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It's been really, really windy here in ABQ for several weeks now... and today seemed especially so.
However, that did not deter the daughter and I from going out and about...

We had a great early dinner; then we went to get groceries...
all the while... enjoying the heavily dusted city views...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Happy, Happy Mother's Day... to my mom... and to all the great moms out there...
Read more about the history of Mother's Day... here


(photo is of my mom when she was about 3yrs old... growing up in Philadelphia)

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Happy Mother's Day weekend...

This photo was taken in March 2010, back when I was in PA. One of my favorite homes belongs to the Dubois family. It is a gorgeous victorian with an elaborate gingerbread detailing... and a porch all along the front of the house. At the base of the porch... is a plethora of "old-fashioned" wildflowers. Snowdrops, Lily of the Valley, grape hyacinths, daffodils, trillium.... and these gorgeous clumps of Ostrich Fern.

*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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*photo by Elaine A. Russell


(two photos combined... one of the cup with a burning cigarette in it...
and the one of the birds on top.
I liked the way this one turned out... all smoky and mysterious)

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I was talking with a gentleman from Africa today... discussing how different people buy things. What they choose to buy... how they feel about the purchase, etc.
The conversation started... because I was thinking of buying a Tibetan Silver charm for myself. It was pricey ($40)... but he offered me a discount on it; particularly because I was buying it for myself. "So many people won't buy things for themselves" he said.

Now... I figured I was being selfish (but it was for my b-day I was arguing with myself)... but he disagreed with the notion that it was selfish ... saying how important it was that people take enjoyment in the things they have. Not buying it because of any perceived "status"... or because it was an "object of value"... but simply because I loved it. How the joy of it was more important.

We then went on to discuss how most of my purchases tend to be on the practical side of things. In fact, in his native country... most purchases must serve multiple functions... especially for the nomadic people. The exception being... things of great "treasure"... ie: things they love.


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Random thoughts... probably due to the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation...

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why does the phone always ring early in the am... or when you are in the shower... or otherwise... busy....

how can dogs see things in the front yard that you can't...

the older I get... the more I look like Alfred Hitchcock... go figure...

funny movies aren't as funny as they used to be

why does hair persistently grow where you don't want it too
... and not where you do want it too

what if there were more elements to the periodic table than we think there are

does time really turn, turn, turn...

how can you buy $200 worth of groceries... and have it gone in a week?!

How far east can you go before you're heading west?

If a bee is allergic to pollen would it get the hives?... or sneeze?... can bees sneeze?!



Anyway. The photos for today's post were taken in the wee hours of the night. I have a gorgeous bouquet of tulips... and I experimented with using a "dollar store" tap-light to photograph them in complete darkness.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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May your weekend be filled with good food, good friends, and good times.
And may the wind here settle down a bit...

 
*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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... a sampling of some of the photos I took today around the house...


***all photos by Elaine A. Russell***

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Rather than verbally vomit a diatribe about my lack of sleep (a lot)
... and how it seems like everyone else in the house snores like crazy...

I will focus on the good--

We have fresh flowers in the house... gorgeous iris, lilies, freesia and belles of Ireland...
I made a roasted margarita chicken late last night
the house is relatively clean and the laundry is done...
I have some English Toffee in the cupboard from Trader Joe's
... and I've been working on some of my older photos


(the one for today's post was taken 3-8-10 on a trip back to PA.
I took it somewhere in Texas... shooting the photo out of the car window as I was driving by... )

*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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Some days you just have to say... What?! the F*#^...
*photo by Elaine A. Russell.... taken at the Zoo back in 2009... and re-vamped today...

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These past few days since sitting my new laptop... have been interesting. I have rediscovered a lot of my older photos that I had on disc... and are now more readily available. And it's been a lot of fun to play with them.

I took this photo back in 2009, at the Factory on 5th... where I had a studio at the time.
So very much has changed since then...

I also took this opportunity to go thru a small ton of emails that I had saved on my drives since 2008... who knows why. It made sense at the time... but now... because of the nature of some of the emails... it was just bad energy. Gone.

In short... it's been a few days of clearing out... moving on... (and in relation to the photo for today...
getting rid of things that were "tying me down"... )

*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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One of the things I love about photography... is how... by simply making small changes in the color, or contrast, or white balance... you can completely change the feel of a photo.

Above... is a simple shot of a rose that I took this afternoon.
It is untouched... and in outdoor light on my patio.

The next two photos... show changes in color, white balance and contrast.

 

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Inspiration can come from anywhere... and quite often... it does.

Is it shimmering magic from other worlds raining down into our atmosphere... is it the sparkles on a new bolt of fabric... or is it just a water puddle in an otherwise forgotten parking lot... only you can decide.

Too many times we get caught up in our day to day existence... missing the magic that happens every single day.
I hope you enjoy your weekend. I hope you do something extraordinary.
I hope you see something... magical...


*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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Happy Earth Day!
and happy birthday (to me)...


Go get a cuppa FREE coffee at your local Starbucks... free if you bring your own cup...
and celebrate the day!


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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BAJ has been hurt... he was driving near the home... and swerved to avoid a reckless driver who sped out in front of him. Fortunately... he has "only" suffered a very sore; bruised and swollen; neck. I say "only"... as I know all too well how badly an injury like that can hurt.

And so... he is (hopefully) going to be taking it easy for a few days around the house.
I am anticipating lots of re-runs of "Dr. Who" on dvd...

About the photo for today's post: I actually took this exactly a year ago today... when I had hurt my neck. I was visiting a massage therapist... and took this photo in the office space. Go figure...


*photo by Elaine A. Russell

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As you all know (and are probably sick of hearing about)... my laptop started going wonky just after the first of the year... and completely died in February. Since then, we have been trying to get parts to fix it... without success... and I have been using BAJ's to write my blog and update my 365 Photo a Day project on a daily basis. But it's been difficult.

BAJ works with computers in real life... and also has alot of hobbies that include being on-line as well... so... getting access can sometimes be sketchy. I could sometimes use it during the day when he was at work (if no one else was using it -- and if I was up... and at home instead of running errands). But oftentimes I couldn't use it at night because I didn't want to take it away from him.

Plus there was the whole thing about loading pics onto someone else's computer... just to remove them as soon as I got them posted on-line...
I know. I am spoiled. I realize that. I also realize how much I use a computer... and how nice it is to have access to my very own... that I can use when I want to... and store all my photos and such on...

Anyway. As of late yesterday afternoon... I now have a shiny new laptop! It is a Dell Inspiron... black... with a 17 inch monitor. The screen feels HUGE! My old laptop had a 15 inch monitor... and it's amazing to see my photos on a bigger screen.

BAJ completely surprised me with the news that he ordered one for me...
and he got me a great one.
And I am super grateful.