Friday Town Shoot Out: Skylines

This week's theme is skylines, chosen by Kate.  Kate lives in Kanasa and she says, " One of my favorite things to see when I go to a new city is the look of their skyline - and for me, skylines can be the look of a small-town Main Street or the giant buildings of a huge city's downtown or a field full of corn. What is the "skyline" that you think of when someone mentions your town?

My town is Las Vegas:

I encourgage you to click on the photos to enlarge

and see more detail.

Normally, I avoid photos of the strip because I think

that's what people expect to see when they hear that I am from Vegas.

I usually try to showcase parts of the city

that might change your paradigm as to how you view my town. 

I like to present it as a family oriented place with lots of places to go

without having to be a part of the place called sin city.

So, until today,

I think I've been pretty consistent in the types of photos

that I post.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the city

and all it has to offer.

The energy here is amazing and I love that the city never sleeps.

But, I like the slower pace most times.

Today,

I will be showcasing the city as you probably imagine it in your mind's eye

or show you pictures similar to what you've probably seen on TV.

(REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

This photo was taken on my birthday this year

on our way back from Laughlin.

This is a shot of Main Street taken from inside our truck

driving down the freeway headed westbound

and this view is looking southbound.

I think the Main Street Casino has the best buffet

even better than your fancy hotel casinos.

Today, I headed out with my camera looking for something to shoot.

This is the south end of the Las Vegas Strip

My perspective comes from the top of the parking garage of the Rio Hotel Casino.

This is the same view at a slightly different angle.

I like that I captured the railroad tracks in this photo.

This view is about as far west on Tropicana Avenue as you can go

looking east onto the strip.

I edited this photo and added several layers of effects. 

I think it looks so much better like this, because the reality is

Las Vegas is ugly during the day.

This is the exact same view as the photo right above it

taken just a few seconds later.

As you can see, I also edited this one. 

I changed it to black and white and then added some color which was accidental

but I really like how it turned out.

Next...

This Skyline comes from my very favorite city

Nashville, TN

This was taken from inside the car while traveling.

This is a photo from my trip there in August of this year.

I really like this skyline a lot.

The above photo is downtown Nashville, TN

(please click on the photo to get a better view)

Thank you Kate for this week's theme

and thanks to the Friday Shoot Out Gang for making this such a great experience.

Over the top blogging award. My first one and I'm passing it on.

Yay!   My very first blogging award.

Thank you Rebecca.

She has two wonderful blogs,

The Dusty Cellar and The Dusty Cellar Shoots

You added something special to my day.

One of the conditions of accepting this award is that I have to answer the following questions.

The catch is I can only use one word for each answer.

1. Where is your cell phone? Nightstand



2. Your hair? Dull



3. Your mother? Sick



4. Your father? Sick



5. Your favorite food? Mexican



6. Your dream last night? Weird



7. Your favorite drink? Tea



8. Your dream/goal? Travel



9. What room are you in? Living



10. Your hobby? Photography



11. Your fear? Spiders



12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Improving



13. Where were you last night? Home



14. Something that you aren't? Ambitious



15. Muffins? Blueberry



16. Wish list item? Cabin



17. Where did you grow up? Bakersfield



18. Last thing you did? Walked



19. What are you wearing? Clothes



20. Your TV? Entertaining



21. Your pets? Sasha



22. Friends? Fun



23. Your life? Secure



24. Your mood? Blah



25. Missing someone? Yes



26. Vehicle? Mustang



27. Something you're not wearing? Hat



28. Your favorite store? On-Line



29. Your favorite color? Black



30. When was the last time you laughed? Today



31. Last time you cried? Recently



32. Your best friend? Jennifer



33. One place that I go to over and over? Thoughts



34. One person who emails me regularly? Mother-in-law



35. Favorite place to eat? Que Mas

Next, I have to pass this award on to six other bloggers.

This is really difficult because there are so many amazing blogs that I follow.

Here are the six I choose to pass this award onto and my reasoning:

1.  Gigi at Afterthoughts

because her photography is amazing, she's from the south (which I love) and she's got personality. 
I feel a soul connection to her world.

2. Beth at Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken
because she can create beauty in the simplist form with her words and photos.  She is authentic.

3.  Sarah at Cottage Garden Studio
because she is an extremely talented artist and I admire her macro photography

4.  Pauline at The Paddock
because reading her thoughts always makes me smile. She is fun and I feel a kinship to her also.

5.  Hilary at The Smitten Image
because I was smitten the first time I read her blog. 
A walk with her is never dull and her pictures are wonderful.  She knows how to tell a story.

6.  Alicia at Titere Con Bonete
because she is so delightful.  I love her Iwanna Wednesday posts.  Her energy is contagious.


I really hate having to narrow it down so much because there are quite a few other blogs that I read on a daily basis and I love just as equally as the ones I mentioned above. 

Synchronicity is one of the blogs that I find quite intriguing and read every day.  I couldn't sign off without giving them an honorable mention.

I Want To Scream......

I'M DEBT FREE!

Today, I have earned my bragging rights.

In true Dave Ramsey fashion,

I can scream at the top of my lungs

I'M DEBT FREE!

This morning I made my very last mortage payment.

Yippee!

My husband and I discovered Dave Ramsey in 2004

and we started following his plan.

That meant doing a monthly budget

and living below our means.

There was no deprivation.

We still did whatever we wanted,

we just paid more attention to  where our money went.

We bought our house in December of 2001.

After we discovered Dave Ramsey,

we refinanced our house down to a ten year fixed rate loan at 5 %.

Our plan was to have it paid off in eight years from that date

which was November 24th, 2004.

And today,

 I have earned the right to say that it took us exactly five years.

I am so proud of us.

This is my biggest accomplishment to date,

except for the time I quit smoking.

That's my house in the photo above

and my two roomies on the front lawn.

Yes, that's my husband and my dog.

Don't they both look so cute?

I love that picture.

And below.........

(click on photo to enlarge)

Our next door neighbor, Bob

and a view of our neighborhood.

I must say that we got extrememly lucky with the neighbors that we have.

The whole street is a great bunch of people.

Life is good and we are very blessed.

I am one lucky woman.

Oh, and this post marks my 100th post which is also an accomplisment.

And,

I just found out I was given a blog award by Rebecca at The Dusty Cellar.

I will post a separate blog about that

but I am very excited and so grateful that she would think of me.

Thank you Rebecca!

Friday My Town Shoot Out ~ Park Landscapes

Today's theme is park landscapes chosen by yours truly, ME!  Please click on the link to see a list of members and to check out some awesome shoots for this theme.

I chose Tule Springs Ranch State Park for my shoot-out, mainly because of its history.  In order for you to appreciate the photos I took, I need to give you a brief summary so bear with me for a moment.

In the 1920's and 30's Nevada relaxed it divorce laws, thus launching the "Divorce Industry" which included lawyers, judges and hotel owners.  The most colorful aspect of this new industry was the "divorce ranch" where would-be divorcees  (many of them wealthy eastern socialites) could live and entertain themselves while waiting to fulfill Nevada's six week residency requirement.  Guests would spend their time swimming, horseback riding, picnicking, or even helping out with ranch chores.  Tule Springs Park reserves one of the last remaining divorce ranches in the Las Vegas area.

What a difference compared to the photo in the sign above it.  It barely looks like the same bridge.

There are a lot more buildings on the grounds

but why don't you take a walk with me around the park

and we'll spot some fisherman fishing in the large pond.

Down the path.......

up the steps....

up yonder.....

and over a stream

Spotted:  two lovey dovey geese

The End.....

Almost.

Even though this theme was chosen by me, it is one of my least favorite shoot-outs. 

 Nonetheless Tule Springs ranch is a very pretty park and the history is incredible.

These photos, except for the buildings

are some of my favorites of the park

among the pictures that I took in September.

Self Portrait or Self Indulgent

Since I'm the one behind the lens,

I don't really have a lot of pictures of myself.

Today, I decided to play around with my camera

using myself as the model.

Here are the results.

You may click on the photos to zoom in if you are so inclined.

Yep, there are some days when I feel really good.

Today is one of those days.

I don't feel like a 45 year old.

A Blogging Muse

If you're a writer at heart like I am,

Then you know that there are times,

lots of times when you just don't feel the flow.

No matter how hard you try,

how much you think about it,

sometimes the words just don't come.

You've got writer's block.

Sometimes for just a day,

 or a week or a month or even a year or longer.

Then you start thinking maybe you never were a writer at all.

I'm not talking perfect grammar here.

Lots of published authurs are extremely nit-picky about proper punctuation.

A real writer though,

lets the words flow from the heart without fear of being criticized.

If one worries about correct spelling, proper punctuation and sentence structure

how can one be fully engaged in what he has to say?

Being perfect takes away the creative flow and the imagination. 

It ruins the story that's inside and that is really sad.

I know a lot of people that don't write well and can't spell worth a hill of beans

but boy, do they have some good stories to tell.

Perfection is not about being perfect,

It's about being creative, imaginitive, and authentic

and letting that authenticity flow out onto paper.

I know of the perfect muse to help your creative juices flow.

It will help to hone your writing skills,

It will encourage your imagination to become more vivid,

It will spur your creativity to come alive.

What the hell am I talking about? you may be wondering.

I am talking about a new blog started by Heather

called,

Write With Pictures

Every day she posts a picture.

The picture is to inspire you to write.

Each day you are prompted to write with a different theme.

For example,

 Monday's photo - What memories does the photo evoke from you?

Tuesday's Tale - Write a short fictional piece, as the photo inspires.

Wednesday's Ten - Ten words of first thought, as you look at this photo.

Thursday's THE - After looking at the photo, begin a sentence or more with the word "The".

Friday's Poetry - While looking at the photo, share a few lines of poetry.

Well, don't take my word for it.

Go have a look yourself and why don't you give your writing a little push--

Uh, I mean prompt.

It can't hurt

and who knows....

you just might find your flow over at Heather's.

Happy writing!

Oh, just go.

Random Thoughts

It's really windy outside and the sky is painted gray

There's a small chance it might rain

and I welcome the sprinkles to shower my neighborhood.

*****

I gave Sasha a bath earlier today

which  always takes place in the shower downstairs.

She likes the water a little warm

(okay, well maybe that's more me than her)

She didn't enjoy her bath today

she had a frown on her face the whole time,

if that's possible for a dog.

I also clipped her toenails which was a difficult task.

Even more difficult than that was the attempt I made

to brush her teeth.

Ah, the joys of pet ownership.

\

She then begged me to let her outside

and I finally relented

even though she's still wet

and it's cold and windy.

But ultimately,

that made her very happy

and it gave me joy to watch her roll around in the grass

*****

My parents are coming for a visit on the 18th of November.

I'm looking forward to seeing them

and going out for a drink.

My parents are a lot of fun when we are out.

They love to dance.

And I love watching them.

It's also the day before my 15th wedding anniversary.

It's going to be a really good month.

We are going to Oregon for Thanksgiving

and then I am stopping in Marysville, Ca.

to visit with my childhood friend, Tina.

I can't hardly wait to get on the road and enjoy the change of scenery.

I am getting excited at the thought of exploring

and discovering things to photograph.

I'm counting down the days.

*****

I found a camera club I want to join.

Their next meeting is on the 13th of November

and hopefully

they will accept my membership.

I am already acting as if I'm a member....haha

I can't wait to go on field trips

and learn more about photography

and be able to share that with like minded people.

My friend Gayla is going to join the club with me

so I am really excited to have somebody to do something with.

It should be a lot of fun.

*****

It's mid afternoon and I feel like taking a nap.

I think I'll lie down on the couch and rest my eyes for ahwile.

I hope everyone has a fabulous fun filled day.

Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit me.

~JarieLyn~