Reaching Up - Day 88

The skeletal fingers of the tree reach upwards toward the cold winter sky.  

My imagination sees the reaching as one of desperation.  

When all else fails in life, than and only than do we reach toward the heaven and look for the answers.  

You would think that we would be smart enough to look to the Light first instead of last. 

As we finally reach, we are answered. 

He knows exactly what we need. 

Down the Mountain - Day 87

We had the privilege of driving down the rim to go to a family Thanksgiving.  It was a crazy drive.  Snow everywhere and icy roads.  Yea, all my hair turned grey!!!

Love the White Aspens against the green backdrop

I think that you can see the force of the snow.

Arriving in Payson.  No more snow!!  But I did love the look of this juniper tree.  

Nora Bedora - Day 86

The baby with the chocolate brown eyes.

This is one of my little grand-daughters who came up the mountain to visit Grammy for the holiday.  I love her large eyes.  This picture was snapped as she was getting ready to get dressed and go outside with the girls.

First Snow - Day 85

We had our first snow this holiday.  It is so beautiful.  

This is a statue of a deer in my front yard.  

We see a lot of wild life here in my neck of the woods.

(And some not so wild too!)

  

It is Good to Remember - Day 84

It is good to look to the past to gain an appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for each of us. For each of us is a pioneer in his own life, often in his own family and many of us pioneer daily in seeking to do God’s will and lift and serve those around us.   (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, July, 1984)

A Warm Winter Day - Day 83

We use the heat of the fireplace to keep our house warm.  Sometimes, it is not quite as warm as I thought it would be.  My children are very good at making sure they are taking precautions against the cold winter night.

The hat makes the outfit, don't you think?

It Only Takes a Day - Day 82

So, I looked up in my room when I got home from work and found a spider web, all interwoven between the light fixture and the fan.  I was amazed at the speed with which he had performed his magic.
It only took a day to go from dull and boring, to this:

The Old Corral - Day 81

This old corral is used during the summer months when it is necessary to separate the herd and gather them in one place.  Usually branding time.  It is only a couple of miles from my home.  It is all in different shades of brown this time of the year.   I love the weatheredness of the wood.  

Bison Ranch - Day 80

These stores are active here.  The summers are very busy, but the winters can be a little slow.  I love the old frontier look to the storefronts.  We don't have many stores in town, so the ones we have, are well used.  Whenever I go here, I am reminded of a frontier town with the wooded sidewalks and the old-fashioned, welcoming atmosphere. Perhaps, that is what I love about my small town the most.

Look Up - Day 79

When I run out of inspiration, I only need to look up, and I will be sure to find it.  

The Cowboys - Day 78

Visions of real life cowboys fill my mind today. 

Like watching reruns of an old black and white movie. 

Cowboys riding through town with guns blazing as they chase and capture the criminal. 

Cowboys raising their guns to the sky

 and shooting off a loud celebratory shot as they gleefully welcome life.

 

Macro Friday - Winter Waits - Day 77

The night is cold.  The wind blows.  Winter waits quietly, in the wings for her cue.  She is coming soon.  I can see her fluttering, waiting, drifting.  She is nearly upon us.  

The remains of the sunflowers wave in the autumn breeze.  They are no longer beautiful, but they each hold a promise of a time to come.  

Old Tyme Wagon - Day 76

This old wagon seemed to me to be begging for me to take a picture.  I loved it in Black and White.  It was so beautiful.  

 I love the bones of it.  

I love the tilt and the curve of it.  

I love the hidden treasure of it.  

I even love the old-time simplicity.  

Barbed Wire - Day 75

The fence stands alone, at the side of the road.  I can't help wondering, is it there to keep something in?  Or me out?

The Shack - Day 74

I love the grain on the weathered wood

And this simple shack out-back of the Post Office.

I really love living in a small town!

Autumn Afternoon at home - Day 73

This is the view looking back over my front porch.  I love the clouds and the trees.  

A Special Day - Chloe

Day -  72

In Black and White

Chloe is one of my grand-daughters.  She is turning two this week.  So, of course, we had to celebrate with a present to mark the special occasion.  She was not sure she wanted to participate at first, 

But, she came around.  Happy Birthday little one!  Where does all the time go?

Mother and Child in Black and White

Day 71
This is a famous sandstone rock in Sedona Arizona.  It is called the Mother and Child.  It represents Mary and the baby Jesus.  I love the detail in the rock and hope you do too.

Great-Grandma's Bracelet - Macro Friday

Today, I am blogging for Macro Friday.  Check out all the other bloggers who participate over at 
Blogging from Bolivia  Come on over and join us! 
My Great-Grandmother was alive until I was well into my adult life.  She was a spunky woman who taught me a lot.  One of the few things that I inherited from her was this simple (I love the detail work) Ivory bracelet.  It is well over 50 years old now.  I know at one time, it was beautiful.  Someday, I would like to have a pendant made from the pieces.  I know they don't make jewelry out of ivory anymore, but this was made long before that practice was stopped.  I think it is beautiful in it's own way.

I especially like the piece that looks like a heart.  The detail is amazing to me.  Each of those little round links are smaller than a child's tiny pinky fingernail.  It is a very petite and detailed bracelet.

Yoda in Black and White - Day 69

This is our little dog, Yoda.  Don't look at me, my husband named him.  He is very small, very cute, and full of personality.  His hair is always in his eyes.  I don't understand for a minute how he can see, but he can and does.

Oh yea, big, chocolate brown eyes really are in there......somewhere.  

It is all in the view.  

Kindness - Day 68

My house is full of thoughts and quotes and sayings.  This is one of my favorites.  I thought it came out pretty good in black and white.

Small Things - Day 67

If a simple shoe can change the life of Cinderella, what small and simple thing can change your life?

Anya in Black and White - Day 66

This is the "baby" of the family.  She always has a smile and a song and is happy to help!
(Especially when she is the only one!)  She wanted to be a ballerina first and then found her old wings in the closet, so she became a "ballerina fairy"  After all, the wings were pink!

You have to love the flip flops and the wild hair!

Mikayla in Black and White - Day 65

The only problem with having three girls, is that one still has to be in the middle.  If you ask her, she will tell you this is the hardest place to be.  EVER!
She was a ballerina and made her own Tutu.  She also made her little sister's.  She loves any kind of craft work and can be very creative when she wants to be.  I am posting her pictures in black and white with one of them in color at the end.

I love the subtleties of her skirt.  It makes it fun!

Miracle in Black and White - Day 64

This is my oldest (still at home) daughter.  She decided to be a "death ballerina".  I think she is a little bit morbid for this celebration, but I love the way her pictures turned out.

Halloween in Black and White - Day 63

So, for the next couple of days, I am redoing the Halloween pictures into black and white.  Some of them came out pretty good.  Some of them I like better in color.  I thought that I would post them both ways here and you can see and compare.
This first set is of all the girls.

Here are the same pictures in color.  I grew up with black and white, so I actually like them.  Although, when the colors are bright and vibrant, I prefer to have them in the pictures.