Hannah

Don & I made the trip back to see Dad this weeekend & attend a party for Jason. Nick & Amy made the trip also & yesterday afternoon I got to spend a little bit of time in Nancy's kitchen while Hannah was there. She has beautiful eyes with long lashes. Her hair is growing a little bit more with some red starting to show up.







When Nancy was on the phone I couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch some photos with her & Hannah. Not too often do we see anyone with a land line still attached to a phone cord!

railroad stop

It hasn't been often that I find snow on the ground when passing this spot. I was going out to see Dad two weeks ago & took a few photos. I still love the black & white.

meltaways

There is a candy factory just down the road in Greenwood called Baker's Candies. They make a chocolate candy they call Meltaways. It is the right sized piece of chocolate to pop into your mouth & just let it "melt away". Besides the chocolate, of course, I also love the package these gems come in. They are individually wrapped in bright, shiny foil. Red, green, yellow, blue, orange. Even some striped wrappers. Each color denotes a different flavor of chocolate: milk, dark, mint etc. We received a box of Meltaways from Don's company for Christmas & I just had to take a few pictures before we ate them all. I often buy these myself for gifts so it's nice to be on the receiving end!

I'm proud to be an American . . .

Ted's wife, Yvonne, sent out an announcement that yesterday she became a United States citizen! She is shown here with her daughter, Abby (who looks pretty tickled about the whole thing too). Yvonne is from England & says she's been eligible to apply for citizenship for 15 years & it took 15 months to go through the process. I'm delighted that she finally became a citizen. She still has her British passport though (and thankfully, her British accent). Congratulations!

tulips

poppies

Another month of winter will soon be behind us, but I have heard more than one person comment that this winter is making them depressed . . . seriously. A common occurrence when we go days and days without any sunshine or a bit of warmth while outdoors. So it seemed a good time to share some old flower photos (yes I still have a stash of old photos). And anyway it will be way too cold to be outdoors this week photographing anything! I love poppies. On the dog walking route there is a home where poppies bloom along the sidewalk every spring. The poppy is a delicate flower, though, & its blooming is short lived. All the more reason to appreciate it while it blooms. Anyway, I hope these photos give you a break from the winter & remind you that spring is worth the wait.

after naptime

babysitting Ivy

This weekend I have been babysitting two year old Ivy for Sharmin (Don's niece) & Louie while they house hunt. Ivy is a busy two year old. She has such an expressive face; I enjoy trying to capture some of those expressions with my camera. She makes it a challenge trying to keep up with her though. Thank goodness for naptime!










I intentionally sat Ivy in this chair as it used to belong to Mavis, her great grandmother. Turned out to be a great prop . . .





Ivy's brother, Caleb, also came along. He spent most of yesterday with Daniel while they checked out South Pointe mall & saw the movie "Avatar". He had a birthday earlier this month & let me take a photograph of him yesterday.

six months

No photos today; just a moment to pause & note that my blog is 6 months old now. That was my original goal . . . to make it 6 months. Those 6 months have been easy to fill. I've piled up a collection of photos since I first got a digital camera & a lot of those have made it to my blog. The next 6 months will be more challenging which should be a good thing. A chance maybe to look beyond the obvious photos and be more creative. I know from my first photography class that there are interesting things to photograph even in my own backyard. I have to say I was more inspired by the photos everyone else took in their backyard though. I am grateful to everyone who has allowed me to photograph them or sent me photos to post. I am also grateful for those who read my blog & comment on it. Most of us love an audience & I am no exception. (I blame some of that on growing up with nine brothers & sisters!) I hope I can keep it interesting & give you a reason for checking in! Thanks!

photography class

I started my second photography class at Southeast Community College (SCC) last week. This quarter is about photographing people, or "humanoids" as my instructor likes to say. The first assignment was to take photographs of someone outdoors. Daniel graciously allowed me to photograph him on the university campus. Fortunately the weather had warmed up considerably. Anyway I was glad to get some nice shots of Daniel. These are a few of my favorites. Next week is the three hour class on using flash; that is what I'm really looking forward to.

anniversary

Austin reminded me that another anniversary passed this past week. A year ago he moved to Iowa City for grad school. He's studying biology. His dad helped him move out in snowy weather much like we have this month. Austin was still driving the Geo Tracker & on the drive out ended up hitting a patch of ice and skidded into the median of Interstate 80. Fortunately no one was hurt. Since then the Tracker has died (and now sits in our neighbor's driveway after being resurrected); see accompanying photo. Austin is doing ok in school. The usual struggles with schedules and professors. He recently started his own blog. You can click here to check it out. It's about food so I will be checking it out myself regularly.

old road sign

Lawrence, Nebraska

windshield photography

January 17, 2010

Happy Birthday, Heath!

Heath is married to Angie, Jim & Deb's daughter, and father to three beautiful girls. He loves animals. Raises sheep (last I knew) and has done some livestock judging.