Happy Birthday to My Daughter

Apple Orchard Sunrise

Apple Orchard Sunrise © 2008 Bo Mackison

I haven’t been a woman in this state of affairs for a long time. For the last 7,469,280 minutes of my life I have been a mother of one or more teenagers. But today the streak ends. My younger daughter, the baby of the crew, turns 20 today. Today I lose my title of “parent of teenager.” All my kids are now twenty-somethings.

Happy birthday, dear, and I wish you a day that brings you much laughter and love.

A Door County, Wisconsin cherry orchard bathed in pink dawn light.

The Forest Deep

Antique Treescape

Treescape © 2007

Be a gentle friend to trees and they will give you back beauty,
cool and fragrant shade, and many birds, singing.  ~ Anonymous

Door County, Wisconsin on a sunny day in June with a lovely breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s F˚. Just taking a brief trip back in time to remind me to remember and be thankful of all the gifts we receive from nature’s beauty.

A note to other photographers: Another attempt at a B/W shot, my second. I like the way the contrasts play, but my eye is untrained and I am never quite sure if it is the best I can make it with the simple post processing software I have in my camera. Am I missing out by not investing in Photoshop Elements or something else?

And another note: Also is there a way to get a line around the photo to give it a framed look against all the black background. I’m thinking of getting a simple web design specifically to address the problems (not only the framing) I have with the templates offered at WordPress, but as always, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing. I just know what I want. That’s probably a bad combination! 😉

Birthday Celebration

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Whimseys © 2007

Tin-pressed ladybugs
Copper flowers, gee-gaws, bells
Birthday wish garden

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. ~Author Unknown

What better way to celebrate my birthday than with a photograph of — this? Looks like some sort of celebration to me. I’m not sure exactly what kind of party the establishment had in mind, but I’ll use the garden art for birthday candles. I might be able to match a gee-gaw for each year, but it will be close.

Photographed in downtown Fish Creek, Wisconsin.

 

Keeping in the Cows

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Primitive Fence © 2007

If you strive for the moon, maybe you’ll get over the fence.
James Wood

The only fences found in Door County, WI are either rows of piled stones from field clearing or these wooden criss-crosses from forest clearing. Probably only effective for cows since at least they can’t jump (except over moons.)

Photographed in Ephraim, a hamlet of 400 people who tolerate 6 months of lake-effect, northern Wisconsin winter for 6 months of simple beauty.

 

Red Barn in Solitude

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Red Barn ©2007 Bo Mackison

It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them…. Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say. ~ Thomas Merton

Photographed in central Door County, Wisconsin on October 6, 2007 on a rainy weekend.