Photo of the Week - Window With Blue Shutters and Window Box

Charleston, South Carolina

Blogging Slowdown

Snap. Life can change in an instant.

There is no rewind or a pause button. Command+Z doesn’t work either. You think that you know what your immediate future is going to be like from one day to the next. And then you get a surprise. So changes and adaptations are necessary. Priorities shift. Adjust accordingly and carry on.

The bottom line is that I will be blogging less for the foreseeable future. I may visit my blogging friends from time to time, but I won’t always take the extra time to comment. For now, I plan to keep up with “photo of the week” posts. The monthly A Personal Photo Challenge will continue. I will also post updates on how Mr. Jim and I are doing whenever there is something noteworthy to report. Any other posts will be happenstance and potluck.

Thank you for your understanding!

Photo of the Week - Burr Trail Mile Marker 17.6 Panorama

Burr Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

(don't forget to click on the image to see it bigger)

I took this photo in April last year when we did some exploration of southern Utah, including the famed Burr Trail. Mr. Jim helped me out to a small area where I could set up my camera on a tripod and capture this panorama. With my unsteady feet and balance, I would not have been able to venture out to the spot without his assistance. The magnificent view overlooks Long Canyon and looks eastward to Capitol Reef National Park and Henry Mountains in the far distance. Circle Cliffs are located on the left-hand side of the frame. A German couple was stopped over by the roadside, and the fellow had his tripod set up to get a different vantage point. So I thought I would include him in the frame for some additional visual interest.

We will not be going on our planned trip to southeast Utah this month. We cancelled all of our reservations yesterday. Mr. Jim is not feeling well, and the doctor confirmed that he should not travel right now. He has fluid build-up in his abdominal cavity and blood tests show that the cancer marker is elevated. Mr. Jim will have the fluid removed this week, and next week he’ll resume chemotherapy treatments.

Prayers would be appreciated. Thank you.

P.S. The surgeon has subsequently determined that fluid removal will not be done because of possible risks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Whenever this holiday comes around, I can’t help but fondly remember our two trips to Ireland in 1999 and 2001. We went on a tour the first time. The second time, we bravely planned out an itinerary went on our own. After we arrived at the Shannon airport and picked up a rental car, we headed to the charming town of Ennis, where we had reservations at the Old Ground Hotel. We checked in, took a good long nap (to recover flying over the “pond” during the night), and then ventured into the Ennis streets.

We arrived on a Saturday, and the little town was bustling with activity. It wasn’t long before we decided to abandon the crowded sidewalks and explore some shops. We spotted a sign for Custy’s Traditional Music Shop and ducked inside. Since we were going to be touring around (risking life and limb driving on the wrong side of the road), we wanted to buy an assortment of CDs with Irish music to keep us company and set the proper mood for touring. So we proceeded to ask the young man behind the counter for some recommendations on “jiggy music.”

Mid-March Ruminations & Cogitations

I have been busy this week and haven’t had much extra time for posting. But I thought I better take a few minutes to give my blogging friends an update. Between doctors and dentists, our dance card has been full lately.

In addition to all the nonsense with my eye condition, I had a routine mammogram this week and I have been getting some emergency dental work for the past two weeks. There’s never a good time for a dental bridge to go bad, is there? I didn’t need a root canal, thank goodness. So the pain in my wallet is significantly greater than the one in my mouth, LOL.

Photo of the Week - Charleston Garden Gate

Charleston, South Carolina

Now, who wouldn’t be tempted to go exploring beyond this charming gate?

A Tale About a Polar Bear Tail

A couple of years ago, I got an out-of-the-blue licensing sale for one of my photos by a major advertising company. They found the image via a web search, and I quickly discovered that photo and blog post names strongly influence successful web searches. In geeky computer-speak, I’m talking about search engine optimization.

Yes, I know it is Monday morning, and our weary bodies are adjusting to Daylight Saving Time. So you are probably wondering what I am babbling about. Pardon the pun, but bear with me.

I routinely look at my blog statistics to discover what search words are used by the web traffic. One of the common search phrases for my blog is “polar bear tail.” It seems that people (probably schoolchildren) are curious about whether a polar bear actually has a tail. To clear up the mystery once and for all, the answer is yes, they do. In a December 2012 blog post, I featured this photo of a (very cute) polar bear tail as proof.

Since I named the photo and the blog title to exactly describe the subject matter, this image has turned out to be quite popular with the major Internet search engines. In fact, it is the very first photo that currently shows up in a "polar bear tail" image search on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. How funny!

So now you have learned two things this morning: Polar bears have tails. And, blog/image titles greatly influence web searches.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Words and Letters

It’s time for A Personal Photo Challenge! “Words and Letters” is the theme this month.

As an avid fan of signs, I am always on the lookout for unique ones whenever we travel. And I was able to find some lovely examples when we visited Charleston, South Carolina, in December. In the three compositions below, one features a sign as the primary subject, and the other two provide a supporting role to the overall scenes.

Photo of the Week - Sunset Over the Blue Ridge Mountains

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

During our December stay at Biltmore Estate, I devoted some time on Christmas evening to capture sunset photos. I set up for the photo shoot on main balcony of the inn. Our room had the same vantage point several floors higher, but I wanted to avoid shooting through glass. The weather was decidedly brisk. I took a couple dozen shots for about 20 minutes after sunset. The color display was a bit underwhelming, so I called it quits and headed back to our room.

As soon as I went to the window to double-check our room’s view, I knew I had made a mistake by stopping my photo shoot too early. This was the incredible scene a mere six minutes after I left the inn’s balcony. I fired a few photos through the glass. Less than a minute later, the vibrant colors were gone.

It was a gentle reminder that a precious moment can be quite fleeting. One has to be patient, look for it, and then cherish it after it has been found.

March - A Look Ahead

It’s finally March! And onward we go into the year. Winter weather isn’t completely behind us (snow flurries predicted within the next 24 hours), but there are signs of spring. I thought we would have our first daffodil bloom today. But it is taking its sweet time and might open tomorrow. I can’t wait to cut some and fill a few vases around the cottage!

My tears have dried and I’m mentally moving forward about the setback with my vision. It's time to put on the big girl panties and simply deal with it. I will adapt to the murky mess of what I now “see.” (As if I really have a choice, LOL.) I’ve have floaters before, but it has been taken to a whole new level now. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes. We’ve decided to postpone any final decision about the upcoming Moab trip until after I visit the eye doctor again in about 2 weeks. So perhaps we’ll be traveling this month, perhaps not. Time will tell.

A Personal Photo Challenge - Reminder

The monthly photo challenge will be Saturday, March 8, on my other blog! “Words and Letters” is the theme. Please click on the photo link below for details and instructions. The linkup gadget will be available on Friday, March 7, in case you wish to publish your challenge post a day early.

I’m looking forward to your participation!