Proud parent moment

“She stands firmly on her own two feet and I just behind her; should she ever need me.”

~ j. iron word

We are beyond proud to announce that our daughter has just successfully defended her thesis and will receive her Master of Philosophy degree from the University of California Santa Cruz.

Her father and I are once again in awe of her achievements, but not at all surprised. In our hearts, we knew all along she would (and will!) achieve more than we could ever imagine. She has become a stunning example of hard work, determination, strength, and love.

Next on her agenda: Doctor of Philosophy.

What does she plan to do with these degrees? Whatever the hell she wants!

We love her past the sky.

The apricot thief

"Squirrel!"

~ Dug

Last week we wondered who or what left half an apricot on top of our fence. We didn’t see any apricots on the neighbor’s tree that hangs over our fence so we weren’t sure where it came from.

Then this morning I caught this critter munching on a fresh apricot. Apparently, our neighbor has several apricot trees. None with fruit hanging over our fence, darn it. 

I guess all the birdseed and peanuts these guys steal from our yard just isn’t enough. Or, this particular squirrel has grown bored of climbing the shepherd hook, trapezing along the clothesline, and shimmying down the bird feeder to access more bird food.  

He didn't even freeze or flinch when I came back out with my camera.

He left half of the apricot on the fence and apparently came back for it later. I thought he was just after the pit but no, it’s still up on the fence.

Dude, clean up your mess!

He’s messing with me; he knows Apricots are my favorite fruit.

Working on my project

We are what we believe we are.”

~ C.S. Lewis

Self-portraits are harder than they seem! Harder than selfies or photographing other people.

Waaaa

Sitting or standing in front of the camera and shooting myself feels unnatural, a bit silly actually.

Yet, understanding how I’m feeling with a camera pointed at me is important. My hope is this will help me understand how other’s may feel when I’m photographing them and help me learn how to make us all more comfortable.

I’m finding the most difficult aspect of self-portraiture is nailing the focus. This doesn’t surprise me since focus, in general, has been difficult for me. I’m working on it, with patience, persistence, and meditation. Yes, really, meditation.

Just to be clear, this is not a selfie project. Not sure why I feel the need to clarify this but, there is a distinct difference between self-portraits and selfies. I looked it up. Per Google: a self-portrait is “a portrait of an artist produced or created by that artist.” A selfie is “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.”

Wait, am I calling myself an artist? With a project? Hell yeah!!

Artist

This is my self-portrait project about my passion for photography, my drive to refine my techniques, to grow, and to learn about myself.