I was diagnosed with MBC in 2020, just after covid shut things down, and retired in 2021. The retirement was a coincidence and wasn't due to the MBC, but I found I had too much time on my hands. I have always been interested in astronomy and discovered night photography......it's not too stressful physically other than the being awake in the middle of the night!! It's my new hobby and I am really enjoying it as a newbie....it helps take my mind off scans, waiting for results, appointments etc - you all know the drill. Anyway I thought I'd share a picture I took last night. I hope it brings you joy.
Loving my new hobby: I was diagnosed... - SHARE Metastatic ...
Loving my new hobby
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valentinecalico
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just wanted to say this was edited by a lady in my class - Dianne Kuhl. I haven't learned to do that yet. ❤️
Wow! It’s beautiful! Thank you for sharing. I’ve been enjoying similar night skies this week on a sailing trip along the Croatian coastline. Such a treat. Keep enjoying your new hobby, you’re very good at it!
Gorgeous!❤
Dear valentine----You have sent us such a beautiful, uplifting picture and message! Thank you!
Wow, gorgeous!! Where on Earth are you that you actually *see* that many stars? One of the many things I love about travel is sometimes finding myself places with less ambient light so you can actually see a lot of stars!
I love that you've taken up a creative pursuit...I've long meant to do the same (painting)...you've given me some motivation! 
valentinecalico• in reply to
Hi LynnFish - I am in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. We have lots of light pollution near the cities but right now I am staying in a remote cottage on a lake in central NL.....this photo was a 30 second exposure, which is one reason you can "see" more than with the naked eye. I'd like to redo with a 15-20 sec exposure to see if I can get crisper stars....but last night was cloudy. I chose the rental based on it facing south (milky way direction) and timed it during a new moon. It sure is great to be away from the hospital and cancer clinic for awhile!! Does help the soul find a bit of peace, even if temporarily.
• in reply tovalentinecalico
Ah! So interesting!! Thanks for explaining!
I have been to St Johns several times on business. It is so pretty and the people are nice too. I can remember eating cod tongues and seeing polar bears on ice floats. It is a very special place. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kdiet.....St. John's is a magical place, and these days we are even having stretches of decent weather!! I absolutely love cod tongues and still eat them. And polar bears don't reach this area very often but having said that, there were a couple this year a couple of hours drive from here. All the best to you. xo
BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you for sharing this lovely photo. This is a peaceful new hobby. Good for you!
Love it! I’m a night owl as well. Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely gorgeous.
Beautiful! Some of my earliest memories are of being in the darkroom with my Dad. He usually gave me tweezers and let me take photos out of their final "bath." The technology has changed so much since then, but your great photo reminds me of some of my Dad's, and very happy times! Hobbies sure help us in so many ways!
what a lovely story and memory of photography with your Dad
So beautiful and peaceful ! Enjoy your lake cottage break and fabulous new hobby! x
Absolutely breathtaking.
Beautiful picture, Thankyou I took up calligraphy and loving it
It’s so good to take up something you can lose yourself in without expending physical energy
Wow, just wow! I remember seeing such wonderful night skies when we were staying on ranch in outback California. Lying in the outdoors hot tub just marvelling at what few of us usually get the chance to see. Little did we know that the rustling in the nearby bushes was not a deer as we had thought, but a bear,according to the ranch owner, The next night we did our star gazing from inside through the picture window!
there are definitely hazards associated with this hobby! One of our first lectures was safety, including scouting locations during the day so you don't stumble in a hole or fall over a rock etc
Brought awe and wonder too
This is absolutely beautiful! No wonder you enjoy your hobby!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Stunning! Thank you so much!
Absolutely beautiful
It’s beautiful.. looks like a postcard
Breathtaking!
Thanks for sharing your lovely photo. Continue to enjoy your getaway.
Beautiful photo! Enjoy your new hobby! The night sky is amazing.
What a gift to all of us—thank you!
So beautiful. Definitely made my day!
Fabulous! I am going to show my son. He has taken night photography classes all around the US with his friend, Pete, who teaches them. He drove up to Maine a couple of months ago to shoot the Milky Way. Go you!
well those were my first pics of the MW ever - and I can certainly see a lot wrong with them (as I am sure your son could too) - but I don't mind at all. They are far from perfect, but they make me happy. I will be even happier when I have better ones though lol
Beautiful shot! I stopped and just stared at it a couple of minutes. Took me to a lovely, peaceful place. Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear that ❤️
Spectacular! Thanks for sharing! Lin
Thank you for the beautiful photographs…and for bringing up how important hobbies are when you are retired…
That is so pretty, NL is such a gorgeous part of Canada 🇨🇦 . I am hoping to go to Nova Scotia this fall . Get me some chowder eh !
Enjoy your new hobby , good for you !
Luann
valentinecalico• in reply to
I love Nova Scotia - and they have delicious chowder (and lobsters!) PEI is also really nice - have you ever been there?
• in reply tovalentinecalico
Yes we have been to PEI it is so nice , love the East & West Coast we definitely live in a beautiful country
That is a beautiful photo! I like your hobby. What a great way to take your mind off of the MBC treadmill.
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful. I use to be a shutter bug...I loved taking pictures. Anyway I wish I knew how to send you a picture of my new hobby....because we moved from the city to alittle bit of country....lol N I take pics of sunsets from by back patio. We have the most amazing sunsets. I want to pick a few of my favorites and have my grandson show me how to print them out and buy some frames I have a bare wall in my hallway and want to hand my sunsets. What joy. Again beautiful.
Hi Dancing. Please post a pic. You know when you reply to someone, a line of symbols appears at the bottom of the message box? B for Bold, I for italics and so on.....at the end of the line is a rectangle with a mountain and a sun inside. This is the icon for attaching photos. Click that and you should be able to attach your photo, assuming your photo is on the device you are using to compose your reply. Hope this helps.
Beautiful, great hobby, thank you for sharing. I love scenery.
Beautiful
Are you receiving my responses? I sent a few. My profile name is Dancing
Absolutely brilliant photo! I only saw stars like that one time in my life, when we were in Wyoming. So breathtaking! My PET/CT scan “guy” does night photography and has the most amazing photos that he shares with us patients. This photo is right up there -You go girl! Thanks for sharing and Blessings to you!
I can only imagine what dark areas of Wyoming are like at night. Must be fabulous!
It's just beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us. I'm so glad that you have a hobby that takes you away from your worries. That is so important when facing serious health issues like we are.
Where do you live to see stars like that? Beautiful!
Hi bubblystream - I live in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada). Our urban areas are too bright for this but when I took that pic I was in a dark, rural area at an Air bnb. Even here, which is relatively remote, we have to drive to get away from light pollution. It was a great week though!
It is beautiful.
Awesome hobby and great photo! Thank you for sharing this with us. Best wishes to you.
Fantastic photo. Looks like art. Just bought a good digital camera today -- I think it is good -- and a couple of lenses. Do you use a tripod and long exposure? Low light settings?
Hi Tammy - my camera is not the best and it is inspiring to me that you just bought a good one. I would like to but my darn brain is holding me back - because I have stage 4 MBC!!!! I am going to try to get out of that mindset and just LIVE. But anyway, yes you definitely need a tripod and a long exposure (8-20 seconds is what my camera can handle)....and a wide open lens so f2.2 or similar. Of course it all depends on so many factors.....one thing is if you don't have a star tracker (I don't) you can't do the really long exposures as you will get start trailing.
Beautiful picture. Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful peaceful night you had and how exciting you have a new hobby.Clare
What a wonderful idea! I am a gardener, and have always enjoyed taking photos of my flowers. When chemo sapped my energy, I focused on photographing the plants I already had in my garden, to enjoy even when I didn't feel like going out.
Closeup of pastel Bearded Iris, with peach standards and lavender falls.
that is a beautiful photo! I love irises......such gorgeous flowers. Thank you for sharing.
Hi V, your joy is taking pics. Right. I responded to how beautiful they were and I am into taking pics for so many years now. I do it for fun and I enjoy taking pics at parties and my friends ask me to go around the club and take pics of all their guests which i love. they get annoyed cause i make them all move to the back of tables (the guests in front) and they do and i would have them processed and make an album for my friend. or friends. thats how i got the nickname shutterbug.
WE recently moved to North Carolina where my son lives with his family but we have no friends. The back of our home gets the best sunsets. so I started taking pics with my cell. years ago I had a 35 mm with took great pics and it was easy. but It brings me joy to capture such beauty. the only this is i dont know how to share with others,
Dear Dancing - first of all, I love your name - it also sparks joy just reading it. I used to do Irish dancing for adults years ago, and while I was never very good, I really loved it. As for the photography, I can share a secret with you that I know people here will understand. I took a class on night photography and am using a Canon Powershot G7 Mark 3, which while it can be set to manual, is certainly not ideal for night pics. But I have stage 4 MBC!! I feel like it's a waste of money to get a better one. I might change my mind about that but for now that is holding me back. As for your message, do you mean you don't know how to post a picture here? I'd love to see a sunset photo, and I love your idea of sending memory books to friends. Hugs.
I did it… please let me know if it went through
Pic of sunset we get to enjoy every night from my back yard
hI Dancing........for some reason I am just seeing your photo now. Thank you so much for sharing - it's beautiful!
Yes, I dont know how to share my pics.
I also love dancing. Since grade school they had saturday night dances. The CYO girls taught us all the moves. When I was in highschool I traveled far with my friends to go to dances. Friday Saturday and Sunday. A bus, the Ell to the end of the line and another bus to Cottman Ave in northeast Philly. Best time of my life. At parties and weddings I am first one up. I would go to sit and someone else would grab me to dance. that is when i was thin. very thin. I retired early and gained a heep of weight. But I am gonna keep dancing till i cant. I slowed up a bit but I still get up to my favs. OLdies and Motown. I just went to a graduation party and no one was up dancing. I got up asked the DJ to play some Oldies and Motown and the party took off.
I just finished my 2nd cycle of meds.....Just tired and this week my voice got hoarse....off to see my Oncologist tomorrow for blood work. I had my gallbladder removed in March and he saw a significant shrinkage in one of my lung nodules.
How are you feeling, Dancing? For some reason I didn't get any notifications about your messages in the past couple of months. Just seeing them now. Hope you had a good appointment and are feeling better. I find I am tired for at least a part of every day.
hi V,
Sorry haven’t been chatting … I been suffering with excruciating B/L wrists pain
oh no I am so sorry to hear this...and typing on the computer doesn't help with the pain. I hope you are able to get some relief asap. Sending hugs. xo Peggy
hi V, did you get my recent post of sunset??
yes but only now and not at the time you posted it - I commented how beautiful it is. 🙂
I just posted it today. I reread your posts n followed your instructions on how to send a pic. I love to learn something new now everyone will be getting pics. Still no friends here. My son n his wife visited us last nice n bought me mums n some faux autumn flowers for my garden out front.
we recently had a landscaper come n give estimate…, I never had such a huge property. The house is perfect with everything on one floor n perfect for guests to visit … 2 guests rooms with queen beds n own bathroom to share on the end of house.
but I panicked when I saw the back yard
i bought a firepit I have chairs to sit around that. So it has cooled here tremendously. We had a white vinyl fence installed n we didn’t go to the property line. When I when navk with landscaper n my husband I said omg we czn build another house back here…they started 2nd phase of building n I can see right into the house…. So landscaper putting up those tall giant greens privacy trees… I ask if they can be alittle mature cause he doesn’t know k have cancer n I can’t wait for seedlings or baby trees No problem he said So I am having a little garden on both side of fence catty-cornered with shrubs that flower in summer n stay green in winter my husband decided he wants a shed so that changed the whole layout of what I envisioned… so 2 purple crepe myrtle trees one on each side of shed . Also a little garden under my windows back of house.. both sides. n a red maple tree out front csuse other tree died after we moved in .
sorry I am gabby today.
do you see the glowing green object … well it’s a rubber ball…but my friend said someone from heaven was visiting. N I so believe in that .
Sunset with a glowing green object on ground . My friend said I had a visitor.
I forgot to ask you how are you feeling?
how are you feeling?
Hi Dancing - I am feeling well thank you - very lucky that I don't have many side effects from the mets or the meds. Still on Abraxane for 2 more infusions as far as I know. Not sure what is next but I have an appointment tomorrow so I may find out more then. Or not - it's more about making sure I am well enough to take the next infusions. We had a threat of Hurricane Fiona this weekend so it was a matter of being glued to the TV - it hit the other side of our island very badly but where I live was really not affected. Hope all is well with you.
stay safe
I am still in pain 2,months. Was put on steroids 6 days. No change. They stopped my meds Exemestane n Ibrance till I see onc dr Oct 13. I hope they dint change cause my 2 lung nodules shrunk n cannot be seen on CT scan.
Hi Dancing - I just saw your post from October when Kelst001 commented on my original post. How have you been? What happened at your Dr appointment - the one you mentioned in this message? I am now on fulvestrant injections....finished the paclitaxel.
It is really nice and i really like that!
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