Nancy Lynne Photography

Freckles and I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday for a much-needed romp on the beach. The joy she exhibits when we're there is just infectious. She smiles the whole time and makes me smile and laugh. Just what the doctor ordered! These holes in the rock are from Piddock Clams. They are everywhere on the beach but I still find them fascinating. Of course, there are tons of shorebirds there, including crows, which are actually beautiful birds, tho I know they can be a nuisance. The surf was high but the wind was calm. A gorgeous day to be out! I liked how the sun was shining thru the Fresnel lens of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. One of my favorite things!! Got LOTS of stuff going on this weekend with the Seafood and Wine Festival, among others... hope you have an awesome weekend!!

They say it's your birthday... happy birthday to ya... Yeah it's my birthday today (46! holy cow!) and I am hoping for one great gift in particular, and that is the Judge signing the divorce judgement. My fingers and toes are crossed. Would be an awesome thing to finally have that ugly, ugly chapter of my life closed. Got City meetings today and the regular Council meeting tonite... our Mayor has promised me cake and ice cream! Woo hoo! Oh, and I just got two big beautiful bouquets delivered here at the studio. How thoughtful!! Here are the lyrics to the song mentioned in the title, by Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride. A great song. Hear 'em singing happy birthday Better think about the wish I make This year gone by Ain't been a piece of cake. Every day's a revolution Pull it together and it comes undone Just one more candle and a trip around the sun. I'm just hanging on while this old world keeps spinning And it's good to know it's out of my contr...

Yesterday was such a nice day, I was going a little stir crazy here at the studio... I spend so much time in front of this computer, I just need to get away from it sometimes. So I grabbed my yellow boat and headed out for a nice kayak trip on Beaver Creek. It was gorgeous out there, a little windy early on but it died down and was just stunningly beautiful. This is the result of a very busy beaver... you can see the teeth marks in this stump that they took down to use in their dam. It is so peaceful out there, and the views are just breathtaking. I really love this new hobby. Up river, the wind had disappeared and the water was so still and clear. Another awesome trip. Can't wait to do a LOT more of this. Last night I went to Yachats to see this guy ... I think I have quite a crush on him. He is AWESOME. Oh, and Happy Valentines Day. I hope yours is enjoyable. I had a fun shoot here at the studio this afternoon that included a very busy labradoodle and her family. Whew. Kids an...

Caution: Rant You know, I really have a strong dislike for Valentines Day anymore. Not so much the day itself or the things it stands for, but the way our society and the media have come to portray it as an obligation to purchase gifts. I had the tv on this morning while I was getting ready for work and must have heard 'Valentines Day' a hundred times in an hour. Holy cow. Talk about shoving it down our throats. Isn't there anything more important to talk about on the morning news shows?? This is the message I get: If you are married and/or in a committed relationship, you can expect to feel obligated to purchase diamond jewelry and/or candy and/or flowers just because the media says you have to. I say bunk! I heard a radio commercial the other day where the announcer actually said, you have to buy flowers for your Valentine because "she expects it". Well duh. Of course she does. Because every media is filled with advertising for things you HAVE to buy...

Yesterday I took my kayak out for her maiden voyage on a local lake... it was an awesome day - in the low 70s and no wind to speak of... a t-shirt day in early February. Wow. I learned a few things and will make some adjustments but I know I am going to put a lot of miles on my pretty yellow kayak. What an amazing toy. Yahoo! The scenery was, of course, stunningly beautiful. I can't wait to go again! Things are getting busy at the studio again with High School Senior portraits and upcoming weddings being booked. Better get your appointment made today!

Ya just gotta love FreeCycle ! I have given away a few usable things and have acquired some really nice stuff thru this network. It's awesome!! Last weekend I received a sit-on-top kayak, and I just can't wait to try it out!! I have ordered a couple of things to make it safe and workable and hope to get it wet this weekend. Woo hoo! I was hoping for one that would be big enough to also carry Freckles but this will definitely work for a starter boat. I look forward to posting some new pics from the water very soon!! Keeping busy at the studio, got some sessions going on, including this one from yesterday, this is Jasmine on her second birthday. Toledo's City Council is keeping me hopping and so is the Toledo Chamber of Commerce... we'll have our own booth at the Seafood and Wine Festival so I sure hope to see you there!! The bluebell bulbs are up in the backyard, and the purple-leaf plum tree has buds on it. Yay! And I'm noticing that it's not completely dark ...

Yesterday one of my very special friends took me down to one of my favorite parks, put me in a kayak, showed me how to paddle it, and shoved me off into the wild blue yonder. The weather was stunningly beautiful, the water was glass-calm, and the experience was magical. I was out paddling for nearly an hour when I realized that I wasn't thinking about any of the stressors I have going on in my life right now, all I was thinking about was 'wow - what an amazing experience!' I paddled upstream a ways, saw lots of ducks, a beaver, several Great Blue Herons and also several Great Egrets all doing their thing out there. Herons are a skittish bunch, and I know from experience that they don't like to have round things pointed at them. I stopped paddling and just drifted with the slow current, as still as I could be while trying to capture images with my little point-and-shoot. The heron watched me the whole time and when I got too close, he took to the air again, squawking li...

Seems like I've been going non-stop lately with City meetings and photo shoots and radio commercials and appointments... all the daily stuff I do... so today I took a day of rest. I hung out at home, soaked up some 60-degree sunshine in the back yard, took a nap, and went out to see my sweet horses. I put a bridle on Lucky and we rode around the pasture for a while. It was awesome, and just what I needed. He has lost some weight over the winter - he really needed to - and now he's easier to stay on bareback. We cantered up and down the length of the pasture... what a joy to ride. He is so graceful and smooth. (Took that with my cell phone.) Then I came home and had some delicious homemade clam fritters - went clamming on the last minus tide and learned a lot about horseneck clams. Like the fact that they taste pretty darned good!! Back at it tomorrow with household chores and another City meeting. Hope you're having an awesome weekend!!

The City of Newport offered an event last night at their City Hall that I found very interesting and informative. It featured the Newport Police Department and they did an awesome job of it. Here is a link to the PDF they published. I have several friends on the force there and a couple more who volunteer for them. I even had my picture taken with the new K-9 officer, Eyan. He's gorgeous, and very smart. I expect there will be more of these events, seeing how successful this one was, even in the driving rain. The sun is out today, and I am SO glad to see it! Have an awesome weekend!

Last night I was sworn in as one of Toledo's three new City Councilors... all women. Our new Mayor was also sworn in last night, in front of what I can only call a hostile crowd. Not hostile towards us, but because of the situation we are in right now. We've heard some pretty strong feelings aired by a lot of citizens regarding the proposed placement of an asphalt batch plant here in Toledo. Here is a bit of history on the subject. The City Council chambers have been jam-packed at these meetings, and it has been interesting for me, and I'm sure for my fellow new councilors, to be jumping into this thing at this particular time. All of us are first-timers at this. We join 4 men on the board who have been at it at least for a while... Well, last night, the asphalt plant owner and his infamous attorney gave us a two-hour presentation on their side of the story. After a nearly four-hour first meeting as a councilor, I was finally able to breathe a big sigh of relief that the f...

Sunday was a road-trip day, and an awesome day for it. The surf was huge and just booming against the rocks, an amazing sight. This is from the State Park just north of Depoe Bay. This is Cascade Head, we watched a couple of sufers headed in. The weather was nice that day, not too windy and not raining. A great day for discovering. Those same surfers a few minutes later... you can see the surf behind them as it completely obliterates a huge rock. The waves were nothing short of spectacular. This was atop a carport roof in Pacific City. Definitely an eyecatcher. Nuff said. We came across this little Jack Russell Terrier with a fetish for sticks. I had picked up and inspected that same chunk of wood a few minutes before they came along behind us, and he was carrying it. It was nearly as big as he was, and he eventually left it behind when he got tired of carrying it. One of the overlooks we stopped at... someone had left these cans of food behind... they are so bulged that they...

This is the time of year for new beginnings and for starting over with a clean slate. The solstice is the mental turning point for me, I know that the new year is the turning point for most, bringing hope and promise and things unknown and as-yet unexperienced. I think 2009 is going to be a very exciting year for me. I will be learning and growing and adding lots of adventures and wisdom to my life. Some things will change, most things will remain constant... and for that I am very thankful. I hope the new year ahead brings you the things you want most.

Now we are 10 days from the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Also the longest night of the year. The changing of the seasons again, and after the solstice, the daylight hours will increase incrementally and imperceptibly. But we know. I always look forward to spring and the ability to spend some quality time with my horses after work. As it is now, it's completely dark before I even leave the studio at 5, so I don't spend a lot of time with them... I sure do miss them. I love to be outdoors doing just about anything. I'll be celebrating the solstice as I'm sure many of you will in your own ways. December also brings a very special visitor to the studio. Come out and bring your friends and family for my 4th Annual 'Portraits with Santa' event! Toledo has a whole slew of exciting events happening this Saturday including the lighted parade at 5:30. Freckles and I will be walking in the parade this year with lights and bows and bells on our toes... ...

As I mentioned earlier, Freckles and I drove to Corvallis this past Friday, and since it was such a beautiful warm autumn day, we spent a little time at Avery Park in Philomath on the way. Miss Freckles had fun sniffing around all the pretty fallen leaves... and sat for me for a moment while I caught her picture on my cell phone. This is also in Avery Park. What a beautiful place. The pic is small but if you look closely you can see Freckles sitting on the landing between the engine and the coal car. Yesterday I was treated to another water-day, fishing and crabbing. This hungry pelican came right up to the boat and let me feed him a herring. He didn't like the chunk of croissant I tossed him, and after tasting it he spit it out and let the gulls have it. They say the brown pelicans have been here in record numbers this year and they are staying late. They'll get on with their southerly migration soon. They are stunningly beautiful birds and seem very docile. We ended...

I posted on the lighthouse blog here about the event last night. What fun! Oh, and I found this and this pretty interesting in a "Thank God he's out of my life" kinda way... It's a gorgeous day here on the Oregon coast, and I'm driving to Corvallis to pick up my mom and bring her home for the weekend. She is very homesick. She is undergoing radiation treatments 5 days a week and stays at the Mario Pastega House . Send her all your good thoughts, ok? Have an awesome weekend!!

I was invited to go salmon fishing yesterday up the river towards Elk City, and it was another awesome day. It rained some but it wasn't cold, and the scenery was, as usual, spectacular. I reeled in this fish... a 32 lb. chinook hen. She was gorgeous. And tasty. :) I snagged a coho buck in the middle of the back so we let him go, but not before I got a shot of his hooked beak. Looks like we'll be out trolling again this afternoon, I hope we get lucky again. The fish were jumping out of the water all around us all day, what an amazing thing to see. Very cool.

I had the honor of capturing some beautiful senior portraits of a very lovely young lady recently. Here are a couple of my favorites. We went out onto the South Jetty at Newport, among the giant rocks, huge driftwood and eroding pilings... one of my favorite places to shoot because of the awesome scenery and amazing variety out there. We came across a rock that someone had carved the word 'awesome' into. I agree!

A day trip to Shore Acres State Park on Monday proved to be an awesome time, even tho it rained all day. I'd been to the park for their legendary annual Christmas Lights display, but had always visited after dark. So I'd never seen the amazing scenery there before. Now I can't wait to go back! Of course, no trip down the coast is complete without a stop to catch a photo of the Heceta Head Lighthouse . You know me and lighthouses... Sea Lion Caves is just around the corner, and they were out in droves. The next stop was Cape Arago Lighthouse. Next time I want to go out there onto the bluff... Then Sunset Bay State Park ... Where we saw an unusual-looking jelly on the sand. The way the rocks have eroded is just fascinating. These looked like skeletal fingers to me. There were mushrooms everywhere!! These are on the edge of the bluff overlooking the ocean. This tree was hanging over the bluff. Life always finds a way to survive. This was an eye-catching stump, with th...