VINT HILL ROAD PART 2

ISN'T THIS ROAD JUST WONDERFUL!!!

VINT HILL ROAD

There is a road that I love that I wish would never change and stay just the way it is. I love this road. It has a lot of new homes but it still has horse farms and old barns and old homes. It seems to link the past with the present.....and remind me of years gone by. I take this road to get to Manassas instead of taking the busier, more traveled road. This is just a small sampling of the things that are on Vint Hill Road. I know some people that say " I never knew that was there." but I say " All you have to do is turn the head from left to right and SEE instead of LOOK."

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord! I want to see YOU! I want to FEEL YOU!

DRIVE BY SHOOTING

I know, I know..........it's been a while. It's not that I have put my camera down or anything, or had photographer's cramp much like writter's cramp. I've been missing you all too. I thought it would be nice to take a little break and recoup. So now I'v e recouped and here I am again. Hope you enjoy.

My friends always tell me that I never watch the road. If they pass me by on a car, I never notice them. I am too busy enjoying the view. I take everything in. I don't want to miss a thing. Such is the case a week ago in

Tennessee. Here is a sampling of some DRIVE BY SHOOTING that I did while there.

The rainbow was huge and the photo does not do it justice. It was surely the biggest rainbow I have ever seen.

I love horses of any kind, shape and size. Horses are my favorite animals, next to dogs.

Mr & Mrs latter resting after an eight hour shift. They seem exhausted.

Peaceful stream.

This giant beehive was unbelievable. It was hanging by the tiny branch and I am glad I saw it. It was huge and again, the photo does not do it justice to what size it actually was.

Nature is just amazing and we have an awsome GOD AND CREATOR...WHAT AN ARTIST!

NOW..............GO MAKE IT A GREAT DAY AND DO ONE ACT OF RANDOM KINDNESS!!!!!!

MODERN TECHNOLOGY RANT

It's been nice to be here in the Mountains of TN. I miss the blogs every day though. I am here at the mercy of DIAL UP, of all things. How did we ever do without a computer???? How did we ever do it with DIAL UP????? As it takes a long long time to download one photo, now you know why I have been dormant on the blog.

I started thinking of the technology that we have today. We don't think twice anymore. We have phones that do it all. I went to my phone company to get a charger and was informed that my phone was wayyyy out of date. Would'nt I love to trade it in for one that DOES IT ALL??? NOOOOO, I told the nice gentleman that I just wanted to make phone calls on my phone. I don't even like to text. Now we have phones that not only call and we can actually TALK to other people (IMAGINE THAT!!! WHAT A CONCEPT!!), they can get internet and GPS and phone and camera and even TV, they can also add subtract, multiply and divide and tell you anything you want to know at the touch of a finger!!!! I JUST WANT TO TALK!

We have thousands and thousands of songs on our IPODS. Any song, anytime, anywhere.

We have WIFI now, so we can do our computer work while having coffee, or eating a donut or a sandwich.

The greatest invention EVER has to be the GPS. No longer do we have to read maps. I imagine my grandaughter one day asking, MAP? WHAT'S A MAP?

I fought against all the technologies of today. I don't have an IPOD, OR BLACKBERRY (plain phone to talk on will do.) I fought against getting a cell phone for a while. I just wanted to get phone calls while at work or home. But since I am away a lot and do events and weddings all over, I had to get a cell phone for safety and to call clients when they gave me wrong directions or if I was running late. I turn off my cell phone at restaurants and offices and don't even bring it in to church. I can do without it. If a person needs me that bad, they can leave a message. The amazing thing is THEY DO!!!! If it is important enough, they always leave a message.

I discovered how great a GPS was once while visiting a friend that was in from out of town. I got lost trying to find her and she told me about a GPS. I was hesitant but once I got one, it is a great invention. Amazes me every time it takes me where I want to go. My GPS is named BETSY, after my sister in law. It was while visiting her in NJ that I truly discovered it's magic.

Digital cameras also have come a long way. I have one now that cleans itself and takes double exposures and does all sorts of things I have not even tried yet. Again, all I want it for is to take photographs. I remember about 10 years ago or so a client needed a black and white 8x10 photo for business purposes and it took about 1 to 2 weeks to get it to him. Now he can have it in a matter of minutes. He can also email it clear across the world in seconds. AMAZING!

I welcome all this technology with reservation. Are we becoming a generation that is closed in to one another. We have the IPOD headsets on while texting our friends. I am afraid our vocal cords are being used less and less and will one day not be needed anymore!

OK, ENOUGH of that ranting, I will now wait about 1/2 hour for a photo to download so I can add just one photo to the blog. I miss connecting with all my friends!

I stopped on a road and had a nice time with these swans.

A GREAT NIGHT WITH SOME GREAT LADYS

OK, I have to say it......I love Tennessee!!! I went to see the LADY VOLS basketball game last night. I had the best time and EVERYONE is just plain NICE here! When the usher found out it was my first time to see them live, he did not mind that I had come down from my 17th row seat to the FRONT ROW to take better photos. He told me if no one came to sit there, why, I should just seat there and enjoy the game! He kept telling me things like, OH YOU WILL HEAR THE CROWD ROAR WHEN THE COACH COMES OUT. Or he'd say things like, ISN'T THIS GREAT? ARE YOU HAVING A GOOD TIME? It was so sweet.

The people around me were all so enthusiastic and nice too. One thing that surprised me was the age of some of the people in the crowd. There were many young people there but I am not kidding when I tell you, there were many old folks there too. They love these ladys here! They support their college sports. EVERYTHING IS ORANGE HERE!!!!

Nice to see when the color guard came out MOST EVERYONE HAD THEIR HANDS OVER THEIR HEART!!! I love it!!!

I screamed and yelled and had a great time. The LADY VOLS WON and the traffic was so well organized and there were police on every corner directing traffic, that even the way out of the stadium was pleasant.

Oh yeah, and because the LADY VOLS won by more then 80 points we get free chicken sandwich from CHICKFILLA today, the nice usher had to tell me that too.

PATRIOTISM

I love the new found patriotism in America today. After 9/11 it was nice to see so many flags flying, everyone was proud to be an American. I saw that patriotism quickly dwindle and now I see it rising again. The best part is the sense of HOPE that is walking hand in hand with this new found patriotism. I pray it lasts.

GOD BLESS THE USA AND THE WORLD.

A FEW FAVORITE FRIENDS

I thought I would share a few (I can only upload 5 photos) of my favorite friends on here. I love children. Since it is winter and not much to photograph outside, I thought I would post some of my little friends that I love to photograph. There are many MANY more and I would like to thank their parents for letting me capture the beautiful moments of their lives. I enjoy being part of their lives and cherish the many beautiful times I have had photographing them. I am so blessed! I don't have a job, I have a passion! At times I will continue sharing my little friends with you, in hopes that I can somehow convey my gratitude for making me part of something magical, capturing moments of their lives.