Now that autumn's here, I'm back outside and taking photos. I love camping, the opportunity to get out on the lake in the kayak at dawn's first light, the wandering through the forest with the dogs, the friendly people we meet.
Check out the photos in my gallery, Oklahoma and Arkansas Trails, for more like this one!
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Sometimes you are on the mountain top. Sometimes you are in the valley.
I've been in the valley for past few months.
On January 3, I lost the love of my life, Mike Hoffman.
He died from cancer, just over a week after finding out that that was what was causing his weight loss and pain. I had known him only 2 1/2 years, but it's not an exaggeration to say that he was one of the most wonderful people I've ever known, and that he made a larger impact on my life than can be explained. Our time together was extraordinary, hard to describe in just a few paragraphs. He was a person who embodied the meaning of love - he cared about people in a rare and special way. He could make light of life's situations while having an edge to his words that could put you in your place, but always, ALWAYS, being kind and letting you know he loved you.
I know in my heart that God meant us to be together, that this was a part of His plan, that there was a purpose to our relationship. I will love Mike and miss him forever.
Following this sadness, I also lost my father, Johnny Hagen. Unlike Mike, he had lived to an age when you expect these things to happen. His loss is deeply felt by all who loved him.
So today I'm waiting for the next chapter in my life. I can't go on yet - there is much to do with the settling of an estate, the decisions to make, and waiting for spring. It's been a long, hard winter, and it's not over yet. The road ahead is not revealed - I don't know where I'll go or what I'll do when I get there.
I'll continue with my creative pursuits, there's no doubt about that! I just hope for peace and for God's guidance as I continue my journey. I see the mountain top in the distance.
I see changes.
And up ahead, I see spring.
]]>I've spent the last couple of weeks staying inside, organizing my thoughts, my photos, my 'stuff.'
I've shopped and wrapped and sent out cards (which I designed) and spent time with family and friends.
I play with the dog, and if it's nice enough out, take her for a walk.
Once in a while, I go out with the camera (I tend to stay in the truck to get the shot!) and try for a few seasonal pictures.
Come February, I'll spend a week in Tucson, hopefully to bring back some desert landscapes.
In the meantime, have a Very Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year!
]]>If kids are involved, the gallery is password protected to keep the little ones safe. Friends and family can go online to order more prints, sent directly to their home.
Contact me today at 402-618-2374 or [email protected]
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Mike and Sheri Jacoby have a beautiful ranch in the hills, and their alpacas are not only cute, but sweet and friendly. Over a thousand visitors enjoyed feeding carrots to these fantastic animals over the weekend.
Pictured is a cria, or baby alpaca, in the middle of the herd.
Contact me today for livestock or pet photography! [email protected]
]]>I asked myself: what do I do best? And what are my interests? I've got the training and experience in graphic design, and I've always had the love of animals and nature. My photography has improved over the last couple of years, and I've really enjoyed shooting everything from dogs and cats to cattle and alpacas.
Zig Ziglar's big advice was to "give people what they want."
So today I'm introducing 4footphoto.com, where I'll advertise and display my animal photography.
And in my graphic design, I'll concentrate on creating commercially usable images for the public.
I'll also learn to take advantage of the many social media options out there for marketing and networking.
This is a great country, where anyone who works hard can achieve success.
I, for one, am willing to try!
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March 15, the Ides of March, the timing was perfect - the Sandhill Cranes were stopping near Grand Island on their trip back north, and I had a friend to visit in Burwell. Half way in between there was a family with beautiful horses that I'd wanted to see for a while.
Looking for something that I can believe in, Looking for something that I'd like to do, With my life.
So I packed up my camera, tripod and some soft drinks, and headed west early in the morning. The day was warm for March, the sky partly cloudy. I love the Sandhills, where I'd lived 20 years ago.
John Denver's song "Sweet Surrender" popped into my head and I smiled as I drove south of Grand Island and saw the first Cranes.
There's, nothing behind me and, nothing that ties me to, something that might have been true yesterday,
Then off to the north on Hwy. 281, the Sandhills coming into view in just a few miles.
Grin! Roller Coaster Road! Narrow highway, no shoulder, shear drop offs, keep your eyes on the road! But I can't! The hills are too beautiful!
There's something peaceful and mysterious and exciting about the Sandhills. Miles and miles of mounds of sand, with dots of brush or trees, a pond here, a highway there, cattle grazing, telephone poles marching off into the distance. The quiet, the aloneness, is satisfying.
The camara helped me grab that scenery so that I could share it with you, but I hope you will make the effort one day to experience it yourself. It's not Disneyland, not the Rockies, not New Orleans or the Grand Canyon. This experience is peace. It just is.
CharEd Appaloosas was kind enough to let me stop at their place with very little notice. Ed was gracious, and his horses, as I knew they would be, were fantastically beautiful. They were playful and friendly, as curious about me as I was about them. The photos turned out great, but they don't do the horses justice - their winter coats will be shedding soon and their sleek summer beauty will shine through. I will be back!
Tomorrow is open and right now it seems to be more than enough to just be here today!
Burwell hadn't changed much, a small town in the middle of the state. Lunch with Kim was awesome, half catch up and half daydream. We're both grandmothers now. We were new mothers back then.
Back home, back on the road. Absorb the spirit of the Sandhills so it lasts a little longer....
I pulled this quote from his story: "Whoever created the world went to a lot of trouble. It would be downright rude not to go out and see as much of it as possible."
While I've not traveled much, I do go out and see as much of my own little corner of it as possible. Part of my joy in life is to show others what I see - thus my photo gallery - I just find the natural world out there so incredibly beautiful that I need to share. It's a passion, if not a living. But what is life without a passion?
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