The special textures of Mother Nature comes in all shapes, sizes and conditions.
A lone discarded pine cone lies on dried up old twigs, grass and what not.
One day while hiking, I was taking photos of the ocean and Catalina island in the distance only a few yards away from this spot. When I turned around to head back on the trail, I noticed this lone pine cone.
I'm not sure why this caught my eye, but it did. Maybe it was the textures, maybe it was the cycle of life. It's funny how being in nature makes you pay attention to the big as well as smaller things in life.
To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Keyhole PictureswebsiteHERE!
And a special thanks to all the veterans, military personnel and their families on this nice long Memorial Holiday weekend! Thank you so much for your service to our country.
I had put off fulfilling my dream to see Machu Picchu for far too many years, because I just didn't think that I could travel there as an independent female solo traveler. Last year while I was researching for my first South America Travel Adventure to Argentina, I stumbled upon a cool blog (My Travels: Peru) from an independent female solo traveler named Yvonne, in the Fodor's Community Forum. Reading her blog about her experiences gave me the confidence to finally take this trip and I couldn't be more thrilled.
I have booked all of my lodgings, purchased my airline tickets and I am currently putting together a brief itinerary of my "must see" list. And at the top of that list is, of course, the very majestic Machu Picchu!
I've downloaded several e-books in preparation for my trip and although my trip is 5 months away I'm beginning to get that tingly, excited feeling. You know what I mean, it's that sensation you get when you know that your dream is about to come true.
I was so thrilled to see my two favorite contestants in tonight's Idol finale. Kree Harrison and Candice Glover performed 3 songs each: A song picked by the show's creator, Simon Fuller, an original song which if they win will be their first single recording and finally their pick for their favorite song that they performed earlier in the compeition.
To be honest, I think Kree and Candice are the best two singers of the season and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the best go up against the other best in tonight's finale show.
And here's how tonight's performances went:
Candice Glover sings Adele's Chasing Pavements; her coronation song, I Am Beautiful; and her favorite song performed in the season, Ben E. King's, I (Who Have Nothing). I enjoyed all three performances especially her coronation song. Now, I loved her first performance of Ben E. King's song and was pleasantly surprised when she changed it up and made it just as good the second time around. She is so talented.
Kree Harrison sings Sarah McLachlan's Angel; her coronation song, All Cried Out; and her favorite song performed in the season, Patty Griffin's Up to the Mountain. I also enjoyed all three of Kree's performances. I loved the song that she selected as her favorite performance of the season. She is also very talented.
As far as I'm concerned both Kree and Candice are the top two Idols of the season and I think they will have very successful music careers.
But as you all know, there can only be one Idol and based on tonight's performances, I have to cast all 50 of my American Idol App votes to:
And that's my final Recap for Season 12. Keep on Rocking AI . . .
Well, the airfare finally dipped to the lowest that I have seen since first thinking about going to Peru. And so I took the plunge. Looks like I'm off to finally fullfill a long time dream of mine to see Machu Picchu this year.
And what would a trip announcement be without my traditional trip announcement video! :)
I decided to get a perm,
thinking it would be cool.
It didn't go very well.
My hair was too thick,
and my perm was out of control.
I cried and cried.
I remember this little episode like it was yesterday. My mom was so supportive. She told me it looked good on me (even though I didn't think it did). She said but if I didn't like it, perms are temporary and my hair will straighten out. And eventually it did.
Here's one of my favorite photos of me, my mom and my perm! :)
Thank you so much mom for being there in both the good and bad times throughout my life. You wiped away my tears, you made me laugh, you inspired and gave me encouragement to do whatever I set my mind on doing. You also taught me to always try to look at the positives rather than the negatives and to meet challenges I may face with grace and a bit of humor. :) Although you are no longer here, you continue to be such a great role model for me and sis.
Much love to you on your special day. Happy Mother's Day Mom!
And a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.
I want to give a huge shout out to my niece, Tristin. Congratulations on the birth of your son. Logan arrived last Wednesday at 8lbs and 14 oz. He is healthy and so adorable.
I enjoyed watching Candice, Kree and Angie travel back home to celebrate making Top 3 on Idol with their family, friends and fans. I have to say that some of the clips gave me a big lump in my throat.
Tonight , the idols performed not two, but three songs each. One selected by Jimmy Iovine, one by the judges and the third song chosen by the producers of the show.
Here's how I rated tonight's performances:
Candice Glover sings One (Iovine), Next to Me (Judges) and Somewhere (Producers). Candice has been my favorite contestant from the very beginning. She deserves to be in the finale America.
Kree Harrison sings Perfect (Iovine), Here Comes Goodbye (Judges) and Better Dig Two (Producers). I thought Kree did great in all her three performances, but her second song was just pure perfection! So emotional.
Angie Miller sings Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (Iovine), Try (Judges) and Maybe (Producers). I thought Angie did very well, but I still think she has the weakest vocals in this top 3. I enjoyed her first performance the best.
Congratulations and good luck to all three "girl" contestants.
While I was checking my various social media feeds a couple of days ago, I stumbled upon a post about this highly anticipated documentary called Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago. It was scheduled for a 4th showing at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Thursday, May 2, 2013. I had heard about this independent film and I really wanted to see it, so I e-mailed my friends to see if they wanted to watch it and off we went.
This was actually the first Film Festival screening that I have ever attended and I thought it was pretty cool. I was so surprised to see that not only was the Film Director/Producer, Lydia B. Smith, there but one of the pilgrims featured in the film, Annie O'Neil, was present. She's also a friend of the director and a co-producer. She was really funny in the film and just as funny in person. Then after the film they held a Q&A for the audience to answer questions. Very cool!
I thought the documentary was excellent and very inspiring. The star of the film is, of course, the Camino pilgrimage itself, but I would say that the co-stars of the film is this part of Northern Spain and the people (both pilgrims and locals). The cinematography was gorgeous from the tight shots of the raindrops on leaves to the breathtaking fields of grass, mist covered mountains and colorful sunsets.
We are introduced to 6 pilgrims who venture on the their Camino. They are from all walks of life and they all have their own individual reasons for doing the Camino. They are real, honest and they take us along on their journey in a way that makes us invested in their experiences, the pain, the joy and the revelations .
The Camino is yes a pilgrimage rooted in religion and traditions, however, for the modern day pilgrim this Camino can offer that and more. Pilgrims are drawn to the Camino to walk, to contemplate, for self-discovery, to experience the beauty of Northern Spain and to enjoy the company of and to learn from their fellow pilgrims and the many locals along the way.
Is the Camino about the number of miles we have to walk or the pain we must overcome? That certainly is a part of it, but in the end, I think the Camino is whatever we want it to be. The Camino is an experience that will change something inside of us and that something will become a part of who we are long after our Camino.
After the Q&A, Annie passed out these patches to put on our backpacks when we do our Camino, which is very cool!
If you get a chance to watch this film, I would highly recommend it. Buen Camino!
While visiting Buenos Aires last November, I had a routine. I had breakfast in my favorite cafe in Plaza Serrano and then walked about 7 blocks to Plaza Italia where I either caught the bus or took the subway to go sightseeing.
Each day I passed by this interesting looking condominium.
The building stood out for me, because of its more modern architecture in the neighborhood. But it also had this interesting sculpture in front of it.
At the end of my trip, I finally decided to take out my camera to photograph it. I'm still not sure what the artist wanted to convey, but I had a good hunch that it would make a PhotoHunt appearance one day. :)
To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Keyhole PictureswebsiteHERE!
"Running, cycling and hiking gives me that rush. Music energizes and soothes my soul. Photography preserves my memories and tells my stories. Art provides beauty and fuels my imagination. History gives me knowledge, a deeper understanding for the present and hope for the future. Family & Friends warms my heart. And Travel . . . well Travel keeps me HAPPY."
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ MARK TWAIN
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