Window

I love the warmth of this window. It makes me think there is a cup of hot chocolate waiting for me on the other side of the glass.

Towson Women's Basketball

Nice jump shot! This was a very exciting game!

Lights

I took this last year and I thought of it today. It was one of my first times using a DSLR camera and I was so proud of myself for getting some good stuff. Enjoy!

Bowl of Christmas!

Christmas balls in a bowl...fun huh?

Walk

I loved the way these trees made way for the path between them.

A Touch of Hope

Beautiful bright berries! Say that 10 times fast! I saw these berries shouting out from a tree on the beach in Rochester on Thanksgiving Day. This year has been a tough one with a lot of loss in our family and the holidays just remind us of all of those empty seats at the table. I went for a walk early in the day to bust up the gloomy and found that it wasn't such a hard day after all. This picture reminds me that amid the thorns there can be something beautiful and to never let hope be lost.

Rolling

So a few days ago I took this photo (actually it was that fateful day that my camera was left out in the rain). It is my next door neighbor's grandsons rolling down the hill in the leaves. They were having an awesome time. Unfortunately this is the only really cool shot I got. I noticed their romp too late to get more. Enjoy these last few days of fall! Go for a roll in the leaves!

Lucky

So as I mentioned in my last post there was a camera kerfuffle. I left my camera out in the rain by accident of course. This picture was what I took with the camera seconds after I came in from the wet and cold. The camera was working ok but the picture was foggy...as you can see.
So I cried...and cried....and looked up tips online and tried my best to dry it off and out as quickly as possible. I thought and was told the camera was a goner. As a "what the heck" resort...I put the camera in a bowl of dried, uncooked rice for the entire Thanksgiving break (Wed-Sun) and I didn't touch it until we got home Sunday night. It appeared as though it didn't help but when I put the lense back on, the camera was clear. No problems...no fogging. I put the battery back in...and it turned on! Then I put the card back in and took some shots. It worked!!! Perfectly!!!!!
So now I am taking stock in what I have. My camera works...for now. We shall see if corrosion takes place. I have heard that sometimes things work fine and then corrosion blocks the shutter and it eventually kills the camera but here's hoping it was just condensation on the mirror from the drastic change in temperature. Long story short...I am one lucky woman.

oh...and here is the bowl of rice that may have saved my camera's life!

What I had going for me:

1-my camera did not get submerged in water...it was just in the rain
2- it was off and closed up lense cap on.
3- It did not appear to be wet inside the body of the camera just some condensation on the mirror.

Camera CPR

1- Dry off the outside of the camera
2-Take out the card and battery
3- Unhook the lense from the body.
4- Sit lense in a bowl of rice or pack it in Sil packets face down so that the water can drain out of it.
5- Use hair dryer to dry off body inside and out. Use on low setting.
6-Pack sil packs around body or place face down in a bowl of rice. Leave there for a few days. The longer it dries out the better.
7-Say a little camera prayer and hope for the best.

Oh and another quick tip I learned in this crazy awful experience...silicone packs...those little things that say don't eat... that come in shoes and purses...keep them! They are great to keep in your camera bag to keep out unwanted moisture. They are also something to pack your camera in if you were to ship it to be cleaned or brought back to life if you are so unlucky. So when shopping...keep those little things that aren't candy you won't regret it!

One Heck of an OOPS.

Ok so you might be wondering why I didn't post any pictures today. Well sadly my camera has been ruined. I got a new camera on my birthday this past summer. It is a Canon Rebel XS 1000D. Over the weekend I was out in the yard snapping pictures of my dogs and the neighbor kids rolling down their hill. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and I had just started raking leaves. I put my camera down for a bit while I raked and then at the end of the day I pulled all the yard stuff inside on our back porch. That night we started getting a bit of rain. It rained all day yesterday and all night. This morning I went for a walk with the dogs only to get caught in a downpour midway through our trek. I got inside and dryed everyone off. Then I realized I had left my work gloves outside on the bench under our big oak tree. I threw my boots on and ran out to grab them and just when I turned the corner of the tree...there it was....my beautiful Rebel XS soaked with rain. I grabbed it and ran inside. I tried drying it off with a towel and it seemed like it was going to be ok. Then I took the battery out and the card which were both dry. Then when I removed the lense I saw the real problem. The inner workings of the camera were fogged. Really fogged. I tried putting it infront of a hair dryer and I called the local camera repair shop for advise. There is little that I can do. No more camera. Lesson learned. I will be looking into replacing what I have lost but it probably won't be for awhile. Cameras are costly...especially the good ones. It was the nicest gift I have ever gotten and I ruined it.

For those of you who think this can't happen to you learn a lesson from me. I am someone who takes care of everything I own from clothes to shoes to ipods/ camera you name it. I am very good about keeping things safe and protected from the elements. This is something completely out of the ordinary for me but it happened and it can happen to you too. Go with your instincts. Put things back when you are done with them and never ever leave stuff to your memory. From now on I will be more careful.

Italy

My Mother-in-law has just arrived in Italy and it reminded me of my trip 2 years ago. I remember such beautiful colors and clear crisp air. I went to the Amalfi Coast and spent most of my trip just snapping pictures of everything. It was absolutely amazing there. So much history and so much culture and the FOOD! Oh do I miss the food. Here are some tid bits from my trip. Enjoy!

Source of Light

This was taken at the B&O train museum. This is an old passenger car and the light was coming through in a really interesting way so I thought I would take a shot. To me it looks like any second someone could step into that light.

Wee!

This was taken just as the sun was coming down on a beautiful fall day. JP took a slide in the leaves. Looks like fun huh?!

Son

This is a picture of JP. He is what I call a gift. His mother's tried so hard for so many years to have him. They faced so much heartache and strife to bring him into this world...and here he is. Our little miracle boy. We took him to the train museum and this is him waiting in line to get on the "Big Choo Choo!"

Are we there yet?

This is the backseat of our truck on a long ride to Rochester NY for Halloween. Funny huh?

Halloween

This is such a fun picture of this little dude. Lucas is a friend's son and he was so excited to go trick or treating. I love this "I can't contain myself!" look in his eyes! Cutie.

Bright Star

fare thee well my bright star

i watched your taillights blaze into nothingness

but you were long gone before i ever got to you

before you blazed past this address

and now i think of having loved and having lost

but never know what it's like to never love

who can say what's better and my heart's become the cost

a mere token of a brighter jewel sent from above

fare thee well my bright star

the vanity of youth the color of your eyes

and maybe if i'd fanned the blazing fire of your day-to-day

or if i'd been older i'd been wise

too thick the heat of those long summer evenings

for a cool evening i began to yearn

but you could only feed upon the things which feed a fire

waiting to see if i would burn

fare thee well my bright star

it was a brief brilliant miracle dive

that which i looked up to and i clung to for dear life

had to burn itself up just to make itself alive

and i caught you then in your moment of glory

your last dramatic scene against a night sky stage

with a memory so clear that it's as if you're still before me

my once in a lifetime star of an age

so fare thee well my bright star

last night the tongues of fire circled me around

and this strange season of pain will come to pass

when the healing hands of autumn cool me down.

-Indigo Girls

Second attempt Moon shot. Taken Halloween night on Hoover Rd. Rochester, NY.

Moon

First attempt moon shot. Baltimore Maryland...near Charles Street Downtown.This shot I took with a friend's camera last winter. It was probably in October or November. He let me barrow it one night to see how I liked it. I was super excited to be able to play with such an awesome camera. I really like this picture. The camera caught what little light there was that night and just lit the trees. Very cool. Kind of reminds me of Harry Potter.

Turning

Yup...it's fall. We are getting to that awesome time of year when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp and dry. I love this season. I love wearing shorts and sweater. I love the smell of people's fire places drifting into my open windows. I love that I can snuggle in my favorite blanket in the evenings after a warm dinner. This is from the tree in my back yard. You can just see the leaves starting to turn.

March for Equality

These were taken at the March for Equal Rights in Washington DC on October 11th 2009. Much of these photos were taken just to show the large masses of people that came out in support of LGBT rights in the United States. It was a real eye opener and I found that most of the day I had a lump in my throat. All of these people...just like me...fighting for their right to love another. We will get there guys....I promise some day soon...we will get there. Oh and the picture of the hot guy in the sun glasses is the writer of the motion picture MILK, Dustin Lance Black. Very sweet...and he touched me and said hello!!! oooooooo! :) See the speech he gave that day here!

Ready...Set... March

This coming weekend is the March on Washington for Equal Rights. I am going and I can't wait to take some awesome pictures and share them. It is going to be incredible and I think Washington isn't ready for the amount of people that are going to show. I seriously can't wait to see the turn out.

This is a picture from the 2009 Gay Pride Parade in San Juan, PR. This dude was awesome and he kept posing for everyone. It was soooo hot that day and I'm not sure how he sat on that hot motorcycle all afternoon. This parade walked for miles and for some of it Lisa and I ended up in the middle! It was a lot of fun and all in spanish so I had no idea what was going on! Many of the people thought I was from the media and they kept waving and calling to me to take their picture...at least I think that is what they were saying...again...all in spanish!

No H8

So today I was thinking about what I would post and I realized that instead of showing something of mine I would post about something I want to do and would like to encourage others to look into. This series of photographs has really inspired me. Not only because they are speaking out against Proposition 8 but because they show all different people from all over the country forming together for one cause. I have been in a relationship with my partner for going on 9 years. We have shared a home for almost all of that time. We are active in our communities, we volunteer, we are good upstanding citizens.We are not able to be legally married in Maryland. This is something that I just can't understand. Our marriage wouldn't hurt anyone. Our lives would not change for the most part. We would simply be able to do everything that anyone else could do. Why is that such a problem?  A month or so ago my friends were the first gay couple to get married in Vermont. Their first wedding reception took place in our back yard on a beautiful fall afternoon. See images taken by Lessie Williams here.The photographer for their wedding in Vermont is Karen Pike. She is amazing and has wonderful images from the Marriage Equality Campaign in Vermont. She also has a variety of wedding photos taken from straight and LGBT weddings. See those images here. I find it interesting that they have had so many ceremonies and really only one counts. I can't do that. I don't want to have all these different ceremonies for each state I'm in. It seems silly...oh we are driving through Connecticut...we are legal here! Now we are back in Maryland...we're no longer married....it just seems like a really bad game of musical chairs.
This whole debate saddens me. I want my rights. I deserve them.  This weekend we are going to a march on Washington to make a statement about LGBT rights. I am hopeful that something comes of this. It has gone on too long. I'm getting impatiant. Please have a look and submit one of your own if you can.

http://www.bouska.net/noh8/gallery.htm

Rochester Bridge

I took this a year ago or so. It was a very crisp fall day in Rochester and I was out for a walk with the pup. I didn't have my super duper camera yet so I was just using my point and shoot. I like the way it turned out though. This is an old railroad bridge.
The color is cool. It reminds me of a water color painting. I also really liked how still the water was that day. It made for clear reflections of everything. There is apparently some sort of contest for a calendar of Rochester NY. I thought this one would be a good one for the contest. Perhaps for the month of September or October! We shall see!

Me

I have become one of those people who is never in the photo. I think because I am mostly taking the photos now I tend to not be in the ones I take. I also have turned into a brat about photos of myself. I try to always bring out the best in people when I take their picture whether it be waiting for the real smile or just getting that twinkle in their eye that is only there when they are truly happy. I look for things like that. Sometimes it works..sometimes it doesn't but at least I can say I tried. Unfortunately not everyone thinks of that when they press that button and the shutter snaps. Oh well.

I decided to collect some pictures that I do like of me! Yay me! Some are old...some are new...some I took...some I didn't. This is also a way to say thank you to those who did take these pictures. Nice work! Here you go!






Taken by Lindy...age 5!

I don't know who took this but it is perfect and it reminds me of my Dad. He would have been so proud of us...and our choice of numbers!

Lisa took this a long time ago. Rare moment with our very scared cat Nellie.

I am assuming that my mother took this of me. Cute huh?

Lisa took this one in Puerto Rico.

I took this. I love this picture. It was the end of a bad day in Puerto Rico and we had just been smashed by an unexpected wave after which I proclaimed "Puerto Rico hates us!" It doesn't really. Just overstayed our welcome that year I think.



I took this on my mac. I like it. The end.
The photo below was taken by a friend when Lisa and I were skating. Awww.


I don't know who took this but it is funny and I like it. I was playing with Chelsea's ears at a work event and someone snapped our picture. Good stuff and way to catch me not paying attention!

Lisa took this of me when we were touring the Hudson. It was very windy...no my hair isn't that spiked usually. I like this...I was really enjoying myself and you can tell.

Rigging

This is a shot of a ship docked at the South Street Seaport. I loved the way the sunlight was reflecting off the water and all the shadows of the rigging. Very cool.

Forgotten summer

I found this picture randomly on my desktop the other day. I love the motion and the lightheartedness to it. And isn't the color amazing!? Graham at play!

These City Walls

A view from just off the rooftop of the Tribeca Building in NYC. I love the diagonal. I took this through a glass window...it turned out pretty good. I have taken pictures through glass before and there is often a glare but this one I lucked out!

New York...New York....

My mother enjoying the views of the South Street Seaport. She had never been to NYC so I was excited to be a part of her trip. She seemed to enjoy it and it was a beautiful day on the town. She even took a moment to lap up an ice cream cone. :) "I want to be a part of it...New York...New York."

Planet of the Crepes!

So this was taken a couple weeks ago. We went downtown to our favorite crepes place right next to the Charles Theatre. We love the Bananarama...it is bananas, granola, honey, and peanut butter...for an extra bit of heaven add nutella or chocolate. I highly recommend it!
This was Lisa's last bite...makes me hungry!

A view from the top

My beautiful partner looking over NYC from the top of the Tribeca Building. This was a beautiful New York evening; the sun was setting and there was a lovely breeze that caught our hair. I love this picture.

One Life

"Make of our hands, one hand. Make of our hearts, one heart."

A moment with Dad

Right before my cousin's wedding my Uncle (pictured above) had a terrible jet-ski accident which left him with a very broken leg. Everyone was worried that he would not be able to be at the wedding and my cousin was devistated. Not only did she have her dreams of her wedding dance and being given away crumble in front of her but she also had the weight of worry on her as she was prepping for one of the most important days of her life. As you can see he made it to the wedding (a bit worse for the wear) but none the less he was there and got to witness just how beautiful his daughter can be. I took this picture during what was called "an unconventional father/daughter dance." My Uncle is a man of few words and hates being in the spotlight so most of the shots everyone got were of him with his head down. I was lucky enough to get the hint of a smile.