Every Day Is A Winding Road

 

"But you are still you, and I am still me, and we are still we."

~Richard L. Ratliff

Well, this is a busy weekend for us! Today is Valentine's day, tomorrow is the anniversary of the purchase of our condominium, and it was just a couple days ago that we bought the new Mini Cooper, so it has taken a bit of time doing all the necessary tasks, although some of which I am pushing into next week! But for right now we are just planning on enjoying being us. The us that can make monumental decisions without losing each other in the details. We have pretty much become of one mind when it comes to the big decisions. You would think that would be boring, but believe me, it's not. We make our decisions together, but that doesn't mean that there isn't vigorous debate on what path we take getting there! 

Everyday is a winding road, right?

 Hopefully that road looks just like Desmond road in spring!

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your love!

Our favorite romantic movie scene...

~

Happy Valentine's Day 2018

"Touch of the wind, touch of the water, touch of the spring flowers... none of these are as great as the touch of love."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I hope your day is filled with friendship, laughter, love and all the wonderful feelings of joy and togetherness!

 It's what the day is about!

Mood: Happy
~Me

 

Happy Valentine's Day

I love you.

 I hate you. 

I like you.

 I hate you.

 I think you're stupid. 

I think you're a loser.

 I think you're wonderful.

 I want to be with you.

 I don't want to be with you. 

I would never date you.

 I hate you. 

    I love you... 

I think the madness started the moment we met and you shook my hand. 

Did you have a disease or something?

~Shannon L. Adler

Oh my God, have I ever felt like this before! I have fallen in love at first sight. I once took 12 years to fully fall in love, and it was totally worth the wait! I feel in love many times with the wrong person, and just once with the right one. I have fallen in love with stars so high in the sky, that I will never be able to touch, only admire from here on earth. Which is terrific, because that light will always be there. You know the light... right? The light of perfection. The light that lives in the part of the sky where the picnic is always perfect, and where there is always a cool breeze moves gently past your face that always smells a bit like lavender, and where his eyes hold your eyes for a million years. You know this is fantasy love, and it has it's place. It's important. And one of the best parts about being alive. It's all part of a dream life, that is just as relevant as the real thing. Just ask any one of my celebrity crushes, because chances are, they have also felt that way about someone, at some point in their life. The crush... is there anything else like it? No, not quite. The crush takes no work, and it lives as long as you want it to. The crush lives forever, up in the tiny lights in the sky. 

My Celebrity Crushes

  (In no particular order)

David Duchovny

Micky Dolenz

Hubert Humphrey

Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton)

Anson Williams

David Cassidy

Steve Wozniak

Harry Connick Jr.

Dylan McDermott

Keith Olbermann

Mark Harmon

Bruce Willis (David Addison)

David Hedison

Judge Reinhold

Steven King (the author)

Bruce Boxleitner

Paul McCartney

Dr. Robert Reich

Harrison Ford

Pierce Brosnan

::::Sigh::::

Dreamy, and as unreachable as the stars. Thank goodness!

:)

"I want to touch with my mouth. His mouth, with my mouth. Maybe his neck too. But first things first: Make him aware I exist. 

It's possible that he already aware, if only in a

 'don't step on the small girl' kind of way."

~Laini Taylor

Night Of Cake And Puppets

Real love is the best love. But crush love has it's place too. 

If only to remind one how wonderful it is here on earth!

Love every single day, as much as you can!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mood: HAPPY

~Me :)

Thoughts On Love...

"This fire that we call Loving is too strong for human minds. But just right for human souls."

~Aberjhani

Elemental: The Power Of Illuminated Love

One more day to go until Valentine's Day. This year is very different than last year, for one thing Alan and I will be officially celebrating the holiday next week, but that's fine, because on the actual holiday we are planning to stay home, make some homemade Panini and cuddle on the couch in front of some old movies... or Twin Peaks on Netflix... LOL... I am not quite sure which sounds better! So, this year I get to have 2 Valentine's Days. I am a lucky girl! So, in that I will be celebrating the holiday in a more relaxed manner, I thought it would be fun to search out some quotes about love from different sources. Love is a funny emotion, no two people feel exactly the same way about it, unlike hate or indifference, which somehow folks can experience in whole big groups of people! 

Isn't that odd?

Anyway

Thoughts On Love

"Why send roses? Wouldn't it be more romantic to deliver a dozen orgasms? For only $19.95 I'll deliver them to your woman any day of the year. But be sure to book early for Valentine's Day."

~Jarod Kintz

99 Cents For Some Nonsense

"February... the month of love...?!!

 No wonder its the shortest one on the calendar."

~Dinesh Kimar Biran

"If my Valentine you won't be

I'll hang myself on your Christmas tree."

~Ernest Hemingway

"If love is blind, why is lingerie so expensive?"

~Anonymous

"Basement smells bad. Look for cat poops, change litter.

 Happy Valentine's Day"

~Martha Stewart To Her Gardener

"I wasn't kissing her, I was whispering in her mouth."

~Albert Einstein

"When I think about Valentine's Day, 

I don't usually think about a flying toddler

 shooting me in the butt with arrows.

~Unknown

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

He + Me

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

~Lao Tzu

Yeah, I know, I was missing in action yesterday, but I had a good reason, my Fibromyalgia. Stupid, but true. Alan came home from work and gave me the biggest hug, and the pain shot through my body like I was being eaten alive by sharks. It will pass, and I can refill my prescription in a couple days, but until then I just need to be careful with things. Alan is amazing about what I go through with the pain, and does everything to help. He does the laundry, so all I have to do is hang things up. He takes care of the cats needs, if I can't, and he makes dinner when I am tired. He takes amazing care of me, and never complains. I am so lucky to have found him in this big world. 

So very lucky!

Mood: Happy

Me :)

Kiss Me

"Don't kiss in public, unless it's midnight and you're

 both wearing black

 so nobody can see you're naked."

~Jarod Kintz

This Book Has No Title

Alan and I shared our first kiss, 27 years ago,

 on a very HOT August day,

 over a slice of very COLD summer fruit.

 It was delicious! And 27 years later, it still is!

Kiss Me

By Sixpence None The Richer

We don't have fireflies in California, but when that man kisses me, I see them all the same. 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Love Takes Work

"Love... a wildly misunderstood, although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain,

 causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise

 and the lips to pucker."

~Unknown

Yep, apparently "Unknown" has been in love at least once! And yes, I do know we have a few days to go before Valentine's Day, but I am planning to do a lot of photos this week surrounding the holiday. I need more in my archives than pictures of leaves. Although, if there could be someway to incorporate the two, that would probably be the best of both worlds. I do a lot better with earth tones than I do with pastels. 

Not loving the pastels. 

But totally loving the challenge!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Look Back At February 2014

"I tend to think of the act of photographing, generally speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go where I've never been."

~Diane Arbus

February... come and gone. Am I sorry about that fact... ummm... nope! I am actually having fun this year, so I am more than ready to move on to a March! But for the last day of February there will be rain, and wind, and thunder. Hopefully thunder. I like thunder. It's unpredictable. Will it strike the yard? Don't know! Will it strike my stupid, mean spirited neighbor's yard? Hope so! LOL. But it would be wrong to sit here wishing for that. Right?

Right?

Anyway, here is the month of February in pictures. 

Enjoy!















 

So, what will March be like in terms of my photography? Well, I can tell you that tomorrow (Saturday) I am going to be on a boat in the San Francisco Bay. The weather is taking a break from rain and wind, just when I need it to. I can't wait. I love the bay and would spend more time on or near it if I could. It's my inner mermaid I think. Or maybe I just love the water. Who knows?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Love And The February Full Snow Moon

"You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It's not overrated. There's a reason for all those songs."

~Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby

Yesterday was a busy day... and night! Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was also the rise of the Full Snow Moon! I had a full day editing photos, and then Alan brought home some Italian food so I wouldn't have to cook. THAT'S LOVE! LOL. Funny how it's the smallest gestures that say the biggest messages sometimes.Not that bringing home Italian food is a small gesture, trust me, I appreciated it and getting an evening off, to just cuddle up with my fellas... all 4 of them now... made for a very happy Valentine's Day!

And with that little extra energy, I was able to go out last evening with the cameras, and photograph the Full Snow Moon, which rose at 6:51 p.m. Pacific Time. I had a lovely clear view, which was a relief, because there is more rain heading into the Bay Area soon! No fog. No clouds. Just amazingly clear skies. The temperature was even agreeable, especially for February, it was 57 degrees. Nice. So, I got this month's full moon, so now, with a little luck, I will be able to continue my full moon series. Come on luck... stay with me!

Full Moon And Romance...


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Happy Valentine's Day

"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination."

~Voltaire

From Me To You...

Happy Valentine's Day 

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

Love Sure Has Changed Since I Was A Child

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

~William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

How weird is this? Duck Dynasty valentines? Duck Dynasty? Who gives someone they love, Duck Dynasty valentines? What about these people... says... love? Don't get me wrong, I am sure as a family they have a strong love for each other, and I am sure they love their true fans, but beyond that... what?

Thoughts?

Mood: Inquisitive

~Me :)

Messages

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

~Albert Einstein


I saw this car last Tuesday. I love it. Not only does the owner have a clear message about how loved they are, the person who felt so enamored demonstrated their affection using Post-It notes. Every since Carrie Bradshaw was dumped by that cad Jack Berger, I have wondered if anyone had ever found out they were loved by a Post-It note. Happily, the answer is YES! Guys, and Girls... don't break up with your person using a Post-It note, but on the other hand there is no bad time to tell your love just how much they are loved... and yes... a Post-It note is a good start!

Sex And The City
"I'm Sorry I Can't, Don't Hate Me"
Season #6 Episode #81: The Post-It Always Sticks Twice



Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

Many are the stars I see, but in my eye no star like thee.

~English Saying


Tell someone you LOVE them today. It does a heart good!

:)

EMPS: Happy Valentine's Day!

From For Ellipsis

"Love, a wildly misunderstood, although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise, and lips to pucker."

-Unknown

Happy Valentine's Day!

There is still time to play participate in this week's Monday Photo Shoot assignment. It doesn't close until 9:00 PM ET! If you can't join us for this assignment, no worries, a new EMPS will be posted at midnight! Hope to see you for our next assignment!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #76: Valentine's Day

"I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon."

-Unknown










EMPS#76: Valentine's Day. NOW CLOSED!
My goodness, where has the time gone? Next Saturday is Valentine's Day, so lets go out this week and find some reasonable representations of the day. Hearts, flowers, decorated boxes of candy, stuffed animals, boxer shorts with hearts on them, little boxes of conversation hearts...you get the idea. Show me the love! No archives for this one m'dears... I want to see the love from this year!

Extra Credit: Create a Valentine's Day greeting for your fellow photographers, using your photo editing software. :)

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes at 9:00 PM ET next Sunday evening. Please submit your entries by that date and time by getting your photo, uploading it to your blog, journal or website and coming back here with the direct link back to it. Please folks, the link you provide must go back to an entry which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. A general link to your site will not do, and NO HYPERLINKS WILL BE ACCEPTED OR ADDED TO THE LINKING LIST. Also, please include a link back to the assignment.

Linking List for EMPS #75: Peaceful Places 02/01/10

NOW CLOSED!

1. Spiderdama

2. Greg

3. Hannah - Zukan**Welcome To The Monday Photo Shoot!

4. Sherrie

5. Suzanne

6. Sandy

7. Martha

8. Jama

9. Carolyn Ford

10. Nesa

11. Mike

12. Karen (Via Email)

Thank you for your continued participation. I will be looking forward to what you come up with for Valentine's Day! I will also be playing along, so please look for my entry later this week!


**Just a reminder, beginning this Thursday, Feb 11th, I will be sharing co-hosting duties of the Weekend Assignment with our friend Karen. I hope you can join us. If you haven't participated before, please consider giving it a try! :)

-Carly

Are You A Biter Or A Pincher?

"All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

-Charles Schulz

Silly! Get your mind out of the gutter! LOL. I was innocently referring to your style of eating chocolate. Tee Hee. Alan bought me a heart shaped box of Whitman's Chocolate for Valentine's Day, and as we ate the yummy candy, we had quite a discussion about how we determine which candy is which. I am a pincher. I like to know whats hiding in the chocolate before I jump in. Alan bites right in, and if it is something he doesn't care for, he eats it anyway, unless it is coconut. He is allergic to coconut. Bad, bad things happen when he eats coconut. He is so repulsed by it, that he can't even stand to be around the scent of coconut! Which means from time to time an innocent piece of Whitman's chocolate ends up spit across the room. Sigh. It could all be avoided if I could just persuade him to become a pincher, rather then a biter! LOL.

How about you? Do you pinch or bite?

Tell me everything!

-Carly

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

"When you smiled, you had my undivided attention. When you laughed, you had my urge to laugh with you. When you cried, you had my urge to hold you, when you said you loved me, you had my heart forever."

-Unknown

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alan and I are making a cheese fondue for dinner, followed by a chocolate fondue for dessert, then we are going to put the babies to bed, snuggle into each other, with a big warm blanket around us, and watch monster movies, while the rain pours outside. It's not everyone's idea of romance, but it works for us.

:)

Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Carly

Karen's Monday Photo Shoot #7: Valentine Views

"Love... a wildly misunderstood, although highly desirable, malfunction of the brain, which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and lips to pucker."

-Author Unknown

New Monday Photo Shoot #7: Valentine's Day is nearly upon us. Show us something related to that day.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I decided to make a homemade valentine for Alan this year. :) I will share more about what I have planned for Valentine's Day on Wednesday, but for now, here is the whatnot about the photo. I used one of the photos I took in the Golden Gate Park Rose Garden last year. We had a good day together that day, so it should bring back some nice memories! ;)

-OndineMonet
"Happy Valentine's Day"
February 11th, 2008
Berkeley, California
Early Evening

Blossoms In Winter

"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it."

-Johan Wolfgang Goethe

Alan and I had such a good time for Valentine's Day, we spent the day in San Francisco, at the Conservatory of Flowers. There were two exhibits in particular that we wanted to see. The first one was, "One: An Earth Installation," by artist, Stanley Gatti, which I will share with you in a few days, and the second display was the, "Chinese New Year Floral Display," of various types of spring blossoms and fruit, including mandarin oranges, quince, and pomelo.

The fruit and blossom display was held in the potted plant room, so along with the special blossoms, there were some of the usual sights I have seen there, such as the amazing hibiscus and azaleas plants, which is always beautiful, but yesterday, set against the stark white ceiling, were red Chinese lanterns, and yards of oriental silk fabric, which provided a dramatic effect to the exhibit. One absolutely stunning sight was a display of yellow, and deep purple colored orchids, that had the red fabric running like a ribbon just above the flowers.

The weather outside yesterday was lovely and warm, and it seemed everywhere I looked, there were folks walking along with flower bouquets or balloons, or even the occassional stuffed bear or gorilla. It all made for a really nice way to spend a day with someone you love. It was the perfect Valentine's Day... thanks Alan! :)

"The year is unfolding... like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within."

-Unknown

One: An Earth Installation
By Stanley Gatti - November 17 - April 15

Chinese New Year Floral Display
February 6 - March 4

NOTE: If you want a giggle, see this story here. It seems for the second year in a row, as many as 1,000 people have been gathering at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco to engage in a bit of lighthearted fun... a good old fashioned... pillow fight! The link to the above article is all about the 2006 gathering. :) Go have a look. :)

-OndineMonet
"Blossoms"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
February 14th, 2007
Afternoon

To All The Men I've Loved Before...

"Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

-Albert Einstein

It's such nonsense, but I have been thinking about all my past boyfriends the last couple days. With very few exceptions, I was lucky enough to remain friends with most of them, there are only a couple I no longer have contact with...which believe me...is really just as well! One such Ex-File, was "Empty Vase Guy." I don't think I shared about him, when I was writing my EX-FILES series on my AOL journal Ellipsis. "Empty Vase Guy," was just that...shallow as they come, and when we broke up, it was a great day in the universe. We kinda stayed friends, as well were in the same circle of friends, and then one day that all changed. See, I was selling Avon at the time, to try and supplement my income, and occasionally he would help me out by buying something from one of my catalogs. His way of keeping in touch with me no doubt. Well, one promotion that just happened to fall a couple week's before Valentine's Day, offered a certificate for a free bouquet of roses, a $12.99 value, with the purchase of a very pretty cut glass vase from the catalog.

"Empty Vase Guy," loved a bargain! He ordered the vase and it arrived just in time for Valentine's Day. 6 months earlier we had broken up, and he immediately began dating "Dora," a lovely girl, who I liked very much. So much so, that I kind felt sorry for her that he was apparently the love of her life, kinda like the way I feel sorry for Laura Bush having George as the love of her life. Tee Hee. Anyway, I called "Empty Vase Guy" to tell him his vase had arrived. A few hours later, he came to my place to pick it up. I had it packaged and ready for him. As I handed him the bag, he reached inside of the package and pulled out the certificate for the free flowers, and then handed the bag with the vase back to me. "What's this I asked?" "Here," he said, "You keep the vase." I didn't know what to say." But "L" I think the idea is for you to redeem the certificate for the flowers, and then put them in the vase for your girlfriend. "No," said he, "I want you to have the vase, cause I know you had a hard time getting over me."

ROFLMAO!

Two years later I sold it at a yard sale for $2.99! Tee Hee! :)

Here is a partial list of my great crushes over the years, in no particular order. Can you guess my top 5 from this list? Come on, give it a try...

Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman (The West Wing)

Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

Robert Wagner as Jonathon Hart (Hart To Hart)

John Ritter as Himself

Barney Rubble

Woody Allen as Himself

Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton (The Waltons)

Bobby Sherman as Himself

Hubert Humphrey as Himself

Bruce Boxleitner as Lee Stetson (Scarecrow And Mrs. King)

Fred Grandy as Gopher Smith (The Love Boat)

George of the Jungle... Friend to you and Me!

Al Gore :)

David Duchovny as Himself

Harry Connick Jr. as Himself

Micky Dolenz...ahem...as Himself ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

"No, this trick won't work... how on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemisty and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"

-Albert Einstein

-OndineMonet
"Kiss Me"
Berkeley, California
February 12, 2007
Evening