Sky Watch Friday

Today I thought I'd do something a little different, and post some neat photos of the sky. What? Oh. Right. Well, on with it then. :)



Up first is a cool view I saw while we were stopped to pick up some corn while in Massachusetts.

Love the pumpkin field too, it just screams Autumn in sooo many ways! Those sweeping clouds aren't too shabby either!

I caught someone taking a photo of the State House in boston...Jeanne? Is that you?? hehe

We were so glad that the weather held off for us while we did what we do best when in Boston. Next up is one of my favorite sights..as much as I also love a good starbucks, or Seattle's Best, there's just something about Dunkin' Donuts.

And last but not least is a night shot taken enjoying the parent's new fire pit. We toasted marshmallows and made s'mores, and just enjoyed the evening around the dancing flames. You can just see the moon above the tree in the center.

As always stop over at The Official Skywatch Blog and check out some of the links to other Skywatch participants. Have a great weekend all!

Tagged By Craver VII

Last week I was tagged by Craver VII, to tell about 5 ways blogging has affected my life, (positively or negatively) so today I'll post those 5 ways.

1. I originally started blogging (on another site) back in 2005 to keep in touch with friends & family when I moved away from my hometown, where I had lived for all of my 35 years. It was a way for me to share photos, and even the mundane day to day stuff.

2. I've always been pretty easy going, but would quickly dismiss those with ideas or ideals, that weren't the same as mine. Now I listen more to those people in order to learn more about myself, as well as others. There will always be things I may not agree with, but at least I heard them out. This has definitely impacted my work life as well as my blog reading/writing.

3. I like to think my photography has improved. I know my equipment has. ;)

4. Blogging increased my appetite for travel. Not necessarily out of the country but definitely to other states.

5. Sometimes I'm happier sitting in front of the screen, instead of getting outside. It *may* be seasonal, because summer in Florida is just plain mean. Winter I'm at the beach enjoying the 50 degree mornings.

Thanks again for the tag, Craver VII!

******
The rules:
Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
Link back to the person who tagged you.
Link back to the parent post, so she can track the meme. *edited to correct link*
Tag a few friends or five, or none at all.
Post these rules-- or just have fun breaking them.


And I won't tag anyone..but I won't stop anyone from joining in!

Winding Down...

My vacation is winding down now, and I've had a great one! From hanging out in Northampton and seeing Beau's band at Bishop's Lounge on Wednesday, seeing the girls at dinner on Thursday, a visit to the giant Brimfield flea market on Friday, and Boston on Saturday. Sunday was spent going for a drive with my sister and mom up to vermont, then dinner around the new fire pit they (my parents) put in the yard, complete with s'mores for dessert!

But today is crappy, as I'm feeling like, well, crap. Kinda flu-like, sore throat, just general blah-ness.

Zen is a restaurant in Downtown Northampton, looked and smelled delish!

This view is lower Main St, which is mostly restaurants. Fitzwilly's has been there forever, The Toasted Owl, which is part of Fitzwilly's, is fairly new, and they have great wings!

We were treated to a performance by a traveling group of musicians. It was really cool to see & hear them.

More to come...

Skywatch on vacation..

On vacation this week, so I thought I'd post a few pics from my "other" home. First one is my view out the airplane window en route from Florida to Massachusetts. On the first leg of my flight I had an aisle seat, and hated that I couldn't see out the window very well. The sunrise was beautiful to see, so at least I got to see it a little.

My next photo is from last night at Barnes & Noble. Jeanne & I noticed this parachute floating across the sky during sunset. Very cool!!

Last but not least is a nice little storm cloud that was a bit further west from where my parents live. We heard lots of rumbling thunder, but got no rain, so that was a bonus.

As always go here to find links to hundreds more participants of Skywatch Friday.

Really, I have been Scrapping!!

It's been awhile since I posted any scrap pages, but I have done a few these last few weeks. First one is yet another Boston LO..I can never have enough of those! This one mainly has some of my favorite statues, monuments and buildings. Not to mention those gorgeous views from the River Charles.

Next is one I did as a Month-At-A-Glance type layouts..not quite finished as I still need to add in the date numbers, but all the pics I want to add are on there..want to use it for self-portraits as well. Seems I had plenty of pics for the weekends, but had a hard time finding things for early in the week. Hmmm..

Skywatchers Unite!

This one was taken on a cloudy day back in March on a drive through Vermont with my mom...the barn in the center is just about ready to fall in on itself.

Next photo is same vacation up to massachusetts, but a much sunnier day. I love the white of the Birch trees contrasting with the sky and other trees.


And last but not least one from yesterday (8/27). Not much going on at the boat ramp, so I tried to get some shots of the gulls flying about. Taken late afternoon, looking south.

So, there you have it. As always click for the larger image, and go here to find links to all the other participants of Skywatch!

Are you ready for some football???

So, last week the higher-ups at work surprised several people with tickets (very good seats also!) to the Jacksonville Jaguars preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Jags lost, but it was a blast anyway. I have only been to one other pro football game before, that being a NE Patriots game back in 2000. In october no less, so it was freezing and windy in Gillette Stadium!

Thought I'd share a few pictures from the Jaguars game.

As the sky darkens..

..once again. Doubt it will be on the scale of Fay, but I've had enough. Today was mostly sunny and up near 90 deg F.

Thought I'd post some random pics I've taken recently...nothing to do with the sky for a change.

These were taken on Aug 10th, a very foggy sunday morning..I wished I had stuck around the boat ramp when the sun broke...it looked amazing from my apartment, but I'm quite happy with what images I did get..

Fay...

The storm is still churning around, and hasn't quite decided what She wants to do yet. For now we have some strong winds and some heavy rain. We haven't lost power yet, so that's a good thing. I went to the Beach last night to check out the surf, and it was pretty high then already.

The cable went out here, and I couldn't finish my post, but now it's back up (oh, how technology rules my life).

This first view is the entrance to Atlantic Beach in Jacksonville.

And the sea & sky looking south/southeast. I was hoping I could head down again today, but they closed the Dames Point Bridge due to high winds..

Love the seaside weathervane here. This view is looking northwest. I believe it'll be a few days before I see the sun again!

As always click the photo for a larger view, and by all means visit the Skywatch website for links to many many more participants!

Happy Skywatch!

So, here we are again. This week has been filled with wicked thunderstorms almost every day. Usually they show up around lunchtime, sometimes closer to mid-afternoon...sometimes all day. First photo is from the Beach, very close to the Naval Air Base, this plane made it's way slowly by.

Yesterday we lost power for a bit, so when I got home from work (it was windy, but no storms in sight), I decided to take my usual trek down the road..that boat ramp is becoming like a second home, lol. Sunset photos taken with sunset setting.

The sunset was beautiful, as usual. and this pretty pink cloud is what I saw walking back to my apartment. I walked a bit farther up the street, to get it just right under the overhanging branch, by then it had started to sprinkle again, so I quickly made my way inside where it was safe...and the power was back on, too!

To see more great photos, go here, Skywatch is great!!

more photos..

I

Thought I'd add a couple pics from that sun

shower, that don't include the sky, but I still liked.

Skywatch time once again..

A few days ago, monday I think, we had a wicked sun shower...it was amazing. I was running from front door to back door seeing where the good pictures were. This one shows the darker clouds, but on the other side, was blue as could be..and the drops were huge, the sun was glinting off of the raindrops as I'd never seen! It was pretty sweet.


Tonight we had a pretty sever t-storm, i live about 5 miles from my work and it had passed home already. There was plenty of debris on the roads as evidence. I headed to my favorite spot to see what I could see, and this is what I got. I used the sunset setting to accentuate the pink in the sky just a little..











That's looking to the southeast, I saw an egret and several gulls hanging about, enjoying the weather after the storm.
Even someone jet skiing, lol

another photo

Went to the public boat ramp this morning, and got a few shots.

Baseball, Beer & Brats..

Vacation is creeping ever so close. Finally under a month to go! YAY!

Just over a week ago I went to a Jacksonville Suns Baseball game. If I had to pick one thing I missed most about Texas, it would be living close enough to Arlington to go to a MLB game whenever I wanted. As long as it wasn't a day game while I was working, that is. hehe.Tampa Bay is too far and Miami is way too far to go for a game. I'd have to make a long weekend out of it, which wouldn't be a bad thing. The Jax Suns are a AA affiliate of the LA Dodgers, so while it's fun, it's not nearly what I'm used to seeing. The price can't be beat, and the Beer & Brats are delish, though! So, with that comes my next layout. It's a 2 page LO, but either Picasa isn't cooperating, or there's another issue.

SWF and then some...

Not much blogging this week. I'm doing a little scrapping, and some picture taking, though! Pictures first, since it's that time of week again!


Sky Watch Friday is pretty awesome, and I love checking out all the other blogs. The cooloest thing is that the pictures transcend language..no matter what country or language (even our own!) the photos tell the story...here's mine!
Both of these photos were taken at the public boat ramp in Jacksonville, near where I live. Last night, I was looking out my balcony door, and saw the tops of the pines just glowing red, I grabbed my camera and ran out the door, locking it, and walking real fast down the road. By the time I got there it had darkened a bit, so I missed the brightest part, but what I did get was still an awesome sight! The daytime photo is looking east I believe, under the trout river bridge (I-95) which you can't see in the picture. So there are my pics for the week.
Tonight I decided to stop and get gas. I still had half a tank, but knowing the price usually rises a bit on the weekends, and seeing that the gas stations by the airport were under $4, I stopped at Hess to fill up. It was $3.89 for regular, and it's quite sad that I'm happy about that price. But while I was pumping the sun was out, and all of a sudden the skies just opened up. The wind was blowing, it came down in buckets and I was soaked, head to toe. At that point I was glad I only had to fill half a tank, lol.

Another new layout!

Had a couple hours this week to do a little scrapping, in between chatting with my best bud Jeanne. Red Sox and Yankees are playing this weekend, but tonight's game isn't being televised here, the Atlanta game is on instead, so I have my trusty XM Radio rolling..

From Jeanne's Blog I learned that Carolyn is giving away some scrap goodies...those would be great to spark my creativity!! Very nice of you to share the wealth!!! :)

Onto my most recent layout..

American crafts PP behind the pics. pointing hand stamp by Melissa Frances, Ink smudges by Delta. Photo taken somewhere in Western Mass. Either the Sugar House, a craft fair, or the haunted hayride place...could have been the apple orchard too. I have no idea. LOL But it was fun, and that's what matters!

Have a great weekend all!!

Skywatch Friday..

Here is this weeks entry for skywatch friday...Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to go here and see all the links to other participants great photos!!

Both of these photos were taken on Rt 247 in Branford, FL, I love passing the wide open fields with the windows open, blaring the radio and singing at the top of my lungs. Happy SWF to all!!

Buds..

I could have added stuff to this LO til I was blue in the face, but luckily I stopped, and then I laughed..Ah we had such a great time that night. But don't we always??

Letters in title from various companies, PP from Adornit, stamped flourish from Autumn leaves, Friends and small flower & star Rub-ons from Royal & Langnickel, adhesive vellum quote from Generations, Journaling with Zig pens...Photos by Jeanne

Autumn in New England..

Of all the things I miss about Home since moving to the South, the one thing I miss most (besides people, obviously!) is the fall. Usually my vacation is around then, but this year I'm going to San Francisco to see a friend. So, hopefully next year I'll make my usual spring/fall vacations...This picture pretty much sums up fall for me, driving thru the small farming towns, streets with fields of bright orange pumpkins on both sides. Farm stands loaded with fresh just-picked veggies, and little kids trying so hard to pick up a huge pumpkin, all by themselves.

On this LO I used Chatterbox PP for all the small leaves, large leaf has the reverse of the PP, large leaf stencil from Tuppertoys (yes I still have mine!), "fall & Pumpkin chips from Colorbok, "pick of the Patch" letters from American Crafts Thickers, and stamped with a flourish from Autumn Leaves. Photo taken in Hatfield, MA I believe...lol.

First (scrappin') Crop!

I finished 2 layouts yesterday at the crop put on by the Pictures In Time Scrapbook shop in Orange Park, FL. We had a lot of fun, ate some christmas-y dinner and desserts, and it was (unintentionally) freezing in the room. The only thing missing was snow! Note to self: bring a sweatshirt next time!! Brrrrr!

Here is the first LO's I finished: First one is for my mom's birthday several years ago. PP is American Crafts Metropolitan, Flower Rub-ons from Junkitz Expressions, Sun stamp is from Autumn Leaves, "on turning" and random 50's are from studio G, Rub-on "50" is from 7Gypsies, Date stamp from Melissa Frances.

The second one is for the doggy that I miss so much. PP is BasicGrey, "Loyal Companion, Fetch and paw print stickers from Reminisce, collar from Jolees leatherettes. I don't remember where the "Sadie" chipboard letters are from, but i painted them white and stamped them with autumn leaves flourishes.

Sky Watch Friday

One picture looking to the east (that would be the rainbow) and one facing the storm to the west. Taken yesterday on Rt 10 (aka atlantic Blvd) jacksonville, FL
Go here to see the official Skywatch Friday Blog, and see all the other great pics people have taken!

My 4th of July LO

I finally got some pics printed for the 2 fireworks shows I attended. Both were so much fun..and here is the layout I came up with. I did a little shopping (mostly in the clearance section) and picked up a white stamp pad. I couldn't wait to try it out, hence the dark background.

Swirl stamp by Autumn Leaves, number stamps from Martha Stewart, July stamp from Studio G. White ink pad from Ink It Up!

Texas memories LO

I'm on a roll now..LOL This layout is just a hodgepodge of pics/memories from my fairly short time in Texas. I may have to do a second page, but for now this one about covers it..

Cow Skull, flag & gold stars by Jolee's Boutique, rub-on stripe down center from American Crafts MiniMarks, "T" from ColorBok Punch out pack, Jewel.

Sunrise Service..

My most recent completed layout tells about my love of watching the sunrise on the beach. It's definitely on e of the best things about living here. I'm lucky to have a public boat ramp nearby where I can also see beatuful sunsets on the water. Looks for a layout on that soon! :)

Ribbon by Making memories, Date stamp (6-20-08) by Martha Stewart, Letters "E" & "I" in journaling from Sticko, flower stamp from Autumn Leaves..

My First Boston LO..

I'm sure the first of many...so many pics to choose from!! I ended up choosing a few that were tall & skinny (or could be cropped that way), then balanced it out with a couple of square pics. I kept it fairly simple, i guess, compared to my others. PP is Perhaps, Fiona from Basic Grey, die cut camera & travel stickers are from Imagine That, The little folder (holding CharlieTicket & Riverside Parking pass), is from ColorBok punch out pack, jewel.

I like how this one came out, and I can't wait to use a couple of the pics Jeanne got of me on some layouts soon!! I'm always taking pics, like her, but she has a hubby to occasionally get one of her. :)

Oh, What A Night!

New layout. Whenever I go home on vacation we try to catch Akashic Record at Bishops lounge, they've cut back on shows, but the Hammond player, Beau has a regular wednesday gig with some other friends, so this time when I was home we only got to see the side project. But all the guys are great, and the music still rocks, and the bartender (Evan) still gave us olives to munch on :)

Best Friends

This is just one layout that will feature me & my best bud Jeanne. Pretty self explanatory, methinks. More to come....Hope everyone had a good 4th of July weekend!