Trip to the zoo...

This weekend, my husband, son, and I went to the Louisville Zoo.  We visit there often, since we are members and my son adores the Glacier Run Exhibit with the bears and the seals.  I grew up living very close to the Detroit Zoo, so I enjoy going to see the animals, taking pictures, and getting some exercise.  I brought my camera this trip (sometimes I don't because there's so much other stuff to bring when you've got a kiddo, but I always regret it once I get to the zoo...this trip was worth it!).  Here are a few of the photographs I took, which have been edited and some have been enhanced with Picnik. 

What are your favorite animals or exhibits at the zoo? 

P.S.  Sorry for my prolonged absence from blogging.  I've been having some health issues.  I'm hoping and praying that I'm on the mend.  The meds seem to be helping, so time will tell.  Thanks for checking in!

My beautiful kitten...

I know she doesn't look much like a kitten any more, but to me she will always be my "kitten."  I got Maria when she was 6 weeks old from a litter living in a horse barn.  Even though she is now almost 8 years old, she still can act like a kitten....she was chasing her tail just yesterday :)  Maria has been with me since college and has moved with me from Michigan to Maryland to Michigan again and, finally, to Kentuckiana.  She's a great traveling companion.  But, now, she spends most of her day sleeping, sitting on my lap and purring, eating (she loves to eat!), running away from my son, and posing for pictures :)

Eyes...

 "To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful, because his eyes, fearlessly accepting all exterior truth, read there, as in an open book, all the inner truth." ~Auguste Rodin 

  "When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes." ~Victor Hugo 

"When you are old and gray and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire, take down this book and slowly read, and dream of the soft look your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep." 
~William Butler Yeats 

 "Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson  

 

 "The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. " ~Audrey Hepburn

 "Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts." ~Albert Einstein 

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?" ~Henry David Thoreau 

These photographs are my attempts at a self-portrait.  I had a self-written poem to coincide with the photographs, but I cannot locate it...quite frustrating!  Hope to find it soon to share with you all.  All quotes included in this post are from Brainy Quote. 
 

Toronto Architecture

Almost 4 years ago, I went with two of my best friends (who were also my bridesmaids at my wedding) to Toronto, Canada for a long weekend.  It was a GREAT weekend filled with new discoveries, tons of laughter, friend bonding, and, of course, picture taking!  Funny thing is I lost my copy of or accidentally deleted all the pictures I took.  Thankfully, my dear friend kept her copy of them and I got them from her last weekend. 

Here are some of my architecture photographs from our trip.  I applied a border through Picnik to some of the images to give an example of how they would look with a border.  Enjoy!

 (This is the Detroit downtown skyline.  We crossed the border through the Windsor Tunnel.)

Homegrown Tomatoes

I have very fond memories of my grandparents' and parents' vegetable gardens.  Tomatoes were a staple in each garden.  I LOVE the smell of tomato plants and fresh picked tomatoes.

This year, we decided to plant a few different kinds of tomatoes in our garden and in pots on our back deck.  We have one tomato plant that is over 7 feet tall!  We are finally enjoying the first round of tomatoes from our garden.  I had to photograph these beautiful tomatoes in their various ripening stages.  Enjoy!

Some of these photographs can be found in my Etsy shop.  Head on over to see if you're favorite is there (if it's not, please let me know and I'll get it up there)!