Moving on to New Adventures…
It goes without saying that I will miss all the great places to have coffee, lunch, dinner and beer.. It goes without saying that I will miss those dear friends I have reconnected with during my two school years living here. And it goes without saying that I will miss those new friends who in a very short time have become such an important part of my daily life here…
What may not be so evident are the other things I will miss…
4 am alarm clocks that buzz upstairs over my head as she gets up to finish her homework for the day
being woken up at 6am asking if I might run to Dunkin Donuts and get her favorite “medium hazelnut iced-coffee with skim milk and an egg-and-cheese on a plain bagel.”
saying good-bye to her for the day but knowing she will call if she needs me
taking Autumn out for many walks around town and through the woods..lately he has become quite the rabbit hunter
Kitten sitting in the window box looking in the window, begging to come in for breakfast after a night out adventuring
turning on the propane stove and cuddling in my chair with a special blanket to write, think, edit photos, drink coffee and catch up with friends
meeting the sweet neighbors on my street to chat about dogs and town gossip. Once this winter, I said to my neighbor, “Can I ask you a question?” He said, “Whatever it is, the answer is yes…” xo
hearing a friend stop by to visit and talk to Autumn in the front yard even when I am not out there
getting a phone call to meet in 10 minutes to walk, talk and let our pups socialize
how the light dances on the kitchen floor in the morning, and streams in through the living room windows in the late afternoon
being able to open my front door and watch magnificent sunsets or snow falling on the big old oak tree
having her pop in during the day when she has a “free dot.”
sitting on the front stoop in the sunshine watching the world go by
going to sleep listening to not-so-far-away live music and the voices of happy bar goers
hearing my daughter come in every night at 9:30pm from school and holler hello
Saying good night to her before she calls it another day..
I am grateful to have had this special time. And now we move on to new stages of our lives and new adventures.
Until next time,
Lots of love,
Nanette
Dare to Dance the Tide..
“So don’t you sit upon the shoreline
And say you’re satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide…” ~ Garth Brooks
www.nanettefayephotography.com
My week in Instagram ~ and Happy Mother’s Day!
I’ve stayed a little closer to home this past week which has been a nice change. I’ve been loving all of the new blossoms on the trees, and flowers in the woods and fields. If you follow along on Facebook, you may remember I’ve had an assignment this week for a class I am taking to create a self-portrait. Included in my collage is a “soft” version of the original. Have you tried taking self-portraits? Not such an easy thing but a great exercise for many reasons.
Hope you all have enjoyed your week! It’s been a little rainy in my neck of the woods although today was sunny and gorgeous!
Wishing you all the happiest of Mother’s Days! May you relax, enjoy your children wherever they may be, and celebrate the joys, and trials, of motherhood. I will be thinking of my own sweet Mother tomorrow, and feeling blessed I was to have her as my own.
Lots of love,
Nanette
www.nanettefayephotography.com
Fiddlehead Picking with my Father
This time of year always brings back memories of going down along the river to Dad’s special, “secret” spot to pick fiddleheads. We would go after he got done work for the day. One of the things I remember most is that the black flies would just about carry me away. He always claimed he wasn’t bothered by the black flies, and it was “mind over matter.” I didn’t quite agree but loved this special time with him enough to push through being chewed . He would take his packbasket along, and we weren’t done picking until it was filled to the brim.
After we arrived home, my Mom and Dad would make an evening of it, cleaning the fiddleheads, blanching them quickly in boiling water, and then packaging them up to freeze for dinners when they were no longer in season. Usually, they would leave just enough out for dinner for the next evening. And if Dad or one of my brothers had caught a fresh trout to go along with them, this Spring dinner was just about perfect.
When my dad passed away several years ago, my mom asked if there was anything of his I might like to have. I chose his packbasket, his fishing creel, and his old dinged silver flask. Spring necessities!
It used to be that I would only eat fiddleheads with lots of vinegar and salt. Now, I just love them lightly steamed with some real butter and salt and pepper! And I follow Fiddleheads on Facebook to keep track of when and where they are ready to pick!
Special Spring memories….what are yours?
Love,
Nanette
www.nanettefayephotography.com
Staying Open to the Possibilities ~ part 2
Last summer, I wrote a post about the advantages, and sometimes exciting outcome, of staying open to all possibilities when heading out to shoot (or in life for that matter). You can read about it here. Today was another one of those days. Maybe not quite as exciting as the experience I wrote about before, but in my mind, just as important.
I left home at 6am yesterday morning heading to Southern Maine to watch my daughter ride in a horse show. I had charged my iPhone and my “big girl” camera knowing I would want to take lots of photos of my daughter and her teammates while practicing in the ring, competing, and then just relaxing with their horses. And I did shoot lots!
After my daughter and her friends had completed their competitions, I was walking back to my car to hit the trail home. I had to pass by where other riders and horses were doing their last minutes preparations before entering the ring. I noticed an older man sitting in a folding chair furiously doing something with his gloved hands. On getting closer, I could see he was sketching. I asked if it might be ok if I took a couple of photos of him. He was very hard of hearing and just nodded his head and said, “I am drawing these most gorgeous animals.” I again asked if it was ok to take a couple of shots. He chuckled and said yes but why would I want to do that? I told him I loved watching him draw, and that his work was amazing! I took a few images of him working feverishly, his pencil moving quickly across the paper, head bent down close to his work, and then looking up quickly at the horses. He worked FAST and his sketches were gorgeous.
After a few minutes, a young rider came out of the ring from finishing her riding, and she met her parents right in front of the artist. The older man tore off the sheet he was working on and grabbed another sheet, starting a new sketch of the horse now in front of him. The young girl looked down at the older man and said, “I love your pictures of my horse! I still have three on my frig from last season!” He just smiled, tore off the one he had now completed, and got up and gave it to her. He then picked up his folding chair and supplies, and moved to a different vantage point to continue sketching…
It would have been so easy to have finished photographing what I had planned, tucked my camera in my bag, and walked to my car completely missing this inspiring artist, his beautiful work, and the sweet interaction between the him and the sweet young rider. I’m so glad I didn’t…..
Until next time ~ Expect the unexpected, and stay open to all possibilities!
Love,
Nanette
www.nanettefayephotography.com
Sweet McGregor
Here, There and Everywhere
I travel around… a lot. It’s kind of crazy how many miles I put on my vehicle each week. Thank goodness I really do love to drive! This week has been especially busy but I still try to take some time to stop and shoot wherever I find myself.
A little snapshot into where I’ve been this week. Shot with my iPhone with the Instagram app. I’m a little obsessed with this app right now! Does anything look familiar to you?
If you would like to follow me on Instagram, I am ~ nanettefaye. Until next time….
Lots of love and happy shooting!
Nanette
Although, I have always thought “being a painter” sounded very romantic (plein air painting on Monhegan Island, and all), from the few times I have held a paint brush, it’s pretty clear to me I will never be as inspired painting as I will be with a camera in my hands. So, here is my version..
Original iPhone image directly out of the phone
Same image as above and processed with AutoPainter, Retouch, and Iris applications.
- Another version of the same iPhone image processed with AutoPainter, Retouch, Iris, Pixlromatic, and PS for logo
What started as a beautiful weathervane against a gorgeous blue sky, magically transformed into something a little different! Processing images on my iPhone feels like play to me, maybe much like an artist feels when painting on canvas….there is no right or wrong, no rules to follow, only playing around with an image until you’ve created something you love! If you are interested in seeing more of my iPhone images, you can check here and and/or follow me on Instagram at nanettefaye.
Until next time! Happy shooting!
Love,
Nanette
I’m at Home by the Sea
After more than 20 years of living in the mountains, it is almost time for me to head “home” to the sea….
One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
My vote for Miss New Hampshire 2012
Last summer, I had the pleasure of photographing Lauren Carter and her adorable rescued puppy, Jessie, on Hampton Beach! You may remember some of these photos from my Facebook page. I met Lauren a couple of years before when she and my daughter were participating in pageants together. She amazed me with her talent, poise, determination, kindness and huge heart! So, when Lauren mentioned to me she was rescuing Jessie, we decided to collaborate our efforts, and do a photo session to benefit the dog rescue agency.
Today, 27 talented young women begin several days of competition in Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program’s pageant vying for the title of Miss New Hampshire. Lauren, Miss Strafford County, is one of these contestants. After preliminary competitions this week, the winner of the title of Miss New Hampshire will be crowned at finals this Saturday evening at Pinkerton Academy. The winner will receive scholarship money, and will have the honor of representing the State of New Hampshire at Miss America in January. And although I know to have already come this far in the competition, ALL of these young ladies are talented in many ways, my vote is for Lauren. I will be there Saturday evening with bells on cheering loudly for this young woman of NH who I think is very deserving of this title.
A few things about Lauren, and this most likely only skims the surface of her accomplishments. Lauren graduated from the University of Vermont with her degree in Nursing, and is currently working toward her Master’s degree at George Washington University. Lauren works full-time as an ICU RN at Portsmouth, NH Regional Hospital. She is the owner and nutrition/excercise coach, Certified Personal Trainer of Fit to Win. (And I can say from experience, she is an awesome coach!) Lauren travels doing appearances as Miss Strafford County and….. she rescues animals like there is no tomorrow. The most recent addition to her family of rescued animals is Karma, a beautiful 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly. Seriously, when does this gal have time to get her beauty sleep? And she must be getting lots of it because Lauren is GORGEOUS!
This year, two of the contestants will make it into the Top 10 through voting by the public. Here is Lauren’s video. After watching it, if you agree she would make a wonderful Miss NH, please take the time to cast your vote!
And here are a few images from Lauren and Jessie’s photo session last summer.
Best of luck to you, Lauren! Have a wonderful time! I am so proud of you! See you at the show!
Love,
Nanette
My Mother
Have I told you about My Mother?
She was….beautiful.
She was….a square dance lover with her cherished partner in life, my Dad.
She was….the best listener and most non-judgemental person I have ever known.
She was….my daughters’ Nana and their biggest fan.
She was….so smart, and strived to keep learning new things all of her life.
She was….slim, trim and always fashionable even when finances were tight.
She was….the person I called when I had the most exciting news, and when I had the saddest.
She was…. adventurous and always up for anything.
She was…. interested in politics and loved Olympia Snowe.
She was…..the most gracious, warm and welcoming hostess into her home.
She was…..a lover of babies, and was there to help each and every one of us when we brought new babies into this world. My husband cried when she left to go home after our babies were born.
She was…..the maker of the best homemade wheat rolls around.
She was…..the person who believed I could do anything.
She was…..the wearer of the ring I now treasure.
She was….gentle but strong.
She was..my North star.
She was My Mother
So thankful a part of her is always with me….I just know for sure that it’s not the fashionable part!
Love you, Mom.
Your daughter xo
Margaret (Peggy) Ruth Gordon ~ Sept 17, 1929 – April 14, 2008
