. Lo and behold there was a pretty nice one. Not the best I've seen, but good enough. I grabbed the one thing that is bringing me joy these days: my camera.

Ah, photography, how I love thee. Unlike our fluid lives, a camera has the capability to freeze a moment in time. Photographic mistakes can be deleted from memory with one click of a button...forever...never to haunt see the light of day again. I do wish my life could perform some of those functions. But if it could, I guess I wouldn't grow and learn.

What brings you joy and why? Do you have any recurring dreams that are bothersome or that you like?

Waves of Dana Point

2011-08-26T09:58:00.003-05:00

For the grand finale I present to you cool waves and some of the brave souls who battled them. Photos were taken over a 2 day period in sometimes hazy, sometimes sunny, Dana Point, California.

I learned that most surfers tether themselves to their boards.

A decapitation waiting to happen. Yikes!

My super sweet husband toting my camera bag for me.
He was so sunburned that his eye was swollen for 3 days afterwards.

I don't know these folks, but I thought this was sweet.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! I'll now return to my once a week posting schedule. Sending special prayers up for the communities in Hurricane Irene's path. Y'all be safe now, ya hear?

Vistas of Dana Point

2011-08-25T09:53:00.001-05:00

Are you sick of seeing Dana Point in the title of my posts? I saw that eye roll! And I don't blame you. :) Please be patient. Only one more set after this, which will be the surfing shots. I want to end on an upbeat note with lots of action!

Our stay at the Ritz was incredible. The room was situated on a private floor with its own concierge and help staff. There were four "food presentations" each day with the most delectable and artfully decorated goodies that made my eyes pop out of their sockets. I must admit it's quite intoxicating to experience such lavishness. I could quickly adapt to this lifestyle without a hitch. Money can't buy you class as they say, but it can certainly buy you comfort.

Before I present the views, feast your eyes on some of the slop we were served. I kid!

Excuse the poor quality, but this was taken with my iPhone.
The little silver beads are edible.

The shot glass contained what appeared to be tres leches cake,
but creamier than we're used to in Texas.

This was one of the lunch presentations. I thought the cesar salad idea was cool.

On to the views! Each morning we awoke to hazy skies, but by 2PM it usually burned off. I certainly didn't mind; it made for some moody photos.

Hello!! Can you tell how hard I'm trying to suck in my gut?
This was taken after one of the food presentations.

This was our concierge's desk. The view from this window made it feel as though
the water was right there, like we were peering out of a ship's window.
I loved that the hotel colors were the same as my living room at home: chocolate and ice blue.

These guys played for our big company dinner, playing non-stop for over 4 hours without a break.
I hope I have that much energy when I'm their age.
(taken with iPhone)

Look what the beer tasting menu had stamped on it in wax!
I pretended they did it just for me.
(taken with iPhone)

Rear view of the Ritz Carlton

The haze burned away revealing the most vivid blue hues.

Flowers and Insects of Dana Point

2011-08-24T10:22:00.001-05:00

California has always been on my list of places to visit. Thrilled to finally have the opportunity, it did not disappoint. I quickly became intoxicated with its beauty. God really anointed this part of the country with amazing flora and fauna, and spectacular views that are mesmerizing. It's hard to put into words the joy I felt being surrounded by so much radiance. As Lewis Hine said, "If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera." So, here is Part Deux of my journey:

Beautiful vases of flowers greeted us as we entered the Ritz Carlton.
This is a swanky place, y'all. Somehow I felt right at home there;
normally places like this make me nervous.

I must have 20 different angles, exposures, and focal lengths of this Bird of Paradise.
I could not stop photographing it!

Bee buried in bloom

You be my sunny day
I'll be your shade tree
You be my honeysuckle
I'll be your honey bee
(Honey Bee by Blake Shelton)
The only country song I know because he performed it on The Voice

Skipper on Calla

The bougainvillea was stunning.
I edited this with a lighter exposure because I felt the areas surrounding the bougainvillea was too distracting.

Someone please help me identify this flower! Is this some kind of verbena?

A blue-eyed bumble bee. Who knew?
I bet he's the Leo Dicaprio of the bee world.

Amaryllis, also known as the belladonna lily, the naked lady, or an amarillo.
Amaryllis means "sparkling" in Greek. In Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a shepherdess who loved a conceited shepherd. The shepherd said he would only love her back if she created a flower. In return, she stabbed herself in the heart in order to create a beautiful blossom.

The first honey bee to attempt planking.

This plant reminded me of gumdrops. I have no idea what this is called. It's some sort of succulent, I believe. Anyone? Bueller?

Skipper

More bougainvillea. This is the location where I spotted the first hummingbird.

Stay tuned for surfers and scenic views! Hope you all have an awesome day.

A HUGE "thank you" to Hilary at The Smitten Image for including my Double Trouble post in her Post of the Week! I am truly honored. If you do not read Hilary's blog, drop what you're doing right now and go have a look-see. That's Texan for "go check it out!" She's witty, warm, friendly, and has some amazing photography for your viewing pleasure. Thanks again!!!

Birds of Dana Point

2011-08-23T10:27:00.004-05:00

While I am dying to post everything I photographed during our trip to the west coast, I decided to process and post by category instead of chronologically. As you all know (photographically speaking), birds are dearest to my heart, so I worked on those first. I could hardly wait!

The hummers fascinated me most. Even though there was an abundance of flowers around the property, they would screech and chase each other away with dizzying speed. I kept thinking, "But there's plenty for all of you!" This made me wonder if some flowers were sweeter or better tasting than others, so the object was to keep those off-limits. Who knows? They're territorial little boogers for sure.

All of the birds have not been identified yet, so if you recognize any, or notice errors, please let me know! It boggles my mind how drastically different birds appear during seasons of the year and throughout their growth periods. And many times juveniles look very similar to females, so identifying birds can be a very tedious process. But fun! Autumn, that bird book you gave me for my birthday has gotten a work out! Thank you, darling.

Click on each photo for a larger (better) view if you so desire.

This was photographed from our 4th floor hotel room balcony--right at tree-top level.
Guess: Ash-throated Flycatcher, adult

Same as above; profile view

Brown Pelicans

Guess: Black-chinned Hummingbird, female

Guess: Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird, male

No idea!

Either a Ruby-throated, Anna's, or Black-chinned Hummingbird, female

Brown Pelican

Crow or Raven

House Sparrow?, male

Black Phoebe

Possibly a Sage Thrasher, adult

California or Laughing Gull, juvenile

Heerman's Gull, adult
Notice the bead of sandy water coming off his beak

Heerman's Gull, adult

Brown Pelican

Bird of Paradise
Ha! Thought I'd throw you a curve ball. :)

Wondering what my next category should be...surfers or views or flowers or insects...hmmmm! Help!

Double Trouble

2011-08-16T09:22:00.008-05:00

Every other day or so I am going through all my photos to get rid of superfluous (read: bad) images and edit those I have forgotten about. The cool air and little bit of rain we got on Saturday must've cleared my head. I don't feel as foggy as I have been.

Late one June evening hubby and I took Chance for a walk. On the previous night my husband spotted an owl in a grove of trees, so that's what we were looking for. Instead, these little comedians kept us entertained for a good 15 minutes.

Play with me!

I said PLAY! darnit!

Let's pretend we're international spies.

Shhhh....I think I hear someone. Stay still.....don't move. I'll protect you.

Tee hee.
I tried to do the mouse-over thing so you could see the original; however, CSS/Javascript is not my strong suit.
But I think you get the idea. :)

Fifteen minutes of this is better than 30 minutes of any show on TV right now. Hope everyone has a great week! I will be out of pocket from Thursday to Sunday enjoying much cooler temps in beautiful California!

P.S.
This little pictorial is inspired by The Run*A*Round Ranch Report and Reena at Missing Moments. Thanks, ladies! And if you haven't yet, you should really go check out their funny blogs.

Izzyberry

2011-08-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

One day back in June when the weather was tolerable, I was dicing strawberries trying to think of a way to photograph them. My white angel statue in the backyard came to mind, and voila! my plan was born.

Little did I know the complications this would pose for our chihuahua. Turns out, Miss Izzy, now known as Tooty Fruity, has quite the fondness for strawberries. As with any human food, I quickly looked online to make sure they're not toxic for dogs. Luckily, they're not, but grapes and raisins are, so don't offer your dog any!

DAY ONE:

Miss Angel, may I please have one of your delectable berries?

Mom, is it okay?

Well, no one seems to be stopping me.

Mmmmm....my mouth is watering.

Oh, what the heck! I don't care how undignified I look!

Nom nom nom nom nom.

Mmmm...I snagged a big one! This one's going to take some work.

DAY TWO:

Forget common courtesy! I'm gonna do a grab and run!

Grab, stab and run again!

There are starving dogs all over the world so I don't want to waste a drop!

For several days every time Izzy went outside she ran up to the statue to check for strawberries. I felt kinda bad that an innocent photography exercise caused her hopes to be raised then dashed. She finally got over it, but every now and then she'll trot over to the angel for a quick inspection.

She's since discovered watermelons, and drools incessantly until I share. Which I do with every single bite. Who do you think rules the roost at my house? Puppy dog eyes are a weakness of mine, what can I say?

Chronicles

2011-08-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, one more post about the weather and I'll quit. Maybe. Hee. According to an article by the AP "Since January, Texas has only gotten about 6 inches of rain, compared to a norm of about 13 inches, making it the most severe one-year drought on record." It goes on to state that this will harm a multitude of wildlife, which makes this nature-loving girl very sad.

Last night I went to my favorite nature area, Nob Hill, and witnessed shocking conditions. I was completely gobsmacked. I mean I know we haven't had any rain, but still...

3 WEEKS BEFORE:

Although low, on July 17 there was water.

3 WEEKS LATER:

A dried up dust bowl. All of what you see here is dirt. Not a drop of water.

I didn't realize until I uploaded the photos that a lonely turtle was stranded on the embankment. Poor fella! He looks parched.

The wicked sun fried some of the weeds and wildflowers. Hope no one drops a match or
a lit cigarette butt. :/

These sunflowers act as though nothing is amiss.
"Drought? What drought? We're doing great! No worries here."

With this photo I was trying to capture the zig-zagging of dragonflies but I didn't do a very good job. There were thousands, okay maybe hundreds of them, flying every which way. Normally they sit still and pose for me, but not this day. Little stinkers.

Finally, off to the eastern edge of the preserve, a small body of water. Perhaps this GBH has a fighting chance. He sure is a trouper to stay here and put up with these conditions. I wonder why he doesn't fly off to greener pastures...or bluer waters, I guess I should say.

Three more days and we will break a record for the most ever consecutive days for triple digit temperatures. Between the stock market, the heat, riots in London, violent flash mobs here, a dysfunctional government, and crumbling economy, it appears as though the world is spinning out of control. Seems the more intellectual knowledge we gain, the less wisdom and compassion we possess. I believe the world's moral compass is more broken than ever, which makes everything else off kilter. Lord have mercy on us all. This Bible verse comes to my mind frequently, and I know it well because I prayed it many times for myself:

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Our Scorched Earth

2011-08-08T21:57:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I asked my husband if we could drive over to Gussie Field Watterworth Park in Farmers Branch, TX before going to dinner. He said, "Sure! Let's go bake our bodies in this wonderful heat, and when we are good and cooked, we'll enjoy a nice dinner! 105 degrees is the perfect temperature to galavant around, taking photos."

I kid. He didn't say all that, but he may have well been thinking it. I was getting cabin fever and on the verge of a meltdown (non heat-related), and he knew that, so he just said, "Sure!"

What a good sport I married.

Off we went, thinking we might stay an hour. After 10 minutes I was huffing and puffing, claiming I couldn't breathe. Ten more minutes dragged agonizingly by and I was done. Done, I tell ya! I only lasted twenty minutes, yet I got some good shots, I think. Eh, I'll let you be the judge of that. :)

There were only a handful of rose bushes blooming.

Most of the roses looked like this: scorched.

Actually, most looked like this: nearly dead

What bird would want to build a nest in this wooden oven? It's probably 350 degrees in there.

The only thing thriving in Texas right now are the Crepe Myrtles. See my Crepe Myrtle bokeh? I have come to the conclusion that there will be Crepe Myrtles in hell, though I don't want to find out. :/

The smaller plantings around the roses were faring much better. The skippers were taking full advantage.

Checkered Skipper

Going to California in two weeks where the high is supposed to be 78-ish. That's almost sweater-weather compared to this hellish heat wave we're in right now. Hope my blogging friends are getting some relief from the heat! Send some cool vibes our way. And something to wet our whistle. Thanks! :)

Chamberlain St. Update

2011-07-27T13:21:00.007-05:00

The temperature in Dallas has reached triple digits for the 26th consecutive day, and is expected to continue well into next week. It feels as though the flames of hell are licking at my feet when I walk outside. I've always said there is a reason God chose the heat with which to threaten mankind. Notice he didn't choose ice or snow as a deterrent.

Anyway, what was my point? Sorry, the heat zaps what little thought process taking place inside my head. Oh! Just that I haven't been able to get out with my camera as much as I'd like, but I was curious as to the situation on Chamberlain St. and their exploding heron population, so I went to check it out.

First, I stopped at a nearby pond because I noticed a different looking heron with wonderful charcoal gray markings. See him? It's a juvenile Little Blue Heron. Did you know baby Little Blues are solid white? As they mature, they start showing more blue. This young'un is about nine months old or so.

One of these birds is not like the others. Does anyone know why the Little Blue Heron has white vertical stripes? Is it the water reflection?

Arriving on Chamberlain St. my eyes began to burn as soon as I emerged from my car. The smell is more horrific than ever with this ridiculous heat. The street is noticeably absent of vehicles parked in front of the homes for obvious reasons, and no humans could be seen or heard. I parked my car at the end of the street to avoid an unsightly mess and walked. More like trudged, at the same time praying I wouldn't pass out and die on this godforsaken street. Looking up, I tried to remember to breathe through my nose and keep my lips closed. Didn't want any "deposits" ending up in my mouth. Next time I really need to be prepared with a face mask. Or oxygen tank.

An explosion of fledglings, among other things, are evident.

Who knew tons of bird poop could resemble a light dusting of snow?

After Chamberlain St. I needed to clear my head, so I drove to a nearby nature preserve. The drought is really taking its toll. I wish I had thought to take more photos of these deep crevices in the earth.

How anything is living in this heat is a mystery to me.
Credit: Kim Klassen's Dream texture

Oops, how did this end up in here? Tee hee. Played around with Coffee Shop's new Vintage Frame 14 action. Love it! But I was treated for third degree burns on my arm after posing for this shot. Not really; sometimes I like to exaggerate.

My new baby!

2011-07-21T21:16:00.002-05:00

I want to begin this post by telling you that I'm not a status-conscious person, obsessed with owning expensive toys...unless we're talking photography. That's a whole other ball game. Other than that, I'm a simple girl with simple tastes. But I must admit, when my good friend Les—who has sold us our last 5 vehicles—assured me that I would fall in love with this car after I'd pretty much settled on a 2008 Volkswagen Beetle, I thought, pfffttt, no way. Well, people, when I'm wrong I admit it. The 325i is pretty farkin' amazing in every way. It is L-O-A-D-E-D. Although it's 5 years old, it looks and drives like a brand new car, and is definitely an upgrade for me. This beauty replaces a 2000 Honda CRV that was pretty plain Jane with 107,000 miles and an air conditioner that was ready to conk out any day. I couldn't have that, not in this heat wave. It was time. The writing was on the wall.

Processed with Shadowhouse Creations' new Postcard series

Double D took this of me standing in front of our house. Gee, I thought I was doing good on my diet, but looks like I need to drop another 20. Note to self: no more sleeveless shirts! :/

Stay tuned for some BIG news happening in my life in the next several weeks! Ciao for now, my friends!!

Photos and Google+ plus Spotify=Awesomeness

2011-07-15T21:27:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos I took while in Baton Rouge. I really didn't get out much, but I kinda liked these.

Now for the awesome stuff:

I am on Google+ and really liking it. It does what Facebook cannot seem to do easily (at least not when I was on there) in that I can post status updates targeting a specific group of people, or what Google+ calls Circles. It's so much cleaner and cooler than FB. At least to me! If you would like an invitation, send me an email, dixon.gail (at) gmail.com (remove spaces and replace (at) with @ symbol).

I am also loving the new music service called Spotify. I'm listening to some of my favorite music while I'm writing this post. Yes, I can do the same with iTunes, but with Spotify I can locate music I don't actually own and play it until my heart's content. It does a lot of other cool stuff, too, but I'll shut my yap and let you check it out for yourself. Unfortunately, sign up is by invitation only at this time and I don't have any invites to give out! I got mine by begging and panhandling on Twitter. :) Hopefully, they'll open it up to everyone soon!

Lake Sherwood Village Lit A Fire Under My Mom

2011-07-14T20:01:00.001-05:00

Another whirlwind visit to Cajun Country is over. I must say, it was one of the better visits. I only had two goals: get my mom to the neurologist appointment and visit an assisted living center. Well, cher, I did that and so much more.

On my arrival I met up with my freshly "doodied up" mom and Aunt Yvonne. They had just come from the beauty shop, so when I saw how cute they looked I told them they needed to be shown off. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Zoe's Kitchen, all of us ordering Zoe's famous chicken salad with fresh fruit.

Once back at my mom's apartment it took about an hour for cabin fever to strike. And after an entire afternoon and evening watching the mind-numbing Hallmark Channel and Lawrence Welk, I knew I couldn't last much longer, so the next day I asked her if she wanted to go check out Lakes of Sherwood Village. She told me to go ahead, that she had too much excitement yesterday, what with getting her hair did and all. (She doesn't talk like that, I'm just being silly). She told me to go check it out and come back with as much info as possible.

Like an undercover detective I apprehensively entered the main entrance to the retirement center. I think I was secretly hoping to find some misdeed or filth or something negative so I could go back and tell her there is no way she's going to a place like that! But it was surprisingly grand, decorated like a nice hotel. Bingo numbers were being called in the distance so I followed the sounds until I found a beautifully appointed room filled with a rather sophisticated group of elderly souls sitting alertly at tables, engrossed in their game. I observed them until I heard a faint "BINGO!"

Several things caught my attention:
~no unpleasant odors
~no drooling or incoherent patients
~friendly staff
~friendly residents
~clean carpets and furnishings
~beautiful lake views
~Catholic mass and novenas

Lake Sherwood

I went back and reported the findings to my mom, complete with video. She began to cry. She sobbed, actually. I assured her that this was just Plan Z, much later down the road, that she wasn't going to move there today or next week or even next month.

After that, my mom changed. The next day she had several things on her list of errands that I normally do by myself. This time she wanted to do them WITH me. We went to the bank, then we got pedicures together, and finally shopping at Steinmart. Usually my mom can only do one thing per day because of her Parkinson's, so I wasn't surprised when she got halfway into Steinmart and said she'd had enough. But I praised her to the heavens! Mom! Look at all you did today!! I'm so proud of you!!!!

We did even more the next day, including a visit back to the dreaded retirement home, which she was very impressed with, by the way. On my last day there she ran out of gas, yet still felt good. She admitted to me that the idea of moving into an assisted living facility is what got her butt in gear. Ha! My mom still has fight left in her. I didn't realize I was putting her feet to the fire when I instigated the retirement home idea. Whatever it takes. I'm super encouraged seeing my mom not give up and fight to get her life back.

I'm still toying with the idea of moving back home to be near her. I asked God for a sign on what to do about that and seeing her perk up during my visit definitely seemed like a sign.

That's all for now! More posts to come if I can get my own rear in gear. Please know that I am visiting blogs and leaving comments where I can, but my Google Reader overwhelmed me on my return. You all have been busy!

Oh! One more thing: y'all know how fleur de lis is my thing; well, Louisiana's state symbol is the fleur de lis, so it is sold everywhere! I went to the shoe store and look what I had to have! Later gators!

Our Weekend at Lago Vista

2011-06-28T08:59:00.001-05:00

Our friends have retired to a beautiful community in Lago Vista, Texas. They built a gorgeous home on the edge of Lake Travis with stunning views. My friend's daughter is an interior decorator so this home is a real show stopper, beautifully appointed down to the tiniest detail. We had the entire downstairs to ourselves which consisted of 2 bedrooms, an office, 2 baths, and a den--all overlooking the lake.

To say that we did not want to return to our humble home is an understatement. Although that little taste of luxury was intoxicating, I don't know if I could handle the upkeep on a home like that. Or the taxes. I like to keep things simple. Still...this lifestyle is very tempting...

Views from the 2nd floor balcony

Turkey vultures are in abundance there.

We dined at the famous Oasis restaurant. Trying to eat chips and hot sauce in 100 degree temps
is not as fun as it might sound.

The Oasis has hundreds, maybe thousands of these umbrellas, but they did little to shield us
from the intensity of the sun's glare. I think I lost a couple of pounds that night.

All of us have been to Italy so we pretended that we were dining on the Amalfi Coast.
It was easy to imagine. I wish this picture had come out better, but you get the idea.

As we left the restaurant a little girl no more than 10 years old was letting this tarantula crawl all over her hands and arms. She had quite an audience, making it difficult for me to get a good shot. She must've felt a little like Lady Gaga at that moment.

Besides turkey vultures, there were plenty of these. I think it's a grackle. This was shot at The Gnarly Gar, a restaurant that sits on the water. It is clear that these birds have come to expect a steady diet of Gnarly Gar fare from clumsy and/or generous patrons.The restaurant rocks back and forth as boats and jet skis go by, and made me a little sea sick.

Hundreds of the biggest catfish I've ever seen float up to the front of the restaurant. People dump their french fries or whatever is left over into the waters for them to greedily devour like pigs. Personally, I think it's disgusting and unhealthy, but it seems to be a custom, so I kept my trap shut.

Noreen update

2011-06-23T11:27:00.003-05:00

Many of you new to my blog may not have seen my post about Noreen, an amnesiac, rather clueless customer service rep that I must deal with frequently. I am happy to report that these days we enjoy a great relationship. She is now quick to go the extra mile, while before she was obstinate and unhelpful, sometimes downright rude, but mostly clueless. Noreen still has trouble following instructions, but she actually did a huge favor for me this morning, so things continue to improve. Graciousness goes a very long way in business and in your personal life. This little exercise completely changed my attitude not just toward Noreen, but others as well, and I have Noreen to thank! And to think at one point I wanted to throttle her with my bare hands. God is working in my life, for sure! Here is the repost from 12/23/2009:

I have a thorn in my side at work and her name is Noreen (not her real name). She is my main contact at one of our major suppliers, so when I am sending custom orders, she needs just enough acumen to read the instructions on my purchase orders and get the parts into production. You'd think this was a pretty simple task, but for Noreen, I might as well be asking her to map the human genome or balance the federal budget.

I don't want to come across as cruel, but facts are facts: Noreen is about as alert and intelligent as a box of rusty nails. When her stupidity surfaced during our first point of contact, I tried to be nice about it and not make her feel inferior by pointing out the obvious answers to her questions, typed neatly on our faxed purchase order. Right there in black and white.

Then there was a fleeting thought that I must not be communicating properly. Maybe it's me. But not having this problem with other suppliers, I quickly came to the conclusion that it's not me, IT'S HER. And that sort of realization wore my nerves down to a frazzled mass of tangled vessels, ready to explode at any given moment.

After months of dealing with Noreen I was through with being nice. I got to a point where I wanted her to feel my pain. I wanted to shove her idiocy right back down her own throat with force. My frustration levels were off the chart. In 21 years I have never encountered such daftness. So I stopped being nice and said things like:

"Just get it done, Noreen."

"I don't have time to explain every little detail to you, Noreen."

"Read the purchase order, Noreen."

"Look at the previous order, Noreen."

"It's right there on the order. Why are you asking me?" (after which I would read the answer to her inane question aloud from the PO)

"Whatever, Noreen. I'm tired of explaining this to you. We just talked about this yesterday. Do you not remember our conversation?" (she never remembered our previous conversations)

"Figure it out, Noreen."

These things were all said in very clipped, abrupt tones. Oh, and the curse words I wanted to spew were pushed way down into the depths of my belly. I'd pray they would stay buried there and not surface like projectile vomit or a sudden case of Turette's. I'd be damned if Noreen was going to do me in after 21 years in this job, using her mind-numbing ignorance like a machete, chopping feverishly on my frayed nerves.

One day something came over me. Perhaps it was the realization that being blunt and to the point wasn't getting through, or maybe the vein that was throbbing in the side of my neck started to become worrisome, ready to burst through and cause a fatal heart attack. No way was Noreen getting the best of me, nor would she claim responsibility for putting me in the grave. Dear God, no, don't let it be Noreen.

So I changed tactics. I decided to be exceptionally nice. Not fake nice, but out of a place of true compassion. Perhaps with genuine patience and understanding I could make the situation better. For both of us. I would no longer point out obvious inconsistencies in her statements or thrash her for overlooking crucial details. It was difficult beyond belief and my tongue was sore from biting it. I patiently walked her through orders, politely answering her questions. And I'm proud to say it wasn't in a condescending way.

Niceness toward Noreen felt foreign and forced at first, but over the weeks, surprisingly, it came more naturally. In turn she also became nicer and more accommodating. She actually did me a favor today, which saved my company $150. Score! I win!

Did my diplomacy make Noreen any smarter? No. Did it make her remember things she had just told me the day before, but can't remember today? No. Did she suddenly figure out how to read our orders and process them without incident? No. Did my nicety make that vein stop throbbing in my neck? It's easing. Baby steps.

I think I'm on to something here. Never give up on someone. Remember that everyone is not at the same place in life — intellectually, emotionally, physically — that you are. What I learned is that even when you don't feel like being gracious, if you try your best to put it into practice anyway, it makes life exceedingly more pleasant.

After 2 years of dealing with Noreen, it's doubtful that I will ever write her a recommendation letter or suggest to her superior that she receive a promotion, but I have created a little bubble of peace around us, fragile though it may be, and that's enough. I hope to carry this lesson into other areas of my life.

Peace and love,

Louisiana Belle

Inspiration

2011-06-14T20:39:00.003-05:00

My daughter and I picked up photography around the same time in 2008. While we are a lot alike she is much smarter and prettier. She also made much better life decisions than I did, except when she moved far, far away. I certainly didn't approve of that. :/

She doesn't get out as often with her camera as she'd like, but lately she's been doing a little more since her good friend moved to Portland recently. Look at these wonderful flowers from Schreiner's Iris Gardens in Salem, OR. When I came across this in her Flickr stream I was instantly smitten. I love the graphic look of the vertical green stems and the gorgeous purples, greens, and yellows. I am seriously thinking of changing the color scheme in my home office just so that I can hang this as a very large canvas right over my desk.

This is the time of year that I burn out with photography (and everything else) because the heat is so unbearable. But when I saw my daughter's photo it inspired me to go out and shoot a field of wildflowers after work today. I had been eyeing this field for weeks. After fighting what felt like intense flames and annoying wind for 30 minutes I still didn't get anything great, but hey, at least I went out. Thank you for the inspiration, Autumn! You have single-handedly helped me out of my slump.

Chamberlain St.

2011-06-05T15:56:00.002-05:00

There is a huge egret problem on a residential street in my city. Nightmare-ish almost. You can read more about it here.

So you'd think after three visits to Chamberlain St. where the egrets haven taken over that I'd come away with at least one perfect photo. Ha! With burning eyes and throat, poop running down my arm (and who knows where else), and my neck aching from looking up so high, it's been quite a challenge to say the least. In addition to those issues there's the dense foliage to contend with, where leaves or limbs get in the way of the shot. Also, the birds move to higher elevations once my presence is detected. In addition to ALL THAT, the biggest, meanest bugs ever are using me as their own personal buffet table. Good thing my dream of working for National Geographic Magazine is just that: a dream. I really don't think I could hack it in the rainforest. :) These photos are not perfect, but good enough to post. Better viewed large.

This is the first Cattle Egret I saw at a pond near the overrun street. He has a broken wing which I don't have the heart to post. He's been sitting in the tree for 3 days at least. I don't know how he is eating or how he will continue to survive. I just can't think about it too much.

Cattle Egret

Double D looking up at the chaos. Notice the white poop on the leaves and limbs. That can't be good.

I'm pretty sure this is a Little Blue Heron fledgling OR it could be a Black-crowned Night Heron fledgling

Mating. You can see the breeding colors in the one on the left - the beak gets reddish-puple around the eyes.

Snowy egret

Not sure what this is--doesn't have the plumage of the Snowy but it's not big enough to be the Great White Heron.

Cattle Egret with breeding colors

I'm fairly certain that this is a juvenile Little Blue Heron - from what I can discern from the internet the juveniles are white with green legs.

Cattle Egret

Little Blue Heron-breeding adult

Black-crowned Night Heron
This is a shy little guy. I tried from every angle to get a better shot, but failed. I don't like that his beak is partially obscured by the tree.

The family

Just what you want to see--more Cattle Egrets mating

Guarding the nest.

In full breeding plumage

Overwhelmed

2011-06-01T11:16:00.010-05:00

I wish I could say I've been UNDERwhelmed the last seven days, but unfortunately I was definitely in the OVER category.

I will probably never get caught up at Flickr or my favorite blogs, so I wanted to report for duty here and try to give a brief explanation for my absence. Sparing you all the gory details, my eldest needed every ounce of my attention for the last several days. During that time I discovered some things:

I learned that my ex-husband and I can quickly come together for our children, comfort each other, and even exchange hugs.
I'm a lot stronger than I think I am.
When my child is in danger I will go without food or sleep.
The medical staff at our local hospital is awesome.
My entire family is pretty awesome, too.
My memory improves significantly when my child's life is at stake.
Love has no limits.

Last night as things were winding down to a somewhat sustainable level I turned on the TV for the first time in days and saw a preview on the local news about an egret habitat that had taken over a quiet street about 2.5 miles from my house. Now, I NEVER watch the local news, but this had my undivided attention. After seeing the sheer quantity of egrets, I decided to ignore my exhaustion, grabbed my camera, and headed out the door.

When I got there I was amazed at the egret poop covering everything! It was as though the street, sidewalks, and mailboxes had been white-washed with paint. The noise and activity coming from the treetops was unbelievable. These birds are Federally protected, so the residents cannot do anything to get rid of them. And it appears they will be there until September.

Apprehensively, I emerged from my car and decided it was worth getting pooped on if I could get a good photo. A sweet lady that owns one of the homes stood outside chatting with another gentleman, both of them looking up and pointing. I asked permission to take pictures and when she saw the size of my 400mm lens, she eagerly agreed and asked if I would email her some photos. We emailed a couple of times already and she said I could come by anytime and take pictures--I just can't blame her if I get pooped on! I said, "DEAL!" lol

Cattle Egrets are my favorite, but I have never been able to get a good shot of one. I couldn't help feeling that this was another one of God's little presents to give me hope for brighter days ahead.

Deep Thoughts

2011-05-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

I saw this quote on Flickr. If anyone knows who to attribute it to, I will be happy to give credit as I've Googled to no avail.

The torn paper texture is by an inactive account at Deviant Art.

Font is called Sunshine in my Soul.

Slideshow and Project 52

2011-05-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

In my spare time I have been working on a slideshow of my trip. I have published and unpublished it so many times that I've lost count. Either the flow wasn't right, or a picture didn't pan correctly, or I'd decide to change the music. On the last viewing I discovered I had typed "Oak Bottom" instead of "Oaks" Bottom in the description. I'm not a total perfectionist, but accuracy is fairly high on my list of priorities. The other thing I'm not happy about (but I refuse to change), is that I used the resized images with watermarks. I like using the Ken Burns effect (pannning and zooming of images), but if you have a watermark, it will get cut off unless you adjust each frame. Who has the time?! Using smaller images means that if you view it on full screen it's going to lose a lot of clarity. The next time I do a slideshow I will save a copy specifically for that purpose before resizing and slapping on my watermark. Live and learn. :/

There are so many more photos, but they must wait until I have more time to work on them. If you have 3 minutes and 41 seconds, I'd be honored if you'd watch my slideshow. Music is Brahms: Serenade #1 in D, Op. 11.

Here is my submission for this week's Focus 52 and Photo Feature Friday.