Springtime in Wyoming

It's been quite a while since I shot any photos. With my mother being sick and all, I just haven't picked up my camera. That is until this past Friday on my way to work.



I've started carrying my camera everywhere I go again, now that my mom is out of the hospitals and home doing better. Last week we had 2 blizzards in 3 days. Extremely cold temps. Schools were closed for a day and a half. They started 2 hours late another day. My boss even closed the office down at 12:30 last Monday afternoon. I had already left at 10:30 due to the blizzard and my 7 mile commute.

Friday morning, the trees were full of frost, the river was steaming as the ice flowed gently down it's current. The sun was bright, the sky was extremely blue, and I just couldn't pass up the beautiful photo ops. After taking a few shots, I called into work on my cell phone and told them I was running a few minutes late because I was goofing off, taking photos of the beautiful morning. Thankfully, I have an understanding employer.

Here we are in February already!

Where does the time go? Here we are heading into the second week of February already! It's true what people say about time going faster as we get older.

Thankfully the days are getting longer and soon the snow will melt away. All the flowers that are resting will emerge showing their bright, cheerful faces. The birds will sing their joyful songs. The cold, white blanket on the lawn will be replaced with a lush, beautiful green. Yes, there are still many more days of winter, but these warmer days of February we are having here in Wyoming are causing several cases of severe Cabin Fever.

The fresh snow provides it's own beauty as well. A new blanket of white is refreshingly "new" and crisp, covering the old, dirty brown snow that the winds carved into odd shaped drifts. When the snows of what remains of this Winter do decide to fall once again, I won't be disappointed...for I know it will only add to the beauty in the Spring.

End of a Good Ride

Print (click on the photo above for a larger view)

"End of a Good Ride" is the first available print of Paws Fur a Moment Photography™.

The photo was taken a couple years ago as my husband and I were taking in the entertainment of the annual Ranch Rodeo of Deer Creek Days in nearby Glenrock, Wyoming.

In addition to the "End of a Good Ride" print, the same photo is also available on uniquely designed note cards. Paws Fur a Moment™ note cards are unique in that the inside of the cards are also printed in full color featuring a ghosted image of the photo featured on the front. Not your typical blank note card.

The print and note card design display this description:
Ranching is a way of life in the west. That way of life is celebrated in Glenrock, Wyoming every summer at the Deer Creek Days Ranch Rodeo. Not your typical rodeo by any means, but a great afternoon of fun and competition between teams of local ranch hands.Competition that deserves a congratulatory pat on the backside. . .as captured in this photo.

Note Card Front

Note Card Back

Inside of Note Card

For more information or to order "End of a Good Ride" prints or note card sets, visit our Web site at http://www.pawsfuramomentphotography.com.

Looking Ahead

Funny how the coming of a new year can bring a sense of renewal, lists of goals for the coming months, an urge to organize and start with a blank page.

For Paws Fur a Moment Photography™, 2009 will be a productive, inspiring, and creative year. 2009 will bring new note card designs and prints will also be available. There will be additions to our Web site and regular blog posts to keep you up to date on the progress of Paws Fur a Moment Photography™.

So sit back, relax, and pause for a moment. Enjoy the new year and all it will bring. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the world around us...all that nature has to offer...the awe inspiring natural beauty of each and every day.

Best wishes for the New Year!

Visit www.pawsfuramomentphotography.com to view original photography and shop for note cards and soon-to-be-available prints.

Christmas at the Cabin...2008

The four of us were fortunate enough to spend three days and three nights at our cabin on Casper Mountain for the Christmas holiday weekend. A weekend filled with nothing but total relaxation. No phone, no computer, no cable TV, no running water. Schedules went out the window, time slowed down. We watched all the DVD movies we've been wanting to watch all year, but never made the time.

We cooked breakfast on the wood cook stove. Ate when we were hungry and slept when we were tired. Our two "boys" (golden retrievers) enjoyed playing in the freshly fallen snow during Friday's gentle snowfall.
Simply put, this Christmas weekend at the cabin was a great renewal for our spirit and our souls. To take time to relax, and just enjoy each and every minute without any hurry, or care for the time of day is something we all should do in our own way. I took the time to enjoy the snow falling on my face as the Wyoming wind blew it out of the trees giving shape to the sun's rays at the same time. It was cold, but not unbearable. Refreshing.
Isn't it wonderful how something as simple as spending a little time at a rustic mountain cabin can give us such renewal and energy to face the coming year. Everyone should take some much needed time to just unwind!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

This will be the last post until next week.

Until then, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Remembering Grandma

Our family lost a wonderful lady on December 17, 2008. She was grandma to myself and 9 others. She was mom to my dad and his four sisters. Grandma was a quilter, a gardener, and loved all things in nature. Her faith in God ran deep and it showed in how she lived her 93 years. She was loved by all and will be deeply missed.

Remembering Grandma

A small seed planted in the soil,
emerges in the Spring as a beautiful flower.
Great things come in tiny packages,
bundled with strength and will power.

A needle and thread, guided by the right hands,
becomes a warm quilt made with love.
Great things come in tiny packages,
gifted from a Higher Power up above.

A ray of sunshine bringing joy to all,
inspires the beautiful voice of a songbird.
Great things come in tiny packages.
That’s how Grandma will be remembered.

~ ©2008 Diane (Sanderson) Mintle
Granddaughter

Welcome to Paws Fur a Moment Photography™

In September 2002, my husband and I adopted two 8-week old golden retriever puppies. Brothers, Nugget and Comanche, from the very first day, would pose patiently while I took their photo. They soon got used to me saying “sit…stay”, followed by numerous clicks of the camera, and finally the “ok” meant they could go about their playful antics of the moment.

Soon, there was a growing collection of good photos of “the boys.” This was before jumping into the digital photography age. Hundreds of “snapshot” prints began piling up in boxes and photo albums…when I had time to organize them into albums, that is. There had to be a use for all these photos. It was then that I began creating note cards featuring the photos of Nugget and Comanche. First for friends and family.

For a couple years, my husband and I grew garden veggies and sold the fresh produce at the local farmer’s market during the harvest months of August and September. When we took “the boys” with us one weekend, they were an instant hit with our customers. So much so, that they soon had their own fan base. Some market goers would come specifically to see Nugget and Comanche and give them pats and treats. It dawned on me that the same note cards I was creating for friends and family would be a big hit at the market. And so, Paws Fur a Moment Photography™ was born.

Since then, the digital age of photography has shown me the limitless possibilities this medium provides. With the instant gratification of knowing whether or not a photo is a “keeper”, I soon began taking photos of not only Nugget and Comanche, but the world around them here in Wyoming. Landscapes, flowers, butterflies, wildlife…the endless beauty that surrounds us in our home state.

To view the current collection of note cards featuring original photos I have taken over the past few years in and around Wyoming, please visit my Web site at www.pawsfuramomentphotography.com. Pause for a moment and remember to enjoy ALL the beauty that nature surrounds us with.