031/365

031/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

selfie.
i rarely do them.
but i've decided to do at least one a month this year.

030/365

030/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

angel of harmony.

i was given this angel as a gift...
many years ago.

i don't remember who gave it to me...
but it was probably someone in my family.
why?
because i also play flute.

i began playing in elementary school...
over 40 years ago...
and passed it on to my daughter when she was eligible to join band at her school.

it now resides in her room...
and every now and then...
usually during the holidays...
i'll take it out and play a few tunes.

029/365

029/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

this morning when i saw the sunlight hitting the plant...
and the shadows on the wall...
i knew i wanted to photograph it.

because of the sun hitting the wall on the lower part of the photo...
the top part appeared darker than i wanted it to...
and i didn't want to do a lot of photoshop...
so i added a gold texture layer that i made to brighten it up a bit.

i also added a poster edges layers...
as well as a high pass layer.

it's still a bit hot on the bottom...
but i'm pleased with the results.

028/365

028/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

this is a petunia.

it's an annual...
and is supposed to bloom one season...
but this one doesn't know it.

it's in a container...
on my parent's front porch...
and has bloomed for years.

027/365

027/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

my father is out of town...
so i've been staying with my mother the past week.

when mj came down from her bath today...
she was delighted to find her uncle charles was here.

026/365

026/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

this morning...
i went to sbux for a venti americano.

i was going to go drive thru...
but the line was LONG...
so i went inside.

i ordered my drink...
and waited over 20 minutes to receive it.
strike two.

*strike one was a week ago.
i ordered a coffee - no room...
but that wasn't what i received.

025/365

025/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

i'm taking an advanced ps class at the local college...
and this week's homework was a take home quiz.

we started with an initial set-up...
and then took a series of photos...
changing iso, shutter speed & f-stop settings.

so...
in addition to learning how to use my new camera...
i'll be learning hdr...
david hockney's 'joiner' technique...
and finally making a cookbook!

yes...
i'm excited...
and hoping i haven't bitten off more than i can chew...
especially since i'm pretty busy in the office.

024/365

024/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
my mother and i took my niece to visit with her great-grandmother.
while we were there...
i took a photo of the three of them.

from left to right...
mj's maternal great-grandmother...
mj - aged 10 months...
mj's paternal grandmother.

023/365

023/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

driving home tonight...
i kept looking at the light reflecting off of the wet pavement...
and knew i wanted to take a photo of it.

i took this one right before i got home.
i was making a right turn...
but stopped so i could take this with my phone.

022/365

022/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

when i bought those chocolates the other night...
i also bought this clear coffee glass.
yes...
it's a glass!

it's double insulated...
so it won't burn your hand.
and is also microwave and dishwasher safe!
two features that are a must have for me.

020/365

020/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

chocolates.

i don't eat a lot of candy...
but when i saw these at starbucks...
all wrapped up in a nice little package...
i didn't resist.

and now...
i think i'll go make some coffee to go with them.

019/365

019/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
i went out to watch the sandhill cranes fly in.

yes...
i have photos of them...
but what really caught my eye were reflections.
especially when the occasion vehicle would drive by.

oh...
and did i mention the fiery sky...
with its dramatic clouds!

018/365

018/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

i don't usually have ice on my car...
because at home i park in my garage.

last night...
i was at my parent's...
so got to experience frost this morning.

as i took photos...
the front & rear window defrosters...
as well as the bun warmers...
were attempting to restore baby to her norm.

017/365

017/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

the receiver.
we've had this over 30 years.

we also have a turn table...
and a cassette deck.

016/365

016/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

afternoon snack...

espresso.
mini cupcake.
perfectly sized portions.

015/365

015/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

dreams.
let no one crush yours.

happy birthday dr. martin luther king, jr.
today would be his 84th birthday.

014/365

014/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

butternut squash, peeled & chopped.
leeks, washed & sliced.
drizzled with olive oil.
sprinkled with lots of warm spices.
roasted 30-45 min at 425.
diced bacon sprinkled over all.
serve.

spices...
curry, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, cayenne, kosher salt, black pepper

013/365

013/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

all natural cold & flu remedy.
that's the claim...
and i hope its accurate.

my daughter sent me a link for this recipe on friday...
saying she wanted to make it.
i remarked that "i did too".

so...
i made two batches this morning.
i'm taking one home...
and will leave one with my parents.

what is it?
lemons, ginger & honey.

the lemons and ginger are sliced...
and placed in a mason jar in alternate layers.
pour the hone over the slices...
allowing it to sink down and around the slices.
store in the refrigerator.

over time the mixture will start to turn into a loose jelly.

for a soothing tea...
scoop 2-3 tablespoons into a mug full of hot water.
allow to steep for 3-4 minutes and sip away.

***

lemons - high in vitamin c
ginger - promotes a healthy sweating for detox
honey - soothes sore throats & natural cough suppressant

***

an added boost would be a shot of something...
just because.

012/365

012/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

taking care of the niece this weekend.
she's quite the ham...
and likes to play at mealtime...
especially if she has an audience.

i was attempting to take a photo of her messy face...
but my mother cleaned a lot of the cereal off of her when i went to get my camera.

011/365

011/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

on my way into the office this morning...
i stopped off at the waterfront in benicia.

there were quite a few seagulls that were perched on the posts as i drove up...
but because there were many people out walking...
most of the seagulls left before i could get set up.

that's the carquinez bridge in the background,
which forms part of Interstate 80 between crockett and vallejo, ca.
there's a $5 toll travelling in the east bound direction.

fyi...
there's also a bridge in benicia.

luckily...
i only have to cross one bridge a day.

010/365

010/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

winter is here!!!
the temps were in the 30s & 40s last night...
and tonight they'll be in the 20s.

i have an assortment of teas that i drink when the weather's chilly.
this one is passion tea.

the cup is on the windowsill in my office.
the window is rather spotty from the rain.
i added a bokeh texture for some added pop.

009/365

009/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

herbal tea...

i've been fighting a cold.
so i've been drinking more tea.

i like the tazo zen tea.
the place i stopped yesterday to purchase a cup...
was out of it...
and the other green tea they sold me...
i didn't care for as much.

rather than be disappointed again today...
i made my own.

yes...
i like lemon.

* side note *
i told the hubby to come look at my photo.
his comment...
"bunch of sticks".
lol!

have a great wednesday!

008/365

008/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

my mother has two bird of paradise plants in her backyard.
they are both currently in bloom...
with three flowers each...
and more on the way.

this one...
she cut and brought into the house...
before the rain could beat it up too much.

i photographed it with a darkened room behind it...
and flash.

007/365

007/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

cheddar walnut crackers w/rosemary.

i got this recipe from the blog patty's food...
and was excited about making them for new year's eve.

after i divided the dough into two rolls...
i baked one that night...
and saved the other one...
because my mother wanted some...
and i wanted them to be fresh when i took them to her.

since i was going over to baby-sit yesterday...
i baked some crackers for her then...
with just a slight change to the recipe.
i chopped up from fresh rosemary...
and rolled the log of dough in it before i sliced it.

i saved one half of that roll...
so that i could make more crackers today for my photo.

*note...the uncooked dough can be kept in the fridge for a week...or up to a month in the freezer. you can also freeze the crackers after you make them.

006/365

006/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
we are baby-sitting my niece.

i knew that she would be today's photo...
but i wasn't sure what she'd be doing.

she received a 'bo' dog for christmas...
and my plan was to photograph her with that.

but while i was feeding her her lunch...
she fell asleep...
which prompted a photo of her while she was sleeping.

after a quick cat nap...
she awoke...
revived and ready to continue playtime.

mrchazman and i got out an assortment of toys...
and got on the floor with her.
when i saw her playing with the camera that my daughter got her...
i knew that would be today's photo.

it looks like she's trying to figure it out.

she'll be ten months old next week.
she still doesn't know how to crawl...
but THINKS she can walk!

005/365

005/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

just this morning...
i was talking to mrchazman...
and told him about some changes i'd like to make in my life...
and that i'd like us to have bible study.

i then remarked about how i seem to get sick every january.
less than five minutes later...
i'm reading the introduction in joel osteen's book 'i declare'...
about the power of your words!

i quickly changed my comment to...
i USED to get sick every january...
but not anymore...
i am turning that around right now!

fast forward 5 more minutes.
i open my 'our daily bread' app...
and read today's word.
it's speaking to me also.

i decide to post today's ODB to facebook...
and get 'side-tracked' and see that one of my good friends is in the hospital.
she suffers from frequent asthma attacks...
and has written a prayer as her post.

at the end of her prayer...
she put a hastag.
#breathing

what was the message i was posting from ODB?
prayer is as important as breathing.

is all of this a coincidence?
i think not!

004/365

004/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

meet my sous chef.
she was a christmas present.

she's a lot bigger, stronger, and sturdier than her predecessor.
and comes with quite a few accessories.
she even whips eggs!

she's taking up quite a bit of counter space...
so she's going to have to work hard to earn that prominent placement.

i mean...
my knife skills are pretty good....
and my cutting board and i didn't use nearly as much of the real estate.
i also find all that dicing and mincing soothing.

but now...
with my very own robot culinaire...
i'll be a slicing, dicing ninja!

003/365

003/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

cookie monster.
that's who i'm married to.
he had these for breakfast.

well...
only three of them...
because that's how many were his.

the other three...
i'll nibble on throughout my day in the office.

002/365

002/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

today was my first day back in the office since 12/21.
my office is a hub for our norcal offices...
and we maintain a lot of things for the region locally...
hence the need for lots of storage.

yes i use cloud storage...
but...
i prefer my arsenal of flash drives.

two are 4 gb.
two are 8 gb.
two are 32 gb.

the two at the bottom are my faves...
and i use them every day.
one contains a kazillion email messages...
and the other holds my personal projects.

oh...
and in the middle...
that's my 35mm lens.

and that seamless while background...
copy paper.

001/365

001/365, a photo by credd on Flickr.

this morning after we dropped our daughter off at sfo...
the sun was just beginning to rise...
so we detoured to treasure island for photo ops.

on your left is the bay bridge...
connecting the east bay to the city.
on the far right is the transamerica pyramid.

i don't go into the city very often...
as i'm not into fighting all that traffic.
perhaps this year i'll finally take the ferry over...
especially since there's one where i live.

i wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year!