Creating Lena » Rogers Cove

Before the Traffic Starts

Helena — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:56:49 +0000

I love walking along the canals early in the morning, before all the traffic starts making its way through the locks. It’s so peaceful and still… a great place to take pictures, or just sit on a bench and be at peace with the world for a few minutes.

For more beautiful scenery from around the world, visit Scenic Sunday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

One Week Later

Helena — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:01:38 +0000

I’ve been such a good girl this week, and I couldn’t stand it one more minute. I’ve been focused on writing content all week even though all I really wanted to do was be wandering around outside enjoying the weather.

I went back to the beach this afternoon because I just couldn’t stand sitting at my desk one minute longer, and lookie what I found…

No ice in sight this week! Well, not much anyways. There’s a tiny little bit left right around the edges of the water, but for the most part it’s all open and there is wonderful, glorious (if somewhat muddy) beach to walk on. (If you’re wondering what I’m rambling about here, check last week’s Watery Wednesday post, No Sand in Sight.)

Even the geese were out enjoying the sunshine this afternoon…

For more watery outdoor goodness check out Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday!

Have an awesome day!

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!

Shadows on the Snow

Helena — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:22:50 +0000

We definitely had a lot more snow last February than we have had so far this year. This was taken in early February 2009, and was in a series I’d forgotten about because it was stored on a different computer. The first one is the original, straight out of the camera. This morning I had the urge to make it black and white, and I almost think I like that version better. What do you think?

I’m multi-tasking on the meme front again today, and playing in Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, and Straight Out of the Camera Sunday. Please do go visit the other participants as well … they’re much better photographers than I am! :)

Have a wonderful day!
Oh yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day too!

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!

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!

Merry Christmas!

Helena — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:06:53 +0000

It’s been clear skies here pretty much all week. :)

For more beautiful skies, be sure to check out Skywatch Friday.

Merry Christmas!

Wintery Watery Zoo Views

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!

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

Wordless Wednesday: Indulging My Inner Child

Helena — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:48:39 +0000

For more great photos, visit Wordless Wednesday