barn swallows

old barns, handmade furniture, and a passion... everything has a story to tell...

Longboard Vineyards

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.  ~Aristophanes


Wine, music, merriment and a few photos... from Longboard Vineyards Big Kahuna event in Healdsburg, Ca. An amazing evening of perfect wine, fabulous food, and wonderful people... here are, but a few, of my favorites from the event.


cheers,
joy

Owner and Winegrower Oded Shakked and the lovely Mellisa Dillon

glorious grapes and amazing views

a grand passion

"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion"

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can visit Ernie, pictured above, and the 12 other beautiful horses of Icssoma Farm.
For more information visit the Well Trained Horses website and Icssoma Farm blog.

For more photography visit joyhamel.com

cheers!
joy

Ocean Spires & the words of Chase Jarvis

ocean spire joy hamel 2011

I just read the inspirational words of Chase Jarvis (his recent blog post is FANTASTIC, go read it now) Its time to leave the status quo behind!

"This is not a fluff piece. This is truth: there are a bazillion photographers in the safe little ‘status quo’ bubble that will keep the status quo quietly marching along. So many that, in fact, it will be just fine without you.

Which is precisely why you should leave it behind."

~The Status Quo Will Do Just Fine Without You by Chase Jarvis

following that gypsy spirit again...

I decided almost exactly one year ago, that I was going to change my life. I quit my well paying, some what stable (and utterly hopeless) job, left the house I had lived in for 5 years and still owned, to follow my gypsy spirit to where it needed to be... Northern California.

YES! I am completely crazy!

I left a job, during one of the worst job markets I’ve seen in my adult life
and
left a house for sale in one of the worst housing markets I’ve seen in my adult life.
I did it all to find epic bliss and finally start living life on my own terms.

The decision to leave the midwest had been lingering in my soul for years... I left California in 1999 and I’ve been trying to get back ever since. The timing was never right... there was the house, the job, the family.. blah blah blah...

So here I go, journeying into the woods, getting lost, and finding my own way out (again!). The last year has been emotional. I've felt the worst depression of my life and found pure happiness. Maybe there will be a book, a few short essays, or just a visual discovery of my journey from one extreme to another... my life.. a work in progress

Time to be myself, bye bye status quo!! It’s not you, it’s me. I have been trying to live unconventionally in a conventional world for years. Watch me fall down and get back up. I will share every part of the journey with you as I build myself and my business (both I have been working on for years). It seems that a shift in geographical location is just what my spirit had in mind.

My first challenge. Acknowledging my own worth.

I hope you will feel inspired to share your stories of transformation with me, bits and pieces via comments, or privately via email. Know this, you are not alone and with transformation comes renewed life.

Cheers! To the journey!
joy

A weekend of inspiration at the 2011 Harmony Festival

a picture says a thousand words.. here are but a few... for more images from the amazing Harmony Festival be sure to check out joyhamel.com and my flickr set.

enjoy the show...

my daughter, the photographer

While volunteering at the stables a few weeks ago, my daughter and I had a fun playing with the horses and taking photos. While I was in the arena with 4 amazing horses, Ernie, was right by my side walking with me like an old friend. It has been a fun game of mine to see which horse will wear my hat. I’ve tried many but have never succeeded until now. My daughter, Montana, camera in hand snapped this great shot!

Steppin Out by Montana Hamel & Joy Hamel

Of course Ernie would be the one to wear the hat, anytime I have my camera that horse lights up! He loves to be photographed and he knows how handsome he is, its like he was striking a pose as soon as I placed the hat on his head. I am so proud of my amazing daughter for capturing such a great moment, even as I was yelling.. MONTANA TAKE THE PICTURE!! She managed to pry herself away from photographing the cat, just in time to get 3 frames of Ernie in the hat.

Limited Edition Fine Art Prints

We have decided to offer limited edition fine art prints of this photograph for sale via Well Trained Horses. 50% of the proceeds go directly to helping rescue horses, like Ernie. The edition is limited to 25 prints selling at $100 dollars each. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist (and her mother).

Win this Print!

You can also try to win one of these prints (and other GREAT prizes) via Well Trained Horses, A Raffle for Rescue Horses. Tickets are 5$ each find out more info at Well Trained Horses.