Positively Christmas-y

by Mauverneen

We had our first snow of the season - and it was a beauty! Two to four inches was predicted but we ended up getting more like seven. It truly was a winter wonderland. The snow was so beautiful no one seemed to mind.

My daughter and I were planning on meeting at a downtown Joliet theatre to see the movie ELF. Not my favorite, but a Christmas theme, and it would be fun.

The Rialto Theatre is a beautiful jewel. Built in the 1920s it was a vaudeville/movie palace. When I was a kid, it was one of several movie theaters in town. Then it closed for years, eventually was renovated, reopened, and is now used as it originally was - for live performances. And occasionally, movies. (more about the Rialto)

Trees inside the theatre

My daughter Rachel and St. Nick

The movie was fun, the popcorn was good and afterwards we walked two blocks in the snow to a restaurant for dinner. All in all a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

Every community has a holiday display this time of year and New Lenox, IL, is no exception. This year they have gone all out and truly outdone themselves. Their display at the Village Commons is  a wonderland of lights. Lots of people have been showing up and driving the circular road to take a look. And a good number of them are getting out of their cars and taking a walk around the pond. Either way, it is enchanting and beautiful to look at.  

An ornament you can walk through!



This is the largest lit Santa in the country. 36 feet tall, it weighs over 5,000 pounds and has 18,500 lights! 

Not too far up the highway, in Lisle, IL, the Morton Arboretum is having their extravagant light show, Illumination, for the 3rd year in a row. It is fabulous!

And, over in Naperville, they are having a Christkindle Market - a German Christmas Market. Food, gifts, the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted, and ornaments, ornaments, ornaments!

Well, that should put us in the Christmas spirit!

~

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint.

                        However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it!

  Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com

 

 See more photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

                      and visit my website: http://mauverneen.com

Positively Picturesque Park City

by Mauverneen


A few weeks ago I posted about my trip to Salt Lake City, Utah - now it's time for the rest of the story!

 Touring SLC and seeing the Lake was just one of several day trips. My base was actually in Park City. While SLC is down in the 'bowl', Park City is higher up in the hills; about a 3000 ft difference in elevation.

Positively Sunday Funday

by Mauverneen



 It truly was a Sunday Funday.

Positively Salt Lake - the lake, the city, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - and more!

by Mauverneen

Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake

A recent trip to the Salt Lake City area put me in downtown Salt Lake for a day. No trip to Salt Lake City is complete without seeing the great Salt Lake itself and Temple Square, a 10 acre complex belonging to the Mormon Church. Both are well worth the time and just a short drive apart. It took us less than 30 minutes. (We being myself and my daughter and her husband who just recently moved to the area.) How could I resist a visit?

Positively Futuristic

by Mauverneen




A recent trip with a car club took us to the Klairmont Kollection, in Chicago, IL. - A mind boggling assemblage of over 300 cars.

Classics, one-offs, concept cars, small cars...he has one of everything it seems. What really captivated me on this day however were the concept cars. Looking like something out of the Jetsons, these manufacturers concept cars were truly futuristic., Not only were they design stand-outs, but completely luxurious!

Positively!

by Mauverneen


The reason I started this blog was to try and keep Tuesday for nothing but Positive energy in what we say, and what we do and what we post. There is so much stress, dissension and anger in today's world that a one day a week respite is good for the soul.
Today, I am just going to share some of my favorite, most peaceful images. It's hard not to focus on the ugly when it's shoved in our faces all the time but we all need  to focus on peace and remember how much good and beauty there is in this world. 

Early morning brings the light

perfection

wonder

Friends

Family

a simple life

a quiet corner

beauty all around

Hope

play

a good meal

 

surprises

Have a Positively Positive Tuesday!

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint.

                                       However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it!

  Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com
 

 See more photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

                      and visit my website: http://mauverneen.com





Positively Telluride!

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Today I have a guest post.  Shelane is a travel planner, world traveler and - oh, yes - my daughter. Currently she and her husband and their two Pugs are living the nomad life for a couple of months. From Alta Lakes to Telluride   For the love of  TELLURIDE Hello to All! A neat little fact about Telluride.  It got its name because, many years ago, it was difficult to access the town by horse.  So when anyone was heading that way, they would say, "To hell you ride.".  Said quickly, it's now Telluride.  I thought that was worth sharing.

Positively Birds, Birds, and More Birds

by Mauverneen

Did you know there are 20 different types of sparrows? 20. We pretty much take them for granted since they are so common, so I was surprised to find out this fact. 20 different sparrows. I never paid that much attention to sparrows, but once I started looking I am beginning to notice some differences.





Since I sit and watch birds a lot I thought I might just start taking pictures of sparrows to see how many different types turn up in my area. Then I got to making a mental list of all the different birds I have seen in my backyard. It surprised me. I am not counting the occasional duck, errant seagull, geese heading south or heron that flies across my airspace but birds that I have seen and have stayed at least long enough for me to take a photo.






Maybe the fact that I have been buying a better quality birdseed has something to do with it, I don't know, but I have seen a couple of new species of bird here this year.  And like any birder, spotting a new one to add to my list is exciting.






My morning routine generally consists of  walking the dog, making the coffee, filling the bird feeders and then spending some time drinking that coffee and watching the birds come to the feeders. How long I spend bird watching usually depends on how much else I have to do that day. Some days I barely get the seed out there and the coffee gulped and I am on my way. On other days, the best ones, I pull up a chair and Bailey and I soak up the sun or revel in the cool morning air. Occasionally, I set up my camera and tripod.






So, here is my list of birds seen in my own yard, and here are some of my photos. Grab that cup of coffee and join me.






Sparrow                                                     Blue Jay
Cardinal                                                     Junco
Chickadee                                                  Wren
Gold Finch                                                 House Finch
Red Wing Blackbird                                  Cowbird
Nuthatch                                                     Red Bellied Woodpecker
Downey Woodpecker                                Indigo Bunting
Eastern Bluebird                                        Towhee
Oriole                                                         Cedar Waxwing
Crow                                                          Hawk
Mourning Dove                                         Robin
Ruby Throated Hummingbird                   Turkey Vulture
Rose Breasted Grosbeak                            Flycatcher








Cedar Waxwing



Downey Woodpecker - I nicknamed him Robert...



Goldfinch



Pair of Juncos in Winter




Redwing Blackbird

This little wren built a nest inside an old clothes pole. She divebombed anyone who got too close and
 actually pecked me on the head one time.



Ruby Throated Hummingbird



A pair of Cardinals - Jose and Claudia (get it?)



Male and female Cowbird



Female and male Towhee

I put out an orange half, hoping to attract the Orioles. I did, but the Woodpecker waiting patiently
is tearing up that orange way more often.

Turkey Vulture: Pretty up in the air, not so handsome up close

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint.

                                       However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it!

  Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com
 

 See more photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

                                                         and visit my website: http://mauverneen.com

Positively Classy!



by Mauverneen





A classy Classic! 1932 Packard 900 Coupe

Positively The MIM

by Mauverneen

One of the best surprises on my trip to Phoenix was a visit to the Musical Instrument Museum - MIM for short. While that may sound boring to some, believe me, it was anything but. Planning to spend a couple of hours there, it turned into the better part of a day - cut short only because I had somewhere else to be.



Unusual instruments