TGIFall Friday!

Happy Fall Friday everyone!  Just thought I'd pop in here and say HI and hope everyone has a great weekend.  We are having sunny, blue skies and temps in the low 70's today and all weekend...I'm taking advantage of every moment too.  Walks with the dogs & hubs, taking photographs in the woods and our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch and wine tasting tour.  I'm not a winter girl so I take every advantage of the nicer weather before the cold hits us...then I hibernate like a bear lol!

Thought I'd share a few pics I took the other day from my walks in the woods after it had rained.  Still working on learning my camera and all its functions and getting the right lighting and mood framed in my photos.  One thing about photography is how much it relaxes me...almost like meditating...perfect for those days when I'm feeling a little burnt out.

The colors of these leaves are so vibrant...they just made me so happy!

I loved that all these leaves were in 3 different color stages...the green of summer, the yellow of fall and finally some in the end stages of brown before they fall down to the ground.

One of the last blooms & buds on my rose bushes....loved catching it with the raindrops poised on each petal

One of my favorite photographs I've ever taken...this old tree trunk has Father Claus waiting for folks to find.  So cool right?

Both photos taken with my camera from the same exact spot....love how the change of colors/tones goes from a gorgeous & bright Fall image to a bit more mysterious and secluded view.  The woods behind my house are gorgeously littered with fallen trees and huge rocks covered in moss...how can you not love it?

Yes, this is the photo I made the other wordy version out of :)

Found a few berry bushes still clinging to the warmth....

And I had to snap one of my Baylee....yes she's looking shaggy but always so cute!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Happy Easter!!!

HAPPY EASTER & SPRING FRIENDS!

Two of my favorite pictures from our beach trip to Hilton Head Island, SC.

The first one is just so...US...embracing life and all that it brings to the table no matter what.

Through the rain and storms there is always sun and a rainbow...you just have to keep the faith that you will find both.

And both Alexa & Riley aren't so much in that snotty-teen mode anymore (phew) so I got

pictures of them interacting and SMILING...who knew hahahaha!

I can't believe this Friday will be my daughter's 18th birthday...I still think sometimes she should be in pigtails and going off to pre-school NOT college this fall. The time flies by that's for sure! 

We spent our last night on the island having our "Easter" dinner on Friday instead of Sunday.

Alexander's in Palmetto Dunes is my favorite restaurant, food is always excellent & just a great atmosphere.  I wanted to wear my Easter dress but it was pouring rain & I was too chilled.

I swapped out for my navy silk shirt and navy Michael Kors shoes instead...obviously the chilly air didn't deter my teens though :)

And last picture for today is one of my son and husband.  My son is 16 and is so big that sometimes I shake my head to make sure I'm not dreaming...I still see him as that sweet-smiling 5 year old hugging onto my leg.  Now he's bigger than his dad...ay yi yi!  He's resembles my brother so much both in looks and mannerisms but every now and then I see my husband in him.  

Love them all so much!

I hope your Easter is filled with blessings, love, laughter & time spent with family and friends!

Hitchhikers.......

We are still enjoying our Spring Break vacation on Hilton Head Island.
Always enjoy the slower pace of no schedules and fun family time.  The weather has been pretty nice and such a great change from gray skies and snow LOL!  Although when we head back home it will be in the low 70's and sunny so that's good news too!  Easter Sunday we will be at Nationals Park watching a ball game so we are celebrating Easter dinner tomorrow night...hey it works for us :)

Sharing some photos from our trip to the Pinckney Wildlife Refuge just off the island.  Great place to visit and take a hike...so peaceful and pretty.  Pretty picture intensive but it will relax you while you have a looksey I promise ;)

Alexa showing off her "limited" tree climbing skills...hahaha!

Love the graphic loveliness of all the green foliage popping out of the ground!

Signs of Spring & warm weather everywhere!

Love this lil' island in the middle of Ibis Pond...so peaceful out here.

Would love a house plopped right next to this :)

The last summer we were here we kayaked out in the inlets and watched baby dolphins play with their moms and enjoyed the peacefulness of nature.  We had a great tour guide & really enjoyed it!

I have a weird obsession with plough mud...I love the smell...it means I'm in SC and relaxed and happy!  As soon as I smell it my whole soul feels at home.  See all those little dotty-things on the mud...those are little crabs...yup all over.  The birds love 'em :)

I jokingly called this pic "the old man & the sea" ahahahah...not sure the hubs thought I was funny but I do love the picture a lot!!

Love the gracefulness of Spanish Moss too...so southern.  Yup I know its full of buggies but its still so pretty especially swaying in the breeze.

I jokingly told the kids we were in a Jurassic Park movie set....so wild & untamed in here...untouched nature!

See the little alligator in there...yup we saw lots but thankfully they all liked the water better than land today!

I left my long lens in the truck (and couldn't convince anyone to run back & get it lol)...so this was as close to the birdies as I could get.  They were gobbling up crabs and fish as fast as they could before the tide rolled in.

Great day for the Dean Family!
Enjoy Your Weekend!

Makes You Think & Dream.....

One of my fave photographs I took last year

I hope to get back to my photography lessons when I'm feeling better. I miss taking photographs and loading them up on the Mac to see what I've been able to capture.  I just don't have the energy to do much with it right now.  I'm hoping to gift myself with the Canon 135 mm lens for my birthday if I'm better...its been on the "wish" list for awhile but its a steep investment. I have yet to hear a bad review on it so I know it would be put to good use, but hard to justify the cost when I have a daughter graduating, needing a car and headed to college soon.  So we shall see.

Anyway if you like to look at stunning photographs you have to check out
  Elena Shumilova's Flickr album.
She lives in Russia and is a mom who simply loves to photograph her children and nature. There aren't even words to describe her photographs.  They certainly invoke different feelings, a kind of longing that I cannot explain myself.  But I have looked at them a bajillion times just because they are simply......beautiful.

So I'm sharing a couple photographs of her's, but please check out her Flickr Album as well and prepare to be amazed, stunned and left a bit breathless.