Today's Flowers #214

Photos taken at the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Visit Today's Flowers for more gorgeous photography.

Thursday Two Questions Meme - Happiness

I am going to be very honest and blunt about the quote on this photo.  I found this on a Facebook page and thought to myself whoever said this has obviously never seen or been around babies.

I see babies and toddlers daily and they have the most innate ability to charm the entire world around them with their sense of wonderment and childlike innocence.    Their smiles can light up the universe.

I truly believe we are all born with happiness seeping through our heart and soul.  We don't need to "create" happiness because it lives within us.  As we grow older with less childlike innocence we need to learn how to let go of the past and allow our inherent happiness to live in the moment.

1.  How do you interpret this quote?

2.  Do you live in the moment or let past memories dictate how you live your life?

3.  Bonus ? - What makes you happy?


Click the above widget for more two questions meme fun.

Outdoor Wednesday #194

Photos taken at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Visit Outdoor Wednesday for more outdoor fun.

Flowers On Saturday

Taken at the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park

Taken at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Taken at the Conservatory of Flowers

Click the above widget for more Flowers on Saturday fun.

Thursday Two Questions Meme - Giving Back

Giving Back @ Amazon

Giving Back @ Createspace 

Today I want to talk about volunteering and donating.  I grew up in a large family, Mom, Dad, me and three younger Brothers.  Giving back was instilled in us at an early age.  We were not rich by any stretch of the imagination and my parents always had to cut corners in order to make ends meet.  They scrimped and saved in order to send us all to Catholic school where they felt we would receive a good education - and we did.  I remember at a young age when we were all asked by my parents to give of our toys and used clothes to the community where less fortunate children could benefit from what we had.  We were always taught that whatever we had should be shared even though we did not have much.  I remember thousands of times my Mom would literally empty her wallet of bills and her coin purse of coins to help us and others.  These memories have always stayed with me.

Over the years I have always donated to causes which were important to me and gave what I could afford.  I however always felt that I wanted a more "hands on" experience donating my skills and time in order to help causes in which I felt most passionate.

As most of you know I now work at the Botanical Gardens which is a non profit organization and although I am a paid employee there I felt that I wanted to do much more.  I see volunteers, hundreds of them daily who help as docents, help in gardening, help with teaching children etc...  I wanted to do the same and to be honest was reluctant because I am a paid employee there and there are few of us who are on paid staff.  As a result I never did anything about this burning need in my heart to donate my time to them.

As it turns out, I found out that my friend Steve Ketchpel had just authored a new book titled "Giving Back" which focuses on volunteering and donating.  I contacted Steve and asked him if I could buy an autographed copy from him of which he graciously signed and sent to me.

Once I started reading this detailed guidebook, I could not put it down.  After only three chapters I was finally able to take my first step by going through the appropriate volunteer application procedure at the gardens and was granted a one day per week volunteer gig which I begin on Friday of this week.  I was so excited I could hardly breathe.  I never would have taken that step had I not read Steve's book, Giving Back.

After reading his book I also decided that KIVA was an organization I felt worthy and excited about donating my money.  I like the idea of helping those less fortunate realizing their dreams and KIVA is the perfect fit for me.  

This is one of the most detailed books I have ever read.  It guides you along the path to volunteering and donating with helpful exercises, concise and practical tools along with inspirational stories of others who have made a difference applying their skills and donating their time to the worthy causes that are important to them.

This book employs everything from the basics of getting started to finding your niche, the how to's of researching different organizations to starting your own non profit and much more...  Giving Back is a learning experience combined with an inspirational outlook that will answer any questions you may have about volunteering and donating.  Once I finished reading this book there were no questions in my mind about what I had to do.  I say had because I always wanted to do something but did not really know where to start or what to do until I read this book.  

I also want to mention that this book is a guide for families as well as individuals.  There are many exercises geared directly towards families and children.  

To purchase a copy of this book, you can use either the Amazon or Createspace links under the book cover shown above.

Now, to my two ?'s.

1.  Do you or have you ever volunteered?

2.  Which causes or you most passionate about?

Click the above widget for more Thursday Two Questions meme fun.

Your Sunday Best From The Rose Garden

Photos taken at the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Click the above widget for Your Sunday Best.

Camera Critters #232

Now, this is not the first time you've seen Claude appearing on Poetic Shutterbug.  However, since Saturday, September 15th is his 17th birthday I had to pay tribute to him by asking all of you to wish him a Happy Birthday :)

Photos taken at the California Academy of Sciences.

 

Click the above widget for more Camera Critters fun...

Thursday Two Questions Meme - Art

Winter in the Country 1857

by: George Henry Durrie

Scene in the Arctic 1880

by: William Bradford

Oranges in Tissue Paper 1890 

by: William Joseph McCloskey

Today I am bringing you a few of my favorite paintings from the DeYoung Museum here in San Francisco.  I am an art lover and though I do appreciate modern art, my heart is with traditional pieces.  I have always enjoyed snow scenes and the artist George Henry Durrie in my opinion is one of the best and my favorite.   He is one of the top artists for the Currier and Ives collections.

Winter scenes have always touched my heart and made me feel safe and comfortable.  I also noticed that while typing the information for each painting that they and others that I admire hail from the nineteenth century.  The coincidence is that my favorite poets also lived in that same time frame.

1.  Could it be I was poetic shutterbug in an earlier life and lived among these artists?  

2.  What types of art do you enjoy?

As a side note I want to thank the DeYoung Museum for allowing shutterbugs like myself to snap photos of their gorgeous collections.

Click the above widget for some Thursday Two Questions meme fun.

Wild Bird Wednesday - White Crowned Sparrow

Photos taken in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Visit Wild Bird Wednesday for more great birding photography.

Flowers on Saturday

Blue Passiflora (Passion Flower) Taken at the SF Botanical Gardens.

Click the above widget for more gorgeous flower photos.

Camera Critters #231

Click the above widget for more Camera Critters fun.

Japanese Anemone

Wordless Wednesday Japanese Textiles

 Visit Wordless Wednesday for more great wordless photography.

Macro Monday - The Dahlia Garden

Photos taken at the dahlia garden in Golden Gate Park.

Visit Macro Monday for more great macro photography.

San Francisco Botanical Gardens - Three Exciting Events

Join us September 6 and 13 for three exciting events! Come to the Botanical Garden September 6 at 5:00 pm for "Drawing Nature," a reception celebrating our new botanical art exhibit. Then at 6:00 pm, take a very special "Walk Through Time" with Don Mahoney and Jason Martinez in our Ancient Plant Garden. September 13 brings a brand new botanical photography exhibit reception at PHOTO gallery in Oakland benefitting San Francisco Botanical Garden Society. You’re Invited! "Drawing Nature" art exhibit at the Library Artists Reception Thursday September 6, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm MORE INFO >> Celebrate fall with the Sonoma County Colored Pencil Artists at a special reception Thursday, September 6 at the Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture. The exhibit runs September 5 – December 30 and focuses on the changing colors of falling leaves, fruit and flowers. All artwork in the exhibition is for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Library. "A Walk Through Time" Ancient Plant Garden Walk & Talk Thursday, September 6, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm MORE INFO >> Experience plants that existed during the age of the dinosaurs! Join SFBG Gardener Jason Martinez and SFBGS Curator Dr. Don Mahoney on an evolutionary journey from the early Devonian to the Cretaceous epochs through extraordinary and enigmatic greenery that has thrived on earth for millennia. To register, contact Kitty Fisher, Education Coordinator at (415) 661-1316 ext. 400 orkfisher@sfbg.org. "Botanicals" exhibit at PHOTO Fine Art Photography Artists reception benefitting SFBGS Thursday, September 13, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm 473 25th St., Oakland, CA MORE STUNNING PHOTOS AND INFORMATION >> An exciting new show at PHOTO explores lush textures and provocative ideas about botanical subjects created through an array of traditional and non-traditional photographic techniques. Join us for a special evening with the artists to benefit San Francisco Botanical Garden Society on Thursday, September 13, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. A portion of all sales from the evening will be donated to SFBGS. The show runs August 23 – September 29.