artinlife

Knot so much...

2008-06-05T20:39:00.003-04:00

OK, the wood part was easy. The knot part, not so much. The strong rope is a challenge to work with. Marine rope would probably be better? Perhaps I need to go to Boat depot or something like that because Home Depot had strong rope, but I don't remember marine rope. The 720 lb strong rope is a challenge to cut with my girlie hands, then frays and doesn't tie well; if you can't tie a good knot, there is no way it will hold 720 lbs, let alone 100! Back to the drawing board.

I googled the knots, but can't seem to get my right brain/left hand to make the proper knots. Bummer. I don't remember learning to tie knots in girl scouts or brownies.

The perfect tree for a swing

2008-06-05T18:40:00.004-04:00

I have been eying this branch since I started working on the shed 3 years ago. It is hard to believe that this will be the 3rd and (hopefully) final season building the shed. I have lots of trees on my 3-acre lot but none with a branch nearly horizontal to the earth. As a portrait photographer I am always looking for interesting backdrops to photograph people on and have been wanting to build a tree swing for this branch for at least 2 years. I used to love to swing high up in the air and back down again. A simple way to relax and enjoy.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I went out and googled Tree swings and found an aol video with a pretty basic tree swing "recipe". As a woman, I am used to cooking up a recipe and kinda get a laugh out of calling my building project plans "recipes". Oh well, it is fun. Perhaps the guys think I am a bimbo, but I am not. I just like to have fun.
Anyway, since I could not locate any redwood in this area, I went to the local lumber yard and found some cedar 2 x 6's (that I paid a premium price for-- $ 4/ln ft. Ouch) However, a plastic tree swing kit would have cost me $50 and I could not say that I created it. So, I am ahead of the game at spending only $35.
Now I have to figure out how to tie the knots that will hold up the swing. That could be a challenge. I did buy super duty rope, that is guaranteed to hold up to 720 lbs. I think that should do it. I would rather be safe than sorry. I will go back out to google for a knot search. Once complete, I will post updated photos.

Locks of Love - Part 6

2008-05-04T11:03:00.004-04:00

Well it was time to donate once again. I have now donated approximately 72" of hair since 1999. On May 1, 2008, I cut off 12" and will send it off to Locks of Love.org so they can make wigs for kids that have had hair loss.
I wonder if there are others that donate hair over and over again? I've donated 6 times and I am amazed that I have grown that much hair since 1999. I have now donated 6" more hair than I am tall. I don't know if I will continue this forever, but it is a good cause.

Spring is coming!

2008-03-07T23:41:00.004-05:00

It's official. I think spring is actually going to show up in the next month or so. We have had sun a few days in a row which leads me to believe it will be warming up. Winter is OK for about a month but this winter has been super-sized and seems to be holding on longer than last year. However, in an effort to "warm" up, I decided to head over to Meijer Gardens and see the butterfly exhibit that started on March 1. I love going to see the butterflies in the botanical gardens, soak in some warmth and humidity, and see the kids trying to get one of the pretty creatures to land on their fingers. It is the real reason I joined the gardens--all about the butterflies, the beautiful grounds and sculpture exhibits all year long. I think I will head back over this weekend to see if any other butterflies have emerged. Last week I saw a few that I had not seen before, so perhaps they spread em out.
Anyway, here is a photo I shot along with some modifications. Can you say, Fun with Wacom?

A beautiful day to go to Grand Haven

2008-02-17T22:21:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was one of the first full days with sun which made it a perfect day for me to pack up my camera and head out to Grand Haven for sunset. One of the great things about living on the west side of the state of Michigan is that it is relatively easy to get to the lake in about an hour. The roads were clear and it was not too cold so I took off for the lake. I was rather surprised to see all the other folks at the lighthouse although given that it was the first day of sun in ages, I think people wanted to get out. While it was more crowded than I would have liked, it was good to get out and see the sunset. It was very red and pink, even more so than some of the summer sunsets. While that warmth in color did not translate to the air temperature, it was good for the soul.
Here are two of the pictures I shot yesterday. I will post more later.

Snow, snow and more snow

2008-02-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

It is snowing (again). While it can be beautiful, I must say that I am already tired of it and it is only mid-February. We still have a good 6 to 8 weeks of this stuff left. The news says that we are already above our yearly average for the Grand Rapids area at 80" as of Sunday. It is now Tuesday as I write and we continue to get snow.
Before the arctic temps came in Saturday night, I decided to get out in the snow and walk around the park by my house. There were lots of people cross country skiing and there was evidence that people had been in the park with snow-shoes, but I didn't see anyone with them on. I just took my camera with me and walked the cold trails. It was really quite beautiful since the trees were all snow covered from previous snows. The trail was surprisingly easy to walk as long as I stayed on the cross country skiers path. Otherwise, I would have been knee-deep in snow. I ventured off path a few times for a shot or two, but mostly stayed on path. I don't like being cold. I felt very fortunate to have two pairs of socks, pants, and shirts on underneath my big down coat. The gloves I had on were not much help but did OK.
When I got back from my hour long walk, I decided to take some pics of my piles of snow. Below are some of the pics I took. I am standing in front of the tallest pile in my driveway. I am 5'6" so I am guessing it is piled up about 5'? Anyway, the snow plow guy told me that he is running out of places to put my snow. My driveway is 476' long so there should be plenty of places to put it. Oh well. One of these days, I need to make snow angels. I think it would be fun. : )

Me in my old coat (for the walk)

Me in the new coat.

part black and white, part full color.

This pic was taken in my driveway Sunday morning. It was minus 3 degrees not counting windchill. BRRR!

This tree was found at the park; a lot of the pine trees look like this these days.

Project Iris

2008-02-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

Being a photo "geek", I frequently have a camera in my hand. After getting a macro lens last fall, I started playing around with it and shooting various things up close and personal. One of those things was the eye. While eyes have actually creeped me out in years past, I've found them pretty interesting recently. I guess I was trying to see if those in my family had a similar eye shape. What I found most interesting was the variation in color within each iris. Some had a dark circle around the outside, some were just pure color. The youngest eyes were very dilated and the older folks had lots of spots in their eyes. It seems as though our eyes change over time. Some of the patterning from the elders showed up in the youngest children. It was pretty cool. I am sure some of the folks over the holidays thought I was a bit odd, but....Oh well. I am a bit of a geek.

Happy Valentine's Day (early)

2008-02-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

My friend Lew sent me this great gift today. It was a simple Valentine's heart but it made me happy and reminded me of the decorations the teachers put up in school. Below is an updated photo of me with the heart on; I had to play with the image in Photoshop (Photoshop is my "video game"). Anyway, it has been far too long since last I blogged, so...here goes.

Happy Valentine's Day. Thanks Lew!

Summer, come and gone, then back

2007-10-21T22:45:00.000-04:00

Summer has come and gone but it made an appearance here in Michigan and reached the upper 70's. It was an incredibly beautiful day. I spent the morning in front of the computer but dedicated the afternoon to the great outdoors. I mowed the lawn, mulched some of the leaves that have fallen, and even cooked a burger on the grill. It was the first burger I have had since June and it was great. It was good to just relax and take it easy outside today instead of spending so much time at my computer.
This weather has been so strange lately. Hot, then cold, then warm but I am enjoying the beautiful blue skies that and bold fall colors before the gray of winter sets in. Perhaps this year we won't have winter. The rain returns tomorrow which is perfect working weather. : )

More Spots

2007-08-07T08:47:00.001-04:00

After working on the computer for many hours yesterday I decided to stand up and look outside to give my eyes a rest. When I looked out my office window, I saw two spotted deer laying under the crabapple tree in my driveway. They are losing their spots so they are getting older, but there were no parents in sight. The following comes to mind, "do you know where your children (fawn) are?" They will love it under that tree in a couple of weeks when the crab apples are ripe and start falling of the tree. In years past, I have seen deer standing on their hind two legs eating crab apples out of the tree. It was a nice computer break.

HollyHock & Queen Anne's Lace

2007-07-21T20:15:00.000-04:00

I was out shooting in my yard today; laying on the ground looking up at flowers when I should have been working? I try and capture the flowers around the house when they are at peak. This year I had a bonus year of Queen Anne's Lace since I have not mowed the lawn in nearly a month (too dry). The QAL lined the driveway and reminded me of summer vacations at the cottage when I was a kid. Most people nowadays spend money to have sprinkler systems installed so they can impress the neighbors with deep rich green grass. Part of the joy of living out in the "country" is my yard can still have a bit of a that country feel.

Seeing spots

2007-07-21T20:12:00.000-04:00

During a lay down in my hammock, I spotted this little one. I would have thought the spots would be gone by now. I guess not.

A beautiful night

2007-07-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

A beautiful rainbow appeared after a crazy burst of clouds and rain came in at sunset last night. The mini storm seemed to come out of nowhere, but I am glad it appeared so I could see the spectacular rainbow.

Relay for Life

2007-07-02T20:02:00.000-04:00

I participated in my first relay for life last week. I walked 4.6 miles in memory of Judy Horrigan, who died 6/27/07 after a 15-year battle with breast cancer. Judy was one of the bravest women I know. Judy, you were, and continue to be an inspiration to me. The world needs more people like you. Strong, funny, talented, creative, and caring. I can only hope to make such an impact on the people around me.

The Simpsons Movie - 072707

2007-06-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! I am looking forward to it.

FireFlies are out tonight

2007-06-18T22:26:00.001-04:00

Summer must now be here. I love the fireflies. When I was a kid my sisters and I would catch some in a jar before we went to bed at the cottage and watch them until we fell asleep. Never saw them in the city, but they were always a treat to watch up north. Now, I am far enough away from the city that I get to enjoy them all summer long.

explosion of calories

2007-06-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

I met a friend of mine for lunch the other day and we went to a local "pepper" restaurant. Dave, being very good on his new program wanted a burger but opted for the black bean burger to cut down on the calories. I decided to get the quesadilla explosion salad. It is quite the yummy salad and way too much food for one sitting. So, Dave got me thinking, "what is the calorie count for that salad?" I went to the "pepper" website and found the salad I had ordered. Unfortunately, I did not see the Nut Facts. So, I sent them an inquiry and they replied back saying all that information is located on the site. (not on each page, but...) So, much to my surprise, I found that the salad that is considered by them to be "one serving" is nearly 1000 calories. OMG!!! How can a salad have that many calories? That is crazy. Perhaps it was the little crunchy things, or the 4 little quesadilla wedges? I wish there was a breakdown of it somewhere. I would have them take off the crunchy things and dump the quesadilla wedges. Would it be better for you then? Would it cut the sodium levels down then? OMG! I am still in shock. Luckily, it took me 2 sittings to eat it. I guess we have no idea how many calories we are eating. Yikes.

an incredible day today

2007-06-07T21:18:00.001-04:00

Today was one of my favorite days this spring. Actually, it could be considered a perfect summer day. It was warm, sunny, and quite windy which is a good combination. I think the temp topped out around 90 today but the thing I loved best was all the wind. Seeing the leaves blowing on the trees and the birds gliding in the sky. I have a lot of turkey hawks (or vultures) in my area and they can be seen gliding above the fields in circles looking for something to eat. It was truly a wonderful day. May the rest of summer be warm and windy and remind me of days at the cottage when I was a kid. Just tromping around with nothing particular to do, just enjoying life around me.

Draining the h2o tank

2007-06-05T22:11:00.000-04:00

I woke up Sunday morning and decided to get in the shower and realized that I had no hot water. And, while a cold shower can be quite refreshing on a hot summer day, it is not too hot this week. So, I stood under the cold water for as long as I could stand it forgoing my hair until after the h2o heater could be fixed. I called the plumber that installed my NEW water heater three years ago and they called me first thing Monday morning. I was hoping they could get out Monday morning so I could wash the body and my hair in Warm water. Unfortunately, there were other clients that had more pressing issues first thing in the morning so I would have take the COLD shower. Ugh! It was bone-chilling cold. It was miserable but I made it through. Those are the times I wish I had short hair that was easy to get wet and clean. No such luck. I have a thick-healthy head of long hair.
The guy came out and replaced the burned out element in less than thirty minutes. However, my h20 heater had 2 heating elements for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, when they installed the heater 3 years ago, they did not check to see that the top heating element was working properly. The plumber said it had jostled loose when it was installed and wasn't touching the top part of the tank to determine that it was hot, or cold. So, my question is, if they didn't make sure that the unit was working properly before they left 3 years ago, weren't they partly to blame for the lower element burning out in three years? There was some calcium on the burned out element (because apparently I should be draining the tank yearly), but who does this? Does every homeowner actually drain their water heater annually? Or more importantly, do they drain a gallon or 2 a month like the manufacturer requests? I had know idea.
I do now. I went out on the web in search of "how to drain your water heater" and found lots of different results. The one I followed? My manufacturers directions. A long process, but hopefully, I won't have to invite the plumber out every 3 years.
80.00 labor/15.00 part -- not covered by warranty.

Shed of evidence

2007-06-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

From beginning to shed...part two. My friend Brian came over on Saturday to help me with the shed. Before the snow hit last year, we got 2 of the walls up. Totally rebuilt, from "scratch". The last 2 walls, are in much better shape and do not need to be completely ripped down and rebuilt. So, we will add a few studs and then add the new sheathing to the exterior. One of the last things we need to do is build the doors. Barn or shed doors. Look easy, but they are definitely something to contemplate. It seems the shed has been a large contemplation process. Since I have not built a shed before (or any household structure) and I like to do things right, we contemplate every move. Brian has been awesome, taking time away from his family and helping out when he would really rather be doing something else. He is sticking to his commitment to help and I really appreciate it.

The Icicles - Arrivals and Departures

2007-03-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

Arrivals and Departures – CD Release party My friend Greg and the girls from the Icicles launched their new CD – Arrivals and Departures in Grand style tonight. The girls were all decked out in Red Stewardess uniforms custom-made by Jolene (on Keyboards) and Greg (on drums) showed up as the pilot. They always have great costumes but these were really awesome. You can tell a lot of work went into this event as they were not short on ground crew, additional flight attendants serving peanuts and beverages, and back-up pilots. There was even an astronaut boy (in full flight gear) dancing to the tunes and I must say he had all the little girls charmed. There were toy planes hanging from the ceiling, a giant airport scene behind the stage, runway lights, fasten seatbelt and no smoking signs along with all the safety messages one would hear when flying. It was all a great way to launch their new CD. The venue was packed and everyone was singing and dancing to the tunes. One of my favorites, La Ti Da, seemed to be a big hit with the group and it was great to see the kids dancing to the tunes. If you like indie-pop or the previous release from the Icicles, you will love Arrivals and Departures. Congratulations Icicles! Here are a few pictures I shot at tonight’s event.

The icy Alamo

2007-03-14T09:33:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple images I shot at the Alamo on Jan 17, 2007.

Icy adventure - San Antonio style

2007-01-31T19:33:00.000-05:00

I ventured down to San Antonio for a photo conference (1/14-1/16) and ended up getting stuck for a few extra days due to the freak ice storm they had. While the conference was good, the weather was lousy. being from Michigan I am used to the cold weather. I am not used to the drastic changes they had. (when I flew in on the 12th it was 70 and when I left it was 38) However, I on the morning of the 17th, I packed up my stuff to get to the airport by 5:30 am. I slept in the airport until people started showing up for the "delayed" 6:30 am flight at 7:30. They said the flight would be delayed but that I needed to be there. Funny, no one else was there at 5:30. Oh well. Around 8:30 or 9 am the ground crew started "working" on the plane. Hmmm. Very interesting. At one point one of the guys on the ground crew had a mr. coffee-pot of hot water and poured it onto the steps where we would eventually board. (Hot water + freezing temps = more ice!) Oh well, this is Texas. They are not prepared for ice. So, the guys still think they can get the plane to go. Ice, sm'ice. When the pilot arrives and sees the ground crew banging on the wings to get the ice off the plane, I asked him what his thoughts were. Are we going to fly out this morning? Reply: Based on what I see? NO. The pilot was from the Midwest and he was used to snow and ice. They had no de-icer in San Antonio. At some point, the ground crew found an orange home depot bucket and filled it with something that looked like window washer fluid (which in Michigan contains a de-icing agent) and threw the liquid at the plane. Excuse me, guys, it's a plane; how many buckets are you going to throw at it!?!) it was pretty comical to watch the ground crew trying to get the plane "ready" for us. They were working hard, but pounding on the wings does not seem like a great idea and everyone with a camera was taking pictures of them. The pilot had the final say; canceled. I love to fly, but I prefer to be safe. So, if the pilot says no, its a no.

So, after booking my new flight for Saturday the 20th (1st available) and picking up my luggage, back to the hotel it was. Instead of staying trapped in my hotel room, I packed up the camera and headed down to the Alamo. Me and all the other photographers that were stuck in town. I am sure there are tons of pictures with Ice on the cactuses.

Oh well, the next day got a little warmer and I took another adventure. More on that later.

Lemon Tree very pretty

2007-01-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

Or at least it was! Within the last two months it has shed all it's leaves and just before Christmas dropped the annual lemon it produces .
: (
I am so bummed. I love my little lemon tree that has been in my house for the last 7 years, flowering and bearing one lemon a year. The thought that it may have met it's match, will sadden me. Any ideas? I will be buying some new potting soil tomorrow in an effort to give it some new life. I have been fertilizing with an acid loving fertilizer for the past 7 years as well which is why I think it was able to bear fruit. But it is not looking so good now.

New Year

2007-01-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, 2006 flew by. The beginning of the year started out quite slow but ended up finishing quite quickly. I am amazed how time flies.
Last night was great. I went to Saugatuck to watch Greg and his band The Truckstop Cobras play for new years eve. Dinner was awesome - the steak was way too big so I ended up giving half of it to Greg. The opening act was good and ended just before midnight so we could celebrate the new year. Kiss, kiss then outside to see the fireworks display on the Kalamazoo river that leads out onto lake Michigan. The fireworks were great and the weather was surprisingly warm for Michigan. Once the fireworks were done, we all went back in to see the Truckstop Cobras. They sounded great and the crowd seemed to be enjoying them quite a bit.
Only one fight at the bar. Two guys with a little too much booze in them and a girl trying to break it up. It was interesting to watch the guys as the guys were throwing their chests at each other (which totally reminded me of a cockfight) However, I did not see them throw any punches although I ended up with beer all over me as they dropped their bottles. Shortly thereafter, they ended up being escorted out of the bar by the bouncers and the cockfight was over. Silly boys. Anyway, it was a good evening.
We pulled in at 3:45 and I was out like a light. I actually even slept in past 7:30 am and made it out of bed by 11:30. Wow. I must have needed the sleep.
Well, 2007 is here and I hope it will be a good one. Cheers!

From beginning to shed

2006-10-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

It's been a few months since my last entry...oops. Time flies. I have been shooting senior pictures out by my lovely little shed. Since it was looking a little raggedy, I decided to paint it. Unfortunately, the color I picked (imagine Granny-Smith-Apple-green) was a ton brighter than I thought it would be; add to that, the walls were a lot more decayed than I thought they were. The paint didn't stick in some places, and where it did stick it looked awful. I decided to call it quits and re-side.

The past two weekends have been spent out in the yard, tending to the shed with the help of a freind. Brian was ever-so-kind to offer his time to show me "how to put up siding" on my shed. Ah, if only it were siding. It all started 2 years ago when I noticed the roof was pretty rotten and I should get a new one put on. $700 later, it was done. (can you say OUCH?!!) I guess I had a lot of trust in the guy who did the roof. Oh well, live and learn. So, now, I need to protect my $700 roof.

I have learned alot in the last 2 weekends.
1. Sometimes you need to rebuild a wall to re-side it.
2. Building a wall takes a lot longer when you put a window in it.
3. Hitting the nail on the head is not always as easy as it looks.
However, there are good people out there that are willing to help out and teach you something new. Building the walls feels pretty good and I have a new appreciation for builders and more respect for my shed.
Two walls down, and two to go. Hopefully, the newscasters in the area are wrong about the pending snow. It's only October!!!

Mushroom season?

2006-07-29T19:10:00.000-04:00

I am not sure if it is because of the humidity and the hot summer days, but the mushrooms are back and better than ever. I have a few of the standard yard mushrooms and then the cool mushrooms growing in one of my trees. I hope this is not a sign that the tree is dying.
In a week this mushroom has expanded to over 18" across.

When it rains it pours

2006-07-29T18:36:00.000-04:00

Cliche of this last week. When it rains it pours.
On Monday I drove to the Detroit area for a second interview with a large company and while I was on the road I got a phone call about a job on this side of the state with "Company B". Tuesday morning, while I was interviewing with "Company B" I received another call for a job with "Company C". After hanging up with "B" and scheduling "C" I received an offer from Company A and they wanted an answer right away. Unfortunately, A was on the east side of the state and although it would have been a great job, I had a second interview to go thru with "B". While on the second interview with "B", company A called back again. I told them that I needed to wait. Within an hour or so, "B" called me back to offer me a job. Same rate, but this side of the state. "A" wasn't going to pay taxes which meant "B" is now at the top of the pile. "A" didn't want to hear it and tried to up the anty. Unfortunately, "B" was a much better deal since I didn't have to leave my home. "C" was a permanent job and I interviewed with them on Thursday. No news on that yet.
I said to a friend that one of two things is happening, either the economy in Michigan is starting to move again or the planets have lined up in my favor. Either way, I will take it. I like to work.

Locks of Love - Part 5

2006-07-29T18:16:00.001-04:00

Well, I have done it again. I donated over 10" to Locks of Love. As I have said before, it is the easiest donation I can make. My first donation was in June 1999 and I have been able to donate the minimum 10" about every 18 months. This time it was a little over 2 years between donations. Not because my hair wasn't growing, just because I wasn't ready. On 7/13/06, I decided that it was time. Choking in the middle of the night and the heat of the heavy hair were the two main reasons. The third and best reason, was receiving a magazine from the Locks of Love organization saying that it was time to donate again. So, I finally went in and had it chopped off. It feels so much better. The girl that cut my hair gave me the dutch boy (as my sister calls it) so I ended up cutting it again.

If you ever want to do something nice for someone you don't know and have a lot of extra hair, I would recommend donating to Locks of Love. To date, I have donated about 60" of hair. One of the women I worked with used to call me Repunzel. Hmm. Oh well, it is a great cause.

The snakes came out today

2006-07-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

I have not seen a snake in a couple of years. Today I saw 2. The first was just a little garden snake (about 18" long) and then a Blue Racer snake which was over 3 feet long. I think they are out due to the heat. It was 95 here today. I wish I had my camera with me when I saw them in the yard. Oh well, there are plenty more hot days ahead.

And then there were none

2006-07-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

The bermuda triangle of skunks has been eliminated from my yard along with 2 raccoons. So, my trapping days are now over.
I think only 1 of the 3 skunks is still alive. Jingles, the neighbor's rat terrior, killed two and the third I put in a skunk relocation program. Go Jingles!
Sorry Skunks, you stunk. May you rest in peace.

To Catch a Skunk

2006-07-08T14:02:00.000-04:00

You need to catch a raccoon first. I borrowed the neighbor's live trap to catch the skunks. However, it was not meant to be; until today. I caught my first skunk last night.

1. Have a live trap.
2. Bait with Tuna fish or other enticing food.
3. Set trap by their den.
4. Wait until nightfall; they see the trap during the day and want no part of it. Nightfall is perfect.
5. Morning. Skunk is in the "house"
6. Throw a blanket over it. Carefully pick up the cage and place it in your trunk.
7. Drive to a remote location. Open cage, leave blanket on the animal end and walk away. When the skunk realizes you have stepped away, it will leave on its own accord.

Yeah!!! One less skunk. One more to go. The neighbor's dog got the 3rd one (she got sprayed, I didn't) Woohoo!

4 states in 4 days

2006-06-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

Well, I have returned from my whirlwind journey of the midwest. I left GR on sunday afternoon and headed out to Milwaukee for a training class on Monday and Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to get to see many of the orange barrels in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and even Wisconsin. Yes, it seems they all have orange barrels blooming this summer. However, I must say, Chicago has them all beat with the most construction I have seen. I guess it reminds me of the big dig in Boston.

I can now say that I have been to Wisconsin. I even had to venture out to the lake so I could see Lake Michigan from the other side. I am quite used to seeing the sun set on Lake Michigan, but am not used to the sunrise on Lake MI.

It was a good trip. Apparently there is someone in the Brookfield, WI area that I look like because I had two people ask if they new me. Hmm, maybe a twin, separated at birth. Or not.

A couple new flowers

2006-06-13T22:22:00.000-04:00

Here are a few images that I shot in the past few weeks. I haven't updated the blog in awhile as I have been busy with the business. But I have been shooting pics. I love this time of year as there is lots to photograph.

Free Kitty

2006-06-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

Any takers? There are two of them. About 6 weeks old and Oh, so cute. Free to a good home (other than my own).

Arts in Ada

2006-05-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I completed my first craft show. I borrowed a tent, bought a table, and brought a bunch of my photographs. It was a perfectly sunny day interspersed with a few wind gusts and clouds; not too hot and not too cold with just the right amount of traffic.

It sounded as though I was the only photographer at the show and I was pretty specialized at that. If you did not like flowers or lighthouses, you most likely skipped by my booth. However, those that stopped in had very positive things to say and walked out with something in their hands. I had photo note cards, matted 8 x10's and sketch books for sale. The sketch books were a bigger seller than I would have thought although there were a few people that passed on them because the pages were not lined. So, next time I need to have both.

As far as my presentation goes, next time, I would need to up it a bit and frame more pieces, have credit card ordering, and better display racks. All in all, it was a good learning experience and enabled me to get my name out there a bit more.

Tulip Time

2006-05-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

It is time for the tulips in West Michigan. Here are a couple I shot in my yard. They are so beautiful this year. But, I wonder, what happened to all the tulips that came up last year? Are they done for this year? I thought they were all perennials. Oh well. I am enjoying these. I won't make it down to the Tulip Festival in Holland, but that is OK.

Pileated Woodpecker

2006-04-24T21:05:00.000-04:00

Update on the "red-headed woodpecker" I had in my yard the other day. It was a Pileated Woodpecker. According to the bird book I purchased, this bird is rare to uncommon in Michigan.
I am glad that I ran out of the house (half-naked -- good thing I have a private yard) to photograph it.

I have never been much of a bird watcher until I moved out to the "country" where I have nearly 3 acres for wildlife to meander about. I love it out here as there is lots to look at all year long. I grew up in the Metro Detroit area yet am enjoying my new "country" life.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

2006-04-21T20:02:00.000-04:00

Today, as I was getting dressed, I saw a huge woodpecker fly into my yard. Being the photo geek that I am, I decided to go shoot it. The bird was the size of a crow! (not one of those wimpy sparrow-sized woodpeckers).

I got a halfway decent shot of it. He totally reminds me of "Woody the Woodpecker".

Thank you for smoking

2006-04-19T22:54:00.000-04:00

While I am not a smoker myself, this movie seemed as though it would be quite interesting. My friend Greg and I went to see it tonight. I enjoyed it a ton. The main character - a tobacco lobbyist - was hated by the masses. However, he was very good at winning an argument. He was the ultimate spin artist and could convince you of anything. I liked how his mind worked and I am amazed by people like that; someone that can convince you of anything. Someone that never felt that what they were doing was wrong.

I say, Go see it!

Yellows are in bloom

2006-04-17T21:22:00.000-04:00

The Daffodils and the Forsythia are in full bloom this week and are quite beautiful. I love the vibrant yellows against the blue sky or green, green grass.

Ceramic Tile replaces Vinyl

2006-04-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

After the long and grueling task of ripping out the vinyl and removing the adhesive, the new light and bright ceramic tile has been installed. It is a sight for sore eyes and lungs.
the old and ugly vinyl is below...

vinyl off-gas > asbestos health risk

2006-04-17T11:23:00.000-04:00

In an effort to get my studio space in shape, I decided it was time to get rid of the vinyl flooring in the entry way. It had a terrible off-gas odor and since it was 30+ years old, it was time to go. Since the flooring was on the concrete foundation, it had been glued down very well and had to be heated and then scraped to get it up off the flooring. What a pain. My friend Greg joked with me about asbestos and that was all I needed to go surfing on the internet. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a clear answer as to the asbestos content. Sites said that manufacturers of vinyl and other building products "MAY" have been using asbestos until the mid 80's. OK, that is a "May" not a for sure, right? I dug thru my pieces of vinyl and found one that said Congoleum so I went to their website to see if anything was posted like: Vinyl created/installed before "X" date had asbestos or didn't have asbestos. Ha! Wrong. Why would they post that? Fortunately, I did find a customer service form that I could send them a question with. I gave them the details and I got the following info:

Congoleum was using asbestos in their vinyl flooring until 1985. It did not pose a health risk unless I scraped, and dry swept the product. The dust is damaging to the lungs as it gets trapped in the lungs. Smokers are at a greater risk of having issues, but only a trained professional should remove it. LOVELY!!

I did not find this out until it was already too late. I had done everything wrong. So, I put myself at risk without even knowing it.

My questions are as follows:
Why would anyone install vinyl when ceramic costs about the same and looks better? (and no off-gas odors)
Why was the manufacturer still producing the vinyl with asbestos until 1985?
Why aren't there postings on Congoleum (and other manufacturers) website(s) that state: ALL products manufactured before 1985 contained asbestos. Do not scrape, peel, dry sweep, etc. Contact the following to have it properly removed and disposed of?

How great is my risk? How many other people are ripping it out without knowing the consequences? I have to believe I am not the only one who ripped out vinyl with asbestos.

I know that we are all going to die, we just don't know how, when or why. I just don't want to have major lung issues that cause breathing and life to be a bigger challenge than it needs to be.

Butterflies in Bloom

2006-04-01T00:04:00.000-05:00

The butterflies are in Bloom at Meijer gardens. While I was not expecting it to be packed this afternoon, it was. Lots of kids off school. Lots of wanna be photographers with their cell phones trying to capture the beauty of the butterflies in this exhibit. There were also a lot of higher end cameras there. Mostly Canon products, and one Nikon in the crowd. Being the photo geek that I am, I am always checking out the other guys' cameras. I was the only woman with such a camera. Most of the women were shooting with cell phones or point and shoot cameras wondering why they could not get a good shot. Point and shoot cameras will not cut it in this type of a situation.

I very much enjoyed the display of butterflies and even had a couple of them land on me. The place was packed with people and kids of all ages. I think a good time was had by all.

Spring is here

2006-03-31T23:29:00.000-05:00

And the crocus are in bloom to prove it. Today was a beautiful day. Warm (70 degrees), sunny, and windy. My ideal weather situation. I love spring. So, I decided to head out with the camera and see what was coming up in the yard. I found some crocuses and some mini irises (not the technical term) but enjoyed seeing them none the less. The daffodils are working their way up. In another two weeks they should be ready (depending on the weather). In my new garden the tulips are popping up but it appears someone has been munching on the foliage. Grrrr. I thought I was getting animal resistant plants...
Oh well, hopefully they did not ruin the plants and just did a little munching on the leaves?

Invading Spaces

2006-03-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

This week I am hosting a recording session at my home. I have a nice studio space where I typically shoot photos, but since it is not in use this week, I decided to help out my friend Greg and let the band record here.

So far just the drum tracks are being recorded. A mic is needed for every piece of the drum set so each instrument goes onto its own track. Cool. I guess it is like layers in Photoshop and when all the tracks are combined, it will make a "pretty picture" or, in this case, song. I never knew how much time and work went into recording music.

It is fun to have the gang over here and invading my space. Perhaps "Invading Spaces" could be a new reality TV show? Anyway, I can't wait to hear their new CD.

First Day of Spring

2006-03-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Yes, the vernal equinox is here so the days are getting longer and the weather will begin to warm. WOOHOO! I love spring.
It is hard to believe that March is almost over, this year is flying by already. I guess time flies when you are having fun? Well, whatever the case, I am enjoying the sun that was present in the area today. Winter is just not bright enough.

Spring was here today

2006-03-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

It was in the 60's here in west michigan and felt AWESOME! I love spring. It was sooo good to hang out in the yard, light the grill, think about gardening, etc. I know it will not last, but it felt so good.
My plan for this summer is to tackle one of the Raspberry/Brush beds and turn it into something enjoyable. Below is a photomerge of my backyard with notes of what I would like to do. I took the pics today and then put them into photoshop to play with ideas. Ah, I can't wait...

A pond runs thru it

2006-03-10T19:22:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up to a sight I had seen a couple of springs before; a pond in my backyard that had formed overnight due to the heavy rain. While it seems innocent enough, last year the pond found it's way into my basement which was not fun. So, instead of ruin the carpet and contents of the basement, I decided to be pro-active and pull the carpet back Just In Case. Perhaps I am being a worry wort, but I do not have another $700 to shell out to a basement drying company.
Until I can get the deck off the back of the house, the dirt re-graded, and gutters on, I will be proactive. The joys of spring. : )

a little bit of this

2006-03-10T19:14:00.000-05:00

and a little bit of that. Lots of bright colors and textures to photo in and around the honey creek today. It feels like spring is upon us although next week will be cold like winter again. (Bummer)

De-Barking of a Tree

2006-03-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure this is not the technical term for a tree losing its bark, but the tree is definitely losing it. The tree is dead (which could be why it is losing it's bark) but was it sick and then died and is now shedding? Or do they just naturally let go of their bark after they die? Who knows. I'm not sure what kind of tree it even is but it is really shedding it's skin. I don't see any signs of bugs although it appears as though the wood peckers are feasting. Nonetheless, I am enjoying it visually.

St. Joseph Lighthouse

2006-03-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

On Feb 28, I ventured down to the Benton Harbor area to meet with an agency about my work. While I was in the area I decided to take a walk down to the beach and out to the pier to shoot the st joe light. It was a beautiful day (albeit it very cold) and lake Michigan was very flat. However, based on the ice formations on the pier, it had been quite windy, wavey, and cold.

Some people love the summers at the beach, I actually like it in the winter so I can shoot the lighthouses without a bunch of people milling around.

Mango salsa for Carribean Chili

2006-03-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

My Mango Salsa - for my carribean Chili is now complete. The inside of the mango is very different looking than its outer skin. Nonetheless, it turned out good. Tonight I will make the chili to go with it since the chili and soup season is drawing to an end.

Mango

2006-03-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

Mango Time

2006-03-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

A friend asked me to give her my mango salsa recipe which prompted me to go out and buy a couple of mangos. So, being the photo geek that I am, I had to shoot them. They look so pretty. The poor things will look a lot different when I get done with them today. : ( However, I am sure they will taste yummy in their new role.

Food for Thought

2006-02-24T20:02:00.000-05:00

I was having lunch with my friend Greg today and we ended up talking about a few household items (among other things).
Which way should you store your drinking glasses in a cupboard? Top down (bottom up)? or Lip up (bottom down)? Apparently, the way you store them depends on how your family stored them in the cupboards. We are such creatures of habit. I have always stored my glasses upside down so they do not collect dust in the part you drink out of. My family does the same thing. Yet Greg stores his glasses the way his family stored theirs, Upside right or Rightside Up so that the lip is not touching the cupboard shelves. Hmm, after all these years of doing it one way I wanted to know which way was correct and if there was a scientific reason for one way or the other. I found the answer here.

OK, so the next obvious kitchen question was, when loading the dishwasher, do you load the flatware (spoons, forks, etc) handle up or handle down? I was my knives handle up, but everything else goes handle down so when the water runs down them it does not collect on the part you eat off of. I guess that is correct, but I could not find a definitive answer since the site I found referenced "load according to manufacturers instructions". That did not quell my curiosity completely.

How do you store your glasses in the cupboard?
How do you load your flatware in the dishwasher?
If you handwash your dishes, do you use the same towel you dry off your hands with or do you get a new towel out that is used only for drying the dishes? I have a dish towel and one for my hands. All of them get washed weekly.

Those are my deep thoughts for the day. Silly, but Oh well. I am sure there was a Seinfeld episode that had similar questions.

walk the line

2006-02-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

I finally went to see the Johnny Cash flick Walk the Line. It was great. I could not stop myself from moving my leg or tapping my hands to the beat of the music and found myself wanting to clap a couple of times when they were done performing. Had I watched it on DVD I would not have found the urge to clap after the songs. They did a great job with the movie, filming, editing and acting. Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix did a great job and were very convincing.
One of the other things that kept going thru my mind was what an incredible time for music that was. Many of the greats travelling together on the road. I think it is very different now. There are so many one-hit wonders these days and perhaps more music is being produced so nothing stands out as great. I don't know. I enjoy music but am by no means a music critic.
At any rate, Walk the Line was a great movie and should win a few awards at the Oscars.

Ice Storm and other crazy weather

2006-02-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Maple tree is touching the ground.
The cedar tree reminds me of a Dr. Seuss tree. : )

Yesterday was a day full of weather depending on where you were in the state of Michigan. To the North they were buried in snow receiving about 12" during the day.
Here in the Grand Rapids area we had snow (on the 15th) and rain, thunderstorms, high winds, hail and freezing temps (on the 16th) which produced a beautiful icy day today. South of GR (in Kalamazoo) they had 59 degree temps, thunder storms and tornado warnings. Kalamazoo is just an hour south of GR. How bizarre. So far today we have 21 degree temps in the GR area. Tomorrow should be even colder with highs of 10 degrees. (A good day to stay in the house) I wonder if ice will be able to melt from the heat of the sun since the air temp and wind chills certainly will not allow it. I only lost a few branches this time and did not lose my power. (Yahoo!)
At any rate, all the ice made for a few beautiful pics.

A few dollar store items

2006-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

In my attempt to shoot a bunch of tests to see how my new lighting works, I ventured into the dollar store to see what stuff they might have that I could shoot.
I found a good variety of stuff but my two favorite items were the "school projects" dissection toys? I found Human Body Man (made of clear plastic and an opening so you could go in and remove the major organs) and then I found the classic Frog. I remember dissecting a frog in high school. Yuk. I hated the smell. This plastic one, although probably not very accurate smells like nothing or at the very least plastic. So I wonder, were these actually meant to simulate a dissection? Surely not. Perhaps it was just to get kids thinking. And interested in something other than video games? The parts are pretty small and probably a choking hazard so they would not be for the little ones. Hmmm...Maybe that is why I found them at the dollar store?
OK. Another dollar store find? Monica Lewinsky's biography just after it was released (years ago). I guess it was not the big seller they thought it would be? I bought a couple of them and sent them off as gifts for people to read. I thought it was interesting. The dollar store is full of surprises.

Test images

2006-02-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

When my contract ended in December, I recevied a great gift certificate from the Marketing dept. to the local camera center. So, I decided to update my studio equipment and buy some new lighting gear. I have had studio lights for awhile but needed to get some diffusers, reflectors, etc. So, the gift certificates bought me some new gear.(with $3 out-of-pocket expenses--it was a very good gift) So, now I am shooting lots of tests of things I did not shoot before. Here are a couple of samples.

a visit to the Auto Show

2006-02-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

It has been years since I ventured into the Auto Show. My friend Sam called to say that he was going to the show and asked if I would like to attend. Sure, sounds good and off I went. (it was also good for me to get out of the house that I have been spending far too much time in these days)

Growing up in the Detroit area afforded me a love of the automobile and an annual trip to the Detroit Auto Show. It was great to go down with my family to check out all the cars and get all the freebies (which are very different now). It's funny, 'cause now I don't even want the freebies and since I am not in the market for a new car, I have no reason to pick up the new car brochures. The brochures always spurred on dreams of a new cool car and the fun times that would be had in it. Now it is just more paper to add to a landfill or hopefully a recycling center.

I did spend time looking at the cars. I got in a few of them but behind the wheel of none. The kids seemed to love getting into the cars and I was hit by a few anxious kids running from one car to another to get in to the car of their dreams. Kids don't really see adults they just seem to see what they want and go for it. There were some very cool cars there. Some crazy 4-wheel thing from Jeep (a concept vehicle) and a pretty cool looking truck from Dodge called the Dude? I have tried to locate it on one of the websites, but cannot locate it. I said that Sam needed to buy the Dude(Assuming it is a real truck) since he says "dude" a lot. The only thing I could think of is the movie "dude, where's my car" or in this case, truck. How much research was done on this name? I am sure it must be a challenge to name a vehicle that isn't already used by another manufacturer, but Dude? Could it be confused with Dud? You wouldn't want to buy a dud... Perhaps they are marketing this car to the 18-25 year old male pot head or surfer that says Dude far too much. Not sure, but thought it was an odd choice.
There were lots of convertibles to look at. Honda has a new one that reminds me of the Mazda Miata. I thought it could have been cooler looking. Honda makes a nice car.
The other thing I noticed was that many of the cars look like the cars by other manufacturers. Like they are all trying to compete for the same buyer so all the cars regardless of manufacturer have very similar features. Nothing really stands out as "brand x". They seem to be homogenized.
There was a Kia that had the front end of the Jaguar and a few brands that had the same back ends. (Not like GM vs Pontiac but GM vs Jeep or Ford.)

Pricing was interesting. Some of the cars you would think were "cheap" actually had a higher price tag (Kia was a good example of this). Also, there were some cars that seemed awfully expensive for the style and fuel efficiency that they had to offer. With the price of gas these days, I was surprised to see so many gas guzzlers on display. However, there are people making lots of cash and feel it is important to look good in whatever car/truck/Hummer they buy. My car has not gone up much in 4 years which is good.
All in all, it was good to go downtown GR to people watch, look at cars and have something to blog about. : )

Live Music - Truck stop style

2006-02-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to a bar to see my good friend Greg (as seen behind a few guitars at the drum set) play with his latest band the Truck Stop Cobras. They are an offshoot of Los Cobras by adding a singer to the three-piece instrumental surf band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was their first public performance and it went well.
The music was soulful and had a nice groove to it. Job well done.
I was able to photograph the guys "in action" but it was my first time shooting a band. I am used to studio or outdoor shots. Oh well, here are a couple of the shots. Check them out if you are in the Grand Rapids area and would like a change from the everyday.

The holidays are officially over

2006-02-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that the employed are back to work after recovering in January from a long holiday break. Either that or they are just now are getting UN-buried from the work that slipped away during the holidays. At any rate, those adding employees to their companies seem to be calling now. January was a rather slow month in regards to hearing from companies and this week things have really picked up. I am now getting calls daily about possible opportunities. (This is good.) I hate not working and not hearing from people.
So, to all those people who told me to try and enjoy some of my time off, I am. (This is the first time in nearly 7 years that I have not been working.) It feels weird and I want to work again. I actually enjoy working and helping people out where I can, but I am enjoying some of the down time.

The other thing I discovered on my time off? How little money I need to spend on a daily basis and how much I was spending. (Ouch).
Oh well, this time off has been a good learning experience. (Trying to figure out what I can do, what I will do, and what I won't do for a living.) I know that I do not want to work fast food, be a door greeter or a receipt marker at the big box stores, do tele-marketing, sell insurance, or drive a truck for a living.
At this point, relocating is also not an option. I have had 2 offers to do that and I am not interested in moving. I own a home in town, my friends are here, and my family is within 2.5 hours of me. So, I am not willing to move to Bloomington, IL or Auburn Hills. : (
Call me crazy, but I like it here in GR.

Double JJ Ranch with the boyscouts

2006-01-29T14:45:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I left GR (with a couple of inches of snow on the ground) to head north to the Double JJ resort in Rothebury, MI where I would join my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and his boyscout troupe.

I spent the day watching (and photographing) the boys go horseback riding, dogsledding, and snow tubing. Just some of the winter activities available at the Double JJ.

The day started off nice and sunny although it ended up just pouring rain. Rain in the middle of winter is rather bizarre, but I guess nothing surprises me this winter. I believe a good time was had by all even though there was no snow up there. Dogsledding without snow is accomplished by creating a "sleigh" with wheels that the dogs pull quite easily. I was pretty impressed with the dogsledding operation.

They have approximately 20 dogs that live there year round. The dogs work 5 days a week and take in a high protein, high-fat diet of 2,500 calories per day. They can eat more than that, but it is all just waste after the 2,500 calories. Interesting. Each dog can pull approx. 200 lbs. The "sleigh on Wheels" weighs about 700 lbs without people. So, it takes 4 dogs to pull the sleigh and another 3 dogs for the people. The smallest fastest dogs were in front and the bigger, slower dogs were in back by the sleigh. It was really cool to hear the details about the process. The guy training them has been working with the dogs for 9 years. The dogs just relax in the summer and work in the winter.

It was pretty cool to see the dogs start barking when their trainers came over to the pen as if to say, "Pick Me, Pick Me!!!" You can tell these dogs really want to pull the sleighs (wheels or no wheels). They showed such excitement when they took off and seemed happy to be attached to the sled as the chosen dogs. With so many dogs, they all get turns.
The boys all wanted to pet the dogs and the dogs were OK with that.
The Bull got loose:
Yes, the bull got loose from it's pen but was quickly wrangled back. The animal handlers all do a great job. It was pretty awesome to be so up close and personal with the bull. I had a nice time taking pics of the animals that I don't normally get to see out on the honey creek.
I would recommend a winter weekend to the Double JJ ranch. I enjoyed the activities, food and lodging in the cute little cabins. Too bad we didn't have snow.

Weather Rollercoaster

2006-01-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

I have always heard the following: If you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait a minute and it will change. Well, that has certainly been true this winter. We started out with a lot of snow in West Michigan (40" by January) and then, Poof! No snow. Then earlier this week it snowed. And poof, it is gone again. However, tonight the weather people are predicting 6" of snow in this area by Saturday morning. Wow, this winter has been very bizarre and cannot seem to make up it's mind as to whether or not it wants to be unseasonably warm or snowy... The pics were taken on the 18th (snow) and 20th (no snow). Very bizarre and not easy to plan the clothing.

Morning Person

2006-01-16T08:42:00.000-05:00

Perhaps it is because I was born at O'dark30 or it just agrees with me, but I am definitely a morning person. The past couple of days have made me quite happy to be a morning person since I witnessed an incredibly red sky yesterday and the moon setting this morning. Love the moon shadows at night and the moon shining into my bedroom window in the AM.

Cleaning out

2006-01-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

The Bathroom. Now that I have a bit of time on my hands, I have decided to thoroughly clean my house. Today's task was the master bath. Too much dust and OLD products in there. Purge, purge, purge. Hundreds of vitamin tablets went into the trash. (What a waste of money.)

I must say that I have not used any of them in years. So, it was time. Time to pitch out the useless stuff in my life. I had no place for all those expired vitamins. Now I know how often I am willing to take things like Echinacea or St. Johns Wort (that someone sent me years ago). Never. Should you really take Echinacea if you are allergic to pollen? Seems like a bad idea. And who in their right mind wants to subject themselves to St. Johns Wort? It may be from a "Saint" but I have never been fond of Warts. : ) So, those products and about 5 other vitamins were dumped. Good riddance. More space for the stuff that was on the counter. How much money do you waste on Vitamins?

Looking for jobs

2006-01-12T17:19:00.000-05:00

is not fun. I would rather be employed. I enjoy working. I don't enjoy looking for work. It is no fun.

I am staying busy, but it is not enough for me. I loved what I was doing... some would say I am a fool for that, but I enjoyed the balance between the technical world and the creative. I enjoyed trying to figure out why something wasn't working and how to get it working again. Ah well, soon enough I will be working again and will wish I had some more free time in my day.

Day One, Not Working

2006-01-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

but organizing. Cleaning out the office that was filled with paperwork and cds. It was time to clean it out and organize it. I will be ready to meet with the accountant early this year. I will also be ready to work on my photo business and put some presentation materials together. Day one of not working felt weird, but overall it was productive. Productive is good.

My Last day at work this Year

2005-12-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

is tomorrow. Happy hour tomorrow night with the gang from the office. It should be fun. It has been a great 6.5 years there and I will miss them. However, I am sure that we will cross paths. So, I look at this time as a new beginning. My new adventure begins in January.

Cliches

2005-12-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

All good things come to those who wait.
All good things come to an end.
When one door closes, another opens.
Everything happens for a reason.

Yes, these are just some of the many things I have heard this week now that I know my job of 6.5 years is coming to an end. Thankfully, I have had many, many positive notes from soon-to-be former colleagues. They are refreshing to hear. I put all the positive comments together in a note for myself, as a reminder, that I am smart enough, good enough, and gosh darnit, people like me. Ah, Stuart Smalley was great. ; )

So, January will start a new year and new endeavors and I welcome them!

Quirky waitress

2005-12-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

OK, so last night after the movie we decided to go out for a bite to eat. Soup at Panera Bread actually. We walk in and the girl behind the counter is singing Christmas carols. She was very "chipper". A little too chipper. And I believe she took a liking to us (because we were the coolest people there:) as she kept stopping over to talk to us while we were eating. Not like, how's your food, but very personal stuff like"my boyfriend is in Vegas right now and called me to say he was at an all nude strip bar"; she continues: I was like, what do you want me to do about it? We mentioned we had just seen king Kong and she carried on a conversation about that, getting a bladder infection from holding her pee too long and then went off onto the Brokeback Mountain movie and how she wanted to go see that. 'Cuz the guys are so hot. Hmmm. Very bizarre little college girl working at Panera bread. Entertaining, but not, because we wanted to talk to each other but she kept popping her head into our conversation. She even tried to take away the food my friend was eating while he was still eating it?!? Very bizarre. He and I had a good laugh about her. She was either heavily caffeinated or...Ah, to be 20 again. I felt so old.

King Kong - My review

2005-12-14T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well, my friend and I went to see King Kong. He was much more brave than I was. You might say that I was rather whimpy even or that the special effects were so good it scared me out of my seat a few times. Luckily, he was there to let me know that it was just a movie. The special effects were very good and the creatures were very disturbing at times. I had to look away many times although I ended up peeking thru my scarf to see if the creepy scene was over. All in all, I say, GO see it! King Kong is the creature you grow to love.

King Kong

2005-12-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's the day it opens in GR. I will be attending tomorrow night with a friend. It should be fun (and scarey). Just looking at his face scares me!

Shopping for the perfect Garage Fridge

2005-12-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

My sisters and I decided we would go in on a Garage fridge for my dad to replace the old one that finally bit the dust. Not wanting to spend a fortune on such a storage device, I did some shopping online and at various big box stores and found fridges for around 300. However, ABC Warehouse, had one advertised for $257. By the time we add in taxes and delivery, we are looking at the magic 300 and some change. Dreading ABC warehouse, I thought perhaps I could call the store close to my dad's house, order it and set up delivery for after Xmas. Sounds easy right? Well, they referred me to the local store who could set everything up. So, off I trek in the cold blustery snow to one of my least favorite appliance stores to get the $257 garage fridge. (I should have known it would be a challenge when there were NO cars in the parking lot other than what seemed to be employee cars. I was the ONLY customer stepping foot into the store.)
Low and behold, ALL of the sales people are sitting around kibbitzing, and like a vulture looking for the latest road kill, the closest salesperson to the door swooped in for the kill.
With flier in hand (printed off their website) I go back to the Refrigerator section. Salesman closest to the door follows me all the way back.
What can I help you find? A garage fridge, I say and show him the one I am looking for. He walks me over there and shows me the model in the ad. Hmm. It is marked at 317 and not marked on sale. But I have the flier with the lower advertised price.
His sell begins. "We do not have ANY of those in stock." (Of course not, that's just what you advertise to get me in the door) Well, can you check your computer and see if one of the other stores in MI has it? "Well, uh, well."
Finally I have persuaded him to check the inventory levels. Sure enough, 0. No guarantees that we will have any by xmas. Once again I tell him, that's fine because my dad will be out of town until New Years.
The bigger story/sell now begins (trying to make me worry that my dad will not have a garage fridge for the holidays). Let me see what I can do. [He walks me down the fridge aisle to the more expensive models and says he can sell me the 499 fridge for 399.] whoopee! Such a deal!
but really, I am only here for the garage fridge, an overflow fridge, nothing fancy, nothing pretty, just something to keep some beer and a few odds and ends cold. Lots of hemming and hawing now. He casts judgment on the sale fridge (and essentially me and my sisters for wanting to buy it) and really wants me in the upscale model. No deal. I am here for the $257 model.
If you and the store would like a sale tonight, please, take my money. I don't want to miss the sale price.
He clearly does not want to do this. However, I am persistent like the Boston Terriers we had that would not let go of the sock when you were playing tug-of-war. He takes me to the register to ring up the $257 fridge. Well, you know, you should really buy the extended warranty on this item because the Garage is VERY hard on the compressor. No, thank you. Dad had the last garage fridge out in the garage for 15+ years. I explain I don't think it will be an issue since he has insulated garage doors, etc. I just want the fridge delivered to my dad after new years!
Finally, I have a receipt for $314 which includes the 257 fridge 40 delivery and taxes.
I am sure his commission was next to nothing, although it was more than ANYONE else in the store was getting since I was the only customer. Hmmm, I wonder why?

Hopefully, they will get the fridge I ordered, if not, I will get another (better) one for that price. Just because of all the grief I went thru to order dad's xmas fridge. It will be fun. I hate going into ABC Warehouse, but would only be able to find that "deal" at the scratch and dent store.

Turkey day has come and gone

2005-12-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

It seems as though Thanksgiving was ages ago. However, I am pretty sure it was just a week ago based on the calendar. Time has flown by fast this year. I cannot believe it is already december and there are 22 days until Christmas. Wow. Well, most of my shopping is done. Just a few more little things to get. Pics are from Thanksgiving. There was turkey, pork, (and lamb for the Australians) attending. There were 3 pies and one fancy mereinge dessert. Too much food for the size group we had but there were plenty of leftovers for those that do not mind eating them. It was a very nice evening for all with no family fueds which makes it a bonus.

ipod - do you?

2005-11-22T21:45:00.000-05:00

Normally, I am not one to buy the latest and greatest techno gadget to say I own it. However, in an effort to listen to more music (that I already own and enjoy) I decided to buy an iPod. To consolidate my collection of CDs into an easy access format. Specifically, the 30gb iPod Video - in Black. Yes, it is beautiful. I never thought I would be as hooked as I am, but I am officially hooked. My buddy Dave (who has every iPod since the birth of the iPod), has the newest one and raved about it, so here I am, the proud owner of a new iPod, cables/transmitters for the car, stereo, and a new external Hard drive so I can back up my computer. Gee, the $299 ended up costing a bit more. Oh well, merry christmas to me! Perhaps I can put a few thousand images or a few videos on it as well. I don't care, I just know that I love it and so far it only has music on it. : )
Now I just need to upload all my tunes...a good winter project.

Knee Surgery

2005-11-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

Well, my sister successfully made it thru her knee replacement surgery. At 42, she is quite young to have the surgery done, but since Rheumatoid Arthritis has obliterated the joint there was not much else she could do. She was in a ton of pain before the surgery but sounds awesome now. The amazing thing is that she had the surgery done on Tuesday at about 2 pm and she left the hospital today! I hope that she continues the speedy recovery. I will go home tomorrow to help out for the weekend. Shopping, laundry, whatever, I just want to help out my sis and her family.

First Snow of the Season

2005-11-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

As much as I hate winter, it is now upon us in West Michigan. Tonight we are getting "Lake Effect" snow. Oh, joy. One of the things I love about snow is the ability for it to wipe out the color in a photograph. Winter can be very Black and White. It's hard to believe that just four days ago we had highs in the mid 60s. I was out hauling and stacking wood in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. What a difference a few days make.

Crusty Pod Puffs

2005-11-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

or milkweed part 2.
Yes, I am a freak. But I find these beautiful. They start out as purple flowers and end up a pod with a crusty outer shell and little seeds attached to cotton puffs. They are so cool. I loved them as a kid and forgot about them for the most part. However, I now have my own crusty pod puffs growing in my yard. : )

Milkweed

2005-11-08T06:20:00.000-05:00

Ah, I remember these from when I was a kid. Up at the cottage along the road on the way to the beach. I don't remember the pretty light purple flowers they have earlier in the year, just the prickly pod of seeds that blow gently into the wind. I thought I took pics of the flower yet I could not find them in my catalog of images, so these will have to do.

Fall at it's peak

2005-10-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

Ah, the colors are beautiful at my house these days. I know that it will not last much longer as the heavy clouds are finding their way into MI. A sure sign of the impending winter season. While I am not a big fan of winter I am trying to take in all the warmth of the colorful leaves. Many of my trees have shed their season's growth, but a few are just beginning the process. I think it all has to do with the hills and valleys in my yard; which spots are cooler (more exposed) and those that are more protected from the wind. Those that are more protected still have many of their leaves and the colors went from green (last week) to yellow this week. Its funny how the colors of the leaves are so warm when the weather begins to cool and we are left with nothing but cool colors thru winter.

Feeling "normal" again

2005-10-30T21:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, my short rant about getting sick. I went to a Dr. (dermatologist) last week and ended up getting sick. Now I didn't go in because I was sick, but the Dr. I visited was. When she sneezed upon entering the room she proceeded to apologize for being sick and wiping out half her office. Great. You are a doctor. Go HOME! Don't infect others that are not sick. Needless to say, I was sneezing within 12 hours of seeing this doctor and decided to work from home for 2 days so as not to spread the germs. Too bad the Dr. didn't do that as well. Not only did she take out half the staff, she infected at least one of her patients. Bummer. I spent all weekend at home and missed my friend's Halloween party. I am starting to feel better. Drug of choice for this flu? TheraFlu and TheraFlu Nighttime.

Fall Colors

2005-10-24T19:52:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. The time just before the time of year I like the least. [winter] Fall is turning out to be a very colorful one around west MI. I have lots of trees on my 3-acre lot. Many maples, a cherry, a few oaks, some crab apples, a couple elm and then a couple I have no idea what they are. I shot a couple picks of the leaves in hopes that someone might know what they are.
Perhaps this one above should be the "State of MI" tree. Since it is kinda shaped like the Michigan mitten {minus the U.P.} Below are some other examples of the same tree's leaves.
The third image reminds me of an Oak leaf. However, the Oak leaves are not typically jagged? I don't know. Wish I did. Wish I had that collection of wax paper-ironed fall leaves from grade school that would tell me what leaves I was looking at. Oh well, I do not have them. Perhaps I can make my own collection of wax paper/ironed leaves. If I could only remember how... Ah, the art projects of childhood.

Headhuggers, Not tree huggers

2005-10-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

About 8 months ago a bunch of women at the office invited me to "knitting, lunch, and learn". Since I had NO idea how to knit, I decided to sit in and see what these women were doing. First project, a ten-inch square which would later be turned into a quilt and donated. It was not that easy as I am left handed and nearly everyone else was right-handed. Oh well. I finally figured it out after reading Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller. (a very fun book for someone interested in learning to knit. Young & hip. Not old and boring.)
The next thing was to make Chemo Caps. A very nice thing to do for people that have lost their hair to Chemotherapy. Well, that seemed to go quite well and soon I had 2 hats made. The first hat was a bit large (even too big for my bucket head) but, would work with a pretty ribbon. The third hat in the pic was my dad's girlfriend's first hat. Not too shabby. I finally bundled them all up and sent them off to Headhuggers to distribute to those in need. I hope they enjoy them. Now I need to knit one for myself since winter is approaching. Next donation? My hair. I am close to the 10" (plus 2" to cleanup & style) needed to send off to Locks of Love. That will be my 5th donation to Locks of Love since 1999. At 12" each time, that means I will have cut off 60" inches of hair since 1999. Yikes!

Men and their cars

2005-10-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

Much like new moms want pictures of their new babies, men love their cars (and pictures of them).

This was obvious on Sunday when I went to the Harvest Happening at the Waterford Hills Race Track. There were lots of men with their cars on display before each of them took a turn or two on the race track. The hoods were open for all to see. (Unless of course you had not customized it) All sorts of cars: Corvettes, a Trans Am, kit cars, a lot of Mustangs, a Ford Focus, and a few imports. The guys really love their cars. I think they love them as much as women love babies. They even want pictures of their cars to hang in their office or the garage. I guess the pics bring back memories of life with the car? Good times had in the back seat? At the wheel? Cleaning it? I dunno.
Oh well. As a woman my need to photograph my car is not really that strong. However, after growing up in the Detroit area, (new car Mecca) I have an affinity for the automobile. It was great living in that area since there were always new cars on the roads that had not released to the public yet.
My first Car? A 1970 Chevrolet Station Wagon that was big enough to put a sunfish boat in the back end and head out to the lake. It was the green machine with the seat in the way back.
It was great. Some of the other cars I had the privilege of driving:

1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Rag Top (Cherry Red w/white Top)
1980 Mercury LN7
1982 Lincoln Town Car (Black, w/ moon roof) I was styling in this car but caught hell for driving it from my artist boyfriend in college.
1986 Chevy Cavalier (the first car I bought --for $3k sold it for $2k 5 years later.)
1989 Toyota Camry (USED- totaled before I bought it. : ( --got my money back when I discovered it)
1988 Ford Crown Victoria (interim car until I got cash back for Camry 1)
1996 Volkswagen Golf (my first new car)
2002 Toyota Camry (my second new car--love it)

What was your first car? Your Favorite car?

Gentleman's Race

2005-10-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

Today I got to watch my brother-in-law live out one of his dreams of riding his 2002 Corvette something series (sorry, I don't know the model #) on a race track. The "race" considered to be a "Gentleman's race" where the men are not out to place first (or damage their pricey cars) but just want to ride on a closed course race track with straight-aways, tight corners, hills, etc. and feel as though they are actually in a race. There is some passing for position, but nothing too intense. These guys seemed to be out there because they love (to drive) their cars instead of wanting to win the race. It was cool to watch.

I got in trouble a couple of times because I got a little too close to the track and was asked to back off. I backed off but still got some good shots. I shot about 200 pictures. A few of them were for other men that saw me shooting and wanted pics of their car/race. It was fun. Very different than the Figure 8 races I have attended in the past year, but enjoyable none-the-less.

Phallic Container

2005-10-04T20:25:00.000-04:00

For those of you who do not know what "phallic" is the definition I found on dictionary.com is as follows: Of, relating to, or resembling a phallus (or penis).
I am sure that most people of a certain age understand the word, however...
I was chatting with a friend of mine today and spotted an odd object in his office. I looked at him, he looked at me, and we both snickered. Perhaps we should not have snickered, but we just could not resist. It was a 7" phallus-looking clear plastic tube filled with liquid that had a light yellow color. I was brave and picked up the object to find that it was actually a grapefruit-mango flavored protein drink!

Questions now fill my head.

Who is the target market for such a product?
Why the shape?
Why clear plastic and a yellowish liquid? (Why not a more vibrant color that does not look like a urine speciman??)
Who would drink out of this?
Why such a heavy duty container? Who came up with the shape?
Why is the opening at the base?
Did they do market research to determine the shape of the packaging?
How many do they sell?
Do they sell other phallic products?
Why would they put a clear protein drink in a container shaped like a phallus?
Who would pay $3 per 2.7oz. vile of protein?
Do you buy it only for the shape?
Is the container recyclable?

I could go on for days, however, I will spare you. You be the judge. What questions come to your mind? Would you drink from this "bottle"? Nine out of ten men that I questioned said, NO! I have to take them at their word, but someone is buying this product. Who is it? I cannot say I would buy it other for the novelty of the shape. Maybe for a bachelorette party? I felt like I needed to wash my hands after touching it. I would love to hear your comments. : )

Grilled Salmon

2005-10-02T21:40:00.000-04:00

Although I am not a seafood fan, I decided I must try the salmon that I was given in return for the photos I took. So, I marinated the salmon steaks in olive oil, lime juice, crushed garlic and pepper; grilled them and had one for dinner. The smell and the flavor of the meat was not at all fishy [probably because it was sooo fresh] which was a very good thing. It was good, but I must say, I had a hard time peeling the skin off so I could eat the fish. It really creeped me out as it was too close to the fish for me. My next career will not be, "fisherman".

I remember fishing with my grandfather when I was a little girl and spending a lot of time puking from the smell. (I don't think he was too happy about that.) To think, that my family comes from a fishing community in Nfld.

Oh well, the fish did not go to waste. I called my friend Carole (who loves Salmon) and gave her 3 grilled steaks and 4 frozen steaks. She was, oh, so happy to have the salmon. I just could not eat the salmon. I wonder, if I went to a farmer's field, and took pictures of his beef cattle, would he give me some steaks in trade?

Salmon - swim upstream to die?

2005-10-01T12:56:00.000-04:00

In the past couple weeks, while driving downtown GR over the Grand River, I noticed a bunch of guys out there fishing. It is that time of year when the salmon are swimming upstream in an effort to lay their eggs (and I guess die?).

Anyway, I talked to one of the fishermen at the office to find out what time of day would be best to catch them fishing downtown. I was told that daybreak was the best time of day. So, this morning, I was up at 6 so I could get downtown by sunrise. Much to my surprise, there were already about 30 guys with their poles in the water hoping to reel in a big one. It was a beautiful fall morning and perfect for checking out the fishermen. There were a few guys reeling them in and a bunch of other guys hooking them, but losing them to the fast current.

I think the coolest thing for me was to see the fish flying out of the water in an effort to get over the wall and into the next level of the river. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture any of those shots. : (

However, I did get a few other shots that you may enjoy.

My question is this: If the fish are going upstream to lay eggs and die, is the meat bad or old? Not as flavorful? Why are so many guys in the river trying to reel them in if it is not edible? Who knows, perhaps it is just for the sport of it. It was a good way to start my day.
Check out a couple of the photos at Flickr

The stars are out tonight

2005-09-26T22:24:00.000-04:00

One of the many things I like about living out in the "country" is being able to walk out into my yard at night and look up and see the stars. Not a bunch of city lights that block the bigger dipper and other constellations. I get to see the stars. : )

Tonight as I walked out to the mailbox and observed the stars, I was reminded of living in Raleigh, NC, after Hurricane Fran [9.6.96]. Although the hurricane had done some damage to the area and I had no power for 10+ days, my friends and I enjoyed hanging out under the stars in the middle of the city. It was a treat to see the stars in an area normally flooded by city lights. The nights after the storm were pretty peaceful, actually relaxing. The storm sure as hell wasn't. A storm like that changes your perspective on things. I know my view of hurricanes has changed and I really don't want to go thru another one. I guess it is OK living in Michigan.

Demo Scramble at Ionia

2005-09-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

After last week's exciting bus races at Berlin, I decided to check out the Demo Scramble that my old boss was racing in. It was not his normal Figure 8 fare, but a "demo scramble" chock full of cars that had seen many races in days gone by. Well, Figure 8 (in his 2nd number 42 car for the season) was in the first heat. It seemed as though he was off to a good start, and then, something happened. He ended up a wallflower off to the side [not out of harm's way] wanting to take another turn. However, no such luck. I will have to check out his blog, or stop by and drop off the pics and find out what happened.
All in all, it was still more fun than the bus races at Berlin. Lots of cars bit the dust and ended up like an upside down bug needing attention to go any further. Hopefully Figure 8 will get one of the cars up for the last race of the season. Who knows.
At any rate, here are a couple of shots from the race. (in no particular order)

the man on the moon

2005-09-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

is smiling cause he's in love with the girl on the world? [from a Harry Connick, Jr song] I can hear the tune, but was never good with all the lyrics of a song. Like the b-52s song love shack, I thought the one line was, Hen-ry, Bust-ed! [instead it is really Tin Roof, Rusted] Hmm, I think it is because of the video where someone walks into the house and then they say, ...Tin Roof, Rusted?
I am sure there are other songs that I have messed up the lyrics on, but I remember the melody.
Well, you can't see the man on the moon here, but that is what I think of when I see the full moon. This shot is from 9.26.04. Kathlee inspired me to go shoot another, but I didn't catch it at the right time. So, this will have to do. Love the full moon.

Bus Races at Berlin Raceway

2005-09-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

Sam asked if I would like to go see the Bus Races at Berlin Speedway. So, having nothing scheduled for last night, I decided that it would be interesting to go out there and see the buses race. It was more of a car race with a Bus special event than a bus race but, it was interesting.

It provided a great opportunity to people watch. People that I do not see on a regular basis. There were a few women in evening gowns [seemed odd] but mostly people in jeans & t-shirts which was OK by me. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the giant foam Cowboy hats (which you could not see around if you had one in front of you) and the t-shirt of the day? F... Milk. Got Beer?

Sam and I ate before we went out there as I am not a big fan of overpriced, carni-style food. However, it was interesting to see what others were eating. Buckets of fries, and what I thought were batter dipped french fries [how much grease do you need in one fry?] but Sam insisted they were chicken strips. Hmmm. There were lots of cans of beer and wine-type coolers for sale, along with krispie creme donuts, ice cream, and cotton candy.

Back to the race, the stock cars went around in circles, some hitting the others but mostly trying to avoid hitting others or speeding out of control. Their cars cost a lot more [than fig. 8 cars] so they probably do not want to smash them up. The bus races were a little tense as they are SO BIG on that little track so that was fun.

I think the figure 8 races that I went to were a little more exciting because there was always some smashing going on. Junker cars roaming around on the track smashing into each other at the center of the 8. Perhaps it is because a friend of mine is just crazy enough to ride in the figure 8s that I enjoy those more. Who knows.

Cockscomb

2005-09-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

Cockscomb. An odd name for the plant but I guess it does resemble a rooster's comb. It's pretty amazing since even as it dries it retains it's vibrant color. There are a ton of seeds (the size of poppy seeds), so perhaps I will give them a go next spring and see if I will have a nice new batch of cockscomb.

Below is the ornamental eggplant I bought at the farmers market last weekend. I thought they were pretty cool looking. Not at all like an eggplant, but...

Art or Body Debris?

2005-09-15T22:15:00.000-04:00

You decide.
I went out with a man I met off the Internet. His name was Brian. 45, an artist, well-educated [4 MFA degrees]. The 4 MFA degrees scared me a little bit as I wonder: who really needs four MFA degrees? In 4 different areas from separate schools? I have 2 degrees. One BFA [in printmaking] and an MFA [in Photography] 2, for me, is enough. I thought about getting my PhD. But, I really needed to start working and pay off the MFA degree. No more school. Enough with teachers, etc.
Anyway, back to the brainiac. When he told me about his art, I found him a little odd.
What do you think? Is it art to cut off your finger nails [gotta be in one piece] and save all the nail clippings until there are thousands of them? (at which point you display them on a wall, in little baggies.) Could you stop cutting your nails after the piece is "complete"? No, apparently you need to keep cutting them and saving them because you have done it for so long it is now part of your life.
Another "piece of artwork" is one of pubic hair arranged on a grid and taped down. Some are curly, some straight, etc. (Oh, look at the pretty patterns...)

I'm sorry, NO WAY! I am an artist, and not all of my art is as conservative as what is on my blog, but fingernails and pubic hair do NOT make ART. They are body debris. Things to be thrown out or washed down the drain! No need to leave it on the soap, the counter, the toilet seat, the bed. Say good-bye to them. They are Pubic Hairs, NOT ART. The only pubic hair that is enjoyable, is that attached to the body. Call me crazy, but it ceases to be "ART" once it is shed from the body.

2 dates with this man were plenty (although the guys at the office wanted me to go out on another just to see what crazy sh-- he would come up with next.)

I could not do it. Let him be an artist. He is obviously too deep for me (and many of my artist friends). I will be a real person who makes art on occasion and who does not save finger nail clippings or pubic hair for public displays. I prefer "pretty" pictures that include the human body, flowers and landscapes; not body debris.

Men and their hair plugs

2005-09-09T21:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, so, it is not a man. But last weekend as I walked down the beach of Lake Michigan, it reminded me of a man I know that decided he needed to cover up his balding head and had plugs of hair embedded. I think he was much sexier bald. The plugs looked totally fake; much like this rock covered in algae. My advice to balding men:
Don't put plugs in. Don't do the toupe. Please, please, please don't do the comb-over! You are not fooling anyone. Let it go! Shave it off. It is OK! Men look good without hair on their head.
I used to love the feeling of rubbing my hands on my boyfriend's shaved head. It felt great against my hands. Touch is a wonderful thing.

Ah, if only I had a good man in my life. I miss my pork tartare. : (

my left foot

2005-09-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

and then my right foot. Not the movie, but my feet. : )
They felt soo good on the smooth, wet rock in Lake Michigan on Sunday. The water is still relatively warm thanks to the higher than normal temps this summer. Dad and I walked the beach one hour north of his house and back. We had a good talk.
It was a gorgeous day as the light is amazing at this time of year. Just what I needed.

Guardian Frog

2005-09-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

Some people have guardian angels, I had a guardian frog this weekend.
I found it odd to see him affixed to the side of my house and then on the screen door. [I believe he is a tree frog due to the cool little suction cups on his "Feet".] However, froggy decided to stay close by my side this weekend. So, I decided to be the paparazzi and shoot him.

Ah, I remember the days when my little sister used to go down the road at the cottage to go froggin. She kissed a lot of frogs back then; even fed one to an unsuspecting horse. I am sure the horse was not very happy (about as unhappy as Keydiddle was when the horse ate the frog she was showing him). Oh well, something new for the horse that day.

Those were the days. Summers up north at the cottage. It was great fun.

Prickly One

2005-08-27T23:41:00.000-04:00

The only thing soft on this, are the sprays of purple coming off the head of this beast. It is nothing but menacing.

If everything on God's green earth has a purpose, could someone tell me the purpose of the thistle? To be 6' tall and covered in needles? Yikes. While it is visually pleasing, I don't understand the value of thistle. (other than giving me the ability to understand why there are other plants/flowers I like much better.) Does any good come from such a prickly beast?

Canon EOS-10D, iso 1600, lens 105mm, shutter 1/125 sec, aperture f/4.5.