first flurries...

we had our first snow flurries here in the lou on thanksgiving. as soon as i see flakes, i think of hiking in the snow and sledding art hill in forest park.

art hill is a wondrous place. in the blanket of silence a good snow offers, there is nothing better than to hear the laughter of young and old alike as they sled on everything from cardboard to sassy snow boards.

those first snow flakes have me looking to the skies... will i actually sled the hill this year? i never have, and being born and raised in the lou, it's a crime that i've not. maybe this year.

skies of far away places...

i have many photos from prince edward island and like little hidden treasures, i keep stumbling upon them in my files.

i love to travel, so the world around me is always changing. in contrast, i have my home base, my hub, my zen zone. i cherish my roots.

but, a large part of my heart is out there... out where the skies make heaven seem only a whisper away.

a light

just a little light at missiouri botanical gardens...

i am a mexican hairless...

i am a mexican hairless, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

we went to a dog parade this summer. it was crazy hot, but the fire department kindly opened some hydrants for the super thirsty puppies.

this is one of the pups we met. a mexican hairless feels really funny, but this dude was soooo friendly. he kissed the camera.

graceland...

IMG_2687, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

there is no place like graceland. it's mythic, iconic, legendary.

the dude and i were there in august, and this is the living room... it's simply gorgeous.

we are leaving right now... the dude is calling me from the car. we are heading to memphis for the flipping of the switch--the christmas lights at graceland!

in the beginning there was sun...

IMG_2478, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

this lovely girl led our tour through sun studios in memphis--and she was a great storyteller too.

i hope you get to meet her if you make it to sun. her enthusiasm for the studio and its history was contagious.

standing in the studio where so much musical history was created was a truly stellar experience and, well, insanely cool.

big boy...

IMG_7298, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

i took the day off and the dude took me to the zoo. it was a blast and a real treat to be there on what was declared by the weather folks as the last warm day of the year.

this gorilla is presently acknowledging the dude who was insisting on his attention. in the next shot, the gorilla stuck out his tongue at him! it was a riot!

casablanca

casablanca, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

a fan to keep you cool at the boathouse in forest park... a place that, for me, is like a little slice of fairy tale.

veterans and star-spangled icons

star-spangled icon, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

you know that giant flag that the fireman hang for events? i walked up to it and shot this at the Obama rally in st louis on october 18, 2008. that is the st louis arch, gateway to the west, behind it.

i see perseverance, endurance, commitment and change in this shot. that is what both of these individual icons means to me.

today, i post it for the veterans that we celebrate today.

thank you.

snow burst or snow globe?

snowburst, originally uploaded by MisfitHue.

another random shot, and most of the time, i like my randoms best!

i took this while i was out eagle watching 2 years ago with my beat-to-hell, hand-me-down sony cybershot.

after working with my 50d, which i love, i often think my shots with this gimpy little guy were some of my best. just proves, the camera does NOT make the photographer.

the weather that day was incredibly random with extremes from brilliant sun to snow bursts. every time i look at this, i feel like i'm peering into a snow globe.

and now, i'm excited to take the 50d out in january to see what eagle shots i can get. hurry up winter!!