Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Changes

I will be combing this blog with my photoblog. I will make a post when I am ready to do that so you will have time to follow me on the other blog. I am just finding it more difficult to keep up with both of them. Hopefully, there will be enough of a mix for everyone. Thanks for following me this far and I hope to see you on the other blog too.

Flies





I seem to find some kind of bugs on my photos. Why? I don't know. I think it's funny though. Here's another instance where I took one photo, snapped the second, got home, and found a fly. Oh well!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Soft




I love the pastel color of these. These are the best of the series I took.

Monday, June 28, 2010

With A Sepia Slant



The before and after shots. I have a thing for photos using sepia or black and white. I have been doing more experimenting with it. I think this came out pretty well.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Maiden Voyage 2




I tried to upload video, but blogger being blogger, I'll have to attempt another route. I will let you all know when it is ready. So here are some stills I took during the launch. Of course, it wouldn't run, so Keith is working on it now. Hopefully, we'll get the video because I promise you that one part of it is hilarious.

Lovely Lillies




For Sunday, the Water Lilies are my choice. These photos are not the best, but they are still peaceful to me.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Pink Bells



I will say it again. I do not know the names of most of the flowers I take photos of, but I take them because I like to. These look like tiny pink bells. Just really cute in my opinion.

Friday, June 25, 2010

What Happened?


I'm thinking there was a major malfunction with the rod and reel.

Before The Bloom

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It always amazes me to see how tightly the bloom is wrapped in itself. I wonder how it becomes such a beautiful sight once it has bloomed.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I Love Hot Pink





This is the before and after. I love programs that allow you to crop photos. You can actually find some interesting angles that way and get very unique shots.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Black & White Wednesday

the long road


I love how the contrast in shades really shows on this old building. I find lots of these types of shots all over the area. It is a lot of fun just to drive around. You never know what you will find.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Look Both Ways




I looked both ways. :0

My Conclusion





I have come to the conclusion that I must like old stumps and wood, which explains my love of driftwood. I do seem to take an inordinate amount of pictures that include what I consider to be interesting and odd shapes of logs or trees. Just to prove it, I am including some of these shots with my post today.

Keep in mind these are not the greatest shots. With all the rain and storms, we’ve had a lot of algae and moss kicked up and floating now so it’s hard to get away from it. Don’t ask me what I was thinking about the first one though. I just saw a log in the water. You will notice that I didn’t just take a pic of the water, there is a log laying there. The next one I just liked the contrast of colors between all the green and the red of the dead stump.

It doesn't make sense, but hey, neither do I.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Lake Onalaska


I live in La Crosse, WI which is in the upper Midwest and on the Mississippi River. Since we have been having all these storms up here, it has wreaked havoc on Lake Onalaska. It has stirred up all the moss and algae and left it on the surface of the water. It makes it look very uninviting. I will be posting more photos as I get them.

The Soundtrack Of My Life

The challenge for me today was to find songs that mean something to me and explain why that is. So here goes. I will try to do my best. These will not be in any particular order.

1. “Gimme Three Steps” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. This one is a cute story. I have mentioned this one in a previous post. It is the only song Brandon would sing with me in the car. But he sang with gusto the chorus of the song. I loved it!
2. “The Addams Family” from the tv show. Definitely for Dave. He is my funny man. He’s the joker that just lives for a laugh and he has given me many over the years. This song makes me laugh just like he does. I get to sing it to him when he calls. Luckily that’s often.
3. “Suds In The Bucket” by Sara Evans and “Meet In The Middle” by Diamond Rio. This first always reminds me of the fact that Cari, at the tender age of 18, left here to move back to Leadville. I even made her sing it for karaoke one night. She did without complaining. The second is the one she used to love to sing in the car with me when they were kids. She knew all the words.
4. “I’m Already There” by Lonestar. I always think of Amanda when the words are “I’m the whisper in the wind, I’m your imaginary friend” I just always think of her being the shadow on the ground. So, yeah, that’s it.
5. Anything by the Bee Gees. Why, you ask? “Saturday Night Fever” was the first R rated movie I saw. I loved John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino, but he was more than awesome as Tony Minero.
6. “You Can’t Take The Honky Tonk” by Brooks and Dunn. That’s pretty self explanatory. I’m still the tomboy at heart. Give me a great pair of jeans and a t-shirt and I’m good to go.
7. “Suspicious Minds” by The King. I remember sitting in the car with an 8-track player and Elvis’ Greatest Hits and singing away. Stacy loved Elvis.
8. “Life Is A Highway” by Rascal Flatts. Braedon loves the movie “Cars”. His bed is a Lightning McQueen bed and even at the tender age of 4 (almost 5), he collects all the different Lightning McQueen cars. If it comes on in the car, he tells me to turn it up.
9. “Let Me Be Myself” by 3 Doors Down. I just always wish that I could be me no matter who I’m with. It never seems to happen that way, so I love this song.
10. “In My Life” by George Harrison. The message is that everyone we meet and love throughout our life affects in some way. We touch each other in many ways and this song just reinforces that.

So there you have it. As you will notice, my kids have all their own songs. Cari may not think that’s the one for her, but I know she’ll understand why. She probably thought I would pick the “Hairbrush Song” by Larry the Cucumber. That one was more for her and Amanda. I was trying to give each one of them their own. The soundtrack of my life seems to revolve around how I feel about other people. Amazing isn’t it?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

A Real Father's Day Post

There have been many people in my life who are dads. I want to tell you a little about my dad. My dad was only 20 when I was born. Really, he was just a kid himself. What I remember about growing up with him is kind of amusing at times and heart wrenching at different times. So here goes.

I often tell people I had a bat in my hand before I could walk. Knowing what I know about my dad, that is very likely true. He is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinal fan. Trust me we were lost in St. Louis often enough I should know. I remember sitting between home plate and first base many times. I was lucky enough to see some of the greats play. Of course, the wreck we had while on the way to Busch stadium was quite memorable also. Another baseball plus that he taught me, I DON’T THROW LIKE A GIRL! Thanks Dad! My boys have always been impressed by that skill, along with the fact that I know how to throw a spiral. That’s football for those of you who may not know. That is also thanks to Dad.

What capped off the fact that my dad is great has to do with a couple of really hard days for me (and the rest of the family). He gave the service, along with my brother, for the funeral of my angel, Amanda. I know that had to be one of the hardest things he’s ever done. It was a very personal thing to do and that is forever in my memory of Dad being there. Thanks Dad.

The next day was the day we brought a tree from Wisconsin to Illinois to plant in the cemetery for Amanda. The temperature was over 100 that day, but my dad was out there digging just as much as our 20 year old son and my husband were. Sweat was pouring off of him, but he didn’t stop once except for water. Then he was right back at it. Once again, he pulled something out of his hat and just did it. Thanks Dad.

I can’t say it enough Dad. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I love you.

After The Storm



First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Have a great day!

These were taken about 9PM after the storm and right before sundown. I loved how the color changed as you go from the bottom of the photo to the top. I knew there was a reason I loved thunderstorms.

Happy Father's Day!








Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. I’ve known a few of them in my lifetime. They all know who they are. Here are some photos!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Storm's A Brewin'



We have been getting some very nasty storms up here over the last couple of days. These clouds I shot yesterday right before the storm hit. To the east we could see lighter skies, but it was coming in from the west. Very ominous to say the least. These photos do not do it justice.

Washouts and Fuzzies






I have been trying to get photos of the bluffs around here but it has been difficult. When I get one or two, they are typically in what I call “washout” mode. I took more yesterday just to see if the rain would help. It did to a point but it still doesn’t look just right to me. But that’s just my opinion and we all know mine doesn’t count. I’m sharing anyway. I’m also including some of the swamp photos. With the Mississippi River here, there are a lot of natural wetlands in the area and the Dept. of Natural Resources does its best to make sure we keep them.

It’s very good for people like me who like to take pictures. I usually go out every day to somewhere close and try to find an interesting shot. I have a bird I’m trying to work with, but she doesn’t seem inclined to go along with my ideas of photo opportunities. She never lets me have the time to set up the tripod and she’s always too far away for a clear shot without one. They always come out fuzzy. I am including one of the fuzzies with this post so you can see what I’m talking about. Enjoy it, because I don’t think she will ever let me get a good one.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Friday Follow!

Smart and Trendy Moms

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Thought I would share these with you. Braedon has started swimming lessons and I went with him on Wednesday. It was so much fun watching him. There is still some hesitation on his part, but he doesn't seem to be completely shutting down any new ideas. He had as much fun as I did I think.

Friday Follow!

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Smart and Trendy Moms




Welcome to all the Friday Followers. I am glad you stopped by. Enjoy the views and comment freely. Just a couple of shots of the same plant I thought to share. The appeal is the color, or course. Just gorgeous!

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