best shot Monday - obsession

My current obsession is this horse.  He's by the side of Bennett Valley Road on the way to Santa Rosa California. And I think he's just beautiful.  Mum and Scott aren't as convinced.  But we've now stopped twice to photograph him.  And I believe we're going to stop one last time in the next couple days.  :)

my best shot Monday

I am forever trying to take photos of fish, and never really getting any due to the reflection of the water.  I think this one worked out pretty well.  It was in the Japanese Garden in Spokane and there was no sun overhead, so there was no big glare either.  It's still a little distorted due to the angle of the water and refraction and all that science stuff, but a huge koi shot nonetheless.

away

I'm away on yet another holiday.  Mum and I drove down to Glen Ellen California from Calgary Alberta.  It was a long drive (took 3.5 days) and we've not really stopped driving since.  There have been too many things to see and check out!  And then, of course, there was the "let's drive up Highway 1" issue that lead to "let's head back from here" problem, that meant 3 extra hours on the road. hmmmm... Perhaps that wasn't the best way to spend a day.

Regardless, away on holidays and yet still working, so is it really a holiday, or just work in another location?  It would be great if my 'work' could be always just wandering around checking out new things and reporting back (not exactly like Star Trek, but then again, I've always liked the beaming aspect of their travel).

It's been an interesting year so far - trip to Vancouver Island in April, appendix out in May, then another surgery for a myomaectomy days before our driving trip in July.  And when I get back my sister will be popping up for a visit... and then it's fall.  Very busy.  I really feel as if time is slipping by and I'm not using it wisely.  Best laid plans of mice and men and all that. 

But I am taking some great photos along the way!  Well, at least I think so.

best shot Tuesday??

Okay so I was travelling yesterday!  That is my excuse for not publishing a photo on Monday.

What have I seen through my lens this week?  Well, a lot.  Mainly ... rose gardens.  And my Mum.  We're travelling down to Glen Ellen from Calgary.  That is quite a trek!  Along the way, we stopped at some gardens (well, not in Redding - it was too hot to get out of the car!)

I love the lens flare on this - an automatic vignette!

best shot monday

impossibly delightful??  This is a tough assignment.  Well, for me it is.  I'm not much in the mood for delightful.  I keep having health issue after health issue with no resolution to any of it.  "Uncertain medical significance" has been the term-of-choice from my GP.  Currently awaiting a myomectomy at 6:15am Tuesday morning.  I know some have it worse and handle it better, so I should suck it up or something.  But I'm not that resiliant.  So, let's see....  impossibly delightful....

Let's go with my niece last summer with the bubble maker toy.  I wish I had had a bigger telephoto to catch her pretty little face better, but she's in full jump/run mode, complete with her hair still falling down from her latest jump.  I find her impossibly delightful.

summer away

I am not going to be here for part of the summer.  And I wasn't able to plant anything for the spring, and I wasn't able to weed much either.  Suffice it to say - my garden is a little weak this year.  I've managed to get AC to come by and weed a couple times, and I've broken down and purchased some annuals instead of growing from seed.  And then I have to leave it to (gasp!) other people to take care of for 3 weeks, and hope I don't come back to a jungle.  sigh   My dream is to come back to a fence painted and a weedless flowery garden.  Ha!  Good one.

best shot monday

That's Mum & Ginger (@ 5 months) after Ginger got schooled (read: bit) by Sophie for being too annoying.  Ginger even had her paw wrapped around Mum's leg.  Very sweet.  And so was Mum & Dad for coming down that weekend and helping get the studio practially done!  With my appendix coming out, I wasn't exactly able to help much but they are workhorses and got it done, pretty much without me, but with Scott's help.  Now all I have to do is load all my stuff back in.  I'd like some garden gnomes in the middle of the night to come and do that for me too!

best shot monday

I spent the weekend up in Red Deer with Mum & Dad.  For some reason their lilacs have not yet fully bloomed whereas mine are already done.  Are our weather systems that different?  It's back to the grind today, with the studio in a bit of a mess, a project half painted, and a canvas of the proper depth yet to be found.  Cell phone is ringing, laundry is washing, and the grocery list is growing.  There are so many things to do on Monday when I take off for the weekend!  I guess I had better get to it!

best shot monday

I haven't participated in a while.  I guess I've not had any good shots lately.  But here is a bunny who sits outside my husband's window at work sometimes.  I had the opportunity to sit on the floor inside and take photos of him outside.  He could see me but didn't budge because he couldn't smell me.  It was a great opportunity to take a bunch of photos and get really really close.

spammers

I'm not sure.  Should I find it hilarious or sad - the most comments I get on my collective blogs are from spammers?  "Thank you for publishing this it was used as a source for a paper I am currently writing for my finals."  "I've been around for a while and just wanted to let you know what a great blog you have." "Just wanted to say what a great blog you have here."   All with a person's name and then a link to some site selling Gucci or something else.

I guess I'll opt to find it hilarious.  I'm not sure how or why spammers got a foothold and have been able to maintain and prosper.  Maybe because most of the spam I see is fear-based and nothing gets people to act faster than fear.  Or maybe because they send out feelers for the naive and then hook them in (I guess this is why it's called 'phishing'.  I, for one, don't give them the time of day.  Delete Delete Delete.  I can spot them a mile away and avoid them. 

I also don't forward emails with other people's addresses still attached - this is a great way for a spammer to get all sorts of email addresses to send to.  I'd like to tell my nephew to forward properly, but I'm not so sure his dad would be so receptive to my fussing.  As well, I have an email address that is disposable so I can delete it and start fresh if the spammers get ahold of it and it starts to be an issue.  Poof! it can disappear and a new one in its place, with my secure email address in the background quietly receiving forwards.

But one is always going to come across the aggressive sales person and their minions.  A polite hand up and "I'm sorry, I'm not here to talk to you." type attitude can dissuade a few.  And, unfortunately, a less polite action can stave off the others.  Where did respect and common courtesy ever go?

Ah well, enough of my spammers rant.  I'm supposed to find it hilarious, right?  Well here's something I truly do find hilarious - my dog.  She's camera shy and doesn't like to look at me when I have the camera in her face.  Ah, where did respect and common courtesy ever go in dealing with taking photos of my pet?  (insert evil laughter here)