Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure (Highly Valued) 2


This week for the WordPress photo challenge, Krista asked us, “What do you treasure? What’s important to you?”

There are so many treasures in this world. Personally, I’m grateful for the simple treasures like time spent with family, friends, our pets and Mother Nature. What about you? What do you treasure?

Weekly Photo: The Golden Hour 8

Creating a calm environment for sunrise.


Creating a calm environment for sunrise. 

Brings a smile to my face.

Brings a smile to my face.

Just after a morning rain.

Just after a morning rain.

This week’s photo challenge by Cheri Lucas Rowlands asks that we share photos of the golden hour just after sunrise and just before sunset. I took the first three pictures during the golden hour.

However, the gallery photos are examples of playing with my manual camera settings utilizing the most recent advice offered by Wenjie Zhang for Photography 101 this week along with advice offered by Ming Thein in his two prior posts. These are not exactly during the golden hour, but with the cloudy afternoon the lighting was similar.

Mahalo to Wenjie and Ming for helping me to explore the manual settings on my camera. I even tried the live-view setting to help me with lighting. This made it easier to delete some of my bad photos before I loaded them on my computer.

I still have a long way to go before I perfect my settings, but at least I am no longer afraid to try experimenting with lighting.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern 6

This week Sara Rosso is challenging us to share photos that represent patterns to us. The world is full of patterns so I can’t wait to see what others are posting. My favorite patterns are from mother nature, but I also love architectural patterns. What about you?

Gratitude for a Perfect Day 8

img_2773.jpg ©delightfullydifferentlife.com

Footprints in the Sand

I am moving forward and taking positive steps to get back on track. I am taking time to continue rehabbing my back from an injury I sustained in May. I am supporting my daughter as she works towards overcoming the past hurts from those who wounded her soul and let her down. That is why I am sometimes MIA.

I realize my gratitude posts have been sparse lately, yet I am still focusing on gratitude and forgiveness. Today, I am most grateful for the blessings in my life. I received a wonderful review of Delightfully Different from Lorna at Special Needs Book Review. Just click on the blog name to check it out if you haven’t already. I am also grateful for my readers, my family and my friends.

Another thing I am grateful for is that I get to take care of my health by taking long walks three to four times a week. It is one of the good things about living in Hawaii. I started slowly using my walking poles and leaving my dogs at home. A month later, I got my son to take one dog while I took the other one with one walking pole. Another month has gone by, and I now walk both dogs using one walking pole for added balance. I take my camera in a small backpack and stop and photograph nature along the way. We even walk to the beach occasionally although it is not my corgi’s cup of tea.

©Delightfully Different Life

©Delightfully Different Life

Yesterday was one of our walking days. We stopped at this beach because I knew I could take pictures from above without having to actually walk on beach. Thus, my corgi stayed happy.

I last visited this beach when my daughter was in preschool some years ago. They were learning about tide pools and this beach is ideal for that. The school bus was able to drive to the beach to drop us off and to come back to pick us up which is very important when you are taking four-year olds to the beach.

However, there is no parking at this beach as it is in a residual area, and it is not really the best beach for swimming. Still, it is beautiful and the surfers love it. It is the prefect place to quietly observe if you are not swimming. Yesterday Mother Nature gave me the best Valentine’s present by allowing me to see this.

Mother Nature's Valentine ©DelightfullyDifferentLife

Mother Nature’s Valentine ©DelightfullyDifferentLife

I know it is hard to see, but it is a humpback whale breaching. I never wished I had more than 200 zoom more than yesterday. Still, l am not complaining! Just getting to see this made my day. Until yesterday, the only whales I have seen on Oahu were from a boat.

Taken During Whale Watching Tour ©DelightfullyDifferentLife

Taken During Whale Watching Tour ©DelightfullyDifferentLife

Then, after I got home I got these from hubby.

Hope all of you had a happy Valentine’s Day! I would love to hear about how you spent your day.