Unplugged

Dear fans and readers:

I am unplugged for a few days --

enjoying some time 

with my family -- 

and definitely enjoying

some time away from work!!

Non-Dramatic

Just a few

quiet moments

this evening

thought I'd give some

black and white

photos

another go

 

 

There is

something I like

in this second pose

that almost implies

some shyness

or something girly

Was hoping for

more contrasts

or dramatic lights

I'll have to

work on that

again

Skates

Ok -- Show of hands.....
How many of you
have gone roller skating?

Roller skating popularity
comes and goes with decades
it seems
(Gotta love the 70s disco tunes tho!)

And looking back, I wonder
if I've spent more time in
skating rinks as an adult
than I did as a kid!!

September means
its my granddaughter's birthday

and no matter what she chooses
for a party
I -always- participate


So here I am, at 53,
and roller skating with the kids ....

while my ex looked on!

(and damn, I looked GOOD!)

At the end of a skate session,
they play the Cha Cha slide --
here I am,
right foot stomp,
left foot stomp,
and sliiiiiding
into a few moves :)

Happy September, Fans!

Hat

A work of art 

is good 

if it has arisen 

out of necessity. 

That is the only way 

one can judge it.”
 

―Rainer Maria Rilke

Womanly

“You must not for one instant 

give up the effort 

to build new lives for yourselves. 

Creativity means to 

push open the heavy, groaning 

doorway to life. 

This is not an easy struggle. 

Indeed, it may be 

the most difficult task in the world, 

for opening”

 ~Daisaku Ikeda

I like the first pose best,
with its hint of mystery,
making one wonder....
"Who is she thinking about?"

I enjoyed posing for
this series. 
Love playing with hats
and the silky robe.
I almost felt
as if I live
a different life,
if only for a moment

Sunrise

After 12 days in a row
of getting up at 4:30am
for work,
it was hard not to be awake
when I could sleep in. 
When I first stepped outside,
I noticed early morning clouds
and thought
"ugh, I'm too tired to head out" --
but then realized that would be
the very thing
to help me get through my day. 





So the pup and I
hopped into the car
and drove to a local park
to capture some sunrise.

Intimate Moment

I close my eyes,
and imagine you're in the room
watching me

my heart pounds
and my hand slips down
to touch myself

I hear your indrawn breath
and your squirming
as you watch me

Fingers press against flesh
drawing a heavy breath
my heart pounds

Tension builds, breathing heavy
shudder and quake
as it subsides again

when my eyes open
you are no longer there
you never were.

I'm Real

I've had so many wonderful comments
and emails about my pictures ... 

and I thank each of you
who've taken the time
to write,
it means so much to me!

One of the topics that comes up often
is the fact that my photos are 'real'. 
I'm far from being what the media
calls a "beautiful woman". 
And that's ok with me --
we can't all look like popular models. 
So many pictures one sees in places
are either "just body parts"
or the women are so picture perfect,
its not real. 

Real women have real curves.
We have scars, sags and bags. 
We're not pencil thin, nor "perfect"
like the media and magazines portray --
who can live up to that? 

My only intention when I started
was to take pictures that I enjoyed taking,
I didn't have an agenda
or felt the need to make a statement. 
But as time has progressed,
I have seen the need for showing
there is beauty in every human body,
thanks to so many folks brave enough
to send me comments and email
in appreciation for what I do. 

So I'll keep on doing what I do --
hopefully you'll keep on enjoying them.
Many thanks to each of you!
~Gal

Got Love?

LOVE:  If you have it ,

you don't need to have

anything else,





and if you don't have it,

it doesn't matter much

what else you have.

~Sir James M. Barrie








Rocky days.... rocky roads....
sometimes life is too hard.
but I've always said I'm a survivor.
(I've survived things I never thought I would have to!)
but life goes on.
Native American Astrology calls me a "salmon":

Life’s emotional currents may run deep, and at times tumultuous, yet as the Salmon will forge its way upstream against seemingly impossible odds so that they may propagate their species, Birth Totem Salmon will become truly Whole when he/she has conquered the currents that roil within their own hearts.

I like that, a lot :)   You can check your own Native American Astrology here !

Setting Sun

We all have days where we feel like

"enough is enough"

and its hard to feel hopeful

I found this quote and thought it fit right in

with this picture of the sunset taken from my backyard

Wednesday evening.

Behind the scenes

Just a little
'behind'
the scenes!

ok... bad pun!













Appreciate all the
extra traffic here lately!
Hope you enjoy
my posts






busy week so far at work - day 3 of 12
I force myself past
the not so busy moments
and just keep going :)
That's the only way
to stay sane right now!

Quick Post

just a quick post

as I took an

opportunity

to wear more

than simple

weekend

clothes

In the middle

of a long

stretch

at work

and so far

its going

as well as expected.

Looking forward

to time

behind the lens

sometime

soon!

Hope everyone has

a great day :) ~Gal

 

B&W, pt.3

the last in this series
of pictures

i may not post
for a while as
i have a long
work week
coming up
and 

hope everyone has
a fantabulous week!

Waves

Lots of rain 

here in the 

Valley of the Sun 

today.

After work, I headed

to a local park and 

found this sculpture 

called Wall of Waves.  

(James O'Hara 1985)   

It was humid and misty; 

I like the way the picture 

came out sort of hazy 

from the weather.

Since this is on a busy corner, rain or no rain, too many folks

passing through to take something 'special' for this blog!

B&W, pt2

 Black and white 

are the colors of photography. 

To me they symbolize 

the alternatives of hope and despair 

to which mankind is forever subjected.  

~Robert Frank

“When you photograph 

people in color, 

you photograph their clothes. 

But when you photograph 

people in black and white, 

you photograph their souls!” 

 ~Ted Grant

B&W

"Life is like 

a good 

black and white

photograph, 

there's black, 

there's white, 

and lots of 

shades 

in between." 

-Karl Heiner

 

Haircut

Got my hair cut over the weekend...

all short n sassy! 

easy to take care of 

in the last of the summer heat

here in the Valley of the Sun.

Thanks for all the recent traffic here.... 

I hope it means you like

what I've been doing. 

~Gal

Sassy

“I want someone to love me for me, faults and all.
Someone who can't fall asleep without being my last call.
Someone who wants to be my last goodnight and my first hello.
Someone who will hold my hand and not let it go.
Someone who means it when he says, 'I will leave you never.'
Someone who looks into my eyes and sees their... Forever.”
― José N. Harris, MI VIDA

I became fascinated with the shadows

and really like how my shadow looks all sassy !

 does it say "You GO girl!" to you? *giggles*

Courage

“When you find your path,

you must ignore fear.

You need to have the courage

to risk mistakes.

But once you are on that road...

run, run, run,

and don't stop

til you've reached its end.”


― José N. Harris, MI VIDA

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes courage is the little voice

at the end of the day

that says I'll try again tomorrow.  

~Mary Anne Radmacher

If you've followed my blog for very long, you can see the progress, the courage, I've gained along the way.  It's not easy seeing your own beauty; and even harder when you're constantly bombarded with "the perfect girl" image in media.  But once you let go of that 'perfect' image, and learn to love who you are, faults and all, the beauty shines for all to see.  A friend of mine needs courage right now.  And as much as I want to be a friend, to be there in support -- courage is something we all have to find on our own, in our own way.  Thankfully, its our friends and family who give us a kind word or a smile that helps us keep going on our journey, finding our courage.  May you find your own courage today!

Bits n Pieces

Letting go doesn't mean giving up...
 

 But as we grow older 

we are forced to change 

our way of thinking,

to realize that letting go 

means accepting things that cannot be. 

 It means maturing and moving on, 

no matter how hard 

you have to fight yourself to do so."

When we are no longer able 

to change a situation, 

we are challenged to change ourselves. 

~Victor Frankl

The above quotes are more for me than for those of you who check out my blog.  It's been a struggle for me lately on a couple different aspects of life.  I've survived what I thought was worse in the past, but this time it seems very different. 

And yet, I know that I will survive,
no matter what course life takes. 

Joyous Morning

... dreams that are born 

in the dawn's early light ...

Celebrate morning!

Three things

cannot be long hidden: 

the sun, 

 

the moon, 

and the truth.

~Buddha

Joyful Morning

When I admire 

the wonders of a sunset 

or the beauty of the moon, 

my soul expands 

in the worship of the creator.


~Mahatma Gandhi

Early morning

up with the pup

and enjoying

the sun

as it warms

my skin

Wishing you

a joyful morning!