Persuasion

“Odors have a power of persuasion 

stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. 

The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, 

it enters into us like breath into our lungs,

it fills us up, imbues us totally. 

There is no remedy for it.” 

― Patrick Süskind

A photo for a friend who called me on 

not posting photos for a month,

for allowing me to vent 

and ponder what's next ....

Thank you!

Just Bein' Me

"You are a beautiful creation

perfectly imperfect...

a work in progress...

you have everything you need

to fulfill your purpose...

don't dilute yourself for

any person or any reason...

you are enough... 

be unapologetically you."

~Steve Maraboli

just a lazy Friday for me

so i "un-assed" the couch

took Sadie for a walk in

the park first, and later

took myself off to the pool

for some time to relax. 

Q&A: The Start

A lot of people have asked how or when did I start taking these kinds of pictures??


The first topless pic I took of myself was back in 1997.  I was on a trip to Las Vegas for a work convention.  I'd had a glass of wine or two, and on the spur of the moment snapped a picture.  This was before digital, of course, and I wondered if they wouldn't print the picture!  But they did :)






My next act of photography bravery was this one.  In the marriage, when the love life hadn't been up to par, I slipped into this outfit and paraded around the bedroom to get his attention.  Did it work? Did it help?  Nope, he was too busy on the computer.  Naive me thought he was playing games -- well, he was, but with people's lives!  (ca. 1998)













This next picture (ca 1998) was taken for a special man I met on the internet.  Recently divorced, I was craving attention and needed a little validation.  The whole deal happened, friendship bloomed, I took this pic with my first digital camera -- the clarity was terrible!  But what do you expect for $20?  But cameras going digital was exciting times!  (As a side note, it wasn't long before I packed up my kids and moved cross country to marry this "internet love" -- yeah, as expected it didn't work out in the long run.)









Ca. 2005 and digital cameras have come a lot further!  I started taking photos to share with friends I was chatting with.  And someone joked that I had enough photos to create a calendar!  While it seemed like it was a funny idea, it planted the seed to take a series of pix every month -- so I did!








My pix caught the attention of a special Man and he gifted me a wonderful new digital camera (among other things) .... It took terrific pictures (once i figured out how to use it!) From that point on, I was constantly taking pix!






Eventually it evolved into the blog. 
I like having a place
to share myself with you!!

BodyScapes

Most days when

i grab the camera

Sadie likes to be

right in the thick of it!










Here's the rest of

yesterday's photos --

they didn't get posted

because of some

"Sadie interference".

"People look
more beautiful,
God-like and
dignified to me
when they are naked...
Nothing is more beautiful,
therefore, than a naked person."
---Jim C. Cunningham

500th Post

“You are imperfect, 

permanently and inevitably flawed. 

And you are beautiful.”

-Amy Bloom

this is my 500th post on the blog

and as i look back, well, some are better than others!

  It's been a blast sharing these, seeing where i can go, what i can do.

i'm grateful to all of you who share in this journey of me

especially those who shared their thoughts as well.

 Thank You, from the heart of my bottom!!

Be Yourself

Love yourself…

accept yourself…

be yourself...

these qualities 

will create 

 

for the first time

an individual 

whose inner flame 

is undivideable,

a great pool of energy 

will gather and 

surround you
 

 with this 

an inner trust 

will arise 

from within you 

-Swami Rajneesh

Free Spirit

"Follow Coleman Hawkins' 

improvised lines 

very carefully. 

He is using them 

to tell us something. 

Pay very close attention. 

He is telling us the story 

of the free spirit that is 

doing everything it can 

to escape from within him. 

That same kind of spirit 

is inside me, inside you. 

There--you can hear it, I'm sure: 

the hot breath, 

the shivering heart...."

-Haruki Murakami

 Just a few free spirited 

poses at the end of 

a long hard week....

Happy Weekend!

Love Yourself

“Let today be the day

you love yourself enough

to no longer just

dream of a better life;

let it be the day

you act upon it.”

-Steve Maraboli

Still Curvy

What a difference a year makes when you make a plan and stick to it.

I posted this mostly for myself, to see how far I've come.

40lbs lighter, and feeling great!  

Still curvy, always will be!

Beauty

Anyone who keeps 

the ability 

to see beauty 

never grows old.

Light

All women are beautiful,

regardless of their looks.

You just need to

touch their soul

with respect and appreciation

for their inner beauty

and you will be

rewarded with joy.

The heart is

way more important

than the package.

Delight

 “When you're a beautiful person on the inside, 

nothing in the world can change that about you. 

Jealousy is the result of one's lack of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-acceptance. 

The Lesson: If you can't accept yourself, then certainly no one else will.”
― Sasha Azevedo 

 Once we believe in ourselves, 

we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, 

or any experience that reveals the human spirit”

--e.e. cummings

Pleasure

Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
~William Wordsworth, 1806

 

 

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

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

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!

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!

Magic Realm

When a song stirs a memory, 

when motes of dust 

turning in a shaft of light 

takes your attention from the world, 

when you listen to a train 

passing on a track at night 

in the distance 

and wonder where it might be going, 

you step beyond 

who you are and where you are. 

For the briefest of instants, 

you have stepped into the magic realm.

~~~

the last two shots

in this series

sometimes its

harder to get a good shot

when the lighting


is brighter in spots.

Birthday.pt1

Every year
i take a self portrait
for my birthday


when my kids were small
i was the photographer






self timers weren't as popular
on camera models back then





there aren't many pictures
of me during those decades
(maybe i'm making up
for lost time now?? haha)

I'm lucky that I
was able to spend
my day with my family
and will treasure the memories
always.