Franklin, TN

Why I'm Doing This

David Airey started this picture meme to help bloggers (and visitors to their sites) get to know one another a little better.

I agree... pictures can tell a lot about the who, what, where & why a blog exists. You know, the story-behind-the-story. So I appreciate those who have taken the time to participate and share their photos as part of the "Face Behind The Blog" meme.

Okay, here we go...

My Life In Photographs

#1 This is pretty much how I look today... all the way down to the very t-shirt I'm wearing. No really. I wrote about this being my all-time favorite t-shirt that I purchased on Cocoa Beach, Florida circa 1991. (Do they even still make Ocean Pacific OP clothing? If so, I want another shirt just like this one!)

This photo is from the Summer of '06 and I still wear this t-shirt whenever I'm lounging around the house. (I'm wearing it now as a matter of fact.) The only thing is... I can no longer wear this shirt beyond the confines of our house. Because... notice the small hole that was starting to appear in a not-so-desirable place? Well, that hole now makes this shirt of the rated-R variety. As soon, as it reaches rated-X, it's off to the garbage, I promise. I don't know why I refuse to let this shirt go...

See, you're learning a lot about me already, right? (No, please don't remove this site from your bookmarks yet... it gets better!)

#2 How I spend my time... I keep asking Jim to take more pictures of me. But he only seems to photograph me when I'm taking pictures. Hmmmm. I guess that means I spend a lot of time taking pictures.

Yep, this is how you'll usually find me these days... with a camera in my hands. (Sometimes a camera in one hand, and the dog leash in the other. Or a camera in one hand and the steering wheel in the other.)

Here's a funny sidenote... When I went into the camera store to buy my own camera (because Jim is always on the road with our only "good" camera... the Canon Digital Rebel), they asked what type of photography I was mostly going to do. I said action photos. "Oh, like sports, pets and wildlife?" they asked. "No, like from a moving car... while I'm driving."

It's true, I never leave home without my new Nikon D80 in hand. And many of my photos are shot while I'm driving. Call me crazy (or lazy, or a danger to society), but how else could I capture pictures like these?...

Another reason drive-by-shooting is such a necessity for me is the fact that I have this other website called The Fun Times Guide To The Natchez Trace Parkway. Unfortunately, there is no single spot that you can go to capture all of the photos you need for a site like this. (2,614 and counting!) So you just drive and photograph what you see as you see it! (Jim won't go with me and do the driving anymore because the trip became "boring" to him after the first 2 or 3 dozen times we drove down the Natchez Trace Parkway together.)

so, how many digital photographs do you take each year? (When I wrote this article, I was averaging 5,000 plus. But in the 5 months since I wrote that article... I've taken 5,866. So I guess I'm averaging between 13,000 - 15,000 digital photos ...a year!)

(Must be the new camera and the fact that I've added a few more websites since then.)

#3 This is the most recent picture I have of me. Husband, Jim is the better half behind these websites. Here we are enjoying the Canadian Rockies, July 2007.

#4 But this is my all-time favorite picture of the two of us. I'm holding one of those "blind spot" mirrors and we're riding around in the Jeep -- with the top down. Just havin' FUN.

If you still want to know more about me and Jim, check out Who We Are & What We Do and Behind The Scenes With Me & My Dogs.

I'm Tagging These Bloggers:

Okay guys... I've been framed ahem tagged... now it's your turn.

I'd like to know more about the person behind the blog and see the face behind the blog -- in pictures. Hope you'll play along!

Jeffrey @ The Fun Times Guide To Living Green

Jeremy Gilby @ Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com

Meredith @ The Fun Times Guide To Brentwood, TN

More About "The Face Behind The Blog" Meme

From David Airey's blog:

What photograph shows you in a light we don't often see through your blog? Using images in your blog is one of my 6 tips to improve your blog articles, and in this case it's simple:

1st step:
Post a short blog article that includes a photograph (or a series of photos) showing the face behind your blog. If you already show a photo somewhere on your site (such as in your about page), then make your post more interesting and choose a photo that's not currently online.

2nd step
Include links to other people that have displayed a photo, or include their photos in your post, adding a reference.

3rd step:
Tag as many others as you like in your post to spread the meme.

4th step:
If you link back to me here and send me an email. I'll add you to the list above. This isn't absolutely necessary but it does help me to keep track of the collection (I have an idea or two for an ultimate blogger showcase).

Each person tagged should create their own post and repeat the process."