• Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  gratitude,  haiku,  Holidays,  People/Portraits,  writing/reading

    Day of Thanksgiving

    November 24, 2022

    with hands of gratitude
    wrapped around coffee cups
    they share morning time together
    a simple conversation
    sometimes without words 
    on this day of thanksgiving

    ms

    Since Mugs at the Oval was closed today I went to Mugs in Old Town. Streets were busy as they were having a foot race called the Turkey Trot. Being a people watcher I noticed a couple sitting across from me with their coffees. I was taken by their hands. So, I asked for and was given permission to take a couple images of their hands. Thank you, Scott and Michelle, and may you two have a wonderful day and life together!

    I have much to be grateful for in my life. I regularly journal a gratitude list and that is what I will do throughout this day. I find it a great habit and can place me in a better mood when I list what I have rather than what I don’t have (or think I need). I put on a crock pot of andouille sausage and vegetable soup that is good for a cold day as today. Have reached out to family and friends through text messaging and calls letting them know I love them and they are on the lists! The sun came out so I got a walk in and burned some calories. No pie for me this year but an apple fritter made it to my plate.

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  • Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  People/Portraits,  shadows

    Usual Morning Crowd

    October 31, 2022
    Adriana

    My weather app said 23 degrees this morning. So, I decided to take the bus for coffee because I didn’t wanna scrape frost off my windshield. Think I’ve done enough of that in my lifetime. Walked into the coffee shop and found this cute little devil peeking around the coffee carafes. She made a darn good mocha for me. I saw a few other coffee shop regulars all dressed up in their finest. Then caught the glimpse of a blue dragon and a black gorilla at the transit center. Just the usual morning crowd around campus. 😂

    Around midday I drove to Wolverine Farms to write and soak up the sun. Was thrilled to see tiny creature costumes all over Old Town, children hungry for candy. There were little firemen, princesses, dragons, super heroes, pumpkins, skeletons, bats and cats and more. Yea, for the businesses in Old Town to support the children. Just the usual morning crowd around Old Town. 😂

    Selfie at the bus stop

    Nature abhors uniformity.

    Nature not only produces species diversity but also individual diversity.

    Nature produces individuals. No two days are the same, no two snowflakes, no two flowers, trees, or any other of the infinite life-forms.

    Thomas Berry

    Interesting how I wanted to fit in when younger then later in life wanted to be different. Now I want to become my authentic/true self, wearing no masks or costumes, belonging in this world. Happy Halloween!

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  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits,  quotes,  street photography

    A couple of questions to ponder…

    October 20, 2022
    New York City – 2008

    “I’m a child of God, and being a child of God, I’m essential, and no one has the right to limit, or the power to limit, my ability to be somebody.”

    Ruby Sales

    “What would our world look like if everyone believed and were given the ability to be somebody?” Please spend a bit of time with that question. Which then leads to the next question, “Does our inability to believe we are essential lead us to think of others as inessential and treat them as less than?” I find it important to ask myself those questions and then how do I live the answers to those questions? Sorry but I actually asked three questions. 😁

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  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Love is…

    March 24, 2022

    Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.

    Marianne Williamson

    It was just after 7:30 am and the morning light on Adriana’s auburn hair was radiating around her! She was in the spotlight. Love is shining on her and in her. She agreed to let me take a shot while she continued to work on her computer. The subject, the light and the moment, all make this image a meaningful moment. Thank you, Adriana.

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  • Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  People/Portraits

    All is a Miracle

    February 9, 2022

    ““People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”

    Thich Nhat Hanh

    It is so easy for us in our society to miss the miracles, big and small. For some there is no concept they exist. Wonder how many of us would we see the miracles if we put down our smartphones?

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  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  Documentary/Street,  haiku,  lifestyles,  writing/reading

    Grin of Success

    March 30, 2021

    the barista’s craft
    carefully pouring steamed milk
    grin of success

    ms

    I have wondered at times where coffee baristas go after making my life a bit more enjoyable? Seems there is always a turnover as many work at these jobs for some short period of time. I find many are college students studying to be a writer, artist, school teacher, archaeologist, forester and more. For many it’s usually not a fulltime job but provides spending money and can be a lot of fun for them. This young lady was not only my barista but also a budding photographer. I took this five years ago and hope she is still grinning and successful.

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  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Contrivance

    February 12, 2021
    New York City – 2008

    “Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

    Contrivance? Now that is a big word for me. So, I had to look it up. It means: “deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously.” For the image above, the microsecond after pressing the shutter button this scene was gone, never to exist as it was in that one moment of time. I see that as a gift given for a short period of time so I must accept it at that moment.

    It’s -1 degree right now. Not expecting it to be above 10 degrees until Tuesday. We also have a dusting of snow. Stay warm!

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  • Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  People/Portraits

    Happy Halloween

    October 31, 2020
    Maggie and Jack – Love their smiles

    I’ve never been too excited about Halloween and that’s true today. However, I know that there are many who feel differently and celebrate the day with enthusiasm and style. I’m making another assumption but with masks as a requirement for much of the world we probably will see more people dressed down from previous years, or not. Anyway, enjoy your Saturday and the candy corn pieces.

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