RGebbiePhoto - A creative journey in art.

New zazzle product gift designs by RGebbiePhoto

2011-07-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Featured Picks of the Day 7/11/2011

RGebbiePhoto’s picks of the day is a showcase of some of our favorite locations from around the internet. We will be featuring gift designs and unique creations from Zazzle, news and articles from Squidoo and some inspirational and motivational affirmations for your daily life. We will also use this space for current announcements and any news we want to share.

In This Article -

1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations and designs for your viewing pleasure. To view the details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Newest Designs

Newest design – Colored Bubbles

Colored Bubbles White by RGebbiePhoto

Colored Bubbles by RGebbiePhoto

Colored Bubbles Black by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article – Abstract Doodle Art Posters, Gifts and Apparel

Abstract Doodle Art Posters, Gifts and Apparel - http://www.squidoo.com/abstract-doodle-art

The doodle, zentangle, scribble or abstract sketch has been around for a very long time but only come into its own as an art form in recent years. Most people have scribbled patterns on scratch paper while talking on the telephone or sitting in a classroom listening to long, boring lectures from teachers. People often doodle when they are bored or passively waiting for some action to engage their mind in a new direction.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

Individuals are the architects of their own destinies. Follow your dreams, and grow from the experiences of the journey. – RGebbiePhoto

We seek the things that are within ourselves, but never take time to look at our own reflection. – RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 7/2/2011

2011-07-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

RGebbiePhoto’s picks of the day is a showcase of some of our favorite locations from around the internet. We will be featuring gift designs and unique creations from Zazzle, news and articles from Squidoo and some inspirational and motivational affirmations for your daily life. We will also use this space for current announcements and any news we want to share.

In This Article -

1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Newest Designs and Creative Inspiration

Newest design – Stars

Colorful Stars by RGebbiePhoto

Colored Stars by RGebbiePhoto

Creative Inspiration –

Hands with Pastels, covered by RGebbiePhoto

Create! by RGebbiePhoto

Painting - Create! by RGebbiePhoto

Create! by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Cli mbing Your Inner Walls - http://www.squidoo.com/inner-walls

Most people have experiences that cause them to create barriers between their inner self and the outside. Some of these walls are necessary they protect us from the world and ourselves, other walls stall or even stop us in our own personal growth.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

Evaluate yourself often. Be honest. It’s much easier to develop a goal if you know where your true start point is. – RGebbiePhoto

Participate in the decisions that determine your destiny. Be the architect of your own future. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/30/2011

2011-06-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Abstract Blue Swarm by RGebbiePhoto

Abstract Leaves in Green by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Fremont Street Experiences - http://www.squidoo.com/fremont-street-experiences

Robert and I were asked to help out a friend with her business. She runs a "spotter" company, watching a parking lot and having vehicles towed that park there without permits. It was an interesting experience, sitting in that cold parking lot throughout the night, watching the neon burn until morning.

Another Night on Fremont Street - http://www.squidoo.com/another-fremont-experiences

The night scene here on Fremont is becoming strangely familiar. The people change, but the situations remain pretty consistent.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

With every obstacle conquered, confidence is gained. Small accomplishments today can lead to greater successes tomorrow. – RGebbiePhoto

View each day as a new beginning. Be open to both the challenges and rewards that come from pursuing the things you desire most in life. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/28/2011

2011-06-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

RGebbiePhoto’s picks of the day is a showcase of some of our favorite locations from around the internet. We will be featuring gift designs and unique creations from Zazzle, news and articles from Squidoo and some inspirational and motivational affirmations for your daily life. We will also use this space for current announcements and any news we want to share. Whether goal oriented or art oriented, we'll cover it all!

In This Article -

1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – New Design and Liquid Abstracts

Newest design – Peace Signs and Circles

Peace Signs and Circles by Gebboodles

Liquid Abstracts

Yellow Swirls by Gebboodles

Green Swirl by Gebboodles

Darkness Falls by Gebboodles

Squidoo featured article –

RGebbiePhoto’s Zazzle Gallery of Unique Gift Ideas - http://www.squidoo.com/rgebbiephotos-zazzle-gallery

Zazzle is a print on demand store front online where artists and designers can promote their creations as images on fun and exciting consumer gifts and products. Zazzle enables individuals, professional artists, and major brands to create and offer billions of unique items for customers worldwide.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

The universe generously grants peace, love and fortune to those who become greater first within themselves. – RGebbiePhoto

Without hope and faith humanity does not evolve, nothing grows without purpose. Seek inside yourself to discover your beautiful inspiration. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/27/2011

2011-06-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

RGebbiePhoto’s picks of the day is a showcase of some of our favorite locations from around the internet. We will be featuring gift designs and unique creations from Zazzle, news and articles from Squidoo and some inspirational and motivational affirmations for your daily life. We will also use this space for current announcements and any news we want to share. Whether goal oriented or art oriented, we'll cover it all!

In This Article -

1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Games and toys

Poker Chip Caddy by RGebbiePhoto

Game Pieces by RGebbiePhoto

Yellow Softball by RGebbiePhoto

Trio of Ducks by RGebbiePhoto

Darts Red and Blue by RGebbiePhoto

Royal in Spades by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Help Your Business Survive Today’s Economy - http://www.squidoo.com/business-survival

Business success can be difficult even in the best of economic times. Companies and individuals must constantly adapt to an ever changing environment of information and technology. Concepts that fail to evolve often become obsolete and can stall the growth of even the most stable professional endeavors.

Slaying the Dragons Within - http://www.squidoo.com/slaying-the-dragons-within

Everyone has battles they fight in their everyday life, family and job stresses just to start, but what of the wars that rage within one's own self. The ever weighing scale between the things we know are right and the deeds we have done that are wrong.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

There are times we must evaluate ourselves by the passion and effort made, not the result or progress gained. Learn, grow, and move forward! – RGebbiePhoto

Faith in a greater purpose gives people the desire to strive for better. Evolution and reason define the details of our learning along this journey. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/25/2011

2011-06-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

RGebbiePhoto’s picks of the day is a showcase of some of our favorite locations from around the internet. We will be featuring gift designs and unique creations from Zazzle, news and articles from Squidoo and some inspirational and motivational affirmations for your daily life. We will also use this space for current announcements and any news we want to share. Whether goal oriented or art oriented, we'll cover it all!

In This Article -
1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Food and Candy

Red N Green Hot Peppers by RGebbiePhoto

Gumballs to Go 1 by RGebbiePhoto

Colorful Bell Peppers by RGebbiePhoto

Lemon Lime by RGebbiePhoto

Peachy Trio by RGebbiePhoto

Vinegar Bottle Tops by RGebbiePhoto

Wet Peppers by RGebbiePhoto

Apples and Cinnamon by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Photographing the Essence of Woman - http://www.squidoo.com/photographing-the-essence-of-woman

hrough my years in the business, I have had the pleasure of photographing thousands of people, and most of them have been women. And there is one truth, which is universal amongst them. Women want to look beautiful in their photos.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

Individuals are the architects of their own destinies. Follow your dreams, and grow from the experiences of the journey. – RGebbiePhoto

Often it is not the truths that others see in us but those we discover within ourselves which matter. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/24/2011

2011-06-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

In This Article -

1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Pets and Animals

Missing You by RGebbiePhoto

Miniature Noble Macaw by RGebbiePhoto

Bite Me Shark A by RGebbiePhoto

Mr. Brown by RGebbiePhoto

Green Wing Macaw by RGebbiePhoto

Pop Corn Bandit by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

The Greatest Treasure - http://www.squidoo.com/the-greatest-treasure

The greatest treasure mankind has to offer cannot be purchased with silver or gold, but must be earned through the experiences in life's journey. More valuable than the world's most prized piece of art is the knowledge and wisdom humanity has gained in our short existence on this planet.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

It's always been the journey, not the destination that has inspired the souls of men. Take an adventure inside yourself; discover what waits to be reborn. – RGebbiePhoto

The fewer obstacles that obscure a person’s vision, the more clearly that individual can see a path to accomplishing their goals. – RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/23/2011

2011-06-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

Dew on a Garden Leaf by RGebbiePhoto

Dusk Sky by RGebbiePhoto

Autumn Leaves by RGebbiePhoto

Sea Shell Background by RGebbiePhoto

Park Pathway by RGebbiePhoto

Afternoon in the Park by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Evaluation and Adaptation - http://www.squidoo.com/evaluation-and-adaptation

Species or society, business or individual, the same principal stands true; you must evolve if you want to continue to exist. Change in a comfortable and familiar routine can be very difficult, and considerably more so when those changes are in a person's inner self.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

It matters little how much money you make, possessions owned, or power you have. It is what you do with it that counts. – RGebbiePhoto

View each day as a new beginning. Be open to both the challenges and rewards that come from pursuing the things you desire most in life. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/22/2011

2011-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

In This Article -
1. Zazzle Featured Creations
2. Squidoo Featured Articles
3. Inspirational Affirmations

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Hearts, Love and Romance

Raining Hearts in 3D by RGebbiePhoto

Raining Hearts & Love by RGebbiePhoto

Atomic Hearts by RGebbiePhoto

Raining Hearts by RGebbiePhoto

Love! by RGebbiePhoto

Angel by RGebbiePhoto

Sexy by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Spreading the Love, Celebrating the Heart – http://www.squidoo.com/spreading-the-love-celebrating-the-heart

Hearts are the universal symbol of love. From sketching hearts on our note books in school, to giving a big box of chocolates to a loved one on Valentine's Day, this representation of the soul will always be the number one way to express affection.

Self Perpetuating Evolution - A Personal Developmet Article - http://www.squidoo.com/self-perpetuating-evolution

Evolution is commonly described as a process of continuous change from a lower to a higher state. In human evolution it is often the genetic stages of change that are commonly thought of, such as the physical development from primitive to modern man.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

From seeking spiritual enlightenment, to climbing the corporate ladder, the things a person seeks from life usually take effort to achieve. – RGebbiePhoto

Individuals are the architects of their own destinies. Follow your dreams, and grow from the experiences of the journey. - RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/21/2011

2011-06-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

In this article – Zazzle Featured Creations, Squidoo Featured Articles, Inspirational Affirmation

Zazzle Featured Creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure. To view details about these items click the link or image and you will be taken to its listing.

Today’s theme – Flowers

Kwanzan Cherry Blooms by RGebbiePhoto

Dahlia by RGebbiePhoto

Water Drops on Roses by RGebbiePhoto

Purple Coneflower Hybrid by RGebbiePhoto

Pink Dahlia Bloom by RGebbiePhoto

Squidoo featured article –

Flower Art Posters, Prints and Cards - http://www.squidoo.com/flower_art_images
As an art form, floral images are everywhere. Prints and posters add color to decorate the walls of our homes and offices. Their delicate patterns are displayed on cards that we share with friends, and printed on the fabrics that we dress ourselves in.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

From seeking spiritual enlightenment, to climbing the corporate ladder, the things a person seeks from life usually take effort to achieve. – RGebbiePhoto

Continue to dream and be flexible to the possibilities that exist in the future. – RGebbiePhoto

*******************************************

Featured Picks of the Day 6/20/2011

2011-06-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Zazzle featured creations -

We have selected some of our favorite zazzle creations for your viewing pleasure.

Today’s theme – Fractal designs

Plaque Your Initials Here by Gebboodles

Flower Chain by Gebboodles

Purple Lei by Gebboodles

Green Vines by Gebboodles

Squidoo featured article -

Fractal Art Posters and Prints – http://www.squidoo.com/fractal-art-posters
Fractals have become very popular in recent years as a form of artistic expression. While these geometric shapes and repeating patterns are common in nature, it is the computer generated creations which are most commonly thought of.

Featured inspirational affirmation –

The true mettle of man is not measured by his accomplishments on the outside but those that are made within. - RGebbiePhoto

A Brief Intermission

2011-06-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since our last blog post. Over the past several weeks we have been focused on our stores at Zazzle, our articles on Squidoo and generally considering the overall direction for the future. We have also spent some time working on our main web site at RGebbiePhoto.com. The look and style have been redesigned and much of the content was updated.

It has been an interesting year so far, many changes, both in our personal lives and for the world. Stability and security seem to be top priorities for most people now, and we are fortunate to have reached that goal ourselves. So, with old goals achieved, we are starting to map out our future goals, and seeing what the rest of the year has in store for us! The re-vamping of the websites is one of our first projects, and we are hoping that brings more traffic to our commerce sites as well. We plan on working more on the personal growth writing, and hope to start a lecture and discussion group soon. We are also looking at opening a gallery site here in Las Vegas, the prospect gets closer and closer for us.

We invite you to view our updated websites at RGebbiePhoto, and to visit our Zazzle stores. Feel free to leave comments and let us know what you think!

Squidoo Articles 4/8/2011

2011-04-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

This is a complete list of our articles on squidoo as of 4/8/2011

Click on the title to view the full post.

1. Our Zazzle Journey News!

We are Stock photographers, and were looking for other ways to expand and grow our small little company, when we found a merchandising site called Zazzle. So Robert decided to give it a try. But I was so bogged down with stock and sales that I didn't have time to really look into it. He put up a ...
Internet - Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:03:47

2. Flower Power Love News!

Flowers are nature's way of smiling at the world. From their colorful blooms to their fragrant odors they have inspired the imagination of artists to paint, sculpt, photograph and write about them the world over. Few things have motivated the creative soul as often as these natural wonders. Growi...
Internet - Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:36:38

3. Abstract Art Prints, Cards and Postcards News!

Balanced on the edge between order and insanity, free as a bird or restrained like a prisoner. The vision and expression of an artist's soul displayed for the world to view. What manner of torture or spark of genius must be at the core of the creative mind? Restricted by mortal limitations yet fr...
Internet - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:09:01

4. Fractal Art Posters and Prints News!

Fractals have become very popular in recent years as a form of artistic expression. While these geometric shapes and repeating patterns are common in nature, it is the computer generated creations which are most commonly thought of. It may be true that fractals are composed of complicated mathema...
Internet - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:04:44

5. It Takes More than Words

How often do people talk about the things they want out of life, but do very little in regards to fulfilling them? Wishes and dreams are wondrous things. The Human mind can create worlds of fantasy, take us on trips to locations we have never been, or develop the next greatest time-saving device....
Healthy Living - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:41:46

6. RGebbiePhotos Zazzle Gallery News!

Zazzle is a print on demand store front online where artists and designers can promote their creations as images on fun and exciting consumer products. Zazzle enables individuals, professional artists, and major brands to create and offer billions of unique items for customers worldwide. Owned a...
Internet - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:06:01

7. How will you Leave Your Mark? News!

8. Age of Confusion News!

It seems pretty obvious to me that this world, our world, is in serious trouble. What I remember of history, being of deep personal interest to me, I don't believe there has ever been a time in our human existence when the entire planet has been in such a stage of fear, conflict and confusion. Re...
Culture & Society - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:48:45

9. Epiphany and Self-Evolution News!

10. Photographing the Essence of Woman News!

Through my years in the business, I have had the pleasure of photographing thousands of people, and most of them have been women. And there is one truth, which is universal amongst them. Women want to look beautiful in their photos. Whether it's for Corporate Identity, Fashion, Family Portrait, o...
Arts & Design - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:36:27

11. Spreading the Love, Celebrating the Heart

Hearts are the universal symbol of love. From sketching hearts on our note books in school, to giving a big box of chocolates to a loved one on Valentine's Day, this representation of the soul will always be the number one way to express affection. So let us celebrate this iconic form in all its ...
Internet - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:21:49

12. Bridges to be Crossed

Most people dream of a life filled with happiness and success, but the reality is few truly end up having the life they want to lead. Even when someone finds fulfillment in one aspect of their world, they will often find disappointment in many others. The journey from birth to death is often a st...
Healthy Living - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:29:45

13. How to Photograph Women Close Up

Photography can convey a message, thought or emotion, and leave a long lasting impression on the viewer. A close up or tightly cropped scene is one way in which a photographer can create a mood and relay a concept. This is especially true when photographing women, and the artist wishes to use a ...
Arts & Design - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:25:38

14. Self Perpetuating Evolution

15. Taking the First Steps News!

16. The Best Camera I Ever Owned News!

When I was three my parents gave me a Vintage, Fisher Price Toy, Picture Story Camera, No. 784 for Christmas. It had a big plastic rotating cube on the top and a fogged up clear plastic view screen. With a large orange shutter button that made a clicking sound when you pressed it. That was the be...
Arts & Design - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:51:19

17. Fremont Street Experiences News!

Robert and I were asked to help out a friend with her business. She runs a "spotter" company, watching a parking lot and having vehicles towed that park there without permits. It was an interesting experience, sitting in that cold parking lot throughout the night, watching the neon burn until mor...
Culture & Society - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:58:33

18. The One Thing

19. A Road Less Traveled News!

20. Another Night on Fremont Street News!

The night scene here on Fremont is becoming strangely familiar. The people change, but the situations remain pretty consistent. Across the street, in the darkened doorway of an abandoned storefront, a couple has an argument. He stands there, almost bored, with his hands in his pockets as she ple...
Culture & Society - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:54:31

21. How to Persevere Obstacles

Personally and professionally, most people encounter obstacles in their paths to growth and success. There are times when the size and number of roadblocks can overshadow your vision, making goals and projects seem insurmountable. Writing down the steps you need to take to reach your goal will gi...
Healthy Living - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:09:27

22. The Greatest Treasure

The greatest treasure mankind has to offer cannot be purchased with silver or gold, but must be earned through the experiences in life's journey. More valuable than the world's most prized piece of art is the knowledge and wisdom humanity has gained in our short existence on this planet. With a f...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:48:04

23. How to Make Your Vision a Reality News!

There has always been a lot to be said for the power of positive thinking. When we believe in ourselves and have passion for the things we do, visions can become accomplishments. Making your dreams come true can be as simple as following the inspiration in your heart. With strong drive and persev...
Education - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:24:02

24. Focus on Your Future News!

Every process, including life, has three stages; a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Relative to the journey of life, these steps might represent our past, present and future. Yesterday is behind us, today is here, but tomorrow presents endless possibilities. These possibilities are laid out be...
Healthy Living - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:39:31

25. I Creator; The Great Expression News!

The world is filled with pictures and images, visual media as advertisements, art and dialog saturate every aspect of our lives. From expressing an emotion to reminding us to turn off the lights when we leave the room, photographs, designs, graphics and text can be found on almost everything in o...
Arts & Design - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:35:52

26. How To Stay Strong in the Face of Failure News!

Many people have had moments when they feel as if life, the world, and almost everything around them move forward, while they themselves, hard as they may try, stand still. More than once I have seen a project stalled, delayed or abandoned because the effort given did not justify the results. Har...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:57:32

27. Evaluation and Adaptation News!

Species or society, business or individual, the same principal stands true; you must evolve if you want to continue to exist. Change in a comfortable and familiar routine can be very difficult, and considerably more so when those changes are in a person's inner self. The drive to learn, to evolve...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:59:37

28. On Growing up News!

As an observer of human nature, I have noticed how often people look for reasons beyond themselves for the troubles in their lives. They make excuses and cast blame at others when things go wrong. Even the people we once looked to as examples in the professional and political environment appear t...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:45:15

29. Brush and Canvas to Drag and Drop

Once upon a time, before the age of Photoshop and Illustrator, photographs were taken on film and developed in a darkroom, designs drawn on a sketch pad and the whole mess came together taped to some editors art board. There is and always will be a conflict between tradition and innovation. I can...
Arts & Design - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:55:33

30. Controlling Your Future

We are the result of our experiences both good and bad. There are numerous factors that create the people we become in life. Some of these events we have direct influence on or control over, while others are a matter of timing and fate. Everyone, each person in this world, has an individual persp...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:09:53

31. Slaying the Dragons Within

Everyone has battles they fight in their everyday life, family and job stresses just to start, but what of the wars that rage within one's own self. The ever weighing scale between the things we know are right and the deeds we have done that are wrong. Even a young child knows when they act in a ...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:55:32

32. Climbing Your Inner Walls News!

Most people have experiences that cause them to create barriers between their inner self and the outside. Some of these walls are necessary they protect us from the world and ourselves, other walls stall or even stop us in our own personal growth. I have built and dismantled more than a few of t...
Healthy Living - Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:51:48

33. The Creation of Man: How to Legally Shoot your Husband News!

We needed more models. We had our friends in front of the camera, and they were good for commercial images, but we needed something more. We had a sense that we were headed into something special, but we weren't quite sure what it was going to be. I decided to put Robert in front of the camera. ...
Arts & Design - Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:31:57

34. The Greatest Adventure News!
When every day you live becomes your greatest adventure life is an experience you are anxious to greet. While the concept is simple, the task can be overwhelming to accomplish. Maintaining hope and optimism from one day to the next can be a daunting chore in itself. It is always easier to have fa...
Healthy Living - Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:11:58

Zentangle Color, Doodle Art

2011-03-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Zentangle Color, Doodle Art We've pulled out our colors for this one! New in our store, Zentangle images! What are Zentangles? Some view them as abstract doodles, free flowing and creative. Others find a kind of symetry in the designs and find a bit of peace in them. Follow the lines in these abstract images and find the flavor you need. We offer these in various shades, depending on your preference.

Zentangle art captures the meditative spirit. What do YOU see in them?

Zentangle Greeting Cards:

ZenHearts by RGebbiePhoto

GreenZen by RGebbiePhoto

RedZen by RGebbiePhoto

Coffee Cups:

GreenZen 2 by RGebbiePhoto

Zen 1 by RGebbiePhoto

Purple Zen by RGebbiePhoto

Mousepads:

Zen Blues by RGebbiePhoto

ZenHearts by RGebbiePhoto

LoveTangle by RGebbiePhoto

Coasters:

Zen 1 Colors by RGebbiePhoto

Red Zen by RGebbiePhoto

Green Zen by RGebbiePhoto

Stickers:

GreenZen by RGebbiePhoto

Zen 1 Colored by RGebbiePhoto

Red Zen by RGebbiePhoto

A Road Less Traveled

2011-03-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

There are times when the road less traveled can be the quickest path to reaching your goals. In our personal and professional lives the common path can often appear the safe and steady route to our desires. While the process may be tried and true the road is mired with overwhelming numbers where few emerge or find a clear, open journey to achieving their dreams. Getting noticed and standing out can be challenging when a person travels the same path as a multitude of others seeking similar rewards.

Forging your own way in life is rarely an easy task, to venture into unfamiliar territory or brave untested trails; it is often an adventure that can lead to experiences and destinations that would not have been encountered otherwise. Individuals that step out from the masses to define themselves may face the possibility of failure but also have the chance for great discovery. When a person has passion, drive and desire, the road less traveled may present the opportunity to explore and grow in their experiences and knowledge.

View each day as a new beginning; be open to both the challenges and rewards that come from pursuing the things you desire in life. Make the most of good and bad experiences alike, learn, grow and thrive as an individual, become the person you aspire to be.

Fremont Street Experiences

2011-02-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

by Lori Gebbie

Robert and I were asked to help out a friend with her business. She runs a “spotter” company, watching a parking lot and having vehicles towed that park there without permits. It was an interesting experience, sitting in that cold parking lot throughout the night, watching the neon burn until morning. I was glad we were able to do it together; it allowed us to sleep in shifts and still capture a slice of life that one normally would not see.

Tourists park on this lot, for a fee, and walk across to the hub attraction area of Fremont, the Experience. They see the fancy lights, hear the barkers calling for them to enter their casinos for a “sure win” or a “safe bet”, the street vendors and the street performers with hats in front, collecting donations for their performances, the old neon signs from old Las Vegas, revamped with a new life here in this small museum area. But if you ask me, they are missing the real experience, the true to life experience, of the broken, the scared, the hungry, the homeless. This is where the real story is at. This is the true hustle and grind of the city, where the “real” people are at, the “bad” side of town. And for all that we are warned to keep away from here, to not be around the vagrancy, the crime, the poor and pitiful, we see a huge slice of humanity, as the homeless stop and offer a good word to each other, often sharing their meager possessions with those who are more in need than they are. A clean tissue, a sip of water, a smile. Once in a while, one will be fortunate enough to afford a cup of steaming hot coffee, and they eagerly approach their friends and everyone gets a sip. A shred of warmth, of kindness, reminding themselves that they are still human and have dignity. This is the part that is hardest for us to watch, as we put ourselves in their place, and wonder where our life would be if we were forced into such circumstances. How would we be faring, in a cold city, living on the streets, under a pile of newspapers we were fortunate enough to find? Where would we find the strength to continue going, to keep moving for warmth, to hope that, one day, we would once again be able to live like “real people” again?

I can only wonder at how they got here, got to this dismal place in their lives, where they lost their way in “normal” society and had to take to the streets. What drove them from leading productive lives into the madness of street wandering and scrounging for a slice of the sanity they once knew? In this city, it is easy to imagine a few of them took a chance in the casinos and gambled away their lives, pushing themselves into an unrecoverable amount of debt, fourth and fifth mortgages on their homes, pushing their families and loved ones aside as they risked it all in hopes of hitting the jackpot, pawning and selling pieces of their lives to finance their next parlay, their next hand at the table, that last quarter into the machine. And one day, they look around them and realize they’ve lost their jobs, their families, and all they have left are the clothes on their backs as they are left to wander the streets aimlessly. But some were put here for other reasons. Some are returned veterans, so disturbed by the combat and stresses they endured while fighting for our Country, that they can no longer fit into a normal society, having seen too much and lived too hard. Night terrors, horrid flashes of the realities they faced while in the service, disconnected from the façade that most of us live our lives in. Misunderstood, they have snapped and found solace in their own little worlds, where they can create their own boundaries, yet still chained to the nightmares they endured. Some have also been hit by hard economic times, the rising levels of layoffs and spiraling interest rates. Credit cards offered like candy with huge ballooning interest rates, forcing a level of debt upon them that could never be caught up to.

We live in a very twisted society right now. There are so many people who feel they are owed things, and so they live that way, always taking but never returning. They run up their credit cards to the maximum limits, then apply for another to feel like they have money again, never worrying about the consequences they are forcing themselves into, always imagining they deserve to have the latest and greatest out on the market.

I wonder where people are going to land in the next few years, as our Nation continues to struggle and grow under the recession we are in. But, this is part of living, our experiences giving us hope and direction, if we keep focused. For most, these are just stories to be read and acknowledged, but for others, there is no way to go but up. We wish everyone well in their own personal journey, and hope we all come out of it on top.

Zazzled!

2011-02-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

Our Zazzle Journey

Introduction
We are Stock photographers, and were looking for other ways to expand and grow our small little company, when we found a merchandising site called Zazzle. So Robert decided to give it a try. But I was so bogged down with stock and sales that I didn’t have time to really look into it. He put up a few images and just let them roll on the site, and we didn’t get much response on it, so we kind of forgot it for a while. Then, in October, I was reading forums and looking around for a new project. I found the store again, and looked deeper into it. This was just what I was looking for! We created the images, and sold them online, but it was always just a piece of an end product, never the finished item. Here, I could use our images to make fun things, and actually put words to our art! I had some favorite images; I always thought they would look good on greeting cards or even on tee-shirts. So, with that in mind, I let myself wander through our catalogue and chose some pictures to work with.

Man
Some of our landscapes were quite pretty, and we have several images that I always imagined hanging in our home. So, of course, I had to make some posters of our art. One of my favorite series is The Man series. I’m not sure if it’s because they are fine art nudes, photos of my husband, or if it’s because of the emotions we felt as we were shooting them. They are classic poses, images that are rarely seen anymore in current art. We wanted to show an emotional side, the fragile side that all men hide deep down. I think we did a pretty good job of it. They are available in most of our current product line.

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

Roar!
Our youngest model, Lauranne, is such a lively spark! She was just a tiny baby when she first hit our stock sites as a model, and we shot her every few months for her first 2 years. Then, a few months before her 3rd birthday, she was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. It’s been a very rough road, watching her progress through her disease, but she’s on her very last round of chemo right now, and is just about cancer free!! Her story has been documented by her mom at her caring bridge page, and with Kae’s permission, we set up a line of products for those who want to donate and spread the hope that little Lauranne has given to us all! Team Lauranne products are available at our store.

Make a personalized gift at Zazzle.

Love in 3D
Robert also started working more with his 3D modeling, and of course, we had to do hearts, since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! So he made up some 3D heart images and off I went!! I have a few lines; one is playful and flirty, like the little conversation hearts you find all around. One line is a bit more… subtle. I call it my “Collared” line. I also have a “Hearts and Paws” line for our animal lovers. From funny to serious, we’ve got a bit of a selection to choose from.

Red heart with words of love, affection, and friendship. See more of our Words of the Heart line below!

Shop for a personalized gift at Zazzle.

Fun lifestyle products. Bring a small smile to your face every time you see these! Show your collared with subtlety. See our other "Collared" products here!

Design personalized gifts at Zazzle.

Other Heart and Paw Items:

Create a personalized gift at Zazzle.

These are just a few of the things that I love the most. I hope you find the time to take a look and see what we have to offer. From iPad/iPod cases to keychains, we’ve tried our best to cover it all. Easy to personalize or change around as you wish, these are high end products from Hanes, Keds and other quality lines. Of course, if you can’t find what you need, send us a message. We’d be happy to get it created just for you!

A Quick Update

2011-01-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

This is just a short update to let everyone one know a little about what we have been up to recently. Lori and I have been spending most of our time creating and expanding our store on Zazzle. http://www.zazzle.com/RGebbiePhoto After three years of creating our works and submitting them primarily to image stock agencies we are now also promoting our designs on a variety of products and gifts for anyone to enjoy.

We have also discovered a fun and unique place for us to post many of our personal development and growth articles, as well as creating some new and exciting content just for fun. The site is called Squidoo, and you can find our main profile here: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/RGebbiePhoto . Please take a stroll on over and say hello, or browse through some of our current projects. Here is a quick reference list to the articles we currently have available:

Our Zazzle Journey - http://www.squidoo.com/Zazzled
How will you leave your mark? - http://www.squidoo.com/leaving-a-mark
Controlling Your Future - http://www.squidoo.com/controlling-your-future
Evaluation and Adaptation - http://www.squidoo.com/evaluation-and-adaptation
How to Make Your Vision a Reality - http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-make-your-vision-a-reality
It Takes More than Words - http://www.squidoo.com/it-takes-more-than-words
The Greatest Adventure - http://www.squidoo.com/the-greatest-adventure
The One Thing - http://www.squidoo.com/just-one-thing

Thank you all for your time and support and we wish everyone happiness and success in 2011.

Robert & Lori Gebbie

Taking the first steps

2011-01-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Often the first few steps in personal progress can be the hardest. It is never easy to step from the safety you know into a rush of unknown possibilities. The security and comfort that keep our inner selves safe can also be the one thing holding us back from greater potential just beyond the next hill or curve in our path. There are always risks; a person can never be assured that the next choice they make or steps they take will always be positive.

When there is potential for great success, there is always the risk of great failure. The manners in which we approach these possibilities help to determine what the outcome may be. When we move forward with optimism and a positive outlook, even in the face of disaster, a person can find lessons which may yield the keys to a future victory. Sometimes a person will suffer a dozen losses before they experience a single win, but without trying, even that one success will never be accomplished.

The lessons people learn from their past failures are often the stepping stones that lead to their future successes. Most of us have heard the age old adage “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. If humanity had quit with every tragedy they encountered, it is doubtful our species would have developed or survived as long as we have. Experience and knowledge are gained by observing an attempt, and revising the things which went wrong against those that went right, then trying again. Few people or projects ever reach a stage of accomplishment without also overcoming a number of obstacles which stand in their way.

To move forward in life we must first be prepared to fail before we expect to succeed. I encourage everyone to seek and aspire greater in themselves and their life. The possibilities of the future far outweigh the struggles and disappointments that may be encountered in the journey getting there. Take the chance that you may fall a dozen times before you conquer the mountains that lay ahead. The rewards which await each of us are well worth the bruises and scrapes we may receive along the way.

A New Year 2011

2010-12-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

An old year is at an end and a new year is about to begin. Lori and I have been spending a great deal of our time recently, working on our merchandise store at http://www.zazzle.com/RGebbiePhoto and our Fine Art Gallery at www.Robert-Gebbie.artistwebsites.com, while also trying to keep up with submissions to our various Image stock portfolios. This has not allowed a whole lot of additional time to concentrate on writing for our blog or many of the other projects we pursue.

So, what is on the agenda for 2011? Right now we plan to continue working on our current venue of projects. We also expect to put a bit more time and effort into writing a self-help book and more articles on personal growth and evolution, as well as possibly seeking some speaking engagements on these subjects. If anyone would like us to speak at an event, or inquire about possibly scheduling us for an event, please feel free to contact Lori by e-mail at RGebbiePhotography@yahoo.com.

While it is never easy to predict the future we expect 2011 to be a year full of new and exciting experiences. We wish everyone peace and happiness and hope the New Year brings you the best that life has to offer.

Bridges to be crossed

2010-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

By Robert Gebbie

Most people dream of a life filled with happiness and success, but the reality is few truly end up having the life they want to lead. Even when someone finds fulfillment in one aspect of their world, they will often find disappointment in many others. The journey from birth to death is often a struggle, the path ahead of us seems to always be filled with obstacles and impasses, and that is how it should be.

As much as even I hate to admit, if we began life with a contract and guarantee, few of us would ever make it beyond our living room couch. The things we struggle with most are usually the same things which lead us, as individuals, to our finest accomplishments and understandings. The greatest achievements of our species often come from learning to overcome that which causes us the deepest pain or dissatisfaction.

Little is ever gained without a purpose or reason for pursuing it. If our journey through life was absolute satisfaction, there would be little, if any, inspiration to carry ourselves forward, and the human race would have long ago become extinct. It is in our desire to have or become greater which give us, as individuals and a race, the purpose to move forward in all that we aspire to be. They say “a rolling stone gathers no moss”, yet by the same token a person who never moves becomes stagnant and dies. There are always bridges to be crossed. There will always be new adventures just up the road or around the next bend of life. Humans are creatures of great imagination and creativity, and our desire to achieve greater and greater heights in our existence give us the purpose we need to continue reaching forward from one day to the next.

If you did not have a goal to reach in your life or career, what purpose would you have for waking up each day? What need would you have for carrying forward? Who and where would you be if not for the lessons learned from overcoming the obstacles you have already faced?

Take a moment to pause and account for all the things you have already achieved, look back and acknowledge the progress and struggles you have overcome to get where you are today. There is a lot to learn from examining our personal failures, if we can look past our disappointment and see the true lesson. For all that we wish and desire to become there will always be a price to pay in getting there. Look to the future, remember that tomorrow presents endless opportunities to learn and grow. Have faith in yourself, find strength of will in the mountains behind you and carry forward to greater days ahead.

A little bit of Zazzle!!

2010-11-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

By Lori Gebbie

We’ve been shooting images for stock for the past three years, and while it was a lot of fun to take the pictures and put them up for stock, I always felt a little flat. I saw so many uses for the images, but didn’t think I’d ever become a designer myself. And then, I found zazzle!

Zazzle has opened up a new opportunity for me to show my creative side, and I’m really happy that I have so much to choose from! From mouse pads to iPad covers, there is a whole world to design and create! And now, I get to do some of it myself! All of my favorite images are now being displayed on various products, the way we intended them to be seen. Great gift ideas, especially the little knick-knack stocking stuffer ideas! And I feel pretty blessed that our artwork is getting seen by a more general public than just designers! We have quite a colorful portfolio, and I’ve done my best to keep our images bright and sharp on our products.

We have some real cute ideas, won’t you take a look and see if there’s something YOU like there?

http://www.zazzle.com/RGebbiePhoto*/

New - iPhone & iPad Cases! Free shipping on your first case order! Use Code: NEWZAZZCASES Ends Sunday Nov 21st! Hurry!

Still Not Taking a Break

2010-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Some of the other ways we have been able to keep busy is by finding other ways to market our product. We have several irons in that fire already, but decided, ehh, what’s a few more? We started a store on Zazzle to see what we could offer, and it’s been a lot of fun to build up and merchandise. But I find it’s also a whole lot of hard work! It’s not just about taking an image and putting it on a product, you also have to figure out what message you want that image to convey. It’s a totally different mindset (for me) than stock photography.

As a stock photographer, we take an object and think, ok, how would a client use this picture? For example: A red apple. This image has a thousand uses! It can be used in nutrition ads, school ads, by doctors or dentists, or just about anyone. So, we take the picture, isolated on a white background so it can be pulled and placed in an advertisement, and hope that our apple image is snappy enough to be seen and purchased among the hundreds of thousands of apple pictures already listed on our agency’s site.

Now, with the store, we now have to figure out HOW to use that image. Hmm… Sure, we could put it on a shirt that says An Apple a Day, or any of the other overused phrases that we hear about apples all the time. But now we’re on the marketing side. And an old worn out phrase isn’t going to attract customers to purchase our product. So now we have to come up with a new and exciting way to present that image, incorporate it into something witty and fun, and hope that it gets seen and goes “hot”, or at least draws enough interest for someone to browse our other products.

And then there is the copyright/trademark issue. We face it with stock, but we always have to remain mindful of it. Putting the phrase “Just Do It” is an infringement against Nike. “It’s the Real Thing” is an infringement against Coke. And fonts have to be watched, you can’t use a font that is used by a company, because that’s misrepresentation against that company. In other words, you can’t use the familiarity of a product to sell a “pirated” product, because they are the ones that did all the advertising work, not you. So now, you have to come up with something completely original, with your own work. You can’t see a picture and take it from the web and use it in your items. It MUST be original. And you should have a model release for any products you use. How would you feel if a photographer took a picture of you smiling, and you ended up on thousands of tee shirts and mousepads, without any sort of compensation or prior agreement??

There is so much to think about, so many different ideas that have to be shelved. Zazzle has over 35 billion items for sale. Which one is going to be the one that people see and want to buy?? So, for now, we’re brought out our Wermz, and are setting them up in Christmas hats around Christmas ornaments and the like, and hoping that people find them funny or cute enough. And we have a lot of our abstract images on different items. We’re trying to remain colorful as well as contemporary. Cross your fingers for us!

To visit our zazzle store, and see some of the ideas we’ve had, visit us at:
http://www.zazzle.com/rgebbiephoto*

As for Robert, he’s doing his best to meet the demands I’m making for new images and illustrations on the ideas that are getting spurred on by the mad merchandising frenzy I’m on! He is also working on a manuscript of his self-help writings. We’re very excited about that project, he’s taking a lot of his essays and we are weaving them together to come up with a book that we hope to release by summer. We will be releasing bits and pieces of his essays over the coming months while he’s working on that, but his focus right now is research and writing. I love his writing. He’s become such a better man since he started writing, and has made us stronger in our relationship. We have been able to get over many crippling obstacles in our lives because we remain focused and balanced. We keep our end goal in mind, and continuously strive toward that. We remain generous in nature, kind in word, gracious to those that offer assistance, and always have time for those that need a moment to talk.

We offer thanks every day to everyone for taking interest in our journey. We offer thanks for those who happen into our lives, as we feel everyone has a reason, everyone has a place, and there is always something to be learned by the various experiences we have. We find a great deal of inspiration in our life around us, and hope that you find that, as well.

Peace to you, my friends.

Not Taking a Break

2010-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

While we weren’t on the road for as long as we anticipated, our journey is about Creativity. We were fortunate enough to run into some real beautiful areas as we meandered across the desert on our way to Las Vegas. We also ran into some beautiful souls along the way, and shared some of those stories already.

We took a lot of pictures during the last few months, we’ve put some of them up on our gallery site at Fine Art America. Here, we’ve put a slice of our travels, some real beautiful and thoughtful shots. We hope you find the beauty in them, like we did.

To see more of our work, visit our gallery at
http://robert-gebbie.artistwebsites.com

We are always trying hard to come up to the top of our situation, and while it isn’t always easy, we know as long as we keep focused and determined, we’ll reach our end goals.

On Growing up

2010-09-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

By Robert E. Gebbie

As an observer of human nature, I have noticed how often people look for reasons beyond themselves for the troubles in their lives. They make excuses and cast blame at others when things go wrong. Even the people we once looked to as examples in the professional and political environment appear to be doing more pointing at others than accepting any responsibility for their own failures.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe it’s you. That’s right, I said it, and maybe the problem is not the situations around you, but you yourself. Perhaps it is time for a deep and honest evaluation of your own words and actions. Maybe it is time we all grew up a little, quit finding fault on the outside, and did some serious work on who we are as individuals.

Everyone has situations that are beyond their influence or control, not everything in life is neat and orderly. If it was, we would never have a reason to move forward. There would be little purpose to aspire to be anything more than what we are. The lessons that are learned from failure progress both individuals and humanity forward to seek a greater existence.

While I must admit not everything is your fault, and not every disaster or failure can be put on your shoulders, sitting with your head in your hands sobbing is not going to do you any good either. Get up, take action, do something about it. Quit complaining about what others are doing or failing to do to change the situation. Stop waiting for the world to make a decision for you, and become part of the solution. Nothing is going to change in your life until you take the steps to change it yourself.

Become your own hero and example. Inspire others to stand up and take control of themselves and their lives. Take charge of the things that you can have an influence over and create a better tomorrow. Take a deep look at who you are. The greatest problems may not be the things you cannot change on the outside, but those you are unwilling to change on the inside. Admit your imperfections, be honest and move on.

There are few guarantees in life, not even your own mortal or immortal survival is divinely granted. No one else is going to save you, take some control of your responsibilities and do something about it. Unhappy or dissatisfied by what the world has given you? Perhaps you have received what is rightly earned if all you have done is wait for those things to be handed to you. Everything comes with a price, and people must work for their place in this world and their everlasting mark in existence.

Get up, step away from that television or computer and fight for what you believe in. Make the effort to do something about your future, because if you don’t, the only person you can blame is yourself. Take action today or the tomorrow you hope for may be one that never comes.

New Personality Fan Books and Briar Wood Pipes

2010-09-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Some of the clients we shoot portraits of like to display their images in books.

Introducing Rachel’s 40 page hardcover book, “2010”. Her boudoir style book has been requested by so many of her friends, she decided to open it up for public sale. She offers a preview of a portion of her book, and invites you to take a look and see!
(Prices are set by our clients, and are shipped directly to you from the printer within 2 weeks of ordering.) Rachel's 2010 book
These books are offered to our portrait clients, and we hope to have more available in the coming weeks.

If you plan on being in the Las Vegas area, and would like to set up your own Book shoot, drop us a line at RGebbiePhotography@yahoo.com. We would be happy to discuss various options available for your photographic needs.

We would also like to share some new handcrafted Briar Wood Smoking pipes we just released for sale. These beautiful Briar Wood smoking pipes are designed for a comfortable fit in the hand. They have a plateau end which allows for a nice gripping area. Beautiful wood grain patterns throughout, gorgeous swirl and burst patterns. These fine quality pipe will last decades in your collection! Our Briar Pipes at etsy

A little bit about Briar Wood:

Briar grows in the arid, agriculturally unproductive land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Because of its severe habitat, briar grows very slowly. A marketable burl must be 40 years old before it can be harvested. Larger pipes would require an older burl. Larger burls from 100-year-old briars are becoming exceedingly hard to find. This is compounded by the fact that all easily accessible sources of briar have been used up and the back breaking labor of digging up burls must be accomplished without the help of power tools.

New Faces @RGebbiePhoto

2010-08-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

by Lori Gebbie

We would like to introduce you to two new faces!

Robyn Cooperman has been a friend of mine for several years. We met in College and sang together in the choir. Robyn is still singing, and is trying to get out there as a model/actress. She’s got such a great outgoing personality, and has a real positive outlook! We’ve hired her as our Outside Sales person, and she’s helping us get going on our portrait work here in Las Vegas.

Albert Carinio is someone we met since we’ve been in town. He’s got a great outlook, and a great sense of humor, and we’re looking forward to working with him in our stock photography. We’ve got some real fun things planned for him, and are going to draw on his ethnic background for several of our shots!

We’re looking forward to bringing our brand of photography to the Las Vegas area, and already have received quite a reception! Unfortunately, due to ethical issues, we had to pull out of the WAF/Humiliated Angels gallery exhibit we were going to be a part of, but we’ve made new connections with the art community here, and look forward to displaying our work with them.

Due to our issues with our vehicle, we will be staying close to the Las Vegas area for a while. We still plan on visiting a lot of the scenery in the area, and since Robert isn’t from this part of the country, it will be nice to see his fresh view on the local terrain. The journey continues as we sort through our view of life, and reminding ourselves, that, even in the face of adversity, we can still focus on the positive and remain inspired to carry on!

Leaving God’s Country for Sin City

2010-07-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

By Lori Gebbie

Sorry it’s taken a bit to write this next part, but it was one of the harder parts we had to deal with. So, here goes…

The neighbor fixed the van, but we still felt a little iffy on it. We pulled our trailer out that evening and took it to the Circle L Campground in Layton overnight to dump it and prepare for the journey out. We are SO glad we stopped there. The park managers were such great people! So friendly, and very welcoming! Once we were settled in, they stopped by to chat. I guess they saw the rugged shape we were in, and spent some time with us, letting us unload about our journey so far. They left us with some good meditation techniques and some wonderful prayers for a continued safe journey. And we left with 2 new friends who we will keep in contact with for years to come!

But after talking to family, we decided it would be safer to have the trailer pulled by someone else and follow in the van. Well, we’re glad we did, because only 20 miles down the road, we threw a valve rod in the engine. We pulled into Lehi, Utah at a gas station there, offloaded our things into the trailer, and left it parked while we continued on with our hired driver. I rode in the vehicle pulling the trailer, and Robert followed with the other driver and the kitties. My drive was real interesting, I rode with Trevor, the owner of the towing company, and we had a great conversation. He tows up and down the state of Utah, and has several trucks in his fleet. He is also an EMT, so we were listening to the police scanner the entire ride. One of the calls that came through was a man who had been struck by lightning. I told him if he needed to stop anywhere, to please do, we’d already been on the road for a month, what was one more day? But the crew was already there and dealing with the poor gentleman, who was still alive but in shock. We listened to the updates for the next half hour, until another call came through that had almost the entire state in a tizzy. Apparently a car tried to pass a semi, and got sucked underneath it. When they finally stopped, the car was T-boned underneath the back tires. What an awful site, but by the time we got on scene, there were fire, cops, paramedics and ambulances there, so Trevor kept going.

We got to where the 2nd truck had to be dropped off at, and Robert and the other driver climbed into the cab for the last 40 miles or so to St. George. Right as we were passing Zion National Park, there was road construction on the 15 southbound, and without warning, we hit a HUGE drop in the pavement. The new road dropped close to 8 inches back to the old road underneath. There was no signage, it was just a sudden drop, and we found ourselves airborne for a few moments after the bounce. HOLY HELL!!! I was sure the trailer was going to snap off on the bounce, but Trevor was an excellent driver with several years of towing under his belt, and he was able to keep it all under control. I don’t know how he did it, but we settled straight away and kept going, intact. That happened about 5pm on 7/18. And we were lucky, because about two minutes later, a truck went airborne and crashed into a Semi, and the accident stopped traffic for a while. All I can say is, Wow. I still am highly emotional over the incident, and grateful we made it through in once piece. We pulled off at Mesquite to check out the trailer, check on the birds, and to calm nerves. Everything was fine, we didn’t even break a dish! Trevor had another driver take us from there, he had an evening planned, so we proceeded with his assistant, slowly off again to Vegas.

We hit town at 10pm, and once we hit the streets, I noticed that the trailer lights weren’t working. But it was just a short jaunt to my Dad’s house, and within a few minutes we were pulling up. We unhitched and off they went, back to St. George. I highly recommend Trevor and his crew. I wish I had got a card from them, but if you EVER have a towing need in this part of the country, please call them first. (1-435-979-5909)

It was in the high 90s when we got here, so Dad pulled an extension cord to the trailer and we put the fan on for the birds overnight as we settled inside. Boy, it was GREAT to be home again! I hadn’t been back for a visit in about five years. Wow, had Vegas changed! My father moved here back in ’89, when Sahara dead-ended at The Lakes area, but now the Valley had extended miles past his house, the commerce area booming with new retail outlets peppering the streets.

Over the next few days, we unloaded the birds and the bulk of our things, and put the trailer in dry storage for a month or two while we figure out what we are going to do about replacing our vehicle. So for the last 2 weeks, we’ve stayed close to home, healing our broken bodies and resting our worn nerves. I was wondering how Mom and Dad would handle having our small family invade their home. I’d brought cats home before, Bijou lived with them for a while when I was single between marriages, and that seemed ok, but now I was bringing my husband, 2 cats AND 2 parrots into their very quiet home. But they welcomed us with open arms, and so far, things are going fine. I actually think they like the extra company, and the cats have been extremely well behaved. Prinnie still gets loud, and her and Tye go at it in the back room once in a while, but for the most part, we’ve all settled together pretty seamlessly. Robert and I are set up in the front living room, we set up our office areas, and spend the bulk of our time there, drumming up local networking contacts, and reconnecting with old friends in the area.

So here we are, stuck again, but this time we’re home, and we can settle for a bit before we have to worry about taking off again. We had planned on staying here a month or two, anyway, the dry climate is healing my asthma, and it’s so much better on Robert’s back. I had to laugh, this morning it was muggy outside, the humidity had hit a staggering 38%!! (I just checked, in Vancouver WA, it’s 83% humidity today.) My parents have been extremely supportive through our journey, and we are so grateful they opened their home to us.

But enough relaxing, it’s time to seriously get back to work, so we are scheduling shoots now, and contacting local art galleries. We feel that this town is where we need to be right now, the art district is booming, and people are already recognizing our work as quality. Our day trips out to see the local attractions are limited without a vehicle, but Dad has been quite generous with his car, so I’m sure in the next week or so we’ll be able to hit Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon.

So, for now, here we are! Safe and (now) sane in Las Vegas, NV. We are starting to go through the images we took along the way, and as they get finished, I will be posting some of the gorgeous scenery we saw along the way. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes, they really mean a lot to us.

Age of Confusion; the End of Yesterday, the Start of Tomorrow

2010-07-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

by Robert Gebbie

It seems pretty obvious to me that this world, our world, is in serious trouble. What I remember of history, being of deep personal interest to me, I don’t believe there has ever been a time in our human existence when the entire planet has been in such a stage of fear, conflict and confusion. Religious hypocrisy, political unrest, economic disaster and geological change, a shifting and reordering in the foundations of everything I can think of, the “Perfect Storm”.

Mankind could be standing before the pinnacle of their greatest growth and advancement, or at the edge to the pit of their greatest despair. Will we overcome the threats and obstacles that lie before us? Or be the engine that drives society and possibly all of human existence into extinction? The choices we make in these times as individuals will be the largest determining factor in the results of the things to come. It will show in the way Humanity either embraces itself and the diversity of its beliefs and ideas, or continue down the road of our history like jungle primates hurling the feces of our jealousy, insecurities and judgment at our brethren.

Which ways will we grow to evolve forward into the age of what comes next? What avenues will we peruse to diminish those that hold a faith, or point of view, that differs from our own? I hate to say, in my opinion, that I don’t hold much hope for the Children of Man. This selfish and self-absorbed species of hairless apes, with blinders on, fail to reach together for a higher existence; and instead, choose a path to our own self-destruction.

It is the sum of all that life has become, created and imagined that leads a species to greater awareness and evolution. It is the coalition and interaction as one, while, at the same time, continuing to retain the individuality of separate entities. Similar to a single cell within a body, existing and cooperating together for the life of the whole, while continuing to perform their individual functions within their smaller, interacting community of organs.

If every individual begins working within themselves to change the perceptions that society and our cultures have written upon the human psyche, and re-write the way we think and interact with each other, we may survive. Sadly, it takes a personal effort, a deep and unwavering conviction, to improve upon what we are to become what we aspire to be. Often this commitment and pursuit makes us face things about ourselves and our inner being that most people would prefer not to uncover. Guilt for words and actions, for things we knowingly have said or done, that we knew within ourselves wrong the moment we did them. Fears and insecurities that arise from the possible ridicule we may receive from our peers because we want to fit in, rather than accepting and evolving from the diversity of each other’s experiences. It can be one of the most horrific and painful things any individual could ever conceive to do, to remove the masks of our own deceptions and peer face to face at the raw truth of our individual existence.

There is no absolute for the days ahead; perhaps a chance still exists to turn the course that we are on and redeem our honor and humanity. Perhaps we may yet save a place in the universe for the children that come after us, and the age that is to be. There will be great choices to make if mankind is to finally step forward and up to the things we were meant to be. It takes hope and faith for mankind to evolve and survive, or face the madness of our own creations and become victims to the devices of our own handy work. Only when we can stand at the gates of tomorrow and look back on the results, will this world know the success or failure of her greatest adored creation, the Human Race, the offspring of her seed.

Lemonade, Anyone?

2010-07-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

By Lori Gebbie

The last week here in Ogden, Utah, has been very interesting. The 4th of July came and went this year with a bang, as usual. We had a small barbeque in the backyard with our hosts, Dawnelle and John, and their neighbors. Afterward, there was a little bit of hopping around, as the men started tossing poppers at the kids, and setting off the small bit of fireworks they had. It was a fun evening, the food was great, and the company was nice.

My aunt and uncle were in town, so we made plans to meet up with them for dinner. It was real nice to see them again, I had spent a few summers at their home in Fort Worth when I was growing up, and it had been several years since I’d been able to connect up with them. I always marveled at genetics, and how family genes carried down the line. Our family line runs real strong, but I could always tell the difference between my grandmother’s side and my grandfather’s side. My father and I tend toward my grandfather’s side, my uncle tends toward my grandmother’s. But the family resemblance is real strong, and the relationship is undeniable.

We planned to meet them at Cracker Barrel (of course). Robert and I got there first, and we were milling around the little store area while we waited. As soon as they walked in, I felt their smiles as they spotted us and walked toward us. They are very soft spoken and gentle souls, and it was a wonderful reunion, as we shared stories of our misadventures, and caught up with their lives. My uncle is our family historian, and he takes care of our genealogy lines. He was in Salt Lake City, working on getting birth certificates and death certificates for our ancestors. I am excited to report that he is on the verge of breaking into the 1700’s with his research, which is quite the accomplishment for a Mexican family, as most of the records in Mexico were either burned, destroyed, or mutilated by lack of care.

As the dinner progressed, we talked with them about our lives, and the turns it had taken. And we talked about what we were teaching now, which is helping people re-balance and re-focus their lives for the better through Self-Perpetuating Evolution. Dinner ended, but our conversation was still going strong, so we went back to their room to continue our visit. We spoke of faith, of love, of growth, and did a lot of learning. At midnight, we cut our visit and planned on getting together again the next day. When we got home, we felt so peaceful, we went straight to sleep, feeling very loved and secure.

The van was delivered on Wednesday, and our minds started to settle. We now knew it would be a matter of days before it was done, and we were glad, because we were starting to get restless. It was one thing to stop because we wanted to, and another to be stranded without a vehicle, dependant on others. We try to be good company, as unexpected visitors we have been spending time in the trailer, so as not to disturb the normal pattern of the household. And with my uncle and aunt in town, we’ve been spending time with them. So it has worked out all the way around.

Today is Monday, and the van is almost done. We had a mechanic friend working on it for us, and we’re grateful that he is willing to help us out. So, hopefully today we’ll have the keys and be ready to pack up tonite to set out tomorrow morning.

We have found that, no matter how much we plan, we do not control our path. Instead of fretting and worrying about it, we’ve taken the opportunities given to us to explore the area we are in, and to make the most of it. And we’re happier for it, we’ve added a great deal to our portfolio and had some good visit time with friends, old and new. So, off we will head, tomorrow morning, in search of new adventures and friends. We will head toward Las Vegas, and hope that we can drive straight through. But, if we get stopped along the way, we’ll take that time to look around and enjoy the scenery. And just breathe.

**** Now available on our hub site, our pamphlet “Self Perpetuating Evolution”. Please feel free to download your copy. Distribution permitted in original form only.

Traveling with Disabilities

2010-07-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

by Lori Gebbie

I’ve been asked repeatedly, why it’s taken so long for us to travel such a short distance. So, I decided tonight I would write about that. We always got into the van with good intentions. We would start out in the morning, intending to pull in 400 miles down the road for the evening. But, we’d start on the road, and the trailer would start to sway, so we’d start driving slower and slower, to keep it all under control. Our max speed was 60 mph, but we would average between 40 and 45 mph. And on mountain roads, sometimes we would trudge up the side at 25 mph, and pull it down at 40 mph to keep it under control.

What is a sway? It’s where the trailer starts going one direction while the van is trying to go another. And the sway is from the wheels, not a tipping motion. So it feels like you are going straight, but the van is being pulled sideways. When it gets bad, it feels almost like the rubber is going to be ripped from the tires. So you can see how stressful and tense the situation can be if you get out of control with it. It’s a lot of white-knuckle driving and a LOT of praying.

Another issue we have is Robert’s disability. He has a degenerative lower back injury with severe nerve damage down the right side of his leg and foot. After five operations, and killing his stomach with vicodin and morphine, he isn’t able to take painkillers anymore. So part of the white-knuckle driving is pain, and after an hour of driving with your whole body tense, it feels like you’ve run a marathon. So we would welcome the sight of a rest stop, where we could get out and he could stretch out again and try to get the blood moving. Sometimes he would just need a quick stretch and we could be off again after an hour or so. But sometimes a bad road or hill would wipe him out and he’d have to sleep for a few hours. And until we get the swaybar and equalizer hitch for the trailer, I can’t handle the trailer like it is, so we go at his pace.

So, that should explain why we seem to be crawling across the desert to get to our first destination. Next week we are having the van worked on, and we hope to be back on the road by the end of the week. But, as much as we plan for life, sometimes life has a different plan for us. For example, if we hadn’t been stopped here, we would have missed out on reconnecting with an old friend of ours. And my uncle and aunt just happen to be doing some work in Salt Lake City this coming week, so we’ll be able to visit with them, too! And Utah is God’s Country. The weather is beautiful, and the scenery is breathtaking. So, while it was unfortunate that we were stopped by engine problems, in the end, I’m glad we did. For the last two days, Robert hasn’t even been able to get out of bed. I think the stress stripped him of all he uses to hold himself together, and his body is just responding. I have him set up in the bedroom area, his computer there so he can still work while he lies down. He’s determined to be up and moving tomorrow, so I’m hoping the rest he’s had will allow him that much.

We hope you all have a lovely and safe Fourth of July this year.

Leaving Idaho

2010-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

by Lori Gebbie

Leaving Idaho was a little more difficult than we expected. We started off at Caldwell RV Park because we needed to rest overnight. We stayed because we needed a little vacation to settle in after all the packing and moving and stress. While we were there, we met some pretty fantastic people! Two in particular come to mind.

Dan and Robert met while Robert was out fishing. Dan lives at Caldwell, and would often walk around the park, socializing with the residents. An eccentric gentleman, with a lot of life experience, he and Robert hit it off immediately. He invited us back to his RV, and as I looked around at all of the various photos and trinkets he has tucked in everywhere, he and Robert sat and talked. Off they went, into their own little world, bantering ideas back and forth, discussing hypothesis and theories that would rival any scholar. Ecologically minded, Dan was working on a solution for our fresh water ponds and lakes. Here, clearly, was a man of heart and great ideas. But he needed some help with his focus. We gave him some ideas on how to help himself, and reminded him, just breathe.

Terry came out when I was fishing with Robert. We chatted casually, and then she went back home. Later, she came by, and we talked again, and she started to talk to us about life, balance, and focus. There was an instant camaraderie between us, and we felt connected in some way. A beautiful woman, a gentle soul, and a very talented artist. She showed us her work, and we discussed ways she could help advance her career. We are really looking forward to seeing her again, and helping her in any way we can.

We left Caldwell RV Park on Saturday nite, and started off. But it got dark quick, and the road was torn up, so we had to move real slow, at about 45mph. The stress of holding onto the van to make sure it stayed on the road was telling after such a relaxing few days. So we pulled out for the night to rest. The next morning, we headed back out toward Twin Falls. We took a break there for lunch, and to let Robert stretch his leg, which he couldn’t feel at the time. Once more, we headed to the highway on our way toward Las Vegas, and as we crested into Utah, Robert was starting to have trouble with his leg again, so we exited again for the evening. In the morning, we headed out again. The van was purring softly as we headed up the grade on the outskirts of Ogden. But there was a grade in front of us, and it was getting warmer, and as we crested the grade, the lower radiator hose blew. We rolled into the Perry Port of Entry truck station and turned off the van. The hose had come off, it didn’t split, so we tried to clamp it and fill it, but when we started the van again, there was a small white puff coming from the tailpipe, and it was dripping water. This indicated a blown head gasket, so with heavy hearts, we asked to pull off for a while until we could figure out what to do. We had just had the van serviced in Vancouver, so we were very surprised, since we had told them we were going to be pulling a load through the desert and asked them to make sure our van was road worthy. We called the shop, and they arranged towing for us. Horray! However, our mechanics decided it was not their fault, and were not going to reimburse us for the expense. We were down to gas and food money, and the future looked bleak.

We have a friend, Dawnelle, who had moved to Utah recently, and we had planned on stopping by on our way through, but weren’t able to make an event she had planned the prior evening. When we missed her event, she felt saddened she missed us. She told us she prayed that we wouldn’t pass her by on our way through, so when I called her up, she was overjoyed that we were here, and has been nothing but a ray of hope for us. She has allowed us to park at her home while we figure out our situation. She is also pulling her resources together to help us find a cheaper alternative than the $2700 the shop told us it would cost us to fix the van.

So, here we are, in Ogden, Utah, without a vehicle, and looking for portrait work to try to raise some money so we can get our van fixed and back on the road. We are blessed to have Dawnelle here to help us remain sane and to give us a safe place to park until we figure this out. And blessed for her friends who are mechanics and willing to help us as well. So, sorry, Las Vegas, it’s gonna be another few weeks until we can get there, but, we’re on our way!

A Little Longer in Idaho

2010-06-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

by Lori Gebbie

Yesterday, we took a drive into Boise to see a few of the sites there. That’s when I saw the sign. Cracker Barrel, Exit 50B. My heart skipped a beat! Ohh I love Cracker Barrel! It was one of my favorite restaurants when I lived in South Carolina, and traveled in the area. It was always a special treat to go to see some of the kitsch items they carry in their little store. And the food is hearty and the portions are plenty. Good old Country Style eatin’. And to top it off, authentic Sweet Tea!!

We found out there was a Birds of Prey Museum and Aviary close by, as well as the Lucky Peak Dam. There was only half an hour left in the business day for the Aviary, so we noted the location and headed toward the dam.

It was a real pretty drive, and we just took our time and enjoyed it. Since Robert has to do the driving when we’re hitched to the trailer, I get to drive when we aren’t. I noticed he spent most of the drive rubbing his leg, but he’d brought his cane, and he wanted to try to stretch it out a bit. We got to the dam, parked the van, and off he went. I went toward the waterline, and sat at a nice table under a tree to do some writing and relaxing. When he came back, he was limping quite a bit, so I had him do some stretching on the shore. A little while later, we headed up toward the other beach area and took some more pictures of the water feature there, but he was getting tired, and we’d been away from the animals for about five hours now, and while I knew they COULD be good, I wasn’t sure they WOULD be good while we were gone.

By the time we got home, I had to help Robert out of the van. He went straight into the trailer, and straight to bed. He couldn’t feel his hip or any of his right leg. And we were supposed to leave in the morning. Of course, he said he just needed to rest, so as soon as he was able, I sent him for a hot shower, and we settled in for the nite to watch a slideshow of the shots we’d taken. We knew we had an early morning, packing the trailer up for travel, so we got to bed a little early.

In the morning, Robert said we had to get moving, so with a lot of creaking and groaning, we started moving around. I noticed he was really favoring his leg, and when I asked him, his head fell and he said he still couldn’t feel it. He looked worried. So, I did what any wife would do. I went to the office and extended our time here. This is just a typical situation we deal with. Sometimes Robert’s disability puts him down for a few days. Before, he would try to push on and keep going, but I had to remind him that we are on our own schedule now, and if we go slow, well, we’ll get there eventually. Once we can both drive, we’ll be moving a lot more, but, for now, this will do.

So, here we are, still in Idaho, trying to heal our bodies enough to make another run. We’re considering this our “vacation at the beach” which we’d planned to take before running to Vegas, but didn’t get a chance to do. We are paid up until Sunday morning, so today we are doing nothing, just spending “us” time, hanging out at the lake, just relaxing and enjoying the time and space and peace we have.

Tentative Agenda: If Robert is walking, then tomorrow we head out to the Birds of Prey Museum and Aviary. And, maybe back to Cracker Barrel, too! After all, it IS on the way! If not, more fishing and hanging out by the camp.

PET REPORT: Since the kids stayed home yesterday while we went wandering, Robert brought Prinnie outside and we set her on the top rung of our step ladder. We also brought Tye and his cage out, and set him on the table. We had some people come by and chat with us and the birds. After about an hour, we put them back away, and got the kitties into their harnesses, and put them in their cargo crate and took them to the lakeside with us. They enjoyed watching the ducks and squirrels running around, but as it started getting hotter, I took them back to the trailer, turned on the air conditioner, and everyone settled back down again. Prinnie is making a lot of friends here, she sees people walk by the trailer and calls out to them.

“Hello!! Hello there! Come here, come here, come here, Hi Hi Hi!!!” and when they see it’s a bird and come to the window, she says “Hello there, how are you?” and of course, when they laugh, she then asks for a cracker.

We are becoming known as “The Couple with the Parrots and Cats”. I hope that’s a good thing!

Driving Into Idaho 6-20-10

2010-06-22T01:44:00.000-07:00

by: Lori Gebbie

We left Fort Henrietta at about four that afternoon. We drove onward up the mountains above Pendleton, the Blue Mountains. At the summit we pulled out to let the van rest, and to take some photographs of the valley. Wow, was it beautiful up there! As we crested and began our descent, the road and the weather started to turn. We were driving in asphalt, tire ruts making the trailer dance and sway behind us, and the hail came with the wind. Fortunately, we saw a rest stop, 1 mile! We pulled out to wait out the storm, our little family huddled in the trailer. Dry docked at a rest stop, enough electricity to run lights but not outlets, we ran our laptops till the batteries went out and went to sleep for the nite.

The next morning, we woke up and it was gorgeous outside! We got the trailer ready for travel again and headed out. The roads were still rutted, but the hail and wind had stopped, and we had a light rain. It’s very stressful to drive when you are trying to control something that large. Especially when you don’t have all of the proper equipment that makes it easy in today’s standards. Nope, we were doing it old school, just a ball hitch pulling a load behind us. White-knuckled and screaming (mostly) with our inside voices. We decided to stop at the first stop for coffee and gas, and pulled into Durkee, Oregon.

In Durkee, there were two things that I saw, a gas station and The Hungry Redneck Café. We decided to stop there for some coffee, and to ease our quickly frazzling nerves. It was getting harder and harder to stay motivated to continue on our trip, with the way our bodies were being beaten around in the van. Being pushed and pulled, constantly being thrown off balance, your body’s natural reaction is to compensate. So we were really feeling the stress from driving.

The café sat just off the gas station, the only things on that exit on that side of the freeway. There was a beautiful ram head mounted in the dining room, watching over all who came in. Beautiful painted canvases along the walls, price tags in the corners, all the art was for sale. We talked to the waitress, Robin, and she was sympathetic to our plight, making sure our coffee cups never emptied. Such a sweet lady, happy with what she had, and she said something to us that we always say to everyone else. “I just hope you two have enough. You only need just enough.” That’s when it all settled for me. She was right. We didn’t get to do this with a great deal of financing, we had just enough. And just enough was going to continue to work for us. We ate a light breakfast, and while I finished my coffee, Robert grabbed the camera and took some more pictures.

We needed to figure out a better plan, because our current one was quickly wearing us down. I remembered what Robin had said, we needed just enough, and just enough means rest, too! We headed for the border town of Ontario, and pulled into the first rest stop inside of Idaho.

There was an information center there, and I talked to the lady there about some of the things to see on our route. My father had told us to stop at the Lucky Peak Dam, and seeing as how we were almost to Boise, I took matters into my own hands and decided we were going to stop for a few days and recoup. Our backs were both strapped, every muscle aching. We stopped at Caldwell RV Park in Caldwell, Idaho.

This park has a private 7 ½ acre lake, and residents and campers are permitted to fish without a license. Robert’s face lit up. He was actually going to get to fish again, after 15 years! Today is our second day here, and he’s been fishing for a little while this evening. He’s already caught a few fish, too small for keepers, but he’s having so much fun, I don’t think it matters. What does matter is seeing the child light up in his face again, after so many months of seeing the old man’s pain. This is why we are doing what we are doing. All the rest is just bonus.

Digger Squirrels and Jack-Knives;

2010-06-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

by; Lori Gebbie

I remember going camping as a kid with my family. My father used to drive, my mother in the passenger seat. My brother and sisters would sit in the back seat, and I would sit on the seat in between my parents. My father used to take some pretty scary roads, winding mountain roads. Everyone else would be able to sleep through it, but I was there, white-knuckling it and sweating it out with Dad. I vowed never to go on such a scary adventure ever again, and for about 30 years, had been able to avoid it…

We finally set out, Friday at noon. We hooked up, everything looked great. We started to drive, yep, everything still on track. We got on the freeway, ok… at about 55 mph, we started to sway. Badly. It was enough to send me into tears of panic, but Robert was driving, and although he’d never experienced hauling a travel trailer, he was able to pull us out of the sway pretty evenly. Then a semi went by us, and we started swaying again. I was afraid the rubber would be pulled off of the tires, but we were able to slow down enough to pull out of it, and pull out in a rest stop to regroup ourselves. We were in Hood River , Oregon.

While we were at the rest stop, of course we took out our camera and took a short walk. It was a beautiful rest stop, up against some real pretty forest area. As I came around a building, I ran into a squirrel, eating a peanut. Robert got some great shots of the cute little guy, and then we saw the lady with the peanuts. Her name was Shelly, and she and Kay were feeding them. The little guys were so tame, they would come up to us and stand on their hind legs, begging for treats. Then she pointed us to her daughter, Talia. She was sitting on the ground, her legs spread out, with peanuts lining her legs. The squirrels were crawling all over her, munching on the peanuts, and she was giggling the entire time. It was real great to see her taking such delight in them, and even more beautiful to see Kay and Shelly light up when they felt her laughter. “She’s having the time of her life! She just loves animals” says Kay, as the squirrels engulfed Talia’s lap.

After the squirrels, we went back to the van to get ready to leave again. We ended up speaking with a real nice couple, who, like us, had taken to the road full time. She offered some real good advice on stops and stuff, and he helped Robert with the van and trailer setup. We set back out, and stopped in The Dalles, Oregon, to check on tire pressure and fluids. After adjustments were made, we set back out to a more comfortable and relaxing ride. The sway problem had been equalized, one of the trailer tires was low, and our new air shocks were at passenger levels, not tow levels.

So, feeling confident, but very road tired from the stress and the unusually sunny day that we were blessed to drive in on our voyage out, we pulled off when we saw a sign for a campground. We were in Echo, Oregon. The campground is called Henrietta. However, there was no real signage. Apparently everyone in Echo knows where it’s at! So we continued on the road we assumed would lead to the campground, and found ourselves on a tight canyon road. A 24’ Chevy van pulling a 27’ travel trailer. Canyon roads. This was a scary point, as I’d been through something similar in just a car. But, holy moly, there was no place to turn around. Finally, at the bottom of a curve, there was a small pull out, so Robert tried to turn us around, because ahead of us was a hairpin I wasn’t especially interested in trying to take! Well, let’s just say, we didn’t quite make it, and in trying to back up (behind us was a ravine and in front of us a grassy steep hill) we managed to jack-knife the trailer. And the road was at an angle, and the front jack was dragging on the ground. We were blocking one full lane and a bit of another when it jacked. We both looked at it in panic. Severe panic. Mind numbing panic. What do we do now?? I prayed. Hard. “If this is the path we are supposed to be on, please send help to us so that we can continue on our journey. Please send us a trucker who has dealt with a jack-knife, and is knowledgeable and can help us out.” I looked at Robert, he was doing the same thing, both of us wide eyed in panic. And then, a couple pulled up to us. The man took one look at us, and, barely holding back a smile, asked us if we needed help. Well, here was the ex-truck driver I prayed for!! They pulled out and with a reassuring calmness, and great sense of humor, he helped us figure out how to get out of the mess we were in. But we needed just a little bit more help. We couldn’t get the tire up far enough to get some wood under it for traction. Then another car pulled up and asked if we could use another jack. What?? We felt truly blessed as ten minutes later we were back on the road, being escorted back to the campground in Echo.

So, tonight, we sit in Echo, at Henrietta Campground, and I feel truly blessed to be here. My mother’s name is Henrietta, so I feel extra protected staying here tonight. It’s beautiful, quiet, and out of the way. Just what we needed to untangle our nerves. It’s taken us four hours to calm down enough to understand that we are safe, our home is intact, and we are cared for.

Tomorrow is a different journey.

PET REPORT: Buster decided to jump out of the van when we stopped for gas, near a highway. Panic set in, but he hunkered down by the back tire and waited for us to get him again. I’m a bit scratched up from the ordeal, but he’s safe and that’s what counts most. It was a bit hot, and the kitties were happy that we were able to turn on the air conditioning to cool them down when we finally stopped here. Fortunately, while it heated up a bit outside, keeping the back vent open seems to keep the trailer pretty even temperature, between 75 and 85. The parrots are tropical, they can hang in up to about 100 or so before they start to get cranky. Princess is a Green-Wing Macaw, and Tye is a Miniature Noble Macaw

Our First Night

2010-06-16T00:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I’m sure we’ll laugh about it in a few months, but what a first day out!!

Rule #1 when traveling by RV: Travel light.

We had it all figured out. After furniture weight was subtracted, we thought we were good enough. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. We stuck around later last night than we had anticipated, because we were donating the last of our furniture, and the guy was on the way. At last, he was there and gone, and we pulled out of our driveway for the final time. Goodbye, Roots!! Hello Open Road!! Then the trailer bounced a little, and we thought, uh ohh. Gotta go a little slower. We were sitting lower than we were both comfortable with, so we headed to our local Walmart to regroup and figure out how to make this happen. “Why Walmart??” I hear you cry. Because Walmart allows RVs to park, overnight, in their parking lots all over America. Except Washington, you have to ask permission. So we asked the guard and he said to pull to the far lot and we’d be “OK” for the night. We pulled in and unhitched the van, and the weight off the van was real noticeable. We needed new shocks. We drove about five miles, total, last night. This morning, it was interesting to wake up in a parking lot. The world going on around us, like it was normal to park next to an RV with people sleeping inside. We giggled and contemplated walking across the parking lot to Jack-in-the-Box for coffee in our jammies, but we were good and got dressed.

We contacted a shop and are set to have new air shocks installed tomorrow. We are also lightening our load by about a thousand pounds. Hopefully the two combined will be enough to get us started, because this weather makes it hard for me to breathe comfortably, and I need to get to a drier climate ASAP.

We drove to a local RV campground here in town, and pulled in for the day and a half it will take us to get going again. It will also give us a chance to ask a few veteran RVers for some quick tips.

PET REPORT: The kids all traveled real well! Prinnie and Tye rode in the trailer, and we let them see out the window as we were driving. We didn’t hear any squawking, so they were fine. The kittens hid in the back corner of the passenger area. They usually went to the vet when they drove in the van, but I think they are starting to get the idea. We have some real cool harnesses for them. We keep them on during the day while there is a lot of movement in and out of the rig, but take them off at night when we settle down. I think in a few days they will know that when the harnesses are on, we’re moving! The birds are getting used to being locked down for travel, too. We’ve had a bit of chatter today, so they have adjusted well to it so far. I’m sure on Thursday when we move, they will all be ready to go again. At least, I’m hoping!

Almost on our way - How soon will the adventure begin;

2010-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

We are on the last part of sorting out our old life and preparing for the new. We expect to be on the road now by Friday or Saturday at the latest, everything is going very well just a lot of little details and load/space considerations being made. Cannot wait to have all this finished and take a few days shooting and traveling in the new home, GO MAN GO!!!

My Beautiful Life

2010-06-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

by; Lori Gebbie

I always admired the people that took to the road, experiencing America and the World. But I always had too many commitments to pack up and leave. Rent, bills, family, friends… there just never seemed to be a way. Of course, I did my fair share, I’ve lived in Germany, South Carolina, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and for now, Washington State. While I’ve seen a bit of the world, there was always the hunger to keep traveling.

When I moved to the PNW (Pacific North-West), I knew I was here for a reason. Looking out the airplane window as it crossed the Columbian River to circle into PDX airport, I felt such an overwhelming feeling of “HOME”, it brought tears to my eyes. Just 2 short months later, I met Robert, and my life felt oddly connected to his in so many different ways. We talked about art, history, photography, life. He was an artist who had given up his craft, and so was I. We both knew intimately, the rush from a creative burst, getting exactly the right angle, hitting the note in the sweet spot, and the thunderous applause from a crowd of admirers. We also both knew the pain that goes with setting your tools down and walking away from your art. But two Creatives getting together can only spur that spark so much before it sets hold. Within a few weeks, Robert finished this art piece that he had put down almost 2 years prior. And, he took a few pictures of me for an online profile on a chat site we belonged to. We put them up, and a few of our friends said they wanted new pictures, too. So, slowly we started doing pictures for friends, just one or two here and there, nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just a good image of friends.

In the meantime, Robert and I were both working, set up in a cute little duplex, waiting for the sale of a house he shared with his ex-wife to go through so we could settle and buy our own home. We moved into the duplex, telling the landlords that we would probably only be there for 3 months, as we were awaiting the sale of a home. Everything seemed set in place for us to continue to prosper as an American Family.

But Robert was working with a 50% disability from a chronic back injury, and all those hours on his feet started getting to him. He walked all day at work, on hard concrete floors, and would come home hobbling almost every night. And I was trying to work through my own medical issues. I stopped working first, and did what I could to manage our household and take care of his aches and pains so he could continue working. But all those aches and pains add up, and he would find himself out on temporary disability, flat on his back for weeks at a time, trying to prolong another operation. That worked for a while, and then he contracted the MRSA virus and was out again during the month-long quarantine period. By the time he got back to work, the company was in a bit of an economic mess, and started laying off employees. When they got to Robert’s section, they were going to lay off the swing person and give Robert that position. But the swing person was healthy, had a young family he was trying to support, and was already used to the hours. And Robert knew that he would continue to be out due to his disability, and now MRSA, for blocks of time. So he took the hit and went on unemployment. By this time, we had already started poking around stock photography, and figured we’d either find another job or make stock work. So we went full steam into our project, while looking for work. But the unemployment numbers kept rising, and the longer we were out, the more unemployable we became. We cut down to bare bone basic necessities, and lived a very frugal life, shooting stock, and shooting portraits for clients.

Meanwhile, for the last five years, the house sat, in limbo, on the market, hoping for a nibble here and there. We never counted on the house selling, we were even planning on releasing his ex-wife from the house and moving into it ourselves, until the market got better and we could sell it then. Then, a few weeks ago, we got a phone call. “Robert, can you come sign some papers? Someone put an offer on the house.” The house sold!!

We looked at our bills, looked at our home, dreamed a dream, and decided to buy an RV trailer and hit the road with the kids. We are retiring, and traveling America! Well, I say retired, we’re just taking our cameras on the road. Being stock photographers, there are always pictures in demand, and right now they happen to want travel photos. So, we’re going to do our best to oblige them.

But packing up your entire life to fit into a suitcase isn’t always that easy. We tend to gather little things along the way… A photograph here, a letter there, someone gives us a cute figurine, and what about all the serving plates and candlesticks? Not to mention Robert’s shop, all the tools, compressor, and then there’s the professional gym he has. We’ve had to delay our start just a bit, as we finish packing everything that we MUST have into our vehicles, and all the rest that we have to keep is going into an 8x10 storage unit for a few months until we can figure out what to do with all of that.

So, here we sit, at 90%, trudging thru the last 10% of our things so we can clear out and head on our trip. We’re still rolling full steam, just taking a little longer to get out of the gate! We’re hoping to be on the road in 2-3 days, now it’s just a matter of running to storage, bringing the last box into the trailer, washing walls, and turning in keys.

Big things coming

2010-05-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

RGebbiePhoto - An Artistic Journey Across AmericaThe Journey Begins June 2010!!

RGebbiePhoto is hitting the road in a journey across America. Robert and Lori Gebbie, owners of Robert Gebbie Photography, are trading in the concrete foundation of a home, for the black rubber tires of a travel trailer. We will be traveling the country, spreading a little hope and charity in these difficult times. Photographing the beauty of our nation’s landscapes and capturing the personalities of her people, we share our adventures with the world from our blog and website. The journey begins June 2010.

Follow us on our RSS Feed or E-mail newsletter; connect with us on facebook and Twitter.

*************************

Faith and Evolution; The Keys to Personal Evolution and the Kingdom Ahead

2010-05-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Evolution is commonly described as a process of continuous change from a lower to a higher state. In human evolution it is often the genetic stages of change that are commonly thought of, such as the physical development from primitive to modern man. Perhaps our spiritual and intellectual evolution are also tied to the forward and ever changing progress of humanity as we journey from what we once were to what we will become. Most religious and spiritual ideals center on the belief of living our lives in a manner that allows us, on death, to transcend from the physical form to the ethereal. Perhaps like Humanity’s genetic and intellectual development, our spiritual journey has also been an evolutionary process of several thousand years, a progression of lessons leading to the present day. As our genetic progress changes the physical body, and the sciences change mankind’s perceptions and understandings, so should our personal spirituality develop as well.

Some of the key principals that have helped me grow and become the individual I am today can be simple in their concept, but nearly impossible in their execution. To look deeply within ourselves with honesty, and face the best and worst aspects of one’s self is never an easy endeavor.

The Keys
1. Honesty with self
2. Forgiveness of self
3. Evaluation of self
4. Strive to improve on self
5. Move on

1. Be Honest; only when you can be completely truthful with yourself can you remove obstacles from your Future Path. We often create false memories of experiences to justify actions or mask emotions. We may also re-arrange the events and experiences of our history to justify or avoid present day moral conflicts. Take responsibility for yourself in both thought and action. Accept that no one is perfect and that no person is always right or justified in the choices of their past. Eliminate the walls between the truth and the lies you can create to protect yourself from the emotions you fear to examine. Break down the barriers that block you from who you truly are.

2. Forgive Yourself; allow the failures of your past to be the lessons which build your future. Learn from poor choices, allow yourself to let go of the things you cannot change. Remove the burden of guilt, regret and missed opportunities, by forgiving yourself for not meeting your own expectations. When you hold on to the mistakes and poor judgments of your past, you add obstacles to your future journey, and a larger load of unresolved emotions to the weight you bear. Clear away the inner conflicts of your history and approach the future without the prejudices and burdens that your life experiences have caused.

3. Evaluate Often; be willing to adapt and adjust to the continually changing landscape of life. As you grow, your perspectives and expectations will alter. A frequent assessment of where you stand with yourself makes it much easier to determine the next step in becoming who you wish to be. Take every opportunity to re-center yourself on your goals and the path ahead of you. The better you know who you are, the more successful you will be in achieving positive growth.

4. Strive to improve; make a true and honest effort to grow and evolve. The reason for personal development is to become a greater you tomorrow than you are today. Be open to new ideas and concepts, you can spend a great amount of time and effort maintaining outdated ideas. Evolution itself means change in a positive manner, and to effect growth you must be open to accept and adapt to new information. Make a sincere commitment and take personal action in following a course that leads to a greater you.

5. Move on; build on both the positive and negative experiences that will occur in your journey forward. Allow every moment to be a chance to make positive change in You. You can make the decision, at any moment in your life, to be a greater and better Human in your future than you have been in your past. Leave your history behind and move on in your journey forward. Continue striving to become the Human you aspire to be.

After many years of applying this process again and again, constantly placing the burden of accountability and responsibility upon my own shoulders for the direction of my life, I had an epiphany. In my attempt to simply be a better individual and live up to my own personal expectations and truth, I accidentally opened a doorway that changed everything I thought I knew or believed. I now have a peace and happiness in my life that I have never known before. Because of my personal revelations, my wife and I now lead our lives by the philosophies and understandings that we gained from this experience.

*****

This will be our last “personal evolution” article for a few months as we begin a wonderful new creative adventure. Watch for our next blog post soon with a detailed announcement about our upcoming changes and plans.

*******

Epiphany and Self-Evolution

2010-04-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Many people have experienced a moment of epiphany in their lifetime, an instant when they have an understanding or realization that seems so profound, it takes their breath away. In those few moments a person can feel like they just touched the edge of everything that is known. Maybe they took a glimpse into the heart of what mankind could one day be. Can our own struggle for understanding and growth open, for a moment, a doorway between ourselves and some great divine existence? Could this knowledge be locked deep within ourselves, waiting for us to discover the key to opening its door? Perhaps these moments of clarity are the result of a person’s step by step progress towards their own self-evolution.

We reach out to the stars and explore the depths of our oceans looking for answers; perhaps it is in the deep dark recesses of ourselves we should be searching. What wondrous secrets and bits of information might be stored in the unopened closet of Humanity, waiting to be discovered if we would only go seeking it! Will mankind stretch the reaches of its own imagination to challenge the boundaries of our understanding? Or will we choose to float, dormant in a sea of stagnation? Great peace and awareness may lie ahead, should we strive to attain it. Can you, by your own persistence and desire, break beyond the doorways that separate us from a more enlightened existence? Are we, ourselves, the obstruction that blocks the pathway to greater consciousness?

I believe it is the individual, themselves, who must free their mind and spirit to grow and learn. A person can be taught how to find their way, but only when they choose the path themselves, can they truly evolve. I have had my own personal epiphany. I have stood at the edge of reality and touched the stars. I have walked along the streams of awareness that link us to our creation and Creator. Humanity closes their eyes and ears to the future while I have peeked through the window and have seen a glimpse of what comes next. There is a world of difference between knowing something and understanding it; knowing gives us a concept while understanding gives us the reason. With reason we develop purpose and with purpose we can then find understanding in our existence.
****************************************

Robert Gebbie Photography (RGebbiePhoto) opens gallery on Fine Art America.

2010-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Robert Gebbie Photography (RGebbiePhoto) opens gallery on Fine Art America.

Photographer, artist, author and personal development mentor Robert Gebbie opens his gallery on Fine Art America with soul searching and emotionally charged photographs, exploring the emotions and inner evolution of humanity through the individual. Included in this gallery are some of our favorite picks from the well known “Man” series which have been published in the book, “I Creator, a personal journey”, as well as a newly released “Couple” series that is still in the process of shooting and development.

Please feel free to visit our newly opened gallery on Fine Art America at -
http://robert-gebbie.artistwebsites.com

******************

Slaying the Dragons Within

2010-03-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone has battles they fight in their everyday life, such as family and job stresses. But what of the wars that rage within one’s own self? The ever-weighing scale between the things we know which are right, and the deeds we have done that are wrong. Even a young child knows when they act in a way that hurts others without cause. We can assume, with the rare exception, that most people recognize the basic concepts of good and bad.

We all start with the same scaled down version of the rule book. So where did humanity go so far away from following our own natural and true nature? What pains and injustices must we have suffered and forced on each other to steer an entire society so far from its course? Do we even care about the road our world takes in facing its future?

The true nature of the beast lies within. It is not always in the accomplishments, but the intent that our internal balance will weigh. At the end of the day, one should claim they have done their best or been the best person they can be. Any time people enhance or improve their inner self, they add to the advancement of our world as a result. From a small act of kindness extended to another, a multitude of people’s lives may be enhanced, like a tidal wave forming from a single drop of rain. The accumulated experiences of an individual’s life have much to do with creating the person they become; history has great influence over the path of the future. Often the unresolved fears and guilt of the past create the blocks that obscure people from a more peaceful and happy tomorrow.

Clear the roadway between who you are now and the greater individual you will be. The greatest truths awaiting discovery are within the things we already know, but often fail to understand. Woven within the experiences and observations of life are each person’s individual perspective of the truth. The goal is to tell our own selves the truth. The only thing standing between a person and their discovery of inner peace is the person themselves. While we react to exterior influences, we do have control over the person we are within.

Only three conditions need to be met for people to be happier and more peaceful individuals. Forgive yourself for the mistakes of your past, honestly identify the qualities that need improvement about yourself, and always move forward. Simple in concept, but almost impossible in application. Few people dare to brave the horrors of climbing deep into themselves and discover the glorious spirit that resides within. But a more peaceful and wonderful future awaits those who do!

How will you leave your mark?

2010-03-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

We spend our lives with too much self involvement, getting mired in the small details without ever viewing the larger great works being created right in front of us. When a person drops the veils and misconceptions that have been presented as a reality, and allow themselves to accept the things they know within to be true and right, a new awareness and vision emerge. For me, the path was open to find the answers I seek.

The purpose of life, in my opinion, is to continually strive to better ourselves and our understanding of the world around us. To be true to our purpose and move forward, ever growing and evolving in who we as a species have become. To one day evolve beyond the barriers of this world and move forward into an existence of spirit or energy beyond our current abilities.

As a species, we have been passing forward the sum of our learning and existence to the generations that come after us. Through the works left behind, from cave paintings to written word, we express our perspectives and understandings to anyone and everyone who will take notice. We are creatures of expression, needing to make our mark and be recognized. The human race has been on a long and difficult journey in understanding our place in creation. The messages created of our concepts and ideas have been recorded through history in art and writing and in our ever growing forms of expression. We seek with hope and faith while trying to understand with science and philosophy, and in everything we do we cry out to say “I am.”

With expression, we communicate and mix our experiences and perspectives to an overall greater truth and knowledge. Exploring life, we add our chapter to a larger and continually expanding manuscript of human existence. We crave acknowledgement for the things that have been accomplished, to be understood and leave a mark on history. As a race, we strive to become something better than we are as individuals. Creating, and becoming creators ourselves. Making an honorable, lasting impression on the universe, and perhaps time itself. Faith in a greater purpose gives people the desire to strive for better, while evolution and reason define the details of our learning along this journey.

The human race has great curiosity and imagination, we dream of things both real and of fantasy. In every fragment of our essence we crave to be the masters of our own destinies and the creators of our future. Reaching into the depths of our individuality as well as out to the stars in an attempt to answer the questions of our existence and place in everything.

We are the only creatures I know who spend their entire lives documenting and recording themselves, in millions of forms and in millions of ways we say I am, was and have been, I must leave my mark, I creator, see what I have done. So Create! Take a photograph, draw a picture, write a line, sculpt, build, design, teach or communicate. Create, invent and imagine because that is what it means to be human and for all of us I might even speculate that this is the true meaning of life, and the answer to everything we are, to leave our mark, to be remembered.

Road Trip - Cliff Nichols, Square Dance Caller – And 2 other updates

2010-02-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

In December of 2009, Lori and I made a working road trip up north to photograph several clients over an extended four day weekend. One of our clients was Square Dance Caller Cliff Nichols, who is also a good friend. Cliff generously hosted our stay, as well as allowed us to use his home as a studio. The trip was great fun and we were able to do some wonderful work for several people who had been requesting sessions for some time, but were unable to schedule the long trip south to see us.

We would like to thank Mr. Nichols for his friendship and hospitality which made the trip such a rewarding experience. The story and passion of his work is inspiring, and we would like to present a few of the images from this shoot, and share a little about the man and his journey.

This is an excerpt from his website at Cliff Nichols, Square Dance Caller - http://www.cjnic.net/caller and a few of our favorite images from that session. The rest of his story and more of the images can be found on his site.

“First beginner class 1972 with my father Johnnie Nichols in Salinas California. Danced off and on until 2004 when Dad passed away, and I went through beginner classes with the Boots and Laces. Dad always wanted me to learn to call, but I would not put in the work. As I began dancing again, I felt compelled to at least try to see if I could actually be a caller. I enlisted the assistance of the B&L caller Seattle's own red hot caller Mr. Eddie Harry, and borrowed his old Hilton, bought a microphone and started practicing. On Sept. 2 2005 I did my first singing call, something called "Those Memories Of You". My legs didn't collapse, nobody threw anything at me, and the work continued. My good friend Bob Shiver found me my first setup, a Hilton 95, and now I had a microphone, records, and a PA. With Eddie's help, I started learning to patter by helping teach lessons for the Boots and Laces, and I will always be indebted to those poor students that had to put up with brilliant calls such as Heads pass the ocean, wheel and deal.

************************************

Our latest book project - "Beautiful Souls" A Portrait Study of 11 Women - has been published and is now available at our bookstore at blurb - http://www.blurb.com/user/store/RGebbiePhoto
This project was such a wonderful experience to create, and extremely rewarding. To see the response to their pictures, their faces lighting up in joy, and to see them walk away with more confidence and a new sense of pride, well, that makes the work worthwhile.

Responses on "Beautiful Souls"

Sandra L - I truly love the pictures they are beautiful omg you two are amazing i love you.

Anne...
- I was over to the site yesterday and saw your blog I think it was, with a few photos. Nice. I love photos of "real" people. We're beautiful too, us real people who are not models!

Mike
W: ...- It's a very good book. The pic's are very nicely done, My hat's off to Mr. G. It's an awesome job. Thank you, and R.H.A. say's to tell you she gives it a 10 out of 10.

*****************************

RGebbiePhoto would like to announce the opening of our new merchant store at Zazzle. This new addition has enabled RGebbiePhoto to present our creative illustrations and photographic works on fun and exciting products, from mugs and apparel to wall posters and novelty items. Please feel free to stop by and browse our current selections, bookmark the site, and return often as we continue to expand the variety of products and designs we make available for our friends and customers.
Anyone can enjoy a little Zazzle in their life –
http://www.zazzle.com/RGebbiePhoto

"Beautiful Souls" A Portrait Study of 13 Women

2010-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, I asked a small group of women I know if they were interested in being involved in a project with us. 12 women graciously accepted our invitation, and the end result is our new book, “Beautiful Souls”. The work we got from the shoot has just floored us. We were hoping for some good shots, a book to be shared in the social circle we travel in, and a good time for everyone. But what we got was just amazing. To see these women transform from their regular lives into someone soft and alluring, inviting and sexy, well, what can I say other than it’s been one of the most pleasurable projects I’ve had to final edit.

We wanted to show our friends that they were truly beautiful, and were, indeed, works of art. These are not “models”, these are just regular women that I know socially. We had our friend, Kaleena Ackelson, do the makeup, and Robert took the shots. I, of course, rounded them all up, got the contracts signed, and am working on the final edit of the book. We still have three women left to shoot this weekend, and the book will be at the publisher by the end of the month. (We are pre-selling the book, for those interested. 80 pages, Hardcover $35, Softcover $25. Shoot me an email at RGebbiePhotography@yahoo.com with the quantity and style you want, and I will send back a money request.) The book will be available to the public on our website, www.RGebbiePhoto.com in our bookstore after February 1st, 2010.

These are a few pictures from the shoot, the book images will differ slightly.

New additions, Briar Wood Smoking Pipes!

2010-01-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Now available, Freehand Briar wood smoking pipes! Each pipe has been hand crafted to emphasize the beauty of the grain, and polished to an almost glass finish! Briar wood has always been the preferred wood for quality pipes, built to last decades in your collection.

http://www.rgebbiephoto.etsy.com

The One Thing

2009-12-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

There is one thing every person in the world can do to enrich their lives. Young or old, rich or poor, large and small, from every country, view or ethnic background; we can all work on who we are as individuals. Every person can benefit from taking time to improve upon who they are.

Imagine, for a moment, the progress our race would make in science, the arts and just about every other aspect of humanity that exists, if we all simply made a small effort to be better people. From the course of our careers to the relationships we have, almost the entire essence of who we are would be greater tomorrow than it is this moment, if only the effort was made. I know it is not likely to happen, the odds are against such a miracle. But still, what if?

What can a person do to be a happier, more confident individual when the sun rises than they were at sunset the day before? Take a breath, slow down, and look at every aspect of our daily lives, less confused and more at peace, to define who we are and the things we dream to be. What a huge leap forward for the evolution of mankind, if we would only, could only, look deep within us to make our lives better. What would you let go of today for a greater you tomorrow?

So, if you wish and want for better, if you would like to be happier, more peaceful and content, then look inside yourself. Face the fears, break down the walls, and make an effort to improve on the individual that you are. Be honest with yourself. Remove the lies and buried misconceptions that hold back the greater you that rests within. Resolve today to define the heart and soul inside yourself, and look forward to life and the journey we are on!

Treasures

2009-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

The greatest treasure mankind has to offer cannot be purchased with silver or gold, but must be earned through the experiences in life’s journey. More valuable than the world’s most prized piece of art is the knowledge and wisdom humanity has gained in our short existence on this planet. With a fantastic imagination and the ability to learn and adapt the race of man has evolved from cave dweller to space explorer.

With everything that people have and can create, the most precious item of all is the one that usually gets overlooked, which is ourselves. In today’s busy and rapidly changing world, it can be difficult to find time for improving as individuals. With career and family obligations, and the random chaos that interrupts daily life, people often neglect dedicating time for them self. When individuals understand who they are inside, they are much better equipped to deal with the world outside.

No amount of wealth can make a person content if they are not first happy with themselves. The world can be a hard and unforgiving place, relationships, careers and possessions can all be taken away from individuals throughout their lifetime. The things you seek today can quickly become the stuff of distant memory tomorrow. When an individual can love and accept themselves, they can find peace with whatever their future might hold.

So if you want to shine up your most precious gem, or put another coat of polish on your greatest treasure then look inside and better yourself. The finest creation humanity has to offer, individually and collectively, is who we are as people. There is no gift more valuable than when people give of themselves.

Winter approaches

2009-11-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Winter approaches, and with it comes a season of change. The leaves start to turn into their autumn colors, floating softly to the ground as they die off, winter harvests of squash and pumpkins fill the fields, children bundled in their winter coats and knit caps, hurrying home after school. I love this time of the year. I love the grey skies and the cloudy days. This is why I made my home in the Pacific North West. Most people are sun lovers, my husband included. But I grew up in the southern states, and winters are still new to me. I still approach winter with wonder. I love seeing the leaves change to orange, red and yellow. I love all the rain, even the days-on-end rain we get here in Vancouver. And I love the snow. Snow, who could have known it would be like that? I’m sure some of you will laugh, as many of my friends do now. But when it starts to fall, I run outside and stand in it, looking up, watching the flakes softly float down to Earth, feeling as if I am dancing in a snowglobe that has just been shook. The thought of making a snowman thrills me, and I prepare weeks ahead of time, gathering branches that might look good as arms and hands, planning out how I will position them, wishing I had as much snow as Calvin did in the old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.

Living here, I have approached imagination and wonder again. I allow myself to dance in the fallen leaves, to play in the snow, to fly a kite. I have regained my curiosity, and am willing to make up a story about how a shoe got into the middle of the road, instead of passing it by with a glance. I am perfectly willing to eat ice cream for dinner, and have the audacity to stay up until four am, laughing with my friends. Robert shares this with me now, instead of fighting it. He says I’m truly a five year old at heart, and I embrace that. Being able to allow my child out has allowed him to do the same, and with it, our work gets more and more intense.

We are getting busy as the holidays approach. Families are getting together, and memories are being made. We are happy to be a part of this, capturing friendships and love in pictures. We are traveling to the Seattle area the first weekend in December for a commercial shoot, and have a few time slots available for individual portrait work. Any interest should be directed to RGebbiePhotography@yahoo.com.

Briar Wood Pipes

2009-10-22T00:35:00.001-07:00

Briar Wood Pipes

For a number of years, Robert has been making Briar wood pipes for himself and friends. These beautiful pipes are cut and hand sanded, bringing out the beauty in the grain of the wood. Straight grains, flame grains, sunburst patterns, these are all seen in the wood. We have made a few of them available on our etsy site, and we invite you to take a look for yourself!