postaday

This Aint No Shangri – La

/ Janna Hill / 6 Comments

With the recent rain in this area of Texas the ground is finally saturated blessing us with new blooms, mushrooms and a fresh ration of mosquitoes.

As I frolic in a sun drenched oak savannah dotted with Crepe Myrtle blossoms I imagine paradise. That is until the growing hum of hungry vampires converge upon me and I find myself running for shelter while Don Henley lyrics (Shangri – La) play over and over in my head. This ain’t no Shangri – La (hmm-hmm). Nobody Knows no Shangri -La (hmm-hmm).

Thanks to the weekly photo challenge for prompting this exploit.

A Look Inside: Bookfest

/ Janna Hill / 4 Comments

This weeks photo challenge correlated fabulously with a post I had planned for My Indie Adventures.

As a few of you may know I attended the East Texas Bookfest this past Saturday. What you may not know is that it was my first.  Of course I marched up in there like an old crow pro because I refuse to be intimidated.

The event started Friday evening with a reception for the authors at the Potpourri House in Tyler. I had a glass of Chardonnay with a little fruit, cheese and artichoke dip.  The chicken and meat balls looked very appealing but I’m pretty sure I would have choked on them so I had another glass of wine when my handler wasn’t looking.  The receptionThe dip was delicious by the way.

Saturday morning we arrived on time (yay!!) and within minutes our table was set up.

Inside the Bookfest (1)

With all of that out of the way (thank you Kim) I’m like what am I supposed to do now?

What do I do now?

What do I do now?

Thank goodness I just happen to have a camera hanging around my neck so I roamed around taking pictures.

Bill Keith poses with The Commisssioner
An interesting display
Look, Don takes Mastercard and Visa
Oh she has T- shirts
Pst, the cake is made of paper. It tastes like cardboard.
Signing is a serious business
Sorry [lady on the left] erotica is prohibited
Hmm, is that a real interview…

Maybe taking pictures was not exactly what I was supposed to be doing and I probably shouldn’t have let people think I was with the press…  Oh well it was another funtastic indie adventure and a chance to see the inside working of a book festival.

Weekly Photo Challenge: An Unusual POV

/ Janna Hill / 18 Comments

I didn’t post for last week’s challenge “Sea” so consider this sea of pictures my atonement. See what I did there? Hardy har har. I crack me up. :D.

I didn’t go out and take photos today because I have a note from my supervisor (which I just typed) instructing me to use shots taken last month at Lake Fork. No really! Honestly I have been busy getting ready for the East Texas Bookfest I’ll be attending next Saturday. Yep. If you’re out and about in Tyler Texas September 14th from 10am -4pm stop in at The Tyler Rose Garden Center and say hi.

It may not be unusual but my POV came from the passenger seat of a souped up high-speed golf cart. Yes I said cart because it’s not really a car and this thing was sooo fast…. Okay maybe it was just a worn out E-Z-Go that topped out at 7 mph on a downhill slope but after a six pack of LIME-A-RITA it felt fast- especially after going ridiculously slow up the hills. The poor menfolk had to take a couple of breaks. They must seriously be out of shape because I could hear them moaning and groaning – I think one of them fell and hit his chin on the rear bumper but he wasn’t bleeding. Me being the empowering coach that I am reminded them it’s only a half-ton electric toy and I weigh 130 pounds – suck it up and mush! They are good sports and kept us cruising with ice cold beverages and I got a few neat photos.

Evenings to be Savored
Lake Fork at Sunset

Anywho… Thanks to The Daily Post for presenting this photo challenge. It offers a break from the monotony and I was able to relive a few lol moments. And thank you lake-dwellers for your hospitality. It was an enjoyable experience, at least for those of us who didn’t have to push 😉

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Carefree

/ Janna Hill / 19 Comments

This weeks photo challenge CAREFREE is brought to you by Sheri Bigelow . Sheri says, Summer memories make everything feel magical to me — carefree and untroubled. Even on the trips where everything went wrong, I look back and smile at the narrow escapes, or the long walks on a beach while I sorted out and righted the world. Whether a good memory was made in years past, yesterday, or only moments ago, I love letting the nostalgia wrap me up — like a borrowed sweater on a cold summer night. Even more, I love making new memories: a carefree summer at the lake, a stroll through the park, dancing in the rain… then all I need to do is remember, and the same carefree feeling washes over me. Thanks Sheri.

A happy child at play soothes my ragged spirit.

 

Touching the sky at Keller Bay

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour

/ Janna Hill / 18 Comments

On the Road at Sunrise is for this weeks photo challenge The Golden Hour. I know I skipped last weeks challenge, sorry.

Breaking Dawn South Texas

Here are a few beautiful sunsets on the water taken for last months challenge Fleeting.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Companionable

/ Janna Hill / 9 Comments

Companionable

That is an odd sounding word, isn’t it? It is also the theme for this week’s photo challenge. Michelle was pretty clever with that wasn’t she?

So why squirrels and a tomatoes you ask? Because of the companionability!

Believe it or not squirrels and I are quite chummy. We have many likes in common and get along very well. Well, until they get greedy with the tomatoes and then we have dumplings in common.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

/ Janna Hill / 17 Comments

Photo challenge + Family + Father’s Day = gobs (yes gobs) of fun!

 

Don’t expect to see the #1 son and the husband. They hid in the shadows drinking Dos Equis because they are the most interesting men in the world. No really! I had a few of those lovely green bottles and I must admit it was pretty exciting. 😉

Where the dirt road curves …
Lightening Meadow
Straight shooting curves.
All sorts of curving going on in this scene.
Tired watermelon faces
Dry curves….

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

/ Janna Hill / 18 Comments

I have no photo of my head in the sand, which would be appropriate while admitting I do not want to deal with my current reality. My mother is ill… critically ill and I am a “mama’s girl” which I admit without shame.

She is/has always been my touchstone, my constant reminder to move forward despite obstacles, my assurance that ‘this too shall pass’… Tonight she lays in an Intensive care unit fighting for her life  and I long for a quiet place in a green meadow beneath a sunrise to remind me how marvelous nature is even as life takes its course . Pleading to the heavens not now… not now. Let me sit on the green meadow and meditate on the rising sun of hope. Let me find the courage to endure whatever the future holds. I can hear her gentle whisper,”Keep your obligations. Move on and do not look back except for a glimpse and a smile.”

Escape

Longing for serenity

I am trying  mother. And here is my submission for this weeks photo challenge : Escape.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern

/ Janna Hill / 25 Comments

Sara Rosso posted a beautiful example for this weeks photo challenge.

This weeks theme is Pattern. I have been doing a little sewing (a little is all I know how to do) but that is not the pattern Sara had in mind. Shucks! I had just relearned how to load the bobbin.

Oh well, look at this cool Polyphemus I found last week.

Polyphemus Mammoth Moth in Summer

And this is what he/she looked like in November. Not the same pattern but lovely still. Polyphemus caterpillar in Fall

Alas I ate a portion so you could see the pattern here. Yum Hmm, the sacrifices I make. 😉 Mothers Day Strawberry