Journey & Adventure

You may remember awhile ago, I introduced a logo, which has a work in progress.  Well, this is the final version… Well, the plan for its use is still forming, but we know the logo will be incorporated into whatever we decide to do when we retire early, which by the way is still 3-4 years away.   *sigh* We have some great ideas, but those ideas are dependent on a number of things that we can’t finalize until we are finally on location.   Surfing Flamingo - for now, is the name of our new Etsy shop.   There you will find some of J’s photos for digital download, his custom greeting cards (not your regular Hallmark line) and some of my beach-inspired jewelry.   I’m still running my shop, Flamingo Tongue Designs (hmmm I see a pattern forming in the names) – could that be a hint of where our hearts belong?  In any event, please feel free to stop by Surfing Flamingo or Flamingo Tongue Designs and see what we’ve been u...

Over the course of the past month, I’ve taken the following series of photos of the wildlife here surrounding my work building. We actually are located in the middle of the city, but on a large landscaped property with beautiful courtyards and a manmade pond out front - a perfect haven for some wildlife. Can you spot the kildeer?  She made her nest amongst the tiny pebbles/gravel.  I would walk by her every morning and would have a hard time finding her. The large planters typically make great nests for the Canada Geese; however this year our custodian decided to kybosh the idea and strategically placed sticks in the majority of the planters. If you look closely you can see a planter in the background with the sticks. This goose however was one step ahead. Then, last week...I came to work to see this little surprise.  She had 6 babies (goslings). Then by the next day...they were moving out of the planter, into the world beyond. Da...

Yes, it’s ALMOST that time of year again. Time for me rejuvenate and store up on some sunshine and vitamin D before the long winter ahead. It’s time for me to pack my bags and scuba gear and head off to a place where memories are made, good times are had and the ocean is explored. For some, Disney is the happiest place on earth, but for me it’s Bonaire. You may recall this is one of my contenders for places to retire, so J and I plan on using this opportunity to do some more research into the actual cost of living, average cost of vehicles, neighborhoods, etc. Five years is still a long way off, but at least we’ll be getting an idea of how expensive things actually are. I can hardly wait to get there and park myself at the beach bar for a beverage or two - for a live webcam view of it, take a look here .  Maybe you'll see me there (in a week and a bit)... Here are a few photos of the island from vacations past… By the way - all of the above photos are cour...

In our quest for reaching the 5 Year Plan and as a means of maintaining our early retirement, J and I have been tossing about ideas on how to make some extra money. As you know, I already have my back-up plan – Flamingo Tongue Designs , although I don’t suspect this to be as successful in a third world country as it currently is here in Canada, but I guess only time will tell. As you also know, J is the resident photographer in our family. He takes 100’s of photographs when we travel – both on land and underwater, so it seemed only natural that he use his God given talent for good and tries to sell some of them. This is also a hobby/business that would be ongoing and self-sustaining no matter where we end up. If you ask me it’s a win, win. So with that said, J’s been spending hours, upon hours, sifting through his photos, organizing and submitting them for approval to various micro stock photography sites. It’s been a tedious and sometimes frustrating process - the submi...

First let me say, I do not poke fun at minorities, people with disabilities, those less fortunate, BUT I do have a sense of humor and I found this photo to be extremely chuckle provoking.  Hell, I laugh at myself more times than I laugh at others. The Boy actually sent it to me a few months ago and I completely forgot it was in my e-mail until today, so here it is...

Here is a couple of photos of a jewelry piece I recently finished.  I'm so happy with how it turned out that I had to share.  I purchased the beads when I was in Sedona this summer.  It's called "Sedona Summer" - creative I know...what can I say?  

Here are some photos from my first craft show.  I re-purposed the doors, which I found at a yard sale for $5 by cutting them in half and painting them.  I made the table clothes myself and those of you that have been around for a while know how much of a challenge that would have been for me.  To sum it up, sewing sucks. Over all I was happy with the booth turnout.  I received some comments on how good it looked from other vendors and even a few from other jewelry makers.  

This stunning photo is the "Photo of the Month" from National Geographic.  Can you say awe inspiring? Ocean Wave, Kauai

Yellow Calla Lily

Finally!  J has finally released "The Prom" photos and now I can share them with you.   My baby boy turns 18 next month and then in a mere 2 months he's off to college.  *sigh* The Boy and his Girlfriend

This week, I am participating in "Shutter Love Tuesday", which is being hosted by the lovely ladies @ The Trendy Treehouse . This week's theme is Nature...

CrazyCris @ Here and There and Everywhere has tagged me with a photo meme.  As everyone knows, I’m not the photographer in my family.  That honor is reserved for J.  Don’t get me wrong – I love photography, but in all honesty, I don’t have any interest in the work involved with it (i.e. saving the photos, organizing the photos, cataloging the photos, backing up with photos, etc.).  I suppose, that would be called lazy… So with that being said, I don’t take as many photos as I should, but I do have a few photos of my own.  Yes, there are a few times that I get energetic enough to carry around the camera for myself.  J still has to look after transferring them from the camera for me.  I haven’t gotten there yet (nor do I plan too)... TA DA…for all those skeptics (*wink*) out there.  Here is your proof that I know how to work a camera… This photo was taken last year on our trip t...

Gumby - 40ft underwater, Bonaire, Netherland Antilles

As you may know, I'm not typically the photographer in our family. I usually leave the photo taking to J; however on our trip to Bonaire in November, I decided to pick up his spare camera and give it a try, which at first he wasn't willing to share. I was able to persuade him to change his mind - eventually. It might of had something to do with my non-stop whining, but whatever... Here are a couple of my shots... Kite Surfer Coral Beach I'm pretty happy with how these turned out, so you never know - I might just make it a hobby. Although I still need to rely on J to get them from the camera to the computer. Yeah, I'm challenged that way, but honestly I prefer to call it disinterested...

Since the beginning of my humble Blogger beginnings, I have from time to time featured photos that have been taken by my husband, J. The truth is - I rely heavily on J to capture the memories of both our daily and worldly adventures. If it wasn’t for him, I would live in a photo-less world, because honestly I cannot figure out how to work our television remote control, let alone a camera and then I’d have to upload the photos, resize them, etc, etc. It’s just far too much work…for me. Now don’t get me wrong, I do actively participate in the photo-taking process. It’s less glamorous than actually being the photographer, but in the spirit of sharing responsibilities, he allows me to carry his camera equipment for him. I know! Isn’t he a peach? Anyhooo, since it’s my hope and J’s dream that someday one of his photos will get published in a national magazine (aka National Geographic), he has decided to launch his very own blog in order to obtain a litt...

I'm being lazy today and apologize. I have so much I want to write about, but don't seem to have the time or the focus to put it on paper. Oh I almost forgot, we had SNOW this morning. Yes - SNOW! The white stuff that makes me cranky. At first, I thought it was my imagination, since it's dark when I leave for work and I park in the garage, but when I pulled into the gas station (another thing that makes me cranky) - the white stuff was everywhere. I almost turned around and went home. It's too early for snow - even if I do live at the friggin North Pole. J and I are headed to a digital imaging show tomorrow in Toronto. The seminars should be interesting for J since he's the one into the "photo" thing. I, on the other hand will be bored to tears and in anticipation of this, have already loaded my iPod (with video) with all of Season 4 of Friends. I also have a couple of games on it - Pac Man and Mahjong which are two of my favorites, so all in...

German Channel - Palau, Micronesia (photo courtesy of J)

As fall is quickly approaching, I thought I would share a few photos that were taken by J in our backyard this past weekend. I love my gardens this time of year and need these photos of a reminder in order to get me through the cold, dark days of winter... Monarch & Butterfly Bush (hmmm, I wonder why it's called that?) Toad Lily Grasshopper