The Optimistic Amateur

Learning.

2009-06-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

That's one of the things I like about photography. It's a learning process. I took the things I've learned in the past year, and took this picture at Moraine Lake.

I took this picture while I had the dog, who was trying to run away, tied to my belt. I needed to do about five more things to make this picture perfect, but I am happy with how it turned out. I do plan to go back again when the lake is fuller and do it properly, with the right light. But just in case I don't make it back this year, I can live with the shot until next year.

Here is another with my rotten kids in the shot:

They were much more interested in building rock towers than soaking in the gorgeous scenery. Boys.

We went branding again.

2009-06-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

But this time Jake got really stick and had to stay home with his Dad. So Danny and I went by ourselves. I think Danny was lost without having his older brother to shadow, so he was miserable. I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do, but I did get a few.

The picture a couple posts down, of the pumpjack in the sunset was taken on the way there. Driving in the car. Don't tell on me. It is Saskatchewan, it's a pretty straight and flat road.

Here's my uncle, all vintaged out in photoshop:

Here it is in color:

Here is a horse that I fell in love with. Beautiful animal. I have a love/scared thing with horses. I love them so much, I love to ride them, but I am terrified of them. I've been bucked off a few horses in my day, and it left a lasting mental impression. But then I look at a horse like this one, and I just want to pet them and ride them and be scared. I'm weird like that.

Here are my cousins, hard at work. These girls are pretty much the opposite of me when it comes to horses. Well semi-opposite. There's no fear here.

Here's my uncle again, it's not hard to tell who is running this show, is it?

And finally, Danny with his Jacob substitute for the weekend. He loved this little guy.

And that is that. I'll be back with the mountains. From one extreme to the next, eh?

And now he is six.

2009-06-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this birthday seems like such a big one. Six. 1/3 of the way to 18. I asked him if he is going to be too big to hug and kiss me now, and he says "I'll never be too big to hug and kiss you Mom, even when I am a teenager". I love this kid so much it feels like someone is squeezing my heart when I think about it too much. He is an awesome, awesome kid. Here he is, growing up:

Every night I thank my lucky stars that he is my son. He is wise beyond his years, empathetic, and caring. He always knows the right thing to say at the right time. His intelligence astounds me, as does his athletic ability. My only athletic ability is to fall right on my ass, so it continually amazes me that something that come from me is such a natural athlete. He hasn't met a sport he doesn't like. From curling to golf to hockey, he is all about it. Thank you Jacob, for teaching me so much these past six years, I only hope that I have been half the mom to you, as the son you've been to me. I love you buddy.

Buh Bye Wrinkled Balls!!

2009-06-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here's some new shots, so as to get the rotten apples off the top of the blog. I'm too tired for my regular witty commentary (*cough*) so it's just pictures tonight.

Drunken birds.

2009-04-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

At least that is what I'm going to tell myself. These birds were eating rotten apples from my neighbours tree. They are called cedar waxwings, and are Jake's very favorite bird in all the land. So I grabbed my camera and snuck into the back yard to take some pictures for him.

I'd take a picture, then sneak a step or two closer, then take another picture. Normally these birds are pretty skittish, but they weren't all taking off. One or two would fly away, but such is the nature of birds. I heard a thump occasionally, but I thought it was a rotten apple falling off the tree. Until I saw one of the birds crash into my neighbours full length window.

Then my neighbour came outside to see what was going on, so I hid my camera and snuck into the house. I'm hoping I didn't contribute to the kamikaze bird mission, and I really didn't want him to think I was. Then my Mom told my that the birds were probably all kooky from the fermented apples. I felt a little better, so here's hoping the kamikazes woke up with a hangover and a bit of a head ache.

A Whole Month

2009-03-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, I feel neglectful. I wanted to use this blog mainly for pictures, and I figured I've probably posted enough of the new puppy and of Daniel screaming. And it's been too cold for pictures of anything else. I did get out and try, and as soon as I left the city limits, it was foggy. The fog had worked well before, but not this time. So I took a shot of the sunrise and then over processed it to death. But I kind of liked how it turned out.

Then I headed back into the big city, and went to the bird sanctuary. It was a little better there, but still cold. It's amazing the difference a few months will make. The ducks don't seem to mind, they were swimming in an open spot on the ice.

Then I saw a goose, sitting on a tree stump. I've never seen a goose "perched" before, so I got a shot. It was kind of blah as it was, so I converted it to black and white, which gave it some oomph.

And a hawk circling the river. I don't know if these guys are winter residents or not, but this is the first one I've seen all year.

Another thing I haven't seen out there is deer. Strange, because you'd think that they would be easier to see with all the bare branches and snow, but they aren't.

We got another 6-8 inches of snow over the weekend, so winter is still hanging on here. But soon the baby ducks will be out, the leaves will come back, and it will warm up. I've got plans to go back here

now that I have figured out my camera a little more, so stay tuned for that. I also did a little networking this weekend, and it looks like there is a possibilty for a couple of photo shoots this spring/summer, so we shall see.

Drizzama

2009-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

We gots it. Let's see, a compilation of some of the crap that has happened in the last two months.

A car that was supposed to be sold in October is returned to us, with a blown head gasket and a door that was wrenched nearly off.
My darling husband gets not one, but two speeding tickets in the mail.
We get a letter in the mail that a vehicle that is registered to us has been impounded to the tune of at least $400.
Our garage gets crashed into by a car driven by the neighbors thirteen year old son. Both doors, the pillar that separates them, and both vehicles inside.
I wash my husband's blackberry.
Juno spends a day throwing up, and requires a trip to the vet.

So yeah, that has been my life in 2009. I am knocking on every piece of wood within reach that the world is not longer angry with us. I am pretty darn thankful that no one was hurt during the garage fiasco.

I am so ready for spring this year it is not even funny. It seems like this winter has been the coldest one in a long time. I can't wait to see some flowers and green grass, and take some freakin' pictures of something besides the kids and the puppy.

Speaking of the puppy, she is doing awesome. Aside from the sick day. I would say she is 99% housetrained, we've had one accident in the last week and a half. She goes into her super spazz mode and tries to do laps on the hardwood. It is hilarious. She is a lot of work, especially since she tries to eat everything she finds, but I am so glad that we got her.

I succame.

2009-02-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist the puppy fever any longer. So last Saturday, we went and picked up our baby girl.

I know that puppies are a ton of work. I literally spent two months reading every morsel of information on puppies I could find. I learned about almost every breed of dog, trying to find the right one for our family. We aren't really little dog people, so I had my heart set on a boxer when I first started dreaming of puppies. After riding the research train, I realized that two hours of exercise a day was more than I could give. So we nixed the boxer, and finally settled on a much smaller breed, (but not too too small) the boston terrier.

Of course, she's pretty small right now. When we brought her home she weighed about 5 pounds, or just less than half of what our cat weighs.

Speaking of the cat, that whole situation has gone a lot better than I thought it would. My cat is an asshole. To the point where if we have people over that the cat doesn't know, we have to put him behind closed doors. There is no doubt in my mind that he would attack someone that he didn't know, if they were foolish enough not to heed his hissing and growling warnings and try to pet him. So understandably I was a little worried about bringing our puppy home. There has been several barks, a few chases, and one hiss in a week and a half. I'd call that a success.

The house training has been going pretty well. I'd say we are averaging just under one accident a day, but she is figuring this out too. She's a kennel sleeper, and does really well in there. She sleeps all night long, whining for maybe 30 seconds before she settles in, and then whining for maybe 30 seconds once during the night.

She loves to play fetch. She leaps from the hardwood on to the tile as if there is a canyon between them. Her little ears flop as she runs, and it is so cute. She has been trying to fetch little people, so we've had to make sure that they are safely tucked into their drawers.

Really, I think that we lucked out. She is a pretty darn good puppy, as far as puppies go. Here's hoping she just gets better and better.

I need to pay more attention.

2009-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Every morning, Jake gets himself dressed and ready for school. It took us a lot of work to get him to be morning self sufficient. If you saw his reaction to us asking him to get dressed, you'd think we soaked his clothes in acid.

So now that he dresses himself with little to no complaining, I interfere as little as possible. Apparently to the point of not paying any attention at all. This morning, Jake put his jeans on backwards. I didn't notice. When I went to pick Jake up from school, his pants were still on backwards. I didn't notice. In my defense, he wears a longish winter jacket that covers where the pockets are on his jeans.

My kid wore backwards pants all day today, and I had no clue, until he was at home again. I quizzed him up on it, and he said no one said anything about it all day. I find that hard to believe. I am sure his teacher thinks I am certifiable, if she didn't already.

He will not speak to strangers.

2009-01-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Daniel does not talk to people that he doesn't know. Heck, he doesn't even talk to people he is aquainted with. You would never know that right now, as he plays and commentates every single move he makes. He is the king of questions. I just know that one day, it'll be a question from Danny that sends me plummeting over the edge. I'll be in a rubber room somewhere, going "Why? But why? How come?"

Jake, on the other hand, will talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and about anything. He is one of those kids that you have to worry about what might come out of his mouth. Like the time he told the Jehovah's Witnesses at the door that I was just in the bathroom poopin'. Real nice. Now that he is in kindergarten, I find myself wondering what he is filling his teacher's heads with.

In other news, I've got some terrible puppy fever. I want a puppy so bad that it hurts. I am still researching and soul searching to make sure that we are ready to take the plunge, but man. I really want a puppy.

And lastly, it is still freakin' winter. For at least three more months. BLECH!

Birthday Suits

2009-01-08T09:01:00.001-08:00

It was Danny's third birthday at the end of December. For Christmas, the boys recieved these cute suits. I figured it would be a good idea for the boys to wear them to Danny's birthday party.

Danny is a very particular boy. He won't just wear anything, and has some clothes in his closet that he refuses to wear at all. So I thought that if there was any chance of him wearing the suit, he had to be acclimatized to it. So the day of his party, I hung his suit in the living room so he check it out.

It seems like whether or not he will wear something is inversly proportional to how badly I want him to wear it. I hyped up the suit. I told him it was a special birthday suit. I forced Jake to wear his, so Danny could see his big brother wearing it. Another thing about Danny is that he doesn't like attention. He hates to be told that he is cute. I think the wheels were turning, and he realized that wearing this special birthday suit was probably going to ensure some "Awwww....you are SO cute!" are going to come his way.

Danny didn't want to wear the suit. I finally coerced him into it, only by promising him that once we got to the party, he could change his clothes. He spent some time admiring himself in front of the mirror.

He agreed to some pictures. They were more cooperative than usual, but my keeper to tosser ratio was still very low. I did manage to get a few though. We finished up the picture taking at headed off to the party.

We get there, and Danny's grandma wants to take a picture of him in his suit. The shit hits the fan in Danny land. She manages to snap a picture of Danny in his suit sporting a very miserable face before he crumples to the floor in tears. We went and changed.

Why am I blessed with such head strong children?

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours, best wishes for a happy, healthy, and wonderful Christmas, and a fantastic New Year.

This kid loves hockey like nothing I've ever seen.

2008-12-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

Jake loves hockey. He's loved hockey ever since he was old enough to hold a stick. I am firmly convinced that hockey is at least partially responsible for teaching him reading and math, among many other things. He learned all the team names so he could read the paper to see who won. If you put a mathmatical question into hockey terms, he can answer it without a problem.

He is having a few issues now that he is in an organized team. He gets very frustrated because he feels that he isn't the best player on the team. Perfectionist much? During their last game, there was a kid on the opposing team who was taking every opportunity (and sometimes not even waiting for an opportunity) to cheap shot or goon players on our team. Somehow I didn't notice this. What I did notice was Jake skating up behind him and cross checking him after the game was over. It wasn't hard enough to knock the kid down, but a cross check is a cross check. Jake heard about it from his coach, and from us. So on the way home he unloads about how he is feeling about his playing (mainly the complaints about not being the best) and so we asked if he wanted to keep playing. He told us "I want to play a lot more than I want to not play".

So he's decided that the way to be the best player on his team is to practice. Jake and Dad spent the time between dinner and bedtime on the rink in the backyard. It is freakin' cold out there. Like -30 cold.

The cold didn't stop him. He busted his five year old behind out there. He conquered cross overs and backward skating. He is determined to give it his all.

Is it wrong that I am a little concerned about his determination? He loves this sport with everything that he is. I just want him to have fun.

My birthday present came!!

2008-12-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

I used my birthday moola to buy a new lens. I have this nasty guilty feeling in my tummy over it (sheesh, can you tell I have kids? Tummy? Seriously?) because there are a hundred other things crying out for money right now. I am a firm believer that if you are given money for a birthday, you should spend it on a gift for yourself. That is what I would want done if I was on the giving end of things, so that is what I did. /End justification.

So anyway, it came in the mail yesterday, and I pulled it out for a few test shots. For once, Danny obliged! In his own way, as you can see...

I feel bad that I don't have many pictures of Jake to share. I am pretty much anti flash, and by the time he gets home from school and gets his video games in (he has to wear a patch to help strengthen his eye, and this is the way to get it done with the least amount of whining) it is dark outside. This new lens might work a little better in the hockey arena, so we'll see if we can get some action shots out of it. He is really kicking butt in hockey right now, he has come a long way since September. And he really loves it soooooo much.

This new lens has a really close focus, so I can take almost macro shots. I took it outside to try, but really everything is just sad and dead at this time of the year.

It is supposed to hit -30 this weekend, which should make getting up at 6:30 to go to hockey practice even funner. Wish us luck!

Danny, the pilferer

2008-12-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Danny has an obsession with all things kitchen. He is always in the drawers or cupboards, pulling out pots and pans or anything else he can find. Which is fine unless I am trying to cook in the kitchen and almost break my neck on a pan lid. Normally he is pretty good about putting things back where he found them. There was one incident with a can opener that resurfaced months later in Jake's golf bag, and there is currently an issue with two whisks that are mia. So maybe he isn't so good about clean up after all.

So last week he was making rice.

Why yes, that is my garlic press. And yes, that is play dough he is pumping through it. For the record, I am not a big play dough fan. I'm not even sure where he is finding it, but weekly he comes up to me with a little tub of it begging for it to be opened. And I am not man enough to weather the tantrum that will ensue if I don't comply, so I do. Then I wait for all the little bits and pieces to dry up, and I vacuum it up and hope that was the last little container of play dough kicking around.

Here he is spreading the mess throughout his kitchen. Apparently good food can't be made without making a mess.

I swear I can almost hear him saying "What? What Mom?" in this picture. "What do you mean, my play dough isn't supposed to be going through your garlic press? But look how good it works!"

Note the rolling pin in the background. I guess I should just be thankful that he didn't steamroll that play dough right into his Ikea carpet.

The Rejected Christmas Pictures...

2008-11-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Taking pictures of these two together is no easy feat. Here are the rejects from the Christmas card session. Mainly due to colour issues, and expression issues, lol.

Nice smile Danny, but you've gotta open your eyes!

Jake in his thinking pose...

I like this shot, but don't like the colour and the reflection in his glasses.

Again with the colour. And I thought I cropped this, but I guess I didn't.

What sort of expression is this, exactly?

You better not pout...

The boys together...

I did manage to get a few to put a card together, and they are finally ordered. They better be decent when I get them, or I am out of options. I am so. freakin'. tired. of photoshop. I had the brilliant idea of designing a label as a gift, and it was a nightmare. It's done now, and doesn't look too bad, but it was a ton of work, and it took a ton of ink to print them out. All this work and thought I've been putting into gifts and cards is sucking the Christmas spirit right out of me. Oh well, the sooner things are done, the sooner I can relax and enjoy the season.

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-11-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, that was fun. Too much drinking, and not the most relaxing place for a vacation, but I had a blast. We spent a ton of time at the APEX/SEMA show so I didn't get to take a lot of pictures, and most of the ones I did take turned out like crap. I didn't want to hold up everybody by taking pictures every 30 seconds. Oh well, it gives me a reason to go back. Not to mention the cool $65 I won on the black jack table. You know, cuz I'm a high roller like that.

Anyhoo, here's some visuals...

This is where we stayed, all those flashing lights at the end of the hallway make up the casino where I had my big win. This picture comes no where near to how beautiful and intricate everything is. I can't even fathom the amount of money they put into everything in Vegas. It's crazy.

Congrats on your new President my American friends!!

This is one of the few pictures I got while "working".

Say cheese Mr. Stingray!!!

The infamous Vegas strip.

AAAAAAAAH! Blue Man!! What is that, latex? Doesn't it get awful warm under that?

I have been seriously slacking.

2008-10-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

You know how things are busy, but not that busy? That's how things have been here. Maybe lazy would be a better word for it. It's starting to get cold, and convincing myself to get out and take pictures isn't going so well. So I take pictures inside, or through the window lol. Then I feel guilty because I have more pictures of Danny then Jake, but Jake is mostly at school.

The hockey picture taking dilema is ongoing. The flash isn't going to work, but that is okay since I have other uses for it. I just am having a hard time spending the amount of money that the right lens is going to cost. We will see what happens there.

Everyone here is good. Danny is right behind me, undoing the cleaning that I did this morning. This kid can make a mess in record time. Jake is doing well at school, save for a tantrum about the rainbow game ending too soon. I wrangled up tickets for his favorite hockey team, so that should be a good time.

Here is yet another shot of Danny screaming. He's good at screaming.

The alternative to a picture of him screaming is a picture of him pouting or running away. I'll take the screaming. Hopefully next post it'll be a bit more exciting.

Hectic

2008-10-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Man, is it tough getting back into the swing of things. Between Jake's school, Danny's school, work, and hockey practice, I've been a lazy blogger.

I have been taking pictures, of course. We went a nature walkin' again, and saw the usual suspects. I need to find a new place to go, I think.

Danny was convinced this chickadee was going to steal his granola bar.

Danny being his goofy self.

While I going through the night time routine with Danny, I realized two things that for some reason, have the capacity to bring tears to my eyes. I suppose I've always been a little on the emotional/sensitive side, but having kids has made me ridiculous.

Tear inducing item number one, sweet, sweet baby curls. I know these are on borrowed time. I suppose that is the reason, right there.

And these sweet raisiney hands. *Sniff* *Sniff*

I am not above bribing.

2008-09-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

Trying to take pictures of Jake at hockey practice was an exercise in futility. The equipment I have will not operate under the low light conditions at the arena. I decided I needed to upgrade, so I took Danny to the Camera Store to see what I could do.

And the answer was, not much unless I have a ton of money to spend. Which I don't. So I settled for a speedlight, and I am hoping that it will do the trick. We'll have to wait until Sunday to be certain.

Of course, I had to test it out. Let's just say that Danny was less than cooperative at first.

I'm not sure why, maybe it's the thousands of pictures he's had taken of him in his two year old life. So I did what any self respecting mother would do.

I offered him chocolate.

Chocolate is a great motivater.

Especially in the two year old demographic.

Is it just me, or does the colour seem a little off in the last two? I may change them up later.

Jake's old obsession...

2008-09-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

This kid has been obsessed with hockey since he was old enough to hold a stick.

This weekend is Jake's first hockey practice. He has been waiting for this for a long, long time. Yesterday we went out and got him his gear. You wouldn't believe all the equipment it takes to protect a hockey player. As a worry wort of a Mom, I am glad for every little bit of it.

So, we had to try everything on the moment we got home. We started with the chest protector/shoulder pads:

The pivotal moment of the helmet placing:

The whole package. Move over Sidney Crosby, there is a new kid in town:

So Sunday is the first practice of many, I am sure. Wish us luck.

Danny's New Obsession

2008-09-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

I found a Dora puzzle at a garage sale a few weeks ago, and Danny was smitten. Since then, we've added a Three Little Pigs puzzle, a Little Einstien puzzle, and a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse puzzle to his repertoire. I thought I'd do a little picture documentary to remember this phase. These things change so quickly.

Small, still chubby fingers getting to work:

As you can see from the intense look on his face, doing puzzles is serious business:

Verifying with Mom that everythings where it is supposed to be:

Completion. I thought these hideous glasses were long gone, but apparently I was mistaken:

My goofy, goofy children...

2008-08-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Global Fest

2008-08-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

We dragged the boys out to Global Fest on Wednesday night to take in the fireworks. Jake was absolutely fascinated. At first he thought that they were too loud, and covered his ears with his hands. By the end, he was staring at the sky in amazement. And so were we.

Danny was mildly impressed, but still had a good time.

Jake and his cowboy popcorn.

And the rest of the show....

Wounded Boy

2008-08-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hello from the sick house. After two weeks of nasty illness, we are on the mend. And to add insult to injury, or rather injury to insult, Danny got smoked in the eye by Jake's golf club. I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of the damage until day three, it was that bad.

Day Five:

Yep, that is him asleep with a sucker in his mouth. I am expecting that mother of the year award anytime. Right after I was sure he was asleep I took the sucker out and gave it to his brother. Apparently, the same thing happened when the boys were with their grandma. She gave them both a sucker and then Danny fell asleep with it in the car. Jake asked if he could have it, and grandma obliges. Then when Danny woke up, Jake asked "Hey Danny, where's your sucker???" He was warned about pulling that one again. Oh yes, back to the healing process.

This picture was a week after the first, so a week and a half after the incident.

He was a trooper though. He only cried for a couple of minutes after the whack, and if you asked him what happened, he said "Jake tried to get a hole in one". He has learned to give Jake a wide berth when a hockey stick, baseball bat, or a golf club is being swung.

Nature....

2008-08-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Is this not scary? I hid in the house to take these, as lightening scares me shitless. I'm sure they could have turned out a lot better, had I been outside and somewhere that you could see the entire strike from point a to b. But for my first attempt, I am happy.

This is how is usually goes down...

2008-07-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Danny thinks he is bigger than Jake.

Danny realizes that he is not bigger than Jake.

Mommy wins.

Not for the Squeamish

2008-07-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hawks are one thing that I have a hard time getting a picture of. They are pretty standoffish as a rule. On my way home from the conquering the fawns, I saw this guy on a post.

There were a herd of magpies on the ground around him just waiting for a chance to steal his dinner away. I've got a hunch that's why he chose to stay on the post and give me the evil eye instead of flying away like countless of his hawk friends. What was for dinner, you ask?

Mmmmmm. Gopher.

Mission Accomplished.

2008-07-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

It was beautiful here tonight, so I decided to head out again in search of the elusive baby deer. I am nothing if not persistent. I bundled up despite the heat, bathed in mosquito spray, and headed out.

Maybe two minutes into the walk, I see these guys. I say guys because there was two of them, but you can only see one in this shot.

He didn't look nearly as happy to see me as I was to see him. He was giving me some pretty dirty looks, or what I can only assume were dirty looks. He was getting a little too close for comfort. The video where that hunter is getting his ass kicked (ahh, here's the one) by a deer kept running through my head. That is one scenario I wouldn't want to explain.

Then I scared a mallard off the shore.

I always feel bad when I scare an animal trying to get a picture. I try not to intrude that much, but in this case she surprised me as much as I surprised her.

Then I saw a little chickadee.

It is amazing how friendly these little birds are. They almost pose for the camera. And they will even sit on your hand. It helps if you have a little something in it for them, but I know that you really aren't supposed to feed them. I have trouble remembering that when they are looking at me with their cute little beady birdy eyes.

And no doe, no fawns. Hmmmm. I decide to make one more loop around, as I am losing daylight. And lo and behold, who do I see?

Now this doesn't look like the itchy doe. She is a lot more cautious. I am still a little bit of a chicken after the buck incident, but she is a lot smaller. I could probably take her if I had too. And it turns out, she is a lot more cautious for a good reason. Two good reasons, actually.

Oh, the cuteness. Look how soft and fuzzy they are. And those white spots. And teeny little deer feet.

Then some other people came along and Mama Deer moved her babies along.

I feel like Ahab

2008-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to the bird sanctuary today to try and show them the deer and the owl. They have people that walk around, I am guessing they keep an eye on the people visiting and the migrating birds. Anyway, we walk by them and Jake tells them we are looking for baby deer. I had told him on the way that when he was Daniel's age he saw a doe and her two fawns.

I also told him that the deer I saw yesterday didn't have any babies with her, so we likely weren't going to run into any today. The bird sanctuary lady told him that there was a mama deer with two babies around and if we hurried we might see them. We didn't. With Danny and his non stop commentary, I didn't blame them for hiding out. We also missed out on the owl.

We did some ducks synchronized swimming

And a rare moment that didn't involve pinching, slapping or a "hug down"

Danny insists on wearing those glasses anytime he is in the sun. In Jake's hand is a compass that he got from McDonald's, so he can tell which direction that we are going.

So, I wondered if my chances of seeing the fawns would be better if I went back later in the evening. I headed back there after the boys were in bed, but still didn't see them. I did see the itchy deer from yesterday, but no sweet little baby deer. I heard that owl too, but he wouldn't show his face today. So I had to make due.

My little diving duckies were ready for sleep

I wonder if these are good eatin'

Alas, tomorrow is another day.

Damn that pixel.

2008-07-07T18:44:00.001-07:00

I heard back from Nikon, did what they asked, and submitted some sample pictures back. I am still not sure if I want to send it back yet. I think I might keep it for the rest of the summer, and into fall and then mail it to them. I'm still pretty happy with the camera though.

These kids are driving me nuts, and we are only into week two of summer vacation. They are such good boys, and I love them so much, but seriously. 24/7 is a lot of time to spend with anyone. I need to start getting them out and about more. I am tempted to bring them to Drumheller to have a peek at the dinosaurs, but I am not sure if I am up for it.

My lovely mil took the boys to work this morning, so I busted my ass to get some shopping done so I could go take some pictures. There is always quite a few people snapping shots there, and I saw a woman pushing her kid in the stroller, and gave her a smile. She looked right through me. Okay. A little while later, I stopped to take a picture of a momma bird feeding her baby (which never turned out) and this chick walks by me again. I finish what I'm doing, about a minute or so, and then keep going along the trail. I hear a noise, look over, and see this:

After I get over my awe at being maybe six feet away from this beautiful deer, I think "ha ha, Miss Snootypants didn't get to see this". Is that wrong? The doe just stood and looked at me for a few seconds, and then took a few tentative steps forward. I stepped back, since it seemed like she wanted to cross the path I was on. Sure enough, she did, about three feet in front of me. Crazy. There were mosquitos all over her, and I felt so bad for her. It must be awful to have mosquito bites that you can't even scratch.

In that picture, if you look at the larger version (click if you feel inclined) you can see the mosquitos are so full of blood that they are red. Makes me itch just looking at it. Poor thing, I wanted to cover her in mosquito spray. But it would probably make her sick.

She headed down to the water, and I thought I had better leave her to it. I headed further down the path, and heard a "hoooo hoo hoooo". I looked up, and saw this:

I know it's a crappy picture, but it's a freakin' owl. I think it's a great horned owl, but I am not sure. That is the second time I've ever seen an owl outside of a zoo, and the first time I snapped a picture of one. Really neat animals. Danny was impressed, as owls are a personal favorite of his.

Then, I was rushing back to the car (I only had an hour there) and I saw some baby loons with their mom. Man, can those things dive. And they were soft and fuzzy, and I have a serious weakness for little ducky feet. I wonder if loons would make good pets. So I'll leave you with these.

I haven't been taking pictures.

2008-06-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a little pissed off because my D60 has a "hot pixel", and Nikon hasn't yet returned my email. It says on their website that they will respond in one business day, and I emailed them on Tuesday. The camera still works fine, I am just a little bent out of shape that I have to retouch every picture that comes out of it.

In other news, Jake turned five. I cannot believe he is already five years old. I had a tougher time with his birthday then I thought I would. He is so well behaved, and such an awesome kid. It's just tough to realize that my first baby is growing up fast. "The days are long but the years are short".

On the day of his birthday we took him to Montana's so he could wear what he calls the moose hat. It was so busy in the restaurant he had to wait a long time for it, but he wasn't leaving without wearing the hat.

For his party, I made him a hockey cake.

He ate all the icing off of his piece, and gave me the cake. He did pick the hockey cake over the DQ ice cream cake I bought when I realized the hockey cake just wasn't going to be big enough.

He loved all of his presents, but this one was one of his favorites:

It's a thermometer. And he is just thrilled. I love that.

Apologizing Already.

2008-06-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things have been really shitty around here, so I just don't know what to say. Hopefully things sort themselves out, or rather, I get things fixed. Or run away. Far, far, away.

It's Lonely

2008-06-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

We've been flying solo since Wednesday, so things have been pretty lonely around here. Luckily, the boys have been really well behaved. That makes things so much easier. The weather here has been crap, and my idea of an outdoor photo shoot went to shit. Danny wouldn't cooperate, didn't want to be in the pictures, yet insisted on standing between the camera and Jake. Plus, I managed to screw up the settings on my camera so everything was under exposed.

We did make it out to Spruce Meadows for a few hours before we got rained on. I got a couple of decent shots from there, but the shooting conditions weren't ideal. Zoom lens + dark and stormy day = mediocre pictures. Oh well, I'll share 'em anyway.

And here is the storm that blew in yesterday, and it looks like it is going to stick around for the next few days.

So the next couple of updates will likely be the boring goings on of things around here. There is probably a couple of stories I could pull out of my hat, and Jake's birthday is Monday so there should be pictures from that too. Until then.

My attempt at avoiding the Walmart portrait studio...

2008-06-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

So I got the boys the obligatory matching outfits, bribed them, and took some pictures. I've been feeling pretty melencoly about Jake turning five, so I wanted to make sure that I documented just how they are right now.

I thought I'd do some inside, and some outside, so I did the inside ones yesterday. I might go for a retry though, it was raining and overcast, and I had to use a really shallow depth of field to get enough light in. I think it shows in some of the pictures, but oh well.

Here's the first round:

There are also a few outtakes which are worth sharing, so I'll try to get those up later. We are flying solo for the next five days, and it is supposed to rain for part of it, so I want to get the outdoor pictures done today if the boys will cooperate. Let's hope.

Hung.Over.

2008-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

We went to a friends wedding last night, and I took advantage of the open bar. Needless to say, I am not feeling so hot today. The boys went for a sleepover, which was a first for Danny. I was hoping to get out this morning, but I woke up with a headache that is still pounding, so that was a no.

I did get out on Friday night for a bit. I'd really like to do some long exposures at night, but am afraid of getting my shit stolen. I don't know if that is just paranoia or what, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Not a lot going on though. Here's what I got on Friday, I'm hoping to get some decent shots of the kids in the next couple of days, so we shall see what happens.

And not thrilled with this one, but I got a new neutral density filter that should help with my sky overexposure issue. At least it's a starting point.

He is better!

2008-05-29T21:48:00.001-07:00

Phew. Poor kid was the sickest I have ever seen him. He is not 100%, maybe not even 70%, but he is on the mend. I am so relieved.

The weather has smartened up, and I've had the chance to get out since my boy is on the mend. Since today was my only chance to get out alone for the next week and a half at least, I decided to go to Moraine Lake. I had never been before, but I know that it gets busy. They only open the road up there from June to October, so I have been stalking the website to get a jump on things. I checked yesterday and saw that the road was open.

So I got up at 5 am this morning to hit the road and get up there at a decent time. I saw tons of animals on the way, but they were all off the highway so it wasn't safe to stop. Figures. There was a coyote in the meridan, deer and elk. Once I got to Moraine Lake, there were two cars in the entire parking lot. Definitely worth getting up early. Anyway, here's the pictures from today. I'm not thrilled with them, the sky exposure isn't quite right but I am too tired to mess with it right now, and I wanted to post.

The lake in question:

A friendly neighbourhood squirrel:

A picture I took after I shat myself thinking this was a bear, I have no idea what it is, I'm guessing a beaver:

And Danny enjoying his ice cream cone:

Not better.

2008-05-27T07:14:00.001-07:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. My poor little man.

Not Good.

2008-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

That is how things have been around here. Jake is sick to the point of me checking on him and wondering if he needs to go to the hospital again. Yep, we've been twice in the last week. The last visit got him antibiotics for what looks like the beginning of pnuemonia. He is probably the sickest he has ever been. He went from scoring two goals in his soccer game in the morning, to a fever of 40 C (104F) underneath his arm at four in the afternoon.

I have that horrible cotton headed feeling and dry cough, but no fever or barfing yet. I am so hoping that Daniel escapes this. Please, please, please. And please no more hospital visits. I want the healthy Jake back.

I have some stuff to upload, and I will as soon as things get back to normal around here. Hopefully very soon.

Whew.

2008-05-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine suggested that I become a member of istockphoto.com . I had thought of this before, but was under the assumption that it was for professional photographers only. Once I read a little more about it, thanks to Meredith, I found that wasn't the case. So I applied.

First of all, just applying was kind of a big step for me. I have a problem with failure, I'll admit it. It is one of the things that I like very least about myself. There are a lot of opportunities in my life that I have allowed to go by because I can't stand the thought of giving something my all and then not succeeding. Anyway. I applied, but was pretty nervous about it. I really care about photography, and to get shut down would sting.

I put the application through on Wednesday, after doing some serious agonizing over the pictures I wanted to submit. After over analyzing, I thought fug it, and sent one I really liked, and a couple of others that were popular on a non paying stock photo site. I got the email back this morning, and two of the photos were rejected, and one was approved. Can you guess which was approved? Lol, that's right, the one I liked. But I didn't dig through my hard drive to find originals of the others, and the note with the rejected photos said that the picture quality had suffered. I am guessing that submitting versions of the pictures that had been re saved was part of the problem.

I am thrilled that they approved one of the pictures, but now I am back to agonizing over which two to resubmit. The key with stock photography is to submit pictures that people will want to use in their online and print publications. I am thinking about this one:

but they did say no flower pictures. I did a search for water lily on their site, and there isn't that many to choose from. But still, they say no flowers, so I should probably stick with that.

I don't know, maybe the pollution picture? I think I'd have to tweak it a bit, but it seems like there is a good market for it. *Sigh* If anyone has any suggestions for me I would love to hear them.

Okay, the last of them...

2008-05-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the end of the roll, so to speak. I apologize if you are tired of looking at cowboys. It has been pouring here most of the week, and that is supposed to continue into the weekend, so coming up with some picture ideas is going to be a challenge. It looks like the boys are going to be my muses, at least until Daniel tells me to "take pictures of your flowers, please".

Also, I haven't had a chance to run these through photoshop. I know some people think photoshop is cheating, but I kind of see it as a digital darkroom. My goal in taking a picture is trying to get it as close to the moment I see as possible. If I have to use photoshop to make that happen, then I will.

Jake on the horse, looking much more relaxed then he was at first:

A beautiful end to the day:

On the way up to the windmills the next morning, my dad made fun of me for taking this shot, and probably for good reason, lol:

The windmills....see my Dad's truck at the bottom? I couldn't run far enough away to get the entire blade in frame with my 50mm lens:

So there it is. I am glad I took so many pictures, since it might be the last time there is a branding. I hope that is not the case, I have so many wonderful memories on that farm. My Mom grew up there, and I spent a lot of time wandering the land as a child. I had kind of hoped for the same thing for my boys.

More from the weekend.

2008-05-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

I think that this will probably be two of three. It sucks, because I have some really good ones of my family, but I just don't feel comfortable putting them up here. So it'll have to be semi anonymous pictures of their backs and such. Sorry.

Okay, here they are getting the cows over the rise:

The brand spanking new baby....maybe two days old:

Getting the brand on:

The cowgirl getting her calf:

So that's all I've got for now. There is still some of the boys riding that I'd like to post, but I feel like shit tonight, so I'm out.

"You stayed up until 11 because your Mom was partying with the Hutterites??"

2008-05-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

The above was overheard at my house yesterday when we got home. We had a great time, and I haven't made it through all the pictures yet, but I wanted to get this up before I forgot the details.

I got to visit a hutterite colony while we were out of town. It was one of the neatest things I've ever gotten to see. I thought that we were just going there briefly, but we ended up getting a tour of their whole place. I was blown away.

First, we were in the house of the hutterite we went to see. The men needed something welded, so they took off to the shop and we visited with his wife. She was so nice, and had the most unique and charming accent you have ever heard. She offered to show us around and preceded to give us a tour of pretty much the whole place.

We saw the laundry room, the kitchen and dining rooms, a new home that was to be a wedding gift for a couple getting married at the beginning of June, and the slaughter house.

The laundry room was completely tiled, from floor to and including the ceiling. There were three or four sets of stainless washers and dryers. Everything was spotless.

The kitchen was just crazy. When we walked in, there were tables set and ready to go. She told us that we were in the children's dining room. Any child on the colony 15 years or younger had their meals there. All the kids clean up after themselves as well. The next area was the adults (15+) dining room. Men on one side, women on the other. Everyone sits in the same spot every day. All appliances are stainless steel, restaurant style. It all looks like it was purchased yesterday, but the kitchen is five years old. Just off the kitchen is the baking area, with industrial dough mixing machines, and a separate "rising" room that smelled like cinnamon. In the basement is their major food storage area. They also store their home made soap in the basement as well. At one point she gave Danny a bun, and he accidentally dropped it on the floor. She went to grab another, and I stopped her and told her that her floor was much cleaner than mine, and he eats off mine all the time. It was that clean.

The newlywed's house was really nice. No carpet anywhere though. The bathrooms were gorgeous, and there was so much storage throughout the house. The newly wife gets an enormous sewing room (which you need when you make all your own clothes, your newly husband's clothes, and all your kid's clothes too). They said that the woman always goes to the man's colony when they marry. Just the way things are. There were about 85 people on the colony we visited.

The slaughter house was as clean as the kitchen. I got to see the chicken plucking machine too. She said that the slaughter house was their old kitchen, and it still had all their old appliances in it, which were just as clean as the ones in their new kitchen.

After the tour, we went back to her house to wait for the guys to come back, and we sat and visited with them. Danny was a typical two year old maniac, and he absolutely loved all the food they were feeding him. It was so cool to chat with them for a while and learn a little about their culture. She has six children, four were there when we were visiting. A couple of the girls followed us on the tour, giggling and speaking German to each other so I am sure they had a few comments about the city slickers, lol.

The one thing I was bitter about was that my camera was in the truck when the guys went to the shop to get the welding done, so I didn't get any pictures at all. Which was a shame, because it would have been nice. But I am not sure that they would have let me take any, so maybe it was better that I didn't have to put her in a weird position by asking her.

I'll share a couple of the pics I've gone through so far...

The boys and their kids for the weekend:

My Uncle, the cowboy:

Danny and his entourage:

My cousin at work:

I had to keep switching from auto to manual, because I didn't trust myself to set things up right. It alternated between cloudy and sunny, and I think it was throwing the white balance off. I had to do some adjustments. I hope they look okay. I should be back with more tomorrow.

So darn sleepy.

2008-05-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Man am I tired. With soccer, school, work, and trying to get ready to get outta dodge I am beat. It is safe to say that Jake loves soccer. He is such an emotion kid though, and just freaks when it is line change time, and game over time. He is soooooo competitive, and he loves sports. Anything, as long as there is a score and a winner. I had never seen a three year old watch curling on TV until Jake. He loves to watch golf too. Here he celebrating his goal:

On the picture front, a mostly user run news website asked for permission to use my pollution photo. Too bad there was no money involved, but I'll take the exposure, no matter how

minimal. I haven't gotten out too much lately. I poked around last night just before the sunset, but there wasn't much to be seen:

The weather is turning, and things are finally getting green. I am just waiting for the darn baby ducks and geese to hatch. I'm sure it will happen this weekend while I am out of town.

It's gonna be a slow blog week.

2008-05-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I almost made it a week straight. It was Mother's Day yesterday, so I took a blogging break. I did get up at 6 am to take some pictures though. This week is going to be a bad one for me, I've got to get things ready to trek two kids across the countryside. And then there is work too. So I apologize in advance if I am a little neglectful this week.

I do plan on getting out one or twice this week though, I know the baby ducklings are on the cusp of hatching, so I've got to get some pictures of that. No signs of hatching yet, although I've been on the outskirts of the city. It may be different inside the city parks.

My attempt at taking pictures of the grandson pretty much sucked. He wasn't all that thrilled in the first place, and spent 90% of his time in his grandma's or mommy's arms, and the other 10% furiously crawling away. I've got a few to work with, literally 8 or 9 out of hundreds. I have already spent way longer on that then I'd care to admit, and I still don't have anything that I am even remotely happy with. My husband says I'm my own worse critic but I think anyone would criticize these. I don't know, I just like shooting animals and landscapes so much more than kids, unless they are my own. It's just that the market for nature shots is a little over saturated.

*Sigh* What can you do? Practice, practice, practice I suppose. Anyhow, some pictures from yesterday morning:

A meadow lark:

A muskrat swimming (I didn't realize what cute little faces these guys have):

The bringers of spring:

A crow trying to kick a hawk's ass for getting to close to his nest:

Waiting...

2008-05-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting here waiting for a call from my friend to come over and take some pictures of her grandson. I hope it goes well, but we will have to see what happens. I wish I had an external flash, and one more lens, but I think my husband would flip if I got anything else for this camera.

I've pretty much decided that I am going to go visit my family next weekend. They are the ranchers (sounds nicer than farmers, doesn't it?) that have the branding every year. It's about a five hour drive, which I am going to have to do solo since my hubby has work obligations. I hope the boys behave. It can be such a nightmare to deal with them when they are away from home, especially when their Dad isn't around. My parents will be there, so that should help.

Other than that, not too much is new on the home front. I'm not sure what is going on tomorrow, apparently the kids are getting shipped off, but that is all I know. Jake told me he can't wait to give me "Olay Shampoo". Interesting...

Yeah, I'm an idiot.

2008-05-09T15:17:00.001-07:00

So today we stopped off at the flower store, and got my mom some Mother's Day flowers. The nice lady at the flower store gave the boys each a red carnation too. Jake proclaimed today, "Boy's day!" and was absolutely thrilled. Danny was thrilled too, until he broke his flower on the way out, and had a fit. My Dad taped it back together when we got there and all was well again.

Since my parents live out of the city, I usually drag the boys for a drive down a few country roads on our way home, to see what we can see, and so I can take pictures. So we find a few cool shorebirds, and one in particular that wasn't the least bit shy. I take a bunch of pictures, and we head home. I upload them onto the computer and realize that I had neglected to change my camera settings from manual to auto when I switched out the lens. The pictures are so overexposed that no amount of photoshopping is going to save them. Sigh.

We did head out to Johnson's Lake last weekend, for a picnic and a hike, so I'll share a couple of pictures from there.

The ice receeding:

The crocus's blooming:

Boys being boys:

McKinnon Flats

2008-05-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, I managed to get all the editing done last night, so all I had to do was post today. I got up bright and early yesterday morning to get to McKinnon Flats while the light was still good. It was cloudy when I woke up, and as soon as I got out of the city limits it was foggy. I figure I'm already awake, I might as go and check things out.

So I'm on my way when I realize that I forgot my directions at home. I am reasonably sure I can figure out how to get there without them. I head out in the general direction on one of the busiest, most dangerous roads in the city. In the fog. It is a divided highway, divided only by the line painted on the middle of the road. Some jackass that was late for work was passing, in the fog. He is headed straight for me, and thankfully the car he was passing pulled onto the shoulder so the jackass could get over and not hit me. After the near miss, I decide to take the back roads.

The back roads are okay, I hate driving on gravel though. Plus, I have the absolute worst sense of direction, and that combined with the thick fog made finding McKinnon Flats pretty difficult. But, the back roads were scenic, and the fog made things interesting to photograph. First, I found this American Avocet:

Then I saw this spiderweb straining under the weight of the dewy fog:

Then I saw this bird again, it's called a Common Snipe.

When I was trying to figure out what they are called, I found out that the female usually lays four eggs. Once the first two of the eggs hatch, the male takes and raises them. The female raises the remaining two separately from the male and the first two hatch lings. Interesting.

Then I saw the smoke from a fertilizer plant pouring into the air. The fog and humidity in the air really makes it look terrible. It just sickened me that I am see all these little marvels of nature, and then in the same breath I see the things humanity is doing to disintegrate the earth. Of course, the guilt and irony of me driving around contributing to the pollution isn't lost on me either. At least my car isn't a hummer.

I am still not at McKinnon Flats, and it is getting to be time for me to head home. I head back to the scary highway to try and find the sign to direct me the right way. I finally find it, and am following a truck down the right road. A flock of gulls fly up, and one of them gets smoked by the truck. It makes me so sad, I know the truck driver probably didn't think twice about it, but I just feel so sorry for that bird. I've always had a soft spot for animals, and hate to see them hurt.

I finally come over the ridge to McKinnon Flats.

I don't have much time for pictures, since it is further from home then I thought. I have time to snap a few pictures of the scenery and the shorebirds wading in the river.

Then it is past time to head home. As I was driving back over the ridge, I see a herd of deer grazing on the hills. I snap a few shots of them, but nothing turned out quite right. Taking pictures in the fog was a lot tougher than I thought, but I like the way some of the pictures turned out. And now that I know how to get there, I should be able to do better next time.

Trying not to flake out already...

2008-05-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

Arg. Since today was my day to sleep in, I got up bright and early and headed out to take some pictures. I went to McKinnon Flats, and got some decent shots. Although most of them I got on the way there, since I couldn't find the place for the life of me. I have a little editing to do before I post them, but they should be up tomorrow. A little too much beer with dinner + getting up too early, and I am pretty much done.

A Fresh Start

2008-05-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Mainly to hold myself accountable. And keep track of things. I really, really, really love photography. And I need to get better at it. So this is going to be a place for me to work on that, and hopefully see some progress. Also, it will probably be a place for me to bitch/brag about my kids. My goal here is a post a day. We shall see how that goes.

Anyhow, I bought a Nikon D60 about a month ago. I love it. I'm an idiot, I had the chance to get a dslr late last year, and flaked out and got the Canon S5IS instead. It sucks, it takes good video for a camera, and decent macro shots, but other than that, pos. So after months of not liking it, I got the D60. I am slowly learning about aperture, metering, white balance, and all that fun stuff.

I got this picture with it right out of the box, with it's 18-55mm lens, all settings on auto:

Of course, the 18-55mm lens is fine and dandy for basic pictures, but I am a fan of nature photography. I like birds. I couldn't even tell you why, I kind of collect bird pictures. It's rubbing off on the kids too, Jake begged to take the bird identification book to bed with him. And instead of sleeping, he's going through it. And then I hear "Mom, I found the Hairy Woodpecker!!!" Nice. I got the 55-200 AFS VR lens to help me with my bird hunting. My favorite shots from the past month with that lens:

Then, I wanted just one more lens, lol. I went with the 50mm 1:1.4d. This is a much tougher lens to use, and it's teaching me what exactly all the manual settings do. Here are some of the better shots I've gotten with it:

So there you have it. I'm not sure where I want to go with this photography obsession, ideally I'd like to make some money at it. Wish me luck!