50 Years of BanjoBand......

A wonderful surprise today when we set up a party at the local Straw Hat Pizza....The Sacramento BanjoBand! They have been playing and jamming for 50 years and if you book them to do a gig for you, all of their proceeds go to charities: Shriners, WEAVE, Mustard Seed and Make a Wish.

Their Banjos were beautiful, some so ornate they seemed like jewelry!

Check out there web site: Sacramento BanjoBand

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

S
♥

Yours truly.......a young Queen of Hearts.............................♥

The Queen of Hearts

That's me!

I have had a broken heart all of my life, literally and figuratively.

Today, I am walking in the American Heart Association's Heart Walk

at our state capitol building.

Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in our country?

#1

Don't wait until someone you

LOVE

suffers from heart disease......

Donate today:

♥ show the LOVE

LOVE to ALL ;-)

The Boys of Fall.......

When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass

I'm back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads

Standing in the huddle listening to the call

Fans going crazy for the boys of fall

They didn't let just anybody in that club

Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood

To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall

Kings of the school man, we're the boys of fall

Well it's turn and face the Stars and Stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies

It's call it in the air, alright yes sir we want the ball

And it's knocking heads and talking trash

It's slinging mud and dirt and grass

It's I got your number, I got your back when your back's against the wall

You mess with one man you got us all

The boys of fall

Peace

♥♥♥

More of the City

Laundry Day...."quit crying and put your big girl panties on"

Alone and adrift?

Oh, Beautiful......

What's my secret.....upper left window

Have a fabulous weekend!
Peace
S ♥

Come and sit a spell......can I offer you a little Port?

A little experimental photography. After a lovely dinner last night out at the Ranch, this little vignette seemed to be asking to have its picture taken. There are several images, but this one was most enchantining. The glass of Port seems to be holding just a little fire within.

I didn't drink the Port......a guest did, but I did enjoy her amber glow.





Happy Monday!
S♥

Quick Draw.....and the Widow

Although I have decided to make this blog about photography, parts of the everyday are going to leak in.....just sayin'. And, part of the 'everyday' include this Black Widow. Just for one day tho'.


So, I'm in the kitchen, happily preparing cucumber soup, with cucumbers from my garden when I approach the drawer above the cupboard where my measuring cups are stored, only to discover, a mere second before I reach to the door, this raven beauty. (Generous I am with the description of beauty, eh?) Now most folks, (by that I mean women, without stereotyping) would scream and flee from the room. And, I'll admit I was a bit FREAKED OUT, but managed to keep my cool long enough to reach for my trusty camera, conveniently sitting on the counter just above the offending arachnid, and politely ask her to pose for me.......(pfth, she acquiesced).....then I promptly killed her with my flip flop!


So, the questions begging to be answered are: Where was she hiding before she ventured out? What would compel her to venture out, as I know the Widders like their dark places? AND, And, and, where are her kiddies still hiding?


And, as for the photography, I was trying to be quick, so as not to lose my chance at the execution, and this photograph is not spectacularly artistic or photographically romantic, it does 'capture' the moment! (ta da).


Peace
S

A day in THE City......she steals my heart every time.......

There's something about San Francisco that sings to me. The minute I see the famous skyline my heart just swells. Every time I go into the City I wish I was brave enough to move there. I envy anyone who does.

I went over with an old friend I rediscovered on FB and we had an excellent day. Shortly after we arrived the sun came out and burned off almost all of the fog and we had a fabulous time.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Peace,
S ♥

A little digital imaging action at the River

I find that I have been spending a lot of time at home, because there is no money to 'go out', I find that if I leave the house, for some reason or another, I spend money.....so, no leaving the house. However, yesterday the cabin fever won out and I had to get out of the house for a couple of hours, plus I was jonesing for a little digital imaging action. I headed out to a little town in the foothhills near wear I live, Foresthill and stopped at a place where I could get to the American River. I'm not much of a hiker, but there was a little trail that was not too steep I was able to walk down to get to the river's edge and here I shot some pictures.

Sadly, I shot over 130 images of which only three made the cut. Here is one. Now that I know I can get down to the river with some ease, I believe I will be going back, for more action!

Peace

S

♥

Shifting focus

I have been taking pictures since I was in 3rd grade.....how old are you when you are in third grade, like, eight? I got my first Kodak instamatic 126 camera for a birthday or Christmas present and I still have the photos I took of my friend Susan hanging on the jungle gym in the playground at school. I also have multiple 30 gallon rubbermaid tubs in storage with countless photos stashed away. I took the same B&W photography class at the local community college twice right after I graduated from high school because I was going to be a female Ansel Adams.....well, sort of. I lugged around 4 or 5 framed Ansel Adams poster prints with me from apartment to apartment  in my early 20's. I was even accepted to the photography program at an art school in Pennsylvania in the late eighties and packed up all of my belongings and moved there only to find that I had no way to come up with tuition and had no idea what financial aid was and so I didn't get to go. I have picked up and put down photography off and on what seems like all of my life.

I was a die hard film advocate.....I was NEVER going to go digital.....digital isn't REAL photography, right? Well, that's what I thought. Remember APS? The film format that was going to revolunize how film was handled and distorted 35mm format? I LOVED that.....briefly....I still have all of my little APS film cannisters with my negatives in them. Actually took one of the coolest pictures I have ever taken with APS film....shooting into the sun at the Folsom Rodeo some time in the late 90's. A fabulous silhouette of a cowboy on a chute fence in the sunset. That picture actually made it into an art show.

Because I resisted digital I didn't really get up to speed with all that digital has to offer until a couple of years ago....and it was merely because the Universe intervened. My Mother's cousin bought a Minolta digital camera, I can't even remember the model name, but at the time it was a VERY expensive camera, somewhere around $1200 retail --- OUCH! Anyway, it was too much camera for him and he wanted to give it to me....I resisted, but dear old Dad encouraged me to accept the camera gratefully and get on the digital photography train....so, I did. That camera was REALLY nice and even after I bought a brand new Olympus E410 and 'handed down' the Minolta to my cousin, I was wishing I still had that old Minolta....(the olympus got sold as soon as I could get rid of it so I could by a Nikon, I was NOT impressed with the Olympus after I chose it over the Nikon for live view....should have trusted my first instinct to get the Nikon). So, what was I talking about....oh, yes, getting on board with digital photography.....

So, digital photography, here I am....riding along devouring every bit of information I can get my hands on. There is soooo much to chew on, not just getting your image right in camera, but now, a dark room is merely a program on your computer and the control is intoxicatingly simple. (Well, once you become PhotoShop proficient). However, there are many simple editing programs that make digital darkroom so easy and fun and they give EVERY one the control over their images. Ah, good stuff.

Because I am becoming more and more enthralled about photography I have been jonesing for some photog friends, people who know more than me who are willing to share. Just this week I have discovered some peeps whom I can hang out with who can give me that needed comaraderie and this only makes me more excited about photography. I have spent the better part of the last two days with a lovely friend who is an amazing photographer who generously shared her knowledge and time with me and I can already feel my super powers increasing!

I will be covering my photo adventures here.... I know, the world probably doesn't need ONE MORE PHOTO blog....but, I don't care, I am going to blog my little heart out, WILDLY!

Peace

S ♥

A New Beginning ♥

I have been pondering a new blog for awhile and finally was inspired enough to open a new one. Here it is!