Creating Lena » Little Lake

A Perfect Fall Day

Helena — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 02:04:37 +0000

It was supposed to be a writing day today, but the sun and the fresh air beckoned, and who am I to say no to Mother Nature? Yeah, I know… I have absolutely no willpower!!

With skies like these, can you blame me?

It’s Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada, and of all the things I’m thankful for every day, beautiful scenery and the ability to stand in the midst of it and take a deep breath rank right up near the top.

Have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Skywatch Friday for more awesome skies from around the world!

A Solitary Moment

Helena — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:34:27 +0000

With all the nice weather lately, the parks have been really crowded. Fortunately I was able to steal a solitary moment on a secluded part of the beach and enjoy watching a lone duck try and find his own moment of solitude. :)

For more wonderfully watery photos, check out Watery Wednesday. More great outdoor shots can also be found at Outdoor Wednesday.

Happy Wednesday!

No Sand in Sight

Helena — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:47:54 +0000

I had hoped that with all the warm days we’ve been having, that maybe I’d get a glimpse of sand at the beach, but no such luck. The water looked almost inviting, except for all that ice around the edges. :)

For more watery shots from around the world, check out Watery Wednesday.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Waiting for Spring

Helena — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:13:33 +0000

So I know that I’m supposed to be living in the moment, and I really am thankful for the great week I’ve been having. Today is a gloriously sunny day and I love that, but…

It’s minus-freakin’-19 before the windchill, and I’m tired of being cold and cooped up inside. So here’s a few shots of the spring thaw last year, and yes… I’m anxiously awaiting the day when I can put my feet on green grass again, even if it is wet. :)

More awesome reflections can be found at Weekend Reflections, hosted by James.

Have an awesome weekend!

Early Morning Skywatch

Helena — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:03:43 +0000

I’ve always felt like each morning is a new beginning — a chance to start over, to finish things, to fix things, or to explore in a completely new direction. So when I actually get a chance to get up and be outside in time to watch the sunrise, it makes for an extra-special new beginning.

“With each sunrise, we start anew” ~ Author Unknown

Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leave you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing, and listen as heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for you.” ~ Max Lucado

“Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise” ~ George Washington Carver

“I greet you. Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.” ~ Fra Giovanni Giocondo

Click on the logo below to see more awesome skies from around the world:

Have an amazing day!

Sunday Sunrise

Helena — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:42:11 +0000

I was wide awake at 5:30 a.m. this morning and after checking the temperature decided it was warm enough (-3C) to head out and see if I could capture a sunrise shot or two. This is one of the better ones:

Funny thing is, out of all the times I’ve taken pictures of the cemetery from this vantage point, I’ve never noticed the little church there before. I guess it’s because I’m usually doing lake shots from this side in the summer, and everything is pretty much hidden by the leaves.

For more beautiful scenery and shots straight out of the camera, visit these wonderful sites:

Have a wonderful day!

Morning Solitude

Helena — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:12:42 +0000

There’s nothing quite like spending the early morning on a beach, even if it’s just a little one. :)

For more beautiful scenery and shots straight out of the camera, visit these wonderful sites:

Have a wonderful day!

Everything’s Freezing!

Helena — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:36:18 +0000

…including my brain. :) I’m finally done all my Christmas shopping and safely and warmly inside for the night. I wouldn’t have been out at all today except…

I did a really dumb thing yesterday.

I was supposed to finish up all my shopping yesterday, and I had one last store to go to. I hopped in the car and headed out to a store I rarely shop at, but had some gift certificates for. I got about halfway there and realized that I forgot the gift certificates… they were still sitting on my desk. So what did I do?

Instead of heading home to get them and then back to the store, I stopped at the lake to take pictures instead. :)

The lake looked so pretty with its first coat of ice…

Even the cattails are frozen…

And since the Thursday Challenge theme today is “light” I couldn’t resist this shot of the sunlight on the lake…

And just because I didn’t want to finish the day without doing something a little Christmassy, here are a couple of the decorations along our street:

So my trip wasn’t a total waste of time yesterday. I just didn’t get any shopping done! :)

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Clouds over the Lake

Helena — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:52:27 +0000

I love fluffy clouds, the kind that tempt you to lie back on the grass and watch as they float by.

For more amazing sky shots, visit Skywatch Friday

Have an incredible day!

A Week of Beginnings and Endings

Helena — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:17:56 +0000

It’s been a week of beginnings and endings here this week. I suppose that’s not surprising since the two do go hand-in-hand in the bigger scheme of things.

I always get a little maudlin and a lot reflective as I see the kids heading back to school. It brings back a lot of memories for me of home and the excitement I used to feel at starting a new year and knowing deep down that it was going to be my year. It never really was … I was a social misfit back then, and I still am. The only difference between then and now is that now I know I’m not the only one. :)

On Monday I celebrated the unofficial end of summer by going for a long walk along the canal and the lakeshore. It really reminded me of home (I grew up spending my summers on Lake Erie), especially when I got a sniff of the poplar trees. In that moment, I think if someone had offered me the chance to go home again, I would’ve jumped all over it.

Tuesday it was back to work with two days to go in the 30 day PLR Giveaway. I’m so proud of myself for keeping up and making it through writing a fresh blog post every day for 30 days. I learned a lot too, and will be talking more about that in an upcoming issue of The Ritchie Report. For now you can read the posts from last week here:

Wednesday was “Good Energy Day” and I had a real “Aha” moment as I was playing on twitter and scrambling for something to write that morning. That’s where the beginnings come in but I’m not ready to say a whole lot more on it yet. For now I’ll just say that I’m a little more clear on the direction I should be going, and that I don’t think it was a coincidence that my moment of clarity came on Good Energy Day.

By Thursday I was exhausted and ready for a break. I don’t know about you, but whenever I finish a really big project I need to take a day or two to recuperate. So I did a lot of thinking and very little writing for the rest of the week.

And that’s my week in a nutshell. I’m behind in my writing again (what else is new?) so I’ve got a truckload (I’m thinkin’ about a brand new F250′s worth) of articles, updates and research to get caught up on this week. I also made a public committment to get 10 new videos made and posted on YouTube by the end of the month, so I need to get crackin’ on that too. :)

How was your week? What are you looking forward to? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Other items you might be interested in:

1. My friend Ronnie Nijmeh over at PLR.me is giving away some really cool audio and video gifts in anticipation of his upcoming launch. You can pick up these gifts and get on his early bird list at the same time here:

2. I joined a new social network last night. I know… just what we need right? I spent some time looking around the site last night and it looks pretty cool. It’s called HelloHello.net and they give you points for doing various tasks like visiting your profile, sharing photos, writing blog posts, etc. It just opened, so if you want to make sure you get your user name, now’s the time to check it out: HelloHello.net