Revisiting Taos Trip Photos …

Scroll down for Yard Art, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shots,
Finding Beauty, Weekend Reflections, Today’s Flowers
Mellow Yellow and Macro Monday

Nifty colorful
bench behind art studio
in New Mexico

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Pink Saturday

Whimsical metal
sculptures scattered in back of
Pat Woodall’s, Taos

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participating in Yard Art and Shadow Shot Sunday

more lovely vistas
from Henningsen Gardens in
Taos, New Mexico

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participating in Weekend Reflections, Finding Beauty,
Today’s Flowers, Scenic Sunday,
Mellow Yellow, and Macro Monday

Thought for Today

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

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Weekend Miscellany after my trip and my July Gratitude List transferred from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Weekend Reflections,
Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday
and more …

It was lovely to find roses of many colors
blooming in my yard when I returned from Taos …
Today I’m sharing the PINK ones because it’s Saturday!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
and Mosaic Monday

Reflective Scenic Shadow Shot Photo taken at
Henningsen Gardens in Taos, New Mexico

(straight out of the camera above, watercolor filter below)

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Weekend Reflections, Scenic Sunday,
and Shadow Shot Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. Serena Williams won her semi-final match against Kvitova and will play for her 4th Wimbledon and 13th Grand Slam title on Saturday.

2. both men’s semi-final matches at Wimbledon were competitive and fun to watch … especially the one with Nadal and Murray.

3. Serena Williams has played beautifully throughout the entire tournament (setting a new record for ‘aces’ served, dropping only 3 games in 7 matches) … winning the Ladies Championship match at Wimbledon … surpassing the Grand Slam totals of Billie Jean King.

4. the Rafa Nadal-Tomas Berdych final match at Wimbledon was competitive for the three sets it took for Rafa to win the Championship for the 2nd time, though I confess I was hoping for a 4 or 5 setter.

5. this year’s 4th of July weekend was less chaotic & disruptive than the norm here at the beach in So Cal … (probably because the weather was cooler driving loud party-goers indoors earlier than usual) and the fireworks (provided by Disneyland this year) were quite spectacular!

6. the sun came out … FINALLY this afternoon around 4:30.

7. for Lee who keeps my hair ‘care-free’ … although this time he cut it quite a bit shorter than ever before & I’m not quite sure I like how it looks at the moment.

8. to be writing regularly again in my journal, even though I’m not blogging much these days.

9. my season tickets for the Laguna Playhouse arrived in the mail this afternoon … finally.

10. an email coupon from Mimi’s Cafe for $5 off my delicious Blackened Salmon lunch today … and another to use at dinnertime in the next couple of months.

11. for a long (2 hour) catch up call from my sister (currently just outside of Glacier National Park) last night.

12. that today is Retired Ladies Lunch because it’s always fun

to reconnect with friends 😉

13. for late afternoon sunshine after another overcast day.

14. the folks at Allen Tires take such good care of my Explorer … checking & rotating the tires at no cost … letting me know when work needs to be done.

15. for trustworthy mechanics at Gustafson Brothers who keep my car running safely and well.

16. for last night’s fascinating skies and this morning’s beautiful double rainbow 😉

17. for beautiful sunny mornings and warm weather at the beach … finally!

18. life with Molly — especially the joy-filled way she delights in simple things each moment … reminding ME to do likewise.

19. for good friends who help me remain calm in the face of challenges, reminding me to breathe & relax.

20. I got everything packed for my trip to the 2010 Writer’s Retreat in Taos, New Mexico … though it took longer than anticipated and I was watering the yard until rather late this evening.

21. I made it safely from Southern California to Flagstaff, AZ and found a room for $69/night … more reasonable than the $130/night I paid in 2007.

22. for a good night’s sleep in Flagstaff (from 9pm until 6am) with no train whistles disturbing my rest every 15-20 minutes all night long (as happened at the more expensive lodgings in 2007) … and a safe drive from Flagstaff to Santa Fe, New Mexico today where I’ve secured lodging at the lovely old El Rey Inn for two nights so I can do some sight-seeing with my Nikon D60 in hand this evening & tomorrow … (snapping photos to share when time permits) … before driving up to Taos on Saturday morning 😉

23. to be in Taos at the Mabel Dodge House connecting with other writer-participants and beginning our journey together this evening.

24. for the delicious Southwestern meals prepared & presented with love, art, and attention to detail in addition to the Dance of Shiva shaking up & altering the patterns in my brain … opening me up to new possibilities.

25. for cool gentle rain showers moving through the area and LOUD cracks of thunder now and again.

26. to be writing in this awesome place … surrounded by energy & support.

27. for fellowship with my house-mates … sharing & responding to our writing … asking & answering questions leading to new insights & directions for my writing.

28. I talked with Jen today … (following up on conversations with Luna & Jill last night) … leaving with a ‘theme’ for my project … running into Luna at the gardens & taking in her suggestion for a book title … wandering with my camera taking photos … eventually settling down near Kara to write before eventually heading back to MDL for lunch … then on to Jen’s afternoon session on ‘structure’ … just what I needed.

29. I’m HERE now … on retreat … learning, writing, connecting with others, listening and sharing … growing, accepting, grounding, receiving, sensing, giving, protecting, opening with the Dance of Shiva … practicing a bit of gentle Yoga … savoring delicious Santa Fe meals … wandering the MDL grounds & Henningsen Gardens, snapping photographs … taking everything in with gratitude … exhaling to breath in when I find myself holding my breath too long.

30. for the authentic emotional validation received in K’s response as she listened to me share a bit of writing from this morning … suggesting the path ahead may be precisely correct in this moment. What a delightful & surprising gift as I prepare to head toward home …

31. to stay in Santa Fe at the El Rey Inn again last night where I slept long & soundly … enjoying delicious warm home-made flour tortillas with breakfast this morning … meeting & chatting with ‘Midge’ (an early-riser like myself who was traveling with ‘late-rising’ friends) … before walking Canyon Road to see & photographic public art … finding & purchasing lovely ‘basket photos’ as gifts … then shopping at Keshi for ‘fetishes’ to give friends back home … and finally driving to Placitas to stay with K & her husband overnight … getting a guided tour of their lovely home … wandering later alone to take pictures … walking K’s labyrinth with her & having R take photos of us, then taking pictures of them together … sharing a delicious meal on the patio and tasty ice cream later in the living room over pleasant conversation as we watched & listened to the storm before turning in for the night! I feel blessed and oh so grateful 😉

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Beach Sunsets Reflected in Windows

Returning from a
sunset ‘photo shoot’ my eyes
spotted reflections

in the windows of
these houses facing the beach
… sunset with palm trees.

The older I get
I find traditions changing
each and ev’ry year

but it seems we will
gather as a family
once again this year 😉

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Haiku Friday, Sky Watch,
Pink Saturday, Weekend Reflections and Window Views

Experimenting
in Photoshop Elements
I came up with two

versions that I found
pleasing to my own eyes and
decided to share

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Mosaic Monday and Blue Monday

Multi-tasking at
busy times of year is the
best that I can do

Wishing everyone
joyful celebrations with
family and friends

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and for others participating in Color Carnival and Window Views

Thought for Today

“Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.”
Bill Watterson

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Scenic Yellows from Alaska

Today’s Flowers are in the next post

Scenic photos from

my sister in Alaska

RV traveling

Collaboration..

I create the mosaics

then share on my blogs.

Mellow Yellow signs

on the Alaskan Highway

‘not exact, but close’

Originals – Straight out of the Camera

Until embiggened

dif’rences seem minimal …

Click and you will see!

Paint Daubs

Palette Knife

Ink Outlines

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday

Mellow Yellow & Mosaic Monday

Thought for Today

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” Anatole France

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Expansive Alaskan Skies

Sky photographs from

my sister in Alaska

RV traveling

Collaboration..

I create the mosaics

then share on my blogs.

Skies around Petersburg, Alaska

Straight Out of the Camera

Poster Edges

Click to embiggen & for others participating in

Sky Watch, Haiku Friday and Scenic Sunday

see also my lovely sunset views at Small Reflections today.

Thought for Today

“No man is an island entirely to himself; each man is a piece of the continent.” John Donne

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Scenic Views from Alaska via my Sister

More photographs from

my sister in Alaska

RV traveling

Collaboration..

I create the mosaics

then share on my blogs.

Clover Creek

and Ketchikan, Alaska

Straight Out of the Camera

(Click to ‘embiggen’ any or all mosaics for better viewing
because they’ll look pretty much the same until you do so)

Poster Edges

Paint Daubs

Accented  Edges

Accented and Poster Edges

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday, Mosaic Monday and

Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet

See also Molly’s Mosaic at Small Reflections

and my Peace Mosaic at Sacred Ruminations

Thought for Today

“Is not life a hundred times too short

for us to stifle ourselves?”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Alaska Views – Rainbow Falls Hike

More photographs from

my sister in Alaska

RV traveling

Collaboration..

I create the mosaics

then share on my blogs.

Rainbow Falls – Woodland Hike

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday, Mosaic Monday

Wordless,Watery and Outdoor Wednesday

see also Ms Kitty’s Mosaic at Small Reflections

Thought for Today

“Everywhere is walking distance

if you have the time.”

Steven Wright

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Scenic and Shadow Shot Sunday – Alaska

FYI (in response to some recent questions from visitors having difficulty leaving comments) – If you’re on my HOME page, click for comments at the TOP of the post, but if you’re on the post page itself … for some unknown reason, the comments are WAY DOWN below the post itself … so don’t give up until you find them please ;–)

More photographs from

my sister in Alaska

RV traveling

Collaboration..

I create the mosaics

then share on my blogs.

Ketchikan Area

Lunch Creek Bridge

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday

and … Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet

Thought for Today

“Everywhere is walking distance

if you have the time.”

Steven Wright

Shadow Shot and Scenic Sunday

Scroll down for Shadow Shots …

Orange County – So Cal

State Fair Craft Exhibitions …

also tasty treats ;–)

Click to ’embiggen’ and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday

and …

Shadows at the beach,

neighborhood, and OC Fair …

Molly at Jenke’s

checking for her friend

wondering where she has gone …

in patio shade.

In the center the

shadows of an audience …

a self-portrait too ;–)

Click to embiggen for better viewing … and for others participating in

Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet

Thought for Today

“Everywhere is walking distance

if you have the time.”

Steven Wright

Scenic Sunday and July’s Gratitude List Transferred from the sidebar at Small Reflections

Huntington Beach Pier

destination to cool down

Sunday afternoons ;–)

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

and for others participating in Scenic Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of JULY.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.  Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. Andy Roddick defeated Leyton Hewitt in a marvelous 5-setter and moves to the semi-finals to play Andy Murray on Friday. The Williams sisters play their semi- final matches tomorrow and I’ll be watching ;–)

2. Serena managed to outlast Elena Dementieva in the highly competitive first women’s semi-final match … one for the ages. It’s a shame Dinara Safina couldn’t put up the same kind of fight in her semi-final match with Venus.

3. I’ll be able to watch the men’s semi-finals on television today … <Hooray!!! Andy Roddick won his match against Andy Murray so he’ll play Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Championships on Sunday!

4. Serena Williams won her 3rd Wimbledon Women’s Championship in a competitive match against her sister. I celebrated he 4th of July by watching … then walking through the 4th of July PARADE crowds in downtown Huntington Beach taking photos to share.

5. The men’s Championship Match at Wimbledon was one to remember … exciting to the very end. Andy Roddick fought valiantly throughout making Roger Federer work hard for his 15th Grand Slam win to break the record of Pete Sampras.

6. for a long ‘catch-up’ phone call with my sister ;–)

7. to reconnect with a long time friend from my past for lunch today.

8. my small neighborhood market carries half & half so I can walk over to replenish my supply between trips to the grocery store.

9. for daily walks along the beach with Molly and/or my Nikon D60 … and time to enjoy both.

10. for unhurried time to write and read … especially in the morning

11. for shade on my front patio … (see Shadow Shot Sunday at Sacred Ruminations)

12. cell phone conversations with my sister and Taos Writers Retreat Buddy last night and today.

13. for a pleasant lunch with my retired friends and a lazy afternoon ;–)

14. I took time to read DIVINE JUSTICE by Dean Koontz today … just for fun.

15. I had time to spend catching up on blog visits today.

16. I took time to write after listening to part one of a two CD set called Zen Howl (by Natalie Goldberg and Doshe Port) that I bought in Taos, NM two years ago but never opened until this morning.

17. to live near the ocean and close enough to a Starbucks to walk there in minutes. Both provide nifty places to sit and write for as long as I choose.

18. for the delightful sunrises over the past few days.

19. for shade & cool onshore breezes in the afternoon on these hot days.

20. my sister called this afternoon from Banff National Park in Canada as she waited for the Indian dances to begin.

21. for morning coffee with half & half and Entemann’s Raspberry Danish Twist. YUM ;–)

22. authors have shared their insights though the printed word benefiting all who follow.

23. I’ve started to write again … and to share a bit myself at Sacred Ruminations.

24. for a long catch up call from my sister traveling in Canada.

25. for a delightful walk downtown to the surf contest with a friend and nifty photos of the Surf Contest to share.

26. for the pleasant Concert in the Park last night.

27. I can use my PSE6 skills to share mosaics.

27. Wally Lamb writes books ;–)

28. to catch up with a few friends yesterday via phone.

29. the weather is cooling down a bit at last

30. that Molly & Jenke got to play together one last time before the move.

31. for a delightful walk with friends down to the Craft Fair & Farmer’s Market then out to Ruby’s at the end of the pier for dinner. Lovely end to the month ;–)

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward

Shadow Shot and Scenic Sunday – Beach Sights

Shadows at the beach …

people gathering to watch

surfing championships!

Click to embiggen for better viewing …and for others participating in

Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet

… and for others participating in

Scenic Sunday

Thought for Today

“We don’t receive wisdom;

we must discover it for ourselves

after a journey no can take us on or spare us.”

Marcel Proust

ShadowShot & ScenicSunday

This is my ninteenth …

and my 6th …

Walking recently

looking for doorways to share

I found shadows too.

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

Click for others participating in Scenic Sunday
and Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet

Thought for Today

“Life is like riding a bicycle – in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Albert Einstein

Camera Critters, Shadow Shot & Scenic Sunday

This is my 56thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here.

Watching Koi swimming

Fashion Island, Newport Beach

California

Ripples … reflections

shadows too as colorful

Koi swim in this pond.

Click for others participating in Camera Critters

This is my thirteenth …

Lovely spot to stop

and enjoy the ambience

calming sights & sounds.

and my 5th …

Click for others participating in Scenic Sunday
and Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet

Thought for Today

“We used to build civilizations.  Now we build shopping malls.”  Bill Bryson

Shadow Shot #10 and Scenic Sunday #3

Click for this week’s Camera Critters posts …

#53 at Small Reflections

#54 here at Happily Retired Gal

#55 at Sacred Ruminations

This is my eleventh …

You’ll find …

#1-4 and #9 at Sacred Ruminations

#5-8 and #10 here at Happily Retired Gal

Colorful murals

decorating downtown spots

HB “Surf City’

Crowds gather to watch

street performers entertain

in the palmed ‘Plaza’

Click for others participating in Scenic Sunday
and Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet
This is my 3rd …

My first is at Small Reflections
my second is at Sacred Ruminations

Thought for Today

“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”  Joseph Addison