snapshot & a song

I am pretty excited about joining in on LeAnne's 

Snapshot & a Song today!

I LOVE music and photography 

so it seems like an awesome idea to me!

My father worked in the music business

all of my life and I grew up

with musicians showing up at the house for dinner,

entertaining at my parent's parties, and when I became older,

going to work with my Dad and helping at events.

There are photos of my Dad

sitting at the piano with Nat King Cole,

laughing with Les Paul & Mary Ford

in conversation with The Kingston Trio

and singing along with Peter, Paul and Mary...

He would sneak me in to press conferences with the likes of

Herb Alpert, The Beatles, The Supremes and countless others...

Oh I am definitely giving my age away here!!

But I digress...

Suffice it to say that I am looking forward to LeAnne's Snapshot & a Song

becoming a regular part of my blogging!

This week I chose a song by a Canadian Artist that I grew up listening to.

Joni Mitchell
is one of the most highly regarded and influential songwriters of the 20th century...

She has won Grammy awards from 1969 through to 2007 including

a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002

She wrote the song we all associate with Woodstock!

But that isn't my Song for this week...

I suspect many would be familiar with the song I have chosen for my "snapshot"

(oh oh...I couldn't decide on one snapshot so I made a collage...hope that isn't cheating)

Can you guess the song?

Both Sides Now

Bows and flows of angel hair

And ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun

They rain and snow on everyone

So many things I would have done

But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It's cloud illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels

The dizzy dancing way you feel

As every fairy tale comes real

I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show

You leave 'em laughing when you go

And if you care, don't let them know

Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now

From give and take, and still somehow

It's love's illusions I recall

I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud

To say "I love you" right out loud

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds

I've looked at life that way

Oh but now old friends are acting strange

They shake their heads, they say I've changed

Well something's lost but something's gained

In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now

From WIN and LOSE and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

That was fun!!

Thanks to LeAnne for hosting!!

Janet xo

Why not head on over to Photos by LeAnne and join in!

{A Moment of Life} 52 photos project yr2 wk17

Sadly, between our wedding, a crazy few weeks and a short vacation, 

I have missed a few prompts for 52 Photos Project...

and though {A Moment of Life} prompt may be a perfect opportunity 

to share the wedding photos some have requested

they were not taken by me! *lol*

I have gone into my archives intentionally looking for this photo

as it still stands out strongly in my mind as a defining moment of life

for me...

I have yet to find the words to describe the emotions that came over me in that moment

There was something about: 

the sudden awareness of how small and vulnerable one is in the world

the tranquility and silence found in a canyon filled with water 

the drips off the paddle being the only sound

the story of a million years being whispered by the gentle breeze

the desire to never lose the freedom you feel in that moment of life...

At a distance, the Mister had his own moment...

he too was silent as his mind went on its personal journey

being half Ojibwe, perhaps the native spirits called out to him?

He climbed out of his kayak onto the rocks to explore, and snapped this as

I headed over to paddle into a slot canyon...

 As the walls narrowed and got higher, the silence deepened

until it became so narrow that I could barely turn my kayak around,

the silence was deafening

and I sang at the top of my lungs 

(since there was no one who would hear!)

before paddling out

to find the Mister...

and an inukshuk* that he had built

To this day my heart and lungs seem to swell and my breathing slows

and we both go to a far off silent place for a bit 

when we recall that moment in life that couldn't last forever

as we had to get out of the canyons and back to to shore 

by the time the sun had set over Lone Rock...

Of course I had to get some photos of that sunset and its reflection on Lone Rock

so I climbed off here...

and here

to capture the sun setting

and its reflection on Lone Rock

and what a beautiful sunset it was...

the Mister waited in his kayak as I took the last shot

("I promise!!")

and we headed in to shore

reaching it just in time to capture the afterglow

Words simply can not capture the moment

it must be experienced first hand...

These photos were taken on Lake Powell, a lake created by damming the Colorado River 

between the Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon on the Utah/Arizona border

in late September 2011

We found it interesting that folks we met in Arizona and Utah did not know 

what an inukshuk is, so in case any of you are unfamiliar...

* Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path."

The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms for a variety of purposes: as navigation or directional aids, to mark a place of respect or memorial for a beloved person, or to indicate migration routes or places where fish can be found. Other similar stone structures were objects of veneration, signifying places of power or the abode of spirits. Although most inuksuit appear singly, sometimes they are arranged in sequences spanning great distances or are grouped to mark a specific place.

These sculptural forms are among the oldest and most important objects placed by humans upon the vast Arctic landscape.

Excerpt from Inukshuk Gallery

and a big thanks to Bella!

For this prompt and for all the work she puts in to holding this space for us to share

Janet xo

photo art friday 17.8.12 - container edition

Many of the photos on yesterday's blog post were some form of container! 

Clouds are containers for rain

Gondolas are containers that carry folks up the mountain

Kayaks are containers for floating on water

Chairs are containers for bottoms

and

Go carts are containers for big and little bodies who dream of driving like maniacs!

(and helmets are containers to protect heads)

The baskets on these bikes make such lovely containers for flowers

so of course I am posting these for Photo Art Friday!

This is something I have always wanted to put at the end of my driveway

leaning up against the cedar rail fence...

I never got around to buying the old bike to do so

but I just might make the effort now.

I didn't like seeing so much development and commercialization where, in my youth, 

was once beautiful, magical and natural surroundings at the bottom of Blue Mountain.

But I have to admit that the landscaping and gardens that are now there 

are both beautiful and creative.

Have a great weekend all!!

Janet xo

mini vacation

The mister and I have just returned from a mini vacation 

at Blue Mountain on Georgian Bay here in Ontario.

Despite fickle weather, it was an enjoyable 4 days 

that provided both fun and rejuvenating activities

... as well as some good photo opportunities!

For SkyWatch Friday

the weather provided a stunning and spectacular mid day storm

by the time we had finished lunch and watched a movie

we were looking at this...

Each day was different

but every one was moody when it came to the weather

Tuesday right up until noon 

it looked like this from our room

A few hours later we were at the top where the fog is so thick
looking down at beautiful Georgian Bay

and by the time we were coming down the sun was out in full force

On Thursday morning, just in time for This and That Thursday,

the sun bathed the pond and dockside in brilliant light 

and waited patiently for the tourists to arrive and enjoy the day's activities

Nope!
A little cloud cover and the threat of rain
didn't stop me from taking our nephew rock wall climbing ...

and getting some photos for him

... from the bottom when he reached the top...

Nor would the weather stop the mister from taking our nephew 

for some good old fashioned go cart racing!

I have always said that there is no use complaining about the weather...
it won't change a thing
and it could make you miss out on an opportunity to dance in the rain...

... or a fountain!

Utilizing the 'spray and pray' method of photography,
I took almost 1000 photos so there are more to come...
once I have had the chance to sort through them

For now, why not check out the other contributions at:

and

SkyWatch Friday

macro monday 30.7.12

Earlier this summer the mister and I decided to create a small 'meadow'

in an area of the back yard where it is difficult to cut grass 

or to grow any other kind of garden

We took seeds that had been given to us by many friends, 

from their gardens,

in sympathy cards for my father,

and given out at a memorial service 

and planted them in a loosely organized way 

Although I recognize many of the flowers, 

these are two that I thought folks at Macro Monday just might be able to identify...

Please take a moment to check out some of the awesome shots from other contributors at

and have an awesome Monday!

Janet xo

P.S. Also posting to Flowers for Leontien

photo art friday 27.7.12 - Pinky Swear

I loved the concept...

but the photo didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.

...tough to take when one of your hands is tied up...

and the background was ... shall we say...

 less than stellar?

So I opened my Pixel Dust Photo Art textures file

and played around

In the end I had used the following pdpa textures:

Vintage Craqueline 

Rose Dust 

Soft Light overlay 

Golden Bokeh 

and Never Seen Before (cropped)

...and was pretty pleased with the results

Posting to Bonnie's Photo Art Friday

...some may say it is an "improbable pairing" *lol*

Also posting to SkyWatch Friday... this SOOC shot

 of a gorgeous thunderstorm over Lake Ontario 

was taken earlier this week 

from my daughter's 37th floor condo that overlooks Centre Island and Porter Airport

We really needed rain here and, though I was glad it held off until after the wedding,

I was very glad to see it finally arrive this week.

My gardens sang and danced in the rain...

photos to come...

Have a great weekend all!

Head on over to Pixel Dust Photo Art to see the other entries for Photo Art Friday and 

to SkyWatch Friday for some amazing shots!!

Janet xo

http://skyley.blogspot.ca/

{White} 52 photos project yr2 wk14

A traffic jam on the highway!

The best man, the mother of the mister,

and my son (who was seating my mother)

were all held up in that traffic jam...

There are definitely advantages to a casual garden wedding...

We took advantage of the wait to pose for a few photos

(taken by my daughter with her iPhone)

and I took advantage of the wait to take some of my own...

White bouquets

waiting patiently for the wedding to begin...

and at the reception, white baby's breath in antique jars - gifts from my father
to give him a presence at our wedding celebrations

(for 52 Photos Project and Flowers for Leontien)

We invited our guests to bring their cameras

and be our 'official' photographers and 

they did an amazing job!

(taken by my nephew, Daniel)

... and, as you can see the ceremony did eventually happen!

There are definitely advantages to having a casual wedding!

How else could the bride get away with running around photographing the guests?

I managed to get some great shots of them so I could put together this thank you

Also posting to This or That Thursday

where I found the links that led me to explore templates

and tutorials for our thank you collage!

Playing catch up this week so hope to visit everyone's blog soon!

Janet xo