Some Kind of Fairy Tale

Once upon a time...

A girl in a red hood
is saved from a wolf
by a man with an axe

A poor step daughter
wins the heart of a prince
with the help of a glass slipper

A cursed princess
is awakened from sleep
by true love's kiss

In a fairy tale...

A muted mermaid
loses her heart
and becomes an angel

A true princess
loses a night's sleep to a pea
and wins a prince

A hideous beast
gives up a rose
and is redeemed by a beauty

...And they lived happily ever after.

And a modern princess
lives an every day fairytale
with her very own prince

Something Beautiful

 A few weeks ago, I did a photo for the Daily Shoot that was supposed to be a picture of something beautiful.  I knew what I wanted to do.  I'd seen a similar type of photo before, and so I thought I'd put my own spin on it with Bunny.  Over the weekend, I saw this quote on Facebook and decided to tinker with it some for something I have been wanting to do, as a bit of a trial run.  I was happy with how it turned out, so I'll definitely have to tinker with it a bit more.

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He has told me a 1,000 times over that I am his reason for being. When I'm wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I'm happy, he is joy unbounded. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. His presence is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me, whenever, wherever, in case I need him. I expect I will, as I always have. He is my dog." - Gene Hill

Bridges Of Peoria County

Again, I catch myself neglecting this little corner of the world!  My apologies and I'm still working on getting better about updating it and finding my way with it.  I'm not sure if that matters to anyone, but if it does, there you have it!

A photography group that I've joined had an assignment this month to take a photograph of a bridge.  I knew just the bridge I wanted to photograph, but darned if there isn't a problem.  The park district has made a comedy of errors that has resulted in a giant hole near one end of the little foot bridge.  There's caution tape and a giant ugly black tarp around one end of it.  Phooey!

Still, I have some other favorite bridges, so while Bunny and I were out and about some this weekend, I decided to take some pictures.  So, here are a few of my bridge pictures.  I just love something about a bridge, perhaps the idea that it ties one thing to another that might not be possible without that bridge in the middle.

New Ideas

There's nothing like traveling to inspire new ideas.  We recently went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and I took some really beautiful pictures.  I'm sure it's not because I'm that great with the camera.  The scenery was just too beautiful not to get good pictures.  I thought I'd share a few of them here.

Pink Lemonade

Sparkling
Effervescent
Sweet
You're better than Summertime's best treat.

Refreshing
Tantalizing
Cool
You keep me coming back for more.

Enticing
Delightfulness
Fresh
Your kiss is like pink lemonade.

Blowing Off The Dust

I've let this blog sit for too long.  I intended it to be used as a creative space, but lately, I haven't done a lot of writing.  That doesn't mean that I haven't had other creative endeavors, however.  I've been trying to improve my photography skills, especially after I got a new camera for Christmas.

So, that leads me to think that maybe I'll let the prose and poetry share space with the photos.  I am also hoping that it motivates me to dabble a little more with words at times.  It's something I love to do, but it's been hard to find time for it.  Hopefully some people will enjoy some of my pictures, and I'll try not to overload this blog with tons of them.

I'm also just hoping to expand outlets for my creative side.  I don't know where that journey will lead me, but it would be nice to share some of it, and get other people's opinions on it.  Maybe other people will read it and look at it, and maybe they won't.

As I close, I'll leave you with a picture that I took as a Daily Shoot assignment recently.  The Daily Shoot is something that I've been following as I try to teach myself a little about what I can do with my camera.  Most of the time, Bunny, my Greyhound, is my model in the pictures, but not always.  We'll see where it leads!

Spring Toes

Tree Of Hearts

In the forest grows a tree -- a peculiar plant with flowering hearts
Twasn't always the lonely silent sentinel of the woods
Once a beautiful princess until a witch's curse rooted her to that place
She once had a sister who strayed from castle walls that kept her safe
Because her sister was filled with jealousy over a prince who loved her tenderly
The young princess was doomed -- her heart poisoned against all love
Her sister came and struck a deal, becoming a tree while her sister was spared
Now the tree waits for the curse to end while her sister lives without her memory
Others come to pluck her fruit to cure their ills and heal their hearts
While the Tree of Hearts waits for her sister to come and free her from the wretched curse
Until her prince rides by one day and sees the beauty inside the tree
He implores her then to tell the tale and asks how he can set her free
Her freedom then became his quest and he sought her sister to bring her there
But the younger princess remembered not the one who'd sacrificed for her
She wouldn't go to see the tree and the prince began to feel despair
'Til one day she began to look at him and again want to keep him for herself
He finally led her through the wood after promising a kiss as her reward
And when she stood and faced the tree a heart fell and landed at her feet
She picked it up and and gazed at it and the spell was broken instantly
The princess stepped out of the trunk into her prince's arms with love
Her jealous sister loosed a scream then she became a poison tree
The princess left her with a heart to free her if she'd take a bite
But envy kept her sister there refusing love from one who'd cared
While the Tree of Hearts wed her prince and lived her life with happiness

The Snowflake

The snowflake falls
whirling, twirling, dancing along
perfect symmetry, unequalled beauty
unique in all the world

Born in a cloud
some will say, with certainty
Those who don't believe
in the magic of creation

Maybe she's a love child
born to a fairy princess
and an ice king
ill-fated lovers kept apart

Separated by Winter's chill
seeking a way to come together
allowed only a few moments
before they steal back to their homes

Could such a perfect creation
be born from something
other than the purest of loves
and the warmest of hearts

Or did it really
simply come about
as water freezing in a cloud
and simply striking chords of whimsy?