Twenty Four At Heart

Orange County Great Park

Orange County, (Orange County, California - of course), has a park I've never told you much about.  If you live in Southern California, or have an opportunity to visit, you will probably want to check it out.

It's called the Orange County Great Park and it's located in the city of Irvine.  It's relatively new and it isn't quite sure what to do with itself yet.  (The El Toro Marine Corps Air Station used to be at the park's location.)

People playing chess at the Orange County Great Park.

There are a few tables at the park where you can play chess.  Personally, I don't think I'd ever think to go to a park if I had a sudden urge to play a board game but maybe some people do?  It isn't that I don't like chess, it just isn't a game I think of as "park recreation."  In any case, the chess boards (warped, no less) look very appealing sitting out on the tables.

(There are outdoor chess tables at Laguna Main Beach also.  Outdoor chess tables might be a new trend in Southern California?)

The Great Park has a food court area which is very convenient if you need a beer some nourishment.  

Once in awhile there are concerts or other events held at the park.

Last weekend, I also showed you a photo of the beautiful carousel at the Great Park, making the park kid and family friendly.

A few months ago the Great Park also began hosting a Farmer's Market on Sundays.  I haven't made it to the farmer's market yet, but I plan to visit soon.

The park is definitely most famous for being home to "The Big Orange Balloon" as we (OC natives) are prone to call it.

Orange County's "Big Orange Balloon."

In the above photo, my friends are pretending to hold the Great Park's balloon.  In reality, they're nowhere even close to it.  

A close-up photo of the Orange County Great Park hot air balloon.

It's a hot air balloon capable of holding up to 30 people.  It's also a free "ride" at the park.  When you go up in the balloon, it remains tethered to the ground.  (It can go up as high as 400 feet.)

The balloon is lit up at night and can be seen floating in the sky from miles away.  Around Halloween the balloon is decorated as a giant jack o'lantern.

By the way, there's a sign by the balloon stating you aren't allowed to jump from it.  I find the sign very amusing.  (When you ride the balloon, you're in a cage so you can't jump out and fall the 400 feet even if you are really, really, drunk!)

The park is a little random right now - evidence of its growing pains.

My friend, Nike, and I riding the giant bike (actually a bike rack that goes absolutely nowhere) at the Orange County Great Park.

I think the park is going to grow into something really good, given a little time.

It's already off to such a good start.

The sunsets at the Orange County Great Park are spectacular.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Life

I took this photo Friday night at Orange County's Great Park.

An antiqued photo of a carousel (merry go round).

It resonates deeply with me.  I feel like it describes life - the whirlwind along with the steady continuity.  

On an even deeper level, I view it as a pictorial of the life of a chronic pain patient.  The pain is always there, steady and unmoving.  The quest to be rid of it is a never ending blurry circle.  I could go on and on about how much this photo speaks to me, but I won't.

Perhaps, in some way, it speaks to you too?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Maui, Oh How I Miss You

Maui, Hawaii, at sunset taken from the beach at Mama's Fish House restaurant.

© Twenty Four At Heart

San Diego

I'm completely exhausted from the whirlwind of these last three weeks.

San Diego has been showing off all her glory while I've been here though.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Mother Nature

Sometimes (oftentimes!) Mother Nature does a much better job than Photoshop ever could.

(Taken from Maui looking towards Molokai)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Hele Mei Hoohiwahiwa

* I'll be posting from San Diego tomorrow, unless a gathering of 3,000+ bloggers causes the hotel's Internet to crash! *

Hele mei hoohiwahiwa means come celebrate in Hawaiian.

I'm in the process of driving to a big conference today, so I'm going to share a few more glimpses of Hawaii with you.  If I share, it makes it exactly as if you were right there celebrating a Hawaiian vacation with me.

Maybe?

And yes, I am having trouble adjusting to the end of my vacation.

Is it obvious???

I took the above photo of coconuts right from "our" beach.  My son was sitting under the tree and I kept waiting for a coconut to fall on his head.  (It didn't, but one did fall later in the afternoon and he brought it to me as a "gift.")

This tree was right by our lanai.  Those are papayas you see up at the top.  (The yellow papayas are ripe; the green are not.)

This next photo was taken at Kaanapali Beach early in the day before it got crowded:

The water was so beautiful ... everything you'd imagine for Hawaii.

Can you stand another photo of a plant?

Hmmm ...

Which do you want to see - mangoes or bananas?

Okay, so the bananas won.  (They just seem more exciting than mangoes.  Also, I've got a weak spot for photos with lens flare.)

Here's something you'd never see in California:

It's illegal to ride in the back of a truck in California.

On Maui, we saw people riding around in the back of trucks all the time.  I couldn't get used to it.  By the way, the people in this particular photo found it very amusing I was taking their photo.  They probably thought my purpose in photographing them was to show friends Real Live Hawaiians vs. people riding in the back of a truck.

We also saw a lot of sea turtles.

(By a lot, I mean - too many to count, every.single.day.)

Of course, I now feel like I need to close with a sunset photo.  

Here's a shot I took of my daughter as she took a photo of the sunset with her iPhone.

I think she's caught the photography-bug.

Genetics are a funny thing! 

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Tuesday Transition

I have so much to blog about, but as I forewarned you - I'm doing a lot of traveling which is making it difficult to find time to write.

* Me (hair in ponytail!) in Lahaina on the island of Maui - photo taken by Briefcase. *

I know, I know ...

You feel terribly sorry for me ... travel stress going to and from Hawaii.

* Blurry iPhone photo from Maui *

What a catastrophe my life is, right?  

I have a really shocking travel story to share with you as soon as I get the chance.

I also have some interesting photos to post in upcoming days.

Today is a transition day as I unpack from Hawaii and prepare to leave for BlogHer11 (the world's biggest blogging conference) tomorrow.  

* Pre-Hawaii pedicure ... will it hold up for another week or two? *

Next week my life will (hopefully) begin to settle down into a more normal routine.

Hawaii was wonderful, of course.

How could it not be?

I'll be honest,

As of today, I'm not looking forward to attending BlogHer.

I signed up to attend the conference a year ago, and now I find myself less than enthused to go.

The reasons why are a soap opera unto themselves, and for the time being I'm going to keep them to myself.  I'm hoping, once I do arrive at the conference, I end up getting everything out of it I originally hoped for.  (Regardless, I'll let you know either way.)

The days in Hawaii were lazy.  

Every morning I sipped coffee on our lanai, listening to the waves crash just a few feet away.  

I spent my time walking, hiking, reading, swimming, taking photos, hanging out on the beaches, being amused by sea turtles, etc.  

(My Internet access was very sketchy which was probably a blessing.) 

Every evening we indulged in fresh sashimi and other appetizers, along with libations, out on our lanai.  

Most nights we barbequed dinner on the beach as the sun set.  

Have I mentioned how beautiful it is in Hawaii?

Occasionally, we treated ourselves to a meal out.

It was great to have some very concentrated "family time" with all three of my kids present.

I fell asleep each night with the large sliding glass window of my bedroom open.  The sea breeze and the crashing waves lulled me to sleep. 

Oh, how I wish I could live just feet from the ocean every day!

Now, instead, I'm doing a couple quick loads of laundry and heading down to San Diego.  I will be blogging as I continue my travels.  

I return to Orange County next Monday.

I appreciate your patience as I take you along on my journey!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Train Crossing

There are stairs right on the other side of the tracks leading to the beach.

* San Clemente, Calif. *

© Twenty Four At Heart

Photography Friday: How Much Touching Up?

How much you edit your photos is dependent on several factors.

Are you printing them?

Are they going to be viewed on a computer screen?

Are they going to be printed in a magazine?

A newspaper?

What are your personal tastes in photography?

The list is endless, and depending on the list - your editing needs will vary.

I've received comments from people saying, "Oh, you use Photoshop," in a disappointed tone of voice.

People?

Professional photographers are ALL editing their photos.

Today, I wanted to show you a quick example of some editing I recently did on a photo.

Here's the original, very beautiful, sunset shot:

The above photo has only had slight modifications.  I sized it for the web and converted the color profile to a web-friendly format for you.  Also, I watermarked it.  In other words, I've done nothing to the color or "look" of the photo whatsoever.  (Sizing it and putting it into a web-friendly color format are standard for every photo I put on the web and neither changes the "look" of the photo.)

When I was done editing the photo it looked like this:

The changes I made were minor, and depending on your monitor - you  may not even notice a difference.

Here they are side by side with the unedited photo on the left:

The photo on the right has had the color increased in depth a very slight (ten percent) amount.  The edges of the photo were very slightly "burned" to draw the eye in.

That's it.

(It's probably easier to see such subtle differences in the larger photos than in the side to side comparison.)

Do I ever get in the mood to "play" more with certain photos?

Sometimes I do.

Overall, I'm generally a "light" photo editor though.

It's a matter of personal preference.

I consider photography a form of art.

Whoever takes the photo has the "right" to do whatever they want/like to it.

For instance, I'm not a huge fan of HDR photography but I can still tip my hat to those who do it well.  (By the way, the vast majority of people DON'T do it well.  Just my opinion ...!)

So what kind of editing do you do to your photos?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Maui

I'm taking a little break from the sun.

Have I mentioned it's hot here?  I'm used to heat, but I'm not used to humidity.  I know the humidity in Hawaii is nothing compared to what many of you live with every day, but ANY humidity is new for me.  I have to take short breaks from it now and then.

I thought I'd post a few Hawaii photos while I'm cooling off.

To be honest, I haven't gone through most of my photos yet and some of these are from my iPhone.  Nonetheless, I thought I'd share a glimpse of Hawaii.

My son took the above photo on Kaanapali Beach on Maui with his phone.

I took the above rock/seascape at Napili Bay after a wonderful breakfast at The Gazebo restaurant.

There are geckos everywhere.  This isn't much different from home for us, but we were surprised when this little, tiny, baby gecko appeared out of the sand and climbed on my son's foot.  (My son had a pet gecko for years so this occurrence didn't faze him in the least.)

A sign like the above (interpreted from Hawaiian into Photographer's Language) means, "If you go beyond this point, you'll be able to take some great photos." 

Of course, I speak Photographer's Language so I was happy to oblige.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Stopping In To Say Aloha

Aloha!

I wanted to check in today from Hawaii.

I've been here several days now and I've done a lot of ...

Nothing.

That's right - nothing.

I used to come here a lot on business, and I've seen all the tourist sights multiple times.

I feel no guilt, whatsoever, doing nothing.

I've been catching up on some much needed sleep, swimming in some of the most beautiful water on the planet, reading when I feel like it, taking fewer photos than I thought I'd take (but still a lot), eating delectable foods regardless of their carb and/or calorie count, and drinking way too much alcohol - beginning fairly early in the day.

Yes, I'm having the perfect vacation.

* Appetizers on our lanai at sunset. *

Our weather has been perfect so far.

Yesterday I had banana macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup for breakfast.  As an aside, I don't like pancakes and never have.  These particular pancakes are the only ones I'll eat - ever.  They were delicious.  (Although, I think I only ate one because they're very filling.)  When I finished my pancake(s), I began humming Jack Johnson's song Banana Pancakes and I don't think I stopped for the remainder of the day.

I followed up the pancake(s) with a pretty strenuous hike.  I'm making an effort to exercise every morning since there are so many beautiful places to walk/hike here.

As always, we're surrounded by zillions of huge sea turtles.  (We stay at a cove with a very high sea turtle population.)  For those of you who have never seen a sea turtle, it's hard to imagine how big they are.  Some of them get up to 400 pounds.

I love the sea turtles.

In fact, I honestly feel some sort of weird spiritual kinship with them.

They're beautiful animals, graceful, serene ... majestic.

* Coming up for air *

My Internet connection here is spotty at best, but I'll try to pop in for updates as I can.  In the meantime, I'm taking photos of some pretty cool sights to share with you in future posts.

© Twenty Four At Heart

FAIL!

This broken parking meter made me laugh out loud.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Wedge

The Wedge, in Newport Beach, is a famous surfing spot.

I've mentioned it before.

I think this photo (taken when the surf was calm) is so pretty.

The people you see at the far end of the rocks were fishing.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Photography Friday: Camera Bags

* This is an unsponsored post. *

A reader recently asked me what camera bag I prefer.

It sounds like such an easy question to answer, but it's not.

The camera bag I take with me for travel is almost always the Lowepro Fastpack 350.  I bought it a year (or two?) ago thinking a backpack would be easier on my bum arm than a traditional camera case.

It holds a lot which is what I wanted in a travel camera bag. 

I can take it on a plane as carry-on luggage and it fits under the seat easily.  It holds my laptop too, which makes it ideal for traveling on a plane.  (The laptop compartment fits up to a 17" computer and, like the rest of the backpack, is well padded.)  

Having my Lowepro backpack with me allows me to keep my "valuables" right with me on the plane.

I'm not going to lie, whenever I can, I have someone carry it for me because it gets heavy when it's fully loaded with camera gear and a laptop.  (But, remember, I really only have one working arm.)

I also like the side entry.  When I'm wearing it, I can quickly access my camera.

I use this backpack more than any other bag when I'm home too.

I take it to the beach with me on a regular basis, etc.

In fact, I have abused (and used) my Lowepro backpack A LOT and it's still in great condition.

What is the biggest negative to the Lowepro Fastpack 350?  Well, it's BIG.  So yes, the very feature I love about it (lots of room), is also a negative at times. 

I also have a small Tamrac camera backpack.  I sometimes use it around town when I want a smaller sized backpack, but to be honest it doesn't compare to my Lowepro.  (I bought the Tamrac first, realized I needed something bigger, and then discovered/purchased the Lowepro backpack a few months later.)

But okay, if you're a female you might be wondering about all the CUTE camera bags.

There are a lot of companies making very attractive "purses" which are designed to hold/hide a camera and perhaps a lens or two inside.  Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

Well, for some occasions - they are.

I have an Epiphanie bag.  I've had it for well over a year now, but I've only used it maybe three times.  It's cute, it's well made ... there's absolutely nothing wrong (and a lot RIGHT) about it.

It's certainly more attractive to carry than my Lowepro backpack.

But?

I always seem to need more room.

Most people would probably be fine with its size, but I tend to want more lenses and photography stuff with me than my Epiphanie bag will hold.  

Of course, what works best for you might be completely different than what works best for me.  Regardless, I hope today's post helps you in your journey to find the perfect camera bag for you.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

An Announcement ...

I'm very pleased, and excited, to make an announcement today.

Twenty Four At Heart is now "officially" a company, not just a haphazard combined blog and photography business.

This news doesn't change anything for you, my readers.

It does, however, help me on several fronts from a business standpoint.

It's just amazing to me, nearly five years post car accident, to see where I am now.

Needless to say,

I wish with all my heart the car accident and my resulting disability/chronic pain could be erased from the equation, but they can't be.

There's no question, I began writing here as a result of the accident.

Twenty Four At Heart, L.L.C. (the actual name of the business) has been an enormous positive born out of many, horrific, negatives.

When I first began blogging, I couldn't have imagined being where I am now just three years later.

Life is many things, but it's so rarely what we expect.

There are not enough words to express my gratitude.

Thank you so much for your support.

And now ...

I think I'm going to go celebrate!

xo

Suzanne

© Twenty Four At Heart

Just Another Weekend in the OC

So ...

I was at the beach yesterday.

I know you find it shocking to hear I would go to the beach (again).

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't go until the Women's World Cup game ended.  (And wow - what an ending!)

I didn't take many photos because the light was harsh during most of my time there.  (Harsh light makes for bad photos - see above!)

The water was really warm, which was nice.

But ...?

There was a lot of seaweed floating around.

Sometimes that happens for a day or two.

I gave up on the idea of taking photos and went for a long, long, walk instead.

I ended up finding a much nicer (less seaweed-filled) spot.

I might have gone for a swim.

And then I sat, wet - and without a towel, on the sand.

After awhile, I remembered the forty bazillion (!!!) things I have to get done in the next few days and decided it was time to leave.

I walked back to where Briefcase sat, reading, on the beach.

We walked to the parking lot.

When I sat in Briefcase's car, a ton of sand might have immediately fallen off of me.

Hypothetically, his-wife-always-getting-sand-in-his-car might be a pet peeve of my husband's.  It's also something he's realized comes with the territory of being married to me.

Then we came home.

The end.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Pier

I took this photo of the San Clemente pier while out walking with my friend, Nike.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Rainier Cherries

Rainier cherries are, perhaps, one of the most delicious things of summer.

And I'm not (normally) in love with cherries.

I don't know if they're available outside the west coast?

They're both red and yellow swirled together, with crisp yellow flesh when you bite into them.

Rainier cherries are grown in the state of Washington.  

They have a very short season of availability, so I'm quick to buy them when I see them.

Our recent house guests had never experienced Rainier cherries before.  They couldn't get enough of them.  (Seriously, I was buying more on a daily basis!)

Each round cherry is filled with delectable juicy, sweet, goodness.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Falling Down The (Google+) Rabbit Hole

I've been getting a lot of questions emailed to me from readers lately.  (On photography, on camera bags, on places to visit in Orange County, etc., etc.)  I'm going to attempt to address several of these questions publicly in blog posts.

Often, if one person has questions, others do too.

Today, I'm going to address Google+ questions I've already received.  It seems like everybody in the blogging/tech/photography world is talking about Google+.

I'm writing as a newbie to Google+, with only a little experience and a lot of learning ahead of me.  Google+ is so new, everyone is a newbie at this point!

That being said, I've found myself "lost" on Google+ for hours at a time as I explore it.  Part of my attraction is similar to the novelty of a new toy.  In time, that attraction might wear off.  

(As background, I'm not a huge Facebook fan and find myself using Twitter much more than Facebook for social media.  I don't know why, but Facebook just bores me.  Maybe because I simply don't care what my boyfriend from 7th grade is doing with his life?)

I see so much potential with Google+.  Whether or not it ever achieves that potential, remains to be seen.

So, what is Google+?

At first glance, it looks like Facebook which I assume most of you have experienced.

The immediate difference is that on Google+ you put people into "circles."

As an example, I have circles for the following categories so far:

•  Family

•  Friends

•  Acquaintances

•  Bloggers

•  Photographers

•  Twitter

•  The OC

•  Readers

•  Photography Clients

•  Not Sure Who The Hell These People Are

I've put several people in more than one circle.

So far, I have very few family and friends on Google+.

I haven't invited them either.

It isn't that I won't eventually enjoy having my friends/family on Google+, but right now it's beta and I don't know if they would have patience as the kinks get worked out.

The advantages of circles are many.

For instance, yesterday I "met" hundreds of photographers.  I've put them all in one circle.  If I have a photography question, I'll ask it there.  My other circles won't need to be bothered with it - they won't even see me ask the question.

On Facebook, I would never have friended hundreds of photographers I've never met.  In fact, I wouldn't have even known most of them existed.  Google+ is different than Facebook, in that, it's ideal for meeting people you share a common interest with. 

It's just so much MORE than Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn.  There's room for business, family, friends, hobbies - all in the same place.  You don't have to expose any single group to information which they have no interest in.

Aunt Betty doesn't need to hear about your drunken Girl's Night Out, and your work contacts don't have to be bored to death with photos of your family.

If I want to brag about my son's recent home run (not likely!) I'll save my bragging just for people in my family circle.  My photography friends probably won't ever know (or care) that I have a son who plays baseball.

Circles allow you to compartmentalize areas of your life.

Are you a cliquey person?

You can have your clique in one circle to share everything with, but then step out of your comfort zone by including many new people in a different circle.  Why would you want to include people, possibly total strangers, on Google+?

Well, for one thing you might learn a lot of new and interesting things from them.

Also,

Your new best friend might be someone you haven't even met yet.

And/or that person you don't think you have anything in common with might be your next-best contact for a dream job.

Circles can, of course, overlap.

You can make posts "public" to everyone,

And/or post things just for one or two (or three, or four) circles to see.

(Yesterday my friend Neil voiced concern he might not see my photos since he's not in my photographer's circle.  I explained I would keep most of my photos public and visible to everyone.)

How did I "meet" so many new photographers in just one day?

Well, there's something called "sparks" on Google+.

You can list an area of interest such as blogging, writing, photography, hula hooping, or whatever as one of your sparks.  Then when you click on the category you've listed, you get recent news and information on that topic.

I listed photography as one of my sparks, and that led me to an article - which led me to a photographer, which led me to more photographers, which led me to a very, very, long list of photographers on Google+.

I started following them and putting them in my photographer's circle.  They reciprocated.  Just like that, I found a photography community to learn and share with.

If you're a foodie ...

You could do the same with the spark "recipes" or "cooking."

If you're into fitness, the topics are all right there waiting for you.

The possibilities for networking/sharing information with like minded people, and yes - even becoming friends with strangers, seems endless.

Sound impossible?

When I began blogging I knew NO ONE in the writing/blogging/photography space.

Now I have many good "real life" friends who I initially met online.

It happens all the time.

Likewise, the business/networking possibilities seem endless.

Are there kinks to be worked out?

Yes, there are.  

Given a little time, I'm sure Google+ will continue to improve.

So far, the biggest concern I've heard voiced is regarding the legalities of giving Google rights to your photos by posting them.

Personally, I'm only posting low resolution photos and every photo I share is stamped with a copyright mark and my business name watermarked right on it.  If anyone, including Google, "steals" my photos, they'll look like crap when printed.

I may feel differently down the road, but so far Google+ is a hit with me.

Have you tried it?

What do you like or dislike about it?

If you haven't tried it, do you have questions or concerns to be addressed before you do?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Weird, Weird, Weekend

I woke up in the middle of the night on Friday, with off-the-chart pain shooting through the back side of my shoulder, down my disabled arm, and also affecting the upper right quadrant of my back.  It felt like lightening bolts of jagged glass traveling through my body.

(Possibly an alien has taken up residence in my damaged parts?)

I don't know what caused this sudden onset of pain.

I didn't "do" anything unusual.

It's a new and horrible different type of pain than what I usually have and it hasn't let up since.  It's severe enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.  (And yes, severe pain CAN do that.)  It's also making me gasp/moan/wince out loud from time to time.  This is very unusual for me.  Those of you who know me, know I usually just get extremely quiet when I'm in a lot of pain.

Anyway, I tell you this not in a bid for sympathy but rather, as a preface to this post.  I'm on Dilaudid which is a very strong pain narcotic.  It makes my head spin this way and then that way, and then way over there too.  I don't take it often, so I'm not used to it.

In other words, who knows what I might misspell write today ....

I will try to provide a few snippets from my weekend anyway.

•  I listened to two OC women discussing their designer flip flops at length.  One was pro Vera Wang and the other was pro Tory Burch.  It was a pretty heated discussion and the entire time I was looking at their shoes and thinking, "Really??  They're just flip flops!"  I don't mean to question people's priorities, but ...?

•  I brought Mike's Hard Lemonade, in a thermos, to a high school baseball game.  (For my parent friends, not for the players.)  That's probably against some type of school rule, don't you think?  But it was hot and it was an extra long game.  Also, several parents appreciated the fact I brought it.  (And no, I didn't even have any myself because I'm on pain meds.)

•  I spent most of Saturday at the hospital emergency room with my youngest son.  We thought he had possibly broken his hand in his baseball game.  It was really (!!) swollen and sore after it got jammed when he was sliding.

After hours and hours waiting around, we learned it's NOT broken - just sprained.  

While we were at the ER, several high school football players (my son's friends) came in for treatment too.  There seems to be an epidemic of high school athletes getting hurt.

My son left looking like this:

We're glad it's a removable splint so he can shower, etc.  Casts in the summer are so uncomfortable. 

In better news, at least he scored a run when he did it - right? 

•  It's been really hot here ....

•  I'm now on Google +, which is Google's newest social marketing invention (designed to take over the world).  It's in a beta form right now, and you have to be invited to join.  I think Google introduced it by "invitation only" intentionally to make people really, really, want to be invited to join.

It worked! 

No one invited me the first ten days it was in existence and I felt sad.  (Ten whole days - !!)  It reminded me of being left out by The Mean Girls in high school.  Then, all in one day, I got several invitations to join.  

Thank you!  (You know who you are!)  

So far, I like Google + a lot.  (Also known as G+.)  I haven't had as much time as I'd like to become familiar with it yet, but I see a lot of potential already.  It's like facebook and twitter, but better in so many ways.  I'm looking forward to digging deeper, to learn more, over the next few days.  I do have a few invitations to give away, but I'm not quite sure how to do that.  (I'm sure it's not difficult, I just haven't had the time to explore yet.)  If you're a huge techy, and/or addicted to social networking, etc., let me know and if I can get you an invitation I will.  

•  I went for a five mile walk at the beach on Saturday afternoon.  I was in San Clemente again where the trains run right along the beach.

•  I had an "incident" regarding a BlogHer corporate sponsor over the weekend.  The story isn't worth telling here, but it did take up some of my weekend time.  By the way, if you will be at BlogHer11 (in San Diego/beginning of August) please let me know so I can meet you.  There will be 3,000 bloggers there and it will be difficult to find people without a little pre-planning and effort.  

• I made "Beer Can Chicken" for the first time this weekend.  I'll have more about that experience soon, in a separate post.

•  I watched The Holiday while drugged up on pain meds.  I can't say I recommend it, but Jack Black did a good job with his part.  On the other hand, I might laugh every time I see him regardless of what he's doing.

•  Lastly, I wanted to show you this photo.  I don't know why I love it so much, but it's definitely one of my favorite photos lately.

I hope you like it too!

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Once the Smoke Clears ...

When I got home last night, after a very (very, very!!) long day ...

My college aged son, nicely, suggested I was just a wee bit tense.

I think, perhaps, I am.

Things haven't slowed down for a millisecond since the recent fire behind our house.

A few of you asked to see more "fire photos."

I thought I'd oblige you today ...

I especially like the photos of the heroic men who came so quickly to fight the fire.

Although, at the time, it seemed like it took eons (not just minutes) for them to arrive.

They worked tirelessly with fire hoses, chainsaws, axes, and a helicopter which dropped load after load of water onto the flames ...

(By the way, that's "my" backyard tree in the above photo.)

Once the immediate danger passed, the sinking realization arrived -

The fire was set intentionally ...

Risking our lives, and the lives of everyone who came to save us, our neighborhood, our home.

It's incomprehensible to me,

It really is.

My appreciation for firefighters could not be higher.

Can you imagine wearing all that heavy gear, in searing temperatures?

Or hiking and climbing through rugged terrain with it weighing you down?

Have you ever wondered,

Why everything burns, with the exception of one or two bushes here and there?

Why do the flames leap and dance over this, but not that?

Why did one ravine burn, but not the one next to it?

Yes, these really are the things I find myself wondering about.

The danger is gone,

The fire is out,

But I don't think I'm quite "over it" yet.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Spending The Fourth On The Beach

I know it won't come as a surprise to hear I usually spend my 4th of July holiday on the beach.

* Not a perfect fireworks photo, but I didn't bring a tripod with me and I might have been drinking vodka.

In fact, Briefcase and I got married on the 4th of July, twenty four years ago, on the beach.

Also?

I'm a beach rat, born and raised.

I usually try to avoid holiday crowds on the coast, but there's nothing like watching fireworks over the ocean - it's the best.

In an effort to avoid the worst of the crowds (Newport, Huntington and Laguna Beach), I went to San Clemente.  I also made a point not to arrive until after 4:00 in the afternoon.  (This is normal for me, regardless of the date.  I prefer late afternoons and evenings at the beach.)

Because of the holiday, it was much (!!) more crowded than normal.

People, people - people everywhere!

There was also a strong police presence, which I've never seen at the beach before.  I saw several people get arrested.  I'm not sure for what ... maybe public drunkenness?

The police were checking people's coolers for alcohol in the parking lot before they even got to the beach.

I also witnessed several lifeguard rescues.

A lot of people have no business being in the ocean.  You know who you are people, so why do you go in the water anyway?

My friend, Nike, and I took a long, long, walk.  It's a tradition we have, regardless of where we've set up camp for the day.  We walk forever, we talk, we check out lifeguard rescues and ridiculous tourists.  We notice hot men we'll never see again and we stroll past them like we're way too good for them.

Which we probably are.

Either that, or they're too good for us?

It was such a beautiful afternoon and evening.

Seriously, there are no words to describe how perfect it was.

* The train runs right next to the sand in San Clemente.

Nike's husband couldn't get over the spectacular sunset.

He kept telling me, over and over, to take photos because it was so beautiful.

"No one will believe the colors," I told him.  "They'll think I photoshopped the hell out of my photos."

I'll share more of the sunset (and 4th of July) photos with you in upcoming days, but honestly the sky went from pink to gold to bright pink, to orange to ....

Well, it was just amazing.

Mother Nature wasn't about to be outdone by a fireworks show.

(Yes, both sunset photos, and the shot of the train, have been uploaded to the album titled Beach 2011 in my photo gallery!  Thank you for your continued interest in my photography and, as always, please let me know if I've forgotten to upload one of your favorites.)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Shhh! Don't Tell Anyone You Saw These Photos

Last Saturday evening, my husband and I went to an Angels game.

The Angels were playing the Dodgers (big rivals!), and we were fortunate enough to have front row seats.  We were also privy to a parking pass (worth ten times its weight in gold!) and had reservations to enjoy dinner in the exclusive Diamond Club.

Yeah baby, we were hobnobbing with the rich and famous for the night.

As you know, we're a big "baseball family" and there are few things in life my husband enjoys more than going to an Angels game.  (I won't go into details here, as to what those things are!)

Last time I accompanied Briefcase to a game, I left my camera at home.  I didn't want to be bothered with it during the game.  I did notice, however, several people in seats around me with very nice DSLR cameras and telephoto lenses on them.  I also noticed people recording (videotaping) the game.  I made a mental note to bring my camera the next time I came.

Thus, I was surprised on Saturday to be stopped by security as I entered the stadium.  They checked my bag, as they always do, and told me I would not be able to bring in the lens I had in my backpack.  When I asked why, the security guard called over a supervisor.  The supervisor looked at my lens and told me it was "fine" and I could, indeed, take it into the stadium for photos.

Whew!

Briefcase and I had an early dinner reservation in the Diamond Club, so we went there first.  (I'll tell you more about the Diamond Club some other time.)  Once dinner was over, we made our way to our seats.  

Up to this point, I'd taken just a few photos with my (smaller) wide angle lens.

I switched to my longer, telephoto, lens once we were seated.

Mind you, I had no intention of taking a zillion photos of the game.  I wanted to get a couple good shots to show my boys when I got home.  (Both of my sons are HUGE Angel fans!)  My goal for the night was to enjoy the game, not come home with hundreds of photos. 

Once the telephoto was on my camera, I took a few (maybe 5?) photos.  

Here is one I took of Matt Kemp (all-star outfielder) from the Dodgers.

If you're not a baseball fan, you might know Matt Kemp as the man who was/is dating singer Rihanna.  

Anyway, my camera was just sitting on my lap, as innocent as it could be, when a security guard approached me at my seat and asked for my "media credentials."

(By the way, I'm pretty sure you have to pay for media credentials at Angel Stadium?)

I explained the security supervisor outside the stadium had okayed my lens on the way in.  I was told it had to be put away anyway "because it's grey and grey means it's a professional lens."

I must have looked befuddled as I took this information in.

(I own several "professional" lenses that are not grey, including the smaller wide angle lens I had used earlier in the evening.)

"It has a handle too," added the security guard.  "A handle definitely means it's professional, put it away."

A handle??

Oh, a tripod collar ....!! 

Mr. Security Man did tell me I could use a "smaller lens" if I had one with me.

Well, of course I put my longer lens away.  I knew it probably wouldn't have been noticed if we weren't seated in the front row, but I certainly wasn't trying to cause problems by continuing to use it.  I also didn't point out to Mr. Security Man the woman a few seats down from me who was video-recording the entire game.  (Definitely against the rules - even I knew that much!)

I did, as you can see from the above photo, amuse myself by taking photos of Mr. Security Man with my smaller "professional" lens he had just okayed.

I also talked to Twitter about the situation and learned there are different camera restrictions at different stadiums.  Most stadiums just say "no tripods/monopods" which I can completely understand.  (People would trip on them; they would block the view of attendees.)

I also was told, the reason for camera restrictions is not for "security" but because MLB wants to control the money earned from photography.

(Apparently, I'm a threat to Sports Illustrated photographers everywhere?)

Now, don't get me wrong -

I have every intention of abiding by whatever rules the stadium has ...

Even if the rules are archaic in this day and age where almost everyone has a camera on their phone.

By the way, 

The pizza guy knew a lot more about cameras than Mr. Security Man.

He spotted my (small) wide angle lens as he was selling over priced pizza to someone near me.

"That's an amazing lens!" he exclaimed excitedly.

It turns out his wife is a camera buff and he's learned to appreciate a good lens.

With my "smaller" lens mounted on my camera, I got some spectacular different shots.

For example, here is one of Jered Weaver (amazing pitcher) with sunbeams shining down on him from the grandstands.

It was as if he was in the spotlight - and as an all-star pitcher, he was.

As the sun dropped below the grandstands, this became even more apparent.

(In case you're wondering, I love my 24mm lens.  So sharp!)

In spite of the camera debacle, it was a great game and a wonderful evening.  We had a lot of fun.

I, especially, have to tip my hat to Jered Weaver.

The man is truly an amazing pitcher!

P.S.  Dear Angel Stadium:  You really should reconsider your  stupid   archaic  rules on the use of cameras/lenses.  Thank you, Your Devoted Fan.

P.P.S.  Dear Jered Weaver:  If you'd like a copy of the cool photo I took of you pitching, I'd be happy to sell you one.  HA HA!!  Just kidding  MLB  Jered!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Photography Friday: The Problem With A Photography Addiction ...

I keep telling myself I'm DONE.

I will not buy anything else photography related.

Those of you who share my photography addiction know how impossible that thought is.

The problem with being a True Photography Addict is ...

Once I master one area, I feel compelled to challenge myself and learn another.

And by "area," I mean exactly that.

I might feel like I've mastered ocean-scapes (not as easy as they look!), and then feel driven to master street photography, or indoor portraits next.

I might become proficient with one lens, only to feel it's absolutely necessary to learn the intricacies of another.

It doesn't matter how good you are, or what level your photography skills are at, there is always so much more to learn.

I think, perhaps, that is one of photography's appeals for me.

I love a good challenge.

I love learning new things.

I like "real" photos.

I like photos that look like photos (except once in awhile when I don't).

I also know what I don't like in photography.

I don't like HDR photography.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with HDR, it's a technique that (to me) looks way too FAKE.)

I don't like over-processed photos.

I don't like photos of people with orange skin.  There are a lot of "professional photographers" who have not mastered skin tones yet.

(Unless their subjects really ARE orange?)

I don't like "trendy" photos.

(Enough with the extremely staged outdoor shots, and enough with fading out the colors in every photo.  A little bit - once in awhile - is okay, a lot - all the time - is not.  You don't want to look back at your photos and say, "Wow, they are SO two thousand and eleven!)

(In my opinion.)

There was some really bad grammar/punctuation in that last paragraph!  Whew!

I like photos with a touch of artistry when it's subtle enough the viewer doesn't stop to consider the photograph "artsy."  I think the viewer should be noticing the subject of the photo more than the technique the photographer used.

Of course, there are exceptions to what I like.

Sometimes I really admire a funky, artsy, photo.

Isn't that part of the dichotomy charm?

All of these photography-related thoughts were brought forth due to a recent lens purchase I made.

I've just added a Canon 24mm/1.4 lens to my collection.

I'm so eager to spend the weekend shooting with it, I can hardly stand it.

I know some of my readers share my love of photography and will wonder why this particular lens was next on my wish list.

I find myself shooting with my wide angle lens a lot.

A wider angle is appropriate for a lot of the photography I do (beaches, etc.).

I also, ironically enough, love it for getting up close and personal.

I wanted to upgrade the quality of what I'm currently using and this prime lens seemed to fit my needs.  (I love it's low light capabilities too!)

I won't be using it exclusively in the next few weeks, but I will be using it the majority of time for awhile.

Why?

Because if it's on my camera and I'm using it constantly, I will learn the intricacies of this particular lens more quickly.  Sticking to one lens for awhile forces me to frame photos differently, think about my objectives with each photo, and stretch myself as a photographer.

I can't wait to share photos with you!

P.S.  For my U.S. readers - please have a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend!

© Twenty Four At Heart

More About The Fire - Because THAT'S An Original Title For A Post, Isn't It?

So, I hope you don't mind but I thought having our house almost burn down was worthy of more than just one post ....

While Briefcase was using a hose to spray down the perimeter of our yard, and my sons threw bucket after bucket of pool water over our fence line,

I took photos.

I didn't just take photos.  I called 911 first, I made sure everyone in my family was safe.  I did responsible adult/parent things.

And then?

I took photos.

The shots I'm sharing with you today are not necessarily in the order they were taken.

First, a look at the fire in the brush right behind my house:

We got a lot more rain than usual this year, but the brush lit up like a tinderbox.

And yes, the fire was deliberately set by a couple assholes.

Next, is a photo of one of the first firemen to arrive.  He jumped the fence, and brought the fire hose from one of the engines in front of our house.  (That's a long, long, ways!)  The firemen told us they had just practiced a "long hose drill" that morning.

Ok ladies, no dirty jokes.

But it was nice to know they pulled out their long hoses for me.

Ahem ....

I think he wants to save me.

Saaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvve me Mr. Hot Fireman!

Ahem ... just kidding.

(I joke now, but my heart was pounding with fear at the time of the fire ... and actually, for quite awhile even after I knew we were going to be fine.)

Teamwork ... it was awesome to watch!

In the above photo, the wind had shifted away from our house.  You can see the black, burned area, behind the firemen.

Awhile later, it shifted back towards us and the fire started traveling up the hill toward us.

The fire helicopter was critical then.

The pilot flew through smoke over and over again, to get water from our lake.

He brought the helicopter down and hovered just a few feet above the lake.

The yellow fire hose hanging down from the helicopter sucked up massive quantities of water.  (The water goes into a holding tank in the helicopter.)

And then, time and time again, the helicopter dropped water on the fire.

Our lake is often used as a water source during wildfires.

This is the first time it's been used to save us/our home.

Have I mentioned all the firemen who helped us last weekend are the most awesome people in the world?

Because they are.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Fire!

Life is never dull around here.

I spent Saturday getting ready for guests.  In the late afternoon, the bulk of my chores were done and I decided to go for a quick swim before my friends arrived.

I went out to clean the pool with our pool net before swimming.  I heard the voices of a couple guys (obviously intoxicated) partying in our canyon.  I noticed, because normally it's very, very, quiet where I live.

People are not allowed to be where these guys were, and the thought of calling our neighborhood security passed through my mind.  The thing is, I only had about a half hour to spare and I decided they were probably harmless hikers so I dismissed the thought.  (We do get hikers in the canyon frequently.)

As it turns out, even if I had called security they would not have arrived in time to prevent what happened.

I went inside and put my bathing suit on.

I came out just a minute or two later to see smoke and flames immediately behind my house.

I ran to call 911.  

I also called for help from everyone in my house.

It took nine minutes for the firemen to arrive.

Nine minutes doesn't sound like long, but when you live in a canyon filled with dry brush, and it's on fire, nine minutes is an eternity.

My husband immediately began hosing off the bushes on the perimeter of our property.

The flames were racing up hill towards us at an alarming rate.

We were even using buckets of pool water to dump on the brush near the flames.

It was scary.

(And yes, I do realize my golden retriever is smiling in the background of that photo.  I think he was thrilled with all the people running in and out of our backyard!  Not only that?  Firemen give lots of pets and ear rubs!)

It wasn't long until we heard sirens and soon our backyard was filled with firemen and fire hoses, and fire gear ...  

The fire helicopter would fill up it's water tank at the lake behind our house and then drop the water on the flames.  At one point, the flames were racing up the hill toward us and we were really scared.  It felt like the fire would reach our house in seconds.

And then ...

Water drop!

We all cheered.

(I even got a little wet during that particular water drop!)

The helicopter (fireman) pilot waved and gave us a thumbs up sign.

The above photo, one of 1,500 I took during the fire, appeared in The Orange County Register.

Arson investigators were on the scene very quickly.

Yes, arson.

Don't even get me started on the type of assholes who set fires intentionally!

We had an enormous crew of firemen at our house, and right BEHIND our house, for hours upon hours.  They built fire breaks, they cleared brush with axes and chain saws, they lifted heavy fire hoses through rugged terrain.

We offered to let them cool off with a swim in the pool (and margaritas), but apparently they're not allowed to play while fighting fires.

Go figure.

Even when the flames were out, they kept right on working until well after dark.

Firemen are heroes ... absolute, badass, heroes!

© Twenty Four At Heart 

1920 Fire Engine

* It's ironic this post was already scheduled to publish today.  We had a FIRE right behind our house yesterday and the Orange County fire department, literally, saved our house.  I will have photos of the fire, etc. for you tomorrow.  And yes, we are fine and so is our house. *

The fire station on Balboa Island is home to a 1920 fire engine.

I dropped in to take some photos of it and talked to the nice fireman pictured above.

I hope he doesn't mind me antiquing him.

It seemed like the right thing to do.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Saturday

I'm so glad it's the weekend!

Today, I have a house guest arriving.

She'll be visiting for eight days and has never been to California before.

I can't wait to share a little of Orange County with her ....

© Twenty Four At Heart

Jacarandas

I get asked, all the time, what are those purple trees called?

"Those purple trees" are called jacarandas and they're everywhere in Orange County.  (In fact, I wrote about them a couple years ago when I first began blogging.)

Usually the jacarandas bloom in May here, but we've had a cooler than normal year and they're gorgeous right now.

I was driving through North County earlier this week and I decided to park and take a few photos for you.

I love the dark trunks and branches in contrast with the purple flowers.

I used to have a jacaranda tree in my backyard, but it had to be removed when we put in our pool.  It went to a good home.  And no, I'm not joking ... we had it carefully moved so it would survive.

It's okay though, because I see jacarandas everywhere I go.

Jacaranda trees line many of the streets here.

They're pretty messy trees.

I think the petals on the ground are pretty though.

They're like pieces of purple confetti strewn everywhere.

Jacarandas really are beautiful, majestic, trees.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

First Day of Summer

Yesterday was, officially, the first day of summer.

It was also the last day school was in session for my youngest son.

He needed to leave the house at 7 a.m. for his Spanish final exam.  (His last final before summer break.)

I needed to leave the house at 9:30 a.m. to pick him up afterwards.  (In case you're wondering, his exam schedule gave me enough time to take a shower, shampoo, and do a few chores before leaving to pick him up.)  We went out to breakfast to celebrate a good school year, and then he was off to a beach party with friends.

Of course, I had to drive him to the beach party.

(For some strange reason, I was not invited to stay.  Such a shame!  It was a beautiful day at the beach.  I don't know why a 16 year old boy would not want his mom lurking around a teen party with her telephoto lens?)

In fact, all I did yesterday was drive, drive, drive.

And I was eager for summer to arrive?

How quickly we moms forget ...!

There were other signs of summer yesterday too.

My car thermometer eventually got as high as 95.  

Summer has officially arrived.

In an effort to start the summer off right, I took my camera into a Canon service center yesterday for a professional cleaning.  It was way overdue.  I wanted to make sure the sensor was spotless (dustless?) before our Hawaii vacation in a few weeks.

You know what they told me?

I've, so far, taken almost 30,000 photos with my "new" camera.  (They "read" the shutter and it's so smart, it tells them.)

THIRTY THOUSAND!

Me!

The one armed, bionic woman!

(Speaking of, yesterday someone googled "one-armed photographer" and Google sent them to me.  Isn't that very smart of Google?)

The thought of taking thirty thousand photos is staggering.

And at the same time, quite a feat.

It made me think back to when Medical Professionals told me I would never be able to hold a full size camera again.  It brought back memories of their insistence I give up my passion.

In fact, in their minds it wasn't even up for debate ...

Photography was an impossibility for me.  

It's almost been five years since the accident, and I've taken 30,000 photos in the last year and a half.

I wonder how many more I will take just this summer?

I feel oddly proud.

And so very ... accomplished.

I feel like I've defied the odds.

Also?

Take THAT Medical Professionals!

It has been a fight every step of the way, but so worth it.

Thirty thousand photos and counting ...

Wow!

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Glimpse of Balboa Island

* Tomorrow I'll be posting a great recipe.  Weird for me, yes? *

I've been on Balboa Island several times lately.

I realized this weekend, I've accumulated quite a few photos I should share.

Balboa Island is in Newport Beach, but it's not to be confused with the Balboa Peninsula.  They're very close to each other (right across from each other in Newport Harbor), but they aren't the same place.  There's a ferry you can take to get from one to the other though.

I don't really know how to explain Balboa Island.

First of all, Balboa Island isn't really an island, it's THREE islands. 

(Balboa Island, Little Balboa and Collins Island - all man made.)

It's old.

It's cute.

It's beachy, but it's in a harbor.  

There's water, and a little (!) sand, but no waves.

A lot of people like to rent beach houses there for a week or two in the summer.

Some very famous, wealthy, celebrities own homes on Balboa Island too. 

Maybe the best thing to do is just show you a few photos ...

Charming, quaint ...

A contrast, all unto itself -

And just in case you forget what all this quaint, charm costs ....

There are constant reminders.

And also,

Did I mention the beauty?

Once the sun sets, there's a very peaceful beauty ....

© Twenty Four At Heart

Once Upon A Time ...

Once upon a time, a beach cottage stood on a hill at the edge of the sand ....

Now, about ninety years later, this is all that's left.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Mish Mash

•  First things first, the winner of Friday's contest was Pam.  And since more than one Pam entered the contest, it was the Pam with the following comment:

Happy Friday to you too! I hope you get your laptop back soon. The sun is shining here today--Thank God!!! Finally. :)

Have a great weekend.
Pam

Pam, when you send me the email address you prefer, I will have your Amazon $50.00 gift card emailed directly to you.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

•  Rooster Feather Controversy - After posting about my feather hair extension, a few readers contacted me to inform me roosters are being killed just to support this latest fashion craze.  However, I was also contacted by a hair stylist who told me most salons are using human hair extensions colored to look like feathers.  My take away on the matter is this - ask your stylist where his/her feathers come from if you plan to get a feather added to your hair.  

•  My laptop is back!  Woo hoo!  You probably already figured that out since I was able to post photos over the weekend.

•  I was all over Orange County last weekend.

It was pretty,

As it usually is ....

Did you know people photoshop sun rays into their photos a lot?

I did not photoshop the above sun rays.  Also, I never photoshop fake sun rays.

Just sayin' .... 

•  The highlight of the weekend was attending a very special wedding on Balboa Island in Newport Beach.  The reception was held at the Balboa Yacht Club and the bride arrived to the reception by boat.

She looked gorgeous!

The wedding photographer went missing just prior to the bride's arrival at the reception.  I was asked to fill in and take shots of her arrival, etc.  I was honored and the photos came out great.

How could they not, with such a beautiful bride?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Balboa Yacht Club

I was at a wedding in Newport Beach yesterday.

I wish I could have taken each of you with me.

Wouldn't we have had fun?

It was a wonderful day, and a really special wedding.

The reception was held at the Balboa Yacht Club.

When we arrived, the sun was out and the weather was spectacular.

And then ....

It became a beautiful evening.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Charmed, I'm Sure

I'm having a few technical difficulties on this end.

While I'm trying to resolve them, I'll share a few more photos from the historic area of Crystal Cove.

Yesterday, I mentioned there are several quaint beach cottages from the 1920's - 1930's at the park.  Many of them have been renovated and are available as vacation rentals.

The steps lead right to the sand, of course.

Enchanting, cozy, fun ....

As much as I'd love a big, huge, kitchen and endless closets, I think I could be very happy in a small beach bungalow.  

Very happy!

I was immediately enamored with the deck on this one:

Here is the same cottage from a different angle ...

Used brick steps, surfboards used as decorations, oars on the wood shingle sides, hot guy naked on the balcony ...

What?

I was just checking to see if you're awake!

When you go down the stairs of these particular cottages, you find yourself here:

And if you go on the other side of the cute wood fence ....

You're in heaven.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Crystal Cove Charm

* If you follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter, you may have already seen a few of today's photos.  Sorry about that! *

Crystal Cove is a California state park which takes up just over three miles of coastline between Newport and Laguna Beach.

I frequent Crystal Cove a lot.  It has extensive hiking trails, tide pools, generally less crowded beaches, and beautiful scenery.  Many of the beach and sunset photos I've shared with you were taken at Crystal Cove.

There's one area of the park I haven't yet shared with you though.  There's a section of the park listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  When I visit there, I feel like I've stepped back in time.  Old beach cottages from the 1920's and 1930's, some of which have been renovated, still exist right on the beach.  (People are allowed to rent some of these cottages for vacations and they're very popular.)

A few of the cottages were originally built for the filming of movies, such as Treasure Island, Herbie Rides Again, and Beaches.  Others were "real" beach cottages.

I realize many of you live in places where "old" and "charming" are common adjectives.  In Orange County, however, it's a treat to see anything more than twenty years old.  (Remember, even the ninety year old OC women try to look like they're twenty.)  

Old is not something you see a lot of here, which is a shame.

I'll share more about the cottages in upcoming posts, but today I wanted to give you a small glimpse of this particular area of Crystal Cove.

From the minute you arrive, you feel like you've stepped back in time.

It makes me wish I'd been alive in the 1920's and 1930's.

I knew I'd be staying for most of the day, so I brought my camera backpack, a beach bag and a couple chairs.

It's easy to be delighted by the little things when you pay a visit.

Speaking of little things .....

This mother duck somehow got a bit confused.

You don't normally see ducks on the beach.  Ducks are fresh water, not sea water, birds.  

Mother Duck walked down the beach for a long, long, long, time with her nine babies.  I watched her, feeling both amused and mystified.  Eventually she found her way to an area where fresh water was running off into the ocean.  She was quite happy once she got there.  I guess the whole duck family got their exercise with a long walk on the beach.

Did I mention the word charming yet?

In fact, my favorite photo of the day was of another "little thing."

He's so adorable, I think he belongs on a postcard.

(Notice how he's holding his fingers ... sand feels funny!)

I can barely stand the cute!

* I'll have more on this particular area of Crystal Cove in upcoming posts. *

** P.S.  Did you know if you do a zillion squats in one afternoon, (when you aren't used to doing them), you will have a really hard time going down stairs the next day week?  This has nothing to do with today's post ... but - aack! **

© Twenty Four At Heart

Scattered

I'm going with scattered thoughts today.  (Scattered because my brain is making adjustments to new pain meds and I feel very scatter-brained.)

•  I'm almost halfway through my Invisalign treatment.  At this point, I'm very happy with both the process and the results.

I warned you.  I'm on drugs!

Ha!

•  I sent a package to Boston (for my daughter's birthday) via UPS "two-day-air."  It was sent over a week ago and it still hasn't arrived.  UPS has the package, but can't seem to get it delivered.  I've never had bad UPS service before.  I'm beyond frustrated at this point.  I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall every time I try to get the damn package delivered.  

•  I ran into a woman I know at the mall a few days ago.  I didn't recognize her.  She had a facelift, but her face FELL.  I've never seen such a strange look.  I can't figure out HOW it happened.  I still can't get her face out of my head either.  

It's haunting me.  

She used to be so pretty.  Wrinkles would look better on her than the FaceFALL she got.  If she hadn't come up to me and started talking, I wouldn't have even realized it was her.

•  When/If you're having a bad day, get on the Damn You Auto Correct! website.  Click on the "Best of DYAC" tab.  You will find it impossible not to laugh.

•  Here's a recent photo I took in a public bathroom.

Why did I take that photo?

I don't even know ....

It gives you a good look at how I take photos with my bum arm though.  Left arm/hand holds the camera/phone up.  Right/damaged arm has a permanent slope down to it.  It works okay from my hand to my elbow so without any movement to the top part of my arm, I manage to click the shutter/press the button.

Magic.

•  Here's another.  This one I took so I could show you maternity clothes are back in style for non-pregnant women:

Please excuse PR's unmade bed, laundry basket, and general mess behind me.  (He's a teen - need I say more?) 

* Both of these photos were taken with a mirror.  One person commented it LOOKS like I'm holding the camera with my right hand, but everything is reversed.  It is truly my left hand holding the phone.  (Note the thicker ring on that hand?  That's my wedding ring - left hand!)

•  Did you read the recent Time magazine article?

I think Arnold was the pig-of-the-week when it published.

•  Several of you asked if the bike/flip flop photo is for sale.  It's on my website (Beach 2011) both in color and in black and white.

•  Speaking of photos, I've been using the PhotoCard app to send my daughter occasional (snail mail) postcards.  It's fun because the postcard arrives with one of my photos on it making it more meaningful to both of us.  So far, I've just sent her sunflower shots because they're her favorite flower.  She loves getting "real" mail and is planning to frame a few of the sunflower postcards together.   (They're big.  Around 8.5" x 5.5" I think.)

It's a fun, cheap, way to make someone's day.

OK, was that scattered enough for one day?

I think it was ....

© Twenty Four At Heart

Lost in Laziness

I'll be back tomorrow with a "real" post.

So far, my holiday weekend has consisted of a combination of family time and pure laziness.  It has been WONDERFUL.

Beach, pool, beach ....

Isn't the water so pretty in the above photo?

I'm so lucky to live here.

I went to see Hangover II yesterday.

I did a little summer clothes shopping for my two boys too.  They'd outgrown everything in their closets.

(Did you know shorts for guys have gone shorter and tighter?  Welcome back to the eighties!)

I've been reading, and enjoying, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  It's very appropriate subject matter for Memorial Day when so many of us are remembering, and feeling thankful for, those who have served our country.

I watched Gran Torino via Netflix one night.

Sometimes, it's so nice to turn off the real world and all the responsibilities that go with it.

I hope you're enjoying some down time too!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Pelican

I have so many photo apps on my iPhone, it's ridiculous.

And yet ...

It's so fun to play with them.

I love this shot of a pelican.

It's certainly not "perfect," but not bad considering it was taken with a fraction of a second to compose it.

He was sure a big bird.  

It was also very kind of him to oblige me by flying so close overhead.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Wanting Opinions (Please!)

I took a photo a couple weeks ago.

You're shocked, aren't you?

I love it for assorted reasons and I'm considering having it framed.

(I, honestly, don't have photos plastered everywhere in my house - I swear.)

I processed the photo first with a faded, vintage, feel to it.

The nice thing about the photo, in color, is you can clearly see the water behind the bike.  You know the photo was shot by the ocean.

Even though I took this photo in Orange County, it reminds me (very much) of my college days in Santa Barbara when a bike was my main mode of transportation.

(By the way, I had a man approach me as I was taking the above photo wanting to know WHY I was taking it.  He asked ask me a zillion questions.  I don't think he could wrap his brain around the fact I was interested in something like empty flip flops sitting by an old bike.)

Next, I processed the photo again.  This time I used black and white, but added a vintage tint.

Overall, I think I like the black and white photo more.

But ...

Can you tell the black and white is at the beach?

Should I go with color?

Which do you like better?

Aack!

I need help!

Also?

Thank you, in advance!

P.S.  For the wall I'm considering hanging it on, it doesn't make any difference if I go with color or not.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Fun, Fun, Fun!

* I have (finally) updated my photo site.  Photos have been added to the 2011 and Beach 2011 albums.  Sorry for the delay! *

My 16 year old son, who has been music obsessed since birth, has recently discovered The Beach Boys.  He thinks their songs are very funny and outdated, but keeps playing them (with a huge grin on his face) anyway.  The grin on his face might be because I dance around our house like a raging lunatic every time I hear California Girls.  (I also baaaa a lot when I hear Barbara Ann.)

Did you know if you listen to Barbara Ann just one time, you will find yourself singing it for days on end?

In keeping with the beach music playing in my house right now, I thought I'd share a few more glimpses of last weekend with you.

Big, giant, waves were to the left of the frame in the picture below.  I thought this was a cool shot though, with the spray behind these wave-watchers:

There are homes right along the sand on the Balboa Peninsula (Newport Beach), which is not uncommon here.

I love the charm of the beach houses.  So many of them are tended with care.

Oh, how I would love to have a beach cottage.  

(I would make mine charming too, I promise.)

Sadly, even a little beach cottage costs tens of millions of dollars here.

I don't want to sound dramatic, but can't we all relate to this rose?

It's just trying so damn hard ....

Speaking of trying hard,

Can you imagine the effort, and exhaustion, that comes with surfing fifteen foot waves?

I'm not a groupie of the surfer life, but I do admire all the talent, and hard work, it requires.

Surfers get beat to hell, tossed and thrown all over the place at the ocean's whim.  They get slammed to the ocean floor with incredible force and they get right back up and do it all again.  

It's kind of the story of my life ...

You don't have to know a thing about surfing to admire that type of passion and perseverance.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Newport Beach Lifeguard

I love this photo for so many reason.

It sums up life in The OC in so many ways.

Also, from a photographic standpoint it's an interesting shot.

But mainly ...?

He was just so damn hawt.

I'd let him save me any time.

© Twenty Four At Heart

So I Guess I Collect Antique Cameras

Last week I showed you a photo of my new, actually very old, camera:

It isn't worth much, but it's old, funky, chic, and I love it.  It's from 1915 and it's a Kodak.

When I started looking for an antique camera, I hadn't really planned on getting it.  I had something else, entirely, in mind. 

I wanted an old plate camera.  

I wanted it to have red bellows.  (The bellows are the accordion-type part.)

Wouldn't you know, right after I found the Kodak pictured above, I found exactly what I had originally set out to purchase.

It's a Seroco camera from right around 1900.

It was love at first sight.

Love, love, love!

Yes, I fell in love with a material object.

Call me shallow.

It came with a full set of original plates.

Here's a look at the case it came in:

The plates are stored in the top half of the case.  The camera was stored on the bottom half.  (Obviously, the camera is not in the case in the above photo.)

Inside that little box on the bottom, are a few extra, old, funky, Burke & James lenses.

Have I mentioned I love old and funky?

As I age, I plan on being extremely old and funky myself.

(Except, I don't want to be funky-smelling, because funky-smelling isn't nearly as fun as just plain funky.)

But my story doesn't end there.

You wouldn't believe what happened next.

Someone pointed out an even older very rare, antique, even-more-funky, camera and said, "Omigod.You.Have.To.Take.It.Home.Or.You.Will.Never.See.One.Of.These.Again."

And ...

Because I'm weak, or perhaps because I've been coming out of the depths of hell from my recent pain flare up ...

Or perhaps because Briefcase has been gone for weeks and I was restless ...

Or perhaps because I'm really weak ....

And also, maybe, because I got an amazing (!!) price on it ...

 

I ended up giving a home to this 1890 Eastman Box Camera.

As you can see, the outside is really beat up.

But inside, if you look past the dust ...

It's actually in very good shape.

And thus,

A collection of antique cameras has begun.

Do you collect anything?

And if so, what?

© Twenty Four At Heart

My *New* Camera

I just got a new camera:

It's nearly one hundred years old.

It's not in the greatest of shape; it's had a rough life.

Maybe that's why I felt an immediate kinship to it.

Collectors would say it's not worth much, but I'm more than happy to give it a home.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Horse Sense

* I'm lost in a terrible (!) pain flare up right now.  I'll be calling Dr. Painless today begging for different pain meds some type of relief.  It's making it hard to put even a few words together ... I apologize.  I'm going heavy on photos today. *

I had requests to show more of the photos I took during my first horse photo shoot.

That sounds so funny, doesn't it?

A horse photo shoot ....

Here are a few of my favorites:

Rio with his owner.

Austin likes to lick, just like a dog, to show his affection.  

He's such a sweet, sweet, horse.

Rio again:

Look at those eyes!

What is the saying ...?

Horses can't talk, but they speak if you listen.

Austin.  Look at his beautiful coloring in the sunlight and, oh - that famous tail of his!

Rio.

What many people don't realize is, in order to be good at photography ....

You really need to have an eye for it.

Har dee har har! 

Oh, and I love, love, love this last one too ....

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Who Has The Cigars?

Last Wednesday evening, Phoebe's four eggs hatched.

She promptly discarded the egg shells in our pool.

I took this photo within two hours after they hatched.

Can you even tell they're birds?  They look like four fuzzy blobs.

By Saturday afternoon they were three days old and looked like this:

I can only see two beaks in the above photo, but there are four babies in the nest.  They're just huddled in such a way, all four beaks aren't visible.

Phoebe and her mate have been very busy feeding them.

I check on them every day when I swim.

How long do you think it will take until they actually look like birds?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Fountain at Sunset

I took this with my iPhone a few days ago.

I think it's so pretty with the palms in the background!

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Horse is a Horse, Of Course ..

I feel like I haven't stopped for a second these last few weeks.

Spring is always a busy time of year at our house because it's baseball season.  My son plays baseball year round, but in the spring the schedule becomes chaotic   insane nonstop.

Anyway ....

Yesterday I had a morning photo shoot with a horse.

Two horses, actually.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned Money Town has its own stables and a lot of equestrian trails?  Along with The Real Housewives, there are horsey people living in Money Town too.

This is Rio:

Isn't he beautiful?

His mane is naturally wavy ... it hasn't been braided to get that fancy hot-guy look.

This is (a very affectionate) Austin with his owner:

They love each other.

I haven't had time to go through all the photos yet, but these two struck me immediately.  I think I'm going to have a hard time narrowing down the best shots, because at first glance there seem to be quite a few special ones.

Getting good horse photos is more difficult than you would think.  Ideally, you want to get a shot with the horses ears UP, but a lot of time the ears are twitching around - first UP and then DOWN.  

And then?  

One ear goes UP while the other ear goes DOWN ....

Well, you get the idea.

Twitchy ears!

I told Rio and Austin's owner I'd like to pay them a few visits so they get used to both me and my camera.  Mainly, I just want to spend more time with them because I fell in love with both of them.

I brought Rio and Austin carrots and apples so they would like me.  (They did.  At least, they liked me as long as I was feeding them!)  Austin is the more curious of the two, and wanted to slobber on check out my camera up close.

Austin accidentally stepped on me.  I was wearing my Nike Free running shoes which means it was pretty much like being barefoot.

It was my fault; Austin didn't even know anything had happened.  Do you know how much a quarter horse weighs?

A lot!  (I think about a thousand pounds?)

This is an iPhone photo of what I'm quite sure is my broken big (and getting bigger by the second) toe.  It's much more swollen and colorful now than it was when the photo was taken.

But that's okay ...

Because guess what?

After all I've gone through, a broken toe is just not a big deal.

Spending a morning with Rio and Austin was worth it.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Oh Baby Baby Its A Wild World

* Today is a "nature" post.  If you hate the outdoors, come back tomorrow!  (Or go smoke a pack of cigarettes, have a few martinis, and watch a movie - whatever!) *

I was recently talking with a woman in our neighborhood and she commented my backyard is "amazing, it's like a bird sanctuary and wildlife refuge mixed into one."

Indeed it is ....

Our yard backs up to a national forest.  A few large critters are stopped by our fence, but a lot of the others don't really understand where the national forest leaves off and our backyard begins.

Many times I'm too busy running here and there to observe them for long.  Lately, I've been trying to take small breaks to just sit quietly with my camera and watch, shoot (in the photography sense), and enjoy them.

If you've been reading here for long, you already know a lot of hummingbirds hang out in my backyard.  They live here year round, unlike areas with cooler climates.  In fact, we have more hummingbirds than we know what to do with. 

I love everything about the above photo.  I don't know what it is, exactly, that makes me love it so much - but I do.

Leapin' lizards!

This lizard jumped the distance down from our fairly high patio step.  I love how his shadow, as he flies through the air, is visible on the patio below him.  Briefcase wants a copy of the Leapin' Lizard photo for his office.  

Why?  

I guess it's a guy thing ...??

I think this is a Chipping Sparrow.

I might be wrong - and if I am, you're welcome to tell me what type of bird it is in my comments section.  Whatever it is, we have a lot of them.  In fact, we have so many birds of varying species in our yard this year, it's sort of ridiculous.  I won't bore you with all of them, but I'm going to keep trying to get decent photos of the hawks and owls.

Remember Phoebe?  She's (surprise!) a Black Phoebe and has a nest with four eggs in our pool grotto.  The eggs still haven't hatched.  (I check every day when I swim.)  I took this photo of her early one morning with my iPhone.  

Phoebe is almost a member of the family at this point.  One of my readers suggested I get a Phoebe-cam so you could watch her eggs hatch.  If anyone wants to donate one, let me know!

And last, for today anyway, is the wildest animal of all.

Are you ready?

Brace yourself ....

(Taken with my Canon S95)

Yes, dogs DO smile.

I have a companion with me every single time I'm in the pool.  

I don't think he could be any happier.

© Twenty Four At Heart

A (Sort-of) Photography Friday: Photo Walk

Lately, more and more people have been asking me for photography lessons.

Knowing how to do something, and teaching it are two completely different things.

I think I'm becoming a better teacher though.

(Although, with photography there's always a lot more to learn no matter what level you're at.  Trust me, I realize I still have a lifetime of learning ahead of me.)

In any case, I thought you might like to see a few of the photos I took recently while on a combined photo walk/lesson.  In small print under each photo, I've added what aspect of photography I was trying to demonstrate at the time.  (For you non-photographers, just ignore the small print and enjoy the photos.)  

My student was a just-beginning photographer. 

(Go high or go low vs. taking all your photos at eye level.)

I intentionally let there be a little lens flare in the above photo.  I'm weird like that.

I love the sun-weathered sign.

(Difficult lighting - what do you do when metering isn't clear-cut?)

Morning light shining under the pier.  No, I didn't alter the colors in this photo ... the ocean really did look golden-ish with the morning sun on it.

The exact same photo in black and white ...

(How you post-process a photo can make a huge difference in the emotions a photo evokes.)

Do you, personally, prefer the above photo in color or black and white?

(Leading lines!)

Railroad tracks on the ocean's edge.

And what good are railroad tracks ...

(Object in motion, approaching you.)

Without a train?

© Twenty Four At Heart