Pelican against a backdrop of storm clouds at Carolina Beach
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
My friend and neighbor, Michael, has really taken to photography this year and I’ve been working with him “in the field” to teach him macro and garden photography as well as composition. I had him shooting completely manual and with a tripod during his very first session (that’s it—throw Grasshopper into the fire from the start!). It’s been great to have him accompany me to Green Spring Gardens and Meadowlark when our schedules permit. I sometimes catch him in my front yard garden photographing things in bloom (making me feel somewhat guilty that I’m not out doing the same). I’ll be sharing some of his work from time to time. Who knows? Maybe I can convince him to start a photo blog of his very own!
Earlier this week, he shot this wonderful photo of green-eyes-glowing Foxy, my neighbor Eric’s persnickety cat, hiding in the canopy of fig leaves in my backyard garden. Foxy loves sitting on the fence and even burrowing under the flowers in the front yard. She won’t let anyone pet her (save for Eric, of course), and if you get too close to photograph her, she lets you know her displeasure. I think she should be a little bit more hospitable, considering I’ve created this little oasis for her to lounge, don’t you? (Note to Barbara—Foxy most certainly did not inherit the hospitality gene!)
© Michael Powell. All rights reserved.
Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Fairy Wings or Orion Epimedium (Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Orion’), photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Siberian iris (Iris siberica) and Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Thanks to my blog buddy and fellow photographer, Steve Schwartzman (Portraits of Wildflowers), I now know this is a type of Fleabane daisy. Each bloom is tiny—less than 1/2 inch in diameter.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Eloise Schwarz, a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), made her Seen & Heard profile debut in the May/June 2012 issue of Hearing Loss Magazine, which just arrived in member mailboxes. Seen & Heard is a new column I developed for the magazine in 2011 and we had 48 members get enthusiastically involved in our first outreach effort! We’ll be publishing one or two profiles (as space allows) in each issue of the bimonthly magazine. Other members previously profiled were Danielle Nicosia, John Kinstler, Judy Martin, Anne Taylor, Sam Spritzer and Jeff Bonnell.
Join the Hearing Loss Association of America!
Do you have a hearing loss or know someone who does? Consider membership in the Hearing Loss Association of America. Student annual dues are $20, individual annual dues are $35, and family/couple annual dues are $45. Fees outside the U.S. are slightly higher. All memberships include discounts on hearing-related products, convention and special event early bird discounts, AVIS and Alamo car rental, and the award-winning Hearing Loss Magazine. Sign up for membership here.
Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
ELOISE SCHWARZ Born 7.9.1952 in Quincy, IL / Resides in Wauwatosa, WI
MY HEARING LOSS… I’ve had a hearing loss since birth. Ten years ago I got hearing aids.
SAGE ADVICE… Think about, ask about and learn about hearing loss—
find others with it and join them!
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I WANTED TO BE… teacher.
FIRST THING I BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY… a house
THE HARDEST THING I’VE EVER DONE… was getting my MBA.
IN MY SPARE TIME, I… write.
HOBBIES? Sewing, playing piano, talking politics with family and friends
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED THAT I… stutter.
MY LITTLE KNOWN TALENT IS… grant writing.
I HAVE A WEAKNESS FOR… chocolate.
I WOULD LOVE TO MEET… both President Bush’s.
I COLLECT… tiny cups and saucers.
WORKING NINE TO FIVE… housekeeping, nursing, laundry, nurse’s aide
I AM… organized, objective and dependable.
I HAVE A FEAR OF… uncleanliness.
I REALLY SHOULD STOP… worrying!
I REALLY SHOULD START… laughing!
I SIMPLY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT… my computer.
MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE IS… my hearing loss and not being able to understand the technology and aids for it.
FAVORITE QUOTE… Life is a big canvas—throw all you can on it!
EVER MEET ANYONE FAMOUS? Yes, the governor of Wisconsin and one of the prisoners from The Rock.
MY THREE FAVORITE POSSESSIONS… my wedding rings and my car (a new VW)
KINDEST THING ANYONE HAS EVER DONE FOR ME… My husband loves me, married me and cares for me!
MY LONG-TERM GOAL IS… to travel to all 50 states.
IF I RULED THE WORLD… We would all see and hear things through my ears and eyes!
MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT… getting ahead, living even though I’ve had so many life-death encounters in my life
I love the real-life articles about real-life people in Hearing Loss Magazine.
Jeff Bonnell, a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), made his Seen & Heard profile debut in the May/June 2012 issue of Hearing Loss Magazine, which just arrived in member mailboxes. Seen & Heard is a new column I developed for the magazine in 2011 and we had 48 members get enthusiastically involved in our first outreach effort! We’ll be publishing one or two profiles (as space allows) in each issue of the bimonthly magazine. Other members previously profiled were Danielle Nicosia, John Kinstler, Judy Martin, Anne Taylor and Sam Spritzer,
Join the Hearing Loss Association of America!
Do you have a hearing loss or know someone who does? Consider membership in the Hearing Loss Association of America. Student annual dues are $20, individual annual dues are $35, and family/couple annual dues are $45. Fees outside the U.S. are slightly higher. All memberships include discounts on hearing-related products, convention and special event early bird discounts, AVIS and Alamo car rental, and the award-winning Hearing Loss Magazine. Sign up for membership here.
My favorite response from Jeff? “I simply cannot live without… air.”
Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
JEFF BONNELL Born 6.15.1948 in Worthington, OH / Resides in Atlanta, GA
MY HEARING LOSS… No one knew I was totally deaf in my right ear until my first grade teacher noticed I had to turn my head to hear when we were playing “Pass the Secret” game. She called my folks; I was tested right away. My left ear compensated for my hearing loss until a minor stroke 12 years ago left me with only 5 percent hearing in my “good” ear. My hearing aid restores my sanity!
SAGE ADVICE… Know you are not alone; more than 36 million Americans have a hearing loss, too. Hearing loss can certainly be frustrating, but advocate for yourself and your hearing loss. Help educate those who can hear how to best communicate with you (e.g., look directly at me, don’t cover your mouth when talking, etc.)
FUNNY HEARING LOSS MOMENT… I tried to get my 96-year-old mother to use closed captioning on her TV. She finally relented to using it when Victor, her soap opera star, was using a voiceover while he was ‘thinking’ instead of moving his lips. After just a short while, Mom exclaimed, “Do you know sometimes the words appear on the screen before the person actually says them?!” Go, Mom!
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I WANTED TO BE… an English teacher.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY… I loved teaching neighborhood kids in our basement classroom, complete with a large blackboard!
FIRST THING I BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY… A bright orange Plymouth Barracuda!
CRITTERS? I had two cats who lived to be 14 and 21. We had a coming-of-age party when Julya turned 21!
THE HARDEST THING I’VE EVER DONE… Console the family of a suicide victim (I work part time in a funeral home.)
I LOVE THE SOUNDS OF… birds chirping, clocks ticking, waves pounding the surf and chimes.
HOBBIES? Gardening, traveling, reading, hanging out
MULTILINGUAL? Je parle un peu de Français und Ich spreche Deutsch.
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED THAT I… had open-heart surgery.
MY LITTLE KNOWN TALENT IS… singing in the shower.
I HAVE A WEAKNESS FOR… anything chocolate.
I COLLECT… airline memorabilia.
WORKING NINE TO FIVE… cleaned school houses, taught 7th and 8th grade English, and English as a Second Language, reservations sales agent and supervisor for Delta Air Lines, and funeral assistant in a funeral home
I AM… liberal, caring and outgoing.
BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD… Computers
I HAVE UNCANNY ABILITY TO… make people smile.
I SIMPLY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT… air.
THREE FAVORITE POSSESSIONS… My liberty, my family and my free time
LONG-TERM GOAL… peer mentor for hard of hearing folks
SHORT-TERM GOAL… Consoling families after they experience death in the family
I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS… loving, kind and thoughtful.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT… Passing Algebra
I enjoy the variety of articles in Hearing Loss Magazine and wish it came out monthly! Encourage articles from frontline folks like us.
From that feathery foliage at the onset to those otherworldly blooms to the past-its-prime pods (as seen here), Love-in-a-mist is eye candy in every stage of its life.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
One of my favorite flowers to photograph—the ethereal, other-worldly Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), a member of the Mint family; photographed against a backdrop of orange poppies
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Thanks to my friend (and new photo buddy), Michael P., for pointing out this photo op at Green Spring Gardens on Sunday afternoon!
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Siberian iris (Iris siberica), photographed (in formation, no less!) at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Daylily (Hermerocallis yezoensis), photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
I think this might be the Siberian iris ‘Snow Queen’ (Iris siberica ‘Snow Queen’) variety; photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
Unidentified spider on Spiderwort (Tradescantia); photographed at Green Spring Gardens
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
GIVE ‘EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT