ONE COOL CAT

Those who know me know that I'm not much of a cat person. But, I have made one exception to this rule... that's my brother and sister-in-law's cat, Penelope. Or, as I call her, "Peen-o-lope."  I like this cat.

This is not your average cat - unlike most cats I've met, Peen-o-lope does not try to bite you at random or lash out in any terrifying, unexpected way when you pet her or pick her up. 

And man, oh man, is she fluffy.

So, I was honored when my brother Jeff Clinard recently enlisted my services to conduct a lil' photo shoot so he could surprise his new wife, Jamie, on her birthday last month with some portraits of their pal Penelope.  I must say, kitty was QUITE the little model!

DAY FOUR - RESCUED BABY SPARROW UPDATE

Well, it's day number four in the Watson home with the baby sparrow that my husband Tim rescued from the middle of a busy intersection last week while out on a motorcycle ride.  So far, it seems that the little guy is adjusting pretty well - eating regularly, staying alert, and enjoying its new home - which today took the form of a small pouch (or "Papoose" as Tim calls it!) around Tim's neck. Adorable.

WEEK #4 - THE FINAL WEEK OF ANNE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY'S FACEBOOK GIVE-AWAY CONTEST

It's here! Week #4 - the final week of the Anne Watson Photography's Facebook Give-Away Contest!

Every week for four weeks I am posting a Weekly Photo on the Anne Watson Photo Facebook Page of an everyday object shot from an unusual angle.  Fans of the page simply need to comment on the photo to guess what it is, and if they guess correctly they'll be entered to win - it's that simple!

We are having four weekly winners (who will each win a matted & framed 5x7 print of their choice from the Anne Watson Photography galleries), and one Grand Prize winner chosen from a pool of those who guess all four weekly photos correctly (who will win a matted & framed 8x10 print of their choice).

Below is a preview of this week's photo - can you guess what this everyday object is?! If so, just click here to be taken to our Facebook page and comment under the photo to enter your guess! If you guess correctly, you're entered to win. It's that easy! Good luck!

RESCUING A BABY SPARROW

There are many reasons why I love my husband, Tim Watson. Right up at the top of the list is his gentle, caring nature. He might look like a tough, motorcycle-riding, scruffy-bearded Englishman on the outside. But, get to know him, and you will soon see he's like an M&M - hard outer shell with a sweet, soft center.

Yesterday was a perfect example of this. Riding his motorcycle, he stopped at a light in a major intersection - looking down he spotted a tiny baby sparrow flopping around in the road. It was surely going to die out there if Tim didn't do something about it. So, he stopped his motorcycle - risking his own life, got off his bike & proceeded to direct traffic around the baby bird until he was able to pick it up, stuff it in his leather jacket pocket, and ride home with it.

I received an email at work yesterday afternoon asking if I'd pick up some meal worms on my way home. Yep, never a dull moment in our marriage, I tell ya'!

We are now nursing the sweet little thing back to health - feeding it regularly, keeping it warm - it is chirping away in its little 'nest' we made for it on the kitchen counter as I type this.  One thing's for sure - I can never claim to have a boring life!!...

 

 

THE GREEN PARROTS OF SANTA ANA

When we first moved into our neighborhood in Santa Ana, California we knew we were in for some adventures - this was not a 'cookie cutter' neighborhood with matching pink & beige houses like you find in other parts of Orange County. Which is why we absolutely loved it.

Our new 'hood is known for its history (homes built in the 1920's - '50's, which for California is 'historic'!) and fantastic Mexican culture. But, also is unfortunately known for some local gang violence and other unsavory characteristics of more urban neighborhoods - it all comes as part of the package.

We were prepared for that.

What we weren't prepared for, though, was the last thing we expected to find in an urban environment. Daily, at 7:00am on the nose, we are paid a visit by some of the most beautiful, albeit noisiest, neighbors we've ever had.  The Green Parrots of Santa Ana.

No one really knows where they all came from - originally they likely started from a few domesticated parrots who were released into the wild.  Now, though, their population is definitely in the hundreds, if not thousands.  The cacophony is something to be reckoned with - it's something that takes a bit of getting used to, but then becomes a morning routine.

My husband Tim always asks the most important question, though - "Where do the GO at night?!"  A mystery yet to be solved.

THE ART OF COFFEE - PORTOLA COFFEE LAB

Coffee. Dark, delicious, soul-quenching, invigorating coffee. Mmmmmm...

Get to know your coffee, though, and you will quickly learn that it is so much more than what many Americans settle for and call 'coffee'.  Which, let's be honest, really is just a caffeine jolt that looks like dirty dish water served in a mug at a diner or a Styrofoam cup at a gas station. No no no... that should not be called coffee.

As I learned this week during a photo shoot at the all-new Portola Coffee Lab in Costa Mesa, California, good coffee truly is an art form. And that's what we're talkin' about here. With the various roasting and brewing processes that are used to develop layered, complex flavor profiles, good coffee can be equated to fine wine - or gourmet chocolate - or craft-brewed beers. It takes patience, knowledge, and love.

And Orange County is about to get a big ol' dose of some serious coffee love thanks to the folks at Portola Coffee Lab. You know it's going to be good coffee when it's prepared by a team of barristas who are self-proclaimed 'coffee geeks' and encourage you with big, bold letters plastered on their shop's wall to "geek-out" with them. And, trust me - it only takes one sniff of the aroma and a sip of Portola's coffee to instantly be geekified.

A little side-note - I used to live in Italy - have lived there twice actually. Once in 1999 in Florence and again in 2008/2009 in Rome. Now, Italians are a culture who take their espresso-loving to another level - and while there, I developed a pretty high standard for what I like my cappuccinos to taste like. Since moving back to the U.S. in 2009, I have never tasted a cappuccino in America that even comes close to what I grew to love in Italy. That was until yesterday. Last night I had a cappuccino at Portola Coffee Lab that was so good, it took me straight back to the corner cafe where I was a regular in my neighborhood in Rome - I was so happy, it made me wanna cry.

So, if you love coffee - or even if you want to just learn to love coffee - pay Portola Coffee Lab a visit when they open their doors to the public tomorrow, Thursday, May 26th at their Grand Opening starting at the appropriately early coffee-drinking hour of 6:00am, ending at 9:00pm.  And for regular updates, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

WEEK #3 OF ANNE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY'S FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY CONTEST

Week #3 of the Anne Watson Photography's Facebook Give-Away Contest is here!

Every week for four weeks I am posting a Weekly Photo on the Anne Watson Photo Facebook Page of an everyday object shot from an unusual angle.  Fans of the page simply need to comment on the photo to guess what it is, and if they guess correctly they'll be entered to win - it's that simple!

We are having four weekly winners (who will each win a matted & framed 5x7 print of their choice from the Anne Watson Photography galleries), and one Grand Prize winner chosen from a pool of those who guess all four weekly photos correctly (who will win a matted & framed 8x10 print of their choice).

Below is a preview of this week's photo - can you guess what this everyday object is?! If so, just click here to be taken to our Facebook page and comment under the photo to enter your guess! If you guess correctly, you're entered to win. It's that easy! Good luck!