Happy Holidays from Smyrna!

Downtown City of Smyrna Christmas Tree

Last year, I went to downtown Smyrna—the Village Green—to photograph the tree. But I didn't spend a lot of time shooting the tree. You see, I got distracted by all of the cars and spent most of my time shooting long exposures to get the traffic light trails.

Arabia Mountain is Other Worldly

Yellow daisies at Arabia Mountain

I had scheduled a beach trip for the September full moon, but my trip got rained out, and I really don't have a go-to place to shoot the moon in the Atlanta area. Although, that's something I've been wanting to find, but more often than not, it seems to either rain or be extremely cloudy on our full-moon nights.

Time for Chihuly

A sun flare makes Chihuly even more beautiful!

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens (ABG) had a Dale Chihuly exhibit in 2004. I didn't get to see it that year, but they've retained a couple of his sculptures. One of them is outside in a fountain in the Levy Parterre. I can't imagine what that fountain looked like without it because that's the only way I've seen it, and it just seems to belong. And every time I see it, I'm amazed that it survives the elements the way it does—it's outside in the heat of summer and in the cold of winter.

Free Birthdays at the Georgia Aquarium

Here's looking at you, kid.

This post isn't so much to make you ooh and ahh over my photography skills as much as it is to make you aware of a wonderful offer from the Georgia Aquarium. If you are a Georgia resident, you can go to the aquarium for FREE on your birthday. How cool is that!

Copper Creek Sunflowers

Viewing Platform in the Field of Sunflowers

I got a call from the owner of Copper Creek Farm inviting me to come up and photograph the sunflowers before he cut them down. You may remember the photo of the barn that I took for the calendar project last fall. Well, he has to prepare the area to plant the corn, so the sunflowers were to be no more—until next year, that is. He rotates the crops to keep the soil from getting worn out.

Balloons Over Fayette

Three hot air balloons over Fayette.

One of the photography clubs I am a member of announced a meetup for a new hot air balloon festival. I debated about going because it was unclear how many balloons there would be or what the surroundings would be like. I did a quick Google Maps search, and it did not appear that there was any water where this would be held. It is so beautiful to photograph balloons, particularly at night, next to water.

We Salute You: Part 2

Marietta National Cemetery with Flags Flying

In December, I wrote about my visit to Marietta National Cemetery and the beautiful wreaths that were placed in front of almost a third of the stones. It was a beautiful sight to see. I had also told you a little about the history of the cemetery.

Invitation to Read my Other Blog

Hibiscus flower at Butterfly Wonderland.

If you have read the About Me tab, you know all about my other blog. Or you may have clicked the I'm Just Sayin' tab—yep, that's it. Easy to access, right? I considered using that blog when I set up this blog, but I felt that the content would be different enough to have two. When I realized that I could put a tab for it within this blog, I was excited about that.

Say Yes to the Butterflies

Scoot over and make room for me.

After a really full and rather hot day enjoying the great outdoors of Phoenix, Arizona, my friend and I decided that the next day we wanted to do something indoors. When I considered the list of options she gave me, it didn't take me but about a second to say yes to the butterflies. I absolutely love butterflies.

Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix

I'm a sucker for a curved path.

When I travel, I try to visit the local botanical gardens, and I definitely wanted to see what the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona would have to offer. The location was very convenient, too, right next to Papago Park.

The Hole in the Rock

People climbing into The Hole in the Rock.

Our next stop after the Gateway Loop Trail was Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona. My friend had never been there, but after she suggested it, I looked online and what I saw definitely looked very interesting and worth seeing—it did not disappoint.

Gateway to the West

McDowell Mountain Range and palo verde trees.

Even though I love to travel, I don't necessarily have to see every state. But there are certain states I've always wanted to see, and then there are the states where friends live, so those are definitely on the short list. That's how I made my decision to visit Arizona this year—my 18th state. I changed planes there a couple of years ago, but I didn't feel like I could count that.

California, Here I Come: Part 4

Boy, the airport sure takes up a lot of prime real estate.

Before I could see the "old" lighthouse, I had to move my car from the tide pool parking lot. Parking was a little scarce there, but that's not the case in the upper area of the park. And I hear that tide pool parking lot #1 and the trail is closed for a couple of months for improvements, so I really did have great timing with this visit.

California, Here I Come: Part 3

For size context, there are actually people standing behind the biggest boulder.

In my last post, I told you about stumbling onto Fort Rosecrans Cemetery. I enjoyed that quick stop, but was anxious to see the lighthouses. I had learned that they are both located in Cabrillo National Monument (part of the U.S. National Park Service). There was a $10 car entry fee that is good for a week. That's great if you live there, or came for a longer visit, but I think I’d rather pay $5 for a one-day pass—just sayin'.

California, Here I Come: Part 2

Beautiful Hottentot Fig Ice Plants surrounding a bench with a view.

After I left La Jolla Cove, the next stop of my San Diego vacation, was to Mt. Soledad. This location was recommended by a coworker that lives in San Clemente, California. He said that the views are spectacular.

California, Here I Come: Part 1

This is the life!

I’ve always wanted to visit San Diego. The photos I’ve seen have been enticing, but what I mostly thought I’d enjoy would be the year-round 72-degree daytime temps. When I found out I had to go out there for business, I decided to tack a couple of days onto the end of my trip to be a tourist.

I Can’t Feel My Face

Loved the snow on this fence post.

If you were following my calendar project last year, you know that my biggest challenge was trying to find snow or ice to photograph for January. We finally got a little snow this January on the 23rd.