Peace among the Redwoods

It has been 4 weeks since we returned from our incredible Pacific Coast Journey, driving the Pacific Coast Highway from L.A. to Seattle and there was a stop on our journey that was quite magical. Snuggled among some fantastic redwoods along the Cazadero Highway or "the Caz" as the locals call it there was a special little cottage that we took for 3 nights while we toured around San Fransisco and Napa. It's owner/hostess Mary Lou and her husband Emilio were truly charming and welcoming people and made us feel very comfortable during our stay. The larger cottage sits along the Russian River and was a space to behold. We truly hope we have the opportunity to visit this area again and would encourage anyone making the journey to check out this spot. The bunkie is a nicely furnished and well stocked one bedroom. Mary Lou will share some wonderful stories and is a great tour resource. Thanks Mary Lou for sharing your wonderful space with us. Red Awning Rentals would be happy to hook you up the property is "the tree house" Rental ID: 949, Cazadero Highway, Cazadero, California.

And then there were two.......welcome Baby Emma

On June 16, 2011 at the behest of a full moon and some very expectant parents the lovely Emma came into this world. What  a beautiful addition to our family she is, all smiles and "new baby" snuggles. Mommy and Daddy are just fine. On July 9th we introduced her to family and friends, including "my little mister" at a Baby Welcoming and a good time was had by all. Stay tuned for news on the growth spurts of both our precious babies.

Bean

Where I've been

I

Recently I have been yearning to get back to my 365, wondering where I went off track, only to realize that I haven't been off track at all, I just haven't been posting the journey. When I came back to my blog what I noticed first is the last post-June 2010, my daughter, son-in law and grandson came back to Canada from Europe in July. Need I say more, from the moment they returned I have been immersed in all things Aodhan and what a wonderful immersion indeed!! I have added a few of the shots that I have taken of him over the last 10 months ( there are so many that it is another blog really). Aodhan, Baby A, A, Little Mister, shiny tiger......the list of endearing names goes on is a grandparents dream, engaging, gentle, bright and loving, so I am satisfied that I have been otherwise preoccupied in a worthwhile journey. There is a new baby that we are waiting to meet (ETA June 8), Matt will be a Daddy,Anne-Marie a Mommy Aodhan will have a little cousin, Lyndsay will be an Auntie, Kevin an Uncle,Emily will expand her role as Auntie,Andrew will have yet another tender heart competing for Emily's affections, and Rick and I will be blessed again. The journey continues...........

My 365~ Day 29 Fabulous Limon Talinum ...

Day 29~ Fabulous Limon

First I would like to acknowledge that it is taking me a hell of a long time to compile "my 365". For the most part, I just run out of time on any given day, but sometimes it is hard to find the motivation, I tend to be super critical of my stuff and then I feel frustrated instead of just enjoying the moment and capturing some interesting memories. Either way that is for me to work out with myself. Today's photos were taken this past weekend, I don't have to tell anyone how wonderful it was right!! We bought some new additions for the garden and one of them was this awesomely, fabulous Limon Talinum plant. It is an incredible colour with these really interesting small copper buds that open into little pink blossoms, very cool.  Hope you all had a great weekend with many more to come.

Bean

My 365~ Day 28 An Enchanting Garden

An Enchanting Garden

A dear friend of mine has a wonderful garden, full of lots of interesting plants, but also enchanting elements throughout her garden. Many times while visiting with her I find myself viewing her garden and considering that it is a good reflection of the person that she is, interesting to be around with unexpected nuances that intrigue the guest. Thanks Mimi for making the world a more interesting place.

My 365~Day 27

Day 27~Ready for the Garden

I love this time of year, everything is starting to grow, nice afternoon days sitting out side with a book and the warm sun on your skin. So many choices too, new trees for the front, new perennials for the back and welcoming the new spring blossoms of established plants. These little daisies will be going in to my garden as soon as the temperature allows. I love their pretty blue centers with bits of gold and blue underbellies. Get outside and enjoy the weather and the garden, and Happy Earth Day!!

My 365~Day 26

A Bird in the Hand

I spent this beautiful afternoon taking a long walk through our favorite  local trail today, Cherry Hill Gate. Perfect temperature, sun warm on our faces and lots of photographic opportunities. Emily loves to feed the birds and the chipmunks at Cherry Hill, and I was able to get a pretty good shot of this little guy in her hand with a seed in his mouth, and then all to quickly he was gone. Enjoy your Easter holiday everyone, I encourage you to get out for a hike if you haven't.

Bean

My 365~Day 25

Day 25~ Thank you Argentina

I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything, work has been busy, life is sometimes complicated and time gets away from us. I am back at it, with a photo of a great bottle of Argentine wine, Trumpeter. I am pretty sure that my son and his wife would enjoy this wine very much, it is one of those peppery wines, slightly dry with a long finish, great with pasta it was delicious. 


Cheers 
Bean

My 365~Day 24

Day 24~ Thinking spring!!

Today was a gorgeous early spring day, perfect for a walk at Cherry Hill Gate. The RBG has done a great job, supporting the ecosystem, it is a wonderful place to walk and see all kinds of birds, small animals and great plants and trees. Little chickadees will light on your hand for seeds, and the squirrels will come close for food as well. Emily got quite a thrill when a small bird sat on her hand to feed from some seeds she had.If you live close by, take a walk through on the warm spring day, you will be glad you did.

Bean

My 365~Day 23

Day 23~ Love my Jewelry and my Macro Lens

Not a great deal to say with this one, I believe it is self explanatory, love my jewelry and my camera and I think they are a match made in heaven. The photo on the left is the container the photo on the right is the contents.

Bean

My 365~Day 22

Day 22~ Waiting for Spring

I took this photo in the garden during our last snow storm and it made me think about spring, actually, long for spring. I am not someone who really enjoys the winter and usually by this time of the year and am becoming quite impatient for the longer and milder, snow free days. I can't wait to get out there and add some new plants to my garden and hopefully get some interesting shots as well.

Bean

My 365~Day 21

Day 21 ~ All alone

I find overcast days are my favorite to take photos, and today was no exception. Lots of snow and a single leaf remaining on one of our trees caught my eye today during a snow storm. I am a big fan of black and white photography which is probably one of the reasons I enjoy the diffused light of an overcast day.

Bean

My 365~Day 20

Day 20~ Manneken Pis

Today's subject is a golf ball that my daughter and son-in-law sent to my husband last year. The logo on the ball is somewhat of a legend and national mascot for Brussels, his name is Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is the focal point of much folklore and he is the center of attention in the Grande Place in Brussels, so much so that there are an entire array of costumes an souvenirs dedicated to this little man. If you want to learn more about this little man see the attached link http://www.trabel.com/brussel/brussel-manneken.htm.
Rick and I actually had the opportunity to visit the home of the Manneken Pis last summer when we went to Europe, I was amazed at the amount of conversation, merchandise and general story telling this little guy generates.

Bean

My 365~ Day 19

Day 19~ Snow Day

Finally a chance to take a photo of the snow at night. Clearly I need the Night photography 101 lesson but I love the look,particularly the car moving past in this shot.





Bean

My 365~Day 18

Day 18~ A little comfort food!

I love lazy Sunday afternoons, no expectation for the day, "whatever". I used the afternoon to make this awesome, decadent treat, thanks cookiesandcups.blogspot.com for the recipe, chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars. I did say they were decadent but whatever we have to treat ourselves once in a while...right. Just the perfect subject for my macro lens, I love my macro lens!! Emily and Andrew love cookie dough cheesecake squares.


Bean

My 365~Day 17

Day17~ Icicles and Anne-Marie
It took me a considerable amount of effort and concentration to take this shot in an attempt to catch the melt off the icicles. Anne-Marie was most instrumental in my success, she is a great teacher, I learn something new with each photo I take and love every minute of it. We went for a great hike while we were away and took some great shot's in a sculpture park, I have posted some of those in my previous post. Thanks Anne Marie.

Bean

My 365~Day 12 thru Day 16

5 Day Compilation~Day 12 through Day 17 are a compilation of our long weekend in Haliburton for Family Day. Rick and I spent the long weekend with 2 of our 3 children and their respective partners, the only thing missing was our oldest and her her husband and of coarse our darling little grandson The Feb. long weekend has become somewhat of a tradition now, a much needed downtime and a chance to reconnect as a family. We typically spend the long weekend renting a cottage in a winter destination in either Quebec or Ontario engaged in winter activities, enjoying great food and just having fun. 2010 was no exception, we found a great place in Gooderham, in the Haliburton Highlands, we shared some great food including homemade pasta and Chinese hot pot as well as a great hike and some interesting board games. The first and second photo's in this compilation were taken in an interesting sculpture park in Haliburton. I was also able to capture a photo of my daughter in law through a window view taking photo's of some little chickadee's that were using the bird feeder, she is a very patient photographer. Thank you to all my family for the great memories and here is hoping that our daughter will be home next year and we will all be together our next family day weekend.

Bean

My 365~Day 11

Day 11~"Oot and Aboot"




Today's post is a collage of photo's that I created with my daughter in mind. Everyone knows that my daughter, son-in-law, and my grandson were here during the Holidays,and when they went home they left behind my grandson's little toque that we just discovered today. I am sure she has been missing it, she really liked it and it was super cute on him. So I took a few shot's of it around the house, sort of like a where's Waldo theme. I have to say that when Emily found it, the thoughts of them came flooding in , we really miss them all. So for now this little piece of him is living on my dresser, making me smile while we wait for them to return.

Bean

My 365~Day 10

Day 10~ Pizza Day

When I arrived home from work tonight I was completely done in, very hectic day, bad nights sleep, I'm sure you all the know the scenario, and to top it all off I had a pile of work to review at home with me....ugh! So needless to say I was not really inspired to take photo's this evening and then I made dinner.Yummy is all I can say, I made 4 different pies, my favourite is the subject of this photograph. Olive oil and parmesan crust with no tomato sauce, mozzarella and fontina cheese, red pepper and onion. Delicious. Hopefully tomorrow will be less hectic, but somehow I think it is just the way this week is shaping up, in any case I would really like to get a night shot tomorrow night. Wish me luck.

Bean

My 365~Day 9

Day 9

Another photo from my winter garden, these hydrangeas are so beautiful in the summer, one group in my garden is blue, the other pink they are one of my favorite flowers. I first fell in love with them when I saw them in abundance in the quaint little Cape Cod village of Chatham, they really are quite striking with very large blooms and vibrant colours. However, that being said they are also very interesting to see in a winter garden. So here they are. Hope you find them as interesting as I do.

Bean