Focus on Life: Bye Bye for Now!

A little friend scurries away. 

Well, we have come to the end of the first year of Focus on Life. This project, sponsored by Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime, has encouraged creative photography and story telling all year long. 

These past few weeks have been challenging because I usually like to capture the natural world around me, and the cold weather and short days limit the pictures I can take. 

Looking around me when the weather allowed, I just didn't think anything presented the opportunity to portray this week's theme, "Saying Goodbye". And them I remembered this little fellow.....

As I scrambled to get my camera turned on and grab a picture of this cute squirrel, he noticed me and my pal, Bebop, and scooted away. 

"Goodbye, friend Squirrel, catch you next time."

Happy New Year everyone.

Focus on Life: Togetherness

Pasting together a post about togetherness. 

The Focus on Life photography challenge, hosted by Sally Russick of the Studio Sublime, is winding down its first year, and we have just received our invitations to join for 2014. 

What a wonderful activity this has been! And this week's prompt - Togetherness, well, it's a natural for the holidays. And our family of four, Jim and I and our two kids, we'll be together again, after spending them apart last year with Michael in Afghanistan. 

Timing could have been a bit better. As I write this on Friday evening, it looks as if it will be a bit too stressful to concoct a family portrait by posting time. 

So, here's a little bit of togetherness that happened ...well, at other times. 

Sara and Michael are two and a half years apart in age, and as with many siblings, they grew from being good buddies and playmates, to being two very different people. 

Sara and Michael circa 1997

Sara and Michael April 2013

Brother and sister through the years. As unlike as they can be, until they forget about all their differences, and start sharing memories. I love those times.....together. 

Focus on Life: A Pop of Red

Red helps me through the gray days!

As the year comes to an end, we are so grateful to Sally Russick for creating this Focus on Life Photo challenge, inspiring a bunch of bloggers to push the envelope of our creative photography.

This week's prompt is "A Pop of Red," just the right theme for some gray, cold, pre-winter weather we have been having recently. 

I knew I would find "Winter Berries" near the end of our driveway, even though we were having an ice storm. And looking across the lawn, I found a forgotten red infant swing hanging from a tree at our neighbors' house, probably too small for the baby when the weather gets warm enough to use it. 

I love these "Winter Berries" and just beyond, the bright red swing. 

Let's see what POPS the others have found.

Focus on Life: Holiday Sparkle

Finding Peace and Pretties in all the Hustle and Bustle.

Last weekend, I set up a booth at the Christkindlmarkt in Port Jervis New York, and sold some of my jewelry.   Not my most successful sales experience, but we had a pleasant time, when all is said and done. Then, I opened our photo prompt from Sally Russick, and it said: "Add a little sparkle."

I took some pictures that were just perfect!

First, some jewelry waiting to be packed up.These were taken with my phone!

Just some fun sparkly plastic beads.

Some of my Holly and Ivy collection for this Holiday.

And at the market:

I love my new picket fence display!

And as we were leaving I had to snap these: 

Old brick church framed by a decorated tree. 

Trees with sparkly white lights (both of these given a little boost with PicMonkey.)

Lets see what others have done!