Nancy Lynne Photography

Just as my life is in a state of transformation, so is our favorite beach. Freckles and I love to go to the beach, and it's especially nice this time of year because there are so few other people down there. Right now the sand has been scoured from the rocks and the beach is very different than it is in the summer. Happy 2008!

I absolutely agree with this op-ed piece in today's Oregonian. Our poor Mother Earth is dying because there are WAY too many people trying to live off of her. We're getting the idea with spaying and neutering our pets... obviously we have a long way to go there as well... but. If we as a species don't do something about this, and QUICK, we as a species will cease to exist. Something to think about.

By the time Christmas finally arrives, I am so sick of being bombarded with all the build-up, I just look forward to it being OVER. So the decorations come down, including the tree, the day after. Done. Finished. Over. Whew. Put it all away and be done with it. I am a pagan at heart anyway, and its the solstice I celebrate more than anything. But I still like a lot of the symbolism of the season. And I love Christmas lights. My late cousin Sherri called them my 'happy lights' and I do keep them up in my home and in the yard all year long. I love the soft warm light they give off... and they make me feel happy. With Eric dropping a grenade into our relationship, this has been an especially difficult Christmas season. So I can use all the happy I can get. The studio has been busy with last minute stuff, but seems to be in a lull this week. That's ok with me. I have plenty of year-end stuff to get done, and next year's marketing to map out. I still have cleaning an...

The most prevalent thought running thru my head today: a re-wording of the Christmas carol's title... It's the Most Difficult Time of the Year. As 'family togetherness' and the associated alleged bliss is shoved down our throats by the media and consumerism all season long, those of us with estranged family find it extremely difficult to choke down. And when people we care about go thru hard times, it seems magnified exponentially simply because it's the holiday season. I am eagerly anticipating the winter solstice tomorrow, because to me it signifies hitting rock bottom and bouncing back up into the light. The short, dark days will become ever-so-slightly longer and lighter with each passing one, until eventually I'll be able to not only feed my horses after work, but actually go out and ride them in the evenings. I am a sun-junky and can't wait for warm sunny days when I can tend my garden and watch it grow. We all know the stats on depression and suicide ...

I've totally revamped my website and now I can't get it to publish. It's a server error, they just changed over to a new platform and obviously still have a lot of bugs. So when you get the old 'can't find that site' error message at nancylynne.com, that's why. I'll have it up as soon as possible. I've decided to go back to the Oregon Coast Chorus of Sweet Adelines, starting in January. They are having the annual Holiday party tonight, with lots of food, singing, fun, and did I mention food? They do a gift exchange that is just a blast. It's a round-robin style thing, where people draw numbers and choose gifts in that order - but if they want something that someone else has opened, they can steal it away and then the other person gets to choose another. There's a limit of 3 times on the stealing, so the third person gets to keep it. So I have a nice gift to throw in the mix and am looking forward to a fun time tonite. I've really ...

Well we got thru the storm just fine, little damage to the house or the studio. Whew! Was an interesting few days, tho. Santa was here last weekend, and we had a great time with all the folks who came in for pictures with the old guy in red... here are some of my faves. I finally reached my 10% goal at Weight Watchers, after gaining and losing the same 3 or 4 pounds for the last 3 months. So I set myself a 'new-months resolution' for December, and so far it's working. I'm tickled about that. Eric has his own apartment now, and so far it seems to be working out just fine. We plan to remain together, but sometimes the stress of living together just becomes too much. So this seems to be a good, workable solution so far. In fact I think it's just the change we needed.

This is the local forecast from the Weather Underground ... "... High Wind Warning in effect from 4 am Sunday to 10 PM PST Monday for the central Oregon coast... The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a High Wind Warning which is in effect from 4 am Sunday to 10 PM PST Monday. The high wind watch is no longer in effect. Two periods of very strong winds are expected Sunday and Monday along the central Oregon coast. The first period of wind will begin late tonight and continue through most of Sunday... with south winds 35 to 45 mph and gusts to 75 mph near headlands and beaches and 65 mph in coastal communities. The winds will briefly decrease a bit Sunday night then increase even stronger late Sunday night and Monday to 30 to 50 mph with gusts to near 100 mph near The Headlands and beaches and 80 mph in the coastal communities. The winds will decrease Monday night once the associated cold front pushes onshore. These winds... especially those late Sunday night and Mo...