Project 64: Bittersweet.

This week's color pick is Bittersweet. It aptly describes my

feelings for Autumn. I have a difficult time saying goodbye

to the carefree days of summer. Its my favorite time of the year. 

To me, everything about it screams freedom. The girls are 

out of school, we are without much of a schedule to adhere to,

we can just run out the door...no need to think about a coat, 

hats, mittens, boots or scarves.  Nature is so plush and colorful.

I love it and I miss it so much already.

However, there truly is something special about Autumn. Though it's hard

to see summer come to an end, the slight chill in the air, the thought of 

all things apple and the now changing colors on the trees elicit a 

certain "feeling". I love a fall hike with "that" smell of fallen leaves, 

pumpkins by my door, mums blooming, corn mazes, soups and cider.

I only wish we could fast forward straight through winter and move on to spring. 

But alas, that will not happen. At least not here in PA. 

Oh well, I plan on enjoying fall as long as it lasts and will then start 

my countdown 'til spring. :D  

Project 64: Sepia.

I found my color match for sepia this week at 

the barn. We go once a week for my daughter's 

horse riding lesson. 

As she was tacking up her horse, I took 

a stroll around and found two matches

for sepia, this week's color for Project 64. 

As I didn't have my camera with me, I resorted 

to using my Iphone. I was quite pleased with the 

results and very little editing was required.   

   The photo below is my favorite of the two and the 

one I am linking up at Project 64 this week. 

It leans against the side of the barn. I think its 

unique shape and the various shades of rust

really make it a lovely piece.

Follow the link to find more great linkups for Sepia! 

S.A.L.S.A.

This morning, a friend and I  made an early morning trip to the local 

Grower's Market. It was the perfect fall morning. The sun was shining,

yet there was a crispness to the air. Even some fallen leaves

were scattered about the parking lot. 

Besides the cider and unbelievable ciabatta bread I 

purchased, I also got fresh veggies for homemade salsa.

It's a summertime favorite around our house, so before the market

is finished for the season, I figured I'd take full advantage of this 

unusually free Saturday to make fresh salsa. 

I start by cleaning and dicing green peppers. 

Next, I dice up a purple onion or two. 

Then, I chop up about five cloves of garlic and add that to the 

peppers and onions. 

I add the tomatoes next ... but got so excited about the end 

result, I forgot to snap a photo of those red beauties. 

After the tomatoes ... I chop up a jalapeno and throw in some fresh 

lemon juice and some salt. (We are not fans of cilantro, so that is

an ingredient I happily leave out.)

It is wise to wait 3-4 hours for the flavors to blend, though in 

our house that seems like an eternity and we can't seem to hold out. 

The end result ... a gorgeous blend of color and flavor!! 

I made a huge serving bowl full of salsa and half a day later, 

it's half gone. :D 

Project 64: Blue Violet

I had a really difficult time finding a color match this week. 

I still don't know how well I did, but i think there is a bit of 

blue violet radiating down from the first sun flare. 

Follow the link below and see the fantastic entries 

this week for blue violet. 

                                                 

Alphabet Photography: BREEN

A friend of mine contacted me 

this summer. She wanted to surprise 

her husband with a custom alphabet

photo for his birthday. 

We set a date and I met her at their home. 

She had some fabulous ideas for the photos.

All the items were really personal 

and held special meaning

to her husband and their family. 

The backbone to the letter B was the headliner in 

 the newspaper when his team won the 

championship in 1989. The baseballs - he and 

his son practice with these together everyday.

Outside their previous home, all three of their 

children wrote their names in cement. They dug 

them up and brought them with them during 

their recent move. The letter R is 

the second letter in their son's name,

the oldest child in their family. 

The E below is just part of an antler from

the biggest buck her husband has ever shot.

The next E was her husband's Little League 

Glove, complete with handwritten name.

As for the N ... it was made up of all three of their

children's baseball bats. The sport is a significant 

part of his life, as he has played on both high

 school and college teams. His love of the sport 

has trickled down to his children and he now 

coaches their teams. 

And finally ... the finished product!! 

Click on photo to see it enlarged.

I was thrilled to hear how surprised and pleased

he was with this! It now hangs as a centerpiece on 

their living room wall and really catches your eye 

when you walk into the room. 

Thank you "K" for asking me to be part of such

a wonderful, thoughtful gift. I am both honored

and humbled to have my photos hanging on your walls. 

I am looking forward to working on more projects

together. :D 

Midwestern Sky: Project 64 Linkup for Melon

The skies were breathtaking as we passed through Ohio into Indiana. 

We were traveling to Chicago for a family member's wedding. 

This photo is straight-out-of-camera and taken literally just a few minutes 

before a huge storm rolled through. The weather service put out a warning

for deadly cloud-to-ground lightening and "hen egg-size" hail! We pulled our car over

at a rest area and decided to wait out the storm. The lightening was truly 

cloud-to-ground, but we didn't quite see hail the size of hen eggs, only about

 quarter-sized. The storm passed relatively quickly and we were able to 

continue our journey through the midwest.  

                              

Click on the link and check out more great linkups for Melon.