Personal – Life, Love & Passion Through the Lens

Back At It!

I have neglected this blog way to long, but with Covid19 and just doing nothing but working and staying indoors, I have been so uninspired. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. I have a blogging friend who lives in Canada and he has posted pretty regular even during his country’s lockdown and is such an inspiration to me when it comes to getting out and shooting. You can check him out at https://robmosesphotography.com, Thank you Rob for the past few years of inspiration!

I had a few photos to edit from my Photography group Meetup; we went to Ave Maria and photographed this beautiful church. It’s a wonderful little self contained town in the middle of nowhere, built by the owner of Domino’s Pizza. After, we had a nice lunch at a small pub with lovely outdoor seating.

I needed to get outside today and wanted to write. It’s a beautiful day with a wonderful breeze and I am the only enjoying the outside of the Starbucks seating area. It feels good to just be outside working for a change.

Photography work is picking up and people are getting out a bit more, so I’m hoping for more “outdoor” time with taking more photos and just enjoying my life.

UPDATE: New cat Shai from my last blog post. She is officially mine and is just delightful, well behaved and a wonderful companion. Although I miss my boy she is filling that love void in the best possible way.

With Happiness, There Can Also Be Sadness

Personal, Photography Meanderings

I found out last June that I was going to be a grandmother for the first time, thanks to my first born son and his wife. I had to keep it a secret (which was very hard to do) until they made the announcement. Well on January 21, 2021 We welcomed Jaxson James into the world and I immediately made plans to visit them in Arizona. Around this time my beautiful Tuxedo cat Harpo got deathly ill and I almost lost him. Thanks to my wonderful Vet he recovered and with all test results he was cleared and on the mend, or so I thought.

As I began to plan out my trip, purchase tickets, rent a car and figure out what to pack, my boy would have good days, great days and a bad day now and again. I had medication which I gave him regularly and made plans for my son to house sit and take care of him and my outdoor feral cat.

I left on a Friday and met my grandson for the very first time! He is beautiful and my heart is so full of joy over having him! I was so blessed to be able to spend time with him. I was going to enjoy him as much as I could for the ten days. He made me a Nali! While out there we went sight seeing, had a couple of beautiful meals out with family and friends and just an overall great time!

Unfortunately the Sunday evening after I left, my boy Harpo was gone. He was sick that morning and my son did everything he was shown to do, but Harpo stopped eating and his body slowly gave out, my son had to make the call to his mom from 2000 miles away. We both cried, me, more so for the fact that my son is the one who found him and had to take care of his final resting. I knew for me, I had a week to spend with my beautiful grandson, and his parents, so my attention was on them a hundred percent, but I knew upon returning home, the cold reality would hit me; My Harpo of almost 12 years was gone. The grief is strong, I miss him every day.

Rest In Peace my sweet boy, I miss you so much.

As I stated there was a feral I had been feeding outdoors, a very young (*less than a year old kitten). She and her siblings hang around because my neighbor feeds them. The Day Harpo got really sick was the day she decided she wanted to be “my” cat. I kept her outside because with Harpo already sick I didn’t want her to bring anything in to him, but the would chatter and “talk” through the windows. The day before his passing I saw on my kitchen cam that he jumped up on the counter (he did the rarely), but he was “talking” to his new friend. I would like to think he was having his final talk with her to let her know he would be leaving and to take care of me after he left. When I got home from the airport on that Monday, she came running to me! My heart was breaking for my loss, but I knew this was Harpo’s final gift to me. Let me introduce you to Shai (pronounced Shy) her name means “gift”. She chose me to love…and I feel Harpo told her to be kind and to not bother the birds and to sleep at night instead of play. Last night was her first night inside all night, she was excellent. Our adventure begins.

This is Shai (pronounced Shy) Her name means “gift”

*UPDATE: Shai had a chip and has been spayed. Vet’s office had to try and contact the former owner however, no one responded, and one more thing she is not a kitten, she is seven years old according to her chip information. As of yesterday she is now officially mine, she has become an inside cat and was given a clean bill of health and received all her shots and tests.

Life Interrupted

Personal, Photography Meanderings

Well, life has changed once again. As I write this we are experiencing a Pandemic in not just the United States, but throughout the world.

Personally I am still working my day job; who knows how long, however we have made drastic changes and have limited who walks through our door. I don’t have as much human contact as I once did. I go home and again no contact. I may be an introvert, but I miss being with friends, but most of all I miss shooting the concerts and events which have all been postponed or canceled. This is my busy time of year too so now I’m doing basically nothing. I am adjusting, but also have been on an outing or two, with social distancing. I did that his Sunday with a friend. Kati and I met at our destination, stayed a reasonable distance apart, yet was still able to talk to each other, be outside in the sunshine and fresh air and photograph some of the cutest Owls on the planet; burrowing Owls with their young. I have starting doing Yoga at home which helps with the stress, and I bought supplies to paint again. Listening to music also helps.

I don’t buy into fear mongering, I’m doing what I can to keep my hands washed and my place clean. I know I’m not the only one feeling this impact upon our lives, so share with me what you are doing to get through this trying time in our lives. Are you self quarantining? Are you still working your regular job or are you working from home? Are you in the service industry? Let’s hold a conversation and get each other through this trying time in our lives. Just know this too shall pass. We are all in this together, God bless each and every one of you.

Welcome to 2020!

Personal, Photography Meanderings

A new year with lots of new changes. So what’s new you ask? First of all I will be moving to a larger space, one that will allow me to take portraits and head shots in my home because I will finally have a dedicated studio space and an office to work in. I will also be able to be a lot more creative with more space to do so. The move will take place in the middle of January; I’m excited!

My year has already started with a bang and with 9 concerts & events, three Meetup events and add moving into that mix; this girl is going to be busy!

Another area I want to address is my social media, I want to set up a designated social media schedule that will allow me to plan out my posts and schedule them for the week. This is going to be a challenge, but I need a good challenge!

Well since I don’t have any new photos to share, please enjoy my cats. Harpo my house cat is a tuxedo and Sandee my office cat is a tabby. 41F19569-682C-4237-A3FF-FDD1643378F5

Road Trips

Architecture, Landscape, People, Personal, Photography Meanderings

Since I was a little girl one of the things I remember were road trips with my mom & dad. We would pile into the family car and my dad would just drive. Living in West Virginia, there were lots of scenic back roads and I would sit in the back and listen to my dad whistle. Long stretches of roads leading to nowhere in particular….

Seems as if in the past few weeks I’ve felt a need to revisit road trip travel and have several times over this past month.

The second weekend I had a trip with my photo group to Gasparilla Island on Boca Grande and photographed the lighthouses. It was a beautiful day.

The following weekend I visited Solomon’s Castle and vivid piece of architecture which came from the imagination of an incredibly talented and eclectic man. His art is whimsical and speaks volumes of the man he was, sadly he passed away several years back, but his home is open to the public for touring along with his private collection of art and pre – 1935 cars. Unfortunately due to his estate, we were not permitted to take photographs of his artwork (I may be able to find some from a past trip when he was still living).

Strolling through the grounds in the Florida heat & humidity, you simply take in the beauty of the land and his gardens, along with the beauty of the structure he built. Photos will never do it justice. The tour is funny, insightful and gives you a glimpse of what life was like for this eccentric junk collector; although to him it was art and not junk. If you live in Florida, this is a must see place, just remember however, they close from August 1 to October 2.

Sunday June 23 was my birthday and I decided to head over to the Avon Park area, hang out with friends at their church and be closer to attend the funeral of one of my cousins. I was able to reconnect with his daughters whom I’ve not seen in at least 50 years. It was such a bittersweet time. Oliver was probably my dad’s best friend along with Oliver’s brother Rich, growing up as kids. They hung out together and played as kids; Daddy was the oldest, however he was also the first to pass almost 36 years ago. Oliver lived to be 91. As a child I remember him being funny and always up to some shenanigans with my father. I know he will be missed.

This past weekend I headed back over to the Avon Park area so the I could participate in the Independent Day musical of a really good friends church. It was wonderful to be able to re-ignite another passion. Music Has been in my life since I was a little girl. My soul was so refreshed.

As you can see I’ve had a busy month traveling taking day and over night trips. It’s been refreshing to just drive the country back road Florida has.

Please enjoy some of my photos.

Gasparilla Island, Boca Grande

Solomon’s Castle, Ona, Florida

Cousins!

Cats At Work

A Fresh Look, About Me, Personal

Sandee
On August 6, 2018 very special little lady entered our lives at work. Her name is Sandee and she is part of the Cats at Work program, where they provide cats for the work environment.

It is a cat rescue program designed to find homes for unadoptable cats. Most of the rescues are feral and don’t do well in home environments. These cats are being adopted by Golf Courses and Country clubs to help keep down the mice and rat populations. The animals are cared for; fed, vetted and loved (some at a distance) for the rest of their living days.

Sandee’s back story is that she was found by a dumpster by an office worker at a trucking company where she had delivered four kittens. The lady took her and her four kittens in and called a local cat rescue group to come and get them. The rescuer came, picked up the cats and got the kittens out for adoption when the time came, spayed her. However, when they took mama cat back to the trucking company they were moving locations and didn’t want her, so back to Domestic Animal Services she went; which is where she stayed up until she came to us. Sandee was dubbed “feral” by her rescuers which means she was classified as “unadoptable”, however she is anything but feral. From the moment she entered our office I think she knew she was going to her forever (furever) home. She is so loving, and gentle, she loves everyone who comes through our door. She no longer wants to be outside in fact she runs the opposite way if the doors is open. Being her main caretaker, she has bonded fully with me. She follows me around when I go to different areas of our building. She sleeps on my desk in my “in” box, and she plays in the halls knocking her ball around like a soccer ball.
Sandee 1

I am so fortunate that I get to spend my evenings with my nine year old adoptee Harpo a male tuxedo who I adopted as a kitten from Domestic Animal Services, then I come to work and have Sandee to share my love with. I am just so fortunate to work in a place that cares not only about people, but about the animals as well.

Click on the link to keep up with Sandee the Office Cat

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The Cat Knows

Personal

Almost eight years ago I adopted a kitten. Okay he adopted me, because we all know you never own a cat, they own you. However this little guy literally reached his paws out to me as I made my second pass through the pound. How could I resist? I brought him home that day. He’s not like any other cat I’ve ever been owned by, he’s different. Different how you ask? He’s intuitive; he understands me and my moods better than just about any human I’ve ever been around.

On days I don’t feel well he sticks close by laying against whatever is ailing me at the time, headache, stomach, etc.. At times he will even lay on the part of my body which is hurting at that moment. I don’t know how he knows, he just does.

Yesterday I had spent much of the day on Facebook (yeah I know, big mistake), but I had nothing really planned, all my work was caught up and I wanted to see what was going on with all the political rhetoric (again a big mistake). I totally understand everyone has an opinion, and each side think they’re right and try to force it upon the opposition to prove their point, but there comes a time to just stop.

I woke up just not feeling right, kind of in a bad mood. No one else lives with me, it’s just the cat and I, so I had to backtrack as to what triggered those feelings. This morning I came to the conclusion of how much the negative noise of social media had really affected me over this past election and inauguration of our 45^th President. When I realized Harpo had not slept on my bed or next to me all night, I knew he was sensing something wasn’t right with me. He came in around 5:30 this morning, jumped up on the bed at the far right corner and barely acknowledged me.

How did this happen? None of those posts were actually pointed at me, but something did happened at the end of the evening that set me off prior to going to bed. Someone began verbally attacking one of my friends for something she said on a post I had made because she didn’t agree with his philosophy, I immediately fired back and removed his post. Harpo picked up on this and didn’t even sit with me on the couch as he usually does, he snoozed on the floor….totally out of character for him. Somehow his instincts told him I was in a bad mood and he steered clear of me all night and all this morning. He didn’t even beg for his breakfast, he waited patiently for me to feed him. I left the house feeling bad, knowing I had upset my little black & white buddy. He understands me. I know he will be back to loving me tonight, I will make sure of it. But my point in all of this is, if a cat can pick up on the negativity, then how is it affecting each of us? I know I didn’t sleep well, and I obviously was in a melancholy mood, so now what? First I prayed, asked for the spirit of negativity to be lifted. Then I made a decision regarding reading what is on Facebook. I will keep scrolling, if it’s political in nature, no matter what side it’s on I will steer clear and even hide the posts if needed. I will not engage in any of the online badgering/bullying that is happening and I will choose to be joyful throughout my day. This year I chose the word “Intentional” as my word for the year to work on in my own life. I am going to be intentional in what I post, to make sure it’s free of negative language and to make sure it’s uplifting to whoever reads it. I choose JOY! And I will listen more to my cat, because he knows.

If you would like to read more in depth on this issue, please visit Karen Zeigler’s post: Light, Love and Letting Go

Be The Change

Personal

I am going to go a bit off topic on this blog from what I normally post. First of all it is my blog so I can get more personal from time to time and today is that time.

I want to address those who are “devastated” by the choice American made for President of the United States. First he is not the ideal choice….the ideal choice was eliminated early on. Next I will address what real devastation is.

Real devastation is waking up and finding out your father has passed away, and you are nine months pregnant. Real devastation is finding out your child has cancer and won’t live to see his/her teen years or even his/her first birthday. Real devastation is finding out you have cancer and you’re not sure if you can overcome it. Real devastation is a parent burying their child who has died tragically. Real devastation is coming back from battle and being treated like a third class citizen; maybe missing limbs and your dignity and dealing with the horrors you experienced in your tenure overseas. Real devastation is seeing your fellow man being treated as less than human, no matter who they voted for. Real devastation is experiencing the horrors of a tornado, flood, hurricane or earthquake and have nothing left of your existence that you worked so hard to build. Real devastation is waking up wondering how you are going to feed your children because you have to pay the rent and you don’t have anything left for food. Real devastation is finding out someone you love has taken their life. Real devastation is being homeless and not knowing if you will be alive in the morning because of your circumstances. Real devastation is not having water to drink, try going a day with out any beverage that requires clean water to make.

Wake up…….

If you are upset over how things are going then volunteer. There are plenty of opportunities for you to help those who need it. Homeless shelters, soup kitchens, organizations to help those with cancer, nursing homes where people have no family to spend time with or who care about them, volunteer with habitat for humanity and help build someone a home, donate to worthy gofundme causes, pet shelters where animals could use a little love. If you don’t like the political climate then volunteer for your party of choice. There is a whole plethora of other organizations who could use someone ready to make a change in lives.

I have experienced many of the real devastations life has to offer and I am still here, the sun came up and yes they affected me and still affects me, but they have not made me bitter, instead have allowed me to understand, care and love deeper.

We are the change, not a man in an office. Love and cherish the people around you. Feed a homeless person, give them YOUR coat if it’s cold out. Have integrity, show people what it means to be passionate about a cause, but do it in love; be the change.

October Madness

Personal, Photography Meanderings

October is the month where my photographic life starts to pick up. With the cooler temperatures come more outdoor events here in the beautiful state of Florida, specifically South West Florida. I shoot more concerts, festivals and portraits during the fall & winter months than any other time of the year, and some weeks it’s totally crazy. I don’t mind the crazy because October is what I call my “sad” month; it’s the month my father passed away thirty-three years ago on October 17. I have written before that he too was a photographer and I know if he could see what I have done with a camera he would be incredibly proud of me, but I miss him. This is also the month my oldest son Jimmy turns 33; where has the time gone? I was just a young girl of twenty-four when this all took place, truly a lifetime ago.

I have a lot of wonderful events on the books and I’m sure I’ll be writing more as they unfold, but for now………daddy, this one’s for you.

2013 09 05_Dad and Camera_6057_edited-2 — My father Azle Marteney and my first real camera

From Death Comes Life

Personal, Photography Meanderings

This past couple of weeks I’ve come to the realization once again that loss is a part of life. As I was doing my thing with taking concert photos a long time friend was coming to terms with the passing of her husband. I’ve known this couple since the early to mid 70s, they were beautiful together, and a huge part of my teen/early adult life. Unfortunately his life was taken by the evil affliction of cancer. I’ve not seen them in years, but I was praying for him daily during his extensive battle, he has now received complete healing of his body; for that we are thankful, but my heart aches for his beautiful wife, children, family and friends who were closest to him; I know he will be missed. Along with death there is always life, and sometimes something incredibly beautiful, unplanned and definitely unexpected happens. It’s taken me this entire week to wrap my mind around the circumstances and express in words what I have been experiencing, but because of this friends passing, a lovely friendship which started over forty years ago was rekindled. I can’t begin to express what I feel about this, except it’s an extraordinary event; what a true blessing. Rest in the arms of Jesus Jimmy Steen, and thank you.

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