Expect the Un-Expected

I have always considered myself to be a optimisic person and through the years, my optimism has decreased.  Life has a way of doing this to us and at times, it’s hard to find the silver lining in any situation as we get older.

The one thing I have noticed with young kids, is that they expect the unexpected.  It could be something huge like going to a theme park, or even as simple as going to a movie. Kids have the amazing ability to enjoy the moment, good, bad or indifferent.  Their anticipation and expectations are pure emotions of happiness, excitement of not knowing, and joy of a new experience.

I believe if we allow ourselves to see things through the eyes of a child, it will bring back the very joy that life has a way of stealing, we must expect the unexpected.

Courage

Decisions…we make them everyday.  Whether they are small daily ones or once in a lifetime, life altering ones, we make them.

At times, the fear of the unknown is what frightens us, makes us hesitate to move forward.  We start to doubt ourselves, doubt the opportunity awaiting us.  It is during these times I have to truly dig deep within myself, to find enough strength to take that first step towards the door and enough courage to walk through it.

Courage

HOME

I finished my first piece and I love the way it turn out.  I call it “HOME”.

When we are secure in who we are, content with where we are in our lives , glad for who we have become, I believe you are HOME.

Temecula Sidewalk Art

It amazes me that Art comes in so many different forms and mediums and this sidewalk art is just another example. It has become one of Temecula’s annual events that draws artist from all around the Inland Empire.

Artist as young as five can participate in the sidewalk art where they can share their thoughts and talent on a little space of asphalt.  Then there are those Artist who have been participating in this event since it’s inception.  What surprised me, was the amount of young teenagers participating in this event and this was truly a wonderful sight to see.  There were many asphalt canvases with thought-provoking artwork to been seen and enjoyed.  It was interesting to watch these artist create their masterpiece while the sun beat down on them, working with such a rough surface and working with chalk. Yet, their creations were magnificent!

I wanted to share these wonderful creations along with the Artist hard at work.  I’d like to thank each of you for letting me post your photo and artwork. A note to the artist if you see yourself, please feel free to add your name in the comment section along with your website to share.

 

The Peterson Museum

As most of you know by my last post, our family loves cars.  In the past 3 years we have had the pleasure to visit some of the most wonderful car museums in Los Angeles.  In January, my husband and I made a second trip back to the Peterson Museum, this time with our daughter and a very good friend who is also a car enthusiast.  I must say that it is worth the trip.  I have never seen such care and detail put into each diorama depicting the era of each car.  The museum has all the essentials that make it nice to bring your kids, there are displays that are kid friendly, I even think there is a third floor dedicated to kids ( never been up there), a store with great merchandise for every age and even a Johnny Rocket Restaurant to feed them when they get hungry.  The museum like most museum’s has their main collection, then on the second floor is where they display their “Changing Theme”, you need to check out the website for more information. 

The Beauty of Cars

Over the past 29 years of being married, I too have fallen in love with cars.   My husband grew up, like most boys, saving for that special first car.  His first purchase was 1961 Renault Caravelle.  Since then his passion for cars grew and then it grew to racing Formula Fords, then working on a Toyota Atlantic team, finally becoming a Crew Chief  for an Indy Lights Team.  So you can say that we love all aspects of cars.  We love going to car shows all over California and that is how this collection came together.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I had taking them.

Los Angeles

I currently live in the Los Angeles area which is the largest county in California, and second largest city in the United States after New York. There are so many interesting places in Los Angeles and this is where I have chosen to begin my journey.

Los Angeles provides numerous things to do for it’s locals and tourist. One thing I have discovered about myself, is that I have been missing out on many things in my own home state.

I am glad that I am visiting these places with the eye of a photographer. My experience is different, I believe because I am always seeking to find the right composition, a good subject matter and to tell a story through my eyes. I am understanding how to pay attention to the littlest detail.

Every time I press the shutter, I am hoping that I have seize the very scene as I see it… even better than I see it. This process frustrates me because I over think how I am going to capture the scene only to miss out on the opportunity.

There are those times, where the weather is right, timing is right and I able to capture those moments that are truly beautiful. I heard it said somewhere “that it is easy to take a good picture of something beautiful, than to take a picture of something simple and make it beautiful”

That is my challenge.