Getting started........................

    Ok, so I've been trying to figure out what to do with this urge, this compulsion, this obsession with taking pictures.  I've got files and files of photos stored on various hard drives.  And 6 or 7 shoe boxes full of print photos from what? maybe 30 years back?  When I first heard about blogging I thought: what a fantastic way to get organized and have a way to display my photos.  And then I started looking online and saw how many many wonderful photographers were out there and all the cool, creative blogs they were designing and I got a little intimidated and overwhelmed..... 


So after procrastinating for a long while, I'm ready to give this a go.


I've wondered: what is it about photography that feels so satisfying to me?  I guess part of it is that by capturing moments of time and space it somehow seems to validate my existence; reflect my aliveness, my awareness.  I suppose I'm a pantheist - if anything - and to me a photograph depicting any aspect of Nature is like a chronicle of spirit ~ every picture like a prayer.  I've never said it that way before, but that description does seem to make sense to me.


A little about me:  I retired from working as an educational counselor in 2008.  A few times a year I'll take a short-term, substitute assignment.   So there are periods when I have a lot of free time and then when I'm working, not so much. 

I met a fellow photography buff  at my last job and found out that she lives just blocks away from me.  We've made a pact: let's get together and set up some weekly photography challenges to ensure that we keep those shutters clicking. So hopefully I'll have new stuff to add here soon!  

      Most of the pics in this post were taken during the past 3 or 4 months.  A few of them are a little older than that.....

Last vestige of Fall

Abagail

Cedar Waxwing
(taken last spring)

Stained Leaves

Guarding her nearby nest

Take two and call me in the morning

 Arc Arbor & Quonset Hut at Mueller

Oak and Marble
 

Trouble is, I never can eat just one!

Christmas Cacti
 

 Such a pistil!

 Wingin' it

 Annual Pow Wow in Austin

 Austin Pow Wow

 Did they dance!

 Genius!

 Poms

 Pom

Back Door Buddha

 Garden

 What is a male ladybug called?

 Passing through...

 Self defense