kelbelle65’s blog

The top one is a child I met at the Octopus Tree on the Oregon Coast.  He and his twin, a little girl were running around being cute and I asked him something so I could get him to stop.  Here he is contemplating whether he should talk to this crazy lady with the camera.

The bottom one is Nolan, the 3 1/2 year old son of some friends of ours.  Great kid.  He can already ride a two wheeler without training wheels and he's quite a slugger with the fat whiffle ball bat.  I have a little crush on him and if I wanted kids, I would want one just like him.

Went to the Oregon coast on Saturday.  The first two photos were taken in Astoria.  The big rock is Haystack at Cannon Beach.

Peace...

Loathe:  sick psychotic monster in Austria who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and made her have 7 of his children, 3 of whom he imprisoned with her and who have NEVER seen the light of day.  Loathe doesn't even begin to describe what I feel about this.  How could anyone do this to his own daughter?  How could he get away with it for 24 years?  How could his wife be so oblivious as to not realize something was evil about her husband?  How could the daughter have taken year after year of rape and incest?  How did she go through 7 pregnancies without sunlight and proper care?  How did this happen?!  How did they survive such a horrific imprisonment?  How how how how how and why why why why why?  And if anyone is thinking it was in some benevolent Christian God's plan, wise up and think again.  The way I see it, there is no God... and shit like this proves it.  Unless he's a monster himself who can create people "in his image" that can carry out these maniacal, diabolical, utterly unfathomable crimes against their own families.  So yeah, there's another thing I loathe:  feeling like I don't have the freedom to express my AGNOSTICISM that borders on ATHEISM.  I am agnostic.  I have trouble wrapping my brain around a 'creator'.  And I'm tired of people assuming that just because they believe, that everyone else does too.  And I'm tired of the justification that goes on in the name of religion.  I could go on, but i'm at work and my break is over.  But that's what I loathe today.  The sick twisted part of society and organized religion.

Love:  my dad, who died in '97 and always kept me safe.

Taken April 13, 2008 at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR

Canon 350d Digital Rebel / Lens 100mm macro

Enjoy and Happy Spring y'all!

Loathe:  radio DJ's who are so full of ego that I have to turn the radio down and then i miss a good song; when people assume that they are right and are indignant about it only to find out they were wrong and then they don't apologize; being sore from squatting 371 times to take pictures at the Tulip Festival; a co-worker's hostile attitude and the fact that she still works here even though no one likes her and people complain about her all the time; the customer i just had on the phone who was completely psycho and threatened to throw dog shit at our driver because she didn't want to pay her opening bill!  ...let's make that all psycho, mean, unreasonable customers who call here screaming and spewing toxic energy into my peace-loving soul...

Love: I got a raise today and a good review!!  ...all the great tulip shots I got at the Tulip Festival; classic rock; I've lost 3 lbs on Weight Watchers and I don't even feel like I'm dieting; I feel appreciated and loved at work today; English Breakfast Tea; hubby and I are going to a play tonight with tickets given to me by my supervisor!  ...the fact that those nasty customers don't stay with me after I hang up with them and I refuse to let them ruin my day or affect my happy go lucky personality. 

Loathe... people not minding their own business. if two guys want to get married, it's none of anyone's business.  if i don't believe in your god, it's none of your business; people making mountains out of molehills and trying to get other people in trouble to make themselves look good at work; the fact that my break is almost over so I better hurry this up.

Love... apple cinnamon oatmeal with raisins added!  the fact that everything is so green right now--things are blooming, the trees are budding and spring is springing; the way my kitties like to come and visit me when I snuggle up on the couch or in the bed; hubby and I have started Weight Watchers (he lost 5 lbs and I lost 1.6); we are eating super healthy, watching our portion sizes and exercising!!  It feels great!  and lastly for today:  random acts of kindness!

This is my first post to this group.  I like the idea. 

Things I Loathe:  customers who try to blame me and my company for the fact that they didn't pay their bill and their service got shut off and then they talk shit about our drivers who work very hard to pick up their trash and recycling; when I make a stupid math mistake; when my boss gets big brothery and control freaky;  when my husband pays too many bills and leaves us poor until payday (but i love my husband madly so i forgive him); interrupters; PEOPLE WHO DON'T USE THEIR FREAKING TURN SIGNALS; moving internet ads that try to get my attention; racism; violence oh god how i loathe all the violence in the world; hillary clinton's high and mighty attitude; my laziness and procrastination;

Things I Love:  when my kitties run to greet me as I come in the door; people who aren't afraid to show gratitude and kindness; the moment when i crawl into bed at night, take a deep breath and settle in for the rejuvenation process; when my friends make me laugh; when i make my friends laugh; tuna sandwich with pickles; the warm and lovely relationship i have cultivated with my mom after doing a lot of hard work and then being able to forgive her and my dad for, ya know, that stuff parents do that can screw a kid up; my cozy warm fleece jacket that my sister gave me; capturing a moment in time with my camera and sharing it with an appreciative viewer--knowing that they would not ever have seen this moment if I didn't catch it; seeing other people's moments, especially from places I know I will probably never get a chance to visit;  VOX!!!

Here's a little taste of Spring from the Pacific Northwest USA.  Enjoy!  If it's not Spring where you are yet, I hope it's right around the corner (unless you're reading this from Antarctica then you probably like winter.)  :-D

I took some of these photos on a nature walk today and some on a walk around my neighborhood last weekend.  After having lived 12 years in the Sonoran Desert, I love the rain.  I love breathing in the earthy smells and seeing perfectly round dew beads on lush green leaves.   It used to make me feel melancholy when I saw the cracked, parched earth in the Southwest.   And the relentless sun shining all the time, making me feel obligated to be happy.  Oregon is my place.  Today the sun has come out, gone in, white fluffy clouds have come out, turned gray, rain has fallen hard, then lightly, the sun came back out, went away.  Ahhh... variety is the spice of life.