moving on over as of 10/1/12

I have found a way to combine my different interest into one website with my different blogs as well as showcase more of my pictures as well. truely loving it. I hope you will come and join me  on the next Photo Heart connection and other picture stories as well. I anticipate having the new site by Oct 1st. fully running but please come on by if you don't mind some  under constructions, spelling and format wise LOL.

Photo Heart Connection for August ~ Dragon Flies

Yeepee, I finally get to participate in Photo Heart Connection this month. Even though I have missed several months, I am going to play catch up of sorts.

While snapping pictures of dragon flies I noticed for the 1st time there are different types of dragon flies, so my eyes and mind have been opened once again.

Photo-Heart Connection ~  Trying to Be Prepared ~May 2012



I so enjoy and look forward to Kat's monthly post. Most of my heart connections are with nature and it's beautify. So this post might seem a bit ironic in some ways but in my reality... it's just as important. As a child I can remember going through Hurricane Celia and all the damage it caused. How it uprooted our daily lives for several months... which compared to others' horrific ordeals after disasters, that was nothing. But none the less it instilled many lessons that to this day I try to adhere to. Being prepared. I have attended 2 Hurricane conferences and continue to learn so very much each time. What I walked away with this year was complete confidence in our states prepardeness and  Texas Pride Smile to boot.
Many times we are quick to judge people and organizations and sometimes their decisions in times of crises. I for one will not second guess those decisons... and will also follow my initution as well.

 I got there it was just before sunrise and my phone camera wasn't able to capture the enormity of what all goes into a conference like this.  So with the help of others and their pictures, I wish to share what made my May photo heart connection.

When I watched a Coast Guard helicopter land several hundred feet from me that morning my eyes welled up as looked around at all of the resources that were all around me.

There was a truck from HEB grocery stores there with their set up

 Sprint had there mobile unit actually providing service for many of the participant's there.

 There were so many origination's participating. All I can say is thank you to all of these professionals that put their life on the line for us when we need them to.

Photo Heart Connection for April - Look Ma, I can swim too !!!

On April 21, I took my first nature walk with out assistance from another human or my cane in over 3 years... We had a cool front blow in and it felt wonderful and I felt adventuresome as well.  I Loaded up Camera, cell phone and tripod... and ventured down this path. It has been beckoning me to come down it.   

One of Rockports Natural Gardens

My heart was beating, and antipating what I might see just past the bamboo and honeysuckle. I walked thinking if it is all just like this that would be cool too. So I proceeded to a clearing and looked to My left and to my wonderful suprise, I had one of those ah hah moments.  Only in magizines had I seen pictures of mama duck and ducklings swimming. I couldn't get my camera on fast enough and remembered thinking maybe just maybe the phone camera my get it. Of course the sun was so bright that I couldn't tell if the picture came out our not, but praying the whole time that it would.

Mama Duck and her ducklings April 21,2012

I found a bench to sit on and tried to get the settings set on the camera so that I could catch all of this magnificance I was being able to witness. I remembered to take deep breaths and then pinching myself... Is this not incredible?

Crystial Clear Pond Mama duck are headed to the other
side where there is more distance from me and them.

As just stared into this pond I wondered what critters might be in there? Nothing Stirred, jumped or even rippled in it. I remember thinking I wonder if my mind could ever get this still?  So watched the Mama and her ducklings swim around the island and then on to the birds overhead trying to catch and thermal drafts that might be around. It seemed like everything around me was happy that it was such a beautiful day. 

Another pond framed with green

The path continued towards the right  and  I wondered where the path may lead me next, ah another little pond, I wanted to yell I was so happy but didn't want to scare of the birds.. so I composed myself and continued to walk towards it. 
 

Pine trees are not in abundance here in south Texas

For Kat's PHC(Photo-Heart Connection) project I know we are to pick one picture that pulled on the heart and it would have to be Mama and her ducklings.

 I think I knew how these little ducklings were feeling that day...  Me saying Look I am doing it all by my self, and the ducklings thinking , Look I can swim.

However I also wanted to share these other pics with you so you could better understand my amazement with this park...To go by this park for years and have no idea such beauty was litterly in our own back yard truely blows me away. 

Wild Honey Suckle, now this brings back wonderful memories too

http://kateyestudio.com/category/photo-heart-connection

Photo-Heart Connection 03/2012

March Photo-Heart Connection

                                                             March Memory Makers

 For those of us who where born and raised here in Texas,  seeing the Blue Bonnets in bloom, cows,an ole fence line and an even older delapaded house is very much TEXAS, in the respect that many a painter and photographer have tried to capture. Would have needed my snake boots to have wondered through that grass to get any closer. Many a road trip are taken this time of year to see these beautiful flowers, kinda like traffic at Christmas Time to look at the lights but on the highways and interstates of Texas. Parents having their children get out in the fields to take a Annual picture of the Kids in the bluebonnets. Texas Hill Country Facebook Page has many incredible pictures of these beautiful flowers. After several Years with the drought we have had and no bluebonnets, well you guessed it...Getting Pictures is as Big a deal as TEXAS is. ENJOY

Photo-Heart Connection 02/2012

Hello to all.

Many of you are familiar with Kat Eye Studio, This is the site  that I had participated in  last year with  my Photography. I really enjoyed it, so when I read that she was doing a once a month photo-heart connection blog, Well you know I was all in. This next paragraph is what got me hooked.

These are her words.

"When we get down to it, what is a photo-heart connection? A heart connection is, for me, a reaction that bypasses my brain. It’s not about what I think of the image, or how technically good it is. It is not about how others will react to it. It is how the image makes me feel. When I have a heart connection, I feel it in my body. There is a little jolt, that tells me of a strong connection. Have you ever noticed how we feel emotions in our body first? Even though we will have thoughts that accompany emotions, they arrive split seconds later. I want to tap into the signals from my body, before my brain starts to filter, and then explore what I find through this process."

This is so what taking pictures is about for me. So this will be my first in this series.

I normally stay away from man made objects in my photography, so taking this was a surprise from the start. However, I resisted 2 times and then just felt compelled to snap it.... As I studied it for this blog I remembered the goosebumps I felt and how I fell in love with reflection of the colors of the sky in the water and the wind whispering peacefully into my ear.

I am not a huge fan of piers either, so what was the fascination with this pier as well? I realized it was a Snapshot of my life's path over my element of water that I so need in my life. There are possibilities of what might be seen with every step. Then there is the covered portion... reminding me that we need Nourishment and shelter along our path as well. As you walk a little further out to the end there are several Lights and a bench I believe... Where one can sit and watch  the underwater world  as well day or night  as I could reflect on the many  "highlights"  of this journey as well.

Going, Going, Gone another Sunday Evening

Oh how I love to catch the Sun as it is going down on a Sunday evening... Maybe that is why Sundays are so special to me... I reflect on the past week and what was witnessed, done or undone and what I expect of the upcoming week.  So this past Sunday Hubby took me to The Memorial Park on the back side of Futon so that we could chill as we watch the sun going down over Copeno Bay. took 200 Pictures and tried to pick the three that would best capture this Sunset. Enjoy!

Truely magnificant Colors, photos are not touched up in any way.

Goloshes,the rain Gage and the Great pictures I didn't get!

So maybe they are not the real goloshes that we grew up with but they work just as well. I sure enjoyed slipping out of my slippers and into my  white shrimp boots to go check the rain gage this weekend on more than one occassion. We had a real rain event here in Rockport this weekend... over 3 inches. Hubby and I have been "rain gage readers" for COCORAHS  which in turns reports it to NOAA for the official rain totals in the area right at a year. The neighbors will text or call to get the official rain total... and around here that is an event that brings everyone smiles and cause for celebration Even though we did not have any standing water in the yard or driveway, it rained at a pace that allowed it to soak in and not just run off.
So Sunday afternoon, I assumed that the rain has subsided, anxious to get outside and take pics, I load up my cane, stool, camera & coat for my trip to the end of the property... you guessed it I get out there barely set down, get the camera open, and down comes the sprinkles, So my bird pictures will have to wait yet again to be captured. However I am hopeful that with the rain today and hopefully tomorrow as well that we will be on our way to seeing this sight once again soon. Water in the dry pond and lots of birds finding their way back to us.

Martin Dies Jr State Park, Jasper Texas

Ahh the Piny Woods of Texas, Jasper Texas that is. Martin Dies Park, Thanksgiving 2011. This was the first park where I could actually smell the pine trees and see birds and raccoon's running around in the evening.The animals were not afraid of the campers- just observing us as we were them. The highlight of our trip was to watch the front blow in, it's not often that we are able to just sit and watch without any obstructions. Once it hit the winds didn't stop for 24 hours, made cooking a bit tough but we did did it and about 5 packages of tarp to block the wind gusts in the shelter which were clocked at 68 miles an hour several times. Another one of the lessons we learned was always call the day of arrival to see what may have changed. 2 days prior, burn ban in full effect... day of Arrival- burn ban lifted... we had to purchase wood when we had a hundred pieces at home, oh well.  Truly a wonderful place to relax and we look forward to returning soon. Another first for me was to see red mushrooms, yep red mushrooms...

hidden under the fallen needles were these little mushrooms. We did a 3 mile hike through the park, Hubby canoed for several hours. Tons pictures and memories we hope to remember for many years to come. For our 1st non-traditional Thanksgiving away from Family and Turkey, we are a little embarrassed to say that we may have started a new tradition for us.