European Charm

Europe...amazing food, cozy gardens, interesting museums...it is my favorite vacation destination.  I love the movie 'Something's Gotta Give', especially the scene where Diane Keaton visits Paris.  My dream has always been to spend a day roaming around the city by myself, visiting parks, eating at sidewalk cafes and, of course, taking photos.  Last year, my dream came true!  I visited Rodin Museum Garden, Tulieres Garden, Cluny Medieval Museum Garden and the lovely Monceau Park.  It was magical.      

European Gardens

France

My family lived in Belgium for a total of 10 years.  It is a photographer's paradise, with quaint houses, beautiful landscapes and rich history. When I return to Belgium, I get the feeling that I'm coming home and it brings to mind memories of wonderful get-togethers with friends, school events and traveling with my family.

Belgium

My husband is Dutch and that accounts for my many pictures from the Netherlands.  To me, it is like a fairytale land, so neat and organized with lovely tree-lined roads and lots of waterways that are great for reflections.  Holland is all about the color green.  Recently, we went back to Norway, where we lived for a short time in the 90's, and once again I was struck with that feeling of coming home.  It was here that I learned the importance of color in decorating as our bright yellow and red curtains gave me a 'boost' every morning during dark winter days.  Even the houses are painted with those warm yellows and reds. 

The Netherlands

When my children were small, I focused mostly on chronicling their childhood and filling up scrapbooks.  Now that they are grown, I have in mind to capture the mood of the day or essence of the experience.  

Check out all of my European photos, available on Fine Art America:  Europe 

Check out other amazing European artwork here:  Europe

Wild Florida

With cooler weather (finally) arriving in Florida, I have resumed my nature walks, in search of all things wild: wildflowers, birds, insects and gators.

No walk is complete without at least one gator sighting.  My family likes to go 'gator hunting' with our cameras, measuring the success of the trip by how many we see. On a recent trip, the tally was 3 baby gators and 1 huge adult. Trust me, when it comes to gators, I don't take any chances. Most of my photos are taken safely from the boardwalk.  Mosquitoes, on the other hand, can ruin a nice walk through the forest, so you are really in trouble if you forget your bug spray!

It is beautiful in the swamps around Tampa right now (November). The bald cypresses, for a very short time, turn all kinds of wonderful shades orange (as you see in the photo), losing their leaves and remaining 'bald' until springtime.

I have started a new gallery on Fine Art America for my Wild Florida pictures. Click to see:
Wild Florida

To see other artwork on Fine Art America:  Florida

First Trip to Savannah

My first trip to Savannah was a dream come true--I have wanted to visit there as long as I can remember. Daughter, Danielle, and I recently spent a weekend in this photographer's paradise. We 'splurged' a bit on our hotel--staying downtown in the Hyatt Regency because our time was limited--only one full day--and we wanted to be close to the historic district. The first night, we walked along the riverfront, including lovely, tree-lined Emmet Park and Factors Walk--just down the street from the hotel. This used to be the hub for all things related to cotton commerce. Next time, I will definitely check out the neat antique shops there.

We made the most of our full day in Savannah by taking a trolley tour to all the main areas of town, stopping along the way to walk around and take pictures. (This is my favorite way to see a new city; you get a great overview and can always go back to visit the sights you missed.)

We had two memorable meals in Savannah. First was dinner at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons (southern food at its finest with a great atmosphere--if you love her show, you will love this restaurant). And dinner at Chart House on the riverfront(okay, another splurge for sure, but well worth it--great seafood and a lovely old building).

If you haven't read, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", I suggest you read it before visiting Savannah. It is a mystery, based on a real murder, in which the author, John Berendt, describes some very interesting 'real' Savannah characters and unique locations around the city. (The tour is even more fun when you remember the areas mentioned in the book.) We found a great little bookstore, "The Book" Gift Shop, where we bought a signed copy of the book! I'll give you a link to this neat store since the address was wrong in our tour map, and we wasted precious time searching for it. If you are a fan of the book, you don't want to miss it: http://www.midnightinsavannah.com

And one last tip--if you are a photographer--do not miss seeing Wormsloe Plantation. You will not see a plantation, just ruins of a colonial house although that was kind of cool. The lane of live oaks is the main attraction--simply stunning. You will see them in my Savannah gallery to the right. I imagine the best time to visit is in the winter since there aren't many visitors and the lane isn't clogged with traffic. We went during the week, in January. No cars at all, except for the park ranger who kept popping up in my line of vision. Oh well, nothing's perfect.

Before leaving the city on our last day there, we drove around Tybee Island and walked along the pier. As a 'west coast girl', I enjoyed seeing the Atlantic Ocean and this beautiful beach and taking pictures of seagulls (one of my favorite pastimes).

To see my photos from Savannah, check out my gallery:  Georgia

To find other great artwork with a Savannah theme, check out Pixels.

Autumn

One of my favorite places to take pictures in California is at Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore. On a recent walk, on a gorgeous fall day, my husband and I came across a family of deer. (I always bring a chaperone along when I walk here because of recent mountain lion spottings.) Once we saw the deer, we quietly walked in their direction and I took photos, while trying to get as much fall foliage in the picture as possible. It was thrilling to watch as they ran from one shady spot to a next. We waited patiently for them to walk into the sunshine which made for a more interesting photo.

Another great place to take Autumn photographs is in Washington State.  I always feel blessed if I happen to be there during the fall months.  The colors orange and yellow make me very happy.  Here are pictures from Prosser and Spokane, Washington.

To see more of my Autumn photos, go to:  Autumn

To see other artists' work on Fine Art America, go to:  Autumn

Crater Lake

About 5 years ago, I visited Crater Lake for the first time. It was a beautiful day and I took some nice pictures of my two daughters with the lake in the background. Funny, but I never even dreamed of taking pictures of just the scenery. I was in Mom-mode. In July, my husband and I visited again, this time I was in Photographer-Mode. My goal was to try and capture the amazing blue color and figure out a way to show the vastness of the surrounding mountains. I prayed the whole way that there would be some interesting clouds, to make it just a 'bit' different. Being unique is a challenge, especially when millions of people have stood on the same spot, taking the same picture. I was thrilled to see one storm cloud hanging over the lake. Besides obsessing over this neat cloud, I obsessed over the craggy, weathered trees with lovely silver bark and the patterns in the melting snow.

This second time around, I learned some valuable lessons that I would like to pass on to you. 1. Take mosquito repellent. The melting snow is a breeding ground for massive quantities of these evil little guys. They especially love my husband, who safely stayed in the car and drove me to wherever I wanted to take pictures.
2. The lodge is amazing, but book early if you want to stay there. 3. Do not plan to stay in the area without reservations. It will take you another hour to get back to civilization and you don't want to get stuck without a place to stay. There are bears in them woods! 3. Crater Lake is off the beaten path, but is definitely well worth the trip.

To see more of my Waterscapes on Fine Art America, click HERE.

To see other Waterscapes on Fine Art America, click HERE.

A Walk in Sycamore Grove Park (Livermore, CA)

In northern California, my favorite time of year is spring when the hills turn a beautiful shade of green. You learn to enjoy it while you can, because soon enough they turn back to their signature 'golden' color. On one April day, I went out in search of a good place to take pictures. I found it in Livermore at Sycamore Grove Park. Okay, I'm going to humbly admit that I really didn't know what a sycamore looked like, but they are now one of my favorite trees. Their white bark and rambling branches create a lovely contrast to the 'spring green'. Sycamore Grove is popular with runners and has a winding trail that is a bit too remote for me. It didn't help to see signs posted, warning of possible wildlife encounters. Yeah, that did make me a bit nervous, especially since news reports had told of mountain lions wandering this area and being spotted in backyards! Luckily, my only wildlife encounter was with a huge hawk, sitting not more than ten feet above me in a tree. It was truly a magical moment, to look up and see his 'hawk eyes' staring down at me. I quickly swung my camera up (remembering it now, it was in slow-motion) and got a shot of him flying away. A perfect mano-a-nature moment. :)

To see my hawk and other photos of this nice spring day, click on the picture labelled 'Sycamore Grove Park' to the right.

TREES

Half Moon Bay, CA

One of my favorite daytrips was to Half Moon Bay, California. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this area, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Our main goal was to spot some elephant seals along the coast. They normally show up during the winter months (January to March). I find them to be such interesting, unique and unbelievably huge creatures. We first spotted them last year at Point Reyes National Park (Chimney Rock) and I fell in love! This trip took us first to Half Moon Bay Recreational Park. It looked like a great place to picnic and camp, so we hope to make it back there with someday. After a nice discussion with the volunteer at the information center, we learned that one lone elephant seal had been hanging out at the Pigeon Point Light Station down the road. We stopped for a walk along Pillar Point Harbor and then drove through the town of Half Moon Bay (nice shops and lots of interesting restaurants) to get to Pigeon Point, just off of Hwy 1. It turned out to be a photographer's paradise--neat lighthouse, quaint little blue and white cottages (actually a hostel) and cute paths with white picket fences that take you all around the point. Absolutely beautiful views in every direction! I especially loved seeing the ice plants that grow on the rocks and cliffs. Unfortunately, the elephant seal wasn't hanging out there anymore, but another talk with a ranger sent us further down the road to another beach where they 'might' be. It took several turnarounds and some serious map-reading to find it, but we eventually were rewarded with the beautiful sight of around 8 seals lounging on the beach. We very respectfully walked around them--giving the wide berth that the ranger suggested of 50 feet (not the 25 feet that was posted on a sign). I was thankful for my 250mm lens that let me get close up, without getting too personal. :)

To see more of my Seaside photos, click HERE.

BEACH