Extreme Photography

I may need a new hobby.

Tuesday before last, the moon was gorgeous.  Low in the horizon, slight orange tint.  Gorgeous!

So, I put on the telephoto glass, extended my tripod out fully and proceed to walk down the first set of steps on our deck for a better vantage point.

I missed the last step.  Rolled my right ankle over my toes.  Not to the side.  Of course, if I am going to sprain my ankle, it has to be the weirdest type of sprain.  I won't have it any other way.

Good news is that it was just a bad sprain, no breaks.

Greater news is that I saved my camera.  Probably made my fall worse.

Bad news is that I missed a killer shot.

~R

#7

Apparently, I'm not cut out for this everyday thing.  I thought about writing yesterday up until I went to bed, but I was busy scanning old photos for my mom and editing them.  Ones like this.

Original scan of my grandmother as a young girl.

After editing

I decided to leave the cardboard backing intact just because I like it.  It helps further date the picture.  For my family, it's nice to have these photos especially since my grandmother passed away last April.


~R

Digital Photography

has put me in photo hell.  I am sifting and sorting and deleting like crazy.  It doesn't help that I am now using a windows computer and I'm not used to the key shortcuts and for some reason I have three of everything.  I have no idea how that happened. 

One day, I'll get to the editing and digital scrapbooking.
That is...if I can stop taking more photos and adding to the chaos.

~R

Nablo #6

Photographs

Can I just say I love my hand-me-down iPhone 3.  I was tired of my old flip-don't do darn thing-phone and BN wanted to upgrade to the iPhone 4, so I got his old phone.

I loves it!

I started texting.  Never knew I would like doing that.  It's so easy to drop a quick note to someone.  Or have long conversations with your best friend while she's at work. *snicker*

I love being able to look up stuff while we are out and about.  And checking traffic on the many tunnels and bridges that back up around here.

But mostly, I love that I have a camera with me at all times.  And the quality of the pictures aren't bad.  In fact, they are pretty good.  Not as good at the 4, but still good and I don't miss great shots of my boys because I'm not lugging around my big camera and all its accessories.

If only it had video...I'll have to wait for BN to upgrade again and then I can get his 4, which has video.

I wonder if all the other mothers out there have guilt problems with pictures?  Do you try to get an equal number of shots of your kids?  Technology has made this task so much easier.  If RePete is doing something cute, I snap a quick picture and turn to Pete and do the same.  If Pete is doing something radical on his Ripstik, then I can turn and get RePete to do the same thing.  Snap! Snap! It's that easy.

I was going through the 200 plus photos on my phone this afternoon and made sure that after deleting photos (already downloaded, of course), that I had the same number of pics of each child.  Trust me this is necessary because child number one notices these things.

Here's a few that I like carrying around with me.  Remember those plastic picture sleeves that fit in your wallet?  Thing of the past.  And I can carry so many more around with me now.

~R

Rolando

When BN went back to school after getting out of the Navy, he went to work for a man named Rolando.  Rolando had special gifts.

This is our grill.

 This is a tree frog that I have named Rolando.  When I saw him hiding under the grill cover, being perfectly still, hoping I couldn't see him, I immediately thought of Rolando the Boss.

Rolando the Boss once told BN that he could make himself disappear.  He was never able to show this to BN and he gave BN the heebie jeebies anyway so thankfully, a wonderful internship became available and BN moved on to bigger and better things.

Not only does Rolando the tree frog live on our grill and scare the poop right out of me every single time I remove the grill cover, but I think he hides there because he it makes him feel invisible to the rest of the swamp creatures.

Why he's chosen our grill to reside instead of the huge wooded area and marsh behind our house we'll never know.  And other than the immediate bowel release he causes in me, I'm glad he chose us.

~R

Distracted Much?

Yesterday, I drove the boys down the road a piece to the headquarters for the Great Dismal Swamp.  I wanted to get a map so we could all (including BN) go for a bike ride this weekend.

The ranger was great.  Very helpful.  Actually, she was too helpful, because one minute I was getting a map of bike routes and the next, the boys and I, armed with a combination lock, were taking the driving tour.  In fact, Gilligan's Island comes to mind because it was three hours later that I deposited the aforementioned lock on the park rangers desk.

Swamp was used as part of the Underground Railroad

The ranger said it was a 20 minute tour.  It's quite apparent that she doesn't know me very well.  I love nature.  I love adventures.  I love looking at nature during an adventure.  And that's what we did.
Here's a few SOOCs.

Beaver dam

This how the drive looked when we entered. And no I didn't stop driving to take this.

According to the park rangers, the black bears have been bored lately.

My fearless black bear hunters. 

Proof of the elusive black bears. 

I told the boys these guys were waiting for our car to break down.  I was only half joking. 

The lake spans 2-3 miles and is only 7 feet at its deepest. 

RePete tries out the binoculars.

I caught Pete adding liquid to the lake.  He's saying, "Hey!" in an "Aww Mom" sort of way.

~Robinella

Thank You, Darling BN

Warning.  I am my usual random self today.

We braved the winter storm to visit my mother this past weekend.  She asked us not to come, but since she is prone to dramatics when it comes to weather, we decided to travel anyway.  It wasn't so bad on the way up.  VDOT was out doing a fairly good job.  It wasn't clear by any means but passable.  

We did have a slight slippedy slide when BN passed a tractor while going a little fast.  But he understands all that turn the wheel right when the ass slips left or maybe it is the reverse.  Anyway, he gets it and corrected like a pro.

She had close to a foot of snow upon arrival.  It snowed while we were there and by the time we left, VDOT was at home by the fireplace and we were in snow/ice up to our yingyangs.  Again, BN's mad skills behind the wheel got us home safely, although I think I had my first panic attack.

***

I started our way of list making when my oldest was about 3.  When the big toy catalogs come in the mail or Sunday paper, I let him cut out pictures of the things he liked and glue them to a piece of construction paper.  He loved doing this and I was actually able to find the things he wanted.  I've continued this for the past 7 years and my youngest makes one as well.

When Grandmas ask what to get the boys, I pull out the list and let them pick and choose.  So this past weekend we had Christmas at my moms.  When we returned home and the boys pulled out their goodies to play, RePete suddenly looked at me and asked to please remove this goody from his list.  He didn't want Santa to bring him the same item.  He's so thoughtful.

***

I rock at Spongebob Typing.  75 WPM.  Too bad I didn't know about blogging when I worked.  I think I could only do about 45 wpm back them.  I wonder if I can list Blogging under education on my resume.  Hmmm.

***

This is the first year we've been able to put presents under our Christmas tree.  I was always afraid the boys would open the presents (because Pete did many years ago) so we've always had an empty tree underneath.  Of course, none of the boys gifts are under there because BN believes they should wake up on Christmas morning to a magical wonder.  Oooo.  Ahhh.  He also believes we have to buy every stinkin' thing on their list.  The more the merrier and all that.

***

I've got to figure out how to take photos in the gym.  Pete started basketball and I can't have all his photos look like crap.

***

It's my first year not sending Christmas cards.  That month I lost after my knee surgery just messed me up.  It's during that month that I would  have made cards, extra handmade gifts, kids Christmas party and just all my planning.   Instead I was laid up or on crutches or just feeling tired.  What a difference two months makes.  I feel fantastic now, but alas it is too late to worry with cards.  Oh well.

Have a Great Christmas or whatever you celebrate.  Even Festivus!

~R

What!?!

~R