This Way ThursWay and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

This sign is posted at the dog beach here in Venice, Florida, but it's good advice anywhere : )

Today is our 18th wedding anniversary.  Victor wanted a very private service and a great big party, so we chose New Year's Eve.  Service was outdoors at a friends house with very few attendees; reception was a hog roast for over 200 people.  Here is a picture from that day, and one from our 15th anniversary when we renewed our vows.  Enjoy and Happy New Year.

Thanks to all the wonderful folks who visit my blog.  My apologies - I have been a bit lax in returning comments.  I'll get better, I promise.  Peace.  B : )

ABC Wednesday - Are sonograms X rays?

If not, I guess I'll have to be disqualified - oh no!  If you have an X picture (not X rated) to share, or want to see what others came up with, please click the button on the right.

Peace and Happy New Year.  B : )

Watery Wednesday

Happy Watery Wednesday and almost New Year.  To see some really spectacular water shots, and perhaps add yours, please click on the button to the right.

When the Queen Mum and I went to the Venice Theater (fka Venice Little Theater) on our annual jaunt to see A Christmas Carol, I found this little puddle when we parked the car.  For some reason I cannot explain, it has captured my fancy.  I thought I'd share it so anyone else with an insane fancy could enjoy it too.

Peace to you and your loved ones throughout the coming year.  B : )

Ruby Tuesday

Please click on the button to the right if you'd like to share your red gems and/or see some more.

This was the outside of the package I received for Christmas from my elder Step-Daughter, Ashley.  To me it is perfection.
And this is the inside of the package, also total perfection.  Ashley made this.

Peace to all of you.  B : )

Mellow Yellow Monday

Sure hope these are considered yellow enough to be included.  If you'd like to be included, please click on the button to the right.

More goodies found in my yard, just the other day.  Peace.  B : )

Shadow Shot Sunday

What with the holidays and retirement, I totally lost track of what day of the week it is - good thing I have this blog to remind me : )  Were your Christmas celebrations wonderful?  Mine were, but of course.

I have a particular fascination for the little curly things that vines of all kinds make, and I've been taking lots of pix of them for what I don't know - maybe my gallery opening - hahahahaha that's a joke, son.  Anyway, I noticed this one had a great shadow or two on it, so here it is.  If you'd care to join in, please click on the button to the right.

Have a wonderful Sunday.  Peace.  B : )

Camera Critters - Submarine Spider

Sometimes it seems that Wolf Spiders are an exercise in futility.  They seem to be attracted to water all the time, but they die instantly when they get in it.  What a shame!  This fellow went swimming and landed at the bottom of our pool with some other debris.  Poor guy.

Keep your heads above water.  Peace.  B : )

SkyWatch Friday

Christmas morning

Merry Christmas!  Peace.  B : )

This Way ThursWay

Here's my sign:

Merry Christmas!
Click on the button to the right to join in.
Peace.  B : )

ABC Wednesday - W is for Woof, there's a puppy on your butt

Just click on the ABC button to the right if you'd like to join in, or just look.  Peace.  B : )

Watery Wednesday

I actually caught a shot of rain!  Never thought it would work, but when I looked at it, there it was!!

Pardon the unfinished garage - you know how it is - the shoemaker's children go without shoes and all that.  But look at the rain!!  Have a very merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )  Oops almost forgot - click on the Watery Wednesday button to the right to see some really wonderful pictures!

Ruby Tuesday

As promised, the update on the pomegranates.  This is what happened:

And this one fell off so I put it to good use:

Happy Ruby Tuesday.  Be safe doing your last minute Christmas errands.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

Mellow Yellow Monday

If you would like to see more yellow, or enter your own, please click on the button to the right.

Several times a year we get yellow flowers cascading down upon us.  We rarely see them until they fall because they have grown way up into the old oak tree that holds the swing.  Here are a few pix showing how they spend their days.

Have a mellow Monday - last one before Christmas.  Merry Christmas.  Peace. B : )

Weekend Reflections

Usually, I don't participate in this blog, although I appreciate all the wonderful pictures.  I simply don't usually have any reflection photos.  But I got some yesterday and decided to share today.  If you wish to do the same, please go visit James at http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/ and join in on the Weekend Reflections fun.  Here's mine:

Couldn't decide which I liked best, so here are both of them.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

Shadow Shot Sunday

This morning I was transferring and organizing the pictures I had taken in the last couple of days.  Yesterday I went to take pix to show how the deciduous peach tree was losing all its leaves, and discovered it had two little blossoms.  That was pretty neat in itself; but, today while organizing, I saw that the pix also included shadows of me taking them....which makes this an accidental shadow shot : )  Evidently I was feeling pretty creative and decided to see how it would look in black and white.  To me, the color looks like it's Spring, and the black and white looks like its Winter.  You'll have to make up your own mind.  Either way, please click on the button to the right and join the photo fun.

Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

Camera Critters

That little Camera Critters button over to the right there - see it?  Clicking that will take you to worlds of photo fun.  Try it.

Here's Zimmie in her water bucket.

Since  Iguanas don't drink very often, preferring to get the water from their food, want to guess what she's doing in there???  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

Fertilizer Friday

These are wildflowers (some may say weeds) out in the yard.  I can't take the credit for fertilizing them, but I guess the dogs can : )  The reason I took several shots is to try to show you just how tiny these perfect little flowers are.  That's my little finger in the one picture.

Don't you just love tiny things?  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

P.S.  Tune in on Ruby Tuesday for an update on those pomegranates.
P.P.S.  If you want to show off your flowers, click on the button on the right.

SkyWatch Friday - can't do just one

Sorry for posting so many pix, but this is like a series.  Here's the story:  God, Mother Nature, whomever you believe in, opened a bottle of champagne.  The bubbles are getting closer and closer until they appear to hit my lens.  Can you see it??

Thanks for indulging my strange imagination.  If you'd care to join in on the SkyWatch fun, just click on the button to the right.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

ABC Wednesday - brought to you by the letter V

In my life the letter V would have to represent Victor, my husband, since he has filled my life for 18 1/2 years now - he has made it better, he has made it fuller, he has made it more fun, he has given me children I didn't have to birth, and now a grandchild, and a whole host of siblings and aunts and uncles and best of all, a Mother and Father.  No, he's not perfect - who is, but God?  But life has sure been better with him than without.  Thank you, Victor (and God).

And, as an added bonus, there are Lincoln and Jeffie.  Peace.  B : )  Click on the alphabet button to the right to join in.

Watery Wednesday

This is a little fountain outside the movie theater where my friend Jennifer (the Queen Mum) and I went to see Disney's A Christmas Carol.  When we came out I wanted to get some pictures, so Jen sat in the car and I walked over to the fountain.  As soon as I raised the camera, the fountain waters went down; I raised, the water went down; Jennifer laughed; I raised, the water went down; Jennifer laughed harder.  Finally, I managed to outwit the water and stop laughing myself long enough to get this shot.  I think it was worth it : )

Life is short, laugh it up while you can.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : ) Click on the Watery Wednesday button to the right to join in.

Ruby Tuesday

Our first venture into pomegranates.  We don't even know for sure if this is the fruit or part of the blossom process or what - but we're dying to see.  Evidently the only pomegranate that grows here is the Vietnamese Pomegranate so that's what this is.  Merry Christmas!  Peace.  B : )

Mellow Yellow Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Color Carnival, Camera Critters

Sorry, I was sick and could not post, so now I'm catching up:
Mellow Yellow Monday

There was a large building in Englewood that never got finished being built, for years and years.  They started calling it the Beirut Building.  Finally, it got demolished and this is what was left the day I got there.  Sad. Very Sad.
Shadow Shot Sunday

My apologies if you are afraid of bugs - this could be a nightmare!  A big fat beetle caught on the Venetian Waterway Park.
Color Carnival

Some of my cardstock and patterned paper that I use in my papercrafting hobby.  BTW if anyone is local and knows of a papercrafter who could use some of these (empty of course) I have two more for sale.
Camera Critters

Uh Oh - more nightmares!  This is the caterpillar that eats only the Pipe Vine (pix of which I have shown you before).  They then later hatch into the pipe vine butterfly.  I don't have any pictures of the butterfly or the pupae, but if I get any, I will certainly show you.  Have a wonderful Monday.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

Fertilizer Friday

Have you ever seen a Mother-in-law's Tongue bloom?  I haven't, but here it is doing just that in our yard!  This was when I first noticed it:

And these are a little later:

Bloom where you're planted.

Merry Christmas!

Peace.

B : )

SkyWatch Friday

Is there anything prettier than Jacob's Ladders?  Go see and find out for yourself - just click the SkyWatch Friday button to the right.  Peace.  B : )

This Way ThursWay

Whew!  Our cable was out from early afternoon and still out when I went to bed yesterday.  Having withdrawals.  But I got it together enough to give you a picture.  This is probably more information than you want or need, but - the only part of me I take any kind of care of is my hair.  I buy it good products and every six to eight weeks, I get it trimmed.  The other day was one of those days.  I pulled up to the parking spots and there was only one open - but to my surprise it seemed to be reserved just for me!

Can you see it yet?  Probably not, but I wanted to show you my car.  I drove a Geo Spectrum for 10 years; drove the kids around with no safety features, etc., then I splurged and bought the most beautiful car in the world, but I don't want to talk about that.  Because...shortly after, we got Fred, and a month or so after that we got Jack and they didn't fit very well in that car, so I got this, my Chrysler PT Cruiser.  And it may not be beautiful but it is the BEST car in the world.  This was one of the original ones made and it needs a paint job and it's about to be 9 or 10 years old on December 22nd, but it's still like a party every single time I get in it.  I just love it.  It's only had the back seats in maybe a half dozen times, when I used to tote around my Little Sister, so they're brand new. At one point my husband bought an HHR and I thought I might like one of them, but Jeff had to bend his head to fit; the seats didn't fold down low enough. The sign on the back went up when we got Josie and it's falling off now and there are no longer three Greyhounds, but I still see peoples' reactions in my rear view mirror.  I used to love to pass Greyhound buses on I-75, just so the drivers could read my sign, hee hee.  But I digress - now on to a close up of the sign:

If you have some good signs, click on the button to the right and join in.  Peace.  B : )  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ABC Wednesday - U is for Unconditional Love

Once again, I direct you to the right for a button to click to join in on the alphabet fun.

That's Ricky tucked under Victor's chin.  These two belong to each other, completely.  Hope you have some unconditional love in your life, today and every day.  Peace.  B : )