Nikolyn McDonald Blogs

This weekend our granddaughter, just turned six, made a beautiful watercolor. After she finished the creation, she showed it to me with pride, explaining that it was a dinosaur. “You can see the head, and body, and legs and he’s swimming in... 

In the car on the way home Friday, our five-year-old granddaughter noticed some clipboards I'd salvaged from camera club and forgotten to take into the house. She immediately decided she wanted to make a book. I embraced the idea enthusiastically. ... 

or The Saga of a Panoramic Print A few weeks back I decided to have this photographic art piece, Ron's Automotive 2, printed for submission to a Panoramic Prints contest. The rules of the contest included the following statements: 1) a Panor... 

It's been cold here . . . real cold! So when the weather forecast for last Monday was that temperatures would climb from the 30's to the 50's, my husband and I decided to take advantage of the warm-up. We went to Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, ... 

Well, not exactly toadstools . . . and not literally my backyard . . . but geologic formations that resemble them and in Nebraska – that’s what we found on a recent trip to the northwest corner of our state. Toadstool Geologic Park is in the Oga... 

As promised, the weekend of the 17th we put up and decorated the tree. Well, we started to decorate it – we actually never finished. I had expected her to tear into all the boxes, taking everything out as quickly as possible. Instead she removed t... 

When it comes to decorations and other things associated with a holiday, some people are like retail stores - eager to put it all out at once, usually months in advance. Others are so caught up in their daily lives the date arrives almost before the... 

Mugs are perfect for coffee, tea, hot cider, or mulled wine, of course, and popular any time of year but never more so than in the winter. In this season of giving, they make an inexpensive but unique gift that says immediately, “I am thinking of YO... 

Our five-year-old granddaughter picked out a couple of videos at the library yesterday. One of them was an Einstein one and they were teaching about the life cycle of the butterfly. Metamorphosis and all that. They went on and on. Finally they go... 

I love fall - well, except for the fact that winter follows close behind. But this year the crisp but comfortable temperatures and blue skies have lingered, so a couple of weeks ago my husband and I got out for a day of hiking and driving and photog... 

On a sunny mid September day – windy but all the more beautiful for that as the wind was responsible for the event – David and I had the pleasure of viewing a staging of monarch butterflies. Most people know these colorful creatures, native to Nor... 

The “F” Word HaHa – gotcha! Just finished a weekend with our just five-year-old granddaughter whose pre-school is on “F” this week. So . . . I present to you Fish, Fun, Flight, and Friends.  

Hoping to find inspiration for an Automotive theme, my husband and I went to a local salvage yard last week. What an experience! Besides being very cold - below 40 degrees F and a brisk wind was blowing - I found the visit bittersweet. I was sadden... 

Going on a walk with our granddaughter is always a delight for me. It’s a joy to watch her run on ahead (I’m slow, as she will readily tell you!) and then stop and look back to call, “Can you see me?” Our rules for walks include not going in th... 

It's mid-August and for many in the United States that means back-to-school - either a week ago or within the next couple of weeks. As a former student, mother of former students, grand-mother of a pre-kindergartener, and retired teacher, this time ... 

We re-did our bedroom this summer. Lots of work! I had to strip wallpaper from two walls (I'd done the other two years ago) AND from the center of the ceiling!!), do a lot of repairing of drywall, and re-paint. Then we had someone come in and text... 

I love it when I see an opportunity to take a picture others might not think to take, and I’m even happier when I work up the image and find that I like it just as well as I’d hoped I might. That was the case when I took The Window Box and the Meter... 

It’s been awhile since my last blog entry – life gets in the way sometimes. In my case, it’s been mostly good stuff – like remodeling the master bedroom and the family room. In the meantime, I’ve made another sale from my unofficial “Vintage Diner ... 

We were Skyping with our 4 ½-year-old granddaughter the other night, and she asked us what we had had for supper – the day’s menus are always of importance in our conversations. “Tacos,” I said. “What did you have for dessert?” “Nothing. You kn... 

Spring is back here in eastern Nebraska - well, almost. Yesterday was very cold and windy again but before that we had five days of very nice weather and the forecast for the weekend is exceptional for late February: 53 degrees F and cloudy on Sunda... 

How hard is it to let go of things? I decided recently that it was time to get rid of some of our four-year-old granddaughter’s older toys and books and, well, things that aren’t really toys but that have been essential to her play in the past - l... 

This photo of our granddaughter's hand, taken when she was only a few weeks old, just took 1st place in the ABC Group's weekly contest - I Is For Infants. It has been in her room forever, part of a grouping of four images (hand, foot, face sleep... 

"He says the best way out is always through." -Robert Frost, A Servant to Servants Stenophobia by Nikolyn McDonald Also available in black and white and with text  

Our four-year-old granddaughter visited this weekend and one of our projects was making cards to use for thank you notes for the people who had given her Christmas gifts. Good thing we had three days! Making the cards was great. She loves to colo... 

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play . . . " Now a familiar Christmas hymn, these words originally began a poignant, personally meaningful, poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863. If yo... 

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." -George Harrison paraphrasing dialogue from Lewis Carroll's *Alice in Wonderland* Lone Poplar and Road by Nikolyn McDonald  

“You can't get too much winter in the winter.” -“Snow” by Robert Frost Sunset at Walnut Creek Lake by Nikolyn McDonald  

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunset Shrub by Nikolyn McDonald 

"'Enough' is a feast.” Buddhist proverb Cordial by Nikolyn McDonald 

I love to get mail – real mail with a stamp on it and a hand written note that is meant just for me. Even though I’m eager to see what’s inside, I take my time opening it, just to draw the moment out a bit. Mom died in the spring of 2012 and sh... 

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. -Harriet Beecher Stowe The Bay of Fundy - Low Tide and the Bay of Fundy - High Tide illustrate this wise quotation dramatically. Photos by Nikolyn McDonald. 

Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . . How did it go? How did it go?” -Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends Emerging by Nikolyn McDonald 

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” -Dr Seuss Ma and Pa by Nikolyn McDonald 

The Three F's - Family, Food and Friends Many of my memories of my own childhood and of the days when our children were young revolve around vacations or a holiday, and it’s no wonder. That’s when far-flung families get together, when “remember t... 

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude." -A.A. Milne Echeveria Hearts by Nikolyn McDonald 

“Think and wonder, wonder and think.” Dr Seuss View from Muley Point 1 by Nikolyn McDonald 

"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual." -Henry David Thoreau Lone Tree in Winter - Sunset by Nikolyn McDonald 

"It's so much more friendly with two.” -A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh True Love by Nikolyn McDonald 

Because I like to be as accurate, informative, and thorough as possible in my key words and descriptions, I almost always search the internet when I am uploading photos for sale. I never copy and paste what I find. Instead I read as much as possibl... 

There is always room at the top. -Daniel Webster Beyond the Room by Nikolyn McDonald 

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. -unattributed Perfection by Nikolyn McDonald 

I love it when someone lets me know they like my work. Who doesn’t? About six weeks ago, I was contacted by the director of the Washington County Historical Association Museum in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, regarding the use of some of my photos from... 

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. -Eleanor Roosevelt A New Day - Light Rays by Nikolyn McDonald 

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. -Mark Twain - Assortment by Nikolyn McDonald 

Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon. -A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh Fantasy Flight by Nikolyn McDonald 

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson Evening Stillness by Nikolyn McDonald  

Normally, when I process a photo, I upload it in either color or in black and white and the decision as to which is clear to me; but occasionally I hesitate and can see strong advantages to each, so I upload both. That was the case with this photo I... 

For me, sometimes a photo just begs to be rescued. Here’s one from our recent trip to Zion National Park, taken on the Riverside Walk. A young buck was browsing near the river just off the raised trail and quite undisturbed by all the hikers. W... 

I love to travel and see new places, both personally and through my lens; but it’s funny how often my favorite photos end up being those taken within a few miles of my home. The Day's Last Kiss is a good example of such an image. This beautiful ol...