A Wannabe Photographer's Journey

Update

2010-02-20T11:07:00.002-05:00

I have not been out with my camera in months now. I miss it. I was in the forum that I love being in and it reminded me what it was I loved about taking photos. It makes me want to get up and go take photos of something, but my car has no brakes and it's too cold for my leg to let me walk anywhere near home that is interesting to me.

I lost my way along this journey in life. I am finding it again slowly. I have made some pretty major discoveries about myself. I pushed myself too far and I broke. I thought I could take something horrible and help myself threw it by facing it head on, I am certain I should not have done that, but I am not going to regret trying either.

It should be interesting to see what happens when I pick up the camera again, That won't be until nicer weather comes. The winter months are hard for me to go out and shoot because I have a steel plate in my leg, and the cold does not mix well with that.

I hope you are all doing well.

Update ...

2009-11-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

Well, The car is all fixed. It looks like it was never in an accident. I have no desire to drive it, The husband things I will change my mind, but once I usually make up my mind, I stick to it. It is just making up my mind that is usually the issue.

I just need my arm to fall in line, Working with the pain in it is really hard because I type for a living. I have been doing it one handed, and it is annoying and slow. I have pain control medication, but ... I do not think my boss would like it if I were sleeping on the clock.

I have not been out to shoot in a few months now. I have the occasional thing, Like the arrival of the Great Nephew (family stuff), but nothing that I can really post.

Hope all is well with my readers. Take care all. I will get out shooting again soon, just need to get past the recovery stage from the accident first or the Capture Rochester Party, Whichever comes first.

Little Daniel

2009-11-02T05:37:00.010-05:00

We were recently blessed with a new addition to our family over the holiday weekend, and I was lucky enough to be able to witness his arrival. I have never seen a hospital that would let the whole family stay to witness a child's birth until little Daniel was born. If the mother wants the family there, She can have them. I have never been blessed enough to conceive a child, but I feel blessed that my nephew's girlfriend let me stay to watch little Daniel's birth.

Daniel Joseph - Born: 10/30/09 - Time: 11:04am - Weight: 6lbs. 2oz. - Length: 20 Inches

Road of Destruction

2009-10-21T11:54:00.005-04:00

I was driving home this past Monday night from work when this ...
(Yes it is the actual deer that did the below damage, my husband took the photo)

decided to jump out in the middle of the road without any warning, and I never saw it until it did this ...
to my husband's car. I was alone. My car had an issue and I could not drive it, so he let me borrow his. I bet he will think twice before that happens ever again. The radiator is shot also. I am not sure of all of the damage as of yet, but I am sure there is more. I felt like I hit a brick wall, not a deer.

Chittenango Creek

2009-09-23T18:06:00.010-04:00

I do not really have the ability anymore to adventure on this creek the way I want to, so I picked a place I could pull my car off the road safely on and walked to the creek shore. I wanted to get right down into the creek, but I was afraid I would fall and break myself in some other location upon myself, so I did not try this. I found a spot along the creek that I liked with a small cascade in it and shot it from different angles.

The sun was behind me. I think I like the affect, but it also makes it too dark in other places, and I am not all that experienced at "fixing" things like this, but I do like how a lot of the images turned out. Here is another image from this shoot.

I also took this shot in black and white format. I think I like it better that way ... I enjoy Black and White Photography a lot. It is simple, yet very beautiful in it's own way.

Endless Mountains

2009-09-23T17:44:00.007-04:00

Okay ... I never got to go on my little wind back in time trip. I decided I was not really into seeing if I could find myself in a situation I would not want to be in, so I decided I would do something I have been wanting to do for a while instead, and had the time to do it. I have got this thing for the hills surrounding the area I live in. They are all around me, it does not matter which direction you turn in .. They are there. I decided I wanted to try out a few different shots because I have never really given landscape shots a fair chance to really bloom. Here are a few of my favorites.

Time Out

2009-08-27T21:59:00.003-04:00

I have taken a bit of a time out from my camera. Life has offered me some serious challenges in the past couple of months, and I just needed to take a step back. For those of you that know me, I am a lot better now and will be getting back out there is weekend before I loose the rest of the summer, so that means ... I will have some new images.

Better Time and Places

2009-07-21T16:16:00.015-04:00

Well ... I am doing better than I was doing last week. I feel almost human again, and I have not talked to my father since all of that stuff started. I feel better knowing that my heart is okay though, let's just say it got worse before it got better. I now have something to help when things get like that.

I have been out trying to shoot the last couple of weekends. I did not get much this past weekend because the place I wanted to shoot at ... all it did was rain all day. My niece got crowned Lumberjill, This is a big thing in the town she lives in, and I planned on shooting some photos with her in her pretty yellow borrowed dress, but because of the weather all I could do was watch.

I took some shots of a few things I found a little interesting. I have always loved vines that cover a building. I am not sure why I think they are so pretty, but I do ... So here are a couple of shots of that sort.

I just enjoy being outdoors once in a while, so much that I cannot help but take pictures of the things I see .. more for the memories of seeing them than anything. I went to Emerson Park in Auburn, NY this past weekend and it is one of my favorite parks in this area because it has some history. I took this shot just as the outdoor walk path light turned on.

I plan on getting out again this coming up weekend. I am not sure where I am going to yet. I feel one of those trips coming on that happens by pointing in a direction an driving in it to see where it leads me. I have been wanting to take a drive down to a place in Pennsylvania I lived years ago .. Who knows I may end up in that direction.

America in the Forest

2009-07-12T02:42:00.005-04:00

I took a drive in the state forest a couple of days ago and came across something beautiful ...

I messed with the image threw photoshop because the amount of light in the opening over exposed the image and I only shot it once. If you follow the trail, from what I was told ... there are tombstone from the 1600's and 1700's. I plan to visit this site again to verify this and get GPS coordinates to share with others that might be interested in checking out the place.

What to do???

2009-07-12T02:15:00.004-04:00

I swore to myself when I started this blog I was not going to get too personal, but I really just need to get something off my mind so I can try to go back to bed. I got a phone call at about 11pm tonight (07/11/09) from a family member that was so drunk and my guess was looking to hurt someone ... Well I guess I was the target. I normally do not answer the phone in the middle of the night, but this person has known health issues, and I am the closet relative with any say so and I thought at this hour something was wrong, and apparently it was me. I should by all rights not care two beans about this person, they have caused me nothing but pain for the last 16 years of my life, but that is just not the way I am.

I was called just to be reminded about the abuse I suffered as a child by someone that I worshipped until the last time it happened to me. I was removed from the situation and placed in a series of foster homes to deal with the after affects a lone, but I was willing to let it all go and try again after 16 years, just to get it tossed at me that the whole thing was my fault. I just sat there crying listening to this, I started having a panic attack remembering exactly what happened and thinking ... why can't he just stop doing this to me. I know I let him call me, so that is my fault, but for him to call me to do this is mean.

The last time he was drunk he fell and busted his head open on his motorcycle ... My brother and I went to the hospital he was taken to and spent over 14 hours trying to convince these people to release him to us and I almost went to jail for defending him. I think I need to stop this from happening, but this person was once very important to me. I don't know what to do, I just know I feel hurt all over again.

Reflective

2009-07-08T16:00:00.005-04:00

I have never really went as far as trying a reflective shot before. I was sitting at a local park waiting for a friend one day this past week and decided to give it a try from the mirror on my driver side door. Here is what I got. I decided to shoot it in Black and White because that is my favorite form. I used a photoshop Elements 6 Enhancement on the image called Poster Edges for additional effects. I kind of like it. I might have to try some other types of subjects in this reflective style.

Bright Colors & Flowers

2009-07-08T15:55:00.006-04:00

I have loved lillies since I can remember. I have been playing around with different editing techniques for some time now, and I decided to try some enhancement techniques. I wish flowers really looked this bright sometimes. I have always loved the way a flower looked after a fresh rain and decided to see if I could get a decent shot to use on my computer.

Old Time & Tractors

2009-07-06T16:36:00.007-04:00

Man ... I really need to get some posting done. I have some things ready to post, but I just have not had the time to do it. I messed up my back trying to put the groceries in the truck of the car a little over a week ago ... The drive home sucked!!! I went alone.

On a brighter note ... before that happened I got out to visit my father. It is always a very hard thing for me to do because of things that have happened between us, but I decided it was a growing experience I needed to do. It makes me stronger in the long run, so it's worth it. He has this really old tractor out at his place, and I took an interesting shot of it.

I am not sure what it was about this tractor that got my attention, but it seemed like something unusual to photograph, and I decided to give it a try. More to come within a few days. I have a few from the past few weeks I really want to get posted and share. I have been out doing some experimenting since I can move around better now.

Seneca Park Zoo - Trip 2

2009-06-08T18:02:00.016-04:00

I decided to take a trip with my cousin to Rochester the last Saturday in May. I had a whole day planned, but it did not work out. We went to the Seneca Park Zoo and went to a local pizza place in West Henrietta (Which by the way had excellent pizza). My ankle had swollen up pretty bad as it usually does when I get too active. I wish I could have prevented that accident from ever taking place, my adventures would be more fun and a lot more productive if I did not have all of the issues to deal with that came with my injury. I get by however ... It's just a pain a lot of the time and prevents me from doing things I want to do in a lot of ways.

I got to take some photos while I was at the zoo. I did not go past the Polar Bears the last time I went to this zoo because I was a little worried about the small hill to finish out the zoo, but I decided to try it this time. I found a new animals that were not there the last time I was there, They are the Olive Baboons. I just love their attitudes. We sat and watched them for about 10 minutes, and I found it funny how the one mother was like ... Get off me to her babies. She took off running with them trying to keep up.

Spotted Hyenas We saw quite a few different animals, I only took photos of a few because I just did not feel like trying to get my camera to behave on some of the inside exhibits. We skipped the building with the insects and frogs in it all together. I guess I just don't get all excited over things hopping and swimming around. I love the big animals, You know ...

Olive Baboons

White Tiger (Just A Zoo Visitor)

Polar BearsBig beautiful creatures of the world. I wanted to check out some of the Cemeteries, and some of the downtown sites ... but I guess that will have to happen another time. I think I tired out my cousin after the zoo, and I think she felt bad about my leg, but there is nothing I can do about it, It is what it is and I live with it.

See more photos at Flickr

Children

2009-06-06T13:43:00.003-04:00

I totally love taking photos of children. They are always doing something that makes you want to laugh. I would have to say babies are among my favorites because of their beautiful smiles.

Proms

2009-06-01T12:34:00.008-04:00

I got the chance to work with my cousins by marriage and take so pictures of them before they went of to her prom this past week. Sarah and Dan are a lot of fun to work with, They add a lot of comedy to their photos. I am not sure who had more fun out of the three of us, but here are a few of the shots I kept.

First Random Outing Of 2009

2009-05-27T16:51:00.009-04:00

My husband and I got in the car over the holiday weekend and drove to the gas station, filled it up, picked a direction and just drove. We have not been able to afford to do this for a while, but decided the block party that was forming around our house for the second day in a row was getting a little out of hand, and I wanted to get out and shoot some sunsets. We drove around Cayuga Lake. I had a blast, and he took a much needed nap. Here are a few of the things I came back with.

First stop ... Taughannock Falls

This was taken along some side road along the lake

A wonderful sunset

I love just getting in the car and going. You never know what you will come back with until you upload it to the computer and take a good look at it. My next adventure is to Rochester this coming weekend. I hope I will come back with some good stuff. My cousin Erma is coming with me. We planned to check out Letchworth State Park, George Eastman House, Seneca Park Zoo, and some of the surrounding parks, waterfalls and whatever else we come across.

Bridges

2009-05-20T16:59:00.004-04:00

I have actually been out to shoot some new things. New posts will be coming soon.

Threw An Opening

2009-05-06T18:05:00.004-04:00

May's challenge should be fun it is called threw an opening ... Imagine the possibilities. I will be working a lot with that this month. I am feeling the need to be out in new places and seeing new things. I cannot wait to see what I come back with. Both of the images below were taken at Cornell Plantations.

Selective Focus

2009-05-06T17:56:00.004-04:00

Last month we had a photo challenge within the online community I am part of and it was called Selective Focus. With this technique, we can choose one part of the image to be sharp and in focus, while the rest of the image is kept out of focus.

I very recently took my camera back out to start carrying around with me again until the colder weather comes back again. I do not hold up well in colder weather ... So I put my camera in the closet in a safe place and wait for the warmer days to come visit.

I have never really done anything with selective focus before, and I will continue to work with it as I learn. Here is my second attempt with working with what I perceive as Selective Focus.

My Crazy Little Guy ...

2009-04-25T16:50:00.003-04:00

I think I had the biggest scare of my life for this week. I thought I was going to have to have my 2 year old Cat put to sleep. He some how got this common feline disease that causes Urinary Tract issues, and he stopped eating, drinking and using the litter pan. I took him to the vet who kept him over night and gave him IV therapy and started him on an antibiotic immediately.

His condition has improved and he is home now, but the bad news is that he could get it back!! I do not think I like that part. I just hope this was a one time thing and he does not have to suffer like that again, because I would hate to have to put him to sleep, and I will if it comes to it. I will break my heart if it has to happen ... He snuggles and loves to be cuddled all the time. The other 2 cats are all about my husband. This cat makes life a lot more interesting.

For those of you that have not seen him ... Here he is (This image of him if from last year).

Campus Cemetery

2009-04-21T13:31:00.007-04:00

I have to get back to this cemetery when the ground is not so soft. I found a lot of interesting headstones and various other things in it, but the ground was just too soft to be walking around on so this photo was all I took. It is located near Cornell University off from Stewart Ave in Ithaca. This was the only part of this stone that I found, I wonder where the rest of it is. I hope it finds it's way back to it's resting place.

Visiting Family

2009-04-21T13:15:00.007-04:00

I have not really been up to blogging or much of anything for a couple of weeks now, but I finally got out an took a few photos ... they are not processed yet, but I have some to share from the tail end of march.

My Niece taking a walk up the creek near her house

and the kittens trailing behind us

a boulder in the creek

okay not all that great, but better than nothing.

Geting Out

2009-04-09T11:33:00.003-04:00

Well ... I think this weekend if the weather stays nice, I will get out with the camera for the first time in well over a month, minus the recent visit to see my brother and his family as well as my mother's boyfriend's birthday party.

I guess I just have not really been in the mood to get out. I have been sick of the Winter now for about a month and just did not want to go out when it has been cold. I just kept getting sick every time I tried, So I gave up. I cannot afford the medical bills that go with getting sick all of the time. I have some insurance, but the co-pays were starting to take a toll on an already very tight budget.

I am looking forward to getting out with the camera ... So I will be posting again soon, I hope!

Random Outing #3

2009-03-09T12:15:00.014-04:00

I love just going out and getting in the car, picking a direction and driving in it. I never know what I will find to take pictures of while I am out. It was raining all day, and I decided to shoot in it anyways. I got some really interesting photographs from the mix I took.

This set of images were taken near the Cayuga Lake area

Forever To Be Gone

2009-03-07T19:47:00.009-05:00

I took a drive into the city today on my way to work, and I wanted to see if the demolition of the Ithaca Gun factory had begun and it has. I took a few shots of the remaining building before it is completely gone forever. The weather was a bit on the dreadful side, but all in all I think the images came out okay. Here is what I ended up with ...

My Special Girl ...

2009-03-04T11:22:00.007-05:00

Catchy title huh? Makes you wonder who I am talking about I bet ... lol. I thought it might, I know some of my readers have seen her before, but may not know anything more about her than her age .. Which as of February 28th, is now 19 years old.

I would like you all to meet someone that has been a really big part of my life for the last 19 years and has helped me threw a lot of stuff, and when her time comes to leave this world, a piece of me will leave with her.

This is Kara, She is a Black Tiger Tabby ... Who has a stunning personality! She is playful, and smart ... and loving just when you need her to be, but she is scared of everything that she does not know. I just wanted to put her in the spot light .. because she is just so very special to me.

Comments on my posts ...

2009-03-02T15:57:00.010-05:00

To my normal readers ... This has nothing to do with you, so please do not feel offended by it, I just think my past is starting to come to haunt me here ... and to think ... I thought I could get away from that nightmare if I just ignored it ... I guess the joke is on me. I was hoping I would not have to deal with these people harassing me here, but I just might have to. I thought I would never have to touch this subject here, but I guess I will have to.

I erased a comment today from my last post that I found to be a bit rude. I accidentally spelled Random ... Randon ... Oops!! We all have our days. I do a lot of typing in a day typically, and I sometimes make mistakes ... We are all human, if one cannot deal with that fact!! I guess it would have to suck to be you!!

I guess all I can really say to people who think they are better than the next person is ... If you do not like something someone writes, says, does or what have you than you have the choice to not bother with it and move on. It really is just that simple!!

I am not going to take it from anyone here ... This is my little place on the Internet, and I won't have mean people ruining it for me. You comments will be deleted it they are rude, hurtful, or just plain uncalled for ... and that is the bottom line!

Random Outing #2

2009-02-28T17:35:00.010-05:00

I got out for about an hour or so yesterday to shoot after all of the running around I get to do on Fridays. I was feeling one of the fabulous black and white image moods so that is what I shot. I had been looking at this location for a few days. I drive by it a lot to take my husband to work, and I liked the lack of light yesterday so ... I stopped. Here's what I came back with ...

I was trying to hook up with my cousin who offered me a sweet deal. She would teach me all she knew about photography if I taught her how to post in the online community I talked her into joining a while ago. She has been really busy with school and has not had the time to learn about posting. I told her of course she has a deal. I can show her how to do that stuff in 10 minutes flat, unlike me she can remember things ... So I am sure I will only have to go threw it all once.

I also took another image that I wanted to post in this posting, I also took one of the photos and did some filter work to it. I used Poster Edges and Ink Outlines on it!! ... So enough with the excited rambling, and on with the photos already!!

My Dream Camera

2009-02-25T16:21:00.009-05:00

Okay ... I have my dream camera, It is kind of an oldie I guess, but it is the Nikon D40 SLR. I have always enjoyed Nikon camera. I have a close friend that has used Nikon for years. I used to shoot with it, but I never did the set up for shooting, He did. I wish he still lived around here because I would love to learn from him now. I have been pricing the camera at different places and it costs from 399.00 to 799.00 depending on the place.

My cousin just got one .. So I am going to be able to see some of it's work close up in the near future. She is going to be a photography graduate this coming year from one of our local community colleges. We are planning some outings ... I can say that I cannot wait. I think all of this might be re-newing my excitement with taking photos ... and I know I needed that. I was starting to not care if I ever picked up a camera again. I am sure that thought was born of having to spend more time alone, Which I already do enough already because the husband and I work different schedules now and have been for a while (since my freaking car broke down majorly again!!!).

Filter Fun And Bad Shots

2009-02-25T11:43:00.007-05:00

I got to messing around with images and photo filters in elements 6 again, and this time I took some images that I would have other wise deleted because they came out really blurry, but I added some photo editing touches and this is what I came up with ...

So I now know that all bad images might not be so bad after applying some filters and making some adjustments ... You might actually get something a little creepy or a little interesting at least.

Happy Birthday ....

2009-02-18T18:12:00.003-05:00

Today I turn 34 years old. Most woman won't tell you their age, but .. I am not most woman and think age is just a freaking number. You are only as old as you feel, and today for the first time in about 3 1/2 weeks I feel like myself, and I like it a lot, but I find myself wondering where time has went. I guess sometimes life passes us by and we do not even see it, much less realize it. I just took this photo the other day while I was sitting on the side of the road on a bridge railing just watching the sky and taking in the fresh crisp air. I have not done any processing on it because I seem to like it just as is, in-fact I have it as my desktop at work because it is something other than snow. I really do not have anything to say, I just felt like sharing my good mood with someone because the bad mood I have been in since I got sick is finally lifting and feels great!!

Filter Experimentation

2009-02-16T05:46:00.007-05:00

In the forum I am part of we had a photo challenge this month on experimenting with filters. I was debating on taking part in it because I have not really been out too much shooting lately, but I had some shots that I had not processed that I was thinking od dumping because they just did not turn out the way I wanted them to, So I turned them into something to experiement with in Photoshop Elements 6. Here's what I came up with. The filters I used were Glowing Edges, Neon Glow, Ink Outlines, Poster Edges, Gaussian Blur, and Diffusion Glow.

Snow And Ice

2009-02-14T17:07:00.009-05:00

I finally got out the other day. I did not last too long before I felt like someone stabbed me in the lung with a fork, but I got a few shots! These shots are not my best by far, but my mood was a lot different than normal when I go out shooting. I shot these images with conversion to black and white in mind. I love shooting with that process in mind ... I always have.

This image is of a small snow covered stream in the middle of no where

This image was taken at Buttermilk Falls State Park

This image was also taken at Buttermilk Falls State Park

Update ...

2009-02-09T13:48:00.006-05:00

I have not really been out to shoot anything for a couple of weeks because walking out the front door was something that felt like death to me because of the cold air going into my lungs. I have a really bad case of Bronchitis. I am doing a little bit better this week, but they think I might have Asthma now and that is what is causing all the lung problems ... Ugg!! Does the freaking list ever end. I kid you not, It feels like the older I get ... The more I seem to fall apart. I think I have had enough of that for a while. I would love to go more than a month before the next attack happens. I go to walk out my door and I cough for about a half hour straight! Going to work has been a challenger, but I need the money to pay my bills and I do not have one of those jobs that pays sick time, much less anything else. I did stay home Tuesday last week because I could barely move due to the Migraines I have been getting from the coughing.

I now have to deal with an inhaler, Prednisone, antibiotics, and Cough syrup with codeine! I guess it could be a lot worse .. I could be in the hospital right? .. lol. I am hoping it does not take as long as the doctors say to kick this round, because this one has been painful both physically and emotionally. I am doing pretty good so far ... I can talk this week, that is more than I could do last week, So I am getting better slowly I guess.

Sick And Stuck In #3

2009-02-01T14:28:00.007-05:00

This is the 3rd and final set in this series. I have a lot more to process, but I have been spending a fair share of time sleeping off this illness. I cannot wait for the medication to start working. So without further re due the final photos.

Sick And Stuck In #2

2009-02-01T14:19:00.009-05:00

I decided to split this editing session into a few different posts because I have quite a few photos that I have never posted before that I got cleaned up and ready to share. I still think that I love the Black and White photos the best of everything I have done, minus a few color photos here and there. Here is the next set in the batch.

Sick And Stuck In ...

2009-02-01T01:28:00.011-05:00

Well ... I got to make a small visit to the emergency room yesterday morning because I could not breath right and I was vomiting blood. Diagnosis is ... A serious case of Bronchitis. I went from having a sore throat the night before to this with in 12 hours. I now have an inhaler to use, an antibiotic, a decongestant, and a peak flow meter (which measures my breathing).

I decided it was a good time to sit down and edit some photos ... Here are some of the ones I edited tonight.

Returning to Places Again

2009-01-25T21:52:00.013-05:00

I read a blog by a fellow blogger / photographer that made me want to post a few photos on the same type of subject. I went to Chittenango Falls State Park quite a few times within the last couple of years and I took photos of two different points above the falls at two different times of the year. These photos are in an unedited state and straight from my camera. I saved them to a CD for editing at a later date, but I have not gotten around to it, I am just using them for topic.

Taken 10/02/07

Taken 01/19/08

The angles on this next set might be slightly different, but I was standing in the same place as I was the first time around. The only difference between the 2007 photos and the 2008 photos is the camera I used to take them with. I started off with a Kodak Easyshare C310 and graduated to a Kodak Easyshare ZD710.

Taken 09/14/07

Taken 01/19/08

I have always thought it was amazing how much the seasons can change the appearance of a place. I love this waterfall the best during the winter season. It is a very special place to me. I go here when I just want to get lost and take lots of pictures because the beauty of it for me is just the beginning.

Another Trip To The Zoo

2009-01-18T20:38:00.008-05:00

I went to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo At Burnett Park for the second time yesterday to participate in the Winter At The Zoo Photography Contest. I was really disappointed because it was too cold out for the African Lions to be out. I really wanted to see them playing in the snow, but maybe I can get out there again before Winter ends, but the weather is warmer. I got a few shots while I was there, but not too many because most of the animals were in their indoor habitats and could not be viewed.

River Otters

Asian Elephant - Male - Born 1972 in Thailand

Mandrill

This shot of the Mandrill is a bit shaky. I forgot to bring my mono pod, but I am posting it because it was so sweet. The intensity these two Mandrill shared in the 10 minutes I stood there looking at them was amazing.

A New Experience

2009-01-16T17:22:00.009-05:00

I got to do what to me was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to date, and I now see the beauty in a creature that I thought all it did was scrounge for food and take a crap on whatever it was near. The local seagull population.

I meet a professional photographer today at a local park here in Ithaca. I was watching him shoot, and he asked me if I wanted to help him. Of course I jumped at this opportunity. He talked with me like I was a person while he had me throw food into the air for seagulls to fly around above my head while he shot them flying.

I had one of the birds so close to me ... I could have reached out and touched it if I wanted to. I was a little frightened at first of one biting me, but that wore off fast. I think the temperature was no more than in the single digits today, and I won't lie ... I am still really cold. I was out there for like 45 minutes with him, and it only seems like 10 minutes. I had the time of my life.

I cannot remember doing anything more fun. I hope that one day I can do that for someone because this man has no idea just how much he made my day. He made me feel like a person with the same interest as he, and he talked to me like a person with feelings. He asked about me, they type of photography I loved the best to this point .... Which by the way is Nature Scenes & Waterfalls. I felt like a human being for the first time in a really long time. It was really nice.

He said he would post some of the finished work on one of his web sites. I cannot wait to see it. He gave me his business card to I had his web sites information. I hope I might run into him again someday, He seemed like a wonderful man ... and a certainly enjoyed spending that time with him and the seagulls.

Indoor Disaster?

2009-01-15T23:21:00.009-05:00

I decided to try out some indoor photography tonight because I am tired of just going to work and coming home, and I think I am going to have to look up somethings to help me with this issue because I cannot seem to get the lighting right. It might have been the combination of the last of light I used and the candles I am not sure. Here are the photos I took using some editing software (Photoshop Elements 6).

This photo I tried not so use the flash because I wanted to see the detail in the candle as well as the light from the candle.

In this photo I tried to darken it some because it was really bright. I think I just have too many elements going at the same time. The dark background, The candle light, and not enough or too much back lighting.

I like the composition of this photo, but I do not like the way it came out. The original un-edited photo was really bright. I tried it minus the flash and it just came out really blurry. I might try this project again, but not without some serious studying on the topic first.

I like the composition of this photo as well, but I see that it is not as sharp as I would like, and that the candles blurred with the flash ... Just too much wrong.

Tail Light

2009-01-14T11:17:00.007-05:00

Okay ... This one is more of a rant than anything else because when I saw it ... I was a bit upset because my car has been sitting in my driveway for a month and I have not driven it any where.

I went out on one of the many snowy mornings to clean the snow off from my car and start it up so the battery does not die while I wait for it to get warm enough for the hood release to us freeze so I can take my car to get fixed, and as I was cleaning off my car I saw this ...

I was thinking "wtf" that was not like that when I parked it. I think the snow pow hit it, or that crazy freaking neighbor of mine. Because it is an older car ... I do not keep full coverage on it .. So now before I can get it inspected in March I have to come up with the money to replace the darn lens because someone did not tell me they hit my car. I guess it goes to show me that not everyone in the world is honest.

I know it could have been worse, but it is still annoying.

Meet Bigfoot

2009-01-10T19:59:00.005-05:00

This is Bigfoot ... A.K.A Dog as my father calls him. He is one of the cutest dogs I have seen in a while. I am more of a cat person ... as most of you might already know, but this dog holds a special place in my heart. I love his attitude and his nature. He just loves to be loved on. This photo of him wast taken while playing with my husband on the floor at my fathers house.

This is him giving me those sweet and innocent eyes ... he tends to give when he wants attention.

Finally ... We have one that my wonderful husband took while I was getting licked to death by Bigfoot. I usually will not post a photo of myself for any reason, but this one is not too bad!

Stuck In Syracuse

2009-01-05T19:38:00.010-05:00

I went to visit one of my best friends in Syracuse Sunday and an Ice Storm blew threw sometime while I was there. We heard that planes that the local airport could not take off it was so slippery, So we looked out the window and sure enough ... The roads were a sheet of ice. I decided I was not going to head home until the morning because I did not want to have a second visit with Black Ice this winter. I got lucky the first time around ... I did not want to tempt fate.

She has this awesome house that she rents and because her place rocks and mine sucks ... I decided to take some photos while I was there. I seemed to love this wall piece she had hanging from her wall, and I took two photographs of it a black and white shot and a color shot.

I got this new photography book (The Digital Photography Book - By Scott Kelby), and I wanted to try out some of the things it had to make your shots look more like the professionals. Check them out below. I found this book to be pretty easy to understand ... for all I have read of it so far. It covers a lot of stuff, and I cannot wait to get out and try them out.

Those were all that I have processed at this point from my visit. I have a few more keepers to process, but I want to try some other sharpening techniques to them first and I will be posting them.

Brothers

2009-01-03T17:06:00.005-05:00

Today will be my first blog of the new year ... and It is going to have nothing to do with photography because I think I am one of the saddest creatures on the planet today. I started the day on a good note, but my brother called me to finish the fight he started with me the day before because I hung up on him the day before.

I wish I could find a way to make him understand I am not like him ... I do not want to try to have a discussion with someone that is always calling me names or just flat out being an a-hole. I cannot handle his methods of discussion, and it bothers me that I cannot find a way to communicate with him that does not end up in a match that leaves me suffering from a serious anxiety attack.

We come from a very broken home. Our father was not the nicest person in the world, and our mother ... just was not there. She wanted to be I think, but she choose to live vs dying (Which was the choice my father offered). I am not sure if the 20 years that we did not see each other and were not involved in each others lives changed us, but it saved my life. I ended up in a foster home because of some very serious things, and he ended up with one of his aunts.

Anyways ... I called him to ask if he knew anyone that sold used auto parts because I needed I new tail light cover because while my car has been sitting in my driveway broken down ... some jerk hit it and broken the light cover and did not bother to say anything. I do not want to pay $150.00 dollars for one because the car is a 1992 and has quite a few miles on it.

This ended up in a big fight, and resulted in me telling him he was an a-hole and I hung up the phone on him. I guess I added fuel to his fire because he called back today. I guess I should have left my phone off.

I really hate fighting with anyone ... most of all family. I am a very sensitive soul, and I cannot take the things that some people call jokes too well. I used to be able to a long time ago, but I am a different person now. I tried to explain this to him as calmly as possible, and all he said was "I am the way I am and if you do not like it .. I really don't give a F, so you are going to have to learn to deal with it ... or not talk to me again." Well ... I can see what the out come of this is going to be. I am not going to talk to him again more than likely ... because he is not worth having a heart attack over.

Well ... I bet that was hard to even want to read. I just needed some where to go with this because I have no support system on this one, and I cannot leave it sitting inside because it has had me sick all day now, and I need to get out of the rut it set me into. Thanks for reading ... If you have any advise that might help save this relationship ... Please ... I am willing to listen and try it out! I just do not know what else to do. Telling him how I felt just made him madder.

Wonders On Campus

2008-12-31T15:48:00.006-05:00

This is my last post of the year. It is nothing special, but it is a small find on Cornell University College Campus. I was taking a ride threw campus ... Which I sometimes do, and found this little garden.

This is a small garden built on a small hill near the science buildings. I also found a small waterfall in this garden that went from the top of the hill to the bottom of it. I am hoping to get back to it while there is some snow on the ground and some more day light because it is a pretty garden. I also plan to visit it in the summer to get that affect.

So I guess that sums up the year. I am blessed with a wonderful marriage, 3 crazy cats, and my life as I know it. I hope you all have a wonderful turn of the year.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

2008-12-23T18:17:00.011-05:00

My husband and I had to go out to get some groceries on Friday (12.19.08) during a really nasty snow storm. We sat threw the traffic on the return trip home for 2 hours .. just to get threw 2 city blocks. We found out that the big hold up was because someone needed to be rushed to the medical center and they could not get the ambulance up the hill because the road conditions were so bad. They had to get an all-terrain vehicle to transport the person from the injury location to the bottom of the hill to get the person to the ambulance.

I cannot believe the traffic was backed up so bad. I took photos as we were trying to get threw this intersection to get home. The snow fall was between and inch to two inches an hour, if not more. It was coming down hard and fast and that was about all we knew. Our windshield wipers actually froze to the windshield because we were going so slow. I think 1 car from each intersection was getting threw each time the road light changed.

I got to take a few interesting photos as well, but I only found one that I really liked and it seemed to capture just what I was looking to capture. The speed the snow was falling. We were stopped in front of a parking garage for the longest time. There was a pedestrian that was moving faster than we were ... all I did was laugh at the irony in that. I took a photo of the exit to the parking garage because it gave me a solid object to center on and allowed the snow to appear as I was seeing it ... a big blur.

The quiet after the storm was almost deafening to me. I could not believe the difference between the beginning of the day and the middle of the day. Amazing!!!

Winter ... The Other Photography Season

2008-12-16T18:14:00.015-05:00

I have a lot to learn about shooting in the snow. I think I have to keep in mind the time of the day that I am going out because of the shadows ... I get that wonderful blue color in the snow ... and I am not experienced enough with Photoshop to see if I can turn it white again (See below).

I found some interesting places to visit with all of the recent snow in my area of the woods, and I decided to try to take some photos from the car while I was traveling back and forth to work. I love the winter time .. I just cannot stand the cold.

I have a of photo that is different. The one is really dark, but it was done intentionally because I was in a strange mood. I kept the spots of bright light in it intentionally as well. I am not sure what it is about it, but I think it is creepy ... and that for some reason is sort of awesome to me at this point.

Cousin's And More

2008-12-11T17:16:00.026-05:00

I decided to do a small blog based on some family photos. I usually take a lot of these, and I know that little kids are hard to get their skin just right, but this is something I am still working on a lot.

Above you have Ms. Isabella who is my cousin Laura's daughter, She appears to like sitting on John's Harley Davidson quite a bit. John is my mother's long time boyfriend.

Above you have my niece Chantal .. She was not in a great mood because she was tired

Above we have my Cousin Desmond ... He is not someone I see smile a lot .. So I had to take a photograph of it as proof that is does happen from time to time.

Above is my Cousin Amber and her nephew Gabe. They were enjoying each others company at one of our many family picnic events.

Above is my Grandpa Pete and my Mother (Pat). Pete is not my biological grandfather, but he has always been a very big part of my life and has been in my biological grandmothers life for as long as I can remember.

Above you will find who is known to me as BIG TROUBLE ... Just kidding ... This is my wonderful husband. He is someone that is very special to me. He came into my life without any warning, and he decided he wanted to stay there.

Looking a Bit Better ...

2008-12-09T14:29:00.003-05:00

I have been coming back to live thanks to this what seems to be wonder drug for my knee. The last couple of weeks made my knee think it did not work anymore, unless I had my Cane in hand, and I started taking a medication for the Arthritis, and what a difference. It is not giving me 100 %, but it is giving me something to work with ... Now I just need a day that the temperature id above 32 degrees and I can get out with the camera a little bit and get some winter shots ... I am looking forward to that because Winter is actually one of my favorite times of the year to shoot. I love the ice formations, and the way the ice forms around waterfalls.

Every time it snows ... I just want to get in the car and go, but my knee has had other plans because when it snows it usually drops below the safe operating temperature for my camera, which is between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. I am looking to upgrade my camera eventually, but right now ... I just cannot afford to do it, but someday I will.

My Thoughts Today ...

2008-12-06T14:15:00.003-05:00

I have been a bit in the dumps since it turned really cold. My knee did a total 180 and has not totally bounced back yet. I am learning to deal with the new pain, but it is slow and hard. It has left me feeling a bit overly sensitive and easily tempered, so I have been avoiding certain situations, but it has caused me to deal with one pressing situation that has made my photography buddy leave adventures with me, but it had to be done.

We are no longer moving this month. We re-newed our lease for another year. I think it might be better this way because if the person we were going to roommate with cannot come up with their share of things now ... than I would have to worry about weather or not they could keep up and I do not make the money to cover their share of things too ... I have to cover my husband's bills all of the time. He is my responsibility and that is the only reason I do.

I took my father for some testing he needed to have done in Syracuse yesterday. I hope he remembers to tell me the results because I want to be sure he is okay. He has not been feeling too well. He has had 2 heart attacks, Chemical Meningitis, and his Appendix removed this year alone. I wish he would listen to his doctor, but we all know how stubborn our dad's can be. He just says it is his life and he will live it his way.

I have not been taking any photos for a couple of weeks now ... except for my cats of course, but I have nothing to share. They really did not turn out like I hoped and because of my mood ... They got deleted. I am glad that digital camera were invented because they save a ton of money!

Black And White Photography

2008-12-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

I think I might take up a change in my area of interest in Photography ... I really feel like Black and White photography is something I can work with. I am going to study it a little bit more, but I am finding that I like my images a lot better and can do more with them in processing in black and white. I cannot seem to get the color images the way I want them ... and I seem to be able to nail exactly what I want with Black and White.

I am starting to put together a small web page with my photos on it. I think I may have to copy right protect them and such, but I am only at the beginning stages. If you want to check out my progress ... Come check it out. I am starting with some of my recent Black and White's that I enjoy. I am not a professional by any means, but I feel I have come a long way since I started in late 2006.

I am looking forward to my learning experience at the college with my cousin and I will be sure to share it here when we get it all planned and done.

Looking Back #2

2008-11-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

I have been going threw a lot of my older photos for lack of anything better to do becasue each day that goes by ... the ability to walk slips away just a little bit more .. and I have to be honest .. It ticks me off, but it scares me at the same time ... mostly because I am not sure what is causing the issues.

I have discovered that I have a bit of a love for black and white photography ... more so than color. I decided to take some of these photos I was looking threw and convert them to black and white and I have to say that I think I like some of them better minus the color.

The photos are going to be a bit darker ... This was intentional ... as was the fact that some of them may be a bit over sharpened. I am finding that I like a photo that is a bit sharper than most do.

My cousin is in her final year of photography school at a local community college and she has invited me to come with her to take a few black and white images with her film camera and she will than take me to her class with her and I will get a lesson in developing black and white film. I am really excited about this because I have been wanting to learn something ... and I am one of those people that learn better by doing things "Hands On".

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving ... and until next time ... take care.

The Blues ...

2008-11-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

I swore that I would not take this trip in this blog, but I cannot help but to because I am just me and I cannot be anything else and the sooner I deal with it ... The better off I will be. I seem to be going threw some kind of sadness or something that I am beginning to find really disturbing because I really cannot stand feeling that way .. It makes the daily challenges even worse.

I am sitting here at 6:00 am and trying to figure out why I cannot sleep. I went to bed at midnight and I was laying there wide awake by 3:00 am. I generally do not have a lot of trouble sleeping except for when something is bothering me.

I have not been feeling all that wonderful for about a month now. I got really sick at the beginning of Nov. and I got over everything but the ear infection ... and than the real winter has not shown it's self ... and I have discovered a whole new pain that I am really trying to deal with ... and I think it might be winning because I have not been in all that wonderful of a mood either.

I knew I had arthritis in my left knee after my surgery this past summer, but I did not realize the extent of it until this past week. I think I could have easily hurt the first person that pushed me to the breaking point and not even cared about it. I have been dealing with the arthritis in my right leg and ankle since my accident that caused this issue in 2001, and I have learned to live with it, but now the issue with left knee is added ... and I really do not know which way is up or down. I talked to my orthopedic doctor and he has given me a medication for arthritis pain to try to see if it will help so I can get threw day to day activities .. Time will tell.

I don't know .. Maybe it is just the pain level doing a number on me, but I cannot even walk around enough to do what makes the world right again ... Take pictures ... I may have to find myself a new winter hobby after we get moved into the new apartment ... because if this keeps up the way it's going ... The camera may get a long winters break.

Tombstones #3

2008-11-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

This will be the final post to cover the photo challenge from the community at (NYFalls.com). I have enjoyed this challenge more than any of the other challenges I have taken part in. I got really excited about the history lessons behind the people whose names are written on the markers I photographed.

This last outting for me ... sent me on a discovery of my photo editing software (Photoshop Elements 6) and back to my favorite type of photography .. Black & White. I am discovering things like Color Correction (The process of adjusting the amount of different colors in an image.) Color Temperature (The amount of Red, Green and Blue light emitted by a particular light source.) Sharpening (Applying an image-correction filter inside a photo editor to create the appearance of sharper focus.)

To see more images you can go to my flickr site.

Looking Back

2008-11-22T23:12:00.001-05:00

I have been sitting here today trying to figure out what to write about as I have been trying to pack for our big move next month. I have grown sick of this nasty little apartment we have lived in for quite a few years now ... and it is time for a change.

I got out a CD that had images on it from 2007 and compared them to what I have been doing and I think I might actually be learning something about the way I take photos and edit them. I know I am no where near a professional, but I think it could be a lot worse also.

Taken 4/16/2007

Taken 6/12/2007

Taken 6/22/2007

Taken 8/21/2007

Taken 11/5/2007

Taken 11/25/2007

Taken 12/13/2007

Taken 12/31/07

The subjects that I am interested in have not changed, but the way I take them has. I take more time with them before I shoot them. I think about what it is I am looking for when I Shoot them, and most of all .. What I want them to look like when I am done with them because I use them to hang on the walls in my apartment and to give to family and friends. I have been thinking about putting some of them into frames and donating them to a program where I work that will give them to sick people. I need a bit more information before I decide on that however.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

2008-11-18T17:27:00.000-05:00

I guess I feel like talking about me today. I have not been out to take any photos since it turned cold ... I discovered new pains that were not there last year ... and it making walking a really big problem. I hope I get used to it like I have with my ankle or it is going to be a really bad winter.

It has turned out to be another one of those un-productive days at work again because my work is Internet based and if the Internet is slow ... I am slow. It drives me crazy because I cannot reach the goal I want ... Which today is to get this huge pile of mail data entered and ready to pull for processing, and I do not see that happening ... and so far it has not.

I work as a Client Service Representative in the ROI field, and I like the work for the most part, It gets a bit repetitive sometimes ... but all in all it is not a bad job. I am just glad that it gives me something to do, because I would go out of my mind without it.

Before my accident in 2001( I dislocated my ankle from my leg bone, and fractured the fibula and the medial malleous). I used to work a full time job and a part time job just to keep myself busy and away from the miserable relationship I had myself in. I told myself being un-happy was better than being alone ... until I realized it was worse. I could at least deal with myself ... and that some days is a real challenge all it's own.

I spent 8 years in a relationship that really only lasted 4 years. He was slap happy and I could not deal with it. The first time ... I thought he was drunk and he really did not mean it. He did it again after he had already broken my arm and I realized ... It was time to end it. He was not happy about ending it so he would quit his job to make me keep him around. He took advantage of my kindness ... and finally one day I just snapped. He threatened to kill me ... and I just looked at him and said "Oh really ... Good Luck trying." Before he had time to react I had grabbed my car keys and ran out the door as fast as my ankle would let me, jumped in my car and left. (Thank god I always carried a pair on extra clothes in my car complete with back up shoes because I did not even grab any shoes).

I never should have let myself be in that situation in the first place. I saw it growing up and swore I would not live that way as an adult ... and I realized that night, I was doing the opposite of what I wanted to do. I knew I would not go back. I tried everything I could to get him to leave so I would not have to give up everything I worked for ... I even tried getting involved with someone else ... Which did not good. He just got drunk and beat the guy up for touching me. I decided the only way out was to give up everything I had worked for and just go.

I had meet someone else and he gave me that opportunity to just go. He said I could come stay with him until I could get back on my feet. Here is it 5 years later ... He is my husband. I am glad I meet him because he has shown me that life does not always have to be a bad thing ... and good things can come out of it ... if you really want them.

I am not always this open with complete strangers, but I decided that it was time to just be myself and let my reads know a little bit about me .. and what makes me who I am. I think I turned out okay ... I could be worse ... I could be that person I resent the most in life, but I am not and I am glad I am not. I hope I never turn out to be.

I have turned to photography as an outlet for all of the disasters that have taken place in my life and it seems to help me focus on the brighter side of things, and to help me grow with the things I learn about it ... I just hope I can get my mind to retain some of the things I have been reading about and learning about threw various sources ... a couple of my readers included!

Tombstones #2

2008-11-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about people in my life that were important to me and tried to associate them with the current photo challenge that I am taking part in within the community I am in, and I learned something new about my grandfather that died in 2003 and I found that he was a WWII veteran. My other Grandfather was also a war vetera, but he is resting in the town my brother lives in and it was not in the budget to travel this weekend, but I am hoping I can get out there before the end of November.

I got out to get a few more photos of tombstones this past week. I am really getting into this photo challenge for some reason. I started it just to try it, and as I learn about some of the people who are in these resting places ... I want to shoot more and learn more. I still want to get out and shoot some black and whites of some of these places. I went to see my father on Friday and he told me about a place on Connecticut Hill that has people who have been resting since the 1500's. We are going to plan a trip out there because I would get lost in that place. Here are some more of the photos I shot while I was out.

A Cornell University Professor

Just a stone that I thought was beautiful

A Tribute to the fallen soilders of this area

A small place on a back country road that appears abandoned of care

Tombstones

2008-11-12T01:50:00.000-05:00

I went on a little exploration trip today to see if I could find figures in history that have died and where they are resting. This is a photo challenge project I am currently working on within my community of photographers. I found today to be a good day to go because I am feeling a bit under the weather emotionally ... and being out shooting helps me bounce back to a point that I can deal with .. are my finds today.

Experimentation

2008-11-10T22:06:00.002-05:00

I have been working with a few images that I really liked, but seemed really dull (lacking color mostly), and Here are the results.

This photo was taken down stream from Ithaca Falls

This image was taken in a small cemetery in Enfield, NY

This image was taken at the entrance trail down to Ithaca Falls

I am finding by experimenting with the different features of my photo editing software I can produce some very decent photographs that I can keep and use to better my work with. I hope it is starting to show, I know I can see a difference in my work.

Saturation

2008-11-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

I have found threw image editing that a photograph can change dramatically. I share my photos in a community of other photographers ... I am just a beginner ... and most of these people are pretty much professionals in my eyes, They are wonderful people and offer great advise and suggestions to make my work better.

This image is from a previous post, I changed the Saturation to make the colors pop out better at the suggestion of another photographer ... and I find that I like the image much better with the brighter colors. I am going to have to learn more about this subject. There is a lot to learn to be a photographer ... I wonder if I am trying to go over my head?

Random Outing #1

2008-11-08T19:42:00.000-05:00

I found myself in one of my favorite places again this past week ... I needed sometime to just be alone without all of my worries and troubles, So I went to the Cornell Plantations. I seem to like this one place within the plantations to just sit and relax.

I am not sure what causes so much peace for me at this spot, but I love it no matter what time of the year. I usually go out to this place when life becomes a bit too much to take ... and I was just having a bad day ... So I grabbed my camera bag and went out the door to a short 5 mile drive from home. I decided to mess around with my Photoshop Elements 6 program today and found this feature that would let take a black and white image and use infrared on it. I think it is kind of awesome. I have seen other photographers use it, and I liked the out come of their work, So I choose a couple of photos and gave it a try.

This is not my favorite of the two images I tried using this feature on, but I like it none the less. I am not an expert on this program or it's features, but I think if I keep using it and keep working with it I might get better.

A New Start ...

2008-11-07T17:51:00.000-05:00

I am back again ...

I had started another blog that I had going for about a month before I accidentally hit the Delete button ... Opps! Only I would do something like that. I am going to try to re-construct all of the previous blogs I had within that blog ... That back up hand written system will come in handy after all.

I have not really had too much time to get out and take some photos this week. The change in the weather from hot to cold makes a major change in how much mobility I have. I have metal in one of my ankles and when it gets cooler ... My pain level goes from tolerable to not so tolerable.

I love family gatherings ... mostly the ones where I get to see my Grandmother ... Of all the people in my life ... She has been the only one that has been completely honest with me about things my parents should have told me. This photo is of my grandmother and my precious niece ... Two very wonderful people who hold a special place in my heart.

I guess I will tell you all a little bit about me for this first blog. I got married to a wonderful man in August of 2005. I knew the day I meet him I would marry him at some point in our lives. The major attraction was his sense of humor, I had never meet anyone that could make me laugh so hard with just one sentence ... the rest just happened a long the way.

I enjoy taking pictures ... I am far from being an expert, but I find I am madly in love with it. I love being outdoors with just my camera and my tripod, I also enjoy art, reading, writing, watching movies, family gatherings and hanging out with our 3 crazy cats. I am a pretty laid back person unless provoked ... than all bets are off.

In photographing things ... I enjoy nature scenes the most ... If it is outdoors ... It is fair game for the camera. One of my favorite places to go is Chittenango Falls State Park in Chittenango Falls, NY. This waterfall is amazing. I cannot hike the trail to see the whole impressive flow, but ... I can enjoy it from the top and every time I go to the Syracuse Area ... I stop by it along the way. I prefer the digital photo to the film. Here is a little bit about Digital Photography.

I really do not have anything to share at this point, but I thought I would re-direct my readers to the new home.