Finding the Lovely-(week 3)

Hello friends!
My apologies for being a bit tardy in posting...I've been learning about Instagram and Photoshake in anticipation of joining in on the Finding the Lovely ladies who have been sharing their smart phone photos each Friday in February!

My understanding of this exercise/connection/group is to be more cognizant of the little things, the "lovelies" in life and capture them in the moment via your smartphones. My learning curve of the new tools took me awhile, but I finally caught on. Tenacity has it's perks sometimes!

They're a very talented and seemingly tech savvy group, so I wanted to bring my "A game" to this post. It's my 1st "Lovely" post although it's week 3 for the group started by Kimberly Taylor and Jeannie Oliver. I might be late to the party but hopefully will add something "lovely" to the mix!

Sunset through the Russian sage @ Crescent Bar, WA via iPhone

Full disclosure: my blog photos have all from my iPhone but I hadn't yet dabbled in Instagram or even heard of Photoshake and was really curious about these tools after following many of the burgeoning group of "Finding the Lovely" ladies' blogs;

1. full senses
2. A Lovely Week
3. Week 2; Object of my affection
4. Finding The Lovely{Week Two}
5. Finding the Lovely
6. Gyspy Brocante
7. Finding the Lovely Part Deux
8. danielle muller
9. Just Pipi
10.Flower Power
11. Dream, Create, Inspire
12. Some Great Photos
13. Isn't It Lovely Part Deux
14. katie @ the terpblog
15. Thefinderskeeper
16. Red Letter Days
17. It's My Life & I Love It
18. Valentines Instagram
19. abundant picnic {love}

Have fun. Be present.  Learn. Be inspired. Bookmark. Add to favorites. Click through. Escape.   


I LOVE to see images and read stories of other peoples' lives. It's entertaining to me to see what they choose to share, what hobbies they engage in, if they have a business or where they live. I'm richer for the experience of blogging and especially by reading others'.

My Valentine's Day cookies via iPhone & Instagram

This last week was lovelier, browsing through the "Lovely" blogs and keeping my iPhone close for those moments that resonated with me.  I hope you find them somewhere between nostalgic, cute, visually stimulating and appetizing. I did.

Here is my collage of images via my iPhone, Instagram and Photoshake. They include nature,
my girlfriend's chickens, food (of course), family, my favorite places, one of my two dachshunds and a Christmas ornament my youngest brother brought me from his travels in Germany.

Let me know what you think if you'd like...I'm interested in your feedback!

My 1st iPhone, Instagram and Photoshake collage!

If you'd like to join the "Finding the Lovely" group, see Jeanne's blog link. There's one more February Friday for us to post together.

It's been a fun week stretching my limits, checking out other "Lovely blogsites" and learning how to use new tools. Here's to finding something that captures your interest and following it, wherever it leads...

Daffodils preparing for their Spring debut via iPhone & Instagram

Chow for now my friends!

Chicks, kids and chickens

Andrea and her gentle hen

Okay, let me first say that I'm not usually a jealous person. I'm at the age/state of mind that offers contentment in who I am regardless of my job title, economic status, having not yet travelled everywhere I hope to visit yet. HOWEVER, I am literally green with envy with those who can keep chickens! Ever since I helped Chef Brian Scheesher (then Exec. Chef @ The Sorrento Hotel and is now chef/owner of Trellis in Kirkland, WA) at a cooking class where he spoke of keeping bees and chickens at his house in Seattle, I WANTED them!

Friend Andrea's Hen house #1

My CC&R's don't allow "critters" here in our Sequim neighborhood. Dang it! I love the looks and sounds of chickens. They're visually appealing to me and the gentle clucking sound is soothing but their EGGS, now that's what I'm talking about! The nearly neon orange of the yolks, the firm whites, the rich buttery taste. I get flat out jealous. Just saying'!

So when my girlfriend Andrea had her son's birthday party recently, she offered to give me a tour of her two henhouses. She knows I'm green with envy and wanted to show me the "realities" of keeping hens.

The ladies have been busy!

The laying boxes

She keeps her hen houses clean so the potential odor wasn't a problem for me. She pointed out the fencing enhancements they've made after being burrowed into/over and chewed through by rodents and raccoons eager to eat the feed or the chickens themselves. I took mental notes.

The ladies in house #2

My son Alan holding the fresh, warm, organic eggs

What beautiful plumage!

"Where are you going to sit?" "Sit next to me!"

She let the kids and I feed them grain by hand to get a closer encounter with them. We all kneeled down quietly and let them eat off our hands.

A fashion show of poultry plumage

Hello red hen!

 I soaked in their gentle clucking sounds for my memory bank. I wonder if there's an "App" for that sound...?

Black and white party!

Some of them were very gentle and some were not. The one that went after our fingers kind of freaked me out a little but still didn't deter my yearning. One can always have chicken for dinner if she gets too much of a diva.  Just something I filed away for future reference when I have my hen house(s?).

The "not shy" red hen...catch the attitude?!

My son and I finally had to return home and leave the party and the hen houses. I mentally vowed to make this a reality someday. I even put it on my "50 Things I need to do" list that I made up after reading Kimberly Taylor's blog Blackberry Farm last week (http://kimberlytaylorimages.com/mimicharmante/).

Oh, and BTW, Kim has chickens too on her farm too, and kids, and geese and a photography studio and she travels to amazing places and she takes amazing images! Check out her blog, she does not disappoint!

Our favorite, gentle red hen saying her "goodbyes"

So this Sequim chick left feeling more affirmed than in her quest for hen keeping! Not sure where this will

happen but it will someday. Andrea gave me a dozen fresh eggs to take home with us. Some of them were the ones collected together. Those eggs were still warm. How cool is that?!

The parting, party gift of gorgeous organic egg 

Here's to living DELIBERATELY my friends. That's my word for this year. I'm going to print out my "50 things" List to remind me everyday the goals I have and the actions needed to support those goals.
Find your deliberate goals,  create your "50 things"List and go after them.

"Don't let the fear of striking out, keep you from stepping up to the plate" ~ Babe Ruth

Chow for now my friends!