Soak Up The Sun :)

"Truth is like the sun. You shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away."

-Elvis Presley

The sun came out the last couple days, and the warmth was awesome! Today, the cold weather is back, but there is another warm-up next week! I am focusing on that!

:)









-Carly

Ladies and Gentlemen... Aerosmith

Yeah, I am chilling a bit! God I LOVE Stephen Tyler! Oh, and Valium! And Green Tea Frappuccinos!


:)

Grrr... Sarah Palin...!

After Sarah Palin's Twitter crap yesterday, I felt like this video needed to be a part of my entry. Look, Sarah was at her vilest yesterday. Apparently she has never heard of treating others the way she wants to be treated! You know? I really have a hard time believing that our founding fathers had name calling, and hurtful barbs in mind. I don't know, I suppose I could be wrong, but if I am wrong, and they would approve of us slinging such disparities at each other, then AMERICA is not the best country on earth... and it never will be!

The question I have to ask is... Is THIS how you have raised your children Sarah? Do you count name-calling among your family values? If so, fine, do it in your own home, but don't step on clear thinking parents all across America who are working hard to raise fair-minded, responsible children! Sarah, consider your words carefully, would you want someone else messing with your children's morals? Freedom of speech used to hurt others... SAD... OH SO SAD!

Sarah Palin's words...

"Dr.Laura:don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence"isn't American,not fair)"


"Dr.Laura=even more powerful & effective w/out the shackles, so watch out Constitutional obstructionists. And b thankful 4 her voice,America!"



This is all especially confusing, considering what Dr. Laura said about you, after John McCain chose you has his running mate!


"I’m stunned - couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? I realize his advisors probably didn’t want a “mature” woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

-Dr. Laura (Full length article here)

-Carly

PS: You know, it's really difficult not to hop over to Sarah Palin's Twitter page and leave a "Good Morning Bitch!" Thankfully, I know what the 1st Amendment is about!

WA #331: Pie v Cake

"I'd give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter."

-Unknown

Pie? Cake? Pie and Cake? No, that won't work! It would be way too naughty to choose both... wouldn't it? Yeah, it would!

Okay

Reluctantly, I choose Cake! Above you see a Red Velvet cupcake, which I made last Valentine's Day. Black Forest cake is my very favorite type of cake, but to be honest there isn't very many cakes I don't like, with the possible exception of German Chocolate cake. I am not a fan of coconut, even if it is covered in chocolate! LOL. I have been wanting to bake a Lady Baltimore cake for a long time, but just haven't had the chance. It is a rather involved process. If you haven't heard of it, it is usually a yellow cake of several layers, with a wonderful chopped fruit/nut/cream filling. It's a goal at this point. :) Maybe this holiday season will be the right time.



My love of cake, and all things sweet, by the fact that my husband Alan, doesn't like sweets, and he is especially uninterested in cake! In fact he HATES cake. He does, however, make the exception of pie. Yep, I am a cake person, and he is a pie person. Needless to say, I tend to bake more pies then cakes, because it just makes more sense. After all, I don't hate pie, I just love cake more! Above you see my famous, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. A Thanksgiving tradition! I love to bake, pie, cake, it's all good!



I do have to admit, I really only indulge on special occasions these days. And when I do make something, it is usually sugar-free because I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2007. I have found a nice balance with things, and I don't have to cut my sugar consumption back all that much, in fact there are plenty of decadent indulgences available for the Type 2 Diabetic, such as a serving of Chocolate Covered Strawberries. It's true! 4 Chocolate dipped berries, prepared according to most recipes or dipped in Dark Chocolate coating, is about 175 calories! Not bad for a delicious dessert, when you just have to indulge in something wicked! It can keep a gal with a sweet tooth and Type 2 Diabetes sane!

Like I said, it's all good, but really, cake is the best! But if neither cake, nor pie is your favorite, try making Chocolate Dipped Strawberries! Here is the recipe, from Diabetic Gourmet.

Enjoy!

If you haven't joined in the discussion, you still have time. Just visit the Weekend Assignment blog for all the details! Just click the link below!

Weekend Assignment

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #103: Billboards

"On my way here I passed a local cinema and it turned out you were expecting me after all, for the billboards read: The Mummy Returns."

-Margaret Thatcher






EMPS #103: Billboards. NOW CLOSED!
BILLBOARDS, personally speaking I love them, but not everybody does, so, I thought it might be a creative subject to tackle this week! Do you have a BILLBOARD near you that you find interesting or unusual?Great! Let's see it! Do you have a BILLBOARD near you that you find to be an awful eye sore? Show us the BILLBOARD and tell us why you hate it! One thing to keep in mind as you do this challenge, it must be BILLBOARDS you submit... not signs in general! Ok?

Extra Credit: Show us a BILLBOARD from two different categories.

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #102: It's All A Blur 08/09/10

1. Sandy

2. Jama

3. Karen

4. Greg


Okay guys, I will be looking forward to your BILLBOARDS this week. See you next week with an all new assignment and a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Don't forget to check back next Sunday for the BIG news!

-Carly

RRC: About The Weather

"Weather is a great metaphor for life... sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there is nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella."

-Terri Guillemets

RRC: About The Weather
Suggested by Steven and Julie

I wish I had something better for the challenge this time around, but alas I don't. The weather has been very strange in the Bay Area, as you might know from my occasional rantings about it. I don't remember a summer so cold! It makes me wonder what the winter has in store for us. Sigh. Every single day has had the same pattern, cold/foggy/drizzly in the morning, only to burn off to a fairly decent/sunny afternoon, only to return to fog and clouds just before night fall. Spooky cold for AUGUST!

Like I said, I don't really have much to show you, but I do think my sunflowers tell the tale pretty accurately. The "Before" photo was taken Thursday afternoon, and the "After" was taken Friday morning.

BEFORE...



AFTER...



Both photos were taken less then 24 hours apart, notice the new growth of the sunflower at the bottom. It grew at least 3 inches overnight. The sunflower to the left is much closer to opening. I love watching sunflowers grow, they are such interesting flowers!

Now that you have seen my entry, go take a jog around the land and visit the other participating Robins!

Round Robin Photo Blog (Links will be available on Saturday, sometime after midnight)

And don't forget to check back on Sunday, to learn the topic of our next challenge!

:)

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #102: It's All A Blur!

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."

-Arnold Toybee









EMPS #102:IT'S ALL A BLUR! NOW CLOSED!
LOL. Believe it or not, that photo is actually in focus, it's the painting that's slightly BLURRY! And so you have your assignment this week! I want you to show me something BLURRY! But here is the catch, please find me something that is always BLURRY! Not just an out of focus photo you have in your archives. Again, you are encouraged to think outside the box. Go as far out on a limb as you like. One idea might be to show us... oh say... a metaphor. Such as your interpretation of the lines that BLUR between good and evil!

Extra Credit: Like last week, I would love it if you shared a little about what it was like to do this week's assignment!

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #101: On The Horizon. 08/02/10

1. Freda

2. Sandy

3. Jama

4. Greg

5. Carly (Hey, that's me!)

6. Karen


Okay, that will do it for this week. See you next Monday with an all new EMPS assignment!

-Carly

EMPS #101: On The Horizon

"When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside, too."

~Linda Solegato

EMPS#101: On The Horizon

My Garden.

Earlier this week, I showed you some of my sunflowers. There will be more pictures of them to come, but for now, lets look at the roses. :) I planted 5 different ones this year.

1. Pink Promise (pink with hints of white and greeen)

2. Angel Face (deep lavender)

3. Beloved (dark red)

4. Apricot Nectar (apricot with pink tones)

5. Red/Gold (more like bright yellow and hot pink)

I am considering adding a few more next year. I like the bright colors of the ones I planted this year, but there are some really unusual colored ones I like as well. One of the most beautiful is the "Honey Dijon" which actually is the color of Honey-Dijon mustard. Lovely. Also the "Pumpkin Patch" rose. It is gorgeous, colored dark, like the very darkest orange of a pumpkin rind. If I had the room I would probably fill the yard with roses, but fighting aphids would be exhausting. LOL. Aphids destroyed my garden a couple years ago, and I wouldn't want that to happen again. It broke my heart to see all my work and care for my roses just wither and die. DARN APHIDS!

:)

(Pink Promise) The Official rose associated with Breast Cancer awareness.



Red/Gold...



The rose at the top of the entry is the "Apricot Nectar" rose.


Who knows what next year's garden might bring. I know one thing for sure, there will be plenty of ladybugs. You can buy them at Home Depot and cost about $5.99 for 2,000 or so. They are the best friend of the rose gardener, as they LOVE to munch on aphids!

Here ladybug, ladybug, ladybug...

Okay, that's my look at the horizon, my plans for my garden. How about you? Did you do this week's Monday Photo Shoot assignment? If not, you still have time. It doesn't close until 6:00 PM tonight. If you can't make it this week, I hope to see you next week!



-Carly

Technically It's The Middle Of Summer, But...

"Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock."

-Henry Ward Beecher

Okay, okay... I know... it's the middle of summer, but see, you would never know it if you lived in the Bay Area. It has been the coldest summer I remember, which makes it seem a little more like autumn. Today, for example, I have the back door open, but I am sitting here, typing this in a sweater. Strange. The garden seems to be enjoying it. My roses, which I will show you in an entry next week, are in full glorious bloom, as are the sunflowers that you see here, but the veggies are coming along SLOWLY. VERY SLOWLY. I think it has been all those foggy mornings, and afternoons with temperatures barely out of the 70's. Don't know for sure, but that appears to be the cause. Anyway, the sunflowers are the stars this week. I just love the unusual colors, don't you? I wish I would have planted more, but I was thinking on a smaller scale. No worries. Wait till you see the garden next year. There is a lot to look forward to. And all of it makes me happy. After all... who wouldn't smile with this much life in the garden?

:)








I look at these sunflowers and I see AUTUMN. I can't wait for my favorite season to officially arrive!


-Carly

Tee Hee (SMILE IT'S GOOD FOR YOU)

"When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty.

-Woody Allen

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #101: On The Horizon

"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road."

-Dan Hammarskjold








EMPS #101: ON THE HORIZON NOW CLOSED!
Here's the idea folks. I would like you to grab your cameras and show me your HORIZON. If you want to show me an awesome sunset, that would be good. If you want to show me a calendar with a future date circled, that would be a really creative way to display the horizon as well! Metaphorical HORIZONS are encouraged! I want you to consider thinking outside the box with your photography. Remember, the only way to see past the immediate, is to look to the HORIZON! PLEASE FOLKS FOR THIS WEEK... NO ARCHIVES!

Extra Credit: Please write a paragraph or two about the scene you choose to photograph this week, and how it felt to do so!

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #100: Fun With Editing! 07/26/10

1. Carolyn

2. Jama

3. Ricky (Welcome To The Monday Photo Shoot)

4. Sandy

5. Karen

6. Carly, Hey, that's me! :)

7. J.R. Cline


Alrighty then, I will be looking forward to your submissions this week. I will be participating as well, so look for my entry later this week! Till next time... Happy Photo Jaunting!

-Carly

EMPS #100: Fun With Editing

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

-Walt Disney

Now does that look like a face you would see on a "Wanted" poster?

How about this one...



Nah... they are way to sweet! That's my boys! See, isn't it fun to enhance a photo once in a while?

If you haven't played along yet with the current assignment, you have until 9:00 PM tonight to submit your assignment. If you can't join us for assignment #100, no worries, there will be a new assignment posted tomorrow. You can get all the info here. Hope to see you!


-Carly

RRC: By The Water

"Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water."

-Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

RRC: By The Water

I LOVE living in the Bay Area! Actually, I love living in California, even with all the troubles the state has faced in recent years. I know, I know... I have disparaged it from time to time by referring to it not as The Golden State, but rather The Tin Foil State. But that's all politics. As we all know, politics can be... well... disparaging. But enough of all that. At the end of the day, California is a breathtakingly beautiful place to live. It has it all. One February, a few years back, I actually watched the Mavericks surfing competition on the beach in Half Moon Bay, and the next day I was off to the snow in South Lake Tahoe! How is that for versatility? As varied as California can be, it's the shoreline I love the best.

San Francisco, as seen from the Marin Headlands.



On the cliffs in Monterey, California.



On A Foggy Day In Morro Bay, California



Pacific Grove, California



Sunset in near Hearst Castle, California



Autumn in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco



Near Bodega Bay, California



South Lake Tahoe, California



Susan's Spot Cisco Grove Campground (Placer County, California)


Okie doke... that's my pictorial of "By The Water" now go check out the entries by the other participating Robins!

Linking List, as of 12:00 AM Saturday, July 31st 2010

***WELCOME NEW PARTICIPANTS!

Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

Karen... Mavarin
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

Rich... Rich Image
Posted!

Freda... Day One
Posted!

Linda... Mommy's Treasures
Posted!

Monica... Shutterly Happy
Posted!

Jennifer Robin... Robins Woods
Posted!

***Tanya... Capturing Tranquility
Posted!

Fhaye... Your Daily Photo Depot


Margaret... Margaret's Musings
Posted!

***Taylor... Taylor's Photos
Posted!

Peggy... Holmespunfun Memes and Themes
Posted!

Maryt... Mary Tomaselli's Photos
Posted!

Sandy... From The Heart Of Texas
Posted!

***Rue (aka Ethos)... Passion in the Moments
Posted!

Manang Kim... My Photography In Focus
Posted!

Ruth... Scrabblequeen
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

Be sure to check the official Round Robin blog tomorrow, to find out the topic of our next challenge!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #100: Fun With Editing!

"Photography is truth."

-Jean-luc Godard











EMPS #100: FUN WITH EDITING! NOW CLOSED!
It doesn't get more simple then this. Showcase one of your favorite photos, using a photo editing program. Add frames, or thought bubbles. Anything goes! Just have FUN WITH EDITING!

Extra Credit: Add a caption to your photo!

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #99: Cemeteries 07/19/2010

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama

2. Freda

3. Greg

4. Hip Chick

5. Duane

6. Carly, Hey... that's me! :)

7. Sandy

8. Karen (Submitted Via Email) Entry One and Entry Two

Note: I did my fun edited photo through a website called Photofunia.

See you next week with an all new EMPS assignment!

-Carly

EMPS #99: Cemeteries

"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."

- Harold Wilson

Last fall Alan and I took a ride to Plumas County, which is several hundred miles north of the Bay Area. We were looking for autumn, and boy did we find it! Plumas is the best place to see autumn in all it's living glory! Every season provides a visual treat for a photographer, but autumn in the mountains is really something special. It's so funny about autumn, on the one hand it is perhaps the most vivid reminder of the mortality of living things, and yet on the other, seeing the last burst of color before the coming death of winter reminds us to live out loud until the very end. I love holding moments like this one and feeling a little bit of the immortality photography gives us.


By the way, there is still time to participate in this Monday Photo Shoot assignment. If you can't make it this week, there will be a new one posted tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #99: Cemeteries

"I will always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at Tombstone, Arizona. It says: "Here lies Jack Williams. He done his damndest." I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can have."

-Harry Truman








EMPS #99: CEMETERIES. NOW CLOSED!
CEMETERIES... Creepy? Or Peaceful? John Scalzi posed this question back when he was the host of the Monday Photo Shoot, and I thought this might be a good time to revisit the subject! By the way, CEMETERIES doesn't have to be limited to what traditionally comes to mind when we think of this subject, an auto wrecking yard might also be considered a CEMETERY. Use your imagination with this one.

Extra Credit: I would like to see both a color and black & white photo interpretation of the subject. Let's explore the emotion we get from the two different views.

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #98: Summer Treats 07/12/10

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama

2. Karen

3. Carly... Hey, that's me!

4. Hip Chick


It was fun viewing all those awesome treats this week! Ok, go have some fun with this week's assignment! I will be looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

-Carly

EMPS: Summer Treats

"In Summer, the song sings itself."

-William Carlos Williams

What says "Summertime" better then cotton candy? YUM. Especially PINK cotton candy! I never buy cotton candy anymore, but it is still making me happy. It's so photogenic... don't you think?

Hope you are all having a HAPPY SUMMER! :)

-Carly

RRC: Guess What This Is

"It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive."

-C.W. Leadbeater

RRC: "Guess What This Is"
Suggested by Lisa, of the blog, Lisa's Chaos

Any ideas? Is it a cover of some sort? I place mat? Maybe it's a test pattern? Here's a clue... if you know me very well, you will be able to come up with the answer.

Good Luck!

I will post the reveal in an update to this entry on Monday! Don't forget to come back at that time!

The Reveal...

Like I said, if you know me, you might be able to figure out what this is. Well, you know I love art and museums... right? Well this image is a photograph of a work done by Gerhard Richter and it is titled, "Strontium." It hangs in the main court at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco. It's one of my favorite pieces in the whole museum. When I go there, and I see it, it's like visiting an old friend!

Here is a gallery from the artist's website. It will give you an idea of it's scale.

Okay, you have seen my entry for the challenge, now it's time to go see what everyone else has come up with!

Linking List, as 12:00 AM Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

Freda... Day One
Posted!

Sandy... From The Heart Of Texas
Posted!

Jenn... Shutter Happy Moments
Posted!

Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods
Posted!

Maryt/the teach... Mary Tomaselli's Photos
Posted!

Erin... A Hardcore Life
Posted!

Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff


Rich... Rich Images
Posted!

Ruth... ScrabbleQueen
Posted!

Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!



Don't forget to drop by the official Round Robin Photo Challenge blog tomorrow to find out what the next challenge will be!

:)

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #98: Summer Treats

"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart."

-Wallace Stevens








EMPS #98: SUMMER TREATS. NOW CLOSED!
Is there anything better then a dish of strawberries on a hot summer day? Nope. Unless it's an ice cream bar fresh off an ice cream truck. How about an ice cold glass of lemonade? SUMMER TREATS are just the best, and that is what I want to see from you this week. SUMMER TREATS!

Extra Credit: Show me your favorite SUMMER TREAT when you were a child. Mine is shown above! :)

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. Please submit your entries by that time by uploading your photo to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the link that goes back to your entry. The link you leave must be to an entry which is specific to this week's assignment. A general link to your site will not work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link in your entry to this photos shoot assignment so that other folks can find us and participate with us. The more the merrier... right? ;)

Linking List for EMPS #97: Gatherings 07/05/10

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama

2. Freda

3. Carolyn

4. Grayscale Territory

5. Sandy

6. Greg

7. Hip Chick

8. Karen

See you next Monday with an all new assignment!

-Carly

Cuz It's Funny! That's Why!

I don't care how many time I see this commercial, it always, ALWAYS makes me laugh!

HAHAHAhAhAhAHAHA! See! Oh my, if only hamsters could really do that!

:)

-Carly