Spring (happily!)

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Shamefully long. What can I say, work and life got in the way.  I don't want to go into the gory details of the long hours in the office, but thankfully a bit of the time keeping me from this blog was spent having fun.  I went rock climbing for the first time, enjoyed some good baseball with friends, started a book club, etc. 

And I had the honor (with my friend Laura) last weekend of being my friend Lauren's wedding photographer (can't wait to share those pics!).  She got married at City Hall and the reception was at Queens County Farm Museum.  What a neat spot, tucked away in the middle of Queens, a little farm with animals and hay rides.

To warm up, so to speak, for the evening of phototaking, I stopped on my way into the farm to take some photos of these tulips.  Oh, tulips! How happy they make me!  They are such a sure sign of spring and the end of cold, dreary winter.

(Queens County Farm Museum, photographed May 2011)

Notes from the Underground

Last night I posted on facebook and tweeted (follow me @cameragirlk on twitter) a photo of my ride home. As a typical new yorker, I spend about 1/24th of my day underground, riding the subway. Most of the time I'm reading a book or listening to music, but lately I've been taking some photos. Just with my iphone, secretively.

I've never thought the subway could be so beautiful.

 

(nyc subway, photographed April 2011)

Puppy Week!

 

Can I just say that I don't think there is any such thing as a crazy dog lady.  At least not in the same sense as a crazy cat lady.  Which is a good thing as I'm well into puppy week here at Say Cheese.  Puppies, puppies and more puppies! And everyone is happy.  Even my friends (ahem Rosa and Heather, I'm looking at you) who have been teasing me about my recent obsession with puppies. Because who really can not help but melt when you look at these cute rascals and their cute tails?

(Puppies in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Papa Bear

I briefly (very briefly) considered posting some other photos from New Mexico, you know, like of the desert or a cactus plant or something.  But then I remembered this is supposed to puppy week.  Much like shark week but with less teeth and more cute furriness. Yay, puppy week.

So, in honor of the bestest week ever, meet Headlights, aka Papa Bear, the father of the six little britches. He is a strong, protective, spirit dog. The kind you want by you on a dark night or during a solitary walk.  I would love to find a good boy like him when I'm ready to adopt a dog of my own.

(Headlights, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

A puppy a day...

I have a confession.  Well, maybe I shouldn't call it that, since I alluded to it in my last post.  No, it's really no secreat that I have a lot of puppy photos from my trip to New Mexico.  How could I not with six adorable little puppies running arund the ranch? I'd have no soul if I didn't fall in love with these buggers, who came running to say hello whenever I walked outside.  As someone who never had a dog, let alone a puppy, when I was growing up, I was euphoric at the thought of sharing a home with six little ones.  I played with them, petted them and, of course, took lots of photos of them.  You might as well call my trip a puppy-cation.

So I'm thinking that I might just do a "puppy a day" post for this week to share some of these great shots.  And you know what they say... a puppy a day keeps the doctor away!  Enjoy!

And in case you were wondering, this beautiful dog is the mama dog of the pack.  Wait till you see the papa bear dog in a later post. They make a good looking pair. No wonder their puppies are so dang cute!

(Mama and puppy, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Puppy Love

I'm baaaaaaack!

I had an amazing experience in New Mexico, which words cannot describe.  You can bet that in the near future I'll be sharing photos from my journey and perhaps a few reflections.  But I'll also be sharing photos of PUPPIES!  Lots of puppies.  There were four amazing dogs (well, some would say three amazing dogs and one very rambunctious dog) and six puppies at the farm where I had the great honor to stay.  Yes, you read that right  SIX PUPPIES!  I'm going through such puppy withdrawal right now.  But more on that later.  Right now, I'm just exhausted.  I think I've been up for about eighteen hours, traveling for about twelve of those...  Which means that it must be bed time.  Sweet (puppy filled) dreams to everyone.

(P.S.  This lil' one is named Cheii, which is the Navajo word for grandfather.  Doesn't he look like such the little old man? The name is perfect.)

(Cheii, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Heading to the Desert...

I have exciting news. I'm headed to New Mexico in a few days to volunteer on a Navajo reservation.  I can't wait to get away from my desk and out into the sun, to meet some great people and do a little good for someone else.  Will have to tell you about it later, because it's way past my bedtime as I type this post.  So just enjoy these photos from my field trip with Meghan to the d.c. botanical gardens in the meantime. 

(d.c. botanical gardens, photographed February 2011)

Snapshots of New York

I confess that, except for my brief photo field trip in d.c., I haven't been using my camera.  As I mentioned before, it's just too cold and bleak to want to be out there snapping away.  Spring is *finally* around the corner, but not quite.  As soon as the weather turns nice, I have a photo date with Katy of Sugarlaws.  I also have a photo field trip planned with my friend Laura to wander around and take photos of whatever we stumble upon.  But until then, I've been staying creative with my iphone, surreptitiously taking photos on the subway and on the streets.  

But I'm constantly amazed at the great shots I can capture with my little iphone camera, like these.

(New York City, photographed Winter 2011)

A walk in the garden continued...

After seeing my last post, my friend Dara commented that the photos were "pretty!" but "also sort of strange," because "orchids are weird-looking."  I can't say I disagree.  Orchids can be quite beautiful but really are odd-looking.  I'd try to espouse on some metaphor or simile with greater life meaning, but I have a headache and am ready for bed.  So you are on your own for that one.  Just enjoy these photos and the orchids' strange beauty.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)

A walk in the garden...

As I mentioned in my last post, I was in d.c. last weekend with my friend Meghan.  It was a sunny but very windy day, so we took shelter at the botanical gardens.  And I took full advantage of the opportunity to take photos of all the amazing flowers, which included several dozen kinds of orchids.  Big ones. Little ones.  Purple with white spots.  White with purple spots.  Ones that looked like dancing fairies, and ones that looked like evil monsters.  It was quite the collection.  Mind you, there are some 20,000 types of orchids, but I think I would run out of space in my memory card if they were all at the botanical gardens in d.c.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)