1/365: "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." ~ Tony Robbins

365 Project


I began this project on January 1 and thought about it for months before I committed. I wanted to be sure that I could succeed, so I contemplated what I wanted to achieve and considered everything that would be a possible problem. I spent time reading advice from people who have done this project in the past. I looked at different projects to see what others had done. The notion of a 365 project …  (read more)

123/365: "The longer you look at an object, the mo…

03 May 2013 6 2 338
Today's pick is another evening image. I took pictures of several subjects but this one ended up being my favorite. It's a goatsbeard seed parachute (pappus) that I photographed on a mirror. I played around with lots of angles and apertures, but in the end, I loved the abstract quality of this image, focused on the very tip of the seed. Steve calls this picture, "Nature's Ballet". Thanks to Zandrsmum for helping to inspire me! Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH (8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a German-born British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impastoed portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time. His works are noted for their psychological penetration, and for their often discomforting examination of the relationship between artist and model. Wikipedia: Lucian Freud

124/365: "Friendship is a word, the very sight of…

04 May 2013 20 6 754
I took the dogs out for a walk around the property before dinner and brought along my camera. When I saw this incredible glowing wild pea pod, I forgot everything else and lost myself in its radiating beauty. As I took pictures, I smiled warmly because this peapod represents the strong friendships I have with so many of my dearly loved "pod sisters/pod brothers" here on ipernity. With each of you, I have formed a common bond, each of us seeing eye to eye on so many facets of our photography, the way we think, how we feel, the closeness we feel to one another. To me, we are all connected through this tapestry of images and feelings. I love you all, and I am overjoyed whenever I find another "pea" to add to my "pod"! :D *big hugs and much love to my pod siblings* Augustine Birrell PC, KC (19 January 1850 – 20 November 1933) was an English politician, barrister, academic and author. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1907 to 1916, resigning in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising. Wikipedia: Augustine Birrell Explored on Flickr on May 4, 2013. Highest position #6.

125/365: "Life is the flower for which love is the…

05 May 2013 5 530
Today was another Sunday Lunch Ride with Steve and the Velo Bike Club, and we put in 30 miles by day's end! Before the ride I had a minute or two to take pictures and found a bunch of California Poppies! I got a bunch of nice images and this is the one Steve liked the best! :) Victor Marie Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He is considered one of the greatest and best known French writers. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry but also rests upon his novels and his dramatic achievements. Among many volumes of poetry, Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles stand particularly high in critical esteem. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831 (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). Wikipedia: Victor Hugo Explored on Flickr on May 5, 2013. Highest position #188.

126/365: "Earth laughs in flowers." ~ Ralph Waldo…

06 May 2013 300
No time to chat today! Eek! :D This tiny natural bouquet of wildflowers is a favorite of mine, and is called "Changing Forget-Me-Nots" because the blossoms change from white to yellow to blue as they age! Each flower is a mere 1/16" in diameter! Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. Wikipedia: Ralph Waldo Emerson Explored on Flickr on May 6, 2013. Highest position #200.

127/365: "Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let y…

07 May 2013 348
Last night we had a thunder storm, followed by much-needed rain. I slept with the window open, drinking in the wonderful fragrance of wet earth and plants! This morning I went out and took pictures of droplets clinging to everything, and then I remembered the wild cucumber flowers! These are so beautiful and at a macro level, the smooth petals reveal themselves to be quite fuzzy! I wanted to see what a blossom would look like with raindrops on it, and I was not disappointed! The fuzzy surface you see here is covered with tiny droplets of water and creates a wonderful texture! Below is a picture of a dry blossom so you can see the fuzzy surface! :) Eckhart Tolle (born Ulrich Leonard Tolle on February 16, 1948) is a German citizen and resident of Canada, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were published originally in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. In 2008, a New York Times writer called Tolle "the most popular spiritual author in the United States." Wikipedia: Eckhart Tolle

128/365: "Happiness held is the seed; Happiness sh…

08 May 2013 335
I am constantly surprised at the amazing sights I find on our property, and this is one of them, which I was delighted to find this morning! This is a top-down view of a flower called a "Blow-Wife", and the orange bits around the outside are its blossom petals. The odd inner parts are tightly closed "parachutes" of the seeds. When this flower is pollinated and the seeds inside form, the sepals will fold back and an enormous seed ball of glimmering silver "snowflakes" will be exposed. It's amazing to see. For more pictures showing the "snowflakes", click on the side view image below! John Harrigan is a British film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and occultist. He is the founder and Artistic Director of FoolishPeople and co-founder of the Weaponized Imprint. Harrigan's work centres around the creation of film, ritual theatre and immersive events which aim to raise a numinous experience within the witness. He founded FoolishPeople in 1989, taking its name from The Fool major arcana of the tarot. Wikipedia: John Harrington Explored on Flickr on May 8, 2013. Highest position #346.

129/365: "There are two ways to live: you can live…

09 May 2013 1 2 295
Today I decided to step outside and see if I could get another pretty picture of the bearded irises we have blooming now. There are only two more stalks of buds to go, so I thought I'd try to get a nice picture of them. I've been trying different ideas over the past week, and today I got an image that made me happy enough to make it my pick of the day! Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century. While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory. Wikipedia: Albert Einstein

130/365: "Diligence is the mother of good luck." ~…

10 May 2013 1 392
This morning I went out to take pictures when I remembered a surprise I discovered yesterday! On the edge of our road, there's one place where Purple Goatsbeard grows. I tried to take pictures of this flower two years ago with my older camera, but sadly they didn't come out. Last year I was on the lookout for them each day and just when they were about to bloom, deer came by and ate the flowers! DRAT AND BLAST! I was so unhappy and I made a note to keep an eye open this year to see if I would get lucky. The other day I noticed they were growing, and yesterday they looked like they might be opening up, so this morning I went down to check and I squealed, "OHHHHHHH!!!" when I saw three of them open! What a delight! I took a bunch of pictures, and I hope that you like the three that I'm showing today. I think I'll try again tomorrow for more pictures, I'm not sure these are good enough for these lovely blossoms! :) Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He facilitated many civic organizations, including a fire department and a university. Wikipedia: Benjamin Franklin

131/365: "Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing…

11 May 2013 7 479
This morning I went out to see what new flowers were growing, and though I found many pretty blossoms, when I saw these tiny, colorful, shimmering seed pods, I knew I had my pick of the day! Who knew that seed pods could be so beautiful?! I found a similar seed pod up on the Table Rocks a few months ago, but these look like a tiny, colorful money plant! Each of these seed pods is only about 1/8" in diameter and glowed in the morning sun! (Note: I believe these are called "Sand Fringepod" flowers!) Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956), better known as Debby Boone, is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year. Boone later focused her music career on country music resulting in the 1980 No. 1 country hit, "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again". In the 1980s, she recorded Christian music which garnered her four top 10 Contemporary Christian albums as well as two more Grammys. Throughout her career, Boone has appeared in several musical theater productions and has co-authored many children's books with husband, Gabriel Ferrer. Wikipedia: Debby Boone Explored on Flickr on May 10, 2013. Highest position #419.

132/365: "You have to dream before your dreams can…

12 May 2013 276
The traditional iris bulbs I planted in fall are all opening now and they are so pretty and varied in color! Pure white, white with yellow throats like this one, blue with yellow throats, and I think there will be pure yellow ones as well and maybe others! Such a lovely show! Here I tried to capture the morning sun glowing through one of the petals with the rest of the flower fading away into bokeh. It was fun trying to get this picture just right, from what I visualized and then trying different angles and exposures to get the effect that I was after. It's wonderful to slowly learn how to get what I'm hoping for! Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, studied physics at the St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai. Wikipedia: Abdul Kalam

133/365: "Camouflage is a game we all like to play…

12 May 2013 3 1 328
Last night I let the dogs out for the last time before we all went to bed and I noticed a moth on the porch wall. When I got a good look, I just about fell over, WHAT A BEAUTY!!! I was really tired when I stepped outside, but the second I saw this moth, I sprang to life and told Steve that I had to take pictures of an amazing moth I had found! On went the macro flash and I got my pictures! :) A *HUGE THANKS* to Bennet Kent for identifying this moth for me! I'm so happy that I know what species this is: the Ornate Tiger Moth! One of the things that drives me crazy about taking pictures of critters that land on the outside walls is that they are white and the paint isn't smooth at a macro scale. It suddenly occurred to me that if I could find a picture of white birch bark, I could just use that texture instead of the white wall. I can't believe how great it worked, it's just about impossible to tell that this moth is actually on a white wall! And now that I have the texture, I'll see about finding some others and this way I won't be so against taking pictures of the amazing insect life that we find at night when we leave the porch light on! :D HOORAY! A huge THANKS to Ann over at Doodles and Jots , who has a whole page full of fabulous bark textures in a very large size, perfect for using as replacement textures for undesirable backgrounds! :) Russell Lynes (Joseph Russell Lynes, Jr.) December 2, 1910 – September 14, 1991) was an American art historian, photographer, author and managing editor of Harper's Magazine. Wikipedia: Russell Lynes

134/365: "Each of us is born with a share of purit…

14 May 2013 283
Today Steve and I went out to do some errands and I took my camera along to get my Picture of the Day! I saw many wonderful possibilities as we drove around, but we decided to pull off at a public trail that leads down to a creek near the Rogue River. Shady and idyllic, this forest is cool and warm, and I eagerly hopped out of the car with camera in hand, eyes wide as I took a deep breath of the fragrant woodsy air. I didn't have long to look...actually, all it took was one glance to see spots of white here and there in the dappled tree-strewn glade. White flowers beckoned me to them with their lovely faces and beautiful trumpeted green sepia tubes. For 20 minutes I lost myself taking pictures of these beautiful blossoms, and along the way I found some extremely cool spiders, a moth that looked like Beaker, and and an interesting little fly. Alas, I haven't time to show all the wonderful pictures I was lucky enough to capture, but here is one, and I have another view of these beautiful flowers below! Emile Cioran (8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist. Wikipedia: Emile Cioran

135/365: "Just as treasures are uncovered from the…

15 May 2013 347
This afternoon I decided to wander around our meadow and see what I could find. Overhead, storm clouds rolled by, darkening the sky with forboding threats of rain. I want the rain but not when I'm out taking pictures! :D I found lots of subjects including some caterpillars, some beetles and bugs, and plenty of flowers too. But my pick of the day was an easy win, a tiny flax bud with blond grass seeds in a soft bokeh background. The seeds almost look like natural fireworks! :) Gautama Buddha or Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha, also called Sakyamuni, was a sage from the ancient Shakya republic, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is also referred to as "the Buddha" or simply as "Buddha." Wikipedia: Buddha

136/365: "There are colors which cause each other…

16 May 2013 2 320
It rained late last night until this morning, and I had such a fantastic time taking pictures of droplet-covered flowers and leaves! It was really hard to force myself to stop because there were amazing sights everywhere I turned! In fact, I MEANT to take a walk down to our gate and take advantage of the cloudy conditions to take pictures of the yellow Oregon Sunshine flowers that are in bloom. However, I only made it about 25 feet from the front door! Rose buds drizzled with droplets, rose leaves covered with water pearls...I was DAZZLED! Just before I forced myself back into the house, I turned around and gasped at the traditional irises that are filling our garden with outrageous color. I couldn't resist taking pictures of these blue-purple flowers with their yellow throats, and when I saw this on my computer, it was an easy choice for my pick of the day! Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose work, notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness, he died aged 37 from a gunshot wound, generally accepted to be self-inflicted (although no gun was ever found). His work was then known to only a handful of people and appreciated by fewer still. Wikipedia: Vincent Van Gogh

137/365: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only…

17 May 2013 3 421
Today I was determined to get across our meadow and into the lower forest to see if the wild sweet peas were in bloom. Alas...I was making my way across the field when I saw the beautiful faces of blue flax flowers staring up at the morning sun and I knew I'd found my subject for my 365! These tiny flowers are about 1/2" across and they live for just one day! The fibers taken from stems of these plants are 2-3 times stronger than cotton and flax is used to make cloth, paper, and its seeds are made into oil! Such a beautiful flower, such an incredibly useful plant! Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of American progressivism. Wikipedia: Martin Luther King, Jr.

138/365: “Nobody sees a flower really; it is so sm…

18 May 2013 1 306
Visiting my wonderful blooming bulb garden this morning, I spotted a bit of pink next to the ground, and found a gorgeous blossom peeking up shyly through the leaves. Noticing that a few others had begun to open as well, I enjoyed taking many pictures with the hopes of capturing the beauty that I saw. This is my favorite, with glowing upper petals and delicate details, and the promise of more blossoms soon to come! I didn't realize I would be getting flowers that look like these and I'm overjoyed by these lovely blossoms! Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist. Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916. She made large-format paintings of enlarged blossoms, presenting them close up as if seen through a magnifying lens, and New York buildings, most of which date from the same decade. Beginning in 1929, when she began working part of the year in Northern New Mexico—which she made her permanent home in 1949—O’Keeffe depicted subjects specific to that area. O'Keeffe has been recognized as the Mother of American Modernism. Wikipedia: Georgia O'Keeffe

139/365: “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of…

19 May 2013 331
A couple of days ago I noticed that one of my favorite clover species was in full bloom next to our shop, so this morning I marched over without taking more than half a dozen pictures on the way! I was determined because I love these flowers and hoped to get some nice images to share! Happily, there is a very steep hill where the clover was growing so I could get some very low angles without flattening myself on the ground! Instead, I sprawled on the hill and tried not to blind myself as I got the sun behind the flowers. As I was taking pictures, I found a sprig of grass in the way of my lens and it turned into a lovely subject as well! Sir James Matthew Barrie (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright. There he met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired him in writing about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens (included in The Little White Bird), then to write Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, a "fairy play" about this ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland. This play quickly overshadowed his previous work and although he continued to write successfully, it became his best-known work, credited with popularising the name Wendy, which was very uncommon previously. Barrie unofficially adopted the Davies boys following the deaths of their parents. Wikipedia: J. M. Barrie

140/365: “May the wings of the butterfly kiss the…

20 May 2013 5 1 539
I am running as fast as I can to get this baby in under the gate! It's 11:45 and Steve and I just got home from our dear friends, Elizabeth & Richard, who invited us to spend the afternoon immersing ourselves in photography around their incredibly beautiful property! We had such a wonderful time, and then spent the evening having dinner and wonderful conversation. It was such fun!! We got home just about 45 minutes ago, and I am STILL copying my 750 pictures over (:D) This beautiful skipper butterfly was my very first set of images and the third picture that I took! I'll look at the rest of my pictures tomorrow, but for now, I'm totally delighted with my first subject!! Hooray for cooperative skipper butterflies!! :D I found this wonderful page of Irish blessings, quotations, proverbs and toasts, which are just brimming with goodness! tacomaweekly.tripod.com/Irish-Quotations.html Note: This was the first day of Flickr's horrendous change and the beginning of the end for me over there.

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