left over flowers

these are actually left over from the wedding last week. someone was kind enough to place them in our women's room. the roses above have since wilted and tossed out but we still have a couple small set of flowers to enhance our restroom. nice change...right now i'm relaxing a moment before bed time. got home early from work. tomorrow is my road trip and it "almost" happened tonight that i wasn't going tomorrow. but alas, got all of tomorrow covered at work. now for a good night's rest and an early rise. now, if only we could spend the whole day at the lake....

color carnival #14

...more from the zoo...i hope i didn't post this one before....

found a friend

another photo from Chimayo. another shrine of sorts....

anyways, the good news this morn is I found a friend from over 20yrs ago on Facebook. sent a couple request to the name out 2 days ago and heard back from her this morn. she lives in Spokane, WA. I met her while i was in the Air Force there just outside the city. she was knot military but worked on the base in our office. looking her up reminded me i need to take a road trip there within the next couple years. so many places to go, but knot enough time or money, or so it seems. so anyways, when i do get back there, i'll look her up for coffee. i really need to get up there to see my other friend. she is old enough to be my mother and is getting on in years. goodness time flies...

it's a beautiful day and i have errands to run today before work. surprised i was up early despite a very late night at work last night. knot looking forward to another night but at least i know what time i get to come home. think i'll take it easy there tonight. much to do, but i'm holding sum of it out for manana....have a great weekend!

Love

Love is a many splendor thing.....

...late mornin' start after waking in the midst of the night. aww but i have my brew while enjoying the quiet. i sit contemplating a little about October. the original plan for that time was to buy a new Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner, but i'm feelin' the need much more for a road trip like to the Grand Canyon i've been wanting to go for so long. but i also think that i could buy my sunroof AND do a smaller road trip within NM area. wood love to have that sunroof and the wind blowin in my Jeep. I'd love to the Grand Canyon too. i did learn recently my niece won't be graduating next May (5hrs short). sooo with that in mind that means i don't have to be in Kentucky then and i could definitely do the Grand Canyon then without a doubt. still hoping to win that darn lottery to do all sooner than laterz....lol....anyways, the quiet consumes me. i'd like an ordinary day today. haven't had one lately. but in the meantime, i'm headed for another small road trip this friday (knock on wood nothing comes up @ church). this means more photos-yippee! i'm sooo enjoying shooting photos regularly right now....

nm desert

a little crooked

a sleepless night @ 2a.m....this door is on one of the buildings @ Chimayo. Beautiful wooden door. all the buildings were on a slope of a hill standing crooked. but lately too for some reason sum of my photos i have shot crooked unknowingly. knot sure which applies here. usually i've noticed and adjusted, but knot this shot. o well, a better shot next time...

chili ristras

one day i want 2 buy one of these ristras. these are common here in NM. i finally looked at the price on these and they're more than i had imagined...or they've gone up in price so much since i checked years ago. the question now is do i really want to spend the money on one to hang outside here on my apartment taking a chance it'll get stolen. something to contemplate. right now my money goes elsewhere...lol

it's a rainy night. clouds rolled in with thunder and lightening attached this afternoon. has cooled things off for a tidbit anyways. if i hadn't had to be at work this afternoon, i wood have grab my camera and chased sum storms, knot that i would have gone far. maybe another day soon. knot much rain this summer as in seasons past. but maybe the monsoon is slowly creeping in here. only time will tell as days unfold. anyways, always thought it'd be a neat idea to try and shoot lightening. i remembered lately while looking at other photos of lightening. could be fun just trying. so i'll keep that in mind as we roll into august. maybe i'll catch a strike....

a shrine

Thanks Martha!

I want to THANK Martha @ Menagerie for sending me sum instructions on how to link. I sooo much appreciate it...and it's so easy. now I know. I just couldn't ever figured it out. now i have new tools to play with:-)....anyways, the above photo is @ Chimayo. once there you will see crosses all over the places. these were on a tree there. they are also all over the fences. there's a shrine too which i will post photos of that too soon. as you can see there are sum just plane simple crosses made of sticks. there's loads of those too everywhere. sum of the larger crosses have names on them. the whole place is really a shrine in itself. again i love the energy there. it is a blessed place.

it's hot!

well the heat is on again today. however we're knot having triple digits as in other areas of the country, just close to it. seems the monsoon season came before the heat this year. could use sum of that rain again although it did storm the other night but knot enough to cool things down. it's 11 a.m. and i was headed to walk the dogs but it's too hot already. will wait til it cools down this evening. right now i'm headed for another meeting @ church. was tryin' so hard these past 2 days off knot to go there, but alas i've been there both days. hurry up saturday my next official day off. knock on wood nothing comes up between now and then.....
anyways, i may start just posting photos with a title at times here. got that idea from Nikon Sniper(another blogger)...someone teach me how to link other blogs in this journal please....anyways, i like his idea of just posting a photo with a title. then maybe i could get all my photos posted here. the above photo again was from my Chimayo trip. lots of photos to post from there. all in due time. right now i'm out the door...cya laterz!

on the road

today i wish i was out taking photographs. this one above was on my Chimayo road trip. this place actually sits right behind a cemetery next to a church. although the sun is shining, i could use sum other sunshine. just a blah day of sorts. has gotten better as the day unfolds, but sum chocolate would be very good right now. maybe that's what i'll do...head out for sum chocolate...

just sharing

...wanted to post this real quick. this was one of the photos from thursday. this is actually clouds over the Sandia Mountains which the base of our city sits. i love this view. i love this photo. just wanted to share

a wedding

today a wedding of friends took place @ our church. i took the above photo. one of over a hundred. i wasn't the professional photographer, but i was given permission to shoot sum photos. the pro photographer, a member of our church & another friend of mine, said i could be his assistant. i got to see sum of his 300+photos he shot and he downloaded mine to his computer to use sum photos for his project for the newlywed couple. anyways, i had loads of fun. after 2 days this week of shooting photos, i'm thinking i should become a professional. i enjoyed it sooooo much this week. maybe i could learn from our pro photographer. he calls me his assistant anyways. he also lent me one of his flashes, one similar to the one i'm going to buy from his store ($300). so far it's looking good i'll get to buy it in a few weeks. i could really tell the difference with that flash vs my pop-up that's already on the camera. the lighting is sooo much better being able to bounce the light off the ceiling. so i'm going 2 count my pennies until i buy this new flash. i'm sooo excited. what a great day!!...btw, the minister above is our minister Rev Julie whom i've mentioned occasionally in this journal. she rocks! as far as i'm concerned (probably lots of others too). anyways, although i had to clean up after the reception and all to get the place ready for Sunday Services, i was flying on a lot of JOY from a great day!!!

the church

so here's the Chimayo church, the one everyone is here to see. the above photo is once you step inside the gate. the photo below is the "front" of the entire church. yes it stands a little crooked. have no clue as to how old it is. long standing before i even arrived in NM 20yrs ago. it's beautiful inside but no photos were allowed to be taken. very old wooden pews inside and almost like stepping back into time. then there is a room off to the side including sacred dirt to mark yourself with. plus there are photos, mostly of Yeshua (Jesus), all over the place with some memorial photos of loved ones. there are loads of crutches hanging too. not sure what those represent. it was all interesting to say the least. reminded me of how far i've come in my spiritual journey not that i was catholic, but moving away from traditional Christian views. It is all Good, all God.

sun dogs

finally, my road trip to Chimayo, NM. these 2 photos were captured along the way (to&from). Chimayo is more about the church. it is a catholic church but more on that in another entry. the top photo here is a sun dog-so my friend told me on the way home. sun dogs are rainbow colors in the sky without rain. they weren't in a rainbow shape, but the colors were painted across the sky. this photo was captured from within the car i think. the others the colors didn't appear as strong once outside shooting. we saw these on the way home...
....this photo was near Chimayo. there are many crosses on the way to Chimayo. many do pilgrimages during Easter weekend to the church there. once there, there are thousands of crosses placed everywhere around the church. (more photos on that in next entry). anyways, many consider Chimayo to be a sacred place and special. i felt that way initially 20yrs ago. it is unique in its own serenity nestled between mountains and desert. i like the energy there too. anyways, it was a great road trip with my friend today. it was for taking photos and boy did we shoot loads of those before during and after our arrival. there were loads of billowy clouds today all beauty in their splendor. i had a great time. now after downloading so many photos, it's time to rest. i'm asking myself where is my next adventure? only time will tell....

a sunset

knot long ago i went shootin' a sunset. this was one captured. the bugs were eatin me alive but i stuck it out. it wasn't the type sunset i wanted but i needed the practice. what i realized later while lookin at my sunset photos was that the camera had been reset. recently my photos haven't been turning out as i'd like and in so discovering more about my camera, i'm just learning more about my camera. different settings on the back of the camera i can use i.e. setting the brightness. this shot the area mode had been reset somehow, probably moving the camera in & out of my bag. i have 3 options on this mode and this was knot the one i wanted. the photo is ok, but i know it could be better. so i'll be back out taking more sunset photos. this evening in particular didn't have any clouds in the sky for often times the reflection of the sunset on the clouds make it so gorgeous. i see those sunsets often right outside my hovel here but as i learned on taking them from here, there are major wires across the view which are a distraction. so in time i'll capture those sunsets without the wires. can't look tonight, but maybe manana. i'm finally off on that road trip tomorrow to Chimayo with a friend. going to play a lot with my camera even shooting all in manual. should be loads of fun and i'll let you know how the photos turn out. so until tomorrow evening....have a good one.

back 2 work

alas, i'm headed back 2 work this week. worked today but i had already planned that. knot much happening on the home front, so decided to work a few days this week. but there's hope on the horizon as a friend and i plan once again our trip to Chimayo. knock on wood we'll get there this thursday (otherwise i'll work that night too) right now i could use a road trip to get away for a day. i've been struggling with some personal insights and i need a break from them. so a road trip to shoot photos is on the agenda. i haven't been hiking since i took the week of except once. ya know how it goes, plan and something else comes up. i have managed to get some things done around my hovel here, so it's all good....but for now i need a nap. then i'll wake and start on another project-my second bedroom. then there are more books to read and read again. i bought 2 more today, like i really kneeded them...lol anyways, the heat is on and all i want to do is sleep. rain is headed our way, i pray it comes sooner than later. i know knot ever happy with the weather...darn it....lol

color carnival #11

alas, another color carnival already. my goodness the time flew by this week. i've been off this week from work. have another week off but contemplating returning anyways. i'll think about it another day or two and take it from there. it'd all be volunteer time for the week, but it'd help get us back on track for our budget as i learned yesterday we are a few dollars over. right now early this morn it's too early to think about it. i just woke up...and for the moment i'm tryin 2 decide whether 2 attend Rev Julie's workshop that starts within an hour. must have my brew and perhaps my thinking cap will turn on...went 2 a baseball game last night. had a glass of wine which helped me relax that was much needed. think i'm still feelin it a bit this morn. i drank it on an empty stomach for it was tooooo hot to eat last night. almost 100 degrees @ the ballpark. i was drenched thoroughly thru my clothes within an hour sittin there. didn't dry off til we left the ballpark and a cool breeze was blowin'. anyways, it was a good time @ the game. much more exciting than the last one....so for now i'm off for my brew. have a great day!

the power of kindness

Rev Julie recently wrote an article on the power of kindness. she also included the following poem. i wanted to share a little of this with you. here are a few words Rev Julie wrote, then follows the poem....

" I share this poem with you as a reminder of the vital importance to remember to be kind every day. It is important to the survival of our communities and our world that we reclaim the power and importance of kindness.
Gentleness and sensitivity are not often spoken of in the media, in our schools or in our communities. In fact, it seems we have the impression that a kind heart ranks low in cultural desirability, well after a sound mind, a sharp wit, power over others and a fine sense of irony. We have been taught in recent times that we resort to kindness after everything else has failed, and yet it is kindness that can change a difficult situation into an opportunity to heal. Kindness creates smiles; kindness opens hearts and kindness changes both the one who gives and the one who receives...." -Rev Julie Interrante

Kindness-
Naomi Shihah Nye

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a
white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest
thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes
sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters
and purchase bread,

only kindness that raises its head from the
crowd of the world to say,
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

color carnival #10

...alas, i have returned. maybe i can make daily entries for awhile to make up for lost time. anyways, all is well. i took the above photo @ church while taking photos of the kids. i've been taking photos @ church so they can use them for our website. they're recreating it and i hope it's up soon. once so, if you want to check it out, i'll post the link here....the past few weeks have been enlightening for me in many ways. i haven't been doing much on the internet nor watching tv, only sitting in the quiet and working. knot watching much tv nowadays i've decided to stop my cable television. i also learned how to be on this ocmputer for just the time i needed in lieu of hours on end. it's been refreshing. i can get so much more done. and i can enjoy my books more easily without tv or radio. the quiet is so much more rewarding for me. i do listen to a little music but only for a little while. i even pulled out John Denver. his song will be the first i learn on the guitar. i hope to be doing guitar lessons soon. anyways, life is good. i am grateful for changes i am making in this moment. i am blessed.

R.I.P. Michael

so this is a short note. staying off the computer has been a good thing although i miss it here. i will post some more photos soon but will stay away a little longer. the main thing i've learned is to stay away from Facebook. goodness that's a daily requirement to stay up with. i like it here best of all and will get back to my regular blogging soon...

..in the meantime, i caught a slice of Michael Jackson's memorial yesterday. may he rest in peace. i'm a fan but i steered away from him about 15yrs or so ago. that had more to do with the gift (illness) than anything. i changed to country music and let go of the RB and pop music. Michael was my idol for the longest. I know a lot believed he molested children, i haven't ever. i have thought maybe he did something that could have been interpreted as molestation but that's just it, a matter of interpretation. my question is IF he did, can you forgive him and others who have done the same? hanging onto anger and resentment doesn't do you good. i know this from experience in other areas of my life. we are all human and have our frailities and we tend to criticize more quickly than extend compassion and understanding. Michael did a lot of good. I'm grateful for his expression here in life and what that allowed me to do with mine=be radical, rebellious and however i choose if i so choose. his reflection allowed me to give myself permission to Be myself. it was a beginning anyways...i didn't read all the headlines since his transition. i've been occupied by the homefront and other matters. i think i'm still in a bit of disbelief of his departure. it'll settle in laterz. i've been following him since he was 10 with the Jackson 5. it'll take awhile to say good-bye...

Madison's Lil Sister

hello everyone. it's been awhile. it's been a stressful week. busy with work but more importantly Madison's Lil Sister was born this morning @ 3:46a.m. prematurely. 2lbs 11oz. Nevaeh Joy (Heaven spelled backwards). anyways she and mom are doing fine. Nevaeh is off the ventilator already, but please keep her in your prayers. between Jesse last week and this, this week, i'm worn out. i'm off tomorrow and going 2 vegge. i've been away cuz i'm trying a new habit. in lieu of waking up on the computer, i'm just staying away a bit to see how much i can get done without being on it so much. i'll be back soon. everyone have a great 4th!