199/365: "I think in life, if you continue to challenge yourself, you can pride yourself in what you continuously accomplish." ~ J. R. Martinez

4 more pictures in notes! :D

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Sometimes I just cannot resist a juicy challenge! A few weeks ago I was invited to a really fun new group here on ipernity called "Bokeh Thursday". There are lots of theme groups out there to help motivate, inspire, educate and entertain members, but this one was a group I thought I could actually participate in while being committed to my 365 Project, since most of my pictures are all about bokeh!

To make things more interesting, there is a new theme every week. This week's theme was the letter "T"--anything that starts with T could be your subject. I actually had a hard time getting to sleep last night as I lay in bed thinking about subjects I could photograph that started with T... texture... turtle... thread... television... tool... toy... turkey... the list grew in my mind until I suddenly remembered what's in full bloom outside and screaming for me to photograph it...TEASEL!!! And...TAR WEED!! And then, when I woke up this morning and happily immersed myself taking pictures, I got pictures of bumble bees sticking their long TONGUES out...and I found THORNS and THISTLE... lol... this main picture showed me another thing to go with teasel... TWIRL! I finally had to pull myself back into the house by my ear (how do I do that, anyway?!) or I'd still be out there taking pictures of TREES and the TABLE ROCKS (huge, beautiful plateau formation visible from our home)...and groupings of TWO and THREE or even TEN! Oh brother... I ended up processing five pictures in all and I hope you enjoy my Bokeh Thursday submissions! By the way, our group would LOVE to have new members--if this group sounds like fun, please come and join us!! :)

Jose Rene "J. R." Martinez (born June 14, 1983) is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier. Starting in 2008, he played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. He is the winner of Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Martinez served as the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade. In 2003, Martinez sustained severe burns to over 34 percent of his body while serving as an Army infantryman in Iraq. Since his recovery, he has traveled around the country speaking about his experiences to corporations, veterans groups, schools and other organizations. Wikipedia: J.R. Martinez

Explored in July 19, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#37).