Apple

While in New York we saw a few Apple Stores.  The above picture was taken in the evening.  This logo is from the one closest to our hotel in Manhattan. I really like the duplicity of the logo on the glass entrance. I was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator this year. I will be heading off to Austin, Texas in July for training. I am thrilled to be given this opportunity.

Hobbies

My favourite hobby is of course, photography.  For this theme I decided to take a picture of camera with the new accessory I purchased while in New York at the amazing B&H Photo Store.  I thought it would come in handy when taking pictures of the little ones.  It even has a little squeaker in it.  The other camera you see reflected in the dusty lens filter is the new point and shoot that I also purchased in New York.  I could have spent so much more money in that store but managed to restrain myself. 

Brand New

A brand new lemon tree seedling is portrayed in this picture.  We're not sure how big these seedlings will get but we're enjoying watching them grow.  They came from seeds Peg got from a lemon.  Every time I see it I get the       'Lemon Tree" song playing in my head.  Oh no, there it goes again.  "Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

Soup Man

Well, this picture doesn't really fit into any of the themes but I thought I had to include it, especially for any Seinfeld fans who might be following my blog.  This is the where the line, "No soup for you." originated.  We didn't get a chance to stop by for a bowl of soup but I managed to snap a picture of the sign as our tour bus went by.  So there was no soup for us.

Texture - Prickly Cactus

A macro shot of a cactus we have on the windowsill in the washroom.  I thought this would be a good picture for this theme as it has a variety of textures. 

Landmark - Grand Central Station

While in New York City we had to visit Grand Central Station.  This is definitely a well known landmark and has been portrayed in many movies and shows.  I have to say it's definitely the most beautiful train station I've ever seen. Peg couldn't stop looking upwards!

Foolish and Fun

Spent Friday, April 5th at the Museum of Civilization here in Quebec City.  No, I wasn't visiting the exhibits.  I was attending our Annual Regional Robotic 'Amicale" (loosely translated ...a friendly meet).  I was responsible for taking the photos.  Our School Board had 4 teams participating and one of them placed 2nd. There were 17 elementary teams and 11 high school teams.
This young man is from one of our schools and was having some fun.  He seems to be a very happy young man and his smile is contagious. A great reminder to take time every day to let yourself be a little, or a lot, silly.

Eyes Closed and Dreaming

My friendly Mourning Doves have become regular visitors in our backyard.  I caught one of them taking a nap on the deck railing.  I don't know for sure if he/she is dreaming but I figured the picture fit the eyes closed part of the theme.
I'm hoping the doves build their nest somewhere nearby and lay some eggs this spring/summer.  Only time will tell. 

Profile

Spent a week at my former school, Everest.  On the last day of school before the Easter break, the P.P.O. (Parent Participation Organization) organized a sugar shack event for the students.  They set up in the back yard and kids and teachers enjoyed sugar on snow.  I snapped a few pictures after enjoying my sweet treat.  This is Valerie, one of the PreK teachers.  I snapped her photo while she was busy supervising her students. 

Sweet Treat

We were celebrating Tara Lee's birthday at work so I asked Peg to make her infamous chocolate cake.  This treat is indeed delicious but very rich.  We only make it when we know we will have lots of friends to share it with.  Heck, if we're going down we're taking y'all with us.

A Performance in New York

Spent the first part of March break in New York City.  It was my first time in the Big Apple and we had a great time.  Captured this picture of the Statue of Liberty (nope, not the original) while walking around Times Square one evening.  New York is one busy city with so much to see and do.  I will definitely have to head back again one day, hopefully when the weather is a bit warmer.

A Tree in Hiding

 Once again, I've let myself get way behind in posting my pics.  I'm continuing to use Katrina Kennedy's daily suggestions.  Yes, there is a tree underneath the snow and cover.  This is my lilac tree that we planted three years ago.  It has yet to get any flowers but I'm feeling hopeful for this year.  If it does bloom I can guarantee I will capture the moment.  Until then, we're just waiting patiently, or not so patiently, for all the snow to melt.

Napping

February 5th's photo prompt from Katrina Kennedy was 'Nap'. I captured these Mourning Doves trying to catch a view winks and stay out of the snow.  This is one of my favourite birds and I love hearing its soft cooing.  I was very surprised to see these two on our deck and ran to get my camera right away.  I didn't want to scare them away so I took the pictures from the inside of our French doors.  I accidentally banged the window a couple of times with my lens but it didn't seem to bother them at all.  They just looked at me and then went back to relaxing.  There stayed on the deck for a couple of hours and eventually moved under one of the benches when it started to snow.  I haven't seen them since but am hoping they come back again to visit or maybe catch a few winks.

Colour from the Garden or Vase

Tomorrow's photo prompt is "Colour from the Garden".  Since the only colour in our garden right now is white snow, I decided to take pictures of the tulips and daffodils we bought to add some colour to our dining room.  The tulips are in a vase but the daffodil bulbs will be planted in our garden come spring time. 

More than One - Marbles

 One of February's Photo Challenges is "More than One".  Peg suggested I use marbles.  I wanted to take the pictures outside but the new snow made it a bit challenging.  I decided to settle for the dining room table.  I played with various angles and lenses.  My Macro seemed to work best.  I chose these 2 angles and played with various presets in Lightroom.
One of our godsons LOVES playing with marbles and is just learning the different rules.  His birthday is in April and Peg and I thought we could make him a picture book with descriptions of different game versions and rules.  Hopefully all the snow will be gone in time so I can take my next marble pictures out in the sand.

Angel of Happiness

Pictured above is our Angel of Happiness.  Unfortunately, shortly after taking this shot, she fell off the table and broke.  Not so sure she's still happy.
Took this picture using my black cloth background.  During processing I used the brush to make what are supposed to be stars.

A Proud Moment

For this entry I was to take a picture showing pride.  Although I am in this picture and it was taken with my camera, it was my friend Debbie Markous who snapped this shot.  She was in charge of taking pictures while the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, was visiting one of our schools.  He and I are pictured here discussing the benefits of robotics in school.  We were both impressed with what today's students are capable of doing with technology. It was a privilege to speak with such a human and empathetic gentleman. He and his wife touched us all with their enthusiasm and support.
I was proud of our students and staff and honoured to be part of this event.  

L-O-V-E Spells Love

Okay, I promise this will be the last post using the word love or hearts, for a while anyway.  Used a combination of Scrabble letters and wooden hearts.  Gave it a red tint during post editing.  This word may only be worth 7 points during a Scrabble game but outside of the game, priceless.

Love is in the Cards

Got this idea from Katrina's Valentine's Day Photo Prompt which was, you guessed it, LOVE.  Her picture really caught my eye and I wanted to try the post editing.  I'm pretty happy with the results but now that I'm looking at it, realize the L (or 7) is at too much of an angle.  The cards I used are the 7, Queen, Ace and 3 of Hearts.  The editing was pretty easy.  

So, I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  Hopefully, love is in the cards for you today and everyday. 

Amour = Love

The theme Katrina assigned for today was "A Pop of Red".  I tried a few things and decided I would use red but have the white 'pop' out.  I used cinnamon hearts as the background and one white sweetheart among the bunch.  Normally, I don't like the effects of a flash but this time around I like the reflections it created on the cinnamon hearts.  I also used the Hawaii Five-0 preset in Lightroom to have the red of the candies and writing appear to be different shades of the same red.
I wish you and your families much amour (love) and happiness.