Partygoers 180/365

These three were so happy, laughing as they met up in the street. I asked for a photo and they quickly obliged. I can only imagine the fun that followed them as they walked off into the sunset.

Elliott Street Deli & Pub, Atlanta instameet 179/365

I met with a great group of photographers last night at a small pub in Castleberry Hill. About 45 people showed up, all armed with a mobile phone and an Instagram account. After eating and hydrating with a beverage of choice, we took off on a scavenger hunt. Walking up and down the streets, we each took shots that caught our eye.

Not only did I meet some new people, I  connected with others that I see each time I go into Atlanta. It's a wonderful mix of like minded people. Production studio owners, artists, professional photographers, business men and women, young 20 somethings making a difference, and teenagers who love capturing images all hanging out in the middle of Elliott St. on a hot, muggy summer afternoon.

If you're interested and have an Instagram account, check out #weloveatl and #instameetatl to see shots taken by some really awesome photographers.

Bubbles make me happy 178/365

When the bubble machine starts humming and blowing out bubbles, I feel a giddiness wash over me. How can you not smile when the air is filled with bubbles?

Quick dinner and a reminder to be grateful 177/365

I got a phone call from my best friend that a beloved uncle had been rushed to the hospital and then transferred into Atlanta for brain surgery. While the surgery went well, they diagnosed him with primary glioblastoma, the most common and most malignant primary tumor of the brain. This malicious disease has the worst 5-year survival rate among all human cancers.

Aggressive.

Incurable.

12 to 18 months.

Intensive chemotherapy.

Radiation.

All I can think about is how, when we were out  kayaking and stranded without a paddle (yes, literally) he dropped what he was doing and drove out to meet us with a smile and a paddle. It keeps playing over and over in my mind.

That and how his family was blind-sided by this and their lives will never be the same.

I know that feeling.

It sucks.

Hannah Banana 176/365

Beauty in the woods 176/365

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." ~Elliott Erwitt

Berries berries all around 175/365

We are inudated with berries of all kinds. Strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, and black berries are filling the collanders every day. Not that I'm complaining. I'll be sad when there are no more to harvest.

A fortunate detour 174/365

Beautiful and breathtaking grounds at Barrington Hall.

Super moon 173/365

Rainbows and birthdays 172/365

Sweet 16 to Tsali and Aspen. And a huge happy birthday to my Daddy-O, who is our official septuagenarian.

Forgotten life 171/365

After driving past this site a few days ago, I knew I needed to come back with my camera. Abandoned buidlings always draw me in.

As I walked round and round making pictures, I thought of all the moments that happened right here. Babies were born and baptized, farms were tended in all kinds of weather, meals were cooked and shared among friends and family, loved ones were buried.

Hopes and dreams were nutured on this land. Times were tough but the hearty spirit of rural people carried families through it all.

Summer feet 170/365

Can you? 169/365

I asked him if it would be ok for me to take a few pictures. Even thought he agreed, he didn't seem comfortable. I told him to stick his tongue out at his mom.That broke the ice and made him laugh. An adult was actually telling him it was ok to stick his tongue out.
Then I asked the question that never fails to elicit the funniest faces. Can you touch your tongue to your nose?
Well, can you?

Uncertainty 168/365

An unknown lady sicking her camera in my face might make me a little suspicious too.

Big brown eyes 167/365

This look just slays me.

Artbox for creative types only 166/365

Only open if you are ready to add to the imaginative collection of artwork held within.

Morning sunlight 165/365

As I drank my coffee this morning, I noticed the light streaming through my neighbor's trees. I put on flip flops, grabbed my camera, and ran over in my pajamas.  I took time to play with my settings to get what I saw in my mind. I love the color version. Then I started playing with black and white. Because I couldn't decide, I posted both.

Which do you like better and why?

Early morning walk 164/365

Afternoon technique practice 163/365

The only person's behavior you can change is your own 162/365

Regardless of where you are in life, this is applicable. You can beg, threaten, plead, encourage, or demand. You may get a change for the moment out of fear (or even out of love) but the only behavior that can truly be changed is your own. Be ok with that. Embrace your own modifications.

The perfect distance 161/365

Who knew when we planted the maple trees ten years ago they would be set the perfect width apart for my Eno hammok?

Lunch at NINE Street Kitchen 160/365

There were tables lining the street and in the yard in front of the restaurant. To the left was an area with low-to-the-ground beach chairs, cushions and blankets where families could sit and have their food picnic style. We chose to sit at a table only because the beach chair area had no shade. The food was great and the service impeccable. Definitely stop by if you're in the area.

Riding shotgun 159/365

Let me tell you why I don't care that this photo is blurry. My old guy NEVER. EVER. rides in the front seat. He's too big and we're not a house that let's our dog get on the furniture so he's always ridden on the floor in the back of the van. ALWAYS.  Because of this, he doesn't know how to ride like a dog, you know, with the head hanging out, cheeks flapping in the wind, and snorting all the new smells.

After dropping swimmer girl off for a sleep over, I stopped at a lake that is close to our house yet off the beaten path so I don't see it every day. I invited him up to the front seat for the ride home and spent the next four minutes laughing so hard it's a wonder I didn't drive off the road.

He does not know what to do in the front seat. First, he sat facing me with such a proud look-at-me-mom face. After repositioning him and accelerating, he leaned so far forward that his front paws slipped off the seat. Now he's wedged between the seat and the door with his chin resting on the open window. He stayed there for 15 or 20 seconds. It was almost as if he was trying to decide if that was how it was supposed to happen. Finally he got himself situated but he had his paws on the open window and kept sliding forward.

This whole time his nose was sniffing and snorting almost at a hyperventilating pace. And I could. not. stop. laughing. I even drove around the block so I could call my husband and tell him to come outside to see this.

That is why I don't care that this photo is not perfect. When I see this blurry picture with the trees whizzing by and his paws on the ledge, I'll remember how hard I laughed.

Life is good.

At the end of the tunnel 158/365

One day...157/365

this girl is going to move mountains and no one is going to be able to stop her.

Not starting off well 156/365

 

I didn't want to go 155/365

But I'm glad I did. It was hot and the black asphalt made it seem so much hotter. Round and round I went until the hubby finished his two miles. RadioLab playing in my ears. I even climbed the steps of the bleachers a few times. In the end, I felt better.

Breakfast with a friend 154/365

There never seems to be enough time to talk about all the things going on in our lives. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute we squeezed out before I had to go.

Soft as my dog's ears 153/365

Called Lamb's Ear, this plant has been a staple in my garden ever since I've had a house to call my own. It grows in bundles and seems to be pretty heat and drought tolerant. I do nothing special to it yet it continues to come back year after year.

If you hold a leaf in one hand and my dog's ear in the other, it's difficult to distinguish the difference. Yes, it's that soft.

And yes, I did hold and rub them just to be sure I wasn't stretching the truth.

God Morning 152/365

When I rounded the corner of the garage, this was the view that met my eyes. I don't remember the buds being there yesterday, yet there they are in full bloom. Surely I just missed seeing them. I know they were there, my eyes just weren't looking at them. Today, they are hard to miss.