Winter Hike

I have so many, many pics of this snow - and frankly, I think we are all a little tired of them. But it won't be long till the big MELT and it will all be MUD. I say, let's enjoy it while it's so pretty and worry about our nasty cars later.
So last Saturday, I woke up and immediately headed outside with my incredible husband! I love that we both love to do things like this together. We headed out the back door, checked on the horses watering source, and went to our neighbor's house. Armed with the highest snowboots, 2 cameras, extra lenses for fun, a dry towel, and chapstick - we headed off! And let me tell you, it was a work out!!
Enjoy these shots, I know I sure enjoyed the process of going to find them!

Guess Where I've Been...

It's CANCUN, MEXICO! The Northern side of Isla Mujeres, to be exact!


I thought about making this a contest, but since most of you have probably seen it on Facebook, via Helter Shelter or one of our kids, I think it wouldn't be a grand idea.

I have some great new images, but I was on vacation, so there were many days when my camera never made it out of the bag!
I may post another one, if I feel like it. Then again, I might not. :)

Winter Walk

Sometimes I miss the convenience of living in town... a quick run for milk, a drop by visit of a friend, and generally less snakes and stuff. But not this day. On Wednesday, we all woke up to a blanket of icy fog, and I was fortunate enough to have a stay-at-home morning to do laundry. And like all good photographers, or otherwise procrastinating homemakers, I opted for a walk among the glorious crisp white trees and fields. Days like this make me never want to get in the car... (especially since it's a Toyota).
The picture in the middle was taken with my new 50mm 1.4 Canon lens. See how the ice crystals on the tip of the branch are clearly in focus, while the rest is all blurry? Well, that's on purpose, folks. It's called "Bokeh." While my composition may be a little off, I love playing with that depth of field. It's so precise, that a pic of my dog's face can have her nose in focus, while the eyes get blurry. We want to avoid that, so it takes practice. Practice. Practice... I do love the results, though. I'm also learning about White Balance, and studio flashed set ups. You have to be a constant learner to make it in this business. It's technical. It's Art. It's people. It's JOY to me. And it's why I'd rather venture outside instead of hopping in the car to go to WalMart. **Sigh**, that's where I'm headed now...

Flu Remedy

 

Your thinking, "what???" But seriously, after an all-nighter with Nathan hitting the bathroom every 20 minutes - this view was an incredible blessing. I just couldn't pick which shot I liked better, and neither really does it justice... So, you get 2 of them tonight.

November Sunset

 

Seriously, did anyone happen to notice that amazing sunset on Monday evening?! The clouds were so wierd, it was like a clean knife cut across the SW sky. Emma saw it first, and it was pretty neat at 3:45 in the afternoon. But later, when the sun fell to just beneath that line of clouds, it threw an amazing array of colors across the whole sky. Even Nathan, who had his head in the toilet 18-20 times that day noticed this display from the window. I jumped in the car with no gas in it, sped down to an open field, and grabbed what I could - so just in case you're head was in the toilet, too... here it is.

Anchor Hill Valley

 

 

So a couple of weeks ago our family had our pic taken by another friend/artist/photographer from Rogersville, then I took their pictures - all in hopes of grabbing something both families can use for our Christmas cards. It was actually a funny event... hurry and gather everyone from school and work, get cleaned up, get to their house before the light was too low. I shoot them, we trade places, and it's our turn. Find another well lit spot in the valley, get set up and try again... trade places... hurry up the hill, it's brighter up there... it's freezing, my eyes are watering, and we were hungry...
Whew! Not the ideal way to have a photo shoot, but it was fun, I think we were successful enough, and I now discovered one of the prettiest valleys in MO. Complete with an abandoned 100 yr old farmhouse the kids say is haunted, horses, and glittering sunlight - if you catch it at just the right time.

What I Love About Winter

As we all start throwing open our windows, going to the parks, taking walks on something that doesn't tell you how few calories you have really burned in 45 minutes... I am reminded that we are not far from saying goodbye to Ole Man Winter for the first part of 2007. I say, "good riddence!" But in my efforts to remain a positive person and always striving to think the best, I will share with you what I will miss, come Spring:

Scrapbooking (yeah right)

A fire in the fireplace that burns the REAL wood

A predictable, although full, schedule

A Big Cedar cabin getaway, complete with movies, hot chocolate, and plenty of stuff to read, sprinting to the out door hot tub with the kids, and yet another fire in the fireplace. Yeah, I love that.

NO PESKY HOUSEFLIES!!!!! I forget, they will be coming back soon, and I will cry on that beautiful, sun drenched day when I spot the first one in my house. Oh please, God, spare Roygersville of this plague!

That's all for now, I would list 10 things if I could think of 10.