Dreaming of Fall

fall...my favorite time of year. i wasn't raised around the beauty of different seasons, we just didn't get to experience that in south Florida. but now, i crave it here. summers heat ending and cool nights arriving. this photo was actually taken while i was in maine, a summer photo of a birch tree. but with a little color saturation, i was able to turn it into the coming of fall. and fell in love. i long to see the fall birch trees in Vermont and Maine.

a few maple leaves are occasionaly turning and falling in my yard. i just had to capture this one laden with raindrops.

fall means so many things to me. freshness. comfort. the smells of cinnamon and nutmeg. apple festivals. pumpkin pie. fall scented candles that make my home feel warm and cozy. the abundance of color in the trees. falling leaves. long walks with the leaves crunching under your feet. listening to the trees and leaves blow. clear blue skies. sweater weather. bringing out my knitting needles again, dreaming of the beautiful scarves and hats that will be made with my loving hands. i love fall. and anxiously await it's arrival just around the bend.

waiting...

blessings!

shay

Flooding here~prayers needed

this is only the beginning...

devastation is everywhere...

the rain is not supposed to stop until Saturday...

we appreciate your prayers...

shay

Through Him

"Everything was created through Him; nothing-not one thing, came into being without Him."

John 1:3

we could not see and appreciate this....

without first seeing and appreciating this...

this journey, of finding passion and beauty in God's creation, all around me through a camera lens, has opened up my eyes, noticing creation i otherwise may have overlooked before.

i feel completely blessed, at peace and hopeful. thankful He lit this spark and desire in me. i feel honored to be glorifying Him. to be sharing His creation and spreading His love.

blessings!

shay



Common Ground

great day. laughter. photographs. friendship. finding common ground. in the heart of Amish country.

the rain could not stop us. in fact it added beautiful stillness to some of our shots.

capturing simplicity at it's finest.

through the lens of my camera.

striving to see, feel, wish.

running off old back roads, turning around and around, back to capture that shot noticed whizzing by, getting a little stuck in a swale ditch and calling dear husband to pull you out (thank goodness we were close to home at that point)

the sunflower field that is closing it's eyes on summer in preparation of fall's crisp arrival

'common ground'

found and now cherished.

memories made.

camera happy today.

my eyes and my heart happy today.

blessings!

shay

p.s. if this blog is anything like my home, it will be forever changing like the seasons of my old soul. but i am happy with it today. thanks to my son for his patience with me on photoshop. and thanks to all of you for your special comments. i love hearing from all of you. inspiration blooms!



Scavenger Hunt Sunday

this is my first hunt with Ramblings & Photos and i was very excited, yet a little intimidated, being amongst so many talented and amazing photographers/artists, to join the hunt.

~so....here goes~

1)abstract-this is a photo of a rock formation at the sandy river in Maine. abstract in and of itself, but i tweaked a little with color saturation

2)smile~ i cannot take complete credit for this photo, but when i saw it i knew it had to be viewed in this hunt, my son's girlfriend, Sarah, took it during their recent trip to Fla at Disney World. i tweaked it some with cropping and color saturation. but i think it speaks volumes for itself.

3)stairs- behind an antique shop lives several old school buses, the rear door always open and stairs going up to enter, i have never climbed them, as the inside of the buses are just creepy, but i love taking photos of vintage/old/antiques and these old buses catch my eye every time.

4)clouds- i admit, pulled this one out of the archives, but were taken within the last 2 weeks, skies here have been not so appealing to me lately, anyway~ caught some amazing cloud pics in the beautiful state of Vermont!!!

5)macro- my favorite this week:-)

~so there is my first hunt~

thanks for letting me join

blessings!

shay



Healing Comes Through Tears....

i have been 'off' since my 40th birthday on thursday. i don't know why. feeling lonely. maybe a bit unappreciated. tired. tears have fallen. trying to get back up and move into my new journey.

a coworker handed me this poem last night at work. it privately moved me to tears. stirred up deep emotion in me. every word was hitting home. i felt the need to share it. and hope it speaks to some of you.

Why Women Cry...

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His Mom just hugged him and said,

"And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does

mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his

dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still

wondering why women cry.

Finally he prayed to God who would surely know the answer.

When God responded he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be to be made special. I

 made her shoulders

strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet

gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to 

endure

childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her

children. I gave her

a hardness that allows

her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and

take care of her family

through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

Gave her the sensitivity

to love her children under any and all

circumstances, even when her child

has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to

carry her husband through

his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect

his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his

wife, but sometimes tests

her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfaltering.

And lastly, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers and only hers

exclusively to use whenever she needs it.

She needs no reason, no explanation, its hers."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman

is not in the clothes she

wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she

combs her hair. The

beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because

that is the doorway to

her heart - the place where love resides."

here's to a new beginning of understanding.

blessings!

shay



~happy 40th birthday to me~