Lack of resolution . . .

Don't know about you, but this time of year makes me crazy. In the past, I would read countless art and photography blogs that practically SANG about what these incredibly talented people accomplished THIS year as well as all the things they plan to accomplish NEXT year. How many shows they participated in, how many pictures they uploaded to stock agencies, how many handmade art journals they produced, what new techniques they learned, etc., along with where they're going next year, what their plans are to perfect their technique of printing photographs onto faux fur, how many more shows they'll be participating in, and how taking ONE photo a day just isn't enough -- their goal now is to post TWO photos a day because, you know, ANYbody can take ONE decent photo a day...

So if you're feeling marginal about yourself, that maybe you're not doing enough in your life, that you should be doing more, more, more, reading these celebratory blogs will push you over the edge into a pit of self-doubt, guilt, and futility.

My solution this year: DO NOT READ THOSE BLOGS! If you're reading along and the person begins making lists, immediately stop, mark the blog as "read," and move on. We do NOT need this pressure. We do NOT need to compare ourselves to these perfect, multi-talented beings.

Life is short. Stop reading and fretting about what others are doing and walk your own path at your own pace.

Gotta go now to meet up with my tai chi/book club/tea drinking/boat refinishing group...

©Carol Leigh

P.S. Something else that's driving me crazy? Windows 8. On a new laptop. Where the copyright symbol used to be created by pressing ALT then typing 0169. No longer. NOW it's pressing the function key AND the ALT key and then typing 0169. I could have taken THREE decent photos in the time it took for me to research this ...

Crabbing season begins at last

Crabbing season began just after midnight this morning and I could see the lights of at least eight crabbing boats on the horizon when I looked out the kitchen window. It's good to see them finally out there. This season began a month later than usual because the crabs hadn't filled out enough by Thanksgiving. So Christmas for the fishing community is just now going to begin for these folks.

Yesterday we made a quick turn around the docks to see the boats all loaded up with crabpots. Deckhands were making sure the stacks of pots were completely secure, as you can see in the first photo. The F/V Norska sits patiently waiting for midnight, along with hundreds of other boats along the bayfront.

I liked the bright red color of one boat's hull and the contrast of smooth metal and the multi-textured crab pots above.

And then there's a guy looking for a deckhand job who posted a resume at the top of the gangplank leading down to the docks. He says, in part, "I am the man you want on your deck. I have been crewing for vessels big and small now for several years ... I am a simple family oriented man who is looking for a solid reliable local crab job so that I can start investing in the more important things opposed to being gone in Alaska for months at a time. I am all I say I am and nothing else. I am easy going ... but I won't abide working with slosh drunks, tweakers, or screaming fools. Just a good hand looking for a good boat and crew, to make the most of this years Season..."

I hope he found a job.

©Carol Leigh

Abby brings in the moolah!

When we brought Abby home that fateful day (July 26, 2004), she immediately checked out the whole house, zoomed around everywhere, and then promptly fell asleep behind the back cushion of our couch, where I took her photo. I sent the picture off to Alamy, who licensed it two days ago (Christmas Eve) to a calendar company in the U.K. It used to be that one received decent money for calendar sales, but not of late. Abby brought in $62.63 for this little project.

Two other photos of Abby have also sold over the years, making her total contribution to our family income $146. Yes, this stock photography gig IS proving to be the grand retirement plan we anticipated!  :-)

©Carol Leigh

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you happiness, love, health, wealth, peace, and calm . . .

©Carol Leigh

Send in the Clones

Something kind of weird and different from me, and just for fun. The face is part of a mermaid on a fishing boat that I photographed. ©Carol Leigh

Created with photos of paint and cement. Featured on Fine Art America. ©Carol Leigh

San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas

It's difficult for me to remember that this is no longer Quail Botanic Garden, that it's now San Diego Botanic Garden. No matter the name, the place is still as wonderful as I remember it. I used to lead photo walks here back in the olden days . . .

The key is to be there on a foggy day with very soft light. Alas, we were there in bright sunlight last week (I and a bunch of other photo friends). Given the light I was faced with, I concentrated on backlit banana plants, light and shadow on a century plant, and the golden glow of sunlight in the bamboo garden. If I lived closer, I think I'd be there all the time.

It was a good morning. Good photography. Good friends. ©Carol Leigh

Sherman Gardens

I enjoyed visiting old haunts such as Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA. I used to go there all the time to practice my photography. One of my first photo sales (to Leanin' Tree greeting card company) was a photo of clivia, shot at the gardens. My smaller framed photos of roses and fuchsias were featured in the garden's gift shop for awhile.

The gardens are still the same (except for the restaurant that has taken the place of the little tea garden). The rock garden is more extensive and intriguing (filled with succulents). Iceland poppies still grow around the fountain, where this day all the bees were attracted to just the yellow poppies. And the little hothouse was still packed with humidity-loving ferns and bromeliads. The koi seemed much bigger (well, they've had at least 25 years to grow!).

And admission is still just $3. Way too little for such a special place.

©Carol Leigh

A few from the Balboa Peninsula . . .

Old, faded aloha shirt in shop window, Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, CA

Feathery waves at 1/10 second from the pier.

Fun Zone Window, Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, CA

Yes! I could see Catalina!

Late afternoon, Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, CA

We three chairs . . .

Don't know why I was attracted to these chairs, sitting outside a restaurant in San Juan Capistrano. So many lines: the criss-cross lines of the lattice, the stripes on the chairs, the lines between the bricks. Complementary colors: orange bricks and blue walls. The textures, too, are interesting (to me). ©Carol Leigh

Still down for the count...

Hope to be feeling better and posting by Monday...

Images sold this morning ...

Both sold at Fine Art America this morning! ©Carol Leigh