Sorry for being gone so long but a lot has happened since my last post in March.  On March 24 my mother and my step daughter-in-law died.  I was an awful month for me and I think I’m starting to recover.  I just couldn’t post on WP as I needed some time to get caught back up and get myself back.

Life is busy but good.  I’m fine as is my family and my animals.  My photography business is going good and I have finished my first gallery website for Toscana Studio and Gallery at www.toscanastudioandgallery.com.  I had so much fun with the site and the owner is wonderful.  I’ve purchased a new domain for my web business fastwinnweb.com and I’m going to re-do that site along with my photography site at fastwinn.com.  I’m doing a new website for a dog breeder and using alot of flash and boy is this one fun.  Right now I’m managing 8 websites.

I’ve been asked to be the photographer for a local Arabian Sport Horse Show in July.  They are running a full page add for my business in the program and will allow me to hang a banner in the arena.  This could be a great opportunity for me to get my business name out to the horse community.  I was the second photographer for their January show and for this show I will be the only photographer.  This is a much smaller show but it will give me good exposure.

Two weekends ago I did a photo session for a newborn and boy was it fun.  Here are a couple of photos I took.


All in all I’m OK and busy as usual. I’ll be buy and say hello as I catch up with my WP friends.

Boy I was still on a good high with everything going well when Wed. hit me in the head with a 2 x 4!  I was working on a website that always gives me trouble.  I didn’t build this site and the code is a mess and I dont’ get paid to clean the code.  This time the customer wanted some changes in the design and boy did that kick my ass.  Everything I tried didn’t work and I was about to lose my mind.  Then hubby came into my office and said I had to call the county on a tax issue and gave me the insurance bill for our rental which was still wrong!  I almost bit his head off.

In the back of my mind I knew I had to get the tax info together for an appointment on Friday, my newest web client wanted some difficult changes to her log and was thinking of changing the whole color scheme on the site, oh and I have an exhibit coming up…oh and I have tons of emails to answer and I wanted to ride my horse!  Just then my friends calls and said she could ride at 3:45.  I said great I needed to get out of the house before I killed my husband.

I got JR ready and had several issues with getting the saddle pad straight…so I was a little late getting ready.  I usually meet my friend half-way but she was riding up the wash and almost to my house and I was getting on JR for the 3rd time.  I told her to wait just a minute and I would be right there.  She rode up my path and my dogs scared her horse a little so she stopped and waited.  I rode up to her and she turned around and went back down the path to the wash.  Once in the wash she turned her horse south and her horse….oh I forgot to tell you about her horse…Cassey is a 17 hand draft cross and she is probably 1,700 pounds.  My horse JR is 14.2 hands and is many 1,000 pounds.  Cassey is one big horse! 

Well something scared Cassey and she did  a couple of big bucks.  My friend managed to stay on then Cassey spun and turned north and gave another couple of bucks.  At the my friend came off and landed in the soft sand.  yea for desert washes!  Then Cassey took off running towards home.

JR was not happy at this and I could feel him getting nervous.  I yelled at my friend that was taking JR back and I would be right behind her.  If you chase a horse with another horse the lead horse will only go faster and the hose in the back will go faster as well…not good.  So I take JR back home, threw off the saddle and put him in his stall.  I grabbed a bucket and some grain and headed off.  Get this picture….old fat women in riding pants, helmet, riding boots, half chaps and a small bucket walking down a sandy wash.  Gees I must have been a funny sight!  No I don’t have photos…gosh if I did I wouldn’t publish them.

So Cassey is running with friend following, then me.  I get across the street from my friend’s house about 1/2 mile from me and call to her…no answer…call again.  Then I hear her other horse calling…well that isn’t good.  If Hallie is calling then Cassey isn’t back yet.  Dang so I get out my cell phone to call hubby as I’m not walking back home and we need to see if Cassey went up the mountain.

I start up my cell only to have it tell me it is low on battery charge and is shutting down.  Darn it all.  Well my friend has a phone in her barn…yep she has a very nice barn not like me.  Anyway I cross the street and because I look so silly I decide to go behind the trees and bushes to cross the wash and go through her gate.  Oh I forgot to tell you she has an electric gate right on the street…but I couldn’t remember her code so I had to walk around the road fence back through another wash to get to the back gate.

Finally I get to the barn and Hallie is screaming for Cassey.  I’m thinking OMG Cassey is really far away.  My friend has her phone in her tack room which was locked with a comb lock.  I know where the combination is written so I got that and tried to open the lock.  Well did I mention I’m short…5′ tall and my friend is 5′ 10″?  The lock is so high I can’t really see the numbers…there isn’t anything to stand on as all her buckets are in the tack room.  I turn the lock upside down….I take off my glasses…and still it won’t open..then I hear the phone ring…I almost started to cry!  Then I looked up the hill at their  house and saw the garage door open..hmm maybe her husband is home.

I walk up the drive way and her husband comes out of the garage!  Yea…he sees me and said where have you been!  Seems that my friend called her husband while she was following Cassey and he was able to get Cassey just before she crossed the road…that was great as I don’t think she knows how to look both ways!  He put Cassey in the barn and got the ATV and picked up my friend over at the neighbors.  Once my friend got home she got back on her horse and rode back to my house.  All this and we never saw either other!

Then her husbands phone started ringing and my friend was on the line.  She was worried about me and then her  husband filled her in and where I was.  I got in the truck and we drove back to my house.  I saddled up JR and we went for a ride!  The ride was great and without any bucking.

So no animals were hurt or killed in the making of this story…oh one human had a sore ego and another one had sore legs.

This weekend the moon will be closer to us and appear much larger….http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/18/3168089.htm?section=justin.

Information on how to get a good moon shot with a DSLR http://photos.bahneman.com/tricks/article.php/20051007132635145.

Information on how to get a moon shot with a point and shot camera http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Night-Photos-With-a-Point-and-Shoot-Camera.

I’m going to post this on the Photo Quest blog too. http://wpgphotoquest.wordpress.com/

Have fun!

I’m trying to keep up with WP this month but I have 4 FB pages, 4 email accounts, 8 websites and I’m starting a new one (yea), one Colonial Spanish Horse Project, 3 horse, one hubby, one rental and one home…it is a lot. 

So I just have to brag a little.  I received word on Tuesday that Governor Jan Brewer had signed our request for a proclamation to have the Colonial Spanish Horse named as the Arizona State Heritage Horse…this is huge for us and I’m just over the moon with excitement.  Today we drove to Phoenix to get the proclamation.

Tonight, I attended the Arizona Horse Council meeting and asked them to send us a letter of support for the Arizona State Heritage Horse. They voted 100% to support our project…wow this was amazing.  Last year I asked for support and they gave us their lobbyist then pulled him away and I couldn’t get a letter for support.  This organization represents all Arizona Horse Owners so this was a big plus for us.

On March 26 we attend the Arizona Quarter Horse Association and ask for their support. I think with the Governor’s proclamation and the support of the Arizona Horse Council we stand a good chance on getting this group’s support. I really think if we have these two groups it won’t be hard to get a bill next year and to get other AZ organizations to support us.

I’m leaving tomorrow for the ranch to ride with the Arizona Quarter Horse (AzQHA) members on a pre-ride for the AzQHA ride in April at the ranch. I think having this ride at the ranch will also help us win over the association.  And I do have my fingers crossed.

It will be fun riding this weekend and enjoying being outside on my horse. I’m taking Winn as he is just the most wonderful trial horse but he isn’t a quarter horse…lol. Winn is an Arabian and most quarter horse people don’t like Arabians…so this could be interesting…but you know me, I’m anything but dull. All in all I will be off the computer and enjoying my old friends, meeting new friends, eating great food, drinking wonderful wine and riding my horse…doesn’t get any better than this.

Oh I forgot to mention that the AzQHA has asked me to be the photographer for their ride in April…oh did I forget to mention that I was asked to be the photographer for the Lucky Pup Endurance Ride this month, and oh did I tell you that I have a contract to do a website for a local art gallery…did I mention that the Arizona Highways said they are considering doing an article on the State Heritage Horse? Plus I’ve had a couple of sales on my Etsy shop this month.

Oh gees one more thing, I’m attending a big event in Tucson on Sunday evening..it is a celebration of the anniversary of Father Kinos’ death.  From 1687 to  1407, Father  Kino brought the Spanish horse to Mexico and Arizona and built 22 missions.  We are bringing a Champion Colonial Spanish Horse to the celebration and I’m going to frame the proclamation for display…and of course I will be taking photos…stay tuned.

Oh did I mention how busy I’ve been…and at the AHC meeting I got another assignment…news on that one later.  I need to get to bed so I can pack in the morning and get out of dodge so I can go play with my Winn.

My hubby and I were out side talking with the UPS guy and he saw the female bob cat in our yard. I was able to get a couple of photos of her before she left.

She was walking right towards me in this photo…but guess who had the wrong white balance?

In this photo she was leaving and going into the desert.

She was mad a me for following her and was growling at me. She stopped to rest under a bush and I got this photo.

When I been riding my horse by my neighbors just north of me, I’ve seen her hunting rabbits and once I think she had one in her mouth. My ridding buddy Pennie was riding by my house a couple of weeks ago and saw the female and male matting..her horses went nuts! I wish I could have seen it. I know she had babies a last summer but I didn’t see them..my neighbor did.

I so love living here and being so close to nature…but the rattlesnakes will be out soon and that wildlife I could do without.

Wow I can’t believe that Feb is gone already.  So sorry for not ready or replying to posts…I’ll do better this month.

I spent a lot of time getting my website positioned on google searches and I’m so excited that if you google FastWinn is all over the 1st page!  I also got my www.arizonahorseproject.com on the first page of google search for Arizona State Horse.  What else did I do in February?

Hmm I visited my sister in Salem OR…here is a photo of her house.

It is so cute…built in 1917 and she is taking it back to its original glory. So far she has finished the living room and dining room and her bedroom. She has a lot left to do as it has three more bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, back porch and full basement.

It was fun to be in a place so green and rainy as we are so dry. Here is a photo of a waterfall in the mountains in Oregon.

I visited my mom as my sister has moved her to a facility in Salem. We weren’t sure about what was going on with mom as she stopped walking…fast forward to March 1 and she was x-rayed and had to have a hip replacement yesterday!

I felt like Lave as there was so much rain and green everywhere but I didn’t have any rain boots….lol

For Valentines Day I fixed dinner for my backyard neighbors. I just love them…all I’ve done is complain about my westside neighbors when my north side neighbors are wonderful. They moved here 6 months after we did so we have known them since 1974. Diane had surgery and was recovering so I made a dinner of steak, potatoes, french bread and a salad. We took everything over including a beautiful rose for the table. We had a great dinner with them. I didn’t take one photo…sorry.

For my State Horse Project I did the following in Feb:
– Sent a request to the Governor of AZ to have the Colonial Spanish Horse named as the Arizona State Heritage Horse.
– Sent emails to my State Senator and a Tucson Rep. to ask for their sponsorship for a bill for the Arizona State Heritage Horse.
– Article in the Feb/March Equine Enthusiast Magazine http://www.arizonahorseproject.com/Documents/Equine-article-rev-2011.pdf
– On the agenda in March for the Arizona Horse Council to ask for their support for an Arizona State Heritage Horse.
– Wrote to Arizona Highway Magazine and requested an article for the Arizona State Heritage Horse and they responded with the name of a reporter to work with.
– Got on the March agenda for the Southern Arizona Artist Guide to present the petition for the Arizona State Heritage Horse.
– Sent out a press release on the petition to the Governor.
– Got a great support letter from Return to Freedom a wild horse group in CA. They have herds of two of the Arizona Colonial Spanish Horse Strains.
– I did tons of work on the Arizona Horse Project website so it is up to date.
– Received a request from Bridle and Bit an huge Arizona Equine Magazine for a photo to go with the Press Release…so that should be in their April or May publication.

For my business I’ve been asked to be the official photographer for the Arizona Quarter Horse Association’s April trail ride. I’m doing an exhibit in April at the Green Valley Foundation. I’ve started a new FB page for FastWinn at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/FastWinn-Photography/101232589957276. If you are on FB please like my new page.

There is a whole lot more that happened but I’m tired and I’m sure your tired of reading about it too..lol

Yes I’m still here just running around like crazy.  I’m putting in a couple of photos from the Dressage classes.  I processed photos from the of the riders last week as they had contacted me and ask to see the photos.  I started editing the rest of the photos last night…crazy I took way too many photos…I have over 2,000 to review!  crazy, crazy, crazy!  Next time if there is a next time, I will be more conservative with my clicks!

I liked the extension on this horse’s leg at the trot.

This photo was really a throw-a-way shot but I love the arch of the horse’s neck and the beautiful braids in the mane…took the photo to black and white and added a white frame. I was lucky that the natural light was on the neck and mane.

Since I last posted about my business,

• I’ve been called as a last-minute replacement photographer for a Class A Arabian Horse Show,
• Attended the 2nd Annual Southern Arizona Horse Expo (donated 2 framed photos for a raffle, sold some prints and greeting cards, donated a photo session) got over 300 signatures on our petition to have a State Heritage Horse
• Received orders for 12 photos
• Signed up a local art studio and gallery for a new website
• Signed up a local trading company for a new website

Life is good but so busy!

I received this from a dear friend here in Tucson and wanted to share it with my WP family.

Mark Shields:

It’s the college town. It’s really a wonderful city. And it was shaken to its roots. And I think there was an emotional need to affirm. And I think this was a form that the affirming took, was the cheering.

There was one observation that was made this week I just have to pass on to you by a friend of mine, Allen Ginsberg, who is an historian up in Maine. And he said, this week, we saw a white Catholic Republican federal judge murdered on his way to greet a Democratic woman, member of Congress, who was his friend and was Jewish. Her life was saved initially by a 20 year old Mexican-American college student, who saved her, and eventually by a Korean-American combat surgeon.

Jim Lehrer:

Dr. Rhee.

Mark Shields:

Dr Rhee, that’s right.

And then it was all eulogized and explained by our African-American president. And in a tragic event, that’s a remarkable statement about the country

I’m way behind in reading posts and comments…I’ll be catching up during this week.

Today was the first day of the Arabian Horse Show that I was ask to be the second photographer..wow what an experience. I don’t have a lot of time to post as I must get up at 4 am tomorrow…yikes, yes me getting up early again. It was amazing to be a show photographer as years…yes many years ago…my daugher showed her horses and this brought back so many wonderful memories..and so not so wonderful memories…lol.

Any way this is the sort verision…learned a lot…had fun and loved it!!! The classes were small and I built up a lot of confidence. Tomorrow is the Dressage Classes…oh my…these Dressage folks are so precise and I don’t know a thing about Dressage…quick Google Dressage…Shit this looks hard…ah no worries I’m just the secondary photographer…oh wait a minute…I’m the only Dressage photographer…YIKIES!

Well this is my favorite photo of todays classes…well so far…i’m not done edited the photos from today….I have to brag…I didn’t edit this photo…just cropped.

Just a quick story about rescuing a Cooper’s Hawk last night.  The hawk was moving around and caught my attention so I went over to see what it was and was so surprised to see it wasn’t a rabbit but it was a hawk.  Poor little guy got stuck between the chicken wire I have around the butterfly bush and the bush.  We use chicken wire to keep the bunnies from eating the bushes.   I took this photo when we were trying to decided on how to get him out.

Hubby got some wire cutter and cut the chicken wire then he had to pull it out of the ground and way from the bush that had grown into it. It took a little while…during this the hawk when further away from us and more into the bush. So it was hard to get him out. Hubby put on some heavy work gloves and finally was able to grab the hawk and pull him to safety.

The hawk has some blood around his face, we think from trying to cut the chicken wire with his beak. Hubby tried to get the hawk to perch on the chair but he wouldn’ let go of his glove. So he laid the hawk on the ground and after a few second the hawk flew into the elm tree. I’m so glad we got the hawk out as I don’t think he would have been able to survive the cold night.