52 Photos Project: On The {Fire} Line

This week's prompt at 52 Photos Project is

On The Line.

These are on the fire line,

taken in June 2012

in Glendora, CA.

Thanks to the fast response by the firefighters,

no homes were damaged and the fire was quickly contained.

Right now, my cousin & his wife have been evacuated from their home near the Rim fire near Yosemite National Park.

That fire is currently only 20% contained & has burned over 184,000 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

My thoughts & prayers are with the over 4,000 firefighters on site fighting the Rim fire, and all the other firefighters working fires elsewhere.

Stay safe.

To see more photos, check out the Gallery.

sue

52 Photos Project: Unusual & Uncommon

Unusual & Uncommon

This was somewhere, between Texas & Arkansas

I think.

(Please excuse the roadtrip bugs on the windshield!)

Not every day you see an airplane parked on the side of the highway, no airport in sight.

See more Unusual & Uncommon photos

in the Gallery.

sue

52:1 - Conversation

Here it is,

Week One

of the new 52 Photos Project year.

 

Our first prompt is:  Conversation.

 

 

 

Max is schooling his new "sister" Gracie

in the proper way to play ball.

I couldn't post the video with sound -

Max wasn't using very "delicate" language.

 

Check out more conversations at

52 Photos Project.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

At about 11 weeks old, Grace tends to annoy the heck out of 9-year-old Max, but he's beginning to get used to her.

 

 

 

 

Even if she does wear him out sometimes.

 

 

 

But, honestly, who could resist this?

 

 

 

Max & Gracie own my friend Marilyn, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

 

 

 

sue

 

 

 



52 Photos Project: Self Portrait

It's Week 52

and our prompt is

Self Portrait

 

 

This is my Nikon Coolpix.

I carry it nearly everywhere.

Since I take a lot of my photos while driving,

I thought this would be apropos.

 

 

Check out the 52 Photos Project Gallery

for more Self Portraits!

 

 

sue

 

 



 

 



52 Photos Project: Horizon

From the online  American Heritage Dictionary, some of the definitions of horizon are:   1. The apparent intersection of the earth and sky as seen by an observer. Also called apparent horizon. 2. The limit or edge of the observable universe. (Astronomy) 3. The range of one's knowledge, experience, or interest. What's on the horizon?     I am expanding my horizon. I am leaving one behind, and traveling towards another.   Where is your horizon?   Check out more horizons at the 52 Photos Project.     Cheers!   sue

52 Photos Project: Vintage

This week's prompt for the Project is:

 

VINTAGE

 

 

I knew right away

which photo I wanted to post for this one!

 

 

This was on an old stove in front of the Olde Towne Antiques Mall

in Pleasanton, CA.

 

There was a crate of soda bottles stacked on top & I couldn't get a good shot of the whole stove, but I just loved this emblem.

So much detail in it, and I think this is about life-sized.

 

 

You can see more Vintage shots

in the 52 Photos Project Gallery.

 

 

sue



Foto Finish: Birds

 

 

This weeks Foto Finish theme is Birds.

 

This roadrunner was the first thing I thought of!

 

 

 

 

I took this shot in 2007 while on my solo roadtrip.

If I remember correctly, it was at a rest area

 in New Mexico.

 

Check out more wonderful photos at Cat Patches!

 

sue

 

 

Tortured Rose Garden

I know people who love to garden.

 

 

That's not me, however.

My Dad told me that not being a gardener is in my genes.

It seems that my Great-Grandfather, Jerome Laughton, left the Orkney Islands in Scotland, in part because he didn't like farming.  He emigrated to Toronto, Canada, and then my Grandfather, Herbert Laughton, came from Canada to California, and was a reed furniture maker.

Dad, a carpenter, construction inspector, and builder, also didn't like to do yard work.

My Mom, a Smith, on the other hand, loved to work in the yard & always had lovely gardens.  Both of my sisters do too.

Not me.

I'm all Laughton in this regard!

When my Mom wanted to move back to So. Cal, I found a place for us that had lots of flowers & a decent yard.

Then she decided she wanted her own place

& I was left here with 13 rose bushes, a plethora of irises, and various other growing, flowering plants.

 

 

I haven't watered or fed them in years.

My gardener prunes them back for me once a year

(I instantly scar if scratched by a rose thorn).

 

This year he was a bit behind on the pruning part -

it was actually done just about 6 weeks ago.

 

During the last 6 weeks, we've had about 5 weeks of temperatures in the 90s - 100+.

YUCK!

 

All that just to show you these photos

that I took yesterday (Friday):

 

 

We had a good rain finally, on Thursday.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the irises get up to now!

 

Not bad for not being a gardener-type, huh?

 

 

Happy Autumn!!

 

sue



Foto Finish - HOT!

I took this photo just TODAY!

It was really to show that I was getting close to all sevens on my odometer...

Then I noticed the outside temperature.

About a half-hour later my friend called me

& said it was raining at her house,

which is only about 20 miles from where I took this picture.  And on the news there were also reports of

thunderstorms with hail!

I just don't understand how it can be over 100F

and hailing!

Click on over to

CAT PATCHES

for more Hot Stuff!

Keep cool!

sue

Foto Finish - Pets

This is one of my friend Kim's cats, Ries (short for Riesling).

What was THAT??!?

You might remember seeing her

when she was just a wee bit of a kitten:

She's much bigger these days.

But still a ham!

Hop on over to Cat Patches

for more

Foto Finishes!

Have a terrific weekend!

sue



Foto Finish --- True Blue

Here is another picture I took while on my solo roadtrip in 2007.  I was tempted to use one of my myriad sky shots, but decided to go in a slightly different direction.

(Are you surprised??!?)

According to National Garden Clubs and The National Remember Our Troops Campaign, the Blue Star Memorial Program began in 1944 with the planting of 8,000 Dogwood trees by the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs as a living memorial to veterans of World War II.  The next year, the National Council of State Garden Clubs began a Blue Star Highway system, which covers highways across the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. 

The program was expanded in the 1950s to include all men and women who had served, were serving or would serve in the armed services of the United States.  Currently there are over 70,000 miles of highway designated as Blue Star Memorials.

I don't recall exactly where in Wyoming this plaque is located, but it's along Interstate 80, most likely at a visitor's center.  I wasn't able to find any listings of where all of the plaques are located - in fact, I didn't see Wyoming listed on the websites I looked at!

Thanks to all of our military personnel, past, present & future.

I am most grateful for your service. 

To see more of the BLUES, or, even better, add your own blue,
pop on over to Cat Patches!

sue

January 2012

Happy (belated) New Year!

I spent the last few weeks of December in Northern California

with my sisters, Nancy & Judy.

(also known as my personal chefs)

and am now trying to get into a regular routine again.

When I first got home, I would say

"That sounds good!"

But no dinner magically arrived.

Sheesh.

Judy & I relaxed & played games & did some shopping.

It was just what I needed after being laid-off!

I kicked back & watched TV with my BIL, Walter -

learned about gold mining in Alaska & bidding on storage lockers!

I did not have to think about anything at all - YAY!

We did Christmas with my nephew's family,

with my niece & her boys there too, as well as both sisters & Walter.

Yummy Chinese food for dinner, a new tradition for us.

On New Year's Day my sister Nancy & I took a drive up into the mountains,

where we stopped in a little town

called Downieville.

The first shot is of a river/stream that was rushing along side of the highway 49.

I looked up the Downie River, but I'm not sure if this is part of it

or part of the Yuba River or one of their tributaries. 

It was beautiful up there,

cold & crisp but clear blue skies!  We even saw a little snow off the sides of the road as we were driving along.  We stopped whenever we saw something interesting & there was a safe spot to pull over.  A few times I just rolled down the window & snapped pictures with my arm out the window, until my hand would get too cold!

OK, so they didn't all come out perfectly.

Let's call this one, um, artistic, OK?

Nancy paints - oils, acrylics, water colors -

whatever strikes her at the time.  She's going to be in a show/sale this coming weekend, and asked me to help her pick out the 4 paintings to enter.

What fun!

It was hard for me to only pick FOUR!  But I perservered, pointing at one, then another. 

"I like that one, um, and that one....  Yes, I really like this one, I think it's my favorite, you have to put that one in."

The next day we went back into her studio to give them all names &

for Nancy to decide on pricing.  But she didn't do that one that was my favorite!

(These were taken in November)

Then, after picking her 4, she said:

"That one's not going in the show, because I'm giving it to you."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't taken a photo of it yet,

but this is the stream that is the focus of the painting.

(Her painting is much better than my photo)

Do I have an awesome sister, or what?

The next photo trip we took was to take some shots of cows.

She wants to do a painting with at least one cow in it.  :D

Wouldn't you love to have thick eyelashes like these?

Love those horns!

Well, I think this has gone on long enough.

More photos soon.

Happy Leap Year month!

sue

Occupying My Sewing Room!

I had planned to do a lot of sewing during

Occupy Your Sewing Room week,

but life had other ideas, as it often does.

On the 4th of November, I found out that the Chevrolet dealership where I'd worked for over 21 years had lost their Chevrolet franchise.  As I am a Chevrolet/GM warranty administrator...no franchise = no warranty repairs = no job.  So, as of December 1st, I'm unemployed.

Amazing how that just sucked the creativity out of me.

But, when I started taking the photos for this post,

I found that I had actually accomplished a few things!

Not a lot of sewing, but some, and quite a bit of crocheting.

Without further ado,

here's what I did in my sewing room:

These are travel tissue holders.

They were so easy!

I used the tute here, at Melinda Quilts ETC.

Pot holders, pot holders, and more pot holders!

They're all single crochet with 100% cotton yarn.

What do you think many of my friends are getting this Christmas?

This was a commissioned piece - a 4 foot tall stocking,

made of fleece.  The client provided the fleece, and it's pretty thin, so I double sewed the seams.  I am quite proud of myself for remembering to put the hanging loop on it, and for sewing it in the right way the first time!  lol

And last, but not least...

I loved this Going Coastal fabric the first time I saw it!

(by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller Fabrics)

It has such a wonderful hand, it was hard to stop fondling it.  This little table runner almost literally took me 20 minutes to make, including the cutting!

There you have it.

I occupied my sewing room - some times my actual sewing area at home, and sometimes my space at Auntie's Ceramics, where Mary Ann, the owner, graciously lets me hang out.

(all the photos were taken at Auntie's)

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I did -

now hop over to Cat Patches for the Occupy Linky party & see what others did during their Occupation!

Enjoy!

sue

Oh Thank Cuteness!

I'm playing along with Generation Q magazine today

giving thanks for cuteness.

Click HERE to join in the fun!

This little guy hangs out on a tomato cage near my sister's front deck.  He is fierce, chasing away anyone who comes too close....

to this feeder!!

"It's mine, mine, ALL MINE!!"

May I now introduce

Elizabeth.

She has her headlights on so we can see her in the dark!

 We are pretty sure that she is at least part Maine Coon.

Just look at those dainty feet!

"Yes, I AM beautiful."

"Enough pictures already!"

May your day be filled with deliciousness, fun &

family - those who you are related to, and

those you have chosen to be a part of your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

sue

Nosey Parker in the Neighborhood ~~~ part 1A

OK, when I did my original

Nosey Parker post,

I couldn't use the photos I had taken

of my house because the ones I had looked like things look when I'm not wearing my glasses!

Yesterday afternoon I the sun came out for a while, and I was able to get some pictures -

clear pictures!

So, this is my mobile home.

Here's the carport side.

On the right are some succulents,

Amaryllis, Agapanthas, Naked Ladies,

a small Date Palm & some things I don't know the name of.

On the left are a few of my roses and waaaay in the back, there is a Night-Blooming Jasmine going over the chainlink fence.  It smells heavenly when it's in bloom!



On the left side of the house is my front door & deck.  More roses & another Date Palm.

These roses are all part of my

Tortured Flower Garden.

I call it that because they pretty much only get watered if it's foggy or rainy, I don't give them fertilizer or food.

Across the front of the house are blue irises.

Right now they need to be trimmed,

but since it rained a tiny bit last week,

there is one blooming,

but I didn't have time to get a shot of it.

So,

now you know what a

mobile home

looks like!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

sue