Travel Dreams

131/365 Travel Dreams
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Spring has sprung and with it the travel bug has arrived! While dreams of seeing the world struck last week, the reality is I'll be staying local this year.

Don't get me wrong there is plenty to explore and see right here close to home. New Jersey and New York provide for some very interesting backdrops. I just need to plan some trips and then get out and do it!

Hopefully there will be many day trips now that the cold and snow are gone... looking forward to the sharing with all my friends!

1000 Cranes for Japan

74/365 Yotsuba's Crane   Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

"The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Japan, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family." Wikipedia

The earthquake and ensuing tsunami of March 11th has brought many people around the world together in efforts to support all who have been impacted by this tragic event. I stumbled upon one such group on Flickr that is gaining a following of photographers from around the globe that are making origami cranes for Japan, to offer support and hope in difficult times.

I've never created any origami until seeing this group, but with the help of this excellent tutorial on YouTube I was making cranes in no time.

Maybe you'd be interested in participating and raising awareness of the efforts that are being made to provide support. You can view the group photos at 1000 Cranes for Japan Group on Flickr. Through this group I also learned that Miya Company is offering to donate $5 to Save the Children for each of the first 1000 photos of cranes submitted to their email. You can read more about their effort at this web-page www.miyacompany.com/static.asp?htmltemplate=1000cranes.html

Thank you Hilary, I am honored to be a "Mention" on the Post of the Week!

Friends and Honors

I've met many kind and creative friends as I've blogged here and on my Project 365 page. My friend Shirley a very kind and talent photographer, has awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award! Imagine that, not only does she visit and comment frequently, she has honored me this very nice award... I am thrilled!

For this award, I am to tell 8 things about myself and then pass the award on to 8 more people

8 things about me:

    * I am a very plain and simple person, no glamour magazines in my house. Jeans and a sweatshirt are my  outfit of choice!
    * I don't exercise anywhere near enough and that has to change... soon!
    * I don't watch much TV.  But "Brothers and Sisters" "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" help me make it through the week.
    * Music is a big source of entertainment in my house, a varied sampling of almost anything can found on my iPod!
    * I love cooking simple meals for my family, this is a chore I've just recently taken on. Work schedules being what they were hubby did most of the cooking for years!
    * I am extremely proud of my daughter's radio show at college.
    * I love to dabble in technology, well it's really more than that, and love helping other get the most out of the technology they own.
    * I love my Nikon D40, and wish I could just get a bit better with lighting in my photography!

And now, it's my pleasure to pass this award along, this is always hard.... but these are all great!

Hilary
Keidi
Di
Gail 
Kerri 
Sharon 
Mindy 
Carrie 

I Can Get By...

31/365 I Can Get By...
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

with a little help from my friends!

Friendship is a wonderful thing... to have just one true friend that sticks with you no matter what is the biggest blessing on the planet. They don't judge, they don't ridicule... they support and encourage. Sometimes they just listen!

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin to Pooh” - A. A. Milne

Autumn Morning

It isn't often that I am out and about with my camera in the morning. Lately I'm just not a morning person, when and why that changed is a mystery.

This morning Hubby and I had an early appointment and I managed to get some photograph's in morning light that I seldom have the opportunity to shoot in. It's helps that we're so late in the season, and today is the last day of Daylight savings, making this light available a bit later in the morning. It was very chilly, there was definitely frost on the neighboring lawns, surely signs of things to come!

As we left our appointment, the sun was beginning it's ascent... rising, almost above the trees.

The sun rises above the trees

We stopped at our favorite local coffee shop, where we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Our Place, early Saturday morning

The morning's First Cup

Autumn flowers... in the early sunlight, these beautiful flowers caught my attention. Despite the time of the season beauty can still be found in gardens.

Autumn Bloom

I was very surprised to see the Butterfly Bush beginning to bloom again. The leaves were full of dew and very colorful.

Butterfly Bush

As I walked up the path and on to the front steps I was reminded that the season is slowing heading forward and it's time to focus on what lies ahead.

Halloween Mat

Today I'm feeling a bit more inspired than usual, maybe it's the season... maybe it's the blogs I've reading lately, more than likely it's a combination of both! Have a great weekend!

Summer's End

This has been an absolutely perfect September weekend. While I will miss the long hours of daylight I gladly bid the hazy humidity adieu! I've loved the cool clear nights of autumn for years, I still easily recall the view of NYC from the Queens Borough Bridge, it was many years ago but still so vivid. This clarity just never happens in summer. The colors of autumn are also so vibrant and fiery, I love autumn!

Yesterday we took a stroll along the Waterfront Walkway in Perth Amboy, the day was clear and warm and Raritan Bay was bustling with boaters

I found this boat of great interest, I wonder if it actually made the journey from Galway, Ireland. (click to enlarge photo)

Things have been a bit hectic, and I haven't really been posting as much I'd like. I have managed to get out and take some photos in the last month, and I'll be sure to get some of them posted here shortly.

Check out Hilary's Smitten Image for some fabulous photographs and quotes regarding September, Hilary is a wonderful tour guide and keeps me smiling on every visit.

Chronicles of a Country Girl: Giveaway! All weekend!

I've been following a few blogs over the last few months, mostly to find like minded photographers sharing the daily experience through photos and stories. A couple of my favorites are Chronicles of a Country Girl and Kate's Picture A Day, these were probably the first two I started following. You can see on the left that the list has grown a bit, always fun to keep up on these sites.

Chronicles of a Country Girl: Giveaway! All weekend! the lucky winner will receive one of her prints, there are 7 to choose from. Check it out, you win a really nice pretty AND you might just have a good time sharing the blog!