Photog Class- Weeks 4 & 5

The last two weeks of class have been experimenting with different things around us.  Week 4 we were focusing on looking up and looking down to look for things that we may not usually capture.  This week has been capturing blur, and was a lot of fun.  Taking photos that show the blur or motion either from the object moving or by using your lens.  The first two in this group I zoomed out as I took the shot to create the look.  The second two were of moving objects.  A wild turkey running, and the ghost child walking behind Charles at school.  This final week of class we're going to be focusing on framing, should be interesting to see what I can come up with!

Time Flies

 I took this picture out of the airplane a couple of weeks ago.  This is Bryce Canyon, Utah

Wow, I have no idea where the last few days have gone!  Upon the arrival of two large pallets of furniture from Gram's house we've been very busy.

I got the call at 9:30 am on Thursday that the delivery was headed to the house.  Once I got there we determined that the semi was so large that our driveway wasn't going to be able to accommodate it, then managed to get it part way up over by the barn.  Much to the drivers distress, the tailgate lift was malfunctioning and couldn't be used!  Therefore, we had to unwrap and tear apart the shipment piece by piece from the back of the semi and carry it up to the house.  B was dealing with an emergency at work, and so it was me and the Fed Ex guy.  Who by the way was an angel.  He happened to have been a furniture mover in a former life and we got the truck unloaded.  He single-handedly got two very large pieces off by himself (keep in mind there's a four foot drop off the back of this thing and one of these items was Gram's dresser).  Perfectly unscathed!  We both worked hard for about an hour and fifteen minutes, and he even got the big pieces up on the porch for me.  His job was to drop the pallets on the driveway and he went so far beyond!  Thank You!  Thank You!  I resisted un-packing for a while and managed to caramel apples when the kids got home too.

On Friday, with a little discussion, and stories of how Uncle Billy and I did it several times, we convinced the kids to switch rooms.  This allowed Charlie to keep the bunk-beds that he won't part with and Sidney to get Gram and Grandpas bedroom furniture.  So, with one kid at B-Ball camp and the other helping clean at the stables, we got the rooms switched.  Wow, that was hard work, but so worth it, everyone is happy and everything fits!  We still have some fine tuning to do but the bulk is completed. 

Friday evening and all day yesterday I spent at the Dekoven Center preparing the Great Hall for our technician Stephanie's wedding.  Needless to say, my head hit the pillow last night and I was asleep.  So, what's on taps for today??  Well it's Halloween of course!  So since, I've neglected a few things this week, we'll carve pumpkins this morning, head to Fright Fest at Six Flags this afternoon and get home in time for the last hour of trick or treat....

See why my posting week has been sparse ;-)

The Wild Hurricane Flies

The last couple of days the same phrase keeps going through my head. "As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly..."  Now I know this comes from the treasured story The Night Before Christmas,  but this phrase holds so true to me now.

The crazy record low barometric readings that we have experienced the last couple of days have given us something like a fall hurricane.  It has whirled dry leaves into small funnels and all but stripped the remaining leaves from the branches.  Now, if you look to the farmers almanac for guidance, you will see that we're in for a bit of a winter that can begin as soon as early November.  As this system has been swirling our dry leaves, it is bringing in much colder air and the forecast has now changed to include some rain.  I was surprised to see the illustration on the weather channel that tomorrow we'll have rain and maybe a few snow flurries in the early morning.  Better get the garlic and shallots planted, post haste!

I've always been enamored with weather.  I love each of the seasons, yet fall is my favorite.  The last couple of days, as I have been blown down the street, it has felt as if I am being pulled by a large, enthusiastic dog on a leash.   Yet, this evening as I sit, thankful to have power tonight, I hear the gusts ravage around us and still feel the fairy-tale like sentiment of the dry leaves that are flying in our wild hurricane.

One Word Wednesday~ Passion

The joy of my Family

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Creating in oh so many ways

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Long quiet walks discussing dreams

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"The happiness of man in his life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson~

What are you passionate about?  Join us at Jillsygirl for One Word Wednesday!

Wild Turkey at Church

It was warm and misty this morning as we headed into work.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw this flock..  I shouted at B that there's turkeys running around that church!  We went up the street and made a quick u-turn.  Sure enough about twenty wild turkeys were passing through!  I whipped out my P & S but it just couldn't keep up with the chipper pace of these beauties.  As we pulled up one of them had his tail feathers in a full expansion.  We were only about 10 feet from them, they were completely docile, just going about their business.  What a perfect Fall moment.  Happy Monday!

I'm going to carry the big camera the rest of the week and see if we can luck upon a repeat performance, so I can get clearer shots!

Getting Caught Up In The Light

 As I sit here listening to the almost tribal guitar mastery of Rodrigo y Gabriela, I can not get enough of this golden autumn light.  Though I'm sure it is always the case, for some reason I am completely obsessed with it this year.  It doesn't matter what time of day it is, I glance out the window and the golden sun bouncing off of the remaining leaves is ethereal.  I find myself hopping up from whatever I'm doing multiple times a day to run outside and capture what I'm experiencing with the lens.  Yesterday combined my favorite things, this amazing seasonal light, a blanket of colorful leaves, and the blowing wind (so difficult to capture no matter how hard I try).  The hammock was flying and the leaves were glistening like golden twinkle lights.  Take a moment and get caught up in the light, it's well worth the moment preserving this golden memory to look back on when everything is bear. 

Happy Friday!

One Word Wednesday~Gold

It seems that life can be full of distractions that have us keeping up.

Don't miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold. GOLD~~Anonymous

I was a little late posting today, but it's never too late!  Please join jillsygirl for One Word Wednesday!

Fall Wrap-Up

I'm chatting over at Eat Right Racine tonight, won't you join me?

Seasons & Seeds

We returned home late Saturday night and when we awoke on Sunday morning the world around us was a bit different.  

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The color has passed it's "peak" and many trees now show the bareness of their winter frames; 

strong, enduring.  

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The Indian Summer seems to have moved on, and temperatures are cooler, calmer. 

They allow us to enjoy them with windows wide, 

yet I am oh so happy to enter the cocoon of my home as the evening crisps.  

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I am presented with a sense of profound sadness, yet solice and a feeling of enthusiasm for what the amazing changes of season have to offer. 

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It was time, so we had the kids (ours and our farm partner's in crime) pick all of the gourds on our surprise, volunteer plant by the barn.  What a great haul!   They make our families boast of the amazing bounty from a single seed, that someday will become little birdhouses full of seeds!

Photog Class- Week 3

Last weeks assignment for the Sensational Snap Society was shadows and reflections.  I loved this task!  One of the things I've noticed since I began the PAD project was that my eye is drawn to how shadows look against different things.  I also find myself peering into puddles and gazing into shiny windows like magic mirrors, looking to see what I can find.  If you haven't tried it, take the time to notice what you see when you look beyond the obvious.  This is what I found...

Busy Hands

When I was pregnant with Sidney, I made this for Gram for Christmas.  At the time it was so true to me that her hands were always busy, almost tornadic with keeping the house, being a life-force as a volunteer and a matriarch to our family.  I have always had this inner cyclone in myself too.  I approach everything at break-neck speed in my life. 

Our little farmstead has a few key pieces of furniture that we've purchased, but mostly is a conglomeration of important family pieces we've acquired along the way.  I have all of Great-Uncle Orville's "knock down" furniture,  Clocks from B's grandparents, our kitchen table from my parents was my childhood dining room table, and artwork from all over the family.  The cross-stitch has now come back into my hands, and many other items from her house are soon to follow.  I feel her presence as I heft our furniture all over the house and clean preparing for the arrival of items that I have memories of from the earliest of ages.

I love that we can share so much of our childhood with our children.  As we create memories with our family, I so love that we can add to the story and history of so many items that have seen our families through generations. 

One Word Wednesday~ Sweet

Almost 13 years ago after 60+ years of marriage these two were separated. 

Late Monday evening at the age of 94, 

Gram, who had the opportunity to meet all of her great-grandchildren joined him.

Sweet~hearts reunited.

please join us for one word wednesday over at jillsygirl

Views From the Hammock

 Me & My Shadow

This weekend has been the epitome of a perfect Indian summer.  As we started to see here, it's continued exponentially.  With all of the beauty, there has also been some anxiety, my dearest Gram is approaching the end of her life and it seems that in true gram style, busy hands calm the heart.  I've gotten a chunk of  homemade Christmas started, the garden is humming away, a major school project for Sid completed and B and I even had a little quiet hammock time.  Let's see what that looks like through the lens...keeping in mind that it's mightily hard to stay still while in a hammock!

Photog Class-Week 2

 ray farm marquee

This weeks assignment was to look at the language around us.  When you begin to look around you it's amazing what information you gain from just a few simple words or symbols.  The bonus challenge was to create a personal marquee.  I've wanted to do this for a long time and it was fun looking around to find the letters.  Just like when I started taking pictures, or I suppose anything else of interest someone starts, you begin to see exactly what you're looking for, once you start to look for it!  I'm looking forward to this weeks assignment, it's something that I've really developed a love for capturing....shadows and reflections!  So here are my language submissions for this week.....

Happy Friday!

Indian Summer

Unexpected warmth,  and a lovely breeze.

I tilt my head back and breath, so peaceful.

Perfect evening light lends itself to

A time for visions of homestead dreams to come.

A shower of dry leaves just beginning their descent.

The kids with bare feet run free.

The rooster calls the hens in for the eve.

I smell the roast wafting through the open kitchen windows

and we savor this Indian Summer evening.

One Word Wednesday~ Circle

Down the rabbit hole we go!

"Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise 

than what it might appear to others that 

what you were or might have been was not 

otherwise than what you had been would

have appeared to them to be otherwise."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll

This certainly has me going in circles!

Come join me at Jillsy Girl for One Word Wednesday

Through Their Eyes

 I am forever excited about seeing things through the kids eyes.  This weekend we did some Halloween decorating.  I've got a number of simple window clings that add to the atmosphere without being too cheesy.  We divvy up the stuff and the kids go to town with their creations.  Several years ago we received this awesome glass window hanging from our friend Todd.  It has adorned a window now in two homes and has found it's final spot (shown above).   Sidney was drawn immediately to it.  To her it was the perfect Halloween moon for her witch to be flying toward.  As I look at it through her eyes, I totally agree!

Egg-cellent!

With the exception of a fall crop of lettuces our farm baskets have wound down.  It was a great first season trial and I thank my guinea pig families!  We have entered phase two of production with all of our ladies now laying eggs!  We've had close to a dozen a day since last Wednesday, so I sent out a post on facebook and what did I find??  Eleven families quickly jumped on board the organic egg bandwagon!  We have delivered the first four dozen and I'll have an other two by Wednesday, woohoo!  A friend emailed me this Craigslist sale last night, how cool, antique egg crates both reduce and reuse!  Let's see... I can purchase them with the proceeds of 15 dozen eggs!  Egg-cellent!

Dappled Color

 Everything is beginning to have a wonderful fall feel.  The landscape is turning golden and washed in the early morning sun it is like being enveloped in a warm fall hug. The dappled color and hint of crispness in the air lends itself to a mixture of feelings.  A tugging between getting last minute work done outside and just simply breathing in and enjoying.  It is a time for street festivals, apple picking, hay rides, pumpkin carving and long walks with a gentle shower of leaves falling on your head and shuffling under your feet.  The golden glow invigorates and spurs me into the day, ooh  I can already smell the warmth of simmering apple sauce and baking apple crisp!  Welcome October!

September in Review

Here is a look at September through my lens. What a great month, now I'm looking forward to the glowing colors of October!