Boys Toys

Anyone who has a brother, son, father or husband...(so really every female on the face of the earth) will all know one indisputable truth. ....that once a boy, ALWAYS a boy.



On a recent Australian vacation my brother was showing us his pride and joy. My son, Jack was beside himself that he was actually allowed to get in it and go for a ride. A ride I might add that most probably defied all speed limits...but I will never know for sure as it is only a 2 seater car so there wasn't enough room in it for me to ride along with them! My subsequent ride in it was at a lot more of a sedate speed I'm sure, although I still managed to come back with my hair looking like it had been blow dried by a hurricane.



As my son got out of the car he assured me that one day he too will own a car just like this one. Once a boy...ALWAYS a boy!

No reason

Ok...so normally my pictures are somehow related to the subject I'm blogging about...but I'm going to be upfront with you....today's picture is really just me trying to hold on to summer in the midst of another chilly PNW day. I am missing being close to the ocean. Missing the sound of the waves and the soft sand between my toes. Being near the beach is great any time of the year..winter or summer...and being so far away from it would have to be one of the top 5 things that I miss about living in Sydney.

Having said that though, there is a bright spot in my otherwise chilly January weekend! Not too long ago I stumbled upon Jennifer's blog. It was witty and fun and has a lot of thought provoking themes and some great photos. Well she has given me the "Blogging Friends Award". I am blushing. How thoughtful. And the wonderful thing about this award is that you don't have to do anything except pass it on. Jennifer has eloquently listed the rules for the award here so I won't repeat them...but all I have to do is pass them onto 8 other bloggers who I count among my friends.
There are some new friends that I have met on this blogging adventure and some old ones from my pre blog days. So here goes....
With all the fanfare and drum rolls I can muster I officially pass this award along to....

1 - Michelle from Michelle Sidles Photography
2 - Sebrina from SunMamma
3 - Melissa from 365
4 - Liss from A Memory Forever
5 - Cheryl from Al Ain Notebook
6 - Victoria from 13Mimosa
7 - Toni from the Daily Vignette
8 - Shalet from Peculiar Momma

All of these women are talented, creative and fun and their blogs are always filled with cool ideas, great photographs and interesting stories. So if you get a free moment be sure to visit them for a bit of inspiration.

Not just another pretty face.

You might remember a while back I challenged myself to become a better portrait photographer. Well over the holidays I was lucky enough to have all these willing subjects who were fun, easy going and completely gorgeous. These lovely young ladies are my nieces and they were wonderful guinea pigs for my portrait practice...and did I mention gorgeous (inside and out)!










So I have to tell you the nickname for the little blonde pictured above is "Foxy"...doesn't she just look like a Fox?
Now I realize that by now you must be saying..."So, where are the boys?" Well apart from my children there is only one other boy and I have to say...what a real ham!

The Lighthouse

The most easterly point of Australia is Cape Byron which hovers above those beautiful beaches I shared with you in my last post. It has this wonderfully restored lighthouse that is perched on the very top of rugged, craggy cliffs



It is the most wonderful view from way up there. You can peer out into the vast pacific ocean and watch the freighters plow through the seas as they make their way up and down the coast.



The colors were just breathtaking. And once again I haven't touched these pictures up at all. SOC. The view was mesmerizing. I felt like I could just keep staring . We were peering down watching the waves crashing against the rocks and you could see fish and stingrays swimming below. So if you are a bit of a beach buff add Byron Bay to your list of places to visit. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Seeing Color

The colors of nature can be mind blowing at times...better than anything we can imagine or create. Sometimes when I take a photograph I am a little disappointed that the colors in the picture don't appear as vibrant ..( thank goodness for photoshop).



And then there are other times when the real life colors are so wonderful that you don't need to process the pictures at all. Here are some of those photos. These are all SOC...no touch ups, tweeks or fiddling whatsoever.



They were taken at one of my most favorite places. Its a little resort town on the border of New South Wales and Queensland on the Australian east coast called Byron Bay. Its an eclectic community filled with artists, hippies and beautiful people...and the beaches are just unbelieveably beautiful.




The water is so clear...that turquiose blue that you expect to see in the Caribbean. The sand is a fine, pure, white dust and the weather is warm...all the time. Ahhhh....my idea of heaven.

The Adventures of Paloma

A number of people have emailed me asking about Paloma and how she enjoyed her vacation?
I had hoped to periodically blog about Paloma's adventures while I was away but due to lack of reliable internet connection I have had to save the telling until I got home.
Paloma (which means dove or pigeon in Spanish) was quite the diva to travel with.
She and I were at odds right from the get go .
It all started with her unhappiness about the accomodation I provided for her inside my camera bag. She demanded to fly first class and was disgruntled at being relegated to "cattle class" with the rest of us.
She managed to be an exceedingly ungrateful guest while we were away and she developed a nasty habit of expressing her displeasure by pooping all over people's furniture.
It turns out she is quite the partier and has an obvious problem with binge drinking as some of the photos attest..(we are planning an intervention later this month).
She managed to ruffle more than a few feathers too. She had a run in with my sister in law who threatened that Paloma could end up replacing the turkey for Christmas dinner.
So now we are back home she has been returned to the perch on her birdhouse to contemplate her behaviour or risk being left behind on our next vacation.
Sheeeesh....birds!

Its over....(sniff!)

Hmmm..I think she is thinking what I'm thinking.....

its over...I'm back home....

have been back for nearly 3 days....

going through the post vacation blues.

My lovely friend Michelle asked me when she can expect some sunny vacation pictures to appear on my blog! Well ..I have to say I am still in denial that my vacation is over.

I look back over the last 3 weeks and we really had such a fantastic time.

We caught up with our crazy family and friends




We ate all the food that we have not been able to get here in the States

My youngest son learned to swim

He lost his first tooth on Christmas day

My older son learned to surf.

I got tan....I even wore a bikini!

My daughter got to spend precious time with the cousins she calls her sisters

Even Paloma had an many exciting adventures that will be the subject of a future post.

...and I took over 1500 photos..(yikes...am seriously putting off going through them because it seems a little overwhelming at this point.) You will see them featured on the blog over the next few weeks.





It's sad that it has come to an end. We traveled over 19,000 miles and took 8 different flights...and here we are...back where we started.

....and this is what we have come back to. Record snowfalls for December..from one extreme to the other!





Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Friends

Have you ever had friends that you can say you have known for a lifetime???
Throughout my life people have come and gone. That seems to be a natural part of things. I've met new people , lost track of others. The departure of some people have left me grief stricken....some others I have been quite glad to see the back of. And yet with all the ups and downs, the changes in life there are some people that I cannot imagine life without.
Last night we met up with these friends...people we really have known for a lifetime. They have been part of my life since elementary school days or before. And they never seem to change....Isn't it wonderful in an ever changing world...that some things remain the same!

Meet Paloma

I'd like you to meet Paloma.
She will be joining us on vacation this Christmas.
She is a little like a phoenix...emerging from a pile of fabric scraps I have been using to make toys for the Toy Society Christmas Drop.
She is just so sweet ...... we just couldn't leave her behind so she was packed into our suitcases for the long journey to Australia.
Over the next few weeks you will see pictures of Paloma in all sorts of different places...leaving her mark on Australia...(hopefully in a good way!)

Going...going......

We are headed out today for our long anticipated trip back to Australia. The children are full of excitement and nervous energy..(they have obviously forgotten what 15 hours on an airplane feels like!)
Packing is inevitably the worst part for me. I always overpack ...trying to prepare for every contingency. And as a result our bags weigh a ton. This time is no better....because not only do we have to pack all our clothes I have a bag full of Christmas presents too!
My ever patient husband packs his bag in about 30 seconds throwing in a few t-shirts, shorts and some underwear - DONE! I on the other hand hav spent days assembling all the childrens clothing, checking and rechecking to make sure we have everything. In the end there is always something I have forgotten....but as long its not my husband or the children it should be OK.