Tag Archives: pictures

tales from beaver lake

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Yeah. That’s where I was last week. Beaver Lake. Seriously, how appropriate is it that we had a girls’ week at Beaver Lake? If I wrote that in a book, I’d have to change it cuz nobody would believe it possible.

This is the sight I had every morning from the back deck.

I would wake up about 7:30, sometimes slightly hung-over, with my coffee, my laptop, and my blackberry. I couldn’t quite give up all forms of outer communication…No real internet connection though, so I got loads of writing done. (notice the fishdog did NOT blog for me while I was away. Bad doggie. No bone for you)

The first night there, D and I shared a bottle (or two) of champagne. We toasted each other…and we toasted a bit of good (GREAT) news a friend of mine recently received. (a piece of news I’d love to cheer via the internets but am unable to do so at this time…stay tuned)

It didn’t take long for the first dragonfly to show up. My friend D was shocked the little dude was up around the cabin. She said they usually stay by the lake. I had to tell her he was there for me. They follow me. Louisa, Maria and Marley can tell you. It’s kinda weird. Even Deidre has seen it before. Dragonflies are my totem. If they search me out, does that make me some kind of Queen Dragonfly?
The dragonfly was the first of many critters I saw while hanging out at Beaver Lake. First there was the lake kitty who loved me. We call him smiley. We don’t like his “real” name. It’s stupid. Smiley fit. Smiley liked my lap. A lot.
And then we saw a snake…
and the next day, we saw him with his girlfriend having frenzied serpent sex. I ran in to get my camera and they took it under a rock. Guess they didn’t want their jungle love to be on the internets.

I also saw a bobcat and several deer. Again, I was without my camera. Of course, I see deer all the time, but I would’ve loved to have captured the pretty wild kitty on camera.

During the day, we’d go down to the dock and layout. We had intended to take the boat to the waterfalls, but it was so freaking windy, it wouldn’t have been very fun. So, we just enjoyed our books and the sun.

Oh. And I got to drive a mule, which was pretty much made of awesome.
And for the record, we honestly did NOT mean to spy on the naked people camping across the lake. It was a total accident.
tomorrow: BEAVER LAKE GHOST STORY…Stay tuned.

dudes. internet friends are awesome

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Okay, so I’ve been friends with Robyn (aka Birdrunner) for a very long time. Like since 1994. She and Fishdog were pals in high school and Fishdog was in her wedding. It’s awesome. You should see his awesome hair from 1991.

Anyway…

I’ve also met her sister, Lee (aka Stinkydog) via the internet…and guess who I’m hanging out with right now?

Heeeeeeere’s Stinky!

oh mang. It’s bad. We’ve veen drinking margs since oh, I dunno about 5:14pm. I met Mel at 5:30 and she immediately pressed her breasteses against mine and we realized right away that she had the upper hand. Obvy, she has the superior brain (and boobs… says Mel–you be the judge). Her sons are territorial and will not let me get within 8-10 feet. Her husband has obvious envy against my superior margarita making skills. Her brother-in-law (my god bro, btw) has not showed up yet. We’re thinking about holding it against him.

I feel that all is equalized with tequila. Am I wrong?

recapping my weekend

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Luau pictures are 2 posts below. We had about 50 people and kidlets overall. I was a bad photog and forgot to start taking pictures until about 4 hours in. I’ll never be a paparazzi.

Sunday we woke in a haze. It was hot, humid and our house looked like a Frat Bomb had exploded in it. And we’d even straightened up some the night before. We cleaned a little but mostly we just lounged around then took Ian to Wild River Country and Rader to see Indiana Jones. (Okay, is there anyone out there who DIDN’T see IJ this weekend?) Fun movie. Definitely not the best of the series, but totally entertaining.

Monday we finally decided to head up to the lake. I took loads of pictures. It was a gorgeous day but the water was just too cold for my liking! We had a great time soaking up the sun and relaxing.

The house still isn’t back to normal but honestly, I don’t care. LOL It is going to have to wait.













the unveiling

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Fine. I’ll fess up. This is the one I chose.

This picture (#2 in the line up) was hands down my favorite of them all. I was honestly surprised at how many folks chose the serious looking hand-to-face shot. And though I liked the mug photo, it felt just a little bit too, “Maxwell House” to me.

So it came down to the two “Smiling” pics.

What really surprised me the most was that my favorite was the least favorite of the masses. As soon as I saw the picture, I knew it would be the one I would use. It just felt relaxed and warm and real. Some of the others just looked posed and I really didn’t want to go that route.

Anyway, as the lovely Terri Garey said, you better like the one you pick, because you’re stuck with it for a long time. So, I went with my gut and against the popular choice. But it sure was fun seeing what everyone said.

monday, monday

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Good Monday Mornin’ to ya!

What’s going on today? Well, I’m going to start working on a new YA story. It’s a great idea and I love the main character already. I used my trip home from Kansas City to brainstorm quite a bit and now I’m going to sit down and see if I can hammer out a chapter. Or two.

I have to tell you, I am completely shocked by the number of people who commented on my author photos post. Thank y’all so much. I am also completely shocked by how many of you guys chose the serious hand shot photo. It was totally my throw-away picture. I like it, but I am NEVER going to have a “hand shot-head shot” as my author photo. Those are soooooo overdone. And most times, they are so cheesy, my cholesterol goes up 50 points just looking at them. Aside from the fact that I don’t want a “hand shot-head shot” as my author photo–the picture is also too serious. I wanted something that is warm and fun. So I went with a smile. Deidre was right…I needed something less serious for my target audience.

This picture was probably my all time favorite, but it’s a little too dark and there’s a bit of a flash on my glasses, so it didn’t make it into the final countdown.

My weekend in KC was great, but I am glad to be home. I spent a lot of time with two of my best friends. We ate some great food, did some shopping, and drank a little bit too much. It was almost perfect.

For today’s entertainment, I’m posting my new favorite video. You totally need to watch it. Sarah Silverman is funny as shit…but so is Matt Damon. And if you love Matt Damon…you’ll love him even more after watching this. If you don’t love Matt Damon (what is wrong with you?) then you’ll at least have a newfound respect for him. This was my theme song for the weekend. It’s a very catchy tune. Seriously, watch the video. Totally worth it.

my date with peaches

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Once upon a time, I tinkered with photography.

It seems my inner artist misses taking pictures. So, when I asked Peaches out on for our Artist’s Date, she requested I bring a camera.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our walk:

The plants are confused about whether it’s spring or fall. My trumpet vine and roses are blooming, but my lantana has long since retreated for its winter nap. Many of the trees have lost all their leaves, while some are just beginning to change.

My favorite part of the walk was listening to the leaves crunch beneath my feet. The sound gave the walk texture. It took me back to childhood–to a time when I would rake leaves into piles larger than life and jump in them for hours.

One thing photography does for me is it allows me to look at an object from a different angle or through a different filter. And today it helped me realize that I needed to apply that same philosophy to my current scene. Gee, I should get out more often.

To see all the pictures we took on our walk today, go here.