March 2014 Favorite

     I have a confession, this photo was not taken in March. I actually haven't been out shooting at all this month, heartbreaking. However it's all due to a little dumpling that will be here soon, so I am not complaining too much, haha. I completely underestimated the power of month 9 of being pregnant. It's a demanding one. It demands I have no motivation for anything unless it's dumpling related. It demands close proximity to a restroom, which doesn't really go along with the rambling spirit of my photography process. It demands I sit down a lot more, bend down or bend over a lot less and run out of breath like I ran a marathon when really I've only walked from the couch to the kitchen to get water. Because it demands I drink lots and lots of water, haha... Three more weeks until his due date. And then I have a feeling there will be an abundance of photography going on around here. Stay tuned.... 

     But I didn't want to skip March for lack of shooting, so back to the Photo a Month project... this photo is always on my mind. I have a future project centered around this awesome guy, Mr. T and his owner. I took this photo during a photo shoot in November of a friend (who is more like a little sister), her dog and her horse. We went hiking, in the hills of Vacaville. We walked her horse on a leash. Who takes their horse on a hike on a leash?! We do! It was such a fun morning, Mr. T and I became fast friends and I can't wait to photograph him again! 

Erickson Ranch February 2013

     Wow, where did February go!? It always comes to an abrupt end, maybe it's natures way of rushing towards spring. Although we haven't had much of a winter yet this year, I could use a few more rainy days to hibernate without feeling like I should be doing something productive! I'll blame this late post on the rain, it was planned to post Friday, but I found myself not wanting to do much yesterday since it was so rainy and had that perfect, watch a movie on the couch feel. Today the sun peeked out, so I thought, "Oh, I guess I better do something with my life now." ;) 

     February at Erickson Ranch has a definite sunny feel. While going through the photos I took last year I noticed the color yellow appears over and over this month. From the daffodils to the fields of mustard right down to the home on the property! February begins a sneak peak into what the spring promises to bring. Flower buds on the trees begin to emerge, brave daffodils stretch their yellow heads up towards the sun, despite the cold. Ray keeps busy with preparing the orchards for the upcoming growth season and making sure the equipment is up and running and the business of the ranch is in order. It's pretty impressive watching him (and Vicky) go about their day to day business. There is so much that goes into running a successful ranch and good old fashion experience plays a key in the way they do so. Following Ray around asking questions, I was impressed at just how much he stores in his head and how in tune with the seasons of the ranch he is, to know what needs to be done. It's also inspiring to see that even with experience there is a constant need to adjust to new ways of doing certain things in our changing world. From the new way people interact socially and in business, for example using social media, to the new technologies used to make growing food more efficient and ecologically smart. Two months into our project and I was hooked. 

To see all months from my 2013 year long project click on the month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September

February 2014 Favorite

     Keeping up with my Photo a Month project, I chose this photo in part because I love it as a photo and in part because I love this pretty, little succulent. Succulents have always held a special place in my gardening heart. I admire friends who have lovely, overflowing displays of succulents growing in pots on their front porches, those who have them beautifully placed in their homes and nurseries with wonderfully crafted displays that I only dream of having in my own yard. I have found some success in ignoring my plants as too much attention usually makes mine unhappy. I have also found that too much neglect also makes them unhappy! Perhaps I have them in the wrong location or have yet to figure out the perfect balance of attention, but sadly most of my succulents don't last for more than a season. Usually they wither away, grow tall and fall apart or just disappear! What's that all about?? haha! There has been one exception to this though. I found this lovely succulent last year, it was a beautiful, plump, silvery grey-green with hints of pink. The perfect little specimen for my grey and soft color loving heart. It flourished in a spot in my living room for many months and then one day (clearly after a while of neglect on my part, whoops!) I looked over and it had transformed from one beautiful specimen to another. In it's withered state this little one became just as beautiful, just in a different way. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away and had no idea how to revive it. So I left it, walking by it daily thinking about how much I loved the colors it had turned and that I needed to photograph it. February rolled around and it remains the same. Inspired by the blue-grey dresser I painted for the baby's room, I finally got around to photographing it! 

Do you have any secrets or tips on growing succulents successfully? I'd love to hear from you!