#4 - Andrew Henry's Treehouse

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was to do I narrowed it down to my Top 10.

And they are:

#4 - Andrew Henry's Treehouse

Every time I see this picture I have the desire to whistle the theme song from the Andy Griffith Show or read Andrew Henry’s Meadow it is the perfect back yard on the perfect summer day. You don’t need to be a kid to appreciate such a place.

#5 - I Want Them All

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was to do I narrowed it down to my Top 10.

And they are:

#5 - I Want Them All

The pictures I chose for the top ten are a reflection of me and this one is one of the most obvious examples. I love sending postcards. I find it fun to share with someone a place I have been or a work of art I’ve seen. Plus, I need the karma of sending out mail that is not a bill. This picture could be a picture of me browsing in a museum gift shop hopeful they made a card of the work I loved best. I certainly have lived this moment no wonder I liked the picture so much.

#6 - Play Time

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was to do I narrowed it down to my Top 10.

And they are:

#6 – Play Time

I love this photo because it is playful and sentimental with a historic twist – just like me. Plus I loved the way the old glass in the windows distorted the light. It seems like I could be a kid looking out my bedroom window in 1776.

#7 - Flower Explosion

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was to do I narrowed it down to my Top 10.

And they are:

#7 – Flower Explosion

I took many photos of flowers this year, but can you really ever have too many photos of flowers? The problem started when I had to choose from among them. This image made the cut easily because it stayed with me all year. I took with my phone and used it as my background for months. Every time I looked at it I’d see explosions of red, beauty and power. I see a solar landscape of color and passion. I see how flowers can communicate and that these talk to me every time.

Don’t Call Me Jolly

It happened again this year – I was described as jolly.

Every year, for as long as I can remember, someone around Christmas time has described me as jolly. Now I’m flattered that the image of Saint Nick has a tendency to remind people of me, but I must admit this back handed compliment drives me crazy.

I feel like Alfred in Miracle on 34th Street, the kid who played Santa each year at the Y because “they had a suite - but no padding”. I know I come with my own padding and I have a tendency to wear a lot of red, but honestly it makes me cringe every time. The worst part is I first started to notice this trend in third grade when I actually was Santa in the school Christmas show. I brought down the house with my Santa presentation, as you can expect, but I didn’t know at the time jolliness would haunt me forever. I know I should be flattered to be called essentially a happy person but please pick another word. I can take any of the other synonyms: cheerful, fun or jovial even, but please leave the jolly for old men in white beards – thanks.

#8 - Home

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was to do I narrowed it down to my Top 10.

And they are:

#8 – Home

Choosing the criteria by which to declare a photo worth a spot in the top ten was very hard. My photography skills are not good enough to go by photography standards (I’m a point and shoot girl) so I settled on “what would I hang on my wall?”

I would hang this on my wall because of the sentimental connection. This is a picture of home. Steak cooked by Dad on the grill; German potato salad hand made by Mom and corn on the cob with the corn holders my parents have had my entire life. This is a picture of where I grew up and now that I see it again maybe I wouldn’t hang it up, it makes me hungry.

#9 - On The Road

It’s the end of the year and we all know that means one thing – Top Ten Lists.

In 2009, so far, I have taken 9,786 photos and as hard as it was I narrowed them down this past weekend to my Top 10.

And they are:

#9 – On The Road

I’m a New Yorker so I don’t have a car, but this past Summer I hit the road, first on a rented bike and then my own bike and I felt a joy that had been dormant for a long time.

To see the pavement whizzing by under my feet and feel the freedoms that come with two wheels was great fun. This picture reminds me of that feeling and makes me smile. Plus, I love how some of the pavement was in focus and some was not – I caught the motion of the moment and I love it!