simple & slow

I have not written for 9 days - I have had nothing to say and little to show.

It has been 10 days since Joshua's wedding and the frenzy leading up to the big day.

I have accomplished little in my effort to recharge my batteries.

Life has been simple & slow -

 walking along the coast,

dipping my toes in the warm water,

puttering in the garden, 

kayaking out to the ocean on steamy days to escape the heat,

relaxing on the beach listening to the birds and watching the waves . . .

Today my sister called to say she is coming for a visit

and I need to start making a To Do list.

Fortunately, my batteries are recharged and I am ready!

Ordeal or ADVENTURE?

I have been talking about my son's wedding for months and the day finally arrived last Saturday.

My speech at the rehearsal dinner on Friday night focused on a quote.

The day the photographer made the 3 hour drive to our house for an engagement photo shoot,

it was pouring down rain, so these two avid readers who both hold degrees in English literature

spent most of the photo shoot in Calico Cat Book Store.

They turned the ordeal into an adventure and subsequently, a wedding theme.

via

Southern California is suffering from a drought, yet Saturday was the wettest July day on record in Los Angeles.

Once again, Aylin and Joshua turned an ordeal into an adventure.

Steve and I, along with Aylin's parents, were the only people to sit in the rain - we are trying to get our umbrella open.

The florist worked her magic to turn my props into lovely vignettes - the birdcage held gift cards from guests.

I was thrilled when I spotted guests filling in cards with memories and advice to the newlyweds.

The file cabinet made by Becky of My Salvaged Treasures 

held the seating arrangement cards.

Rather than numbered tables, they were designated by book title - Aylin chose 3 of her favorites

and Joshua chose 3 of his.

The ladder vignette I created was greatly improved by it's location in front of a lovely garden spot and the gorgeous flowers the florist added.

I bought tons of props for the Photo Booth which was a big hit -

how do I look in my Groucho glasses?

I went technology free and did not take photos once the ceremony began.

so I have no photos of the black and white films playing on the giant screen throughout the night

or EVERYONE joining in on the Turkish dances.

 Fortunately others had their phones so I do have photos of two people who did not let a little rain bother them 

and they had the time of their life surrounded by family and friends.

Who would have thought ...

I am almost never without a camera.

I took the photo above last weekend with my iPhone while Steve and I were enjoying a romantic dinner at a local restaurant.

I snapped this photo with my little Canon Power Shot D10 while showing family around town.

Most of my photos are taken with Steve's Canon Power Shot SX50 HS.

Before blogging, I didn't have much interest in photography?

It is embarrassing to look back at my very first blog post and the pictures I used.

That post had only 2 photos - taken at night, with poor quality and I didn't even edit the photos.

But, through blogging, 

I began to understand a little bit about framing a photo, color, lighting, etc.

As my photos improved, 

people started writing positive comments on posts about the photos.

Those comments encouraged me to work on my skills

 although I still have no idea what I am doing.

I am enjoying this new hobby of staging photos

and really looking at the world around me.

So today, I did something I never even dreamed of doing.

I entered 5 photos in the Ventura County Fair.

The Bluffs 

Bee At Work

Carol's Garden

Green Gate

Matilija Poppy

Who would have thought that I would ever enter a photograph in a contest?