Day 59 Shapes and Textures

I remembered to water the Ivy.

Day 58 Candlelight

Day 57 Coffee Shop

After a shooting outing with my friend Phyllis, we enjoyed the coffee, muffins and friendly people at the Perk Up Coffee & Sandwich Shop this morning. Thanks, Phyllis.

Day 56 A Quiet Spot

This gentleman sure had the right idea today. He was enjoying this quiet spot for fishing at the mouth of Fish River.

Day 55 Thoughtful

Mary Helen looked very thoughtful this evening. I think she was contemplating stars -- the cereal kind.

Day 54 Bouquet

I know . . . Another flower picture. But they're so pretty.

Day 53 Roadside Scene

Day 52 Back to the Boat

My nephew Dan had to go back to his boat today, and Brian back to his computer. So many people have commented about the pictures I've posted in the last week. At first I posted for my sister Deena -- her comments on my posts were always in all caps followed by exclamation points because she was my biggest cheerleader -- but then it was because of Dan and Brian. Seeing them carry on with such strength and grace made me want to try to do the same. They, along with their dad and the rest of my family, have made me so proud this week. I am counting my blessings.

Day 51 Pretty Petals

Day 50 Sad Day

Today we will celebrate the life of a wonderful lady, sweet Deena. We will cherish memories and be thankful for having had her in our lives. We will know that she is in a better place. But we will be sad.

Day 49 Moon Rising

Day 48 Sunset on the Farm

Day 47 Skylar

The apple of her grandma's eye.

Day 46 Out of the Blue

Blue was my sister Deena's favorite color. Out of the blue, as they say, she died today. I spent a lot of the day looking up at the sky in disbelief. No picture, no words are good enough to describe what a positive force she has been in so many lives. I hope she's enjoying blue skies of her own . . .

Day 45 Blooms

Happy Valentine's Day

Day 44 Mmm, mmm, mmm

Oysters! Raw oysters, grilled oysters and oysters smoked with butter and cheese -- I had them all. Boy were they good.

Day 43 Reflections

What started out to be a detail shot of cool old truck ended up also being an interesting landscape and a self-portrait, all in one. Do you see me?

Day 42 Kitty's

I enjoyed a tasty breakfast and, as always, service with a smile at Kitty's Kafe in Gulf Shores this morning.

Day 41 Ready to Burn

It's another cold night. I'm very thankful for the firewood waiting right outside the back door to keep the fireplace going.

Day 40 Cheating

I think this is cheating but since it's my project I make the rules, so I'm going with it: A few days ago after I already had "the" picture of the day I got some great shots of Cardinals in my back yard. I decided I liked these two so much that I printed them and might actually put them on my wall.

Day 39 Boardwalk

Lots of lines.

Day 38 Art

I think this is my favorite piece of pottery. It seems sort of regal and peaceful to me. It was made by my friend Steve Dark. Oddly, Steve is not known for "peaceful," art. I just found this great comment on his work:

"In his over twenty year career, Steven has largely disdained functional pottery in favor of . . . an inner need to express himself in defiance of the demands of a market sometimes unable to appreciate the need for the funky and unusual; sometimes humorous and sometimes somber, expressing the seemingly disappearing idea that art is made to satisfy the demands of the soul of the artist and not to please the vagaries of popular taste." 

Donan Klooz, Mobile Museum of Art 

You've got to love a true artist!

Day 37 Sundown Moon Up

I don't know why, but I keep hearing Rod Stewart singing "Every picture tells a story, don't it?" in my head. Tonight, I'll let this one tell it's own story.

Day 36 All Smiles

I have two friends who held memorial services for their mothers today. Both of these ladies spent years doing good works in their community and raised their children to do the same. I decided a good way to honor them today would be to support Frame Day at the local Habitat for Humanity build. (Just to be clear, I didn't actually do any work at the site, just showed my support.) It was freezing. It was raining. It was muddy. But guess what? Everyone there was smiling. The homeowner (pictured here) certainly had reason to smile. After all the work she's put in to get to this point, seeing so many people come out to help build her house has got to be a thrill. But everyone else was smiling, too. They just seemed happy to be there, happy to be working together to make a difference in someone's life. I'm sure it wasn't all smiles at the memorial services, but I hope there were some as friends and family shared happy memories. There are surely more smiles in the world because of the way those two ladies chose to spend their time. And today, the same can be said for a bunch of cold, wet Habitat volunteers.

Day 35 A Bright Spot

It was an awfully dreary day weather wise. For just a moment between showers the sky brightened enough to bring out the color in this Yaupon Holley. The fact that it was covered in rain actually made it bright and shiny -- a welcome sight on a gray day.

Day 34 Alabama Authors

Day 33 Vulcan

I attended meetings at Vulcan Park in Birmingham today. I bet this guy's knees, among other things, were very cold. I'm glad to be back down south.

Day 32 Water Color

Rain covered window and a little movement made for this impressionist look that I kind of like.