Biketoberfest 2

BikeToberfest Oct 2009

BikeToberfest

BikeToberFest October 2009

Giraffe 2

Rafiki at the Brevard Zoo, October 3, 2009.
I got lots of love from Rafiki yesterday at the Brevard Zoo. He is definately my favorite giraffe. He let me pet his face and nuzzled my hands even though he knew I didn't have any giraffe treats for at least 5 minutes. Giraffes are one of my favorite animals (I wonder why? LOL).

Surfing up the wrong tree?

The music is here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoPzjWjBZNY&feature=related

One of those days

I'll leave this one open to interpretation, the music is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0tANClatNY

Thought about using something from the grate-ful dead...
or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0tANClatNY

Guess it depends on your mood...:-)

Birthday Flowers

I took this pic with my new camera I got from Dad and Carol for my birthday early this morning before work. They were waiting on the porch for me to put them in the spotlight. Sorry I haven't posted much lately but my camera was broken. Now I feel whole again.

Twelve Steps For Hopeless Romantics Anonymous

Venus: Rockledge Gardens: The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVJG-mNP98s

I've been reading too much lately. I picked up the book "She's just THAT into you " by Linda Sunshine yesterday for some light comedy. This was my favorite part of the book. I decided to share it so that you can also have a laugh.

Twelve Steps For Hopeless Romantics Anonymous

From the Book: she's Just THAT into you by Linda Sunshine

1. We admitted that we were powerless over romance-that our love lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil, two Powers greater than ourselves, could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the first guy who agrees to support us.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of every married guy we ever tried to seduce by exposing our skimpy underwear at inappropriate moments.

5. Admitted to ourselves and another human being the exact nature of the wrongful sexual advances we made on men who were dating our best friends or family members.

6. Were entirely ready to have our best friend forget the bad stuff we did and focus on the time we remembered her birthday.

7. Humbly asked that our shortcomings be ignored or at least never again mentioned in our presence.

8. Made a list of all the men we had stalked, dialed and hung up on, or otherwise maligned at a dinner party or work-related function.

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when they were unwilling to ever talk to us again or we were prevented from doing so by a court order.

10. Continued to take a personal inventory and work diligently at finding someone we could blame for our shortcomings.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to stop giving away the milk before he purchased the cow and, speaking of cows, to lose twenty pounds before our next birthday! (My fav)

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all hopeless romantics and to practice these principles in all our future affairs-God willing we have future affairs.

If Today Was your Last day...

Somewhere Past Blackpoint drive, MI FL (we took a turn and ended up somewhere on a path in Volusia County, but it was soooo worth it.)

the music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Ia07pu704

I love the song. Its something to try to live by.

My Favorite Poem also fits:

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Lily

Rockledge Gardens, August 2008
The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCJ4c_kjUB0
Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
And slips into the bosom of the lake;
So fold thyself, my dearest, thou, and slip
Into my bosom, and be lost in me. - Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Princess

Pink Orchids

Pink Orchid, Summer of 2008
A human being isn't an orchid, he must draw something from the soil he grows in.
Sara Jeannette Duncan

In the marsh pink orchid's faces

With their coy and dainty graces,

Lure us to their hiding places--

Laugh, O murmuring Spring! -

Sarah Foster Davis, Summer Song

When the emotions are strong one should paint bamboo; in a light mood one should paint the orchid. -

Chueh Yin

Quotes found on : http://koti.mbnet.fi/neptunia/quotes/orchids1.htm

Balloons

Balloons for Carina's Birthday. The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14IRDDnEPR4

For those of you wondering, my son is back to normal :-)

Sunset 2

My daughter, Rebecca (Becky) took this shot. She is very into sky pictures and she is getting very good at taking them. I then played with it in a photo editing software to bring out the colors that were there. I love the end product.
The music is here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMxHBcqAFro

The Sky is Yours

May 28, Satellite Beach, FL
The music is here: http://www.imeem.com/jasonmraz/video/AErsgnSU/jason-mraz-im-yours-official-video-music-video/

No More Drama!!

May 28, 2009 Satellite Beach, FL
Music is here: I was thinking this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh1tsN1KmJA but this will work too....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ9uCiPBIWc .

Pic should be self explanatory. Spent the day getting stuff done and then relaxing. Spent the evening waiting for the waves to wash away the drama and stress. It helped. You should try it.

Happy Birthday Carina!

My baby girl is 6 today. I can't believe it. Life goes by so quickly. Before I know it she will be in college. The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiICITvwaow

Tumultuous

Tumultuous:
Definition:
Marked by unrest or disturbance.
Synonyms:
stormy, tempestuous
Sebastian Inlet May 2009 (Under the jetti)
The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2XcqKaXDIY
A replay, I know...but my week's theme song I think.
I'm off tomorrow....think I will go crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head now.

Reflections

Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, MI, Florida

the music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4NTXT96EM

In a reflective mood....moody. Feelin old. Tomorrow will be better.

Naughty

Naughty: Brevard Zoo

I love this picture. The mother jag was staring at something off to the side, and the baby kept trying to play with her.

Adrift

Beautiful spread
Blackpoint wildlife drive, MI, Florida.
The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqjGywYOI8&feature=PlayList&p=C6BA18D66762C86E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

Feeling Purple

My mother's day gift (the necklace). It's definately going to end up in a painting. One of the best. If this post had a song, it would be purple rain by Prince...but Prince doesn't like his songs on youtube...so just imagine it I guess.

The Kiss

Brevard Zoo. The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32rasDF7jtQ

and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJJQpSzDgC0

The giraffe is one of my favorite creatures. Anyone care to guess why??? Ever since the zoo added their giraffes I have been in heaven.

The Rose

A rose in my yard today...fate, I suppose, because I am working on a painting right now with roses in it.

The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdkGSH-N-L0 In case it doesn't work its Desert Rose by Sting.

This is the blue girl rose. The water droplets are natural. I took these pictures while home from work for "lunch" at 5 pm. It had just rained.

Some good rose quotes to inspire and charm:

But he that dares not grasp the thorn

Should never crave the rose.

Anne Bronte

I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.
Eleanor Roosevelt

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.

Henri Matisse

Feeling Kinda Crabby

Hermit crab in Sebastian Inlet last Saturday.

Music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uokpxej2_UY

Worried Mom

My son at Sebastian Inlet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N0yB24M7VM

Wanting

Wanting

The painting I've been working on all week. I've been reading about 3 Artists for the last couple of weeks. Care to guess which three? I tried to include impressions from each, without directly copying. I used watercolors, although not really in a watercolor fashion.

The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shsb75gDqK0

Hope you like it as much as I do.

Orchid

I bought this orchid for a painting I'm working on. Thought some of you might appreciate it :-)

The song is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTN5o9Kgu8

As always, please pause the music on my site first.

Sea Hare (aplysia morio)

Sea Hare (aplysia morio)

I took this shot at Sebastian Inlet yesterday. I thought it was a Spanish Dancer, but looked it up when I got home and found out that it is actually a Sea Hare. They are beautiful when they swim. I have seen them before on the gulf coast of florida, but never here on the east coast.

For more information:
http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/MarineInvertebrateZoology/Aplysiamorio.html
http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=4663

The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9H_cI_WCnE
Please pause the music on my site first.
Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.
Trish

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day!
The music is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOdAOHBcZI
Please pause the music on my site first.

Basil and the Bee

Basil:
a. An Old World aromatic annual herb (Ocimum basilicum) in the mint family, cultivated for its leaves. Also called sweet basil.

Basil originates from India. Its name is short for the Greek words basilikon pluton, which means ‘kingly herb’ or the Greek word basilicon, meaning ‘royal remedy.’ The word Ocimum is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘I feel.’ It came to Europe via the Middle East, and the Egyptians passed on their knowledge of basil to the Europeans.

In Europe, basil is a symbol of fertility, and in Italy it is known as a symbol of love because the leaves resemble hearts. Italian women would wear basil to charm and bewitch a man of their desire. Basil would also be added to food when it was thought that Venus’s enticing powers of love were failing to provide the desired results. (http://aromaticamedica.tripod.com/id22.html)

Maybe I should create a necklace? Or maybe they wore basil and nothing else?

I took this photo in my backyard in Satellite Beach. This bee is obviously enticed.

So Tired

Its been a long week!

Moonlit Walk on the Beach

That walk on the beach really helped....we even saw jellyfish, but no sea turtles yet!

Desolate

“Desolation is a file, and the endurance of darkness is preparation for great light.”
St. John of the Cross quotes (Christian mystic and poet, 1542-1591)

Desolate:
a. Devoid of inhabitants; deserted
b. Barren; lifeless
c. Rendered unfit for habitation or use
d. Dreary; dismal.
e. To forsake; abandon.
f. To make lonely, forlorn, or wretched

I've had the last few days off, but pretty much wasted them. I've been having PANIC attacks again this week, for the first time in about a year. Even though I'm pretty sure now that they are JUST panic attacks, they are still scary. In the back of your mind you are never sure if it really is JUST a panic attack or if you are seriously THIS TIME having that heart attack.

As anyone who is subject to have panic attacks knows, caffiene is a major trigger. So, on top of the panic attacks, I've had caffiene withdrawals for two days. Mainly a major headache. So I haven't accomplished much because my head hurts and you are never quite sure when that next panic attack will strike. Its been a very isolated and dreary two days.

Hence the picture above. I took it at Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Palm Bay, FL. I wasn't sure what i was going to do with it, but it pretty well is a self portrait today. I'm sure things will be better tomorrow. Back to work, back to life. For tonight I think I will go take a walk on the beach to clear my head. Things always look better at the beach.

Trish

Karma and the Lizard Painting

Ok. So I have been watercoloring lizards all week. On paper. Trying to get what I want to come out on paper. This morning I was out on my porch drinking coffee trying to wake up when i saw something white wiggling on a brown sea grape leaf on the ground. I walked closer and saw this. A painted lizard. It must be Karma?

So I spent all morning with a bottle of massage oil (all natural of course) trying to help this guy get the paint off. I am probably the only nut that would spend a whole morning doing this but I felt so bad for him. He even had paint just about covering one eye.

So now he is no worse for wear, just a little greasy. I have a little more to go to get the paint off his feet and tail, but the majority is gone.

Anole, Second Draft

The artist and the photographer seek the mysteries and the adventure of experience in nature. (Ansel Adams)

The music is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg0QminAPMM .
(Make sure you pause the music on my site first).


I would like to thank Ron Dubin of http://www.rondubinphotography.com/. His original photo inspired me to paint again (with his permission). The original picture is here http://blog.rtd13.com/2008/05/29/camoflauge-ii/ . I love the way the anole is "camoflauged" in the leaves and the subtle color variations in his picture. When I saw it I knew I wanted to paint it.

I took creative license and added/subtracted a few things from the original, as you can probably tell. This is the second draft. The first draft my five year old decided to embelish with an ink pen! (Picture Below). Its a good thing it WAS only a "first draft" and I wasn't thrilled with the colors. For the second draft I changed the foliage a bit, and added a tail. I also amped up the colors and tried new things with the scales. I'm still not satisfied, so, look forward to the third draft!

Its a beautiful Friday and I'm off from work...finally! I have a million and one things to do today...but wanted to post as well.

This is a picture from spring break. We took some friends to Brevard Zoo for the day and the kids got their faces painted. Carina's is a butterfly. Hope you enjoy.