Saturday Stroll

Quiet today. Temperature is in the 70's and it has been threatening rain all day but the only shower we had was early this morning and lasted about 2 minutes.

I took off the boot yesterday and walked outside around the house and down the alley and around Mom and Dad's yard then back across the field to home. Today the foot is tender but not too bad so maybe it really is improving slowly ... so slowly. Of course, the camera was attached to my hand the whole time I was out and my eyes were searching for views and angles. Here are a few of the shots I took.

Another shot of Dad's Japanese Maple.
Mushrooms/Toadstools found under the maple tree at the end of the sidewalk. (Is it really a sidewalk if it isn't next to a street?)
Mom's Trumpet Vine that is trying to envelope the whole backyard.
In my own yard I practiced more macro shots on the ants and the QA Lace. I think this one saw me ... or is it reacting to the little fellow?

Photoaddiction

I was outside last night experimenting with the camera and low light shooting and got some "artistic" shots of the trees when the breeze picked up. Realized I told Jen in my comment the wrong aperture setting for night shots. It is still new to me and I have to remind myself that the shutter speed number needs to be big and the aperture value small to let in more light. I think I have that right now. I never had much of an interest in film cameras so I never worked with my husband's 35mm. This new digital camera is my first experience with setting things for myself. I am enjoying the challenge. I have discovered a new appreciation of light and shadow.

I have to remind myself it is okay just to enjoy the scenery without trying to take a picture of it. But sometimes I just can't help myself ...

With a little thought even the everyday becomes something special ...

By Request

My sister Beth said she could not see the deer well in my last post so here is an adjusted photo for her.I am experimenting with macro photography too but am limited still in where I can explore as I am still wearing the boot outdoors most of the time. So I have to wait for things to come to me or find them close to the sidewalk. Last night there were ants on the QA Lace and I got up close and personal with a few of them.

I tried a grasshopper but he took exception to my camera getting close to him.

Shooting for the Stars

I have been experimenting with the settings on my camera and have tried some night shots. Tonight I went out and took pictures of the stars. I adjusted the aperture and shutter speed and ISO settings and got some pictures of the Big Dipper. Some of the shots have streaks like shooting stars but it was only airplanes. It has been a while since I just looked at the night sky. At the edge of the town the lights aren't too bad for stargazing but some night I would like to get away from the lights and really see the stars.
Last night was a thrill too. I had been over at Mom and Dad's and came back across the lot around 9 pm. I always look over in the field for deer and did not see any. But when I got close to my gate I heard a noise by the crabapple tree next to the alley and looked up to see a young buck eating crabapples. He was not concerned about my presence at all. Sassy was in the yard and discovered him only because she came to the gate to look for me. She stood at the fence and barked at him but he ignored her too. I got a few photos of him. Looks like maybe an eight-point rack.Dad is getting some good photos with his new camera too.

Home again

We shared a virus or something at work this week and I am home today with internal difficulties. It's getting better but I hate being out of the house when I feel this way. At least I have been in a/c instead of in the heat and humidity. And the dogs are loving having Mom home with them. They get out every time I look at them. And I take the camera along as I am still looking for that perfect shot of Dad's red maple. Today I may have caught the light just right.


I also got a shot of some mushrooms that I like. But I have failed to get closeups of the hummingbirds or the cardinals that please me yet.

Yesterday afternoon we had a storm around 4:30 and then the sun came out again. I went outside with the dogs and discovered dragonflies in my yard and then I saw them in the field across the alley. There were dozens of them! By the time I thought to go tell Mom and Dad and they got outside there was no sign of the dragonflies. I tried to take pictures when I first discovered them but they move so fast all I got were a lot of blurs. Then the second storm came. I really thought we were in for a bad time. The sky was black and the clouds were coming right down to the ground with tendrils and bulges. We got rain and lightning and thunder but nothing bad happened near us.

Jen posted about Paint.NET just this week. I have been working on figuring it out too. I love what it can do - I just can't do much of it yet. Thankfully there are tutorials and forums and such. I just have to understand what I read. I am reading a lot online about digital photography and editing digital photos. My poor head is too full, I think. Eventually there comes a moment when I say "Aha!" but it seems to be taking a while.

Joe "joked" the other day that if he wants to take any photos he is going to have to buy a camera just for him as this one seems to have become permanently attached to me.

Sunrise

Yesterday morning I took my camera over to Mom and Dad's to show them pictures of the hummingbird flight I caught the night before. As I was leaving to come back across the field and home I looked to the east and saw the sunrise. So I called Dad to come out with his new camera (same make and model as mine) that he just got this past weekend and we took pictures of the sunrise over the hilltop.

We had such fun this past weekend. Saturday Richard and Matthew came down to Mom and Dad's to continue painting the house. Later Nanny and Matt's wife Kim and the kids came down then Missy and her kids showed up later. A total of 13 of us were there on the porch or in the yard for much of the morning and early afternoon. The kids rediscovered Beth's purple cow bubble machine and had a great time with bubbles. I'm working on a slide show of that and will post a link to it soon.

Then in the evening Beth's son Greg and his wife and their two kids came in for a visit and we were in the house and on the porch again until late. Greg and Dana recently went to China as part of a choir and brought back fascinating pictures and stories about their trip.

Jen showed up later with the pictures we had entered in the Fair. She brought the ribbons and PRIZE MONEY we had won! Wow! $7 for me! I didn't even know there were cash awards when I entered. The thrill was in entering and being awarded the blue and red ribbons. We are already planning what pictures we will take and enter next year - we have a long time to plan this time.

Speaking of Dad's new camera - he dropped his old Olympus at Wal-Mart when he went there to have his pictures for the Fair printed. He was afraid he had lost the pictures on his memory card but managed to salvage them but could not get the camera to work. So Beth talked to me about my camera as Dad had indicated he liked what he had seen of it and she told Dad she would buy him a new camera. Joe picked it up this past weekend and now Dad has a Canon just like mine. He also managed to get the old Olympus working again but does not feel he can trust it not to go off again. (Joe thinks it was just a sneaky way to get a new camera. lol) Dad is in the learning curve now but once he gets the hang of all the new options he will be fine and I expect we will see a lot more pictures from him, too.

We are all praying for cousin Bill who had a stroke this weekend. 51 years old. He was working the church street fair in the heat and humidity when it started. Thankfully, the signs were recognized by his older brother who works for a doctor and they took him right to the hospital. A neurologist was there and Bill got quick attention. The latest report is that he is improving and there is reason for hope.

Fair Photos

We did well with the photos we entered in the Marshall County Fair. Now, from what I am told (I have not been there yet because of work and the foot not doing quite as well as I would like), every picture that was entered was awarded a ribbon - blue, red, yellow and white. Dad's pictures all got red ribbons, Jen's all got blue ribbons, and I got one blue for a butterfly photo and two red for my other two pictures. I did it for fun and of course "it was an honor just to be nominated." I am pleased and hope others enjoy looking at my photos.

I want to get there to see all the photos - there were so many when we were entering on Saturday but they were piled up on tables then. The unbiased (of course) opinion of family members is that our photos were the best of all those entered but I am certain there are others that are worth a glance or two. We saw some wonderful photos being entered by others when we were entering ours. One man behind us in line had a close-up shot of a hawk or eagle that was beautiful.

The foot has been troublesome. I have probably pushed too hard but after three months in the boot (and more than a month before that in pain) I want to walk again. Yesterday at work I was in some pain again. So today I will wear the boot to walk to and from work but try just my shoe at work. At least I can put the shoe on now. When I was in pain at the beginning I could hardly bear to have anything touch the side of my foot. So still some scritch ... thump ...