Rialto Beach

My dear hubby and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in the Pacific Northwest. Here are a few shots of Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park on the Pacific Coast. It was the first time we saw the Pacific, what a starkly lovely beach. We got there near 7pm, just in time for the upcoming sunset.

Stained

The hubby and I visited Glendale Cemetery in Akron on Saturday where we viewed several gorgeous mausoleums. It was a bright, sunny day --- terrible for photography but wonderful for viewing some stained glass windows inside these ancient tombs. I was shooting through the grates so please forgive some of the framing on these shots. The second to last one was a bust but you can see my reflection as well as what's behind me. ;-) I don't know what was in the snifter in the last shot, perhaps some fine cognac to toast the dead.

Zombies Ate My Brain

So where have I been? Well....

iPod Lurve

As you may have read in a previous post, I'm on a quest to get back into music and was searching for a way to turn my longings into a reality. Well Gentle Readers, I think I've found my answer in a small yet powerful device we all know and love called the iPod.

My DH (Dear Hubby) and I recently purchased 80 GB iPods and I've been enjoying loading it up with all sorts of delectable musical goodness, songs both old and new. Actually, a lot of the new stuff comes from my hubby who let me 'borrow' his iTunes library to get started. I've got everything in there from Robert Johnson to The Stabilisers to The Chili Peppas to Jethro Tull to Loggins and Messina to... well, the list goes on and on. I will say that I really enjoy hitting that shuffle function, wondering the whole time what will pop up next. The element of surprise really adds to my musical experience, it somehow makes things seem a little fresher, newer.

So right now I'm sitting here loading some of my fave cds into iTunes. I don't know if you know anything about my musical taste, it will take me freaking forever to load my entire catalog in this thing. We have an extra hard drive, I think we're going to have to break it out soon. ;-) Along with loading newer discs, I'm enjoying revisiting some of my old favorites. The Dukes of Stratosphear are loading as I type, Chips from the Chocolate Fireball is one of my favorite discs of all time. But my favorite musician I've loaded thus far today is the one and only Shawn Phillips. No one can croon like Shawn, he has one of the most interesting voices and musical styles I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. A talented musician, poet and human being, Shawn is a helluva nice guy to boot. I took this photo of him last time he was in Cleveland. He played at The Winchester to a completely mesmerized group of die hard fans. What a talent, what a doll...

So now I'll have to investigate new bands and artists, at least those who are new to me. I'll take any suggestions.... my lovely little black device has a ton of room for new musical experiences.

Now loading: If An Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? Black Oak Arkansas

"Preventative" Medicine?

I just returned from my dentist, who filed down a sharp tooth for me for no charge. 5 weeks ago I had a tooth pulled by an oral surgeon who encouraged me at that time to get my wisdom tooth pulled as well. He told me all sorts of horror stories about how many problems my now exposed wisdom tooth would give me, how I wouldn't be able to keep it clean, how I'd be begging him in two months to remove it. I told my dentist this who told me the oral surgeon had a vested interest in encouraging me to get it removed and also that said surgeon believes in removal of wisdom teeth as a 'preventative' measure to avoid potential futures problems that might never occur anyway. I'm glad for my dentist, I've been going to him for over 20 years and he hasn't steered me wrong yet.

So this begs the question: At what point is preventative medicine completely unnecessary and even harmful to your health?

In a day when fear mongers fill our heads full of the potential hazards of daily living I think this is something we need to think about.

New Year's Resolutions

So Father Time is creeping just around the corner and it's time for new perspectives and fresh starts. I thought I'd write a few resolutions here so I have a place to go to see what I haven't done during the year! I'll be adding some now and again and maybe even deleting one or two, too... These are in no particular order:

1. Do more photography.

If you know me then you know that I have a whole lotta cameras I'm not even using! In 2008 I want to pull out the TLRs and do some serious shooting and experimentation. I enjoy it, I just have to make the time to get out there and do it.

2. Make our home more of a place that we really love.

We've been here for ten years and have basically done nothing at all with our house or yard. I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while so I want to look at it as a blank canvas and make it a place where we really love to to spend time and to share with friends and family. This includes cleaning it up, simplifying (ie., getting rid of crap!) , organizing and adding our own personal touches all around.

3. Don't let people walk on/take advantage of me.

Sometimes I'm too nice (hard to believe, I know) and this in turn can cause some people to take advantage of me. I think it's time for me to look at myself to determine how it's happening so I can put an end to it. It's sad to me that I have to include this in something I want to accomplish for myself but I'm afraid that's just the way it goes.

4. Be as healthy as I can be.

Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds cliche... but I really do want to get healthy this year and stay that way, too! The thing of it is, I know how I should be eating and what I should be doing to stay healthy but I just don't do it. How dumb is that? Sure I'm going to get sick and have some problems, but won't they be a bit easier to cope with if I'm as healthy as I can be? I hope my love joins me in this quest, I want us to be together for a long, long time to come.

5. Discover great music.

You know I dig the tunage but I have to say that I sort of got away from listening to music this year. Maybe the writer's strike will force me to turn off the TV and to discover more music. Shame on me, music is so important in my life... what's wrong with me?! I just need to think about how I'm going to do this: Get Sirius Radio? Go on Pandora? Find a site that makes suggestions? Any help in this arena would be greatly appreciated.

6. Spend more times outdoors, even if the weather sucks.

This is Cleveland and we all know that our weather is not the best you can find in the country! If I let that stop me I'll never enjoy the great outdoors and this area does have stuff to offer in that venue. This resolution can be combined with number1, as I am mainly an outdoor shooter.

7. Reconnect with friends.

We all have busy lives and it sometimes takes a great effort to cultivate and maintain friendships. I used to be so very good at this but I'm afraid I let things go to the wayside and have sort of lost touch with some people I care about. So now I'm going to make an effort to get together with them and to at least show them I care about our friendship.

Well, that's all I can come up with right now! Lucky 7, eh? I might be adding to this list in the very near future so you might want to check it on occasion to see if I've added anything else. In the meantime, I'd like to wish each and every person who takes the time to read this silly blog a very joyous and most auspicious 2008!

No one sits here anymore....