FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 NOVEMBER

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! At the end of this post there is a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from November.


Looking back I really didn't pick up my camera in November. I'm not sure if it was the change in the weather or the approaching holiday or the new President Elect...not sure but I just wasn't feeling it during November.

Luckily, I did have a great day today and have photos to share!

Today I got up early. Like before the sun was up early. Way way early.
I headed out with some friends to the Alameda Flea Market.

 

THE ALAMEDA FLEA MARKET

I had not been to the Alameda Flea Market in many years but it was all I remembered and more.  There is SO much to look at and take in. Sensory overload is what I kept thinking for the first 30 minutes. There are just so many pieces of history to go through. They have everything, from furniture, to clothes, to art, to fabric, to rugs, to lighting, to toys, I mean everything!

My friends and I walked every single aisle (imagine a football field of aisles) and four hours later our hunt came to an end.
I took home a little stool/plant stand, a wood tray, a couple of decorative jars and some small pieces of art for my wall (sorry none of it pictured here).

It was so fun to wander the aisles in search of treasures. Below are some images from our day. See if you spot anything you might have been interested in. You might also see me in my red hat.

Keep the blog circle going by taking a look at Alison's favorite photos for the month of November!

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 OCTOBER

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! In this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from October.

What was the best thing about October? Well Halloween of course.

This year my son participated in a weekend soccer tournament where all of the teams dressed up in costumes. Our team dressed as skeletons while another team dressed up as killer clowns, with blood dripping down their shirts. Little kids as killer clowns. Not sure that team got the memo that creepy clowns are a no, no this year. Anyway, fun tournament and it was a great way to kick off the Halloween weekend.

I saw so many costumes this year, like the ones above, that made me smile big.

And then there is this.

Please America. Make the right choice. It's scary to think I'm even worried about the election, but then here we are, and how did we even get here?

#WorriedAboutAmerica #VotePeople

Keep the blog circle going by taking a look at Alison's favorite photos for the month of October!

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 SEPTEMBER

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! In this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from September.

The sites of Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf

In  September we spent one fun day in Monterey, CA at the Fisherman's Wharf.

Just a heads up, when walking through the Fisherman's Wharf you will be asked to sample clam chowder about every 15 feet. Try them all to find which one is the best. Chances are the best is usually the first one you sampled way back at the beginning. I unfortunately did not get even one shot of any of the samples. My bad.

Below are a few images that I did capture on our walk down the pier.
There is the famous Wharf Chocolate Factory where I took a self portrait. So many homemade goodies inside.
There was also the BIG fish on the street. The fisherman was so tired of carrying this fish he had to put it down to catch his breath. It was huge!
And, of course, there was the Marina with all of its many boats. If you looked closely you could see seals swimming in the water.

There is so much to do in Monterey, wish we had had more time to explore!

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Up  next, let's take a look at Alison's favorite photos for the month of September!

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 AUGUST

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! In this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from August.

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On Vacation.
I'm playing hooky from this month's fave 5 on 5 because 1) it's a holiday weekend 2) we've spent much of the weekend offline celebrating love at one of the most beautiful weddings ever 3) yesterday we celebrated a birthday for someone very special to me

Hope you are taking the long weekend to also celebrate love and celebrate the people who you most care about too!

Definitely don't break the photo circle and check out Alison's favorites for August. 

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 JULY

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! At the end of this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from July.

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July was a good one!
We packed our bags and spent a week exploring southern California.
One of my favorite days was when we went to the La Brea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Now the Tar Pits, which actually have no tar in them, were stinky and bubbling and awesome. This is mother nature doing her thing, something she has been doing for millions of years.
And caught in all of that sticky asphalt were all kinds of dinosaurs, so many bones have been found in this one spot. They are still digging and finding fossils today.

We spent most of the day in the Tar Pits however, right next door is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It happened to be the second Tuesday of the month so entry was free (yay!). By the time we arrived we only had one hour to explore and we hurried our way through to make the most of it.
I so wanted to see the lights and the big rock, levitated mass. We went in search of Diego Rivera and ran into Matisse. It was fantastic. I'd love to spend more quality time there when I have more time!

^ (Forget the big rock, did you see that awesome cat t-shirt?!)

Hope your summer has been filled with adventures. Can't believe it's already August and it's coming to an end. (wah)


Let's take a look at  Alison's favorite photos next! 

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 JUNE

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! At the end of this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from June.


Below are some of my favorites from June.

1. Walking around town during an hour break from jury duty. I was very close to being picked to serve on the jury however they settled out of court and my case was thrown out the next day.

2. Look what I grew! I planted bulbs in the spring and this one finally bloomed! The other sprouts I had were eaten up by some creature. I've yet to find the culprit but when I do...

3. Can you guess where I am? I'll tell you in the last image caption.
Hint: It smells delicious inside.

4. Another photo while I wandered. This one was so interesting. I couldn't tell if this was authentic, with all of the peeling layers, or if it was staged.
In any case the message was good, Spread Love, Save the World!

5. Another image from a really fun place which is full of floors with candy colors. It's the Jelly Belly factory!

If you are ever in the area, Vacaville, CA. I recommend taking a couple of hours to tour the Jelly Belly factory. It's now a self guided tour, it's free and you get free samples! Definitely a fun way to spend the afternoon.
PS - Beware of the bean boozed flavors. Don't get tricked into eating these yucky jelly beans! They have flavors such as rotten egg, dog food, barf and lawn clippings. yuck! Buyer beware!



Continue the blog circle by taking a look at Alison's favorite photos  for the month of June!

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 MAY

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! At the end of this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from May.

May was a great month. The days are getting warmer. The school year is winding down. You can feel the excitement of summer just around the corner.

Included are 5 images that represent all of the goodness that was May.

Continue the blog circle by taking a look at Alison's favorite photos  for the month of May!

FAVE 5 ON 5 - 2016 APRIL

On the fifth day of each month a group of photographers shares their favorite photos from the previous month. It's a blog circle! At the end of this post will be a link to the next person. Read on and enjoy our favorites from April.

This month was filled with signs from the universe.
If you are open to the signs they will speak to you. Maybe I needed extra reminders this month because one theme was really strong.

LOVE
LOVE
LOVE.

A reminder to Choose Love and Love is all you need.

A reminder for patience (I could always use more of that).

And lastly sunshine. A reminder to appreciate the light in people, in places and in situations.

And below proof that I was there, reading the signs.
Join in the love fest this month and continue the blog circle by taking a look at Alison's favorite photos