Festive construction site decor

Festive construction site decor, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

Unsual but fun ornaments for the construction site
caught my eye every time I drive past so I made a special trip to go and take a picture not even realizing that I would run right past it on Canada Day.

Jun 29 09 puppy dog eyes

Jun 29 09 puppy dog eyes, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

iphone, toyphone - wire haired dachshund on her way to agility - her eyes really are that beauitful

silver under lilac

silver under lilac, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

my two oldest kids have a thriving house and pet sitting business - this month they are looking after a sunny golden retriever in a shady house. I found this silver pot gleaming softly under one of the many bushes and trees that are in the yard.

Hold these precious moments close

Hold these precious moments close, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

my first ever real baby shoot
beautiful Mama and intoxicating 7 and 1/2 week old
I learned so much!
I am so lucky!!!

Holding Still

Holding Still, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

looking for these moments
and freezing them
while everything else keeps moving

Safe?!?

Safe?!?, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

I doubt I will ever be an out and out fan
there is too much sitting
for too long
but there are moments
that my breath catches
and my camera catches
and the catcher catches
that will keep me coming back
from time to time

*****
Having my camera with my 70-200mm lens
really does make baseball much more doable for me
but I laugh at myself
when the foul balls pop with crazy high speed into the crowd
and I shriek a little under my breath and then inform my family members
that I full expect them to use themselves as human shields to
keep the canon safe.

here and gone iphone Jun 25 09

here and gone iphone Jun 25 09, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

twenty years ago
popeye pizza
spinach and feta and mozzarella
was the order for our dates
when we could stop looking into each other's eyes
we would look around at the other booths
laugh at the vintage decor
dig for quarters for the slightly
out of place, newfangled cd jukebox
picking the the most insipid and synthesized pop music
to play
and then following that with "oldies" from the sixties and seventies
and laughing at the juxtaposition
over the years we didn't go as often
but still sometimes
and always knew it was there
and would be
because it had been
but now it is not
that land it sits on
that rims the university
is 'valuable'
and PIZZA SPAGHETTI
FULLY LICENSED
is not

******
I am often pleased and somewhat astonished by what my iphone can do.

splash up jun 24

splash up jun 24, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

dry days are not rare
but hot, sunny ones are
so we went to the pool
and so did everyone else
there was much splashing
and swimming
and for at least one
some flying

birthing of the art gallery jun 23

birthing of the art gallery jun 23, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

the old art gallery
a beige concrete box
is encased inside this gorgeous new shell

bearing down Jun 22 09

bearing down Jun 22 09, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

watch out Ball!

***********

LOVE playing with TV (shutter priority)!
I can freeze people and things in mid air....

pink stemware Jun 21

pink stemware Jun 21, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

tiny pink calla lily
seems to glow with an inner light
as it catches a few drops of
precious, elusive rain

******
soccer is filling our evenings, soon it will be done!

elvis with beard Jun 20

elvis with beard Jun 20, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

a remarkably cuddly pet for a lizard
and such a beautiful gem for an eye
fascinating creature
but I am happy he lives where he does
and his cage is not ours to clean
****
Despite how quickly the days are passing, many things still seem to move very, very slowly because of how full our schedule is.
Still working my way through my photo library and editing and deleting, as well as doing the same with all the new pictures I am taking - business cards are not yet ordered - and web page almost ready - but I did do a baby shoot!!!!! It was fabulous.

treasure in the grass

treasure in the grass, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

a broken glass finial
from an old curtain rod
looks like something
dropped from jewelry boxf
when the evening light
shines through it

****
still taking pictures every day
just not finding the time to post them in anything other than clumps
-gardening-ferrying the kids around- and everything else takes precedence
hopefully will go live with my website next week
then will order the business cards -
did a great family shoot of a mom and her 3 daughters
last week - the pictures will be part of a Father's day gift!
Fun, exciting and mostly - I knew what I was doing!

after the cloudburst

after the cloudburst, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

it lasted less than five minutes
and left the parking lot
gleaming like a mirror

littlest soccer player

littlest soccer player, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

it is so dry that the grass does not stick to the ground
running and kicking a ball over it
makes the dehydrated yellow blades fly up
and stick to everything else
still the kids play in the heat
stopping to gasp in the shade under the umbrellas
wet their chins with tepid watermelon
and race off again

***********************
the time is sucked up so quickly
doing the kid's things
the house things
(or not doing them very much or very well because of the other things that need to be done first)
like
TAKING PICTURES!
doing photo shoots!
figuring out websites and hosting and business cards
and processing all the pictures
and learning
always learning

in the giant hammock

in the giant hammock, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

it holds something like 420 lbs.
or three kids and a dachshund or two
or two adults (the size of my husband and I)
and those two little dogs again
or instead just one of the smallest kids

as an extra

and that just barely

but sometimes it is perfectly full with just one,
and lots of pillows, a splash of sunshine

and of course

filthy feet!

not the only one who can't sit still (iphone/toyphone)

not the only on who can't sit still (iphone/toyphone), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

meetings are tough
even the ones that I find interesting
that I am there for on purpose
that I want to be there for
and there is good food
and it is held in a beautiful garden
despite all that
I get rrrrrrrrrestless!
fortunately there was a child
better behaved then myself
who played with my iphone
and me for a little while

happiness is....

happiness is...., originally uploaded by gawdessness.

my daughter's little dog
is good at dog agility
despite her short dachshund legs
she is wiry in both
body and fur
and will do whatever she can
to make her girl happy
even on a hot, hot day
with plenty of dandelions
to snuff and sneeze at

Proud in the Pride Parade

Proud in the Pride Parade, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

My family marched
with my church
through the busy, downtown streets
of my city
and we were bursting
with PRIDE

a glory (iphone/toyphone jun12)

a glory (iphone/toyphone jun12), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

ong bicycle ride
new bicycle seat
made my...
not quite my bum
or ass, or butt...
but the part just below....
the tops of the backs of my upper thighs
....
so damn sore
but even that did not take away
from the beauty of the evening sky

thinking on my feet (iphone/toyphone jun 11)

thinking on my feet, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

today they hurt
but still felt strong
maybe that is what
being a grownup
is all about
when you feel hurt
and yet stil strong
at the same time

seriously, gloriously dirty

seriously, gloriously dirty, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

and then...
she put those fingers in her
MOUTH!

over my head

over my head, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

sometimes I see things
no one else seems to
and sometimes
I don't see very much at all

the air up there

the air up there, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

seems to be full of surprises!

New

New, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

there is a sense of miracle in the word "new"
and not just in the new babies
that should always be celebrated and marked
with wonder, awe and a sense of honour in being in their presence

there is the new green of spring
the giddy new of many mornings
and even the sad new, marked by life
being so different because someone or something has ended
and the world will never be the same
that can call for a very different celebration
but there is celebration all the same

a time to let go

a time to let go, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

after the rain
the seed hangs by
a nearly invisible thread
dancing in the wind like
the tiniest of kites

Way Too Cold For Snowcones

Way Too Cold For Snowcones, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

baseball featured in my childhood
summer weeks at my grandmother's
a small town in North Ontariou
revolved around fast pitch
one of my uncles was an umpire
(his eyesight was good)
another a pitcher
(not a belly itcher)

and I loved to play
I had my own bat, ball and glove
not a great catcher but I could usually pitch
maybe because I figured I should be able
to
because of my lineage
my uncle, the pitcher, was GOOD
probably better than many
I think there was talk of him
maybe moving in to a different league
but I don't think he wanted to move
anywhere that wasn't where he already was -
anyway-
my bat was good too
and although I couldn't always figure out where the ball was
and I swung a lot without connecting
when I did hit, I HIT it Hard
and far
once I threw that bat
at another kid
but not during a game
he was an obnoxious, grabby 11 year old
hands touching me where they shouldn't
even if he had asked permission first
and my 12 year old outrage
already fanned by my body
betraying me and taking away the shape
i knew and leaving behind shapes I
didn't think I wanted
made that club of wood fly
hard after him
as he took to his heels
to flee my shrieks of anger
-now I am happy that his running start meant I didn't hit him out of the park
but then, I was not so generous,

all of this in my mind last night
as I crouched under a blanket
(and a togue, and a hoody!)
huddled next the rest of my family
June, where I live is not always a temperate affair
and I was astonished to see
that unlike the rest of the hardy souls
in smatterings throughout the park
one brave boy walked past
with a bright red and blue snowcone
probably the only one they sold that night

real life photography

real life photography, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

my kids are hilarious
and helpful to practice with
but I hope I am more successful
with other people's children
I don't think most people
expect this as a the result of a professional shoot!

antenna Animal - iphone toyphone

antenna Animal - iphone toyphone, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

7k walk
first time out since 50k
found Animal grinning in the parking lot
of a downtown park

what the little birds say

what the little birds say, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

he cedar tree
is full of sparrows
raising sparrow families
and sucking back
all the seed that
can be shoveled into
the bird feeder
and then chirping for more

pink riot

pink riot, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

take one pink crabapple tree, in full bloom
mix in the golden light of late day
invert a bowl of sky over top
open eyes wide
and b-r-e-a-t-h-e in deep