We have had some darn mild weather this Fall , on up till just recently ,the cold ,wind and snow has finally hit us ! It is quite a shock after having temperatures in the 70's and now I think it's 25 degrees out there !
I started PT on my shoulder last week and the therapist is pretty happy with my range of motion ,thus far ,and hoping to have most of it back by the end of March, which will mean that I will be fired up and ready to continue on with my book project and hopefully, see that to completion by Spring  or Summer of 2017 ! I am looking forward to holding that book in my hands ! If you do not know of my project , please visit Singing At The Clothesline, to read all about it !  

This time of year is when the portrait area , which is my main love and expertise, comes to a stand still, and I find myself wishing for someone , anyone , to take a picture of !
I do have some models here who , I know, would be eager to assist , (as they are awesome like that ) but I hate to ask them to pose in this kind of weather ! Last year, one of my models , Audra, actually did ballet in the snow for me, and the pictures were gorgeous of her, but I felt so sorry for her to be freezing !

Audra WhiteA beautiful courageous model !

I have some portrait ideas I do want to work on, just for my own personal vision and perhaps for posters or 

future books. Mostly , I just love to create portraits ! I know that has always been my drive and addiction ever since I was a child and started drawing faces as soon as I could hold a pencil. Who knows where that natural passion came from, or why it is still there? All I know is I am driven to follow this inner urge to create impact via the camera and other humans !

How I wish I had a heated barn or rustic studio during the Winter months so that I could keep this drive and these ideas satiated ! I feel so intellectually and artistically starved during the Winter ! I guess only another artist can understand what that feels like . I guess it would be like taking the guitar away from a song writer and telling him , or her, "You can't have this back until the weather gets warmer !".

However I can get out and take landscape images and drive the country side and capture the way the light hits the land and the trees and how beautifully the clouds can provide such impact to the edge of a mountain or the spike of a steeple. So, I do still have some outlet for my photography and folks seem to respond just as eagerly to local sights as they do faces . I am sure , in fact, that there are many who would rather I post only landscapes ! As long as my little mini-cooper can make it down the country roads in rough weather , and I can brave the elements , I will continue to shoot local scenery !

Barn in Wytheville
Today I have been taking the time to read some photography magazines , which is always an inspirational way to pass the time and maybe pick up some tips and some educational info along the way ! Trying to get my arm back in shape will be a long process and has limited me in many ways. However, my lighter Sony gear has really been a god send in that area !

Well, I hope you are all off to a wonderful 2016 ! I know we are always looking forward to Spring, but try not to let that make you miss the beauty of Winter and a chance to slow down a bit and think of all of our many blessing that we all have in our life ! Such as LIFE!

Thanks for checking in ! :)