Project 52 - Weeks 11 and 12 - Letters and Food

I totally half-assed these two themes. I only found a small number of Letters to work with the theme and then I went back to photographing the tree blossoms while they are around. 

"A"

"Z" or Backwards "S"

"H" 

(If only it wasn't tagging. If you're gonna tag - make it pretty and not just a 'gang' call sign.)

The white blossoms are really striking.  Especially with the beautiful blue skies we got in abundance in March.  I know we need the rain - and the mountains need snow - but I have been really enjoying our unusually warm and dry winter/early spring.  

Even though the white blossoms are gorgeous, I adore the pink ones 10 times more. It's such a soft, happy pastel pink.  The pink trees seem to have blossoms longer than the white ones too, which makes it easier to admire them.  

Originally with the theme Food I envisioned making at least one delicious meal or dessert and trying to properly photograph that.  

Instead I played with my fajita peppers after Grandpa Alan's Mexican restaurant birthday dinner.  And then documented it with my cell phone and Instagram.  

Playing with my food.

A photo posted by Rebecca C (@smiles4u2have) on Mar 22, 2015 at 5:11pm PDT

Still playing.

A photo posted by Rebecca C (@smiles4u2have) on Mar 22, 2015 at 5:14pm PDT

One last one.

A photo posted by Rebecca C (@smiles4u2have) on Mar 22, 2015 at 5:17pm PDT

Next theme:  Red

Click here for posts for Project 52 in 2015 so far.

Project 52 - Week 10 - Look up

This theme worked well with spring and all the trees blooming.  

Looking up from ground level or...

...from standing.

A blooming tree at the barn.  All the trees around here are blooming.  It's officially spring.  

After I finished photographing the blossoms I switched to the barn cats.

Kitty photo bomb.

Muffin

Rascal

Rascal and Buddy.

And then it was time to photograph Carus and Scout.  She's working on a few things in preparation of their first show at the end of this month.  

Looking up at Carus while trying to keep Scout from licking my camera.

It makes him look really tall, huh?

Muffin again.

Week 11's theme is Letters

Project 52 - Week 7 - Negative Space

The theme for week 7 - February 13-19th - was Negative Space.

 I forced the kids to help me with this one a bit and I'm glad I did.  This is my new favorite photo of them.  They were done posing for me and were making faces at me and each other and just generally being their goofy selves while I snapped away.  

I really love Carus's hair.  

Adam's superhero pose.  

 While half the country is still dealing with mounds of snow and wintery winter, spring appears to have come early to us in the other half.  I don't know if we'll have a relapse back into winter like we usually do after the yearly spring tease - but it feels like we won't.  The air has changed from winter to spring so maybe we'll be . . . lucky?  Do you notice a change in the air with the change of the seasons too? Or am I just a weirdo? 

My daffodils and violas are making an appearance.  My Camilla bush is blooming and there are buds on lots of other bushes and trees. I've started working in the garden to get it ready too.  We removed the last of the dead plants, some carrots I forgot to pull, and brought in some soil to level the ground. Robert built me two more garden boxes and we put some yard fabric down which will cover with bark mulch to help with weed control in the aisles this year. I need to get soil for the new beds and fertilizer for the older beds and then I can start planting. Even if I start now and we do have a winter relapse I think the plastic coverings will help keep things growing.  

The fields surrounding town are all green with new growth.  I believe this is a wheat field - but I could be wrong. 

Here is the full picture that previous one was cropped from.  While the cropped and edited version is more true to the negative space rules, I like this one too.  

A field of spring surround by trees of winter. 

All posts for the project so far:  Project 52 in 2015

The next theme is:  Long Exposure

Rainy day(s)

Because it's Oregon, and it's spring, we have been getting a lot of rain lately.


(168/365) 

I was stopped at a stoplight and was in awe of the sky and clouds, which were more beautiful than my phone could capture, when the light turned green.  I put the phone away before I started driving again and uploaded it after I got home, much later.

It's "real" rain, with the rain smell (what causes that smell).  Oregon doesn't get that fresh rain smell often because of how often it rains here, so it's nice when we do.  This week we even had thunder and lightning, also not usual for northwest Oregon.  We also have had a few tornado watches (we're currently in one now), with a couple touching down; though nowhere near as bad as those in tornado alley get them.

I don't mind these late spring rains.  They have an end to them and are followed by sunshine and some GORGEOUS clouds and skies.

We've had nearly 4 inches of rain (per my probably rather inaccurate rain gauge) in as many days, and many more days of rain storms to follow until we reach the "drought" of summer.  I wish I could share the rain with other parts of the country and world.  It would be nice if it worked that way everywhere - sharing the sun and rain as needed.


(169/365)
During the thunder and lightning storms there were many downpours.  It rained, hard; and passed quickly.

I had such fun taking pictures of the rain splashing that I got enough photos for a little gif. (Remember my tree cutting down gif?)

Sunday to Sunday

I'm feeling a bit blah and uninspired about my 365.  Or my photography in general.


(92/365)

And more than a little bit burnt out. On the 365 and the blog.


(93/365 - A girl and her dog)

I feel like I'm boring and have nothing good to say.


(94/365 The elusive Wilbur)

I don't think it is helping that these photos the past week are really not my best work.   I do the 365 to improve as a photographer, which I did not do.  Although the focus in that picture of Yoda above is pretty good as well as in Carus's swinging photo, and the flower below looks pretty (not amazing, just pretty). It's not enough...


(95/365 This ended up being the only photo I got Friday, so hey - self portrait day. Instagram image)

Nothing exciting is going on either. It's all work and school and chores and rain. How much more can I talk about/complain about any of those?

work and school - same ol' same ol'
weather - Oregon spring (rain with sprinkling of sun - but it's warmer).
chores - I need a maid and chef or a clone, but she would want a maid and chef too so back to that option.


(96/365 Swinging. Chasing wind.)

With the weather "improving" there are more trips to the dog park, and things are blooming, but otherwise, nothing is changing.


(97/365 Bleeding hearts)

Another week has come and gone,
and things to share I have none.
The year, it speeds by,
the year, it does fly.

7 Days is Back!

Day 1, 81/365
Wine with dinner.  My second glass, actually.  We were still in Washington visiting, and having a grand time. The boys had spent the day on the shooting range and the girls shopping Hobby Lobby (I need one of those stores near me....or maybe not). It was also day 1 of 7 days, spring. I nearly forgot, but thankfully a browse through Instagram reminded me.



Carus's day 1.
Sophie was mid yawn.


Day 2, 82/365
Road tripping home.  The drive home was much quicker, and went better.  We had Leia stay in the back and though she occasionally tried to climb over onto the kids, she did much better.  I'm going to start working on her riding-in-the-car manners.  Her car rides are usually to the dog park, 2 minutes away, so it's very exciting and very quick.  Yoda got to chill on top of the pillows and folded blankets.



Carus's day 2.
Can you find her?

Last week and road tripping

Wow, I'm nearly a full week behind in uploading.  Hadn't planned on that.

But really, does anyone plan to get behind in things?

Anyhoo - I left off at last Tuesday, with an evening full of band concert attending for this goofball. Just a quick "look what we can do" concert.
77/365

 I think most of these concerts are to encourage parent support up through high school.  High school is where they get really good and I think it's where the band teacher, who teaches 5th grade through 12th grade on very limited funding and purchases sheet music out of his own pocket and drives to 3 different schools everyday (middle school and high school classes during school hours and then upper elementary band after school hours), gets to enjoy all his effort.  He really loves to listen to them play, and to teach; and that shows.

78/365
Knitting to unwind after a lllooooonnngg day.  Changing colors, which I learnt thanks to Youtube.


79/365
Playing with Leia after work before I had to start packing for our spring break road trip we took this weekend.


80/365
We went over to eastern Washington to visit some family friends for the weekend, and had a lovely visit.  The drive out took longer then it should have, and then we expected, because Leia is a turd and wanted to climb into my lap (no room for her with Yoda on my lap) and/or Robert's lap (which doesn't work well with him driving). But we made it, and a good weekend ensued. They have a 4 month old shihtzu puppy, Sophie, which Carus attached herself to and carried around all weekend.  Thanks for having us Dave and Eula!

Gardening!

I read on a blog One Hundred A Month about how well it works to plant potatoes and peas on St. Patrick's day.  So I did some planting myself.  We decided against peas this year in favor for more room for what we are planting.


Potato tower attempt #2 - the cover as they grow method. (Attempt #1)  I put the seed potatoes down and covered with soil.  When they've grown a few inches above the soil level, I'll cover them again.  I had extra seed potatoes so I started some in the garden, the "usual" way.

Also around the yard and garden this spring.


My lilac bush.



Garlic.  The bigger ones are from last spring, they didn't get that big.  The smaller are from when I planted (at the correct time) last fall.


I planted a row of carrots and a row of radishes.


75/365 - Front garden bed with pretty flowers.  The dahlias are coming up too.


More front garden flowers.


And a little bit more front garden flowers.


Daffodils.


76/365 - And while I was working in the garden yesterday, I finally trimmed my lavender bush - which I should have done in the fall.  I took some of the trimmings, dipped them in rooting hormone and I'm hoping I'll get 4 more lavender plants out of it.