facebook, again

Sooooo, business pages on facebook are not all they're cracked up to be, especially with little support from facebook itself. Facebook frustration! I still have the business page here. I will still post photography related "stuff" there. I've also opened a personal account so that I can join groups, search, and find friends on facebook here. If you feel like spreading some love around, please like my business page (please!) or friend me on my personal page. It's lonely out there. Facebook is a big ocean and I'm only a tiny island!

bremner farms

A few weeks ago as part of Avenue 9 Gallery's Spring Paint Out, we visited Bremner Farms, an organic almond farm, and house on River Road outside of Chico. This is the third time I've been able to photograph this magnificent property. The house is an Italianate brick mansion that had fallen into disrepair. The family has been slowly, lovingly restoring it for years. It has a shabby chic/rustic glamour to it. I love photographing houses. I really love photographing this house. I tried to narrow down the photos enough for a post. So far, I haven't been successful. So today, I'm showing you the animals of Bremner Farms...

sunday sermon

Hold on to what is good, even if it is a handful of earth. 

Hold on to what you believe, even if it is a tree which stands by itself.

 Hold on to what you must do, even if it is a long way from here. 

Hold on to life, even when it is easier letting go. 

Hold on to my hand, even when I have gone away from you.

Pueblo Blessing

Shaman's Drum

cat saturday

Taken on a walk around the neighborhood...

facebook frustration

I finally succumbed. I opened a facebook account. Facebook has always confused me. Yes, I studied architectural engineering in college, I can do triple integrals with little effort, I can communicate with animals, but facebook confuses me. After being asked numerous times why I wasn't on facebook, I finally created a page. I created a business page because it's against the rules to promote your work from a personal page. However, business pages are unique. You can't search, you can't friend, you can't interact easily with personal pages. It's all very frustrating to me.

If you'd like to make me feel better (!!!) and you're on facebook. Please go to my page and like it. I feel so lonely in facebook land. Thank you!

facebook.com/rosemarie.brown.photography

playing with barbies

Guess what I did today...

All are available at barbierose on etsy.

wed wednesday

My favorite photo of the week from my wedding tumblr, veils and tales...

photographer: rebecca wood

via style me pretty canada

Saturday

Saturday, had a photo shoot at the Chapelle de L'Artiste in Paradise (yes, that's a real town!). Here are some photos of the animals and grounds...

The llamas

The chapel

The house

The jaguar

tarot

I just found out today that the tarot card associated with my birth day and time is the Magician...

card from Rider Waite deck

Magician Tarot Card Meanings and Description:

The Magician is associated with the planet, Mercury, and carries with it skill, logic, and intellect. The number of the Magician is one, the number of beginnings. The Magician is the bridge between the world of the spirit and world of humanity. His right hand holds a staff raised toward the sky and his left hand points to the earth. He takes the power of the Universe and channels it through his own body and directs it to the physical plane. Above the Magician's head is the symbol of eternity and around his waist is a snake biting its own tail, another symbol of eternity. His magical table holds all four suits of the Tarot, each of which represents one of the four primordial elements of the alchemists - earth, air, fire, and water. These symbolize the appropriate use of mind, heart, body, and soul in the process of manifestation. The Magician's robe is white, symbolizing the purity and innocence found in the Fool but his cloak is red, representing worldly experience and knowledge. In the bed of flowers at his feet this duality is repeated in the mix of pure white lilies and thorny red roses.

sunday sermon

The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts 

your perception to such an extent that 

it changes the world you see.

Dr. Robert Holden

cat saturday

Isis

getting a drink at Chapelle de L'Artiste

society 6

I've opened a new shop on Society 6. I just have horse photos listed as of now. I'll be posting more over the next few days. I still have the Etsy shops as well. The online world is so vast, I needed to diversify. And I love the art on Society 6. They print and ship, so the prices are very reasonable. The art is top notch. They even print iPhone cases and tote bags and the like. Not for my photos - it's just not me - but great graphics and photos available.

Society 6 shop here.
My shop here.

Photo prices are very reasonable...
mini - 8x5 photo on 10x7 paper - $15
small - 17x11 photo - $27
medium - 19x13 photo - $35
large - 24x16 photo - $44

one of the photos I've listed...

Grey

wed wednesday

From the veils and tales tumblr, my favorite photo of the week...

photographer: Julie Mikos

via style me pretty

yesterday

Those who do not weep,

do not see.

Victor Hugo

Les Miserables

Too much bloodshed in our land. As we feel sorrow, let's also embrace joy. Let's give gratitude to those who would give their lives so we may learn.

double score

This is a totally superficial post, but...I scored...twice. Friday, J and I went to Kohls to get a nightgown for Grandma Ruth for her birthday. A trip to the store for us never involves just getting what we are there for. J got a sleep shirt and I got a pair of shoes - gold, sparkly high heels. I first noticed them when they were 50-something dollars. Then, when they were in clearance. By last Friday, they had been marked down to $5.99. Yes! Score!

Today I stopped at Target to get a couple of tee shirts. While there, I checked out the clearance racks and wandered over to the shoes. Gorgeous heels I have been coveting on clearance for $11.99 - the last pair. And in my size. Score!

Now, where oh where will I ever wear them! I never dress up these days. Strictly jeans and tees for me. But if I ever have the occasion to, I have a couple great pairs of shoes! Maybe this means there will soon be an occasion. Hmmmm...

sunday sermon

Be content with what you have; 

rejoice in the way things are. 

When you realize there is nothing lacking, 

the whole world belongs to you.

Lao Tzu

koi at Vina Monastery 

Vina, CA

cat saturday

Mackie

april 12th

I was married when I was 18. I had known my groom for only six months before we married. I just wanted to be married. Needless to say, there was no hope for this union. It lasted about two years. If we were still married, today would be our anniversary. I won't say how many years, but many many moons! We were both living in the SF Bay Area at the time. I now live 170 miles north of there. Funny thing, the last few months, I swear I've seen my ex at least two times in Chico. Could the Universe be that funny that we'd end up in the same area a million years later???

I don't have any digitized wedding photos. My wedding was back before computers reigned. So, sorry, you can't point and laugh at me in wedding garb! Here's a Barbie wedding photo instead...

roller derby queen

J has become an avid roller skater. Not roller derby, more artistic. She has become quite good. So good that the trainers at the rink want her to take special lessons. She doesn't take after me at all. I am hopelessly uncoordinated on wheels. Off wheels, too. We go to the rink at least three times a week and she skates at home too. When she was just starting out, I would walk around the rink with her while she skated. She's way beyond that now. So, I watch from the sidelines. She looks like she is having so much fun and I want to join in. So, I'm getting a pair of roller skates. Quads. Cheap ones, probably through Amazon. I want to become really good at skating so I can rationalize buying these...

photo from the wonderful unsourced world of tumblr

The skates are by Moxie. Leopard print vinyl with pink wheels! I want them. I really really want them. Unfortunately, they are way out of my budget. Especially for the novice on wheels that I am. Someday...

If your budget is more flexible than mine, the skates are available through Moxie, Amazon, and Urban Outfitters.

wed day

I have another blog - a tumblr. I had another tumblr about two years ago called Bats in my Belfry. Bats was devoted to photos of animals. Not cutesy photos. Photos that just happened to have an animal in it. I posted to that tumblr for about three months. It was incredibly labor intensive because I refused to post a photo without sourcing it. So I spent hours finding out who the photographers were. I finally gave it up because of how much time it took. Sooooo, in my infinite wisdom and lack of memory, I started another tumblr. My first post was on February 14th. Did I mention it's a wedding tumblr? You see, I'm obsessed with weddings. Not my own. Just weddings in general. Especially the photographs. Wedding photography has become so artistic and the professional photographers who practice this craft are amazing. I read all the wedding blogs every day anyway. I thought I would post the photos that knock me out in some way. All subject matter is covered, as long as it's wedding related. It takes me about three hours a day to go through the blogs and post to my tumblr with all photos sourced. I'm not complaining. I love it. Although my back is beginning to scream at spending so many hours at the computer!

If you're a wedding junkie like myself or are just curious, please check out my tumblr. It's title is Beyond the Veil and it's tumblr name is Veils and Tales. You can see it here.

I tried to choose one photo as my favorite. Impossible. So I made a collage of some of my favorites. Sources and more on my tumblr.

5 senses

This afternoon:

sight - through the front door, the dogwood in glorious bloom in the front yard.
sound - in the back bedroom, Frankie (the cat) pouncing on and batting around a hair scrunchie like it was prey.
smell - the scent of chocolate from my daughter's piece of candy.
taste - the sweetness of dried cranberries and almonds from the snack I just ate.
touch - the feel of Rosie's (the cat) fur under my fingers as she lays napping in my lap.

Rosie - lying in the sunshine through the door

dogwoods & tulips

Every year, Avenue 9 Gallery in Chico holds a Paint Out. Specifically for plein air painters, artists of all media are invited to join in. I participate every year. It's a wonderful opportunity to view and photograph properties that aren't normally open to the public. A couple of weeks ago, we visited the Bremner House. I'll   be posting those photos in the near future. Last Saturday, we visited a beautiful garden along the creek, lovingly owned and cared for by Wendy. Here's a small sampling of the beauty found there.

sunday sermon

With swift pace, light step, unswerving feet, 

so that even your steps stir up no dust, go forward securely, 

joyfully, and swiftly, on the path of prudent happiness.

St. Clare of Assisi

cat saturday

This cat is on her ninth life. She has been given to/adopted by numerous people. Her current person was given her as a barn cat. She lived on the property for about a year, then disappeared - for over a year! The property is vast with few neighbors. No one knows where she disappeared to. She reappeared one morning, looking a little skinnier and older. She's been on the property ever since and suddenly the previously untouchable cat begs for attention.

maddie on things

Have you seen Maddie? She's a rescued coonhound belonging to photographer Theron Humphrey. On a cross-country trip, after noticing her incredible patience and ability to balance, he started taking photos of her on things, in things, things on her. The photos are wonderful! He has a book called Maddie on Things.

The instagram prints are available for a very reasonable price here. I'm having a difficult time deciding between the following two prints:

ramblin' rose

It's been a long time...sorry. I wish I could say I've been off seeing the world or some other exciting thing, but alas I just have had nothing worth saying. I've been heavily under the influence of the Big D - depression, really for more than a year. I'm feeling better these days, so I'm trying the blog thing again! I'm also losing weight. And attempting to dip my toe back in the social - i.e. dating - pool again. Just a toe. I'm no fool! So, I'm back.

In honor of my tendency either to say nothing or to ramble, here's a photo of the rambling rose in my back yard. I did a photoshop action on the picture called lovely and ethereal. It's beautiful.