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)
36/365: "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." ~ Oscar Wilde

36/365: "Man is least himself when he talks in his…

05 Feb 2013 3 576
I awoke to the sound of rain tapping at the windows, so up I sprang and down to our first-floor bathroom I went, where I took a picture of one of the tribal masks we have hanging on the wall. Steve bought four of these masks in Jakarta many years ago, and I just love them! Thanks to Kirsten Frank Art for the texture, and to Stephanie Calhoun for giving me the inspiration to play with my images in this creative style! Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams and plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment which was followed by his early death. Wikipedia: Oscar Wilde
37/365: "The spiral in a snail's shell is the same mathematically as the spiral in the Milky Way galaxy, the spirals in our DNA, and this ratio is also found in very basic music that transcends cultures all over the world." ~ Joseph Levitt

37/365: "The spiral in a snail's shell is the same…

06 Feb 2013 1 620
Today I went up to our stand of teasel, intent on finding an interesting shot of the other plants growing there. However, just like finding the mushrooms under the teasel the other day, today I found a snail shell, glistening with morning dew! What a wonderful surprise! Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor, director, producer, and writer. Wikipedia: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
38/365: "Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." ~ Henry David Thoreau

38/365: "Nature will bear the closest inspection.…

07 Feb 2013 2 516
It rained last night but when I looked out, the sun was shining and suddenly I couldn't wait to get out there and find my picture! I saw that there were tiny droplets all over the grass, and taking a nose-close look, the magical scene was right there! These droplets are merely a glint, the grass blades extremely small, it just amazes me the world one can see through a macro lens! Incredible! Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist.He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state. Wikipedia: Henry David Thoreau
39/365: "As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion." ~ Antisthenes

39/365: "As iron is eaten away by rust, so the env…

08 Feb 2013 1 474
Another dazzling, crisp morning greeted me as I popped out of bed and set off to find my picture today! Up along the top of our large meadow I went, and found myself standing at our huge, old bulldozer. This baby is covered with photo ops, and I'll definitely raid it for more pictures in the future, but this is the one Steve liked best! Antisthenes (445 BCE – 365 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and a pupil of Socrates. Antisthenes first learned rhetoric under Gorgias before becoming an ardent disciple of Socrates. He adopted and developed the ethical side of Socrates' teachings, advocating an ascetic life lived in accordance with virtue. Later writers regarded him as the founder of Cynic philosophy. Wikipedia: Antisthenes
40/365: "Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity." ~ Herbert Hoover

40/365: "Freedom is the open window through which…

09 Feb 2013 3 484
Today was NOT what I expected!!! It got very cold last night and I was all revved up to take frost pictures. And so I did! Only, once I looked at them, I was unhappy with the one I finished. So I set it aside and went out again. I knew where I'd go! Down the road one property is a tiny stand of pampas grass, and I'd always wanted to take pictures of it. I tried several different angles and compositions, but in the end, this one was the one that stood out! Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933). Hoover, born to Quaker parents of German, Swiss, Canadian, English, and Irish descent, was originally a professional mining engineer and author. He achieved American and international prominence in humanitarian relief efforts and served as head of the U.S. Food Administration before and during World War I. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business under the rubric "economic modernization". In the presidential election of 1928, Hoover easily won the Republican nomination, despite having no elected-office experience. Hoover is the most recent cabinet secretary to be elected President of the United States, as well as one of only two Presidents (along with William Howard Taft) elected without electoral experience or high military rank. Wikipedia: Herbert Hoover
41/365: "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." ~ Aristotle

41/365: "In all things of nature there is somethin…

10 Feb 2013 1 430
I decided to go to the top of the hill today and saw a bunch of pretty things to photograph, but this was the most interesting of the bunch: the remnants of wild lilac seeds where they are attached to the plant. Some don't fall off, and I have always loved the way they look! (Below is a picture of a wild lilac in bloom for comparison) Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato's teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality, aesthetics, logic, science, politics, and metaphysics. Wikipedia: Aristotle
42/365: "A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won't be too bad. " ~ Robert Wagner

42/365: "A dog will teach you unconditional love.…

11 Feb 2013 4 3 700
Today Steve and I went to our first photoshoot! (not paid, we went for experience and practice!) We went to Celebrity Pets, which is a dog groomer with many services, including self-service washing stations! We had a wonderful time and learned so much! My pick of the day was this gorgeous Bichon Frise, who was there for a bath, trim and manicure. Steve got some very funny images of it getting blow-dried, but I saw this beautiful face and knew I had to fill the frame! What a stunning dog! :) Robert John Wagner, Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television, best known for starring in the television shows It Takes a Thief (1968–70), Switch (1975–78), and Hart to Hart (1979–84). In movies, Wagner is known for his role as Number Two in the Austin Powers trilogy of films (1997, 1999, 2002). He also had a recurring role as Teddy Leopold on the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men. Wikipedia: Robert Wagner
43/365: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul — and sings the tunes without the words — and never stops at all." ~ Emily Dickinson

43/365: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perc…

12 Feb 2013 7 1 803
Today Steve borrowed my camera so he could take a few more pictures at Celebrity Pets, and though I could have used the Canon 5D, I decided to wait since I had other work to do during the day anyway. Time flew and I didn't get to my picture taking until about 8:00pm! Thankfully I have a macro lens, which means there are about 10 zillion cool subjects to photograph in every room! Steve and I collect feathers from our beautiful Caique parrot, Pumpkin, and store them in a baggie on the refrigerator, so I got some, put them on a mirror, and took some pictures! This was the second picture I looked at! The only thing I've done to it is adjust the levels, I cropped it, and added a frame. I found another version a few images later that I liked too, which is my alternate. One thing I found out tonight is that I'm going to have a lot of fun with her feathers...they are all totally amazing, and you're only seeing one of them!! Hooray for beautiful Pumpkin girl! :) Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence. Wikipedia: Emily Dickinson
44/365: "Ladybugs all dressed in red, Strolling through the flowerbed. If I were tiny just like you, I'd creep among the flowers too!" ~ Maria Fleming

44/365: "Ladybugs all dressed in red, Strolling th…

13 Feb 2013 623
Last night I found this darling ladybug on the floor in our bathroom, and at first I thought it was dead. But then I thought I saw it move, so I carefully picked it up and stared at it as it lay on its back in the palm of my hand. After about 10 seconds, I saw a leg twitch and then another. Then all six legs were waving around, antennae moving, and this guy was doing his best to flip over! Hooray! I decided to keep him overnight and turn him into a star! In the morning, I took him out and let him crawl out onto a leaf, and got this picture to remember him by! :) Maria Flemming was born in Venezuela, raised in Canada, and is a world-traveler, author, poet, and law student.
45/365: "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~ Lao Tzu

45/365: "Being deeply loved by someone gives you s…

14 Feb 2013 1 5 790
The other day when Steve and I were in Celebrity Pets, I saw a cute Valentine's balloon, which I thought would make the perfect Valentine's card and also my pick of the day if I added a border. However, when I got up this morning, I saw the image in my mind of our darling parrot, Pumpkin, cuddled up in one of our red blankets and knew that was what I'd do! With the help of Steve doing the cuddling, I got three pictures and they were all wonderful, but this was my favorite! If you're wondering about the hearts, this is how I did it! I have lots of little paper punches in different shapes, including a heart. I found some cardboard in our recycling with glossy red paper on it and punched out about a dozen hearts. This morning I lined them up on white cardstock and used a book to make sure they were straight. Then I took a picture overhead. I opened the file in Photoshop, selected the hearts and pasted them onto their own layer in my image of Pumpkin. I duplicated them until they lined the entire length of the image. I then used some of the "FX special effects filters to create the embossed appearance. Finally, I created a black layer underneath, duplicated the layers to make a top and bottom border, added the off-white rule, and presto! Pretty hearts for my holiday picture! Laozi or Lao Tzu; also romanized as Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Laosi, Laocius, and other variations) (fl. 6th century BCE) was a philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching (often simply referred to as Laozi). His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as "Daoism"). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or "One of the Three Pure Ones". Wkipedia: Lao Tzu
46/365: "To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour." ~ William Blake

46/365: "To see the world in a grain of sand, and…

15 Feb 2013 575
Today I went outside and made a beeline for the granite valley, where I know the first flower of spring will appear. However, I didn't find any and figured I still had another week to wait. As it happened, I found a tiny spider web with droplets, and when the pictures didn't come out, I returned with my macro flash. After I got those pictures, I looked on top of the rock above the spider web, and look what I found!! THE FIRST FLOWER OF SPRING!!! HOORAY!!!! This is "Spring Whitlow Grass", which measures only 1/16"-1/8" in diameter! They are tiny little jewels and a great challenge to photograph well due to their size and white petals. Last year I went through countless pictures to get any that worked. I'm very happy to say that I had no trouble this time around! YAY for experience!!! :) (you can see last year's picture below!) William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he lived in London for all but three years of his life, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself". Wkipedia: William Blake
47/365: "The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within." ~ William C. Bryant

47/365: "The February sunshine steeps your boughs…

16 Feb 2013 441
Today was very exciting because we went on the first hike of the year with a our hiking group, Meetup! We went to a place called Grouse Gap in the Applegate Valley, one of the countless beautiful areas here in southern Oregon. We also took Moosie and Zoe, and they had a fantastic time too! Although I took my camera, I had very little time to take pictures because we rarely stopped for more than a few minutes, but I still managed to get a lot of keepers! :) I don't know what this plant is, but the leaves are only about 1/2"-1" in size, and the little buds seen in the center were only about 1/8" in size! William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post. Wikipedia: William C. Bryant
48/365: "Gratitude is the sign of noble souls." ~ Aesop

48/365: "Gratitude is the sign of noble souls." ~…

17 Feb 2013 3 541
Today's pick is the Second Flower of Spring! Last year I discovered this flower the day after I found the first, so I wasn't surprised when I fount this tiny beauty gleaming in the afternoon sun! This one is about 1/4" in diameter, twice as large as the day-before-yesterday's flower! :D I have 2 more picks for today and a picture of last year's version of the 2nd Flower of Spring. They are below and are clickable! Aesop (c. 620–564 BC) was an Ancient Greek fabulist or story teller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Many of the tales are characterized by animals and inanimate objects that speak, solve problems, and generally have human characteristics. Wikipedia: Aesop
49/365: "Problems are only opportunities with thorns attached." ~ Hugh Miller

49/365: "Problems are only opportunities with thor…

18 Feb 2013 4 604
I had to work until about 8pm tonight, and though I could have taken a picture inside, I was restless and wanted to go out, so I put on the macro flash and out I went, up to the stand of teasel! Once there I lost myself in a world of wonderful thorns, spines, spirals and prickles! What fun! Teasel is amazing to look at closely, isn't it? This picture and my alternate show the dried leaves from a teasel. Nature is truly magnificent! :) Hugh Miller (1802–1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Wikipedia: Hugh Miller
50/365: “Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal." ~ Elbert Hubbard [Explore]

50/365: “Know what you want to do, hold the though…

19 Feb 2013 2 542
It rained a bit today, the skies dull and grey. But as the afternoon wore on, the sky began to clear and we started to see amazing cloud formations marching past. I kept my eye on them, and as the sun began to set, I was ready and waiting! I hope you'll click on this picture to get a larger view--panoramas really need to be seen large for best impact! :) Elbert Green Hubbard (June 19, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an influential exponent of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Among his many publications were the nine-volume work Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great and the short story A Message to Garcia. He and his second wife, Alice Moore Hubbard, died aboard the RMS Lusitania, which was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. Wikipedia: Elbert Hubbard Explored on Flickr on February 19, 2013. Highest position: #417.
51/365: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." ~ Arthur C. Clarke (+2 insets)

51/365: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is i…

20 Feb 2013 1 1 568
(+2 insets) Today was another busy day, which meant I had to wait until the evening to get my pictures. I came upstairs to the computer room and saw a graphics card sitting on a shelf, and before I knew it, I'd grabbed it and trotted downstairs for some macro fun! It's after 10pm now but I'm happy to present my picks of the day! This picture shows one of the rows of pins along the edge of the graphics card which get seated into the slot inside a computer. It looks kind of like piano keys, doesn't it? The red comes from a grill on the side of the card. Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008), was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Clarke were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. Wikipedia: Arthur C. Clarke Explored on Flickr on February 20, 2013. Highest position: #307.
52/365: "The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life." ~ Jean Giraudoux [Explore]

52/365: "The flower is the poetry of reproduction.…

21 Feb 2013 3 860
This morning I woke up very early and started thinking about the lovely crocuses which I noticed in the garden two days ago. I knew I'd be taking pictures of them today, and I also knew that if I got my lazy butt out of bed, I could get pictures of frost on them before it melted! So I tiptoed downstairs, bundled up and went out into the garden. To my delight, the crocus still had some unmelted frost on some of them, and on the others, beautiful beads of water. YAY! :) (By the way, this was the 3rd Flower of Spring last year too! :D) Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His work is noted for its stylistic elegance and poetic fantasy. Giraudoux's dominant theme is the relationship between man and woman—or in some cases, between man and some unattainable ideal. Wikipedia: Jean Giraudoux Explored on Flickr on February 21, 2013. Highest position: #311.
53/365: "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words." ~ Robert Frost

53/365: "Poetry is when an emotion has found its t…

22 Feb 2013 1 1730
Today I walked over to our seasonal stream on the way to a sprout I found the other day...but I never got there! I stopped to take a closer look along the edge and to my surprise, I found a tiny fern! How I adore these plants, and most especially, I love to see the ones which are unfurling. I looked very carefully until, with a squeak of delight, my eyes alit upon this incredibly tiny frond which was pushing its way up just 1" off the ground, its tiny head a mere 1/4" in diameter! When I looked at my pictures, I decided that the image was a bit on the bland side, so I turned it into a texture piece and found a pretty poem to go with it! I hope you like it! :) Thanks to Brenda Starr for the lovely texture, and as always, another nod to my dear Flickr sister, Stephanie Calhoun for her inspiration to use textures in some of my images! *high five* Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of his generation, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. Wikipedia: Robert Frost Egal Bohen: "My poems are my thoughts, dreams and memories, scribbled down primarily for myself as part of a lifetimes search to find out exactly what I am, who I am, where I am, and what the hell I'm here for - but I hope also you might find something in them too, for yourself, somewhere, if you find yourself asking yourself similar questions, which I am certain you do." Egal Bohen
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