30 Minutes in the Life: July 2016
Posted on July 25, 2016
How time has flown. This month 30 Minutes in the Life celebrates 3 years of blogging together. It has been an incredible journey for me. I have learned so much over this period for the photographers I have blogged with. I have shared in the highs and lows of their lives, watched their children grow, and come to love the ladies and their stories. Thank you to all of those ladies that I have journeyed along with, it has been a blast
I have just had foot surgery, which means I am not walking anywhere in any hurry for the next 5 weeks. In fact I am pretty much stuck on my bed for 99% of the day. So I prepared in advance for the 30 minutes in the Life because I did not want to miss out on this group.
So what I did was I took a drive down to the local sea life rehabilitation center and wandered through there. Gumbo Limbo sits between the ocean and the Intracoastal. It is a small rehabilitation center with two large reef tanks and some smaller specific tanks.
Walking into this center they had a display of crafted turtles. I love turtles. In the days when we scuba dived, it was always a treat to see turtles swimming by. Beautiful graceful creatures in the water.


Inside the entrance area I spotted this tank with a gorgeous but venomous Lionfish. The Lionfish has some a number of dorsal fins that will deliver the venom in the form of a sting. A sting from a Lionfish is rarely fatal, but can cause nausea and breathing issue and is extremely painful.

I headed up to the two salt water tanks thinking I would spend some time taking photographs of the fish from the top. Fish, I have decided, are like butterflies. Clearly they do not keep still. The best I could get was a Stingray and a Turtle.



I headed downstairs to the outside of the tanks and started to meander around the building looking inside. That’s when I discovered something that I thought I could play with. The reflections in the windows.


I discovered reflections in the glass windows were creative looking double exposures.

Self portrait





Thank you for joining me for this month’s 30 minutes. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my fellow blogger Stacey Markel Photography | MD Family, Child & Senior Photographer and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages.
30 Minutes changed their name to Journey to an Artist. If you want to know more about Journey to an Artist head over to their Facebook page, or to the blog page. There is new and exciting happenings going on with the group Journey to an Artist that you are sure to want to check it out.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page, my Flickr Page or my Instagram Page.
Tell me a story: June 2016
Posted on June 30, 2016
Tell me a Story is live and this month the quote is from Deepak Chopra:
“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions”
Solitude for me often comes when we go away to the beach. While Richard burns his energy kayaking, cycling, and snorkeling. I on the other hand find my solitude and rest in a book, walking along the beach, and watching nature. The sound of the waves is a balm to my soul. Being on the beach allows me to gather my thoughts and contemplate the answers.
We recently went down to Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys. We have not been there for a number of years and decided to revisit. Here are a few of the reasons why the trip to the beach is my balm, and which helps me to be silent.

Time to relax, enjoy, regroup – on route to the beach at Long Key State Park

Once you hit the Florida Keys the calmness of the ocean begins to soothe your soul.

A place of rest and reflection.

Life relaxes and you begin to enjoy the beauty that creation has to offer you.

Nature at it’s best -catching what it needs for the day – pure simplicity.

Silent meditation can come in the way of fishing.

Sitting on the beach watching the Osprey soar in the sky is a time of contemplation for me. Watching it dive for fish is pure pleasure.

Seeing it rise out of the water – goal accomplished is encouragement in itself. You have to try to achieve.

Feel the sun on your face – rest, relax, breathe, contemplate, restore.

Marvel at the simple things like clouds in the sky.

Enjoy nature – appreciate the beauty of a Seagull flying by.

Enjoy the evening as it begins to close on the day – marvel at the beauty that surrounds you.

Chill, allow the stresses you brought away with you to fall away.

Let the day close, along with it any troubles that you may carry.

Tomorrow is a new day, rise, shine, enjoy…

It’s a brand new day, and a brand new beginning.
Thank you for joining me for this month’s Tell me a Story. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my fellow blogger Mindy Sauvageau and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page, my Flickr Page or my Instagram Page.
30 Minutes in the Life: June 2016
Posted on June 27, 2016
30 Minutes in the Life, June 2016 is due to go live in a couple of weeks and I was at a loss to where to go. Boca Raton, is not like a big city. There may be a few high building but honestly it is not like Seattle or Denver. Like the rest of Florida it is pretty flat. I decided to head on out and pick up some test results and then head on out to Mizner Park shopping area. Mizner Park is on the east side of Boca and definitely the more upmarket side of town. While the weather may look bright and sunny, it actually has a light shower of drops just after I took the first image. The temps were incredibly high and the air is humid. While I managed to walk Mizner Park without getting wet, I was not as lucky an hour later when the clouds came over, the wind picked up and it felt like a mini tornado was heading through the area. Severe weather warnings, lightening in the sky, and apparently what appeared to be a water spout attempting to form.
In between the good and bad weather meander with me through Mizner Park……

The Amphitheater at Mizner Park. What I do love about this place is they have a lot of concerts. While you have to pay to go into the amphitheater, folks generally arrive and set up camp in the middle section of the street. Yes, I have done it as well. You bring your chairs, food and drink and you get to hear, not see, a free concert.

You want a photo in a big chair. Just hop on up.

This fountain sits at the base of a golden lady just outside the amphitheater

Make big plans, aim high in hope and work….
Let your watchword be order
and your beacon beauty
~ Burnham

I walked down the center of the two roads for a while to get a feel for what I was going to be looking at.

I like to take the lensbaby sweet 35 out with me because I never know what sort of image I will get.

Preparing for the day ahead

Waiting, perhaps resigned.

I crouched down to take a photo of this curly tailed lizard and the next thing I heard was and exclamation ” Ooh she is taking a photo of the lizard – I have never seen one this size before” Clearly a visitor to Florida.

Reflections in the window

You want to win a new bedroom – drop your slip in the jar.

At the opposite end of Mizner Park. I am ready to turn around and head back to the car.

South Florida in black and white.

A table with a view

Alone
Thank you for joining me for this month’s 30 minutes. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my fellow blogger and friend, Stacey Markel Photography | MD Family, Child & Senior Photographer and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages.
30 Minutes changed their name to Journey to an Artist. If you want to know more about Journey to an Artist head over to their Facebook page, or to the blog page. There is new and exciting happenings going on with the group Journey to an Artist that you are sure to want to check it out.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page, my Flickr Page or my Instagram Page.
Seattle City Scenes
Posted on June 19, 2016
When I first heard that my brother was coming to the US, my head said I wanted to be with him, my heart said I wanted to visit my daughter in Macedonia. Richard however, said we were going to Seattle. I was so torn. We went to Seattle, and I have to be honest I fell in love with the city. There was so much to do, so much to see, and we did not even get to see all of it. We walked Seattle from one end to the other and each night my feet ached but I felt like it was well worth it.
When I came to editing the image I was so drawn to editing in black and white. I had to force myself to go to color. Seattle was a little drizzly, a lot gray, and bustling with people. We stayed in the city. We walked to Pikes Market. We walked to the Library. We walked to the Columbia Building. We walked to Chinatown. We walked to Olympic Park, and we walked to Capital Hill. We caught the monorail to the Seattle Space Needle, but we could have walked. We ate happy hour, and Chinese, and seafood.
I had the opportunity to meet up with a special lady and her son, the mother and brother of a good friend of mine, who is no longer with us. They drove us around the city one evening and I managed to get some really low light images at night, since I had not taken my flash with me when we went to dinner.
I hope that you enjoy my birds eye view of Seattle, the city scenes…..

Seattle City Skyline

Out on the streets of Seattle

Symmetry inside the hotel.

Was the wheel missing or just taken for safety?

The Troll under the Bridge – Freemont Seattle

The road we traveled up to see the Troll under the Bridge – Freemont Seattle

Waiting at the bus station.

The Seattle Skyline from the Freemont District area

The Space Needle at night taken from the Freemont District area

While we did not see a lot of this, there were definitely places where we did see overnight outdoor sleeping by homeless people.

The Seattle Art Museum with the huge mechanical statue outside its entrance.


Reflections of a city

Late Winter in Seattle.

Seattle window shopping

Musical Instrument in Seattle – because you need them for the group 101 ways to shoot…

Another exit route

The Tat too parlor on Jackson Street.

Caught the tourists doing the touristy thing.

Inside a coffee shop.

Heading back to the city from Chinatown.

Back streets and alleyways of Seattle

Dragons

The two Africans peering into the Tango Zulu shop

Outside stairways

Waiting at the bus station
Seattle is definitely worth the visit. I enjoyed every minute, minus the sore feet, of the time I spent walking the city.
You can find the blogs to the Chihuly Gardens inside and out, to Pike Street Market, the Seattle Waterfront and Ferris Wheel, Bainbridge Island, Seattle Library, Columbia Building and Chinatown by clicking on the highlighted names.
Keep a look out for more of the upcoming blogs, Olympic Park and Capital Hill. From there we head off to the Orca Islands and to Leavensworth.
Tell me a story: May 2016
Posted on May 31, 2016
Tell me a Story is live. Each month we are given a quote to base our photographs on . The quote for May is:

The first Bird I come across with an adult Tri-colored Heron. It is nesting season in the wetlands and so the first thing I am looking for is whether there are babies. Sadly there were not so I meander on.

The Woodstorks have taken over at the first rest pavilion area. In previous years the Great Blue Heron’s would nest there however over the last 3 years the Woodstorks have moved in and not left much space for other birds to build their nests.

I am always fascinated by spider webs, spider definitely less so. The colors in this image really appealed to me.

I don’t often get to see an Egyptian Goose, however, I recently had one visit my back canal a few weeks ago. These bird bring back memories of my youth and a friends mother feeding them. They are beautiful birds and a pleasure to see.

The Iguana is an alien species to the wetlands. Whenever we visit the Florida Keys they seem to be in abundance. In the wetlands there are less of them. This one is a small iguana. There are definitely some that are much bigger. The interesting thing about iguana’s is that they change from this green color to orange color when in mating season.

Wildflowers and bees are hard to catch because the bee barely sits still for two seconds. I think I probably took 20 images just to get this one.

Wild flowers amidst the various shades of grasses.

This is one of the most interest plants I have seen in the wetlands. The Cephalanthus occidentalis (Common buttonbush) is apparently part of the coffee family.

I love this walkway and today I pulled out my Lensbaby composer pro with a soft focus optic, to see what I could get. I do love the effect of the Lensbaby images.

I spotted this small frame of light and remembered that one of the group I am in focuses on finding the light. This one worked for that theme.

There are new chicks on the block. Three Tri-colored Herons were hanging out today . This little one was sitting all by itself. I love how it’s legs are all stretched out in front of him.

And here is the previous Tri-colored Heron’s partners in crime. These babies are a welcome sight at the wetlands.

This Cormorant hangs out in the wetlands, and while I am not as close as I seem to be, it is not afraid when you walk past it. It watches you with it’s beady until you pass but it rarely flies away. The beady eye of the Cormorant is a beautiful turquoise.

I spotted the outer petal of the pond apple flower lying on the wooden railing. The narrow depth of field is one of my favorite styles of taking an image. I love the sharpness with the contrasting blur.

This Stilt had created a nest in a “dry” spot due to low levels of water. However, we have had some increase in the water level. She laid and was nesting on 4 eggs.

While I was watching the female Stilt, she kept getting up and moving the eggs. My understanding was that they were due to hatch within a couple of days.

Sadly a young resident gator must have discovered the nest on Friday afternoon or Saturday. By Saturday mid morning the Stilts had gone and the 4 eggs had disappeared and the gator was hanging out. It is a rare treat to see a Stilt up close and I was saddened about the loss of the eggs.

I do believe that this Alligator was the cause of the demise of the Stilt eggs. The good news is the parents are building a new nest. The bad news is that the silly Stilts are building it in a similar area. I guess they did not learn.
Thank you for joining me for this month’s Tell me a story. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my fellow blogger Beth Williams and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month. Don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page, my Flickr Page or my Instagram Page.
30 Minutes in the Life: May 2016
Posted on May 30, 2016
For the past number of years I have attended a 1 day seminar at this location and I have always been impressed with the lines in the conference room section of this campus. The campus belongs to one of the large churches in South Florida.
Since our vacation in Seattle, I have found myself drawn to black and white images, whether it is street, architectural or people. Today I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and go for images that are really a lot more edgy than I would normally do. I tried to incorporate lights and darks, as well as grains and blurs.
I hope that you enjoy my 30 Minutes in the life this month.











Thank you for joining me for this month’s 30 minutes. This is a circle blog. Please take time to visit my fellow blogger
30 Minutes recently changed their name to Journey to an Artist. If you want to know more about Journey to an Artist head over to their Facebook page, or to the blog page. There is new and exciting happenings going on with the group Journey to an Artist that you are sure to want to check it out.
If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my Facebook page, my Flickr Page or my Instagram Page.
Seattle: International Chinatown District
Posted on May 26, 2016
When I was in San Francisco I really wanted to go to Chinatown and that did not happen. So before we even got on the airplane I voiced that the one thing I wanted to do was go to Chinatown. We walked from our hotel the Chinatown. It was probably a 20 minute walk from the city center, but I was happy to do it knowing that I was going to the one place I had wanted to go. Did Chinatown live up to my expectations – yes and no. I guess I expected to see more Chinese monuments and buildings and statues etc. I felt like I was stepping into a different part of Seattle. The streets seemed less tidy, the buildings a little grey. There were so many overhead tram cables that it made it really hard to get a clean image without some kind of power line in it. On the flip side there was the beautiful entrance into Chinatown, there was the dragons that are so synonymous with Chinese culture. The people that we passed smiled and hurried on. I found myself wanting more but at the same time enjoying what I was seeing…. Meander with me.




Seahawks Stadium-Seattle

The entrance to Chinatown.

Dragons at the entrance to Chinatown




Unity
Earth, the center element, represents unity. Unity of values enables our community to preserve and share our heritage with future generations. The four stages of community endeavor – Vision, Accomplishment, Reflection and Renewal – provide continuing opportunities for indivuduals to sustain this unity.
Pathways to Pride
2002
In the late 1800s, first waves of hopeful sojourners, seeking refuge from poverty and war in Asia, journeyed to this area, seeking opportunities for a fresh beginning.
From distant lands they came, each holding dearly to memories of the life they left behind, each moving quickly to embrace dreams of a better life.
They staked their claim by building a flourishing neighborhood on what was once tideflat land. These streets and buildings now overflow with the riches of diverse people, commerce and culture








From what I have read Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco on November 27, 1940 and was raised in Kwaloon until his teenage years. After getting caught up in street fights his parents moved him back to the USA to live with an older sister. In 1959 he moved to Seattle. In Hong Kong, May 10 1973, Bruce Lee collapsed while shooting the movie Enter the Dragon. On July 20, 1973 Bruce Lee Died. His body was returned home to Seattle where he is buried at the Lake View Cemetery.
I did not get to see his home or visit the cemetery but interestingly enough we met up with a friend at a local pub called The Pine Box. Turns out that the Pine Box used to be a mortuary – Butterworth Mortuary, 300 East Pine St, Seattle WA 98122. It was from here, we were told, that Bruce Lee was moved to his final resting place.




After walking around Chinatown it was time to head back to the hotel. I have to be honest I really enjoyed walking to and around Chinatown but the thought of walking all the way back again had more poor feet complaining. However, you do what you have to do and enjoy it while you can.
You can find the blogs to the Chihuly Gardens inside and out, to Pike Street Market, the Seattle Waterfront and Ferris Wheel, Bainbridge Island , Seattle Library and the Columbia Building by clicking on the highlighted names.
Keep a look out for more of the upcoming blogs, Seattle the city, and Capital Hill. From there we head off to the Orca Islands and to Leavensworth.
sharleenstuart



























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