9 May 2010: Happy Mother's Day / Snow Day

It's Mother's Day, that special day that we celebrate our moms or mom-like people. Did I mention this day was in May. Yeah, well this year Mother Nature was laughing at us in Central NY. Laughing so hard, she was crying but since it was so cold her tears become snow! There was one point this morning that it was almost a white out. Not funny Mom!

I made homemade sauce and meatballs for my mother in law because she wanted spaghetti and meatballs for her special Mother's Day meal. I took this picture as I started the sauce yesterday morning as it made me think of my mom and her Saturday morning tradition of making sauce and meatballs. Everything from the cans to the wooden spoon to the vat of tomato goodness slowly cooking on the stove all day long. YUM! And a picture of my mom, her mom and some of her siblings - it is one of my favorites!

7 April 2010: Purple Passion

Everything is starting to bloom or bud. I love this time of year as life starts to flow back into nature after a long dormant winter in Central NY. The lilacs above are going to be gorgeous and fragrant in just a few short weeks!

23 March 2010: Happy Surprises

I love how you can see the rain lines in the background of this picture...it was a total accident. Photo surprises are awesome except when you try to recreate them and can't!

25 May 2009 Photo: The Schmetterling Effect

I found the following info at http://www.thebutterflysite.com/index.html

"In French, the word “butterfly” translates into the wonderfully melodic, rolling “papillon.” Have you ever seen the breed of dog known as the Papillon? If you see this dog from the back, you will no doubt notice that its long, full ears and the markings on them resemble a butterfly with its wings spread.

In the Filipino language, “paruparo” means butterfly.

People in Portugal call butterflies “borboleta,” while in Spain, Mexico, and other Spanish speaking countries, the winged darlings are known as “mariposa.”

If you spot a butterfly while you are in Germany, you call it a “schmetterling,” which is charmingly lyrical. It sounds like the kind of creature that belongs in a book by Dr. Seuss!

The Italian translation is quite beautiful as well: when in Rome, do as the Romans, and call the butterfly a “farfalla.”

Those who speak Romanian know the butterfly as the “fluture,” which sounds exactly like it looks – like you are saying “future,” but with an L in it.

If you find yourself in Lithuania, make sure to point out the beautiful “drugelis.”

If you are speaking Danish, then you are seeing a “sommerfug” whenever you see a butterfly."

Schmetterling...I like the way that word sounds. Next time I see a beautiful winged creature I am going to yell "schmetterling" instead!

7 May 2009 Photo(s): Blame It On The Rain

On my way back from the gym today, I heard Milli Vanilli's Blame It On The Rain and when I drove into my driveway, the rain had stopped and I noticed the flowers were bathed in my favorite little droplets of water. I feel like a flower photographer these days but I can't help it because the spring has produced such beatiful specimens and unlike Milli Vanilli, they are not faking it. If you are sick of my flower photographs...you can blame it on the rain! And if you want to torture yourself, you can watch MV here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwrL9MV6jSk

3 May 2009 Photo: Nights In White Lilacs

I decided it was time for a night photograph. When I walked outside to see what was to be seen through the camera lens, I got a slight wift of the lilacs. Taken with a flash, I captured the brightness of the little white flowers against the darkness of the night.