Let us not forget...

I'm taking a break from Arboretum pics to honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve freedom. I am always moved by this cemetery display...Thankful for my dear brother-in-law Gilbert (Vietnam vet) and my mom's first husband Al (killed in Korea) and my sweet dad who died in 1988 (WW II vet)....still miss him.

Snack-time Visitor...

We rested in the shade for a while so the kiddos could have a snack...(love how Hannah's eyes caught the light!...and the dribble of milk down her chin...)
Had a little visitor while we were there....That's right Lisa...a tree rat!...and I still think they're cute. :)

Potter Houses

The flower houses were really cute...each of the 4 represented a different Beatrix Potter character. I only took a couple pics because it was so crowded and I took these before asking Kim how to shoot something in shade with a sunny background, so the sky is overexposed. (Received an e-mail from the Arboretum a couple days ago with pics of these houses...and their sky was overexposed too. Apparently, I'm not the only one with this problem!) This one had a little spot for a tea party inside.
Loved the little hedgehogs and their clothesline...

Grass is always greener...

There was a little petting zoo there (not that the babies were old enough to enjoy it). Thought it was funny that, tho' there was plenty of grass inside the pens, the goat and calf were only interested in the grass outside...
...even if it wasn't particularly comfortable to reach it!

Stroller Buddies

Had fun meeting Jenny, Hannah, and their friends Beth and Pete at the Arboretum to see the Beatrix Potter flower houses. Both babies did really well, even tho' they missed their morning nap. Pete is 3 mo. older than Hannah and already playin' it COOL...
Silly monkey always has to show us her tongue...love her puppy dog harness!
Hannah was too busy watching the big Peter Rabbit to pay attention to Grammy...and Pete just wants to be friends! :) (I have no idea what's going on with the red cast on Jenny and Beth's faces...ALL the pics from the welcome area were like that....a reflection from the red brick maybe? weird!)

Don't even think about it!

Wish it were sharper, but I like the story it tells...and that's what he gets for sometimes feeding KC table scraps.

Three roses and a bug...

Not my favorite shot, but I like the 3 stages of bloom and think the bug makes it more interesting . Probably up to no good, whatever he is. Found him while traipsing through the irises (not to be confused with tiptoeing through the tulips).

Originality is overrated...

In the nature of full disclosure, there is nothing original about this post. It's a blatant attempt to duplicate Lisa's beautiful Iris pics. (Check out her originals at http://lisacphotography.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-04-16T17%3A20%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7 and scroll down to the 3rd and 4th shots).

I tried first on Robin's rare pink iris.

Have to admit I like the deeper colors better tho', so I trotted out to Jenny's where her neighbor has a garden FULL of different varieties. I don't like any of these as well as Lisa's, but am still fairly happy with them.

Including what Lisa calls the "hairy tongue"...Say "Aaaaahhhh"!

Thanks to good neighbors with gardening skills! Do you have a favorite?

Theme and Variations...

On a day when I wanted to practice but had no subjects, I decided to try something a little "editorial". One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 42...."As the deer pants for the water, so my heart longs for You". It's so easy for me to let my life get out of balance and, before long, I've neglected my relationship with the only One who completely satisfies my soul. Sometimes, it's easy to justify that... (after all, I have so much to DO!), but then I remember who wrote the words of that psalm. King David was responsible for ruling an entire nation (you can't get much busier than that!), but he knew the source of his wisdom and strength. He once wrote "early will I seek You". I love that and want to learn from him. It's a goal I don't always reach, but what peace when I do!

For fun, I decided to try a few different editing techniques.

The original...

Reduced saturation...
Cropped with black/white conversion...
Can't remember which effect this was in PSE, but I kinda liked it (camouflages the noise).

What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Out of sight...not out of mind!

Hannah recently discovered that people are still there even when she can't see them. LOVED catching her search for G-Pa (even if the focus is too soft..we'll just call it artistic)!

Office Assistant?

KC sometimes gets on my extra office chair to "help"...always with a lot of attitude!

To infinity and beyond...

OK....it's officially weird, but I decided to experiment with the piano guts...still playing with manual focus and depth of field. Challenging to hand hold with natural light under the shade of the lid. The dust bugs me too, but you need a special tool to clean inside a piano and it's been a few years since my tech used it. Excuses, excuses!

Which shot do you think is more interesting? I like the top because it feels less chaotic....but I'm curious about your opinion.

Daisy

I still find it difficult to get the focus specifically where I want it on the wide aperture shots I like so much. Auto focus doesn't always work. Took this close up of yesterday's bouquet with manual focus and thought it turned out pretty well...I love Gerber daisies!

Gift Bouquets

The beautiful flowers Annie and Charlotte gave me at their recital....Sweet!!!

Senior Recital

Two of my seniors presented a combined solo recital last month...remarkable young women. Both are a joy to me!!!

I'm shooting almost everything manual now, but chickened out this day since it was a special occasion. The only manual pic I took was this one of Charlotte warming up before the recital and it's one of my favorites. Go figure! Charlotte will attend Texas A&M in the fall with a major in Bio-Medical Science. (Go Charlotte!)
I got TONS of hot spots from flash but learned some editing tricks which worked pretty well. In fact, the piano below was pasted from a different pic because we accidentally left the lid closed in this shot with Annie. (What do you think? Can you tell?) Annie will attend Moody Bible Institute to study sacred music and hopes to teach piano later, possibly on the mission field. (Yay Annie!)
Beautiful girls, inside and out, and GORGEOUS cake, huh? Charlotte's boyfriend's mother made it... Every layer a different flavor...chocolate, cherry, vanilla...yummo!
I love seeing "my kids" take off and fly....but, wow!...I will MISS them!

Whimsy

Just for fun...because I like it! (Second guessing the composition tho').

And then there were three...

Daddy's Girl

Jenny asked me to get some pics of Nathan with Hannah, so last time he was here we gave it a whirl. These are our miracle kids....the son-in-law who went through renal failure and dialysis and finally a kidney transplant...and the baby doctors said wouldn't be possible. There are no good words to describe how grateful we are for Nathan and Hannah!
I love Hannah's expression when Nathan said "Look at Mommy"!
And my personal favorite...
So sweet!

The Servant

I've never known anyone so faithful to serve as my husband. Bob is ALWAYS working...always industrious....always resourceful. I've been wanting to shoot his hands for a while, but needed to wait for an opportunity when he was fairly stationary (rare!) without gloves. I'm not exactly sure what he was doing here, but think he was taking apart old rusty hardware from the gates he replaced to soak them in a solution for restoration. Like I said....resourceful. I really like both shots...the grit and industrial feel here (tho' I'm not lovin' the white in the background...looks overexposed)...
and the lighting and composition here, (my favorite, I think). Just wish I had included a little more of the tub in the bottom of the frame...would have been more interesting to see the blackened solution....rats!
Click to enlarge for details. Which is your favorite?

Two Little Monkeys...

Hannah is 5 months old today, so it's time for her monkey pic! Noticed a big change in her since last month when Jenny had to use the squeaky toy to get her to look up. All Jenny had to do now was talk to her and we got a bunch of big grins...(with her tongue out, of course). And finally, proof of the dimple...
Had to post one more....just thought it was funny that Hannah's shirt says "cute as a button" and she pulled it up to show us her belly button... just like Mr. Monkey's!

Pool Replaster, Pt. 2

It was surprising how quickly these guys worked! I thought their "shoes" were interesting.
New plaster looks GOOD!
They were kind enough to add spotter tiles on our steps for free.
3 days and 19,000 gallons of water later...
It's all ready for Hannah, Kim and the boys! As soon as it warms up a little, I can practice those fun water shots!

Pool Replaster, Pt. 1

Nothing pretty about these shots, but I know my mom will want to see. Bob does a great job maintaining our pool, but the plaster has been wearing out for several years. We finally "bit the bullet" to have it refurbished last month. Here are a few before pics. The dark spots were rough on our feet! We didn't realize how bad things had gotten until we saw it empty. Gross!
Next step was to dig down below the ruined plaster (see all the "moon craters"). Damage was worse than expected. White stuff is a bonding agent to dry overnight.
We were worried about blossoms from our trees dropping into the wet plaster, so they hung this tarp. Worked like a charm!
After pics comin' up tomorrow!