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Week 35 -- Open Wide

Ron Hecox — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:03:12 +0000

This past week I went to the United States Tennis Association Florida Headquarters located in Daytona Beach for one week of tennis boot camp. The USTA FL Hq is located west of I-95 across from the Ladies Professional Golf Association Headquarters — well away from the hustle and bustle of bikers and spring breakers — out where the eagles and osprey fly freely. During one of our sessions, an osprey was hovering above the lake with the wind keeping it freely airborne with little effort as it searched the lake for a tasty morsel. The following picture shows the osprey controlling its position with tail feathers and wings spread wide.

This picture shows the osprey has sighted his prey and has spread the tail feathers for greater control.

Once the osprey has his prey in sight it begins its decent to latch its talons into the fish. Its head is down, eyes locked onto the fish, wings are swept back and the tail feathers are spread even wider. I missed getting a good shot of the actual catch.

The osprey was successful and as it circled the lake climbing higher and higher to gain enough altitude to clear the trees you can see the fish hanging from the talons. As I got this shot it suddenly occurred to me when the osprey returns to its nest the juveniles will be waiting with beaks “Open Wide.”

Week 34 -- Trash or Treasure

Ron Hecox — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:01:47 +0000

Another of the pictures I took on the Missouri farm when I was back there in October 2012. The farm has so many old vehicles – old cars, old trucks and old farming equipment. Of course the farm also has new farming equipment and new automobiles. The owner is reluctant to sell off any of the old vehicles or farming equipment (trash) as he feels he may need a part (treasure) from one of them to fix one of the new vehicles or pieces of farming equipment — whether his or a neighboring farmer. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Who the Fuck Authorized YOU? || Infinite’s “Man in Love” Review

clarascookie — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:15:21 +0000

This week is the “WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE SO CUTE” edition with Infinite

week 12: avocado pasta

chicandneat — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:28:39 +0000

Whenever avocados are on sale at the grocery store I always go a little overboard. If I was just going to buy one, I end up coming home with three and spending more than I would have initially Well case and point, I had an extra avocado and after seeing various 15 minute avocado pasta recipes on pinterest, I decided to try one out for myself.

ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Handful of fresh basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 oz of angel hair pasta

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

directions:

Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, angel hair only takes about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with black pepper. Serve immediately.

Caloric info: 488 calories per serving

Week #5: Be Different

Arthur — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:53:11 +0000

So what do you do when you’re sitting at home and you see two bananas, but one is still green

Project 52 - Week 11 - Green

hurleymaloneblog — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:22:07 +0000

Alex

Our backyard needs some serious mowing and weeding, but considering it was St Patrick’s Day on Sunday, and that this week’s prompt was the colour green, the abundance of clover proved very useful. Here is Chewie, our oldest cocker spaniel, happily chewing (yes he does live up to his name) on a baseball beneath the swing set. Like the grass, he is also in need of a haircut before the Houston heat really starts to kick in, but for now he is at that perfect cuddly teddy bear stage which the kids really love.

I took this photograph at the weekend at about 1 in the afternoon. Luckily he was underneath our cedar wood swing set platform, so he was in the shade rather that in bright full sun. I used my Canon 7D paired with my 50mm 1.4 lens, with my settings at f/2.5, shutter speed 1/320, and ISO 100. Post processing in Lightroom 4, I reduced the highlights and increased the clarity, vibrance, and saturation, then finally increased the saturation of the oranges and greens in the image.

Bonnie

That little bit of green peeking out in the center, is our first sighting of daffodils in our backyard. I absolutely love the contrast between winter and spring in this photo. March in western NY is a ‘battle of the seasons’, with the past few days showing us whiteouts with snow showers and minutes later sun glaring through the clouds. Such a time of transition and a wonderful time to refresh and renew. Each day there is a new sign that warmer days with more green are ahead.

This photo was taken with my iphone in overcast morning skies. For the edit, I cropped, sharpened, brightened and played with the contrast and saturation in snapseed and then applied a filter in PicTapGo.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet

WEEK FOUR - FLOWERS

angeladicellophoto — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:49:44 +0000

Tulip

11. Quiet Ramblings from Loquinda

megandeboard — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:20:37 +0000

Writing a blog makes realize how incredibly little I do on a weekly basis. …Last week I ate girl scout cookies. I know, riveting stuff here.

I haven’t been on facebook in a week, which has been surprisingly easy. Seriously, I don’t even think about it. I’m realizing though, that now no one will read this blog. Except for Rachel Milhous who bookmarked like a true friend. Thanks Rach.

I wonder how famous people write books. I mean, how do they get started? I’ve been reading Ellen’s third memoir and she is hilarious. But how does she just write about funny things? She says she asks herself questions. I’ll try that.

Hey Loquinda, Loquinda is what I call myself, Loquinda, why did you style your hair like that today? Well girl, I didn’t want to wash my hair, so it was kind of oily, so I had to braid it and throw the braids on top my head so the oil wasn’t so obvious.

That went well. Let’s try another one.

Loquinda, define a love/hate relationship. Well girl (Loquinda says “girl” a lot, pronounced “grl”), it’s usually when one person loves someone and smushes them and so the over-loved person hates the smusher.

I think these questions are supposed to fuel rambling of sorts, but I have no rambling thoughts.

Bah, Loquinda out.

Balance is in Flux

throwerandturner — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:47:53 +0000

So, we’ve started this creative venture, and we’ve come to find that it can be difficult to manage both the creative side of our lives in addition to our working, professional lives. This week’s print phrase is about accepting the reality that balance can be hard to achieve. On the other hand, not having life in order all the time can be what keeps life interesting. Creatively, sometimes you have to forfeit time that you would otherwise spend tackling responsibilities in order to achieve positive artistic outcomes. There will in turn be times when creativity can seem to flow less organically and inspiration is hard pressed to find. Keep in mind that your perspective in life is always changing and creativity will come and go, further illustrating that balance is in flux.

Where's the Fire? || U-KISS' "Standing Still" Review

clarascookie — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:18:20 +0000
It was a really tough choice between SHINee and U-KISS for this week’s entry. U-KISS won in th

Week - 10 - Senses

hurleymaloneblog — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:48:47 +0000

Bonnie

What better way to wake up your ‘senses’ than to see, hear, touch and smell the onset of spring. In the past week we have had pick-up basketball games in the park, while the sun warms us into the mid 60′s and keeps us light until 7:30 pm, and other days where falling spring snow highlights the small daffodil leaves peaking up from the ground. As the robins chirp and the lakes begin to melt, I have mixed feelings. I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to the beauty and fun of the winter months. So, I am both thankful and appreciative for this slow northern transition and at the same time giddy with excitement to watch the rest of spring unfold.

This photo of hyacinth, a gorgeous fragrant find at a local market, was taken with my iphone in artificial light. I edited in snapseed where I sharpened and cropped and then softened in pixlr-o-matic.

“Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph”~Andre Kertesz

Alex

We visited the rodeo in Houston today. It was busy, noisy, bright, colourful, and outside in the amusement park area, full of the smells of funnel cake, cotton candy, and popcorn. Being a complete coward and useless mother, as I’m susceptible to both motion sickness and vertigo, my 3 children are so lucky to have each other to go on rides with. Ella and Jack are for once sitting side by side without any second thoughts, caged together and hanging onto the wire grill with grim determination, spinning around and screaming extremely loudly on this particular ride. It really is sensory overload… the beautiful bright colours and excited yells translating into a great memory for this day of Spring Break.

I took this photograph with my Canon DSLR paired with my trusty 50mm 1.4 lens, which was a small and light option to carry around attached to my camera in the crowds today. Taken at around 2 in the afternoon, with the sun shining brightly, I set my ISO at 100, my aperture at f/2.2, and my shutter speed at 1/640. Post processing in Lightroom 4, I decreased the exposure a little and the highlights, but boosted the saturation and vibrance to enhance the gorgeous colours in the image.

WEEK THREE - Candy

angeladicellophoto — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:10:15 +0000

10. A Letter to Facebook

megandeboard — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:32:51 +0000

Dear Facebook, I’m leaving you.

Don’t worry, it’s only temporary, because I’m pretty sure my addiction to stalking people coupled with my vanity will bring me running back to your open, blue, narcissistic arms.

It’s not you, it’s me. I don’t like the way you make me feel. I don’t like how you parade other people’s lives in front of me. I mean, I do like it, but I don’t like that I like it.

I don’t like how many videos of cats I watch mindlessly on a daily basis. I don’t like seeing ultrasound pictures of babies I’ll never meet because I haven’t talked to those friends in years. I don’t like that friends I haven’t talked to in years have a quick access to me, without being an active, invested part of my life. I don’t like how I can find out someone’s relationship status at the quick and easy click of a button. Admittedly, I don’t like how someone else can find out mine.

I’m giving you a trial leave for 45 days. What will I do in the meantime? Read books, take a walk, sing showtunes, learn how to rap, pet Cat Caspian, take pictures, appreciate Hawaii’s beauty, learn how to cook, figure out what Slam Poetry is, take dance class, plan travels, teach children stuff, laugh, cry, but mostly be happy, hopefully.

See ya ‘round fb, M

9. Kick up your heels and have fun

megandeboard — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:18:27 +0000

Last summer I won a photo contest! Not the kind where I take a picture and someone high and lofty tells me that it’s beautiful and I get a medallion of some kind; the kind where a fabulous photographer gives away a free photo session. This talented photographer is Nikki Jennifer Photography, LLC. I was super excited because I had seen a lot of her work and thought she was just the bees knees. Even better? I got to know her and her family over Christmas because her husband, Chris, and I were in a musical together.

The day of the shoot finally arrived on February 24^th, 2013. I asked my friend, Jessica, to come with me because a) she’s super fun and photogenic and b) I am incredibly awkward in front of a camera. Think Chandler Bing in Friends.

We put on our favorite dresses and grabbed a trunk of dress up stuff and headed to Dinosaur Park, where I grew up.

Disclaimer: I did not grow up literally in the park, I just went there often as a child.

We had so much fun! Nikki was amazing, Chris was funny, their son Connor was adorable and Jess and I just danced around and had fun.

I think it’s important to sometimes be silly and grab dress up clothes and jump around in a park. In fact, I think it should be a weekly event. Maybe not the tiara part, but anything that’s carefree and fun. Isn’t that what’s living is for?

xx, M

Photos by Nikki Jennifer Photography, LLC

week 11: the perfect grilled cheese sandwich

chicandneat — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:10:07 +0000

As a kid, one of my favorite meals was ramen and a grilled cheese sandwich- weird I know- but it always hit that savory salty spot. Today was a huge day for me- my first day as an Accountant II- I got a promotion last week! Yesterday was my one year anniversary with my boyfried, so we were off and running errands doing lots of activities to celebrate. So after work, I could think of nothing as easy and appetizing as my favorite childhood meal- the perfect grilled cheese sandwich!

ingredients:

2 slices of bread, I prefer buttermilk

2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

3 springs fresh thyme

cooking spray

directions:

Coat frying pan with cooking spray and heat greased pan with thyme sprigs over medium high.

Chop two ounces of cheddar cheese into thin slices. Spray cooking spray on each side of your bread. Pile cheese evenly on one side of the bread and press together gently.

Add the sandwich to the heated pan, reduce heat and cover.

Cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip over and cook until secnd side is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve cut in half with your favorite soup.

Lowering the heat and keeping the pan covered makes sure the cheese melts deliciously as seen below.

Up close and personal

kat.cagney.photographer — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:58:43 +0000

WEEK TWO

My remote shutter release still hasn’t arrived. So, I have decided to dust off my 450D as I have a cable shutter release that works with it. And then I saw just how short the cable actually is, so there you go, an extreme close up. Hopefully by next week my remote shutter release would have arrived. If it hasn’t, then at least I hope to improve my photoshop skills. Or up my skin routine. Probably I will need to do both.

Make It Yours

throwerandturner — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:00:03 +0000

We’re just getting the ball rolling with our creative ventures, and while we look to others for inspiration and possible outlets for our own imaginations, we know that it’s important to stay true to ourselves. This week’s print phrase is a reminder that we need always create with our hands, directly from our hearts. We know that we need to remain open to the world around us and to allow others to influence our process, all the while remaining true to who we are in nature so that we can pave a truly unique path. With that in mind, find others in whom you may take interest and celebrate, but remember to be free and be yourself–make it yours.

Mug Rug

Wanda Black — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:02:23 +0000

This is a mug rug I made for my friend and neighbor, Flo. I know she loves her coffee and this will be a perfect little gift for her. In case you don’t know what a mug rug is, just think of it as a fancy quilted coaster.

For this one I started with a pre printed quilt label which can be purchased as a panel from a quilt store. Then I pulled some matching fabrics from my ever growing fabric stash to complete the little quilt top. I added a couple applique stars, too, because they kind of match the star flower on the quilt label. I used some variegated thread and did some fun quilting in each of the sections of the mug rug. I had great fun making this and I hope Flo smiles every time she uses it.

Week 33 -- Manual Labor

Ron Hecox — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 03:04:31 +0000

Spring Training brings the Grapefruit League to the area. Big league baseball — the spring training version — is a Florida tradition dating to the early years of the century. Nearly all the immortals — from Ruth to Hornsby to Mays and Clemente — have trod the basepaths of St. Petersburg, Bradenton and points south and north in the state. The 2013 Season celebrates 125 Years of Major League Baseball Spring Training in Florida. The Pirates will play a total of 18 Spring Training games in 2013 at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla., the Spring Training home of the Pirates since 1969. This past Thursday my friends Pat & Susan treated me to belated birthday gift with a Spring Training game between the Pirates and the Rays. Rays starter Alex Cobb and two relievers combined on a four-hitter, and the Rays took advantage of a throwing error by novice third baseman Gaby Sanchez to score four unearned runs in the seventh inning to down the Pirates, 4-2. As I watched the game it became very clear to me the game is clearly one consisting entirely of Manual Labor. There is no automation of any sort in the sport of baseball. Here is Sean Rodriguez hitting the baseball. Truly a prime example of Manual Labor. GO RAYS!!!

WEEK TWO - LOVE

angeladicellophoto — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:19:07 +0000

Week two theme is Love, decided to follow on from the idea in week one.

Week #4: Free-lensing

Arthur — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:29:02 +0000
So, one part I really love about photography is that there are so many different things you can try