An Awesome View of Life

  You can run but you can't hide...   Didn't we all love this game?  I'm not sure what made me decide to use Mouse Trap for my photo shoot today.  It was just too cold to head out today to find anything to take photos of and I was just so very tired of all of the other non-creative things I had been using.  I hope this brightens someone's day just a little. 

  The Blue Barn...   Oh how I love barns!  Some of my favorite memories are connected with my grandparent's  barn. And I would love to own a property with a barn more than anything. This one would make the best workshop for my hubby's woodworking.  There could be a corner for me to learn to weld.  And maybe there would even be enough space for my current business.  If you enlarge this photo there is a little blue tricycle, a birdhouse, a bucket of tools, snow shovel, watering can, window and a chair. This little hobby farm is for sale but I couldn't tell you a thing about the house or the rest of the property because I was so enamored with this little blue barn.

    Boys will be boys...   Today was once again a dark, gloomy day here in Minnesota.  When there isn't any sunshine there is also no color to our landscape.  Even the pine trees lose their deep green color and look brown and blah.  Wanting to take outdoor photos while the weather was warmer we went in search of outdoor color.  Maybe in a building or ?? The first stop was at a local theater that has this beautiful, bright colored mural on the side of the building.  But outdoor color was found in the most unexpected place.  In a park overlooking the Rum River there were dozens of ducks.  These brightly colored "boys" walked right up to the camera, quacking and asking for a little attention. 

  The Mighty Mississippi...   It was so fun to have more than photos of my backyard to choose from today.  But being on a photography field trip causes the dilemma of which photo to use for the day.  This photo was taken from the top of the Coon Rapids Dam. Again it would have been a prettier photo if we had some blue skies and sunshine but unfortunately I have no control over the weather.

Wishing for Spring...     The snowflakes were so huge today.  I know this isn't the most creative photo and I am getting tired of taking photos of my backyard but I truly hate going out in this kind of weather.  These flower pots are waiting for spring so they can be filled with bright, pretty flowers.  I'm also waiting for spring so I can work in my yard and see what new things will be growing. 

    SnowKiting... (click to enlarge)     Facebook was to blame for this photo today.  Lakawa, a company that teaches snowkiting in the winter and kiteboarding when there is less ice on the lakes posted a picture this afternoon.  They were out giving lessons and in the background of their picture was a building I thought I knew. I've been waiting for a chance to have a photo op of the snowkiters so hoped in my car and drove in the direction I thought they were.  When I got close I saw a kite pop up, exactly where I thought they would be. My camera's battery died after three photos but my trusty HTC One X's camera did the trick. A little sunshine would have made these much better photos but... 

(click to enlarge) It takes a village... This is another of my MANY collections.  For some reason I found my header caption totally funny.  I'm not sure why but I laughed for quite awhile about it.  I am always concerned that my whacked sense of humor will get in the way of a good photo. Or a good description of a good photo. When in reality it should enhance ANY photo I take and any story I tell.

  Wishing for...   While grabbing my shoes this morning I saw one of these flip flops. My mind was flooded with memories of the warmth of the sun and sand between my toes.  I'm hoping I captured a little of that in this photo. 

  Add a Little Spice...   Today was brutally cold and windy.  Once again I used sitting at a red light to capture the photo of the day. This is my family's FAVORITE restaurant in Coon Rapids, MN.  We love everyone who works here.  We know we are loved when we walk through the door.  The service is great and the food is even better.  And the Texas margaritas are to die for. 

  (click to enlarge)   Cold View of Downtown Minneapolis...   This morning on my way back from the University of Minnesota I stopped to take this photo.  There is a foot bridge that crosses the Mississippi River between the East and West Bank campuses.  With the temperature somewhere in the negative 7 degree range, I got out of my toasty warm car and walked part way out onto this bridge to get my second shot of the city skyline.  You can't take photos with winter gloves on so -- four shots later I hustled back to my car to get out of the cold. When the weather gets warmer and the landscape gets greener -- I'm sure there will be more skyline photos.

  Winter Drab or Bits of Color...   This photo was taken from my kitchen window.  I wasn't really afraid or avoiding going outside to take pictures today, even though it never made it above zero.  The window is just where I saw this scene.  I did go out briefly to take two photos, neither of which made me smile or go "hmmm..."  One of these criteria must be met in order for a photo to be used in my photo journal.    When I first looked at this photo I thought it was rather drab, which winter is here in Minnesota.  Or is it?  But when I flipped the picture to full screen I realized just how much color is in this photo.  Color is there if you look... (You can click on the photo to enlarge it and see the colors for yourself.)

  Bright Colors for a Cold Day...   My business, Cherry Bombs Attitude Gear has been around for quite awhile.  For years I have been looking for THIS color of thread.  I FINALLY found it. NEON GREEN on a metallic FUCHSIA fabric makes for a pretty photo.  But no I will NOT be using the green thread on this fabric!!

    An Apple a Day...   Well, today I had plans to go on an adventure.  Somewhere super creative and inside out of the wind.  But... So my photos were taken on a quick trip into Home Depot and the grocery store.  This is the last picture I took.  But once it was cropped it made me smile which is usually how I pick my photo of the day. 

Coming and Going...   Footprints in the light snow we got overnight (once again).  The UPS guy delivered early this morning and I thought his footprints would make a good photo.  I also think there are a couple of prints from the family smoker.

  Love this city...     Today I spent some time in one of my favorite places -- south Minneapolis.  While out looking for the perfect spot to take a picture of the city skyline, I found all kinds of things waiting to have their picture taken.  Twelve really awesome pictures were taken today but this is the one I like best.  It captured the snow perfectly and the very essence of this part of town.  This was taken while sitting at a red light on Lyndale at Lake Street.  As Jonny Lang sings in Red Light:   "A chance to breathe While sitting at a red light You look around reflecting on your life..."

It's about time...       Various clocks around my house.  Oh and my hubby's watch.  Not creative??  Hmmm...  

This...     or this?   Another day of not going out and taking pictures so I had to improvise.  And yes I AM posting a picture of myself.  Well, actually TWO of them.  And yes they were strategically taken! ha! I couldn't decide which one I liked better.  I like the one with the flash in the mirror but also like the little pout in the second one.  And now that I've looked at these for awhile I find them to be a little more creative than at first glance or thought. 

One of Many...   My cute collection of mini sewing machines with one of my BIG machines.  I think the three of these little machines actually cost more than the real working machine.

  Crumbs and all...   This is one of my favorite seating areas in my house.  I love that while I am cooking dinner someone is always sitting here either helping or just keeping me company.  And I swear I had all the crumbs wiped off before I took this picture.  And its really strange no matter how hard I try to brush them away they just stay in the picture.  ha!           

Vacation Memories   Seashells and rocks in an antique bowl.  These are from our vacation to Del Ray Beach, FL in 2011. We have a jar full of sand and seashells in our bathroom aswell.  I also have two other baggies full of seashells.  Do I have a problem?  I don't think so, I just love the beaches of Florida and love to bring just a bit of each of them back with me.  ha!    

Pieces of Dreams   Yesterday I posted a picture of a stack of folded fabric that I had used for the past couple of days.  Today my picture is scraps of those same fabrics, entitled "Pieces of Dreams".  My company makes competition suits for bodybuilders, figure, fitness and physique competitors.  These little scraps of fabric represent their dreams in these sports. All their determination to get to the point where they need one of my very little suits to get out there on that stage.

  These are the other pictures I took today.  There are still four others but chose to share only these.       Berries in the Snow       Dragons in the Snow   This is the base of a bird feeder in my front yard.  They are actually three seahorses but I ALWAYS see dragons instead.         Layers of Color   These are the fabrics I've been working with today.  And will be again tomorrow.  Beautiful, shiny fabrics.  

Abundance   Several years ago a friend told me about the book "The Artist's Way".  It is a book about finding and nuturing your creative side.  One of the activities was to look for rocks when out and about.  So I started looking for them while out on my walks. They seemed to be everywhere, even when I wasn't looking for one.  When I got home I would place the rock I had just found on this ledge on the front of my house.  This is one of my many rock collections. :-)    The lesson of this activity is abundance.  When I started this photojournal I thought "I'll never be able to find something to take a picture of EVERYDAY for an entire year."  But I have found it harder and harder to decide WHICH picture to use as my photo of the day. Everywhere I turn there is something to take a picture of.  We just need to start looking and we will find we are surrounded by an abundance of amazing things.

Capture the Wind   This morning I was listening to the wind blow.  I love the wind, mostly the sound of it, walking in it, etc. I was thinking it would be so wonderful if I could take a picture of the wind for my picture of the day.  So, I started thinking about all the ways I could "capture the wind" on my camera.  If it had just snowed or was snowing I could take a picture of blowing snow.  Or if it was spring I could take a picture of a kite.  If I had time today I would have found some snowkiters and probably have spent the day taking pictures.  I tried taking a picture of blowing grass but it just looked like grass -- not blowing.  There are so many things that blow in the wind but ended up choosing this picture of Old Glory on top of our local American Legion.  It is so amazing what you CAN take a picture of.

What's Cooking?   Part of my New Year's resolution is to be creative in ALL things I do.  Cooking is one of those things.  I LOVE Thai food and found this "clean" recipe for a Basil Beef Stir Fry.  It is exactly like a dish served in my favorite Thai restaurant in Boynton Beach, FL. This is so easy to make, has the best flavors and the basil in this makes it smell so wonderful.

Colors   While shopping today I saw this aisle of bleach all the different colors on white.  I couldn't resist taking a picture.  My daughters were with me so before I took out the camera I gave them fair warning and let them hightail it away from me.  Being creative, especially in public can make for some embarrassing moments for the ones you love. ha!  

Path to Paradise   This path leads to a peaceful little neighborhood. It also wraps around a wonderful wetland and ends in a city park. The city park is across from a major shopping area but the walk there is splendid.

Firefly Jars   A few years ago when decorating for Christmas I put some leftover multi-colored lights in one of these antique coffee jars.  When Christmas was over I decided these jars still needed lights and added white lights to both jars.  Every day, all day these lights are on in my kitchen.    

Leaving on a Jet Plane...   Gorgeous blue sky with airplane flying by.  I wonder where this plane is going?  Hopefully somewhere warmer than Minnesota?

    Winter Sun

Maybe something like this... For the past 14 years I have run my own business out of my home. Currently our warehouse and shipping desk take up most of the laundryroom. 1/3 of our basement family has two industrial shelving units full of fabric and this is our cutting department. About half of the living room is my workroom. As with having personal goals I have business goals. Some day I would like to have a huge space to have a storefront, work area and a warehouse. Something like this storefront in my favorite south Minneapolis neighborhood. It even has apartment space for my daughters. 

  Rainbow Basket Today was spent sewing. This is one of two baskets of thread for my machine.

  View from the downside...   Today I was totally distracted doing my yoga by this view of my kitchen (ceiling). I was laying on my back with the top of my head towards the kitchen looking "behind" me. I tried very hard just to finish my yoga session but kept trying to figure out how to take this picture. This is exactly how I saw it without the camera. So excited this turned out so perfectly strange. ha!