Dog Days of Summer!

Ever wonder where this phrase came from?

Well...if so, you're in luck...here's a fun Friday fact for you...

"Dog days" are referred to as the hottest, most sultry days of summer.

(Thank you Wikipedia)

The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, was somehow responsible for the hot weather.

Well, I'm real "Sirius" when I say that I'm pretty darn tired of the scorching heat we've been blessed with lately.

Don't you think that ("feels like") 100*F should somehow be illegal?

I know. Not possible. But still!

It's H.O.T.!

Happy Weekend Bloggers!

Stay C.O.O.L!

Wishful Wednesday

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

Big City Livin'

There are many pros and cons of living the big city life!

Other than all the amazing restaurants, museums and shops, some of my favorite things about the city are all the lights and tall buildings. I love driving past downtown and seeing all the different colors!

One thing I could live without, however, would be the traffic!

This week's In a Yellow House Photo Challenge is "Urban." The above photo is my submission. I love the starburst effect coming from the street lights. This is really easy to do. My f-stop in this particular picture was set at f/22. The lower the f-stop (or higher the number), the more exaggerated the effect. Try it, it's fun! Remember when taking night time photography you will want a tripod to keep the camera steady. Exposure times typically will last seconds, rather than the usual fraction of a second. In the above picture I think my exposure time was close to 30 seconds! It may feel like a long time, but it is definitely worth the wait!

Be sure to check out the link for other urban photos!

SkyWatch

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky."

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Be sure to check out the link for more sky shots from around the world! This Friday's SkyWatch comes from Galveston Island, Texas! (I know, I know...I couldn't just pick one sky photo!)

The Seawall

This week's theme at YouCapture was "Black & White."

Be sure to click the links to check out more photos!

Surfside Sunrise

a beautiful Sunday morning!

Outdoor Love

This weekend I watched my high school friend marry the man of her dreams in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. The setting was perfect...smiles were everywhere, the sun was shining and the big Texas sky was blue!

I had such a great time catching up with my sweet high school girlfriends. And there may or may not have been a few old stories told! Prom night? Our parents chaperoning? How could we forget!? All in all, it was a great trip that made me appreciate wonderful old friends, the rolling Texas hill country, good wine & music, DJs who look like Elvis and fun sparklers!