Not By A Long Shot! - A Photoblog

Sun-lit

2012-02-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

From a winter evening that isn't quite wintry!

Our little alpha-queen! :)

2011-07-12T21:01:00.001-04:00

It's all a blur!

2011-06-09T13:54:00.001-04:00

Nestled in the Rockies

2011-06-07T15:27:00.002-04:00

All from the trip to Utah. I am ready for another trip to the mountains...now if only I had my kinda paid-time-off plan at work!!!!

Twins

2011-06-02T19:23:00.001-04:00

This winter offered ample opportunity to sit at home and play with the camera......this one is from one of those house-arrest days! The reflection off our dining table was just begging to be clicked.

Oh, summer! :)

2011-05-31T22:10:00.000-04:00

Bryce Canyon, Utah

2011-05-16T15:43:00.003-04:00

Needless to add, it's a mesmserizing landscape. We visited Grand Canyon last year and were awed. Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon had us asking for more. Perhaps, we'll end up in Utah again before long.........ever since we landed in Colorado for a vacation a coupla years ago, we are forever planning trips to the west of Mississippi :)

A Red-hot Mirage ;D

2011-05-08T23:16:00.003-04:00

I am here in America's outback (read Utah) for the next few days and couldn't believe my luck when I captured this mirage on Hwy 12! Sometimes camera does see what the human eye can...... :)

Cosmos

2011-05-05T14:11:00.001-04:00

Cosmos may be the most "backlit-photographed" flower but as my luck would have it, it was a cloudy day in the mountains when I clicked this! :(

Tulips continued....

2011-04-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

Tulips2, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

From the spring album

2011-04-21T10:07:00.001-04:00

Tulip, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

Every time I look at it, I think of an egg and not a tulip! :)

Fields of gold # 2

2011-04-20T10:30:00.001-04:00

Fields of gold # 2, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

Daffodils mean spring to me! :)

Fields of gold

2011-04-18T21:12:00.001-04:00

Fields of gold, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

I chanced upon a wispy, puffy, silver ball :)

2011-04-17T14:14:00.001-04:00

I chanced upon a wispy, puffy, silver ball :), a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

An evening @ the beach

2011-04-15T10:29:00.004-04:00

When I miss the mountains of PA, I take comfort in the fact that one of the great lakes (Erie) is next door.

Yet another lazy Sunday! :)

2011-04-12T13:13:00.002-04:00

A wet morning

2011-04-09T13:02:00.000-04:00

A day in the park

2011-04-08T13:19:00.001-04:00

A day in the park, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

Here comes the sun!

2011-04-07T15:09:00.003-04:00

Trees are still bare, though!

The tigress of our household! :)

2011-04-05T10:15:00.003-04:00

The tigress of our household! :), a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

She has such pride and class in all things she does.....ok, there are times when she is ultra-goofy but the feminist in me totally loves her my-way-or-the-highway attitude! :)

Spring in bloom

2011-04-04T13:53:00.004-04:00

I can't wait for the bare trees around me to get an update. This is from last year's spring around this time in PA. While this year there aren't even buds on the trees yet :(

I see ya! :)

2011-04-01T09:55:00.001-04:00

I see ya!, a photo by i moi myself on Flickr.

Our sun-drugged cat! :)

2011-03-29T12:08:00.000-04:00

I envy her life :)

...and so the sun melted!

2011-02-08T17:54:00.001-05:00

A sparkling winter morning

2011-02-06T22:27:00.004-05:00

We have had tons of sun-starved winter mornings lately, but when sun does remember to show up, it's nothing short of a miracle! :)

500 Days of Winter!

2011-02-03T18:46:00.001-05:00

Colors from India - I

2011-01-05T03:55:00.002-05:00

Every time I come back home (to India) I can't have enough of colors that surround us here! Here's sharing a few of them!

The cat in the hat..........

2010-11-11T10:28:00.002-05:00

Chica, our cat is such a hoot! :)

The view ...

2010-10-27T16:19:00.004-04:00

..from the parking lot at work. Inspiring enough to drag myself out of the cozy bed every morning :) And another one from another place, same time.

Blending in

2010-10-20T01:31:00.002-04:00

These are three different buildings which blend in beautifully with fall colors, don't you think?

And the Autumn Sonata continues :)

2010-10-15T13:16:00.001-04:00

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me,.....

2010-10-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

fluttering from the autumn tree.”― Emily Brontë

As sun goes down.......

2010-09-30T21:45:00.002-04:00

I can't remember the last time I posted a sunset image here.....this one, last night warranted a special mention...so it's here....as seen from our bedroom window.

Fall's here!!! :)

2010-09-22T20:27:00.004-04:00

I can't hold my excitement! :)

Colors of Spring & Summer 1

2010-08-21T14:53:00.001-04:00

..of hills and haze.....

2010-04-20T22:14:00.004-04:00

Aren't mornings precious these days!!!!! And PA is beautiful, no matter what road I take in which season....... :)

Marched into spring!

2010-03-31T18:40:00.003-04:00

It's such a beautiful time of the year :)

Gone Fishin' !

2010-03-22T18:31:00.002-04:00

I may have seem to gone underground (if not fishing):D but honestly I am not giving up on this blog..not yet. Life's such a whirlwind of activity right now that blogging has taken a backseat....but not for long, I promise. Meanwhile, hope spring's beginning to show colors in your corners of the world.. It definitely has sprung here :)

Meet my Valentine.... :)

2010-02-14T11:08:00.002-05:00

The shy li'l girl I happened to fall in love with, less than a year ago, is now in her own words my "new best friend". Isn't she precious! :)

A Lowcountry vacation

2010-01-14T19:05:00.004-05:00

The last time we were in Savannah , it was during a washed-out Labor-day weekend. That was two years ago! This time around, it was pure sunshine that greeted us. I loved every minute of walking up and down the numerous squares of the town, this time. I had no idea how much I had missed those Oak trees with their Spanish moss till I saw them swaying again! Funny, how we haven't been to Florida since we graduated and left the place for good in 2007. We are glad though that we could introduce our parents to the charms and history of the Southern US, before they left for India. Scenes from Wormsloe Plantation and Bonaventure Cemetery

DC chalo! ;D

2010-01-07T19:17:00.006-05:00

There's always so much to look forward to at the year-end. We got married on Christmas day 3 years ago, so while a lot of people are celebrating a lot of things, we celebrate our togetherness. And if we are not headed home, there's always a possibility of a road-trip, though much of that depends on weather conditions. 2009 year-end was extra special 'coz we had family from India joining us on our trip to South-east US. As we made our way to Georgia, Washington DC was our first pit-stop. A very wet DC.

Auld Lang Syne......

2010-01-03T12:59:00.003-05:00

Warmest wishes to all of us for a new year filled with hope, happiness, love, and peace :)

It may be......

2009-12-23T13:31:00.002-05:00

......cold outside, but I do have warm corners within... :D Hope you have a happy holiday season. Stay warm, even if you are in tropical Chennai or Singapore :DD

The light that warms up my home (almost) every morning.... And the light that glows inside (almost) every evening :)

Old Man Winter....

2009-12-20T22:51:00.004-05:00

.......came knocking while I have been away from blogging (not 'cuz I wanted to but 'cuz my hard drive crashed :((( and that means all the images from the last 2 years are gone too.......No, despite the common wisdom, I haven't backed up most of my files in 2 years now :(( I am still in the process of recovering the images.....and I am hopeful that I won't lose all of them). Meanwhile, here are some of the newest images!
Waning December-afternoon light

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here ;DDD

"Walls that talk"

2009-11-22T04:11:00.003-05:00

The little town (I am yet to find a place here with a zip code other than mine) that I call home these days may not have a lot going for it......but it can't be blamed for not trying hard enough. Have a peek at this mural titled "Inspiration" that spans three walls in downtown and depicts over 300 portraits, most of them locals in settings from our town. You can see what these walls looked like before, here.

Magical mornings.......

2009-11-15T23:35:00.003-05:00

Much to my husband's annoyance, I am a total morning person (if I could be dragged out of our cozy bed)....it's hard not to be, when you wake up to mornings as beautiful as these :)

"She loves blood red poppies......"

2009-11-11T21:24:00.006-05:00

I know summer has been long gone but I just felt like sharing these images of one of my favorite flowers before I lose them amidst thousands of images on my hard disk! Aren't poppies simply spectacular??? :)
"Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare,
And left the flush'd print in a poppy there;
Like a yawn of fire from the grass it came,
And the fanning wind puff'd it to flapping flame."-Francis Thompson

"The poppy opens her scarlet purse of dreams. "

Celebrating fall ....

2009-10-25T17:14:00.002-04:00

...in Pocono mountains. Lehigh Valley, PA to be precise.

October painted in pink........

2009-10-20T00:29:00.006-04:00

I am well aware of my silence on my blogs.....have been busy cherishing every moment with some of the dearest and closest of the family visiting us from India. I hope to be back to regular blogging soon....
The glass sculpture above is from Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY.
Don't be misled by the images below...we have had our fair share of "freaky" weather, just like everyone else...these were shot well before the snow came along in mid-Oct!!!!!!!

And yes, I am a shoes-person.....well, who isn't ;DDD

It's "that" time of the year again......

2009-09-22T23:45:00.004-04:00

...my fav. part of the year!!!! :)

An "August" view :)

2009-08-10T20:42:00.008-04:00

A farm scene from Lancaster, PA.

The scene this morning from my porch.....

And finally , the reason to love August......goldenrod and queen anne's lace putting a cheery show, blanketing hills in their yellow and white...... Update: For those who are intrigued by the flower in the last shot, it's a yet-to-bloom Queen Anne's Lace......isn't it beautiful how this thing unfurls into a regular Queen Anne Lace.

Happy Faces.......

2009-08-06T19:30:00.003-04:00

......from my town. Their sunny attitude is contagious!

The girl with the dark curls :)

2009-08-01T15:45:00.004-04:00

Remember my friend? Every chance that I get to spend with her brings smiles in my life....can you blame me for loving her so?? :)

Lush Life

2009-07-25T20:56:00.003-04:00

"Men build too many walls and not enough bridges." - Isaac Newton
Here are a few scenes from our trip to the lush Finger lakes area in NY, last week.

I love, love, love covered bridges....and someday, I hope to cover all of Penn's. The one above was shot a few miles south of Ithaca, in Newfield, NY. Rolling green hills and farmlands, on our way to Ithaca.............

Spinfluence

2009-07-21T19:52:00.006-04:00

I took a well-deserved summer-break (all my breaks, if you go by my claims, are "well-deserved" :D) from work last week to spend some "us" time with my husband. We went tripping a li'l to the north and a li'l to the south and everywhere else in between :) And now I can't get myself back to what I call the "weekday-discipline". Here's a (an???) hastily-edited (read amateurish) image of one of the storefronts that caught my fancy, on one of the trips. The store called Spinfluence, custom frames old record albums to preserve them for times to come! Hope to "get my groove back" soon and eventually return to regular blogging! :)

A gilt trip to work :)

2009-07-08T13:06:00.010-04:00

These days no matter how early I wake up, there's always light outside.....and by the time I am done with wiping sleep from my eyes, and that mug of coffee finally kicking in... the sun outside is just beginning to bathe all that's beautiful on my way to work, in its shimmering pool. This is my favorite part of the day till it's time for sun to set when I am out with my camera again. So no matter how rushed I am in mornings, I still leave with my camera, hoping I will get a chance to stop and click, and if I do get lucky, it sets the tone for the day....a VERY MERRY tone :) These are from yesterday's "trip" to work :)

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” – Iris Murdoch

Bar-red! Sunny side up! One last look...

To happy (July) beginnings :)

2009-07-01T17:01:00.005-04:00

"I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests." .........Pablo Neruda

I may not have grown up in this beautiful valley that I call home now but locals who did, am certain will find a resonating sentiment in Neruda's words.......:) We woke up this morning to find the fog roll in the valley to greet us. It instantly brought back memories of the precious few days we spent in Northwest (remember the move that never happened!!!). I still remember how the ubiquitous fog would fade away oh-so-briefly to offer a glimpse of the houses, the woods, the road ahead and then return even before we could realize that those weren't the figments of our imagination. What a tease! :)

Daddy's little girl! :)

2009-06-20T23:48:00.007-04:00

....I still am one and will always be, no matter how old I grow, how far I go. Love you, papa.

Remember my little friend from the breakfast event that I was a part of not long ago....I am meeting her tomorrow and intend to surprise her with a print of this collage I created for her for the Father's day. Do you think she will like it? I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Update: I gave the collage and earned a hug from the dad (with a joke, "You managed to get my best side" ;D) and a shy "Thank you" from her. Here's the smile she gave me (as you can see, she loves her "treats".....if it's not a muffin, it's a do'nut or a candy). And just one last thing before you do away with me for sounding like a gushing "Julie-Andrews-on-Ecstasy".....don't you just love her dark curls :)))

Summerville........

2009-06-17T16:21:00.004-04:00

As sunny evenings and longer days lure me outdoors, I slather a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 70 (nothing lesser works) on my skin and cock-a-snook at Mr Sun by facing the camera lens straight into his direction……….More often than not, I am pleased with the resulting haze:) These pics remind me of my childhood summer holidays…....when we (my brother and I) would linger outside in the dusk, long after the little sparrows had disappeared into the thicket........Oh and that reminds me, I am what you can call an “empty-nester” now.......The finch family on my deck..remember the eggs I chanced upon??? Well, little by little they all learned to fly and left :(((

Cherry orchards in Michigan.

An evening in Michigan

Oh, Summer!

2009-06-13T19:00:00.005-04:00

Scenes from our trip to Lake Superior shore in Wisconsin (the town of Bayfield), last summer. The gallery "Stone's Throw" with all its cracks and crevices is a very pretty building and the owner's gentle lab (Sweet Georgia Brown) was an added attraction. It may have housed some interesting (read unaffordable) "pieces of art" but I really did not need to step inside..for me the most appealing bits were on the outside. And as if the gallery wasn't charming enough, a used-books shop stood adjacent to it and an "egg-itarian" cafe (where most of the menu was egg-based) called "The Egg Toss" stood right opposite to it :)

Standing Tall

2009-06-07T20:33:00.005-04:00

I had been meaning to share the images of this brick-walled light earlier but then I got distracted by the daisies :)

Little Sable Point lighthouse in Mears, MI was closed by the time we reached so we missed out on the view from the tower but the glimmering Lake Michigan had us enchanted for the better half of the evening we spent at the beach.......the sun lingered deliciously over the lake for a long time and eventually dissolved into it.....As we reached the end of our time on the lake, we dipped our toes in the now-cold water for one last time and reluctantly left for dinner.

PS: Those are the famous dunes in the background in the final image.

Unfettered beauty

2009-06-03T11:46:00.004-04:00

It’s that time of the year again. Daisies are nodding and the hills "in my backyard" are alive with wildflowers :) I came back home from work to spot these smiling pretty things on the little hill next to where I park my car and though I had planned to showcase the lighthouses I collected on my trip to Michigan, I decided that the lights could wait. We have had a few sodden days (which I totally love) lately, and then sun shone briefly last evening and look at the magic it created!!!!My biggest joy in summer comes from wildflowers……....other staples of summer: dainty, breezy sundresses, long twilights, butterflies, ice creams, watermelons, buzzing farmer markets, and ripe, juicy mangoes (from the times when I was a child growing up in India) follow the lead. That reminds me, when I was orienting for my new job at the hospital about 3 months back (!!!!! time sure flies!!!!!), some of us new employees joined the “charity” club associated with the hospital to give up a certain percentage of our salary that would help (in ways other than just hospital-related) the club to reach out to the community we serve. As a “thank-you” gift, guess what the club gave us each in return (apart from some sponsored items): a packet of wildflower seeds. The idea being: if you want to be reassured what a beautiful world we inhabit: sow the seeds, water them and then when time is right just stand back and watch as nature delivers its inspired performance. Isn’t that lovely! :)

A sun-soaked weekend

2009-05-31T06:31:00.006-04:00

I know, Memorial day weekend is long past now but I could not find time earlier to share these images from our weekend getaway in Michigan. While I am still craving for a trip to the mountains, I had a great time scouting lighthouses on the western shoreline of the mitten and hope to share some of the images here soon. The only bummer: my burnt skin which is still healing from all that exposure to sun :((

June is calling!

2009-05-20T22:39:00.005-04:00

No, these aren't the mountains in my backyard, though they may very well be but these were taken on our trip to Smoky Mountains last year. Is it time yet to start yearning for a summer vacation 'coz I am already itching to be on the road. Every June I start getting antsy about a summer trip..........Anyways, till such a time that we can afford to accommodate one in our schedules, I will revisit my old pics! And for now, I am happy looking forward to spending the next 3 days in Michigan :)

Romance me!

2009-05-16T19:11:00.002-04:00

There's a pink glow around me right now! I know it's a full-blown Spring when Nature dons pink the way it has......from the soft, demure hues of dogwood and cherry blossoms to the bolder, richer ones of tulips......There are so many tones of pink around that even Paris Hilton's wardrobe can't match it ;D and I am in such a pink heaven that even Pepto-Bismol pink will not be un-welcome :D These cascading dogwood blooms are for a special friend of mine who lives across the state-line and whose labor of love, her garden, is my virtual haven.

"Nest"led! :)

2009-05-13T21:35:00.004-04:00

I have two (recently-acquired) hanging baskets in the name of a "garden" on my second floor apartment deck. Though I have no green thumb, I water my plants religiously and wouldn't mind singing to them for the joy those tiny little colorful flowers bring. But last evening, once back from work, as I got one of those two baskets down to "deadhead" the flowers (as the gardener-lady had instructed me to), my eyes would not believe what they saw. I had to repeat "Be still my heart" countless times to myself to contain my excitement. Unbeknownst to me, this little birdie who had been chirping around the flowers lately, had decided to make its home and babies right there in the basket. I can't thank her enough to choose my deck and am keeping my fingers crossed that this little family will enjoy their new (even if temporary) abode. As I exclaimed to my husband later at night, "It's like we have a little ecosystem in our own house" :)

Soft and pastel........

2009-05-05T20:02:00.004-04:00

........dreamy and atmospheric: the beautiful is everywhere. Shots from my latest walkabout in our neighborhood.

Yes, you May!!!!! :)

2009-05-02T16:03:00.003-04:00

I love months which begin with weekends. Who can not live with an extra weekend to look forward to!!! :) And if it begins with the month "shaking out her rain-drenched hair"............I am positively beaming like I was last morning as I left for work.

This morning was spent volunteering at a local community-breakfast event. It was my first in this new town of mine and everyone went out of their way to make me feel welcome. One little girl was happy being friends with me for the simple reason that I came from Obama's state. I had no idea that 5-year olds know their politics so well :)

Meet my latest new friend :)

Not all flowers are created equal ;DDDD

2009-04-27T22:12:00.005-04:00

Two days in a row of scorching 90 degrees temps. and I am beginning to feel a li'l uneasy about Spring (my love-hate relationship with Mr Sun continues). My skin is burning right now...I am supposed to take precautions against the damaging sunlight but can I be blamed for wanting to be outdoors when Spring has waltzed in as it has............rest assured, I won’t miss a moment of the show outside.......allergy or not!!!!!! :)

Happiness loves company :)

In the dappled sunlight of a Pennsylvania evening,

Earth day or not......

2009-04-22T17:45:00.002-04:00

..........I love our planet green :)

Hello, Yellow :)

2009-04-16T20:43:00.006-04:00

"Now the golden Morn aloft
Waves her dew-bespangled wing,
With vermeil cheek, and whisper soft
She woos the tardy Spring:
Till April starts, and calls around
The sleeping fragrance from the ground;
And lightly o'er the living scene
Scatters his freshest, tenderest green." -------Thomas Gray

"Daffadowndilly has come to town
In a yellow petticoat and a green gown."

The view from my new home

2009-03-29T20:49:00.004-04:00

I know I haven't been the most-regular blogger lately but I intend to change that soon. Meanwhile, here's a quick-shot of the view that I wake up to every morning. I love those hills/mountains (pick your choice/choose your pick :D) when they are in the view as on this beautiful sun-lit Spring afternoon and I love them as they hide somewhere in the clouds on a foggy, whisper-gray mornings like the one we had today :)

Into the blue

2009-03-03T10:56:00.008-05:00

The weather lately has matched my mood :) Though the chillness in the air persists, and we haven't really "Marched" into spring yet, days are beginning to get longer and the light has been cheerful. Anyone who has been following this blog for some time ..and oh, by the way, the blog is three years old now....what started as an attempt to find beauty in my immediate surroundings from behind the lens is now my way of connecting with like-minded virtual strangers who soon end up becoming friends :) and through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, this blog has been a source of joy.........but I drift. What I was going to say before I got carried away, that anyone who has known me for a little while will know my penchant for all things blue.........so while going about my life, when I chance upon a blue as special as the one in the top shot, it is nothing short of serendipity for moi :)

Regarding the move, I quit my job last week. My first-ever affair with corporate America lasted precisely a year.....For now, I have decided to find my niche in the non-profit world and will be moving to Central Pennsylvania at the end of this week to start work in a hospital there. A part of me is stoked about the move, while the other is anxious about some changes that are tied to this decision of ours........We intend to tackle these challenges one at a time and I am going by the faith that our challenges won't outlive our determination.......:)

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies" :)

2009-02-20T20:59:00.004-05:00

"Let it snow!"

I never thought that my stay in this part of the world would be this short...........I did not come down with plans to settle down here but this has to be the shortest-lived home for me ever.........About a year back we came to the snow-laden, bone-chilling Midwest, to an unassuming town that I had not heard of before. My biggest excitement was that it was close enough to Chicago to be able to visit my childhood friend on weekends, and the fact that our brand new jobs would enable us to afford small luxuries that our student pay-checks could not. On the professional front, I was ready to enjoy any work that came my way.......I had my initial share of hiccups and disappointments but eventually I think I can say that it all came around. I did learn some, if not as much as I wanted to.........Life outside work was even more fun :) Every little flicker of change that changing seasons brought lifted my spirits.......some of the friendships I forged here will last me a lifetime, if not longer........and the trips we made to some far-flung corners and others next door are still fresh in my mind.........I just went through the entire gamut of images I have amassed here.......am sharing a precious few......before I move on to the new place for newer adventures in a coupla weeks.

"March into spring"

"Wild Summer"

"A taste of summer"

"The evening air was warm, the northeast wind soft"

"Catch a whiff of fall in the air"

"Nature’s own fireworks"

"Back to where it all started from" :)

Santa Fe Unlimited :)

2009-02-14T01:44:00.002-05:00

Anyone who has been there, will agree that Santa Fe is a unique and a very, very charming city. We took a rather long winded route to reach there but as we drove into the city, the late afternoon sun became an artist, bathing the ochre-colored mud adobe buildings in its golden, luminous light...........even the commercial establishments like Target, CVS, Super 8 etc. housed in (fake) adobe structures, that they say is synonymous with Santa Fe style, glowed beautifully in that waning light........and since we were visiting during the festive season, most of the buildings were crowned with "farolitos" - the paper lamps with a votive candle in the center and filled with little sand for stability - in fact they were everywhere- thousands of them adorning driveways, both sides of thoroughfares, rooftops, atop churchyard walls...........I do sound like I was enchanted, don't I ......it isn't hard to fall in love with that city :)

Santa Fe 1

2009-02-08T22:27:00.004-05:00

While revisiting the images from our trip to New Mexico, I realized I never got around to sharing some of my favorites from Santa Fe. These are from the Palace of the Governors where Native American vendors gather everyday on the front porch to sell handcrafted objects. They can only sell artwork that is crafted either by them or their household member. I enjoyed admiring their work, but more than that - conversing with them about their craft.

The Moo Crew ;D

2009-02-02T00:23:00.004-05:00

As Saturday was drawing close to an end, I went on a barn hunt. Instead, came back with a few pairs of "udderly" curious eyes staring back at moi.

Time. Captured. And held on to.

2009-01-26T09:33:00.002-05:00

My fingers still remember how they hurt as we walked on the frozen lake shore last evening while my heart smiles as it remembers the sight of the orange sherbet sun as it melted into the lake. Every time I have visited Michigan, I have been lucky to add atleast one lighthouse to my slowly-but-steadily growing collection of these sentries of time. And for that one reason alone I can claim that I lurrrrrrrrrve (that's one step beyond love :D) the Great Lakes State! This was shot at Benton Harbor in South West Michigan, yesterday. This weekend was good for the soul and I am happy about that too :)

Let the sunshine in

2009-01-18T13:29:00.006-05:00

As I type from my "igloo" :D, I think I am getting a wee bit tired of this, what weathermen are calling, "Arctic wave" that socked us in the last few days. These images from a tony, cozy cafe on one late winter afternoon, are my antidote to the chill outside.

My favorite pick-me-up: freshly brewed coffee with a touch of roast, a touch sweet and topped with dollops of whipped cream. Java-heaven!!!!!:)

Out in the cold

2009-01-15T23:48:00.006-05:00

Time for reality check!!!! Freezing temperatures outside needed a mention before we continue with the trip images....... Remember the stumps? They are back, this time with ermine hats :)

Doesn't Old Man Winter get tired .....painting this pristine beauty across the landscape.....he does it week after week in these parts......

Though I love the beauty of an all white facade of that farm building, I get the urge to paint it red, every time I pass it on my way to work.My fetish for colors!!!!!!! :)

Mother Road continues.........

2009-01-13T00:16:00.005-05:00

As we drove further west on I40 towards Albuquerque, there was no way we could have avoided the very towns that were forgotten when the interstates came into place......see if you can spot the famed Blue Swallow Motel (Tucumcari, NM) in the background in the top shot :)

While some motels have been revived, others retain an air of abandonment around them (for the tourist value???)..... I had to smile at that colorful "COLOR TV " sign :)

And finally we took a pit-stop at Santa Rosa to eat at this Route 66 diner..the founding owners smiling from the menu (printed in the format of a local daily) were not easy to ignore, so they too made their way on to my memory card :)
PS: Is it me or does she remind you of Salma Hayek too????

Westward, ho! :)

2009-01-10T22:07:00.005-05:00

Finally, the weekend's here!!!!! It's been tough to get into the work mode (or any mode, for that matter) after the break and our home right now is a passionate paean to chaos........don't they have a saying like no one needs a vacation more than the person who just had one? Tell me about it!!!! Hope you are managing post-holiday blues better than me.....

Going back to images from the trip, I haven't had a chance to upload most of them..These shots are from the car as we drove westward from Texas panhandle to New Mexico........Gradually, Texan fields and cattle ranches gave way to harsher and drier landscape and though my sun-phobic skin cringes at the mere thought of temperatures there in summer, Arka loved the big Western sky, the sun-baked land and the roads...........and when he's happy, I am happy too :)

Route 66 Quirks

2009-01-04T20:04:00.005-05:00

Halo! We are back from our trip and first things first: thank you for the happy wishes for the new year and our anniversary on the earlier post.......here's wishing you all a very happy 2009 :)

Now back to the trip......it was a memorable one for us and now the mammoth task of uploading and sorting through the thousand odd images begins.......while I am dying to share the photos from New Mexico, for the sake of my own sanity I will try and go through the images in the chronological order (that is, if I can continue to follow my own rules :D)

These images from our second day on road are from Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. On this trip, we followed much of the Route 66 either on it or on the interstates running parallel to it and every quirky Route 66 photo-op was given the attention it deserved ;D

These ten, graffiti-adorned, half-buried nose-down, used Cadillacs supposedly represent the Golden Age of American Automobiles. Kinda ironical, don't you think, for the present times when the Big Three are in the state they are today. Since the site is open to public without any restriction, the painted graffiti is ever changing. Needless to add, I thoroughly enjoyed adding these to my collection :)

In search of Americana

2008-12-25T00:34:00.004-05:00

There's having a well planned, well laid-out trip. And then there's the two of us. Heeding the call of the open road, we left home this morning on a 10-day trip. Destination? Somewhere west of Mississippi..........New Mexico, we intend to.....Arizona, if time allows......Utah, if weather cooperates........We celebrate our second wedding anniversary tomorrow on road and that's just the way we wanted it :) Wish you all a very happy holiday season....Stay safe and warm :)

"Cool" Couple ;D

2008-12-21T03:08:00.005-05:00

I stepped out this morning with a promise to myself to find color in my ice-d surroundings. Little did I know that I will chance upon more than I bargained for (in a positive way, of course) :) I am having one beautiful weekend here....wish you the same :)

Icy

2008-12-19T21:08:00.004-05:00

"The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around ................." S T Coleridge

We woke up to an entire landscape encased in ice this morning........I swear I could feel my heart do cartwheels of joy :) This shot was hastily taken before leaving for work. I am so hoping that the ice doesn't melt completely till tomorrow when I'll have all the time in the world to capture it on my camera............Keeping my fingers crossed for a (n)ice weekend here ;D

Memories of Summer

2008-12-14T23:03:00.006-05:00

In the absence of any color around moi, I felt like painting my blog in summer colors today, to help ward off the wintry chill (read: I haven't touched my camera in two weeks now).............."Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories" - from An Affair to Remember.

One Winter Afternoon

2008-12-04T21:53:00.021-05:00

"There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons --
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes --
......................
......................
When it comes, the Landscape listens --
Shadows -- hold their breath --
When it goes, 'tis like the Distance
On the look of Death --" Emily Dickinson

Images from our trip to Door Peninsula, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful state, no matter what part in which season we decide to pay a visit.........

Musk Thistle

2008-11-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

Yet another un-inspired week.......yet again I had to dig into the archives.
The summer that went by was a special one. I went wild trying to catch all the wildflowers around moi, some of which never made it to the blog. These musk thistles have been begging to be flaunted here. The transformation of green-with-red-edges core into satin smooth pink fibers is so pretty that I simply refuse to use words like weeds, invasive or noxious species for them.
We leave tomorrow for a li'l road trip up north.....hoping to get away from all that's "invasive" and "noxious" around us :)

Motor-art!

2008-11-20T23:27:00.005-05:00

Harleys make a comeback here, albeit a little differently this time!;D I am wiped from the "being-pushed-around-in-every-direction" week that it has been for moi and I am glad it will be over soon. No time to go out and click, no new images to share so I had to dig into my archives. These images from the Harley Davidson Museum and the gift shop are for my husband who just retired (very, very reluctantly) his motorcycle for the winters and is currently in denial ;DDD Have a great weekend! :)

Autumn's splendor

2008-11-14T21:40:00.006-05:00

Fall colors are not passé yet, are they??? Indulge moi for a little more time till I get done with the colors of a season that had me and my camera truly, deeply, madly EUPHORIC........remember, we moved here from Florida where "autumn" is a foreign term!!!! :)

A cozy weekend.......

2008-11-10T22:31:00.006-05:00

spent indoors......Time to snuggle and indulge in some weekend woolgathering :)

This lamp had such warmth about it on the grey winter-y weekend we just got done with.

Blue magic

2008-11-06T20:31:00.004-05:00

Did having the blues ever feel so good! ;D

My favorite color: I don't think I have ever met a blue that I did not like. This one makes me sing :)

Dressed for the occasion

2008-11-02T18:43:00.006-05:00

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live." - Lin Yutang
Today, the weather was fair though the breeze hinted at the chill of days to come and we made the best of that extra one hour we gained: we spent it doing (what we love the most)........nothing :)

Salmon pink sunset

2008-10-30T19:46:00.010-04:00

The sunsets here may be no match for the brilliant coastal sunsets we were used to while living in Florida but they are beautiful nevertheless. Anyway, what's not to like about sunsets. I love yellow-gold-sienna ones as much as this soft-delicate-blushing sunset we witnessed on a blustery evening last weekend. With all the winds blowing over the weekend, I am surprised that there are any leaves left on the trees. But some of the resilient ones are still putting up a show....and I am not done with them......not yet! :)

Exuberant :)

2008-10-26T01:18:00.008-04:00

"Autumn -the year's last, loveliest smile." - William Cullen Bryant
I love change of seasons. I had been missing it for too long.... but when gold and crimson maple leaves cartwheel in the air and cluster around my feet, along the sidewalks, in the doorways of houses, on our cars........I tell myself I will part with the other three in a jiffy, if only it could be autumn around moi year long!!!!!!
They must be the luckiest people in the world to have that happy, colorful driveway all to themselves. Yes, it's a private driveway and yes, I envy the owners.

Main Street, Galena

2008-10-23T09:40:00.006-04:00

About 85% of the buildings in the city of Galena are on National Register of Historic Places. Brick buildings are always a welcome sight and Main Street had ample of well-preserved ones.........

Weekend Getaway

2008-10-20T23:03:00.003-04:00

It's back to grey skies today here but this weekend was too beautiful to spend it indoors. So we decided to drive a coupla hours north, along the Mississippi river to Galena. Its cluster of rolling hills and farms looked like a patchwork quilt and reminded me of Z's Villigen.

Amber and red

2008-10-16T23:44:00.006-04:00

The dying light lends its amber glow to the leaves, just before the sun calls it a day...................... and needless to add, I can't think beyond red, yellow and orange these days :)

Mellow Deep

2008-10-14T22:26:00.004-04:00

As mornings get crisper and the landscape around moi transforms into a vivid palette, I feel like painting my blog in rich autumn hues. The colorful denizens of Harley Davidson museum will have to wait.............:)