tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76710935589416938322024-02-28T22:50:12.462-08:00Gallo OrganicoA blog for my art, with a little life thrown in.Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.comBlogger1633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-73885094866200070352016-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:002016-06-30T10:39:38.430-07:00Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt Linky: The Boy's Team Logo (item 15)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's the end of June and time for the first linky for the 2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt. Please add a link to a post about the Scavenger Hunt. Either one written for today or one from earlier this month. Also, if you don't have a blog, feel free to link to your flickr or any other clickable photo sharing site where you have pictures. And please try to go visit a few other participants and leave a comment. It's all part of the fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">***Edited to add: Apologies if the technology is not working for you; it's acting up for quite a few people, but working for others. You can always email me at rinda1961@yahoo.com if you can't link up, and I can add your link. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out! *****</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My post today is a tale of two team logos. . . and the choices a young man makes as he grows up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My son Henry is a very talented soccer player. Not EPL talented, but talented enough to be pursued by minor league teams here in the states, such as the Burlingame Football Club (second photo) or Lane United in Eugene, Oregon. Both are the lowest level feeder clubs for a MLS team. He would love to play for either of them - he loves being on the pitch, and he tells me that he is playing the best soccer of his life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But he is also a young man who will be graduating from University in a little over a year and knows that he needs to be building a resume and making contacts to start a career in his chosen field of sports business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So he applied for a summer job with the San Francisco Giants baseball team and had what he thought was a terrific interview. He waited and waited to hear back from them. His email and voice mail remained silent, and he asked whether we would be okay with him playing soccer and taking classes if a job with the Giants didn't come through. I said, "Of course!" I told him that he's only 21 once and the possibility of playing professional soccer is amazing and something he would never regret doing and would be able to talk about for the rest of his life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And then the email came with a job offer from the Giants. And Henry accepted the job. And he works every home game, wearing his employee badge with the San Francisco Giants logo. He's making good contacts and learning new skills and hoping it will turn into a regular job upon graduation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But if it doesn't, I'm hopeful that the clubs give him another chance. Because even though I'm proud of him for making the "right" choice, the adult choice about what team logo to wear this summer, part of me hopes that he still gets a chance to someday be able to tell his kids and grandkids about the year he played professional soccer . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Link up your scavenger hunt post below and don't forget to visit a few other participants when you get a chance! My other scavenger hunt posts can be found by clicking <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/search/label/photo%20scavenger%20hunt">this link.</a> Also, it's not too late to join the fun. You have until the end of September (approximately) to find the 21 items on the official list. You can find all <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-summertime-photography-scavenger.html">the list and all the details here. </a></span></div>
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<script src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=17134250-1489-41C8-ADDC-A714738A7845" type="text/javascript"></script>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-38986311251927391302016-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-29T08:00:08.241-07:00Snap! Some dogs love water!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13220999_1357606994254480_2341931255828996581_n.jpg?oh=065fbcb6bb23454cdfeb68dd6d19ef01&oe=580D5FD7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13220999_1357606994254480_2341931255828996581_n.jpg?oh=065fbcb6bb23454cdfeb68dd6d19ef01&oe=580D5FD7" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This spring, Clara volunteered at a wonderful animal sanctuary in southern California called <a href="http://living-free.org/">Living Free</a>. One of the projects she took on was refurbishing the pond in the "big dog park." She had to clean it out and fill it. She usually brought one of the dogs with her to the park while she did the work, and this one loved playing with the water while Clara filled the pond. I thought these action photos made a good foursome to share with <a href="http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/">Helena's snap mem</a>e this week.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-57035558575366254532016-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-28T08:00:33.363-07:00Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt Linky Coming on Thursday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>#2 A footprint or paw print</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Follow the footprints back here on Thursday to link up with a post about the 2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt. You can write and link a new post or link up to a previous post.It's just a terrific opportunity to see who all is participating and how the hunt is going. Looking forward to see you on June 30th!</span></div>
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Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-32260741167505047522016-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-27T08:00:08.318-07:00Wishing you a peaceful Monday. . . <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sharing another one of my favorite photographs from my trip to Japan. I love the reflected clouds and shadow of the tree, as well as the koi. It's a dreamy dream that touches my soul. Hope this gets your week off to a peaceful start.</span></div>
Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-23049235686037956942016-06-25T10:02:00.001-07:002016-06-25T10:02:28.588-07:00Artful Assemblage with Tim Holtz: Class Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13537504_1381221395226373_3761822788398436160_n.jpg?oh=33e350d9d774de5a8c80aa566a4ccb06&oe=5808CD13" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13537504_1381221395226373_3761822788398436160_n.jpg?oh=33e350d9d774de5a8c80aa566a4ccb06&oe=5808CD13" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Friday, I had the great good fortune to take a class with Tim Holtz called artful assemblage. The class focused on learning how to use a variety of Tim Holtz products to make a three dimensional collage. We played a lot with distress crayons and distress collage mediums and used ideology ephemera, letter press and found relatives. I absolutely adore the collage I created. It features my one little word for 2016 and focuses on the idea of growing from a willful child to a brave woman. I meant to feature my current age (55) but that didn't really pan out. I did however include the year of my birth (1961) and the year I graduated from high school (1978). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love Tim Holtz and use his products a lot (you can see many of my Tim Holtz creations, as well as class and book reviews by clicking and scrolling through </span><a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/search/label/tim%20holtz" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">this link)</a>. <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I first met Tim almost 15 years ago, when he was first starting out, at a Club Scrap retreat. He spent the entire weekend with the group and showed himself to be a funny, talented, genuine, generous person. And he's still the same, as well as a very gifted teacher. Tim is a self-taught, hands-on artist who began his career as a demonstrator at some chain craft store, so he's not long on design principles. He's also a brilliant business person and inventor who works with a variety of different manufacturers to try to get the highest quality product at a reasonable price. So he makes stamps with stampers anonymous, cutting tools with tonic, ink products with ranger, etc., rather than doing everything with one company.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The class reflected all this. The class was short on collage design theory but long on fun and other learning. This worked for me because I've taken (and taught) collage classes. I learned all about distress crayons (which I had sampled before but not really understood until this class). I also learned an amazing new tip - place your paint and glue/medium brushes in a baby wipe while you're using them to keep them fresh without becoming water logged. For our $85, we got three hours of amazing, personalized instruction, all the supplies for the project, a bonus apron and a bonus stand for our canvases! A huge value in my opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the joys of Tim's classes is that he brings everything! I walked in with absolutely no supplies and was able to complete a project that I loved. Another joy is running into friends. Cindy McCool (pictured above) lives near me and we used to get together at least once a month to make art together. We'd lost track of each other recently, so it was quite a treat to walk into the classroom and spy her there! Although we were not sitting anywhere near each other and there was a huge variety of supplies to choose from, there ended up being a lot of similarities between our two projects. I guess that's what comes from being art sisters who have spent so much time together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All-in-all, a terrific class and a terrific day!</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-71752904994452962532016-06-24T10:17:00.000-07:002016-06-24T10:17:20.028-07:00Enjoying an (un)planned summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13516628_1380425305305982_1971831805893410944_n.jpg?oh=602df1e19b4a4f536190664a7e3841c0&oe=57F6A6C6" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13516628_1380425305305982_1971831805893410944_n.jpg?oh=602df1e19b4a4f536190664a7e3841c0&oe=57F6A6C6" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Wild Heart - found at the beach</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the first summer in a long time, I'm approaching the holiday without too many plans. I often teach or have big plans to write or travel or do other work. But this summer, I didn't sign up for <strike>any</strike> much of that. Sure, I've got a few things to do, here and there, but mainly I have time to do whatever I want or to do nothing at all. And I'm <i>really enjoying </i>it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Wild Heart - found on the bluffs</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So what have I been doing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cleaning out the garage and doing some light gardening - both feel very satisfying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A little reading, but not as much as I would like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of TV watching - binge watching <i>Justified (</i>OMG - this show is so good; I'll be sad when I finish it this weekend) and <i>Bloodline</i> (season 2 not as good as season 1, but I enjoy sharing this with Henry) and soccer, soccer, soccer (Euros and Copa Centenario)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A little blogging (again not as much as I would like).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of photo scavenger hunting (including my finds for item #1 a wild heart).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some scrapbooking (traditional and photobook)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What am I still looking forward to this summer?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More scrapbooking, sketching and art journaling</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Getting reacquainted with my camera and lightroom</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More blogging and reading</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More home improvement (hardwood floors downstairs and cleaning the upstairs rugs)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And, today, I'm heading to a class with Tim Holtz!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoying this (un)planned summer so far. What about you? Did you make a summer plan? Or not? How's it going so far?</span></div>
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Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-91584601121468283252016-06-23T09:42:00.000-07:002016-06-23T09:42:47.384-07:00Scarpbooking Variations: New Apps and Old Styles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>#8 A Scrapbook Page or Art Project</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I met some friends at the last remaining local scrapbook store last week and had a wonderful and productive time finishing the last of the pages for Henry's sports album. These pages are from his college soccer team's victorious trip to the national tournament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Very traditional and basic pages made with cardstock and stickers. But that's the tone of his whole album. And I still have to add journaling. But I'm so proud of myself for getting caught up on this mammoth project. Plus, it ticks off item number 8 on the <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-summertime-photography-scavenger.html">Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt.</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I still really enjoy making traditional paper scrapbook pages, and I'm looking forward to figuring out what photos I still have to scrap and which ones I need to print to scrap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I'm also branching out into other types of scrapping, including:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">shutterfly photo books - I'm working on uploading my photos from Japan there and will create a 12x12 hardcover book with those photos.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">chatbooks app - <a href="http://paperturtle.blogspot.com/">Deb Turtle's</a> mentioned this app and shared a code for a free book (CFA6GXG7). It actually is free if you choose the slow shipping (which I did). I created a 60 page book with 60 photos from Henry's college life, all pulled from my iphone. I haven't received it yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing it and will give a review once its here. I think he'll like the book, and he's not that quality conscious - LOL! Anyone else tried this yet?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also got a notification for a new app called Parabo. If you use the code "amaze," you can get 25 free 4x4 photos. They're supposed to be on high quality matte paper, suitable for display. I did have to pay shipping for this one, so it wasn't actually free. But still reasonable, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turned out. I printed my favorite 25 photos from Japan, and I'm thinking of matting them together in a grid and putting them on display somewhere (maybe the bathroom, actually!). Anyone else used this service? </span></li>
</ul>
Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-40677745446122798332016-06-22T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-22T08:00:00.153-07:00Snap! Interesting Japanese Folk, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13346879_1369863373028842_4696454490283225591_n.jpg?oh=3eaad4c9d5f974077dedbc01321998c6&oe=57D5E8FD" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13346879_1369863373028842_4696454490283225591_n.jpg?oh=3eaad4c9d5f974077dedbc01321998c6&oe=57D5E8FD" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoyed photographing the people in Japan, as well as tourist attractions, architecture, and nature. The bottom row are typical workers. The top row includes people dressed up to work with tourists: a group of Samurai that stopped for ice cream and to take a selfie and someone willing to transport tourists in a rickshaw. Linking up with <a href="http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/">Helena's Snap! photography meme </a>this week.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-50069453559154620372016-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-15T08:00:29.660-07:00Snap! Interesting Japanese Folk, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13394155_1369867339695112_6191900857967347399_n.jpg?oh=b29a2485f612162add4630e086efaa3b&oe=5802523F" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13394155_1369867339695112_6191900857967347399_n.jpg?oh=b29a2485f612162add4630e086efaa3b&oe=5802523F" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we travel, I try to do more than just take photographs of the standard tourist attractions (although I do take plenty of those shots). I also enjoy taking photographs of interesting people I see. So, I thought I'd share a couple groupings of interesting Japanese folk as part of <a href="http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/">Helena's Snap! photo meme.</a> I took the first photo at the Inari temple, spied the second pair trying to decide which bus to take in Kyotoa, and the last two at a baseball game. More interesting folk coming next week.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-63522459635399265822016-06-14T08:55:00.000-07:002016-06-14T08:55:18.975-07:00How's the hunt going?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13442300_1371895559492290_5038587896092119482_n.jpg?oh=eee96f9ddd0d81eb6ef46381c7d2de4f&oe=57D1C189" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13442300_1371895559492290_5038587896092119482_n.jpg?oh=eee96f9ddd0d81eb6ef46381c7d2de4f&oe=57D1C189" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Item #12 A Window, Option 1</i></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been so much fun to watch the<a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-summertime-photography-scavenger.html"> 2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt Facebook</a> page and instagram hash tag filling up with Scavenger Hunt photos. For my blogging friends out there, how's it going?</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13413154_1371895579492288_2376933027623090555_n.jpg?oh=773b0ca1f7005e497121ff7d6abf90f7&oe=58092A8F" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13413154_1371895579492288_2376933027623090555_n.jpg?oh=773b0ca1f7005e497121ff7d6abf90f7&oe=58092A8F" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Item #12 A Window (option 2)</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know I've seen a few posts, but I just wanted to check in. Let me know if you have any questions. So far, I've got seven and one alternate found (although I haven't blogged them all yet). Plus, today I'm going to go crop with friends, so I'll be able to tick off number 8 very soon.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">1. A "wild heart" - a naturally occurring heart (like the rock above, but it doesn't have to be a rock)</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><strike>2. A footprint or pawprint</strike></span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">3. A sk</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">eleton, bone or x-ray</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><strike>4. A book or magazine read during 2016</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">5. A porch or deck</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><strike>6. A camper (caravan)</strike></span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">7. A family gathering</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">8. A drawing, art project, artistic photograph, scrapbook page, greeting card, or art journal page created by you.</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">9. Someone playing with, in, or around water.</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">10. A bicycle</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">11. Fresh produce</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">12. A window</span></strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">13. The moon</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">14. A buffet of food</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">15. A team logo</span></strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">16. A map showing a trip taken during the time period</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">17. Twins</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">18. A supermarket cart, basket or trolley full of groceries </span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">19. A seasonal cocktail or beverage</span></strike><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">20. Someone laughing</span><br style="line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">21. A photograph of you with a newspaper or calendar page from the time period covered in the Hunt. Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">Alternatives - if you're having trouble finding any of the above, you may substitute from this list (but you may not substitute for item #21):</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">alternative 1: a lighthouse</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;"><strike>alternative 2: a baby (human or animal)</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be hosting a link up at the end of the month. And, if you haven't started yet, no worries. There's still plenty of time. The summer solstice is still about a week a way, and the hunt lasts until September.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-32895606746011320052016-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-11T08:00:01.037-07:00A Visit to the Deer Park (Nara, Japan)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1936269_1346858731995973_6685442204777880347_n.jpg?oh=2a4d3e7eb5f91f6ffd9872d772a6c669&oe=57CD7D9D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1936269_1346858731995973_6685442204777880347_n.jpg?oh=2a4d3e7eb5f91f6ffd9872d772a6c669&oe=57CD7D9D" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the delightful places we visited in Japan was Nara, home of a temple and a large park where the deer are considered sacred. They wander among the tourists (including large groups of Japanese school children).</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13179348_1346859711995875_8989677930411599612_n.jpg?oh=9d5462bb2f2d938c91f63758011a4aaf&oe=5809DCDE" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13179348_1346859711995875_8989677930411599612_n.jpg?oh=9d5462bb2f2d938c91f63758011a4aaf&oe=5809DCDE" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are very tame, and they have even been trained to bow if you offer them a deer cracker.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13177935_1346858628662650_8213826730906107070_n.jpg?oh=df3d2395d2198fce3013293d689638f3&oe=5808DD31" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13177935_1346858628662650_8213826730906107070_n.jpg?oh=df3d2395d2198fce3013293d689638f3&oe=5808DD31" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13138921_1346858828662630_8756896076945823444_n.jpg?oh=4dede18c81ee23acb63c2da768fefbaf&oe=58080372" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13138921_1346858828662630_8756896076945823444_n.jpg?oh=4dede18c81ee23acb63c2da768fefbaf&oe=58080372" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13151657_1346858651995981_6811470779630320530_n.jpg?oh=f0ef289f2d3c977a956602a936737348&oe=58097712" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13151657_1346858651995981_6811470779630320530_n.jpg?oh=f0ef289f2d3c977a956602a936737348&oe=58097712" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things I did on my vacation was to keep a travel journal, where I wrote about the day's activities and added simple water color drawings and sketches. Here's the page I did about Nara.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13177311_1349335895081590_8921887550241955196_n.jpg?oh=21ecad5f1c09c5770afb5fa63c8d830e&oe=57D0FEE7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13177311_1349335895081590_8921887550241955196_n.jpg?oh=21ecad5f1c09c5770afb5fa63c8d830e&oe=57D0FEE7" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoyed the process of sketching during the trip, and I"ll be sharing more pages, along with photos of some of my favorite places in Japan.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-84595808657140498502016-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-10T08:00:03.570-07:00Cheap Amazon Books and First Summer Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13331159_1368100519871794_2550204282871960522_n.jpg?oh=154fbf46ee21cab37b82a73d3155db54&oe=580E4626" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13331159_1368100519871794_2550204282871960522_n.jpg?oh=154fbf46ee21cab37b82a73d3155db54&oe=580E4626" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">SPSH <i>Item </i>#4 <i>A Book Read in 2016</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm making reading a priority this summer, and I have finished my first book! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a very fast read in the psychological thriller genre and generally well-written. I think the very end of the book took a few wrong turns (no spoilers), but on the whole I'm glad I picked it up. Especially because it was very cheap! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bought it off the Amazon website, choosing the "used paperback" option. The book only cost .97. Even with $4.00 for shipping, the book was still the least expensive one I have bought in some time. It arrived in very good condition and quickly, even though it came from the U.K. The book had not yet been released in the U.S when I ordered it, so I took the used paperback option. I used to do that a lot when I was buying out of print kids books for my son. I think I'll do it more in the future. Maybe you can do the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The book also qualifies as Item #4 on the <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-summertime-photography-scavenger.html">2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt</a>. I wrote <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/summertime-reading.html">a post about my summer reading plan here</a> if you want to check it out.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-3486833394935663362016-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-09T23:10:07.365-07:00Snap: Japanese Street Hole Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13335725_1366122016736311_3420196209623384551_n.jpg?oh=d8ef4347d4634fd133b5e7c8814dd704&oe=57D94D2D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13335725_1366122016736311_3420196209623384551_n.jpg?oh=d8ef4347d4634fd133b5e7c8814dd704&oe=57D94D2D" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While traveling in Japan, the variety of street hole covers caught my eye. I decided to take pictures of them in the hopes of turning them into an entry for<a href="http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/"> Helena's</a> weekly photo meme called "Snap!" that features a visual set of photographs. The first photo was taken in Tokyo on the street where our hotel was located; the second features deer and was taken in Nara, home to a park full of wild, sacred deer (blog post coming sometime this summer).The third was taken near an amazing bamboo forest (blog post coming sometime this summer); and the last was a fairly typical one taken in Kyotoa (but I loved the characters).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks Helena for hosting this meme. It's something that I do think about and have created other sequences for almost every week, even if they didn't make their way to my blog. </span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-64310024111533506392016-06-07T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-07T08:00:05.856-07:00Did I mention I went to Japan?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13102859_1348142971867549_8677417056613695782_n.jpg?oh=c0c4cfc054ac586c87a3211909a4f953&oe=58093A15" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13102859_1348142971867549_8677417056613695782_n.jpg?oh=c0c4cfc054ac586c87a3211909a4f953&oe=58093A15" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yesterday I wrote about how I've been away from my blog as part of the ebb-and-flow of the creative process. But, there are other reasons - like work and kids and travel. Yea for travel!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Paul and I went to Japan for two weeks (one week based in Tokyo and one week based in Kyoto). It was <i>amazing</i>. I will no doubt blog more about the trip over the next few months, but I wanted to share one of my favorite photos, taken in a temple garden in Kyoto.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you been anywhere lately?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Got any trips planned for the summer?</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-8912827839466378802016-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:002016-06-06T08:00:32.514-07:00Caravan Photo Then & Now and Thoughts on Returning to Blogging and Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAKxI5uGb0mhK-ZwVXvEYZkf-xQ9fTzFOtoNvE2vB08OzET65iwsEqLSJyIQRcZ70eMiJnnLLXt3X8P9aL6LrOuKa31zxLShyIQQgYBNocbLT8cWBAp5EekduvaPvuLVaKrEUamIPZY0/s1600/IMG_0195%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAKxI5uGb0mhK-ZwVXvEYZkf-xQ9fTzFOtoNvE2vB08OzET65iwsEqLSJyIQRcZ70eMiJnnLLXt3X8P9aL6LrOuKa31zxLShyIQQgYBNocbLT8cWBAp5EekduvaPvuLVaKrEUamIPZY0/s1600/IMG_0195%5B1%5D.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Caravan Photo, 2013</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312884_1364857256862787_7779792158229515157_n.jpg?oh=320033892a8e66d1ca9063d0da2880ea&oe=57D74C13" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312884_1364857256862787_7779792158229515157_n.jpg?oh=320033892a8e66d1ca9063d0da2880ea&oe=57D74C13" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>2016 Item #6 A camper or caravan</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I put this item on the Scavenger Hunt list, I wasn't thinking about this vintage caravan that's parked around the corner from my house. I was mainly scrambling to come up with items that paralleled summer vacation ideas. But then I saw it when taking the dog for a walk and snapped a picture. It reminded me of when I first saw the caravan three years ago, took the top photo and wrote <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-photographers-eye.html">this post. </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three years ago, I was a much more avid photographer and blogger. I spent more time with my camera and crafting words to tell stories and capture feelings. I miss that <i>so much. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that's one of the reasons I decided, after much thought, to host the scavenger hunt again this summer. It's a great reminder to take photographs and visit blogland. I'm still working on getting 'round to visit blogs. I'm still working on figuring out whether my big camera works (it was treated as a chewtoy by the dogs one afternoon) and how to get photographs from it to the computer (my software was destroyed in my last hard drive reboot). But, those are all goals for the summer. ror now, I'm glad to be back to taking photos and blogging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know from reading blogs that there is an ebb and flow in being a blogger. Some people leave and return. Some leave and take to facebook and instagram. Some seem to disappear entirely. I'm glad that you haven't left blog space entirely. I value your friendship and your posts. And I'm glad to be back among you.</span></div>
Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-14600569993069507162016-06-04T11:32:00.000-07:002016-06-04T11:35:56.412-07:00The Hunt is On!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13343146_1365542860127560_6552397684389323444_n.jpg?oh=822de98c96ba43cee0dc48f1af19dac8&oe=57D7A898" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13343146_1365542860127560_6552397684389323444_n.jpg?oh=822de98c96ba43cee0dc48f1af19dac8&oe=57D7A898" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>#19 A Seasonal Cocktail or Beverage</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-summertime-photography-scavenger.html">6th Annual Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt </a>is off and running! Lots of people are posting to the instagram #rindas2016scavengerhunt and tons of people are active over at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/510658759059699/">facebook page.</a> There's even been a few blog posts, such as <a href="http://bjcraftcorner.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/scavenger-hunt-2016-part-1.html">this one by BJ</a> and <a href="https://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/2016/06/summertime-photography-scavenger-hunt.html?showComment=1465065271897#c7857312036227379679">this one by Alicia.</a> I, myself, have already found three items from the list. Paul and I have made it a fairly regular practice to head to a little tapas place in the harbor on Friday afternoons to enjoy their fantastic Sangria, pictured above.</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13331057_1364857276862785_8852684857278133197_n.jpg?oh=c7b1e7c260a153e5c60f18e2f83e4554&oe=5808D073" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13331057_1364857276862785_8852684857278133197_n.jpg?oh=c7b1e7c260a153e5c60f18e2f83e4554&oe=5808D073" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>#11 Fresh Produce</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also took a minute on Thursday to snap a photograph of what we got in our weekly "community supported agriculture" box: fennel; nectarines; rosemary; strawberries; kale; red onions; lettuce and squash. This is about the fourth year we've been participating in this program, and I love it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought twins would be hard, but <a href="http://paperturtle.blogspot.com/">Deb Turtle</a> has already posted a shot on instagram. Also thought skeleton or x-ray would be challenging, but that was before we found out that Catherine is an OR nurse and posted this to the facebook page:</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339453_10209767111524257_640563169306008671_n.jpg?oh=52ddfe6fa6333055e10728fe40457cc3&oe=57CDF42C" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339453_10209767111524257_640563169306008671_n.jpg?oh=52ddfe6fa6333055e10728fe40457cc3&oe=57CDF42C" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, how is the Hunt going for you? Are there things that are hard to find? Things that are very easy? Feel free to post a link to any blogpost in comments, and I'll come take a look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the meantime, here's a terrific graphic created by <a href="http://notesonpaper.blogspot.com/">Julie Kirk</a> of notes on paper:</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312839_10209474197073876_6765038732308366008_n.jpg?oh=24cf15fbdee00e0ffb4d9cfd92b43191&oe=57C61449" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312839_10209474197073876_6765038732308366008_n.jpg?oh=24cf15fbdee00e0ffb4d9cfd92b43191&oe=57C61449" width="395" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Enjoy! And let me know how things are going for you.</span></div>
Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-68262285733742293262016-06-01T05:00:00.001-07:002016-06-01T07:18:56.601-07:00Summertime Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13346467_1362712280410618_6178388915028639401_n.jpg?oh=296e734fc0f093bec6311af68c5508b7&oe=57E55D60" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13346467_1362712280410618_6178388915028639401_n.jpg?oh=296e734fc0f093bec6311af68c5508b7&oe=57E55D60" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Meant to auto-post this for Thursday, June 2, but missed that step in posting! So I'll just leave this here for now. Scavenger Hunt list is in the next post.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">One of the items I put on the list for the 2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt List was <i>#4 A book or magazine read during 2016</i> because I think of summer time as a time to catch up on reading. This photograph doesn't count as my entry because I took it before the official start of the Hunt, but I did want to blog about summertime reading. I do most of my reading on my kindle, but I also listen to audio books, and I even have one physical book (<b>I Let You Go </b>by Clare Mackintosh) that is in the mail to me. I'll probably photograph that one for the Scavenger Hunt.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I always start the summer with a reading plan. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This summer, I wanted to start by finishing a few books that have been hanging around for a while, almost done. And I did that. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I just completed <b>The Guest Room</b> by Chris Bohjalian. It is a very fast read by the author of Midwives. It covers a disturbing subject (trafficked sex workers), but does so in a reasonable way. It's not literature, but it is a page turner and definitely provides food for thought. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am also </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">almost done with <b>Lets Pretend This Never Happened,</b> a memoir by blogger Jenny Lawson. It's funny and quirky, but best done in small segments. I think I will finish it in the next few days, though, to clear the decks for the things I'm really excited about starting. I still have a few others "in process," including <b>Denali's Howl</b> and <b>The Art of Fielding</b>, but I'll move on to new books instead of finishing those.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of those cued up on my kindle, the two I'm most interested in starting are </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Forgetting Time</b> by Sharon Guskin and <b>Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist </b>by Sunil Yapa.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13267809_1362712297077283_7993266796948222321_n.jpg?oh=5afb69dbc6d71538bf6f546d40a6aa7b&oe=57C549FB" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13267809_1362712297077283_7993266796948222321_n.jpg?oh=5afb69dbc6d71538bf6f546d40a6aa7b&oe=57C549FB" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the audio books side of the board, my book group read <b>Girl at War </b>by Sara Novic. It was a very fast "listen." I found the story, set in Croatia, of a child, caught up in the Yugoslavian Civil War very compelling and well written. I didn't know much about that particular portion of contemporary history (save for a memorable episode of the television show ER), so I was glad to have read it and definitely recommend it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was also happy to finally finish off listening to <b>We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves </b>by Karen Jay Fowler. The book was interesting and unusual, but I'm not sure it was ever clear what it wanted to be (an animal rights book? a family story?). Entertaining, but a bit overlong. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have two book cued up on my audible account - <b>The One-in-a-Million Boy</b> by Monica Woods and <b>A Share in Death </b>by Deborah Crombie. The first is a novel, and the second is a Scotland Yard detective mystery that is part of a series. I have also just added <b>Before the Fall </b> by Noah Hawley.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My summer time selections have been highly influenced by the Modern Miss Darcy Summer Reading Guides (find the <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/minimalist-summer-reading-guide-2016/">minimalist version here</a>, which includes a link to a much longer guide).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, do share. Do you make summer reading plans? What's on your bed stand (real or virtual)? Have you read anything good lately? Any reactions to the things on my list?</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-34830251778332041752016-06-01T05:00:00.000-07:002016-06-01T07:40:59.364-07:002016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt: The List!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0-4VpuYdG6LEy9QT4HYw16-JvROfJ_Lx03vpGiI1CHxpzBCEPRKXTMh8zKmlwQi0JEnGkDhD1SJOPin_Qb3kb3S2sMtqHQslmjWwD-suOWfuJjP7mUTm3HXMQN3ogBhVtVi8kv71RK71/s1600/2016photscavhunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0-4VpuYdG6LEy9QT4HYw16-JvROfJ_Lx03vpGiI1CHxpzBCEPRKXTMh8zKmlwQi0JEnGkDhD1SJOPin_Qb3kb3S2sMtqHQslmjWwD-suOWfuJjP7mUTm3HXMQN3ogBhVtVi8kv71RK71/s400/2016photscavhunt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">In the northern hemisphere, summer officially begins a little later this month. And, with summer arrives my annual Photography Scavenger Hunt. The idea is simple. I post a list of 21 items for you to find and photograph before the autumn equinox on Thursday, September 22, 2016. The list is intended to be challenging, but not impossible. Hopefully it encourages you to go on a few outings; always it requires you to be observant. You can read more about how items make the list by </span><a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-items-made-it-onto-scavenger-hunt.html" style="color: #776644; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20.8px; text-decoration: none;">clicking on this link</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">For those of you with blogs, post your photographs and share your adventures in finding the items. For those without blogs, keep track of your finds in some other way (a flicker account, a shutter fly album, etc.) if you want to be able to share them with the group. (It makes it easier to share if you "label" or "tag" your scavenger hunt posts, as you do them). Once a month, I'll host a link-up so people can visit your finds, but feel free to post about the Hunt whenever you like. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">There's only two rules: no fair submitting photographs taken before the start of the Hunt and have fun. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">Newcomers welcome - the more, the merrier! No special photography skills are required - I love seeing everything from snap shots to fine art photography in response to the list. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">For pictures I take on my iphone, I'll be posting to instagram using #rindas2016photohunt. There's also a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/510658759059699/">facebook page </a> (with big thanks to Kathryn Trotter). Ask to join, and she or I will let you in.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">So, without any further ado, here's this year's lists:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">1. A "wild heart" - a naturally occurring heart (like the rock above, but it doesn't have to be a rock)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">2. A footprint or pawprint</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">3. A skeleton, bone or x-ray</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">4. A book or magazine read during 2016</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">5. A porch or deck</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">6. A camper (caravan)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">7. A family gathering</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">8. A drawing, art project, artistic photograph, scrapbook page, greeting card, or art journal page created by you.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">9. Someone playing with, in, or around water.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">10. A bicycle</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">11. Fresh produce</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">12. A window</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">13. The moon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">14. A buffet of food</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">15. A team logo</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">16. A map showing a trip taken during the time period</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">17. Twins</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">18. A supermarket cart, basket or trolley full of groceries </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">19. A seasonal cocktail or beverage</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">20. Someone laughing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">21. A photograph of you with a newspaper or calendar page from the time period covered in the Hunt. Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Alternatives - if you're having trouble finding any of the above, you may substitute from this list (but you may not substitute for item #21):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">alternative 1: a lighthouse</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">alternative 2: a baby (human or animal)<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.8px;">Let me know if you have any questions. Also, if you're new to my blog or the hunt, let me know. And if you're a blogger, leave a link to your blog so I can add you to my feedly reader.</span></span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-40928344730311847042016-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:002016-05-31T05:00:05.987-07:00Details of 2016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0-4VpuYdG6LEy9QT4HYw16-JvROfJ_Lx03vpGiI1CHxpzBCEPRKXTMh8zKmlwQi0JEnGkDhD1SJOPin_Qb3kb3S2sMtqHQslmjWwD-suOWfuJjP7mUTm3HXMQN3ogBhVtVi8kv71RK71/s1600/2016photscavhunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0-4VpuYdG6LEy9QT4HYw16-JvROfJ_Lx03vpGiI1CHxpzBCEPRKXTMh8zKmlwQi0JEnGkDhD1SJOPin_Qb3kb3S2sMtqHQslmjWwD-suOWfuJjP7mUTm3HXMQN3ogBhVtVi8kv71RK71/s400/2016photscavhunt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">Tomorrow is June 1, and that will mark the return of the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt! I've really enjoyed hosting this event for the last few years, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this year. Interesting items to add to the list have been floating through my mind and ideas about how to structure it have been simmering there as well.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">For those of you who haven't participated before, I host this event starting on June 1 and running until the last day of summer (September 21, 2016). I post a list of about 20 items for people to find and photograph during the summer. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">I encourage people to blog about their finds, and I host a link-up once a month. There's also an instagram tag (#rindas2016photohunt) and a facebook page. The original idea was to create a list which gets people out and about during the summer months to explore places they might not otherwise go, but I also include items which are somewhat challenging to find. The time frame is long enough that most people are able to find most of the items without being too stressed. It's become a way for people to open their eyes and be aware of their surroundings and also a way to see the great variety of items found around the world. There's usually about 60 participants from all over the globe, which means some people are actually participating in the summertime scavenger hunt during the winter (those in Australia and New Zealand).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">The scavenger hunt is free and open to everyone! If you don't have a blog, you can put your images in a flicker account or any other photo hosting site that works for you. The only rule is that the photo needs to be taken during the time frame of the Hunt (no using old photographs from your archives).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20.8px;">You can <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/search/label/photo%20scavenger%20hunt" style="color: #776644; text-decoration: none;">click on this link</a> to see all my old scavenger hunt posts. Last year's list is<a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-2015-summertime-photography.html"> available here.</a> The <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-summertime-photography-scavenger.html" style="color: #776644; text-decoration: none;">2014 list is here.</a> The <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-summertime-photography-scavenger.html" style="color: #776644; text-decoration: none;">2013 list is here.</a> You can<a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2012/06/2012-summertime-photo-scavenger-hunt.html" style="color: #776644; text-decoration: none;"> click on this link</a> to find the 2012 list. The 2011 list of items is <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2011/06/summertime-photography-snapshot_19.html" style="color: #776644; text-decoration: none;">clickable here.</a> </span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-74559031511017681972016-05-30T14:51:00.002-07:002016-05-30T14:51:26.777-07:002016 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt Coming Soon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLR89E6Yu70rymAiYtLA0LYScOa0LnoHsIVg12l6MoFDGsafrEfakfvG5gTM3-VaBeQHQiPwpIXCYCjbclFoBqSgx-d895Q_lfyQ29p29AuOgm3Px-p945JzkzQmWC6YkgDXktqGkdjmyo/s1600/2016photscavhunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLR89E6Yu70rymAiYtLA0LYScOa0LnoHsIVg12l6MoFDGsafrEfakfvG5gTM3-VaBeQHQiPwpIXCYCjbclFoBqSgx-d895Q_lfyQ29p29AuOgm3Px-p945JzkzQmWC6YkgDXktqGkdjmyo/s400/2016photscavhunt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt is on for 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will begin on June 1, 2016 and run until September 21, 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Details to follow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know I have been absent from blogland for a while, but I am looking forward to a wonderful summer of photography, art-making, reading a blogging. So, I hope you will join in and let others know that the Scavenger Hunt will be happening this year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't know what I'm talking about? Click <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2015/05/its-coming-2015-summertime-photography.html">here</a> to see last year's rules and list or <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/search/label/photo%20scavenger%20hunt">this link</a> to see all my prior posts on my summertime photography scavenger hunts.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-6887916709870945532016-04-07T10:34:00.000-07:002016-04-07T10:37:31.075-07:00SNAP: Spring Wildflowers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/12928196_1320923857922794_8699981195105732670_n.jpg?oh=3138095227f92a9d557c329b70a13f5c&oe=57850218" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/12928196_1320923857922794_8699981195105732670_n.jpg?oh=3138095227f92a9d557c329b70a13f5c&oe=57850218" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've been so busy lately that I haven't been posting much or visiting blogs. But I'm still here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I'd post this lovely group of wildflower photographs and link up with Helena's Snap meme. You can see more of <a href="http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/2016/04/snap-royal-mile.html">this week's snap photos here.</a> I took these while walking to dogs up on the bluffs that overlook the Maverick's surf spot near my house. The flowers are each so tiny that they feel like little treasures when I find them.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-65416212402524929702016-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:002016-03-20T12:57:49.420-07:00Finishing the Wintertime Photography Scavenger Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/21481_1305672386114608_7976292039511572308_n.jpg?oh=3b9905db4110fbe68096088d09efcb8a&oe=57988D3B" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/21481_1305672386114608_7976292039511572308_n.jpg?oh=3b9905db4110fbe68096088d09efcb8a&oe=57988D3B" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>#14 afternoon tea</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Springtime is here! And with it, the end of the Winter Photography Hunt, hosted by <a href="http://in-my-playroom.blogspot.co.uk/">Eileen </a>and <a href="http://joyknitt.blogspot.com/">Joy</a>. I've made a pretty good go of it with this year's list (you can see my previous finds at <a href="http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/search/label/winter%20photo%20scavenger%20hunt">this link)</a>:</span><br />
<div style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22.4px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">1. A robin redbreast - never found this one</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>2. Tinsel</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>3. Outside lighting</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>4. A star</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>5. A snowman</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>6. A puddle</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>7. Berries and/or nuts</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>8. A wreath</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>9. A tree that has lost all its leaves</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>10. A windy day</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>11. Your favourite pudding</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12. A fancy button</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/10274321_1305672352781278_7908106097209943109_n.jpg?oh=390e8039821a5d4a9b46aa2826749f51&oe=5793A919" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/10274321_1305672352781278_7908106097209943109_n.jpg?oh=390e8039821a5d4a9b46aa2826749f51&oe=5793A919" width="390" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is from one of favorite jackets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>13. Street art</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">14. Afternoon tea - above</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>15. Candle light</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">16. A chimney - I've been meaning to get down to the Harbor to take a picture of this construction site and finally made it:</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/10350999_1305199599495220_7437435726480901990_n.jpg?oh=24a481ff409b233da331c1ec4180853e&oe=5753C520" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/10350999_1305199599495220_7437435726480901990_n.jpg?oh=24a481ff409b233da331c1ec4180853e&oe=5753C520" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/996705_1305199569495223_1730148710181264801_n.jpg?oh=4bd71f4a4df79a7958c873afe477863c&oe=57846746" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/996705_1305199569495223_1730148710181264801_n.jpg?oh=4bd71f4a4df79a7958c873afe477863c&oe=57846746" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think it's so cool that the chimney has been left standing for this new/old house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>17. A ladder</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>18. An arrow</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>19. A fountain</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">20. Cutlery - I decide to photograph my silver that I got from my paternal grandmother.</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/v/t1.0-9/1044640_1305672322781281_4372949981998862785_n.jpg?oh=82ce714aba292afba670df210665bf42&oe=57524DE6" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xla1/v/t1.0-9/1044640_1305672322781281_4372949981998862785_n.jpg?oh=82ce714aba292afba670df210665bf42&oe=57524DE6" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12144665_1305672132781300_115503365153159212_n.jpg?oh=4e984da1560b409e0c88805d36236508&oe=574EE07E" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12144665_1305672132781300_115503365153159212_n.jpg?oh=4e984da1560b409e0c88805d36236508&oe=574EE07E" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strike style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.4px;">21. Your own handwriting (this one is compulsory and cannot be substituted)</strike></div>
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Since I didn't find the robin, I decided to do one of the alternates: an animal statue. I photographed my Waterford swan that I've been using to sketch lately.</div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/1479514_1305677706114076_8720570973732951542_n.jpg?oh=c5f96e7c7d0de0434b8c84c30b5c0c9c&oe=578343F4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/1479514_1305677706114076_8720570973732951542_n.jpg?oh=c5f96e7c7d0de0434b8c84c30b5c0c9c&oe=578343F4" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/535216_1305677732780740_1518186291468550413_n.jpg?oh=213136b92db80e669431bf5767118f9c&oe=574E545F" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/535216_1305677732780740_1518186291468550413_n.jpg?oh=213136b92db80e669431bf5767118f9c&oe=574E545F" width="392" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1313380229"></span><span id="goog_1313380230"></span>Thanks for hosting such a fun hunt! And I'll keep my eyes open for a robin redbreast.</div>
Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-28088682790619961552016-03-08T17:37:00.000-08:002016-03-08T17:44:23.818-08:00Scrapping with Shimelle, Part 3!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12798978_1296032033745310_3277093443258621651_n.jpg?oh=c6cf45ae9c56bb18c5c4a1f33ab0b537&oe=5756BBAC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12798978_1296032033745310_3277093443258621651_n.jpg?oh=c6cf45ae9c56bb18c5c4a1f33ab0b537&oe=5756BBAC" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Tuesday, I spent the day scrapping with some friends at a local scrapbook store. I took the opportunity to do a few more of the Shimelle challenges. First up, <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2082/circular-scrapbooking-inspiration/">using circles.</a> I really liked adding little embelllishments to the circles that fit the theme of a "road trip" that my son and I took to visit colleges in Oregon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xal1/v/t1.0-9/12524261_1296032057078641_2753248277774053500_n.jpg?oh=0ba63f7442dc79aa3a000d9ddde78efa&oe=5753AEB8" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xal1/v/t1.0-9/12524261_1296032057078641_2753248277774053500_n.jpg?oh=0ba63f7442dc79aa3a000d9ddde78efa&oe=5753AEB8" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wasn't sure I had any photos that would work with Shimelle's </span><a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2137/an-adventurous-colour-story/" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">color story challenge</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but then I noticed that it was almost a perfect match for the tickets from the World Baseball Classic. I had planned to scrap these photos on paper that had black and white print and the big baseball, but the challenge spurred me to cut out the baseball and put it on red paper and then mat the photos in the colors to match the color story. It turned out so much better than my original idea, so thanks Shimelle!</span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/12670406_1295235717158275_2974695789786661450_n.jpg?oh=db64dee6f4565bcfdd507df208c1a7af&oe=579086E4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/12670406_1295235717158275_2974695789786661450_n.jpg?oh=db64dee6f4565bcfdd507df208c1a7af&oe=579086E4" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And here's the last page I did for the day:</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/12801176_1296032097078637_4328316202153850886_n.jpg?oh=39c928fadc6258c1a513b5db4ad05bb2&oe=5764C827" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/12801176_1296032097078637_4328316202153850886_n.jpg?oh=39c928fadc6258c1a513b5db4ad05bb2&oe=5764C827" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It fits <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2136/scrap-3-photos-on-one-page/">Shimelle's challenge to scrap three photos on one page</a>. I've enjoyed this foray into scrapping, but I think I'll take a little break for a while. Probably do a bit more art journaling.</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-63020855407700180282016-03-07T17:30:00.000-08:002016-03-07T17:30:17.842-08:00Scrapping with Shimelle, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/12798884_1294389147242932_1034320154816905422_n.jpg?oh=680b70d0f6f08396c300105f72da38ee&oe=5791D4A7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/12798884_1294389147242932_1034320154816905422_n.jpg?oh=680b70d0f6f08396c300105f72da38ee&oe=5791D4A7" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I continued to play along with Shimelle's Mothering Weekend Online Crop Party on Sunday, and I found the challenges to be, um, more challenging (and interesting!). When I read <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2133/gallery-inspired-frames-for-a-scrapbook-page/">this one </a>about creating a wall of frames, I thought, "Oh he** no!" But then I remembered some frames I had from an old Club Scrap Kit and decided to give it a try.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xal1/v/t1.0-9/12790832_1294390083909505_2381506939359262746_n.jpg?oh=55df9e958525b6058508237807400dc4&oe=5791848F" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xal1/v/t1.0-9/12790832_1294390083909505_2381506939359262746_n.jpg?oh=55df9e958525b6058508237807400dc4&oe=5791848F" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was actually fun to add little fiddly bits to fill in and decorate the frames. I painted some chipboard for the 18, used chipboard circular letters and even added some black eyelets to several frames. The best part was finding a decent way to scrap the dark, poor quality iphone photos from Henry's 18th birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also completed some layouts from the use an old page kit challenge:</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/12809795_1294390417242805_3266565407165184058_n.jpg?oh=d0948c4264a52210b7fe71a647224ec9&oe=5792E4E5" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/12809795_1294390417242805_3266565407165184058_n.jpg?oh=d0948c4264a52210b7fe71a647224ec9&oe=5792E4E5" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Technically, </span><a href="http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2046/three-ideas-for-using-that-first-shimelle-collection/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the challenge</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was to scrap with Shimelle's first paper collection, but I thought this captured the spirit of the challenge. Very simple and quick. But I'm so happy they're done. I've got one more scrapping day planned this week (tomorrow), and I'm hoping to do at least one more challenge (circles). I might have some photos to make the color story work, and might even come up with something for the last challenge. We shall see!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you doing any scrapping lately?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7671093558941693832.post-38691105465391089302016-03-06T09:09:00.001-08:002016-03-06T09:49:14.985-08:00Scrapping with Shimelle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/l/t1.0-9/12814052_1293402660674914_5918052996255541931_n.jpg?oh=9e3c795cb11921b45df1a94e3cf746d1&oe=575F38AE" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/l/t1.0-9/12814052_1293402660674914_5918052996255541931_n.jpg?oh=9e3c795cb11921b45df1a94e3cf746d1&oe=575F38AE" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Mothering Sunday to all my UK friends! To celebrate, <a href="http://www.shimelle.com/">Shimelle</a> is hosting a scrapbooking weekend. I created layouts for all five of her challenges yesterday, and I'm sharing them here on my blog. This first one is for the monochromatic challenge. It's Clara's photo from her track season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next up is my boy. This is for the challenge to scrap a larger photo. I've been trying to figure out how to end his sports album, and this one did the trick. It's got a bit more layering of bits and bobs in Shimelle fashion.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/12803297_1294071003941413_4175091626558835013_n.jpg?oh=4cda86d96ed776fe8838b9cf42203532&oe=5799119B" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/12803297_1294071003941413_4175091626558835013_n.jpg?oh=4cda86d96ed776fe8838b9cf42203532&oe=5799119B" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This one was hard. It took me forever, and I'm still not thrilled with it. I made it for the "scrap something that has value/meaning" challenge. It's the photos I took when I packed up all of Henry's childhood stuff when he went off to college. I wanted it to be nostalgic and to capture meaningful journaling. I didn't really get there, but at least it's done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This one is better! The challenge was to create a "color blocked" layout. I did used to have all those color blocking templates that Shimelle blogged about! LOL! But I"m pretty sure they went at a garage sale years ago. One thing I really liked about this layout (about Clara volunteering at Guide Dogs) is that I used eyelets, which I haven't used forever! Since all the tools are out, I might do a few more eyelet layouts today.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/12813935_1293593767322470_1097189166864840080_n.jpg?oh=db671229a351c7dfeb0a356634713fad&oe=57504664" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/12813935_1293593767322470_1097189166864840080_n.jpg?oh=db671229a351c7dfeb0a356634713fad&oe=57504664" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And finally, the challenge to scrap "older photos." These are from 2014, but what makes them older is that I <i>thought</i> my 2014 album was done. But when I was organizing all the completed pages yesterday, I found this stack (with papers and embellies already picked out) together in a page protector! Luckily, it only took 15 minutes to put the page together, and it was a great way to end a fun day of scrapping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hoping to do a bit more today!</span>Maria Ontiveroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00120998825608732473noreply@blogger.com9