New Year Resolutions

May all your troubles last as long
as your New Year's resolutions.

~Joey Adams~


HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my friends and visitors!
See you next year?

Susanne

It was a Great and Strong Year!

Looking back to 2009 I can say, it was a great, happy and a "strong" year for us!

We made our "dreams come true" and did our since many years planned travel trip across America for almost 8 months - 20'000 miles on the road, from the East Coast to the West Coast and everything in between.

I'm so happy we did it, it was quiet a wonderful experience - and America is BEAUTIFUL!
We met a lot of people, made some new good friends and I have x-of hundreds of photographs in my archives now. There will be one day a book (or two) made with some of the best photos and I'll be selling them also as prints, framed or not and printed on canvas, online.

It was a wonderful year for us, yes! I wish you ALL a great 2010 too,
work on your dreams!

And today is a special day for someone special in my life : My love of my live - my husband and partner since almost 10 years now - it's his Birthday today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Darling, I LOVE you so much! Let's celebrate!
Susanne

Dancing waves....

The world is full of poetry. The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its brightness.
James Gates Percival



Hi my friends,

Thank you very much for your kind comments to my last post, your visits are always appreciated. I'm glad I made you smile with my yesterday's photo :)

How do you like this one? I love waves and I love to be at the Ocean. My husband and I, we do that as often we can, visiting the beach and taking a walk. It's so relaxing to listen to the song of the Ocean and to breath the fresh salty air.

After posting this, you'll find me down there...see you there?
Susanne


CALENDARS 2010 anyone...?

Strange growth...

I didn't know those things grew around here - especially on the beach.



Hi my friends,

thanks for all the wonderful comments to my last posts.
You make always my day with your comments.

We have only some days left in this old year 2009.
For lot of us is this the time to look back, to reorganize your life
and to make new resolutions that only makes you guilty for the rest of the year
and you'll be off of them after 3 days anyway, is that right? ....*smile*.... me too.... :)

I have some pictures more to share with you until 2010.
Come back visiting, see you here tomorrow?
Susanne


Some CALENDARS 2010 anybody....?

My last "Wordless Sunday" for 2009

Christmas Day at the Beach

stormy weather conditions at the beach

kids had to try out their new Christmas gifts

To the left side were dark clouds and to the right it was a blue sunny sky

Big breaking waves are rolling in to the shores

Hi my friends,

I hope you had all a nice and peaceful Christmas Day! Thank you so much for all your kind comments or thanks also for just visiting ;)

Dave and I went down to the beach yesterday and we was not expecting to see so much activity going on there. People were swimming and surfing in the big braking waves and over all it was more stormy and dark looking weather conditions than it was sunshine. I've enjoyed that afternoon and I made a lot of wave pictures and some other ones too. I'll share it with you over the next days.

The Holidays are over and the next big step to celebrate will be coming new years eve to welcome 2010. I'm hoping it will bring for all of us peace on this earth!

Tomorrow it will be my last "Wordless Sunday" in 2009, don't miss it.... :)
See you there,

Susanne


There are still some CALENDARS 2010 left... do you need one?

It's Christmas!

It's Christmas

I'm so glad that you came my way
From a million stars here you are
I swear your love is mine

Some how I knew that you were made for me
and I can't believe
and my wish came true
I'll never let you go baby

CHORUS
People are celebrating all throughout the world
an that's what we gonna do tonight
'cus we got so much
So much love to share
It's Christmas
And we'll share a love just like we did last year
It's Christmas
And you know i'm gonna be right here

And still my heart belongs to you and only you
Merry Christmas darlin'
let us share the joy of love tonight
Cold winter nights may come and go
We're still dancin' slow
Can't you hear my song
Song I sing for you

CHORUS

And I wish you such a nice Christmas
Merry Christmas to all
Merry christmas to the world

Silent Night, Holy Night

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL my friends all over the world!

Christmas Angel

Hi my friends,

As a kid I was counting the days until Christmas eve, inpatient to see all the gifts I would get - Christmas was a wonderful time of my childhood.

Today, Christmas is nothing more than a big competition in commerce, a hype rush of advertisers, pushed from the media and all the profit makers. We lost that innocent spirit what we all know from our child days. I wish it back for me and for you too!

Thank you all for visiting my blog yesterday and for all the nice comments!

Wish you all a thoughtful Pre-Christmas-Eve-Day!
Susanne

CALENDARS 2010 - CALENDARS 2010..... who wants to buy one?

Waiting for Christmas

Boon Hall Plantation in Charleston, SC

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
Calvin Coolidge



Hi my friends,

Are you ready for Christmas? Is everything done, all the gifts wrapped in beautiful paper and all the cookies baked? Yes....? Then you can sit down, relax and enjoy the time until your family members will arrive and you'll hug them since long time again.

I wish you to have the real spirit for Christmas!
Susanne



Doe's anybody still need CALENDARS for 2010???

Lights, lights, lights....

Key West lights

Key West Christmas lights


Hi my friends,

these Christmas pictures were made in Key West, Florida.
Yes, that's THE "crazy" place down on the road at the end of the rainbow and at the end of everything!

We were living down there for many years and enjoyed all the craziness. We left that piece of paradise before we went to "crazy" too....LOL... Living there was a great, fun time for both of us. But, everything comes to an end once and then it's time to discover new horizons. We left the island and moved up more North and started to plan our travels.

It's called with other words: Follow your dreams!
And that was exactly what we did, we followed our dreams and started traveling.

See you again tomorrow?
Susanne



If you're still in need for a great CALENDARS 2010, here you can still get it!

The Tradition of Christmas Gifts

There will be a also a gift for you


The custom of giving gifts to relatives and friends on a special day in winter probably began in ancient Rome and northern Europe. In these regions, people gave each other small presents as part of their year-end celebrations.

In the United States and England, children hang stockings on their bedpost or near a fireplace on Christmas Eve, hoping that it will be filled with treats while they sleep. In Scandinavia, similar-minded children leave their shoes on the hearth. This tradition can be traced to legends about Saint Nicholas. One legend tells of three poor sisters who could not marry because they had no money for a dowry. To save them from being sold by their father, St. Nick left each of the three sisters gifts of gold coins. One went down the chimney and landed in a pair of shoes that had been left on the hearth. Another went into a window and into a pair of stockings left hanging by the fire to dry.

No one was really in the habit of exchanging elaborate gifts until late in the 1800s. The Santa Claus stories of giving gifts to good children, combined with an amazing retailing phenomenon that has grown since the turn of the century, has made gift giving a central focus of the Christmas tradition.

Source



Hi my friends,

thanks for liking my yesterdays post so much with all your kind comments!

Today something about the tradition of Christmas gifts.
Have a wonderful day!
Susanne



Talking about gifts:
The CALENDARS 2010 are for sale and it's still NOT to late to buy one!

The History of Christmas Wreaths

Seen in Down Town in Charleston, SC

Seen at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, SC

The History of Christmas wreaths

The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light.

Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light.

From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens with a fifth candle in the middle. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal-- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting of each candle. The last candle is the middle candle. The lighting of this candle takes place on Christmas Eve.
It represents Jesus Christ being born.



Hi my friends,

Thank you so much for visiting my blog yesterday and for writing all your kind comments, they are very much appreciated.

These two photos are, as promised, the start of a series of Christmas themed postings until Christmas Day. Personally, we don't celebrate Christmas for certain reasons, but Dave and I still enjoy the colorful lights and decos in the streets and on houses.
I hope you'll enjoy too!

See you back again tomorrow?
Susanne



The CALENDARS 2010 are for sale - don't forget anybody to buy a last minute gift!

What's the size of your Christmas tree?

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.
In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

~Larry Wilde~
The Merry Book of Christmas



Hi my friends,

This is what we have here in Florida as a Christmas tree :)

No, no...we can buy also here real Christmas trees for in the house. But I like the decorated palm trees better.

I'll share with you from tomorrow on until Christmas every day a Christmas-Deco-Photograph that I've made over the years, hope you'll like it.

Thank you for all the nice comments yesterday and I'll see you tomorrow.
Susanne



CALENDARS 2010 - CALENDARS 2010 -CALENDARS 2010
still for sale, a nice last minute gift!

They're too busy....

Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished.
They didn't bother themselves about the past - they never do; they're too busy.
Kenneth Grahame



Hi my friends,

thanks for all your kind comments to my post yesterday, I appreciate every single one.
Have a wonderful and a good "busy" day, see you tomorrow!
Susanne


Yes, my CALENDARS 2010.... it's still NOT to late to buy some.
Hurry up and buy one or two as a nice gift for Christmas.
You wont regret, I promise!

Rescue me....

No words necessary, just listen to the video below and enjoy

Hi my friends,

I hope you'll like this post too :)
Thank you so much for all the kind comments to my "raccoon post" from yesterday.
I've appreciated every single one!

Have a wonderful day and see you back tomorrow.
Susanne

YES, my CALENDARS 2010 are still available and it's still time to buy one for Christmas!

Another cute face....

Baby Raccoon was hiding from me behind the palm tree and his mama ran behind a bush as they saw me coming (too) close to them. What a cute expression!

Hi my friends,

again: thank you, thank you for all the yesterdays comments on my blog. I'm sure you'll like this cute face too. (All the pictures are (like always) click-able to see it bigger).

I have no Christmas stress at all this year. The cards are written and sent out to my friends and loved ones in oversea.

And we are not giving each other gifts anymore, since many years now.

I hope you'll finish all your shopping good and soon
and will have time to enjoy the Holidays.

Have a magical day!
Susanne



Yes, my CALENDARS 2010 are for sale. It's still time to buy one or two. Make someone happy, someone you love, your friends - or even your Mother in Law ;)

Are you talking to me....?

Yesterday afternoon, David and I went down to the waters for a walk. I had an unexpected photo session coming up with a very photogenic creature. He was so cute, this little squirrel, he came closer and closer and started even posing for me and in the end he pointed his little paws to me, like asking me: "are you talking to me"....????
.... or was it more like begging for food....?...*smile*....

***

Hi my friends,

thank you again for all your visits and comments yesterday and the day before. I was mixed up with the days... on Saturday I woke up and was believing truly it's Sunday already....my poor little brain...!! Am I getting old or what???...*smile*....

I hope you ALL had a good start into this new week. The Holidays are here soon and I bet everybody is busy with the last shopping and preparations for THE day. Don't forget to relax too and to enjoy the silent moments around you - yes there are some!

See you tomorrow.
I have some cute wildlife pictures more to share with you.
Susanne



Yes, and a very pretty gift for Christmas are my CALENDARS 2010. You know by now where to buy them, right? Thank you!

My Wordless Sunday - #20

Bougainvilleas

Bougainvillea (pronounced /ˌbuːɡɨnˈvɪliə/)

is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus. The plant was discovered in Brazil in 1768, by Philibert Commerçon, French Botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation.

They are thorny, woody vines growing anywhere from 1-12 meters tall, scrambling over other plants with their hooked thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4-13 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery. The fruit is a narrow five-lobed achene.

Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and aphids. The larvae of some Lepidoptera species also use them as food plants, for example the Giant Leopard Moth.

(Source)

Hi my friends,

Thanks again for your kind comments and visits to my blog post from yesterday.
Probably you have seen it already, I'm answering to your comments and questions directly there on that place where you are writing them. I appreciate every single comment from you!

The bougainvilleas are blooming in Florida and I love them so much! The colors are outstanding, from pastel to strong deep reds and yellows. You can not miss them, they are growing everywhere down here.

I wish you a wonderful weekend - and tomorrow is "My Wordless Sunday" again! Come back and be in time, I'll be here...*smile*....

Susanne

And... my CALENDARS 2010....yes, they are still for sale!
Make someone happy - and me too :)
Thank you!

Still waiting....

Set to the movie "High Chaparral" - in Old Tuscon, AZ
***

Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.
Paulo Coelho

Hi my friends,

Thank you all for the wonderful comments again. I was to busy yesterday to put up a post. I hope you'll enjoy this one today. I've captured this picture in the old film studios in Old Tuscon in Arizona on my recent trip across America. It shows the entrance to the ranch house out of the TV series "High Chaparral".

Have a wonderful day - and thanks for visiting and commenting again.
Susanne



Don't forget, my CALENDARS 2010 are a nice gift for Christmas and also great colorful deco for the walls in your office. Order one now. Thank you!

Your children are growing up....

You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they're going.
P. J. O'Rourke



Hi my friends,

I want to say THANK YOU to all your kind comments to my last Blog post.

It's getting warmer again here in the Sunshine State, the heather is off again...*smile*...
I wish you a wonderful and Happy Tuesday :)
Susanne

My new CALENDARS 2010 are a nice gift for Christmas. Buy one or two and make someone happy - or buy it to decorate your office walls.

Flowers for Monday

Happy Monday!

Hi my friends,

Thank you all for your kind comments to my post again. I hope you had a great weekend and a good start in this new week :)

Susanne


I have created some pretty CALENDARS 2010 about:

Las Vegas,
Santa Fe,
Key West,
Route 66 and
about my recent travels across America.

I know, they make a wonderful gift to someone you care - or buy one for your self and bring some colors to those gray walls in your office. Thank you in advance!

My Wordless Sunday - #19

Back yourself up

It is such a cut throat industry where you get knocked down so much and get rejected so much. If you do not back yourself up, no one else is going to so you really need to learn to get up, shake the sand off your chest and keep going.
Alex O'Loughlin

Hi my friends,

Thanks for all your kind comments, I appreciate every single one! Come back tomorrow too, I'll share "My Wordless Sunday" picture again with you.

It's pretty cold in Florida, we have the heat on the first time and long jeans and jackets. We are not used to temps like that :)

I wish you a wonderful Saturday, see'ya tomorrow!
Susanne


You do know, my CALENDARS 2010 are for sale, right?
Grab one, make someone happy or pep up those gray walls in your office!

Crossroads...

There are two ways to go when you hit that crossroads in your life: There is the bad way, when you sort of give up, and then there is the really hard way, when you fight back. I went the hard way and came out of it okay. Now, I'm sitting here and doing great.
Matthew Perry


Hi my friends,

Where is that: "Wolf Alley" meets "No. 1 Rodeo Rd"...?

That's the moment when you'll be far out somewhere in deep country side.
Actually you'll be in Wyoming, actually you'll be in Aladdin, Wyoming! A little sleepy village where only 15 people are living - yes, 15 only!
Hard to believe, right? :)

I think for myself, it would be a quiet way to remote place in country side.
What about you?

Thank you also for all the kind comments and I wish you a nice weekend with not to much snowfall!

I wish I could see snow again :)
Susanne


You know, I have my CALENDARS 2010 for sale, right?
Grab one, make somebody happy for Christmas.

Follow your bliss...

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.
Joseph Campbell



Hi my friends,

One day rest - one day posting.... o.k...maybe two days with posting...
However, there are no rules for me about how,when,what and why.

I post if I have something to show or to say, otherwise I'll be quiet...*smile*... Thank you for all the wonderful comments.
You always make my day with your words.

I wish you a great day today.
Susanne


Pep up those gray walls in your office with one of my CALENDARS 2010!