alimuse

Illness and work have prevented me from going out to get some good photos.  I'm going through a dry period, but am trying to keep my hand in, even if the work is inferior. 

Like so many of us photographers on dA, we find great fulfillment and solace in taking photos.  I long for the day when I will have physical health to reengage.

I have been blessed to visit a number of places outside of my home radius of East Tennessee.

Here are a few from one of my favorite countries, Cyprus:

Kalymnos Beach at Cyprus:




University of Nicosia in Cyprus:




Roman Amphitheater at Ancient Kourion, Cyprus:



Tombs of the Kings, near Paphos, Cyprus



Cabo Gkreko, Cyprus



Kiti Beach, Cyprus



Lefkara, Cyprus


Lefkosia (Nicosia) Cyprus



Countryside near Fikardou:




Roman Aqueduct in Lefkosia:



EOKA hideout cave



Male Moufflon, native deer:



Church Square, Neo Chorio;



SMIYIES TAVERNA, Neo Chorio




Dry river bed near Androlikou:



Medieval outpost, Kato Pyrgos, Cyprus


Four wheeling in the Akamas Peninsula:




Along the Green Line in the divided capital city (Lefkosia, Nicosia).  This is the dead zone between the border of South and North Cyprus:

Going through my gallery, I ran across pictures of the dogs I have had since I joined deviantArt.  Two of these dogs have died since then, Wally and Rupert, because of age and illness.  But, allow me my moments of nostalgia!

You may well ask what in the world dissertations have to do with goats. The answer is...nothing. Well, perhaps nothing. Sometimes I feel like a goat for going through the dissertation process.

Anyway, I'm a real goat fan. Love goats, love goat milk, love goat cheese... but I don't own any goats. When we were in Cyprus last year, I had a blast taking pics of goats.  Here are a few:

Still struggling to find time to engage in some serious photo taking.  It's funny how we get so used to seeing the sights around us that we think they're not worthy of viewing through the lens.  Well, at least, I think most of  us get hardened to the natural beauty around us because we see it so often.  Compounding this problem has been the amount of traveling I've done, which tends to make me value new sights and the "exotic" over what is virtually in my back yard.

Here's a picture of our humble little home.  We feel richly blessed to have it.  It was built in 1969, but we have only lived in it for 13 years:



As soon as I get over this vicious summer cold, I'm going to promise myself to get out and about on Saturday and do a little shooting.  There's a gentle, quiet beauty to this area of the U.S.  As a matter of fact, we're on the edge of one of the most popular destinations in the country, believe it or not, and retirees flock to the area to spend their remaining years here.  The Smoky Mountains are just about 30 miles away, and the Cumberland Ridges ameliorate the usual summer heat so that we seldom experience temperatures in the high summer that exceed 100 degrees F.  The humidity, however, still can be brutal.

Here's a sampling of older examples of some of the small beauties of the area:
























 

Whew!  It has been far too long since I have visited dA.  It has been even longer since I have taken out my camera and viewed my present dimension and location through the lens.  What was I thinking?  I just got too busy. 

There is therapy in photography.  I may not be the greatest photographer, but I know the power of engaging in art (after all, I teach a Humanities Through the Arts to more than 30 non-art majors at college each semester.)  Yes, music is an art, of course, and I'm involved in that daily.  But that's my work as well as a passion.  The joy in working with photographs, for me, is that I have no pressure to produce, no standard to which I must measure in order to retain my job, and no one to answer to except myself.  In other words, I have the freedom to participate in and experience photography as an art any time I want, without pressure.

So, I hereby resolve to overcome some of my physical limitations and get back to doing some shooting! 

Happy day, Everyone!  I look forward to seeing more of your work!

Alicia