Week #88: We Interrupt This Program…

Tags

photo, photo blog, photography, spring

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for proof of spring!

Ahhh…

This past week, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to take some product shots for a new class my friend, Jen at Mama’s Magic Studio, is teaching. I’ve been thoroughly absorbed in creating a light box, reading manuals and tutorials, learning new settings on my camera, troubleshooting, learning new software – fun, fun, fun! (Seriously! This is the kind of thing that makes me just giddy!)

Next week, I’ll share all my learning’s about creating product shots and working with a home made light box. The following week, I’ll post the Chapter 6 Portrait assignment and we’ll be back on track again.

In the meantime, if you (are forced to) participate in Daylight Savings, how are you making up for your lost hour and what are you doing with your extra daylight?

Week #40

Tags

drought, nature, photo blog, spring

Our favorite frog pond... (4/20/2011)

...is all dried up this year. (3/3/2012)

jb: I apologize for cheating and posting two pictures. I spent countless hours, tried combining them into one picture in Photoshop, but it didn’t do them justice. We went to our favorite frog pond today — it was the first time I had gone this “winter”. Usually, the pond is full to overflowing and teaming with life (frogs, tadpoles, newts, snakes, ducks, baby ducks and more). But this year, because of the “lack of rain” (remember when that used to be called a “drought”?)  there isn’t even a pond. I am saddened and sickened by the thought of all these animals losing another habitat. I think I’m going to go Google “how to do a rain dance”. Anyone want to join me?

j: Well, we both cheated because I essentially took the same picture two Sundays in a row. LOOK! I’m fascinated by this evolution of Spring – same branch, one week later. Plus I learned how to do something new with the focus on my camera. This morning, I’m all full of AMOS love because it’s got me paying attention to details I would undoubtedly otherwise miss.

(And, it’s our blog. It’s only cheating if we say it is.)

Week #39

Tags

growth, snow, spring

j: It took this tree in my backyard forever to lose its leaves this year. And now, signs of Spring in February. I’m mesmerized. A similar unfurling is happening in me.

jb: The experience of getting back on my snow board after an 8-year hiatus was many things – scary, exciting, humbling, tearful and joyful – to name a few. I didn’t expect it to be enlightening, but it was. In that moment when the reality of getting on to the lift was no longer avoidable, I finally realized, in a very real and tangible way, how much of my previous life I had left behind, bit by little bit, and sadly, how little me there was left in me. As I got off the lift and swooshed  (successfully!) down the hill, I resolved to return the good bits of my past life to my current life and put the me back in me again. Best of all, my son got to see me board down the hill and I heard him yell “Mom! You are awesome!”

Week #37

Tags

spring

j:  I went for a walk today. THIS is why I love California.

Scooby says it best!

jb: A few thoughts about Valentines Day…

• It takes a long time for a first grader to sign his name 32 times on Valentine’s cards, but at least we got some quality snuggle time out of the deal.
• These days, the rule is if you bring Valentine cards to school you have to bring one for everyone. That wasn’t the case when I was in school. Back then, in the lawless, Wild West of Valentine’s Days, you only brought Valentine cards for people you liked. I’m pretty sure I always gave Valentine’s cards to the whole class. Actually, I’m sure my mom insisted on it. (Thanks, Mom! You were ahead of your time.) But I also remember always selecting my favorite Valentine for my bestest friend and choosing the Valentine card I liked least for the person I liked least and making sure that there wasn’t anything mushy on the cards that went to the boys-with-cooties. Valentines politics were complicated then.
• In elementary school, I used to worry – physically worry and lose sleep — that no one would give me a Valentine card at school. I could vividly imagine returning to  my desk, opening the former-shoe-box now valentine-mailbox that I had painstakingly decorated and seeing nothing but a Grand Canyon of echoing emptiness inside. I don’t know why I worried. I had friends – good ones. And every year, I had lots of Valentines. But I worried for years just the same. I think I figured if it could happen to Charlie Brown, who was clearly a nice guy with friends, it could happen to me.

And now a Valentines story…

For years now, a kind elderly man and his sweet elderly, yellow retriever have taken daily walks through my neighborhood. They would always stop and invite my son and I to pet the dog, Lady. Everyone, including Lady, was very happy with this whole arrangement. They were an adorable team and it was always nice to see them. I always thought it was interesting that I knew Lady’s name, but not his. Once, I caught myself thinking “what will happen to Lady when he passes away?” I was worried about her.

They continued this friendly routine for years. And then, a few months ago, I noticed the man out walking by himself. I didn’t think much of it at first, until months went by and I noticed Lady was never with him. I finally realizednthat probably meant that Lady had been the one to leave first. That thought broke my heart.  I continued to say hello to him whenever he walked by and never asked about Lady because I wasn’t brave enough.

But today, he was out walking with a lady, a real one, about his age. They walked arm-in-arm, chatting and happy, as if they’d been doing it forever. I said “hello” and he replied with a friendly “hi!” and continued walking, as always. But she stopped and had a little conversation with me about the winter weather and her daily swim class at the local community center. But all I was thinking was how happy my heart was that he found another lady to walk with.