Pua

Charlene's cat Pua has been here a week, but she has been hiding under the bed and dresser in Charlene's room, and we haven't seen much of her unless Charlene is around to coax her out. This evening I got a pleasant surprise, as I got ready to crash for the night after a long game of cards Pua suddenly jumped up on my bed and wanted to be pet. She is a beautiful long haired Siamese with gorgeous blue eyes. I took the opportunity to take some pictures and she hammed it up well!

a mellow day...

Mom and I went to Portland for a walk around. We toured a mansion decorated for Christmas and the Portland Headlight area. This is the most photographed lighthouse in the US.




The night before, Charlene got socks for Chanukkah!!

Taking the dog for a stroll...

We went for a walk down to Camp Ellis today and checked out the fine winter day by the docks.

Snowshoes in the woods

Charlene and Jason convinced me to go snowshoeing in the state park with them. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. There were some really great textures so keep an eye out for texture layering as taught by Mercury...





























Moliko is such a good dog!!

Christmas Eve...

Went for a walk on the beach, it was a beautiful day!

in the morning

A new day dawns and the sun has come out. Time to shovel!!

and still going.....

This table had no snow on it this morning and is in a high wind area so snow does not usually accumulate on it. These pictures were only 3 hours apart, and the forecast is for at least another 5 hours of snow before it starts letting up.

And Still It Falls....

Walk in the woods

The snow has been coming down since I got here! Right now it is falling sideways, up and down all at the same time. The wind is blowing it around and the drifts are about thigh deep. It's a great time to stay warm and cozy next to the fire looking at pictures.


Earlier it was not as fierce a storm so we took the opportunity to go for a walk. Charlene, Jason, and I bundled up in multiple layers of clothing big boots and heavy gloves then took to the trails. Moliko was impatiently waiting and happily bounded out when we were all ready.













We went to the state park across the street to get into the woods and out of the wind. Charlene brought her saw so she and Jason could cut a fallen tree off the path, and I brought my camera.


After snow angels, sawing trees, a few tackles by Moliko, my camera was literally covered in ice and frozen! It gave some of the images a great soft focus look, but I was happy when we got home and were able to thaw out!!

I made it!!!

I'm in Maine!! Not brave enough to go outside yet, it's starting to snow again!!

waiting... and waiting...

Airports are never fun when you are way too early... they are doubly not fun when you are way too early AND your flight is delayed... hmmm... could I be sitting in an airport wondering when I get to set flight and leave the left coast??

I am exhausted, I got distracted by some of my chatting buddies last night so after that I had to clean and pack and all the fun stuff that happens before a long trip. Since we were reminiscing last night about a trip to Pasadena last year, I thought I would post one of those...

Yes it is the chair, Joerg... no you wont see the PJs....

mad cat

I think my cat just realized that I am truly out of cat food. I have to rectify this quickly. I am going to be in the doghouse when finds out I am leaving him here for three weeks while I go to Maine... Poor Pushkin!

more from the train station...

Every time I look at the images from the train station I see more that I like!! Getting these all processed as I would like is going to take forever!! Especially at this time of the year!

I really can't wait to get the whole group back together and see what everyone else's photos from the shoot look like!

... going home...

Tis the season when I can barely think. My house is a mess, my cat feels neglected, and my kitchen has a funny smell.... I think I better do something about that.... All this because the whole world decides that those pictures they have been thinking about printing since last April, would be really great to give to Mom for Christmas.

Being in Santa Cruz at this time of year is great - mild weather, good light, the hint of winter in the morning that disappears by noon, and good surf. But there is nothing like being with family for the holidays, so I am gearing up for a trip home and very possibly a white Christmas! My closet is lacking some good sturdy warm shoes, so my goal this weekend is to find a pair of shoes to replace the sandals I've been wearing... and to clean my house...

and more....

We missed the train...

So we may have missed the last train to leave the station but we didn't miss out on the fun to be had with a great location and a beautiful model. There is nothing like taking pictures of a gorgeous woman in a decrepit building!

My new photo friends ROCK!! I've been wanting to go to this location for years, but I never had photo buddies that can make things happen like the dynamic duo of Joerg and Kim. All I had to do was say "I know this place..." and next thing I know there is a plan and a model and a gaggle of photographers all ready to bribe the caretaker to get us in.

The whole group was excellent and of course our lovely model was the BOMB! What else can you say about someone willing to climb into holes in walls and brave inches of dust and can still be absolutely stunning.

OK, here goes nothing... I'm trying the blog thing out!

So I am not the last person to start a blog, but I am definitely not the first! A little late is better than never, right. I am hope I can keep this up!