Beach Houses

I loved these beach houses for rent in Placencia. The colors were so perfect against the white sand and blue sky and sea. I could have stayed there all day taking pictures, but Eric was whining about being in the sun without sunscreen. (The sunscreen was packed in our bags since you aren't allowed to bring it on as a carryone, it being a gel and all. The bags were flying from Miami at this point in the day.)

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View from the Breakfast Table

I promised I'd show you the amazing view that made me smile while eating breakfast, and here it is! The sand in Placencia is a bit rough, but the beach is still lovely with the colors and the palms.

Row of palm trees on the beach.

Paradise.

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We're Back!

Oh man, I wish there were words to describe this amazing vacation... What a beautiful fantastic location. Belize is truly paradise! You should all plan trips to visit, and if you do, let me tell you, sailing around the cayes in your own cat is really the way to go.

So, I have roughly 5 gigs of pictures to share with you all! I will try to narrow it down to the best of the best, but this vacation is definitely going to be showing here for the next month or so. I think that I will try to take you along chronologically, but we'll see... For now, here are some shots of us and the boat to get you started!

It is our first morning in Placencia after arriving yesterday afternoon. Our luggage is still stranded in Miami (yes, all of it) but I have my cameras, I'm eating breakfast with the best view ever (I'll show you some of it tomorrow!), and I discovered how tasty really fresh watermelon juice is. How could I not smile?

Eric tries to remember how to secure the dingy as we are about to go shopping for groceries ('provisioning' in boat terms). Our boat "Always & All Ways" is directly behind his head, tied up at TMM's odd little island head quarters in Placencia.

Zeth and Deirdre have joined us (and our luggage has finally decided to make an appearance too!) So we enjoy a couple of Belikins as we get used to what will be home for the next week.

View of the sunset and the other boats gently rocking on their moorings. They all belong to the other company who charters out of Placencia (and elsewhere).

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Fountain

Since I will not be posting for 10 days (as I will be having the time of my life in BELIZE!!) I thought I'd leave you with a picture I really really like... Try not to miss me too much ;) I'll try to have some great pictures to share when I get back!

Fountain in Copley Square.

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Up Close

Both of these shots were cropped heavily in Photoshop to make the focal object fill the screen. For the rose, I couldn't get closer because I was using a fixed focal lens, and for the bird, I couldn't get closer because it wouldn't let me! I generally much prefer to do my cropping/composition in the viewfinder at the time of the shot, but sometimes I guess it's just not possible. Still, I enjoy these images!

A perfect rose growing in our backyard. We planted these climbing roses this year and seem to have had luck with 2 out of 3 of them.

Very cute little bird that Eric wanted me to try and capture in the Public Garden. This was definitely inspired by the amazing squirrel shot from before... It has made me want to photograph 'wild' animals! Haha.

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Reflections

I have always loved the reflection in the Hancock Building of the church in Copley Square. This doesn't quite do it justice, but it is very beautiful on a sunny summer day.

Just the reflection.

The old and the new stand side-by-side in Boston.

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Shiny Cow

The cows have come to Boston... My favorite that I've seen so far is this Shiny Cow (at least, that's what I called it, I've forgotten the artist's name for it!) So pretty... and sparkley...

The eye of the Shiny Cow.

The boston skyline glitters in the sun on the side of the cow.

The Citgo sign and a sailboat. I don't know why, but I love that sign!

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Photos in the Park

My friend Erica (who is much braver than I) has joined a really cool group of photographers called the Boston Photography Center. They just had a fabulous idea for an exhibit where they took pictures in the Public Garden and then displayed them there! It was awesome. I loved it and it seemed that the passerbys did as well. Go Erica (and the rest) for being brave enough to stand out in the world with your photos around your necks!!

Erica displays her affinity for trees.

This awesome squirrel picture was the biggest hit with the kiddos.

A little girl ponders which is her favorite image. Could it be the shot of another little girl?

Another view of the line (with Lee's back).

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Trophy

To commemorate Eric's company's last month before becoming part of a much larger organization, he put together a memorial foosball tournament. Eric also decided that he wanted to use his fun new router and other tools to create trophies for the winners. Which is very nice of him I suppose, as I'm still waiting for recognition for winning the MarioKart tournament 5 years ago!

Eric's handmade trophies for the Softricity Memorial Foosball Tournament.
(Please note this picture was taken before the conclusion of the tournament so I picked Eric's team to win. They didn't. Team Casheero actually won this tournament, not Team Yanwart.)

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Another One

Here is another image of the brownstones in the South End. I'm still not totally satisfied with the shot, but at least I learned a lot about Photoshop and other programs while playing with these images!

Brownstones in the South End of Boston.

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Brownstone

Those of you that know my photography life, know that I've been trying to capture the beauty of the Boston Brownstone since I moved here. It is still alluding me, however, the wide angle lens I just got has brought my images a little closer to what is in my head.

Lovely brownstone in South Boston near my friend Scooter's apartment.

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Crayon Boxes

I'm not ordinarily a very neat or organized person, but I have totally crossed over into type-A land in my classroom. The following is a perfect example...

I have turned into a labeling fiend... Everything in my classroom is now sporting one!

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Tomatoes

I love this time of year in my garden. All the hard work is paying off and I'm beginning to reap the rewards! The cherry tomatoes are ripening and taste lovely. Now if I could only figure out why I'm not getting any zucchini this summer...

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine.

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Cat

I was practicing using my fixed focal point lens to take portraits. Annabelle was kind enough to pose for me since she was the only other 'person' at home.

Walking along the tops of the garden stones.

I was using as fast a shutter speed as I could to keep her in sharp focus, while also trying to use a small aperature to keep the background blurred. Was challenging to find the right balance, but I like how this shot turned out.

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Hot, hot, hot!

It's been too hot to think here in beantown these past couple of days. Thought I'd post a little refreshment! I'm all about the ice tea in the summer, so tasty.

Yum. Don't you just want a sip?

This is the larger image I took the close-up from... It's amazing the resolution of the new camera. I took such a small section of the original and it is still sharp and clear. I love my camera!!

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Construction

Only here would someone think that you can build a 3-story monster house on 0.08 acres! That's right, one of the last open spaces here in the Lakeview area of Waltham is officially going... And we get to enjoy the noise and troubles (as I type my monitor is shaking like crazy from the heavy machinery) for the rest of the summer! Can you tell how I feel about this??

As much as I dislike the construction, I do like this shot. The shadow, the fence, the yellow tied to the wires, I like the composition and colors.

This gives you a better idea of how small the lot they are building on is. My poor little house is going to be dwarfed! Plus, look closely and see how they are building on both sides of the old house! What's wrong with leaving a little grass and open space??

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Peek into my Classroom

My room is really coming together! Thought I'd share it because I'm so loving setting it up. Also, I need to give much thanks to my GAVs who helped me outfit this room with gift certificates to The Learning Tree Store... THANKS GIRLS!!! I love that you are part of my room. from the calender to the borders to the alphabet I love... Everywhere I look, I feel your love and support =)

View from the teacher's desk.

The classroom library.

The meeting area on the rug.

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