Pumpkin Carving

Happy Halloween!

If you're a parent,

chances are, you're slaving over costumes

right this very minute,

still blurry-eyed from

carving your jack-o-lantern yesterday.

I am so happy that

I AM NOT!

I had my share of Halloween fun over the years

but I'm glad pumpkin carving is behind me.

I have shared in past blogs that I

am blessed with creativity,

but somehow I missed out on the

artistic gene.

I can't draw, paint, sculpture,

arrange flowers, write on cakes or

CARVE PUMPKINS!

Darn it!  I WANT to do these things,

so I do them,

but they don't look good.

My pumpkin carving began the year

Lindsay was an adorable two-year-old bunny.

I sewed her costume...creative,

and carved the traditional face

in the pumpkin.. .TRYING to be artistic!

Actually, I am surprised to see this picture.

My carving was not THAT bad.

(Don't you just want to squeeze that precious bunny?)

I was on a roll for the next year

when she was a three-year-old tiger...

I simply carved up the traditional

jack-o-lantern faces

and Lindsay was thrilled.

Nothing artistic...just the easy, basic pumpkin faces.

But as the kiddies got older,

they wanted to be involved in the entire

process.

And, MESSES!

They gutted...

While hubby carved...

When they all petered out,

I ended up finishing the carving

and cleaning up the mess.

No pictures of that because I

was abandoned in the kitchen...

suffering alone!

"Mom, why can't we have COOL pumpkins?"

the kids complained the next year.

So I found what looked like easy, smiley

 patterns on the Internet.

After sweatily carving two out of four I asked the kids,

"Wouldn't it be fun to just DRAW

a face on the other two pumpkins?"

Note my drawing on pumpkins is

right up there with my writing on cakes ability.

The next year,

with new, safe carving tools,

the kids could help.

Yet I always ended up finishing the project

and CLEANING UP!

One year, I watched Martha Stewart on TV carve

three dozen pumpkins to line her

driveway for trick-or-treaters.

She used a DRILL!

I was certain, my pumpkin pains were over.

My ten year old son was ecstatic to use the drill.

DO NOT do this!

It sprayed pumpkin gunk all over the kitchen.

My favorite part was lighting the pumpkins

and taking pictures.

Neighbor Megan joined us one Halloween:

The year the movie "Pearl Harbor" came out,

pre-teen Lindsay was crushing on

Josh Hartnett...

so we had a JOSH pumpkin that year.

The kids loved the spunk and spookiness

of all those glowing pumpkins.

No glow at our house this year,

I was relieved to pass up the pumpkins...

and the sore arms from the carving...

and the MESS!

We live in a cul-de-sac with just six houses.

All the kiddies are grown,

so no trick-or-treaters at our house this year.

Hubby and I will sit and eat the chocolate

we bought "just in case".

We have to keep some tradition!

My Magic Moment

With my husband out of town

and the sun shining on another beautiful fall day,

I grabbed my camera to head out on an adventure.

I decided to try the rule I relearned

with the storm adventure...

and allow life to lead me to where I needed to be.

I began at the Tridge in Midland, Michigan...

a magnificent triple span

that I knew would provide a pretty picture.

In the same park,

I crossed this quaint bridge.

I looked over the railing and saw

colorful leaves floating in the stream...

a reminder that fall is slipping away.

The park visit was fun,

but nothing overly exciting.

I got back on the highway,

heading home.

Mindlessly, my eyes meandered to

a pond next to the highway.

I could NOT believe what I saw!

HUNDREDS of geese

blanketed the pond,

vying for space.

I screeched my car off the next exit,

circled around.

THAT is worth a picture!

I parked my car far in the median and crossed the highway.

By the time I got there, most of the geese had

moved off the water.

(Click on pictures to enlarge.)

And were now gathering on the shore.

My camera could not capture the

HUNDREDS of geese around that pond!

I have never seen so many birds gathered

at one time.

With them all crammed across the pond,

I had to hurry back to my car to get

my zoom lens.

Before I could get into position,

dozens of geese lifted off

and flew away.

It didn't help that I was slip-sliding in geese sludge..uck!!

Just as I lifted my camera with

the zoom lens...

the next fleet spread its wings...

And, gracefully...

Majestically...

Filled the air.

Talk about an adrenaline hit!

I was HIGH in that sky

as I snapped away with my camera.

A large rig pulled off the highway

and the driver jumped out of the cab.

"Do YOU see what I see?" he shouted to me,

as fleet after fleet of geese took off,

fluttering all around us.

He, too, was experiencing

the profound joy of that moment.

When I got home I looked up

geese migration on the Internet and learned that

as the  fall days shorten,

geese gather in flocks and begin to fly south.

The flock lands to feed and rest usually

around marshes or in farmer's fields.

They fly in a V-formation which cuts wind

and allows the birds to follow each other.

Living in the north,

I have seen this migration every fall, but

NEVER

like this!

Evidently, YOU were supposed to see it, too

because that's where life led me today...

It felt like magic...

Storm Skies

If you were anywhere near the national news yesterday,

you probably heard about the massive

wind, rain and tornado storm

that slammed through middle America.

The above picture was taken by Kristyna Wentz-Graff

for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A tornado touched down in Racine, Wisconsin,

the town where I started my broadcast career.

As a news reporter, I covered many storms.

Heck, I often reported in the rain...

and was whipped around by monsoon winds while live on TV!

I LOVE storms, and my

reporting career turned me into an

adrenaline junkie.

I adore the high of a good storm!

So, yesterday, when I heard the weather reports,

the impending tempest was too tempting.

I grabbed my camera to chase the storm.

I headed to a park with towering trees,

certain I would capture them bending in half

in 75 mph winds against a furious sky.

I sat in the park for TWO hours waiting...

but the trees were perfectly still.

I tracked the storm on my car radio and

finally it started to rain.

But, NO STINKIN' WIND!

I drove around all afternoon

searching...

hoping...

DANG, a stiff breeze would have fed my addictive craving.

Highly disappointed, I pulled over to the side of the road.

That's when I remembered

my own golden rule of reporting...

Before arriving at a news story,

NEVER

try to figure out what the story should or will be.

Always let the story tell the story

all by itself.

My eyes peered heavenward and

there it was...

the storm story in MY town telling

me the story...

IN THE SKY!

(click on pics to make them bigger)

It's always fun to play in Photobucket...

I oranged up the sky for autumn in this next pic.

I think I see a cloud jack-o-lantern head ghost

in the lower left corner.

No wind pictures like I expected,

 but nature

provided breathtaking art in the sky.

This morning, I had to get up early to

drive my husband to the airport.

While my head was still in a bit of a fog,

my eyes were in the clouds.

The sky was an awesome orange...

all on its own.

"Honey, I NEED to get to the airport," Hubby said as

he saw me reach 

for my camera.

"You can take sunrise pics on your way home."

The moment he stepped out of the car,

I grabbed my camera.

What I have learned over the years is this:

Life will always reveal truth and glory...

When I let go of my expectations...

P.S.

I went back to the park today and got my

WIND picture.

Whew...it's windy!!!! 

But not stormy.

BeHOLDING my FRIENDS

I only started blogging six months ago,

and already it has enriched my life in many ways.

I have met and befriended people from all

over the world thanks to

Bloggers.com!

I have learned so much from reading their blogs

about various cultures and lifestyles.

It has made me pay closer

attention to the riches in my own life,

and the beauty that surrounds me.

I can't believe I took it all for granted!

My blog also brought me a comment

from a magazine editor who found my summer

vacation pictures taken in my OWN state

of Michigan...

the state I usually take for granted.

She encouraged me to enter the magazine's

"My Michigan Moment" contest,

so I did!

I told my dear blog readers about it and many of you voted

for my entry all summer!

Here's the shocker...

Out of 320 entries...

I WON!!!

I am still absolutely stunned, humbled,

honored, and mostly TOUCHED

that my little blog that only my mother and cousin

followed when I started in April,

has blossomed into such an amazing adventure for me.

My blog fulfills my favorite passions,

writing and photography..

Oh, and laughing, too!

And,  uhh..we can't forget, it's my therapy.

When the contest winner was announced,

I could not believe my eyes.

I told Hub to check for me..."Do you REALLY see my name?

Maybe I'm dreaming."

He saw my name, but maybe HE was dreaming, too,

so we called me my mom, but she might have been dreaming.

I wondered if the Prize Patrol would show up on my

doorstep to deliver the check.

Heck, I never win contests!

Sure enough, I was wearing my bathrobe when the

doorbell rang.

It was the Fed-ex guy (Yep, Prize Patrol!)

 delivering this: 

I guess this means I DID win!

I haven't cashed the check yet because I'm

stuck in a daze staring at it.

Anyway, I could NOT have won this without

my precious voters who got me into the

top five....

                                                                     YOU!!!!

My biggest prize is my new friends who

come into this little blog and share time with me.

LOVE and thanks to all of you

for brightening and enhancing my life!

Here is my winning contest entry:

(You'll remember some of these from my vacation blog post.)

BeHOLDING Michigan Sunsets


by Jill Wellington


Capturing the Sun

Description

My sister Sally and niece Megan beholding the molten sun over Traverse Bay.


Holding the Sun in One Hand

Description

We loved gathering on the beach each evening hoping to hold the sun as it set on Michigan's west coast.


Can I Keep this in my Pocket?

Description

My niece Joanna grasping the sun as it set in a colorful sky over Traverse City.


Mighty Man

Description

It took my hulking, 6'4" brother Bob to hoist the majestic sun over his head like that!


The Sun in my Cap

Description

Niece Megan wanted to scoop the setting sun into her hat.


I'm a Star!

Description

I love this picture of Megan where it looks like she's balancing an enchanting star on her fingertips!


From Photo to Wall Art

Description

I played around with photo-editing and transformed the photo into this poster to give to Megan on her birthday. (Don't tell her..it's a secret!)


Beholding the Rising Sun

Description

I arose at 6am to capture the sun rising from our hotel balcony in St. Ignace.


Your Michigan Moments story:

No matter where you live on this magnificent planet, you can walk out your front door and watch the setting sun. The amazing thought is, it’s the same sun everywhere in the world!

Yet, I know a place where sunsets are special.

In June, my family and I vacationed on Michigan’s west coast. We chomped lots of cherries in Traverse City, ambled up the astonishing Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and poked for Petoskey stones along Lake Michigan. It was one of my favorite vacations, EVER!

We packed the days with fun and delight, but our favorite time was evening. That’s when we brought blankets down to the beach or walked the piers to view some of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen.

We were so touched, we wanted to reach out and behold the fiery sun in our hands…so we did…if only for a moment…