Sunset on the Storm

I was at my son's football practice and noticed the sun setting on the storm clouds from earlier. Just before the sun sets is the best time to see dramatic colors in the clouds. I could see people in the bleachers looking at me and then looking in the direction of where I was shooting to trying to fingure out what I was looking at. (Since the practice was in the oppositie direction). They probably thought I was loosing my mind. I am sure I was the topic of converstation for some on the way home, espcially when I started to move around to compose the pictures. Too bad they didn't notice what they were missing!

Dramatic Waterfalls are Not Just for Exotic Places

My family and I recently took a day trip to Crawford Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I had researched the location of some waterfalls in the area and decided to hike one of the trails to one of the waterfalls. The hike to the falls was very family friendly. My 8 yr old and 12 yr old had no problem hiking the 1.5 miles. They enjoyed going over the railroad tracks and then discovering all kinds of native plants and trees. We came across a few smaller waterfalls on the way too. We had never been here before and you could imagine our surprise as we turned the corner of the trail and came to this beautiful and enormous waterfall. My children were awe struck and my 8 yr old even said to me "I thought there were only waterfalls like that in Hawaii!". He wanted to make sure I took lots of pictures (of course) so that he could show his classmates at school. I encourage you to research what natural elements are in your area and take some time to go enjoy one!

Backyard Paradise

I am always encouraging my children stop and take notice of what is around them. I hope that I will be able to inspire others to do the same. Here are some pictures I took from my own back yard in Southern New Hampshire. As busy as we all are (believe me I have two children in 2 sports and each in other extra curricula activities all going on at the same time, plus working full time- I know what busy is) take some time this weekend to grab a cup of coffee and sit outside on your porch, steps, deck, etc and just observe your surroundings. You will be amazed at what you see that you had no idea was around you.

Have a great weekend and get outside!!!

It's Been a While but I am Back to Blogging

Wow, I can't believe I haven't made any posts since October! Life has been busy to say the least. Both my children have been involved in school sports, scouts, and my son has been diagnosed with a learning disability, most likely moderate dyslexia. So most of my time has been spent on the Basketball court side lines, being assistant leader to my son's cub scout den, and researching special education laws and learning strategies for dyslexia. ( I am considering starting another blog about what I have learned, and techniques I am trying with my son for other families that may be going through a similar experience.)

We had some wildlife visitors in our backyard visible through our kitchen window. We think they are after our chickens that we got last spring. Seeing these guys outside my kitchen window reminded me of the title of my blog "Outside Your Window" and made me realize I have been so busy taking care of everyone else I haven't been taking care of myself and the things I enjoy.

So I have made a point to get back outside with my camera (even though winter is in full force here in New England). I have been doing some hiking in the woods behind my house, and my children have joined me for some. They haven't gotten the whole quite in the woods to see the wildlife thing, but we have been able to see lots of tracks that we have identified and it has released some of their built up energy!

So here I am back to photography and blogging!

My son starting out on our hike and tracks we found in the snow.

Weekend Hiking

I decided to make it time to go hiking up in the White Mountains, NH this past weekend. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the foliage in all it's splendour. I was a little disappointed to see that I had missed the peak, but it was still absolutely beautiful. My children were amazed by the snow cap mountain peaks while they were only in sweaters at the base. We took a small hike at Franconia's Notch Waterfall Trail and then we Walked around at The Basin. My children got a kick out of following the river. My son noticed that part of the river looked like a natural waterslide. It's also funny how when we think of waterfalls we think of warm, exotic places. Until I picked up a NH hiking map, I didn't even know how many waterfalls were in my home state, and they are just as beautiful. I can't wait to explore and photograph more of them!

Fall is Here!

We couldn't have asked for better weather this weekend. We spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful fall foliage. We went on a few hikes this weekend, and took some time to look at the color patterns in the leaves. My children even noticed that leaves have some similarities to snowflakes. No two are exactly the same and they too float down to the ground. Hoping the weather holds out for next weekend, we have some more local places that we want to explore. I would love to get up to the White Mountains, especially the Flume or Lost River, but I am not sure if that is going to happen before the foliage peak is over. If my family has weekend that isn't filled with sports activities, you know where we will be going! Until then we will use the smaller amounts of down time to enjoy what is right around us.

NH Polar Caves

We took a ride up to the White Mountains here in NH to go explore the Polar Caves. We had a blast. We hadn't been there in about 5 years, and I wish we had gone sooner. The sights were amazing and climbing through the caves and learning about the different minerals in the rocks was very interesting. We also visited the Maple Sugar Museum that was on their property. The old tools and machines they used to make maple syrup were amazing. I was nice to not only have a fun family outing, but I also had the opportunity to teach my children about history and geology. We read the signs that described what the minerals were in the rocks and how the caves were formed by glaciers. It was again a place that is in my own state that I had taken for granted and forgotten about. I encourage everyone to explore what is right around you. You will probably be surprised at what you will discover.

Little Bit of Everything

It has been a while since my last post. I have been enjoying being outdoors with my family. We have been doing a little bit of everything. Camping, hiking, beach, and so much more. I also have been putting together my website (www.treasuredmomentsbydaniele.com) when I have had some free time. Last week my children and I enjoyed a nice picnic dinner on the beach after work. It was so nice to do something different and enjoy the evening air outdoors. My children enjoyed it so much they want to do it again this week. This week we are going to go to a local state park, have our picnic, do a little hiking, and if it's warm enough a little swimming. Most places in my area do not charge an entrance fee after a certain time, so it is a very inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and it breaks up the weekly routine. We are probably going to make this a weekly event until it gets to cold (which I hope isn't for a long time!) Climbing the rocks at the beach

Dragonflies we saw on one of our hikes around a pond.

More pictures from the pond.

Summer Colors

Driving home from a family get together my son and daughter and I saw the rainbow below as we pulled on our road. Of course I had to pull over and take a picture. When I got home my son said "Mommy I am going to look for the pot of gold!" I love how excited he was about something occurring in the natural world. My daughter thought it was a good luck sign for a softball game she was in the next day. I felt very proud that both my children took time to look at the rainbow and appreciate it.

Riding the Waves

We all need family and friends to ride the waves of life.

I went to the coast clear my head from a very hectic morning. This is what I saw when I got there. The scene in front of me made me think about my friends and family that have helped me the past two weeks while I was recovering from surgery.

Later that night when I got home I saw these frogs in my water garden. Usually there has been one little guy in there but this night there was two. Hmmmm.

My children became very excited to see that our "pet frog" had a new friend.

We Can't Control Everything

With all the technology and power we have, we still can not control everything. We have to make the best out of some situations.






A few years ago you would have never found me out in a thunderstorm trying to capture a picture of lightning. But as I continue to challenge myself to get better shots, I find and take opportunities that I would have never taken before. This is starting to trickle down to my children as well. The last storm we had, no one was scared and they almost enjoyed watching the lightning create different designs in the sky. (Of course the storms were not sever and it was safe for us to do so. There is a difference between taking a photographic opportunity and risking your safety.) After the storm we walked around our yard and noticed how interesting the raindrops looked on everything.

Patients is a Virtue

Sometimes you have to wait for good things to come to you.

The old saying "patients is a virtue" is certainly true. I worked on practicing patients, as I would say to my children, these past two weeks. Sometimes this is not easy to do, especially in a world of almost instant gratification. But as hard as it was to stay still and focused, my patients paid off. I would have missed these great opportunities if I had not taken the time to be still and wait. It is amazing what you will see when you take the time to wait and watch.