Winter Days . . .

Megan had a two hour delay at school yesterday due to a little clipper storm coming thru in the early morning hours.  I dropped her off and made a bee line to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts for a much needed extra large coffee.  Our coffee pot has been leaking all over the counter when we try to use it.  We've tried everything to fix it but we can't figure out what the problem is.  : (

I got my coffee, got back into my car, cranked up the classical music and took a drive to our beautiful local state park in hopes of taking some photos.  I've really been lacking in the photo-taking department and I start to get cranky when I don't use the creative part of my brain.  I'm not kidding.  : )

Within the park is a pretty little cemetery that I visit often.  It's perfect for walking in and, if I'm lucky, I catch a glimpse of this adorable little group of deer that hang out there waiting for the next batch of funeral flowers to munch on. Yesterday, they were there.

As soon as they saw my car, they walked over to me.  I know they were looking for food and I felt horrible that I only had coffee to offer them.  : )  They look chubby and healthy in their winter coats, thankfully.

Mama and her yearling.

Is that not the cutest face EVER?!!!!!?

So now the creative part of my brain is happy again .  I think I'm going to put the above photo in my Etsy shop.  Simply irresistible!!!!  : )


Happy Saturday to you all!!  ~ Wendy

A Walk at the Lake on a Mostly Wordless Wednesday . . .

Mama on her nest. 

I had no idea that turtles were sitting among the weeds and logs in the water until I looked thru my camera lens.  There must've been at least fifty of them all sunning themselves. 

And I caught this little guy stretching out his legs.  Every time I look at this photo I have to laugh!!!  : )

It was the perfect day for a walk at Rockland Lake.  We're so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of New York State.  We live a stone's throw from the Hudson River, state parks, see our fair share of wildlife and are only 20 miles north of Manhattan.  The best of both worlds!!  : )


Many blessings for a happy Wednesday ~ Wendy

A Walk in Gethsemane Cemetery . . .

Yesterday,  I took a walk in our local little cemetery that's located in Rockland Lake State Park.  It is so peaceful there and it was such a beautiful day.  It's just so nice to be outside with the sun shining down upon you after being in the house so much this winter.  I know that soon it will be very warm and I will be trying my best to avoid the sun but, for now, I'm enjoying it. 

The trees have really taken a beating these last few years.  Hurricane Sandy took so many of them down and then this winter did a number on them as well.

A lot of the wooded areas look like such jumbled messes.  These toppled trees are located just above where the cemetery is.  I like to drive up there to look for deer.  A mama and her yearling were there enjoying some grass.  Sometimes they'll be a whole group of them and if you have food for them they will come right over to the car.  My son had one eat a McDonald's french fry right out of his hand!!

Little brat stuck his tongue out at me!!!  : )

 I also saw a few wild turkeys running around one of the golf courses.  They've really made a come back over the years.  It was a rare occurrence to see them even as little as five years ago. 

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of New York state.  It definitely makes for great photo taking!!!  : )


Many blessings for a wonderful day ~ Wendy

Some Winter Favorites . . .

I've taken so many photos this winter but shared very few on my blog. FIRST, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season THEN a severe eye infection that lasted for a couple of weeks FOLLOWED BY a killer toothache that put me into an anxiety-ridden place that I'm just now coming out of.

In hindsight, both illnesses have made me grow as a person.  I'm learning how to deal with stress and anxiety without the veil of medication that I took for almost eight years and recently weaned myself off of (with the help of my doctor).  I told my sister yesterday that I'm apparently not as calm, cool and collected as I thought I was.  : )    My homeopath told me that I'm re-processing things from the last eight years that I processed in a totally different way while on the meds.  This includes the sudden loss of my first husband and then sudden loss of my father less than a year later.  This also includes the diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer that my youngest sister received almost five years ago.  By the grace of God (and with lots of Guardian Angels looking out for her) she has been cancer free for more than five years.  Amazing Grace!!

I know squirrels are a dime a dozen but I never get tired of taking photos of them, most of which are taken right out of my dining room window. 

I swear he's posing for me!!  LOL!!  : )

My camera has been my saving grace these last couple of months.  I've captured photos of my daughter discovering snow for what really is her first time since last winter we only had a freak storm in October. 

Oh, that face!!!!!

My camera and I got out of the house and back in touch with nature when I felt a little disconnected this winter.  I wouldn't call it cabin fever. Truth is, I love to be at home tinkering around but I've also made it a point to enjoy the light this winter.

Light is truly a photographer's best friend and very hard to come by this time of year.

Living across from a state park is like visiting a photographic candy store every day.  Always some new goodies to partake of!!  : )

I'm thinking I'll share more tomorrow.  : )


Many blessings for a beautiful Presidents' Day ~ Wendy