happy valentine's day!

Seems like this might be the perfect way to spend today, Valentine's Day! I hope you get to share today with someone you love.

candid in miami

One of my favorite things about photography is capturing candid shots, especially in cities where I can play tourist. My recent visit to Miami didn't disappointment - hope you enjoy these two as much as I do.  

sitting, waiting, watching...

an old man and the sea

words to live by

Let the beauty of what you love 

be what you do.

--Rumi

inspired

After spending a few days in Miami, right on the beach, I think it's impossible not to be a little inspired by the pastel hues and Art Deco of the architecture. I was going through my photos - shots of the beach & ocean and photos of lots of buildings - and one thing jumped out to me that I didn't realize when I was in Miami Beach: the use of pastel blues that perfectly echo the colors of the ocean. How brilliant! The ocean clearly was the inspiration for so many of Miami's building colors. 

the view from our balcony - so many shades of blue!

a pastel blue

all colors of the ocean

 a turquoise blue

I'll post more shots of some of Miami's really great Art Deco architecture soon. 

flowerful friday

As promised in last week's flowerful Friday post, I have more photos of my amaryllis that is blooming most gorgeously. I love watching bulbs grow from a nubby brown onion-like orb to incredibly vibrant blooms. Isn't forcing bulbs a great way to bring some flowers indoors during this winter months?

just starting to open

I think these blooms are stunning

with its long stem and voluminous blooms,
an amaryllis is so striking

Happy Friday!

points of view - clouds

While laying on the beach just a few days ago, I snapped this first photo of the sky - the clouds were moving so quickly, causing the weather to change just as fast. The second photo I captured yesterday evening, while flying home -- this time I caught the photo as the plane passed over the clouds. The clouds seemed to stand still, as we in the plane were moving so quickly. 

clouds from below

clouds from above

so long miami...

Later today I'll be travelling back home and after spending several days in Miami, and though I'm ready to get back home, I will miss the warm weather, the palm trees, and most of all - the constant sound of the ocean's waves. It's been a joy to be able to sleep with the balcony door open every night and be sung to sleep by the ocean.

look up

I know I get in the habit of being so busy, so focused that I sometimes am not paying attention to my surroundings. I always try to look, to observe, but let's face it, we all get bogged down in our daily routines that sometimes we just miss the beauty around us. Looking up can be especially surprising - finding details that we might otherwise miss. 

the angles of an arbor contrasted
with the softness of wisteria vines

goldfinches - perfectly camouflaged for the fall

looking up I photographed a huge leaf - look
how big it is next to my hand!

the beauty of a curve - part 2

I received lots of positive feedback from the post I did about the beauty of a curve, so I thought I'd continue this theme. Hope you enjoy!

I found this gorgeous
example of en point
on Pinterest - look at that
foot curve!
photo credit, unknown

draped fabric along
the feminine form
"Spring" by Mucha, 1896

a shop sign in Alacati, Turkey grabbed my attention
and is anything but minialistic -
I captured this photo this past October
while on vacation

I photographed this standing in awe at
the Blue Mosque in Istanbul
curves can be seen everywhere -
they create an absolute feeling of lightness

warm weather get away

I've spent the past couple of days in Miami and the weather seems to change every half an hour. Sunshine streaming down followed by white puffy clouds followed then by darker, more omnious clouds, then back to sunshine. It's been a really lovely warm weather get away.

While out for a walk on the beach I snapped this with my camera phone. I really can't think of a more relaxing sound than listening to the waves crash on the sand. 

inspired: a color triad

I think color combinations are endlessly fascinating. Three colors opposite of each other on the color wheel are color triads. They really make a great, bold combination, and I think - like in so many ways - gardens are great place to find inspirations with colors.

a color wheel
showing a triad of colors

Here's a few photos I snapped that really showcase the beautiful combination that green, orange, and purple make.  

green and orange -
a nice combo

green and purple - also very nice

now the triad: green, orange & purple -
it's so much more robust!

another example of this color triad

flowerful friday

I'm away from home for a long weekend, but I wanted to post a shot of the gorgeous amaryllis I have blooming now. It's a stunner.  More photos to follow!

Happy Friday!

oh what a feeling...

What was better than swinging to seemingly impossible heights as a kid?

This delightful painting is from the Etsy shop, Roz Art. I love how the little girl appears to be even higher than the clouds. I think it perfectly captures that feeling of weightlessness we all loved as kids, begging our parents to push us higher and higher. 

Check out Roz Art:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RozArt?ref=seller_info

on a beautiful winter day

The value of getting outside and doing something active in the winter really can't be understated. We had a gorgeous - though brisk - weekend, and my husband and I found some time for a little cross country skiing. It was great to get some sunshine, breathe in lots of fresh air, and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery. I'm definitely a warm-weather person, but a picturesque winter day really is quite lovely too! Don't you think it's important to make the most of a nice winter day?

ready for a little cross country skiing?