Dear Ones,
Welcome to my Instagram January Photo Challenge round-up! For the past month, I have been taking pictures to support the prompts I created in the graphic above. I love participating in photo challenges because they tend to make me really look at the world around me. Kind of like looking at the world through binoculars. Have a peek!
Week One
The words for week 1 of the January photo challenge were:
Weather: Cold, cold day for our stray kitty Orangejello, who was living in box on our patio at the time. With food, water, heater and electric blanket, of course.
Resolution: My key chain with the Planet Fitness membership barcode. We have been going to the gym almost everyday of the new year.
On the Way Home: Majesty of the mountains and pines surrounding the Inn of the Mountain Gods golf course and lake in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Can’t Live Without: The blessing that is my family: Brennyn and Cady, my PC, Lauren and Francisco and Lucia.
Pattern: Bark on the trunk of a palm in outside the gym. Yes, I did go inside, too!!
Warm: The fireplace in our den.
From Below Looking Above: Looking up from under one of the trees in San Jacinto Plaza, bedazzled for Christmas.
Week 2
Week 2 words were:
Clouds: There aren’t any on the day that this picture was taken as we hiked up to Mundy’s Gap in the Franklin Mountains.
Furry: Purrsnickitty, Orangejello and Purrsimmony. My kitties. FURRY. And me, after I love on them. Fur-covered, the whole lot of us.
Weird Angle: This wasn’t so much a weird angle and just plain WEIRD. Peeking through the reed blinds on our bedroom balcony door at the icy sunset.
Hand-made: By Claudia, my thoughtful friend who helped me through many lonely days in Panama.
Black and White: Had some fun with filters after taking this photo of a pre-k baby and the snowman he drew in the library.
Nature: The skies over the Franklin Mountains on Transmountain Road were so breath-taking they merited two photos.
Week 3
The words for week 3 were:
Words: Inspiration at church.
Cold: A front moving west to east across the mountains, with low-lying clouds. Where were these on my clouds day above?
Love: My new camera and an instruction book written in the tiniest font. My PC helped me, no make that taught me how to use my smart phone as a remote for my camera. Patience of a saint, that man.
Habit: A lot of hopeful habits-to-be going on in this pic. Drinking my water, packing my lunch for work and doing my devotional every morning.
Old: Ada Elizabeth, a doll my grandmother Ada Elizabeth made for me and a picture of my grandmother at 16 in a very old frame.
Water: Really wanted to do something beautiful and artistic with this prompt but when I got to school, this book just spoke to me. I could never replicate something this lovely.
Upclose and Personal: This one isn’t in the gallery. See below.
Week 4
Finally, week 4+ words:
Favorite Spot: In my PC’s arms. Actually, anywhere where he is.
Comfortable: Orangejello snuggled up with ‘daddy’ as he becomes accustomed to being an inside kitty (again?).
Man-made: Everything in the library…the books, the computers, the furniture, the librarian and her students. And a love of reading.
Reflection: My almost-but-not-quite-bell-bottoms are a reflection of days gone by.
Home Sweet Home: Love this photo taken several years ago. I think it symbolizes the blessing that have been bestowed on my house, my home and me.
Movement: On the treadmill for a run. Getting my times for a mile down below 10 minutes and occasionally, below 9 minutes.
Favorite Flavor: This should actually be a photograph of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. But I was too lazy to get some out of the cabinet for the pic. I love chocolate, peanut butter and mole poblano, a sauce used in Mexican cooking that often combines the two. Mmmm.
Quiet: My P and I walked up McKelligon Canyon on Sunday and notice this humble cross on the side of the road. Sadly quiet.
Shadow: Not exactly a shadow, I guess, but I love this picture. The play or contrast between dark and light. Taken from the mouth of Aztec Cave in the Franklin Mountains.
Fun: Heading out for the Groove and Glow 5K. I love that PC has such an adorable smile on his face. I look like Phyllis Diller.
Confession
I do know there are 31 days in January. At least, most of the time I do. As I created the graphic for the photo challenge, dementia must have set in. Did that whole deal with the knuckles on your hand to figure out and double check the number of days.
[source]
You know, that thing. But still typed it wrong on the graphic. Anyway, stop by Instagram to see today’s picture for January 31 of the January photo challenge. Click here to be whisked away over there…only after you are done here, though!
My Camera
Ok, so you have seen the photo of my camera above under love. It is a Sony Alpha a5000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm OSS Lens (Black) (Camera) whatever that means. I am sure it takes wonderful pictures but I just haven’t fooled with it enough yet to know. I think I used a combination of my iPhone camera and my Samsung Galaxy camera to take the photos for this challenge.
January Photo Challenge in Spring
I would love to do another Instagram photo challenge in the spring. It probably won’t be called January photo challenge, though. I am thinking something springier…March? April photo challenge, maybe. But it isn’t much fun doing it all by myself. Would love for you, YES, YOU, to join me. You could post your photos on Instagram or Facebook or both, like I do. It is lots of fun, and helps me to stop and smell the roses, if you will. Notice this beautiful world around me, appreciate artistic stuff like colors, textures, patterns, lights and darks.
You don’t have to say yes or commit right now. But I will keep hounding you til I get a yes. We have a month or so, though. Maybe we could plan for April?
Up Close and Personal
Finally, I will leave you with one of my favorite photo challenge posts of all. The prompt was up close and personal. I really thought I would do something super artsy by shooting an unrecognizable photo of a flower or plant super close-up. But when I Skyped with Lucia and Lauren sent this video of her kissing me, I knew this was the very best representation of up close and personal I could get.
Thank you for joining me today. I hope maybe you will be inspired to capture some of the loveliness in the world around you. Then share with me!
Hugs and kisses,
Sarah @ Foxy's Domestic Side
You did such an amazing job with this friend!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thanks, Sarah. I am going to keep going and blog my way through a decluttered house.