Reach for your dreams in Nashville, TN

Nashville is the first city I have ever loved. I used to work downtown at the Country Music Hall of Fame where this picture was taken. I worked for a company that took pictures of tourists called FotoFX. I drove to work with a smile on my face every day for about 9 months. I never embraced the Country Music "scene" or culture until I worked there and learned the history of it! I was amazed and moved. As I drove to work every day, passing businesses along the way, I noticed that the entire city seemed to thrive on, and revolve around people coming here from all over the world to try and make their dreams come true. It's a city of dreams. People full of visions and goals. You can feel it in the air. The atmosphere is amazingly stimulating. You feel like you can do anything you put your mind to here!
Some do, some don't. I have come to feel it doesn't matter whether you get there or not if you like living in an atmosphere of inspiration.
One of the reasons we moved to Tennessee was to get our children in a place where music and art were encouraged rather than just tolerated. We wanted them to see all kind of possibilities. I think Nashville has been a place of inspiration for all of us.
We miss all of our friends back home in Michigan where we came from....
we miss them a lot. But Nashville is a beautiful place to live. You have to get to know her....not just visit. :o) Nashville is a city of open arms, ready to help you reach for your dreams. Only God knows if you "MAKE IT", or if your particular dreams come true. My plan was to live here. So far I'm doing ok. haha

North Carolina

Have you ever been to the Blue Ridge Mountains? They really are BLUE! I wondered why, so I "looked it up" like my Father taught me. haha Here is what I found:
"The name "Blue Ridge" was appointed to them by early American
pioneers due to the blue hue they reflected against the horizon,
it was later discovered the blue coloring was caused by a chemical
compound released naturally by pine trees that causes a hazy
condition that makes the Blue Ridge Mountains appear blue from
a distance." Amazing.
The picture in my header at the top of my blog was taken at Cherokee National Park, not far from NC.

At the Lake...

I grew up in Michigan, the land of many beautiful lakes. When I was a child my family would go up to my Aunt Pat's cottage to relax for a weekend, or a week...depending on how much time we had. One of the greatest things about Houghton Lake is the town Prudenville! To this day, it looks like a vacation spot stuck in the year 1960. I can still go there and visit the same souvenir shops I visited when I was 5 yrs. old! They still sell the same silly native american souvenirs...
spears made of bamboo with rubber tips, coin purses made of suede leather with fringe hanging from the bottom, beaded necklaces of little dolls that I loved to wear around my neck, and tons of turquoise jewelry! I never tire of going back to the same stores and seeing the same things. It's almost like an anchor from my past...something that stays the same and rarely changes, giving me a sense of security about my childhood.
As an adult I love to sit in the front yard overlooking the lake and recall the memories I have of the many, many times I have visited this relaxing place. The water, the air, and even the minor inconveniences of the cottage bring me so much peace. It's the perfect place to relax and forget about the busy life back home.
My Mother was very lucky to have this place to come to as she was raising her five children! And I was equally blessed to have the same cottage to come to as I was raising my four children! Today I'm very thankful for my momories of this place.

I consider myself a photographer for two reasons: 1.I have been taking pictures with a 35mm camera for 33 yrs., and 2.I went to school for a degree about 10 yrs. ago.
I love looking at life through the lens of my camera. I take pictures of EVERYthing and ANYthing.
I want to try and post a picture every day, so todays photo is of a couple of my plants on my back deck. It has rained all day and they looked happy. :o)

Houghton Lake

Some of the best memories of my life have been at my Aunts cottages in Michigan.
I have been going to Houghton Lake since I was born. This photo of the pontoons was taken there. I love the water. I want to retire on a Lake some day. Rustic is fine.
More of the lake to come...

Yesterday I celebrated my 55th Birthday! My daughter in law (to be's) family took a group of people out for dinner and I was presented with this lovely birthday fish. haha I love it!

I am going to try and commit to being creative on a regular basis, so here I am back to my blog. I am going to be serious this time, and really try to get this ole ADD brain going! Let's see how I do!
LOL