One can only assume it was a small Nebraska town started by Dutch immigrants? It was way off the beaten path but worth the drive, full size, the thing was huge. Pretty neat actually. This was that same week-long cross country tour. I'm serious, Nebraska is far more interesting than I would have ever imagined possible.

This is Buffalo Bill Cody's house in Nebraska, I think. That cross country drive is just one big blur from about Ohio to Utah. I do remember that Wyoming is incredibly boring, and that Nebraska is way more interesting then you'd ever imagine it to be.

Sorry, missed a few days. I hate when that happens. This is a picture of the Point Cadet neighborhood of Biloxi, Mississippi the week immediately after Hurricane Katrina. My mom lived in Biloxi, and her house was mostly destroyed in the Hurricane, but I went down the week after to help her salvage as much as possible from the wreckage. Considering that some people salvaged enough to fill a shoe box, she was lucky enough to salvage enough to fill a 6x10 U-Haul trailer.

Here's the hot air balloon that landed in our back yard this past summer. That was a blast, I love when the balloons go over the house. Reminds me of my childhood in Napa, when they land in the field next door every weekend. And now I've typed balloon so many times that the word looks funny and I can't decide if I've used too many double letters, or not enough. ;)

This is an interesting piece I have on the wall now. Originally it came as a coffee table, with a frame and legs and a glass table top. But I removed all that and made it a wall hanging. We got this at the Longest Yard Sale in the hills along the border of Alabama and Tennessee. It's one solid piece of hand carved wood, sort of a relief carving, and then it was hand painted on top of that. It's really very interesting to look at up close, and it has an illegible signature and everything. Sadly, it's very hard to photograph. Hopefully you get the picture. No pun intended.

This is a sailboat in front of the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. Same trip as the Alcatraz pic, last Thanksgiving.

Now we finally know who has been knocking over the garbage can while we are out of the house.

This is Baghera cuddled up with his "mommy". We think maybe his real mother was white, and so the bear is a nice surrogate? Who knows. He likes to knead the bear for a while and then cuddle up and sleep with it. He's still such a baby.

This is the purple scarf I made for Amber's Christmas present.

Still sick at home. So sorry. This is a nice pic though, a statue of George Washington on horseback in the Commons Park in Boston.

This is the single best picture of my life, taken here in Bend my first summer, 2004.

Today I have given myself permission to use old photos just for the weekends. Or when it's absolutely necessary. Like when I'm sick in bed for days on end. Or when step-children cause chaos in my life, which does happen, more's the pity. So here's a photo I took last November (2005) while on vacation in San Francisco. Alcatraz Island and a very nice old-timey ship right infront of it. This is one of my all time favorite photos that I've taken.

The heater in the office went out yesterday. So today, my bosses daughter comes into the office and complains of being cold. We tell her to go put on a sweatshirt. She returns in this outfit. Her pajamas, a full length robe, and a fuzzy scarf. And then is thrilled when I take her picture. A model in the making I tell you.

 

This is the view out my office window. It's another one of those that I take pics of it at different times of the day to test the lighting. They call it Rattlesnake Ridge because... well, you get the picture. So to speak.

 

After being trapped in the house all weekend by my sickness, I can't believe how attractive work is looking! This is Benny and Princess, the two cats that keep me company the most. The others are more independent, or at least more dependent on my husband, but these two are always with me. It's good to be loved unconditionally.

When you're home sick all day, is there anything better than a complete 16-hour Firefly marathon? I think not.

I've been sick all weekend so I'm struggling to get out of bed, much less take interesting pics all day! But I did get this sunrise shot while walking the dogs first thing in the morning. It was seriously cold, so I ran back in the house pretty quick and slept for the rest of the day.

These are the presents I wrapped up for the step-kids today. I had fun doing it. But I didn't have any gift tags, so I just settled for using one type of paper for each kid's presents. Hey, whatever works. And I couldn't find the bows to adorn them festively, but it's the thought that counts, right?

This is the frozen goldfish pond in front of my office. I've been taking pics of it at different times of the day to experiment with the lighting. Today was a slow day. Maybe I'll take more pics later this evening and choose a different one tomorrow.

I started uploading a bunch of older photos I've taken over the years into the Webshots albums. It will take a while, I have a LOT. I guess I've always been interested in photography, I just never put a lot of effort or thought into it. It helps that I've been a lot of places, so I've had the chance to take lots of pics. So check them out when you have time!

 

Here's what I've uploaded so far. Photos of: