I am celebrating the tulips that are blooming in my yard. I only have a handful so they are very special to me.

I was trying to find the balance of backlight and lighting the strawberry directly. The surface of the water and oil reflect the direct light which causes crazy highlights. My setup is in a closet and I am working on the floor which helps dictate how long I can work. When my back and legs are done, I pack it up.

"People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure." -- David Attenborough

It is a favorite movie of mine, and since Thanksgiving is coming up and we just returned from vacation, it seemed like the perfect image.

"We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine." -- Dwight L. Moody

Playing with my cut tulip and trying to preserve the natural beauty before it fades away. It's a simple concept but I hope to have done the flower justice.

The results of my Calla Lily series.

Two of the images in the Triptych are repeats here on my flicker page, but I wanted to display the final result. I'm taking the advice of a famous photographer..."get your stuff on the walls". Printing will be done on canvas.

“If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu.” -- Elizabeth Warren

I am trying to figure out what direction to take my photography. The last few summers I have worked on my snail images but I haven't decided if I am going to pursue that this year. Today I wandered around my neighborhood with my camera to observe and capture what I saw. I have been doing so much composed photography that it felt very foreign to not be able to control everything and just shoot what was there. It will just be a mish-mosh on my feed until I find a new path.

Question - what are your thoughts on the texture? Too strong?

"You've got to bumble forward into the unknown." -- Frank Gehry

“There is an eternal love between the water drop and the leaf. When you look at them, you can see that they both shine out of happiness.”

― Mehmet Murat ildan

I went super close-up today using my 100mm lens with 2 extension tubes. I think there may be enough life for one more image tomorrow. My little mini projects are good for my imagination and allow me to see things in new ways.

"The reason why so little is done, is generally because so little is attempted." -- Samuel Smiles

Sitting in my dark closet and floating things in oil and water has really become my newest obsession. I decided I should work on some of these oriented in a portrait rather than landscape layout. Played around with the colors and saturation this morning. I always am second-guessing myself and know that there is room for improvement. I often let time constraints dictate when an image is done, otherwise, editing could continue for far too long. How do you decide when your image is done?

Trying to improve upon old ideas again.

"The journey is never-ending. There's always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what's right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment." -- Antonio Brown

"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." -- Carlos Santana

"You must never stop being whimsical." ― Mary Oliver

Note - this is a composite image. I first took a picture of the snail on the bubble blower, took additional images of bubbles, and combined them. It didn't turn out how I envisioned it, but at least I got to play with bubbles this morning and entertained the people walking their dog.

Experimenting with floating colored tissue paper in my oil and water concoction. I love how the crinkled paper creates depth and it looks like fabric to me. In the right hands, I can imagine some elaborate compositions. Look for more to come as I play around with this idea further.

We all need to take time in our lives to play. I am playing with the fairy garden props and a snail today. It is an idea I've already played around with but every snail handles the surroundings differently. What are you doing for fun?

“When it rains look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars”

― Oscar Wilde

"Home is the nicest word there is." -- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Flickr does not like this image and it's been giving me errors all morning. This image took some time to edit due to there being so many scratches and white spots that showed up. Also, I didn't have enough black dishes to create the image I wanted so I desaturated the colors of red, blue and purple to help me out. Whew! I'm glad I got through my monochrome series, just a few more ideas to finish up the month. I'll be going into April fresh out of ideas but looking for new challenges. I may limit myself and just shoot macro for the month, I'm not ready to commit yet.

A black and white landscape photograph of the Pacific Ocean at Hunters Cove along US101 near Gold Beach, Oregon.

I have met the loveliest and most generous neighbors as I have been working on my frozen flower and snail and flower projects. This gorgeous Zinnia is from Nancy's yard. I introduced myself to her and explained my projects, and she walked me through her yard, pointing out every variety of flower, grass, and bush. She instructed me on how to trim them and welcomed me to stop by when I needed a blossom and to cut one. Out of every person I have asked for flowers from their yard, I have only had one refuse. This project has reminded me that there are many good and caring people in the world, and for that, I am thankful.

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." -- Marcus Aurelius

Playing with creating concept images about ideas. I tend to overshare and not monetize my ideas. I just love the challenge of creating and am not sure where there is a market for my images.

"Bending over backwards does not bring you the love and attention you crave, but having your own life, your own goals and a backbone will." -- Sherry Argov

"What a privilege to be here on the planet to contribute your unique donation to humankind. Each face in the rainbow of colors that populate our world is precious and special." -- Morris Dees

"We live at the edge of the miraculous." -- Henry Miller

This week I met two neighbors on my block who have been so generous to provide me with flowers for my project. This gorgeous zinnia is from Nancy, she provided me with a thoughtful tour of her gardens. I enjoyed learning about the flowers and could see and appreciate her pride in her yard. I have found that gardeners are some caring and kind folks who are making their little place in the world a beautiful haven.

I tried to do the flower and the snail justice and took extra time in editing this photo.

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow."

-- Gilbert K. Chesterton

I set out this morning to take a picture of a frozen zinnia that has been taking up room in my freezer. As I was working on that image, the dew drops and sunlight quickly captured my attention.

I like how there is a sweet spot for focus, too close or too far everything is blurry but beautiful. I feel like this is how our attention and memories work. What we focus on is clear and everything else just beautifully blurs.

I am suddenly craving Bundt cake...

"What can cake teach you about life? That practice makes perfect, and if you try something once, it probably won't be perfect, and you have to keep working on it if you want to be good at it." -- Nicole Byer

I created an elaborate composition but in the end I just used a small portion. Sometimes a little is more powerful than the whole.

Feeling hopeful...

"Change, when it comes, cracks everything open." -- Dorothy Allison

I believe that this is the smallest snail that I have ever photographed. It only came out of its shell for a short time. I have two extension tubes on my macro lens, and the photo is cropped to emphasize the size. It is just a reminder that we can find wonder everywhere when we observe our surroundings.

I met Penny and 10 month old Oliver this morning at the park. Apparently, she had been told by a friend the other day that I had been going around taking pictures of people and their dogs. Penny and Oliver are delightful and I hope I did them the justice they deserve.

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

"Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are at morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I met Ruby, the seven-year-old Australian Shepherd, and her mom, Rhonda. Ruby has the softest fur and just wanted me to love her, not photograph her.

Rhonda shared the story of how Ruby came into her life. She had a different dog, who had passed away and she was still heartbroken when she saw Ruby as a puppy. Ruby's eyes weren't even open yet but Rhonda knew that this was the dog for her. She discovered that Ruby was born on the exact date and time that her other dog had died. It was as if her dear departed dog had picked out Ruby for her. I am so glad they found each other because they belong together.

"Solitude is creativity's best friend, and solitude is refreshment for our souls."

-- Naomi Judd

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." -- Neil Gaiman

“There is something perfect to be found in the imperfect: the law keeps balance through the juxtaposition of beauty, which gains perfection through nurtured imperfection.”

― Dejan Stojanovic

Rough scribble for a live radio session release.