March Madness Mosaic

Here are the pictures from the month. Although I was home with a broken leg, I was able to take pictures and be somewhat creative about it. I learned about many of the settings on my camera and about finding great shots in everyday things.

March 31, 2010 A tractor in natural light

The daily shoot for today was find something to shoot in natural light. This tractor is on an empty lot a few blocks from my house. The empty lot will turn into a garden before too long. Corn, beans, and other veggies grow and the owner of the garden gets on the tractor. All in the middle of town.

March 30, 2010 Spring Green

The daily shoot today said get a picture of something green. I chose the clover in the front yard. Here it is in its finest greenery. I love spring!

March 29, 2010 Out and About Again

Today, Gus took me out to run some errands. More time to see some great spring flower and trees blooming. These are photos from our neighborhood. I love living in a place where there are trees bigger than the houses and lots of natural landscaping on the lots.

March 28, 2010 Spring has SPRUNG!

Today, after Gus went and did Meals on Wheels and went to church, he came home and told me to get dressed, we were going to lunch. Well, I am still somewhat beauty challenged, but I got dressed and we went to Sonic for lunch. It was great to be out and sit with the windows down, just enjoying the day. After lunch, I asked him to drive around so I can take pictures of all the beautiful spring foliage. This is just down the street from our house where the four way stop is on Lewis Lane and Shannon Drive.

March 27, 2010 View from my deck

Today was a glorious spring day in Tuscaloosa! I am just sorry I didn't get to enjoy it except by peering out the living room picture window and the door to the deck. As I was practicing using the wheelchair (I can go backwards much better than forwards--what is up with that?), I was taking some pictures around the living room. I opened the deck door for some fresh air and noticed the way the sun was lighting the budding trees with the moon behind. I took several vertical shots but this horizontal shot turned out the best.

March 26. 2010 S is for Shield

Today's Daily Shoot is--Think of a subject that starts with either the letter "D" or "S". Find it, and make a photo! I looked around my environs and decided to take a picture of the Episcopal shield hanging in my living room picture window. It is a beautiful spring day outside and I love our overgrown backyard that makes it look like we don't live in town, but away from things. Our own little 3 acres of land in the middle of Tuscaloosa. The sun wasn't hitting the shield at 4:30 so it is a bit dark, but I think it is still striking. I did do a little photo editing using Picasa 3 on this picture.

March 25, 2010 Cast off and Cast on

So today I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Atkins who actually did my leg surgery. They removed my green cast and my Franken-Foot emerged. Again, the medical folks all thought it looked good. I thought it was still gross! However, there is no infection and the x-rays looked good and healing is going well. So the doc ordered another cast on for 3 more weeks, but I can go back to work on April 5! Yippee! So these are my two casts in a polaroid collage.

March 24, 2010 Product Shot

The daily shoot challenge today is to find a product and do a product shot. On the Daily Shoot page, everyone's shot looked like a magazine ad. Mine doesn't! I got to go out and run a few errands with Gus yesterday. The highlight was eating lunch at Sonic Drive-In! I got a Diet Cherry Limeade and made pics of the cup; then I used the collage option of multiple exposures to create this image. Half-price diet cherry limeades are my kind of happy hour!

March 23, 2010 Angles everywhere

Today's daily shoot said find some angles and shoot away. Again, remember I am limited in my travails due to the broken leg, so I examined the angles on my walker. Yes, my walker! Laugh if you must but a walker is SOOOOO much easier to maneuver than a pair of crutches when you weigh what I do! So here is my homage to angles on my walker. (and somewhere in those right triangles I am sure there are secrets of the Pythagorean Theorem and Sine, Cosine, and Tangent)

March 22, 2010 My link to the outside world

I love my computer. This is not new information for those of you who know me, but since I broke my leg--my computer keyboard is my link to the outside world. I am blogging a bit here and on some other sites. I am also reading lots of blog posts about education and technology. I have time to think about the sites and posts that before in the busyness of my life I skimmed and saved to read for later. I thought it was interesting that you can see where the oil from my fingers has "stuck" to the keys, too. The space bar is all shiny on the right side since I use my right thumb to space. Cool, huh? Sometimes slowing down lets you catch up with life that you had put on hold and lets you see things you never noticed before.

March 21, 2010 Stamps, who needs 'em?

As we were cleaning up in the living room, we found several slips of stamps of varying denominations. We discussed whether or not it would be worth it to figure out what amount of stamps we needed to make it the right amount. We got tickled when we realized that neither of us had any idea how much a stamp costs! The stamps were 37 cents and 41 cents and 80 cents. We decided the price of a stamp was somewhere between 41 and 80 but not sure what exactly. Strange huh?

March 20, 2010 Diet Coke Up Close

The daily shoot for today was to photograph liquid in some form. I chose to take a picture using my up close setting of my diet coke that has been a pretty constant companion during this whole broken leg ordeal. It's interesting looking as I was able to get some pictures of the bubbles going up.

March 19, 2010 My Wheels

Not that I have really used it, but this is my wheelchair that I will be using in 2 weeks when I go back to work. It looks deceptively easy to maneuver but it is more complicated that you would think. It's like parallel parking all the time! But I will learn to get around in it and I am sure my UWA colleagues will help me get from place to place.

March 18, 2010 Reading Material

Today, I spent the whole day reading this book from my "to read" stack. In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White was a book I just picked up at Barnes and Noble when Gus and I were having coffee one night. It is a tale of Carville, Louisiana, where a federal minimum-security prison and a leper colony coexist in the same campus. Neil is convicted of bank fraud and has to serve his sentence at Carville. Only upon getting there does he find out it is also a leperarium (correct term for leper colony). It's a great read and I think I was drawn to it by the cover art. It is an easy read and I finished in a day.

March 17, 2010 A little pink to add to the green

I know that it's St. Patrick's Day, but other than my cast, I don't have much green around, so I went another direction with today's post. Just call me an 80s girl! I love pink and green. The ever present preppie in me just couldn't resist. I bought this awesome Vera Bradley purse for myself at The Drugstore in Livingston as a Happy Spring present for myself about a month ago. I love the messenger bag size because I can carry all my electronics, wallet, and a book, too. I have not carried it much since I broke my leg, but I will after spring break!

March 16, 2010 Three, tres, trois

Today's daily shoot was to find either a 3 or a group of 3 objects. So here is my 3 from a painting Gus made me for my 37th birthday. It has 37 hearts on it plus my initials, my nickname--La, and the date of my 37th birthday--8-22-2005. It is done in rich reds, pinks, greens, plus yellow and orange. This painting hangs over my chair in the living room, my new domain! :)

March 15, 2010 Dusty Tome

The words dusty tome really seem to fit this view that is on the other side of my chair from the Dr. Bob Patch. I was experimenting with my close up button on my camera to see what kind of detail I could capture. And I think it looks like it belongs in a library in an Ivy League college or New England prep school.

March 14, 2010 Dr. Bob Patch

This is one of Gus's paintings that hangs by my chair in our living room. It has hung here for a long time, but I have never really taken the time to explore it in depth.I have been amazed by its color and texture. I liked the green color because it reminds me of spring.

March 13, 2010 Curvy Chair Upholstery

Here was today's assignment from The Daily Shoot: Curves, squiggles, and flowing lines interest the eye. Make a photograph dominated by a curvy shape of some sort today. My last 10 days have been dominated by sitting in my chair in the living room and not being mobile. I took several pictures of the upholstery pattern which has curls and curves in it. Then I used Picasa 3 to make a collage of the pics to get today's photos. I need to experiment more with light and close up focus I think.

March 12, 2010 Favorite Gadget?

Today's daily shoot challenge was to take a photo of your favorite tech gadget. I have many entertaining gadgets, but my favorite really is my laptop. I can keep in touch with folks, create things, share my writing and ideas, edit pictures, play games, find out stuff, and much more. So, kudos to the HP Pavilion dv6000! You're my fave.

March 11, 2010 A little sunshine

A friend, Margaret Cooper, brought us soup, bread, and these wonderful yellow tulips yesterday. They are gorgeous on their own, but then I had some fun playing with Picasa effects--saturation. So they are VERY yellow now; THIS is how I saw them today and they were a great piece of sunshine in my world. Thanks for bringing dinner and sunshine, Margaret!

March 10, 2010 My House via Google Maps Street View

Well, when you can't get out of a chair or the bed, you have to get creative to make your daily photo, or have really creative friends like Loonyhiker. It said to take a street view pic today, and I had already given up on that when she suggested I use the Google Street View app since I am not very mobile due to the broken leg. Thanks, Pat! I think this shot works just fine.

March 9, 2010 Stack of Color

This stack of pot holders is a very colorful addition to the table next to my chair where I will be spending lots of time in the next six weeks as I wait for my leg to heal. These colors are vibrant, beautiful and they remind me that beauty is all around us even when we think we are having bad times. I am blessed to have lots of folks all over praying for me and my recovery. I will continue to find great shots over the next few weeks within my confines.

March 8, 2010 Cheering Up Claws!

Today I had my surgery to repair my spiral fibula fracture in my left leg. After much pain and discomfort in the morning, good meds and good family and friends made my evening much better. Thanks to Gus, Mom, Lee (my buddy, not bro), and Lindy for your visits. Especially thanks to Gary for wearing the claws and saying Hey, your foot's not as big as mine! Laughter really is the best medicine! This picture was taken from my hospital bed with my Blackberry so forgive the quality, it's the thought that counts!

March 7, 2010 Sunday Challenge

Sunday Challenge: Make a photo of a sunrise or sunset today. Okay, this is cheating a bit cause I took the picture a couple of days ago in Livingston, but I think it works for today's challenge. (Keep in mind I have a broken leg so I am having to recycle some pictures I have already taken til I get mobile again!)

March 6, 2010 Past, Present, Future Conference

In celebration of the University of West Alabama's 175th anniversary, the Julia S. Tutwiler College of Education held a two-day conference on science, math, and technology that included a technology fair and nationally known speakers in math and science yesterday and today. The conference was a success despite my not being there and having to delegate via cell phone and email. This is a shot I took of the UWA sign outside Webb Hall.

March 5 Cool Shot from UWA

I took this shot on Wednesday prior to my broken leg so I have it to use for today's picture. This building used to be an elementary school on UWA campus. I liked the combination of the arch and columns and the ramp and rails.

March 4 Broken Leg

Yep, after class on March 3, I fell down steps and broke my left leg. I have a spiral fracture of my distal fibula. It hurts and I eagerly await it getting fixed! Here is a shot of it all splinted up as I wait for surgery on Monday, March 8. My camera batter was exhausted so I had to take this shot with my Blackberry.

March 3 Weathered Objects

From the Daily Shoot: Weathered objects have a lot of character: cracked, rusted, bleached, etc. Give us your best weathered shot today. Here's my try. I shot the outdoor gazebo that I have passes many times walking from Bibb Graves to the Caf. I noticed the great weathered look and upon closer inspection saw the great pattern on the "floor" of the gazebo. It kind of looks like a spider web.

3-2-10 What do all those buttons do?

Today's daily shoot challenge was to use a different setting on your camera. I used several, but liked this one best using the close up on a sculpture in the front "yard" of another building on campus. It looks abstract on one site but on the other side is a silhouette of a woman on the other side. This is the "eye" on the person side, but just a very interesting composition on the abstract side.

March 1, 2010 Colorful Trash

So it's not just everyday that you see blue and red trashcans in such an interesting composition. These trash receptacles just struck me as kind of cool. I wish I hadn't gotten them in shadow. Next time I will try to avoid the shadow.