Blue Skies

"I never get tired of the blue sky."  -  Vincent Van Gogh

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No.  I'm good."  

Should I have told John, my husband, to stop so I could get a good picture of the Joshua Trees?  Ah...yes.  But we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us and the sun was going down... 

We were driving on a two lane road through the desert heading back to the hotel after visiting the Grand Canyon.  The long drive was part of the fun.  (partly because John was the one driving)  The desert was full of Joshua trees.   I kept taking pictures with my window up (it was cold) thinking I would capture something.  I did capture something...blurry Joshua trees and my reflection in the window.  But I also captured memories...

A day or two later, we found another Joshua tree.  I did have John stop at this one.  :)    

The Joshua Tree I did get in focus. :)

Our December trip was packed full of the usual touristy places and a little bit of hiking.  We visited the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas Strip, Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon and a few other places too.  

A beautiful view we saw on a Grand Canyon Colorado River boat ride.

Leaving the Colorado River by helicopter...definitely a bucket list experience.  Megan got the best seat.  :)

No blue skies on this day, but I just had to take a picture of this iconic sign. (another picture from a moving vehicle)  We aren't gamblers, but there is a lot to see and do on 'The Strip'.

Hoover Dam

At Hoover Dam...notice how big the wings are on the 'Winged Figures'...there are about 30 feet...

The wings don't look as big from this angle.  It is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Valley of the Fire State Park

Valley of the Fire State Park

Valley of the Fire State Park

Valley of the Fire State Park

Red Rock Canyon

The desert is beautiful.  The blue skies are amazing.  

Ohio skies are usually rather grey in the winter, it was such a delight to see the blue skies out West. 

I hope the blue skies and pretty scenery brightened your day. :)

We have grey skies here today with some snow flurries.  How does your sky look today?  I would love to hear about it. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Michelle

A Few Quotes To Share

"Perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat."  -  Elizabeth Gilbert

Photography Class

"I am still learning."  -  Michelangelo at 87 years old

Orchid Show

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent.  It is the one that is most adaptable to change."  -  Charles Darwin
"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.  It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."  -  Gerard Way

It wasn't our first choice...

Light

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did."  -  Mark Twain

Orange Sherbet

"If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary.  Let our curiosity, adventure and  wonder of life never end."   

-  Akiane Kramarik

John and I took a sunset walk out to the lake.

A Good Deal

"The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can ever find them.  The hunt to uncover those jewels - that's the creative living.  The courage to go on that hunt in the first place - that's what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one."  -  Elizabeth Gilbert

"Whatever it is you are pursuing, be careful not to quit too soon."  -  Elizabeth Gilbert

I love getting good deals.

More Than Expected

"...life inevitably throws us curve balls, unexpected circumstances that remind us to expect the unexpected."  -  Carre Otis

I really can't remember the last time a snow fall here has been higher than my hiking boots.

Brave

"Find your passion, love with every ounce of your bones, stand up for things that matter, don't settle, don't apologize for who you are.  Be brave."  -  Anonymous

I couldn't remember...

Merry Christmas!

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don't have; you will never, ever have enough."  -  Oprah 

Sunflowers

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."  

-  Maya Angelou

Ohio Rocks!

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -  Henry Miller

I bought a new book.

Dad

"You will be blessed the moment you realize you already are."  -  Bryant McGill

I am blessed.

100 Day Project

 

"If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you."  -  Les Brown

At first, I planned to take pictures of anything I found beautiful, not necessarily flowers.  But my project #seebeautyhere has evolved into flower and nature pictures, a majority documenting my yard coming back to life after a long winter. 
 

What Are You Looking At?

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."  -  Lewis Carroll 

A Very Windy Day

 

"Anything you can't control is teaching you how to let go."  -  Jackson Kiddard

It was a very, very windy day last week when a friend and I went to Cox Arboretum to find some spring blossoms.

I Still Can't Believe It

 Last October I hadn't checked my blog email account for three weeks...

I Judge A Book By It's Cover

"Your assumptions are your windows on the world.  Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in."  -  Isaac Asimov

I hate to admit it...but I do.

Ranunculus

"The difference between school and life?  In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson."  -  Tom Bodett

"I like the contrast." Megan, my teenage daughter, commented after I showed her two photographs I took of ranunculus flowers.

April Fool's

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."  

 -  Japanese Proverb

Mother Nature played a late April Fool's joke on us.