KK-Ville Photo Journal

I Moved

2009-09-02T09:15:00.002-04:00

I moved the blog to my new website. I did this mainly because I wanted my own dot com address to show a semblance of professionalism. Go to KKJ Photography and see my new digs!

My Favorite Dog

2009-08-31T23:13:00.002-04:00

Her name is Buffy.

Joe at School

2009-08-26T22:13:00.002-04:00

He's reading science and hoping I'll get the camera outta his face.

Did You Know?

2009-08-25T18:57:00.004-04:00

Worldwide, there are approximately 28,000 species. There are about 725 species in the USA and Canada. About 2,000 species have been found in Mexico. About 80% of all species are in the tropics. The United Kingdom has 58 species of butterfly and 2,000 species of moth.

At night or during bad weather, butterflies will usually hang from the undersides of leaves, or crawl into crevices between rocks or other objects, and sleep.

Moth species outnumber butterfly species by 16-to-1.

Adult butterflies sip nectar from flowers through their tongues, which act like straws. A very few butterflies do not visit flowers, but instead feed on tree sap or rotting organic material.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae), with a wing span of 11-1/8 inches (280 mm), is found only in the rain forest of New Guinea. Destruction of its habitat is threatening this beautiful creature with extinction.

The smallest butterfly, the Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis), is found in the southern United States. Its wingspan is 1/2 inch (15 mm).

Butterflies communicate mostly through chemical signals. Males produce 'pheromones' to attract females. A few species communicate with sound. For example, the male Cracker Butterfly can produce noises with its wings.

Butterfly wings are covered with scales (that's the meaning of the word 'lepidoptera'). Each scale is a single color, most of which are produced by pigments. The iridescence that's sometimes seen is produced from a reflective microstructure on the surface of the scales.

Arizona is the state with the most butterfly species, with 220.

I just think they're pretty.

Have You Met Tank?

2009-08-17T17:56:00.005-04:00

If you don't know Tank, let me introduce you.

Tank is a tortoise. But I guess you could tell.

She belongs to our neighbor.

Tank is not a boy but a girl.

She had been named Tank when they thought she was a he and they decided to keep Tank as her name.

Tank likes to visit her neighbors.

She gets around and is remarkably fast for a tortoise.

She likes to visit us and eat our weeds.

And that's a good thing.

We have lots of weeds for her to feed on.

She was in our yard one day when the UPS guy delivered a package.

He was quite excited and wondered if we knew we had a turtle in our yard.

I said, "Oh yea. That's Tank. She's the neighborhood tortoise."

Doesn't every neighborhood have a tortoise?

Some neighborhoods are known for their dogs.

Some have the cat that everyone knows.

But our neighborhood has a tortoise.

And her name is Tank.

She's friendly.

And I think all neighborhoods should have a tortoise.

Atlanta Trip

2009-08-16T22:01:00.003-04:00

On Friday, our trip to Atlanta started by stopping at the CNN building. After riding four hours in a car you're pretty desperate to see just about anything.

You just gotta love those tourists.

Here's a picture of me and Larry. What's up with those glasses anyway?

I tried to get Joe to do this, but he was uncooperative. As usual. So I had to jump in and get the job done. Please ignore the out of shape, fat arms. Lord I need to work out.

This is more like it! This is what we came to see. I can't tell you how exciting it is to walk up to the ballpark.

And then there's the uncooperative family shot. They were complaining about photographers.

More excitment for me. I have looked forward to this day for a long, long time!

Hello boys! I have arrived!

We got to the field early and were able to watch the guys warming up.

Not only were we able to watch them warm up, but we watched them playing around a bit.

Doesn't it look like Kelly Johnson is thinking they're a couple of fools?

Here's a picture of a big camera. Whoopie!

Say hello to Cole.

As you can see, I'm now watching my Phillies warm up. I don't know why I find this amazing, but did you know that Little League go through pretty much the same warm up routine?

Here's a view of the Phillies dugout.

In fact, I think if I could have gotten away with it, I might have jumped in the dugout. That probably would have embarrassed Len and Joe. Especially when they would have had to bail me out of jail.

However, I came this close to embarrassing myself. You see the guy in the Phillie uniform talking to those nice folks? The guy in the Phillie uniform was approaching the fence and I just knew that he was coming over to talk to me. Cause I just knew that he knew that I was the Phillie's number one fan.

The people he's talking to were behind me and fortunately they came front and center before I had the opportunity to make a major league fool of myself. He's the Phil's bench coach. Number 22 that is.

Here's Kelly Johnson taking batting practice.

As Len said, you really gotta be a fan for seats like these. Remember that Bob Uecker commercial? These folks thought they were getting front row seats too.

Jimmy Rollins warming up his arm. They do this in Little League too.

Ryan Howard walking some paces.

You might think that I was coveting this professional photographer's big, honkin lens.

Nope. What I was drooling over was his media credentials. Oh, the places I could go!

The whole pregame experience includes watching the ground crew do their thing. I thought this was fascinating. But then I'm a simple person.

There were three players that were being recognized for great playing during the month of June

I'm so sorry. I can't help myself.

Rollins and Victorino up to bat. Shane would rob the Braves of a couple of runs by outstanding plays in centerfield.

The Braves take the field. The game is about to begin.

Ok, Escobar reminds me of a little league player. Or maybe he lost his contact lens.

Escobar can't wait to play ball.

Rollins swinging.

McLouth in action.

Chipper Jones at bat.

Rounding third and heading home.

Here's the Braves starting pitcher, Jair Jurrens.

Escobar is Joe's favorite player. For today. He likes him because he's the shortstop. That's the position Joe likes to play.

This is a really bad picture but I had to post it anyway. This guy came down the steps and yelled, "ICE COLD BEER." He scared the beegeebies outta me!

LaRoche taking a swing.

The start of a double play.

Here's a shot of the stadium lights. I was using my 70-300 mm zoom lens and I really could have used a tripod. However, the ballpark does not allow tripods or monopods or any kind of pods. I think the powers that be are worried that they would take up too much room or fans would use them to whack each other. Or throw them at the center fielders.

I took this next picture because it reminds me of Joe. He's a very gassy little boy and he finds it very funny.

The fans did the wave and it did about four turns around the park. It got to the point that it was almost annoying.

This guy was sitting behind us and he got a foul ball. Joe was mad at me. He said I was too slow getting out of his way and was unable to get the ball. I told him I was protecting him. He would have just gotten into a fight over the ball and would have ended up in jail. And that would have ruined his future professional ball playing days. After all, there are no criminals playing professional sports.

"Hey Jaysen, I think you're forgetting something!" They do that in little league too.

One thing I noticed, the fans NEVER sit still.

"Look! It's a plane!"

I told Joe to never do this. He asked me if I thought he was dumb.

At the end of the game there were fireworks. Remember, I didn't have a tripod so the pics aren't great.

It was a really good game. We saw some great plays. We saw a home run. And best of all, we saw the Phillies win!

Tech Booth

2009-08-09T21:22:00.008-04:00

About a month or so ago, Charles wanted me to take some pictures of all the action that goes on in the tech booth at CBC. He was getting ready to go to China and wanted some photos to show the tech guys in China.

Here's a shot of Caleb working the mixer. He's talking to the camera operators and asking for certain shots. He's kind of the director for what you see on TV and video.

This is one of the camera operators that Caleb is ordering around. If I'm not mistaken, this is camera 2 being operated by Jameson.

This is my husband on Camera 3.

Caleb is working the mixer changing his live camera shot.

The view from behind Caleb. It kind of gives you a sense of what Caleb is looking at.

This is Jill. She's another person that Caleb directs. She's operating the computer that does computer graphics for what you see on television. She doesn't have to do the songs like PowerPoint, but she does have to pay close attention during the sermon to make sure she's showing the correct slide.

Hi Caleb. You're doing a great job but I really think you need to show me less attitude! You're not Steven Spielberg ... yet!

There are two different sound systems: one for in house (what you hear while you're in the service) and one for video (what you hear on CD or DVD). This is a picture of Nick's arm as he makes some adjustments to the video sound.

This is a shot of the whole board that Nick is working.

And a close up shot. There sure are a lot of buttons to play with.

This is what Nick does after he plays with a button. He prays that he didn't mess things up.

Hi Nick. I'm glad you know what all those buttons do. Please don't call in sick!

This next shot is the MOST important piece of equipment the church has. It's a piece of equipment that gets all of the tech people going.

Ahhh. Gotta have that cup o' Joe to get the old eyes open and brain functioning.

And if the coffee doesn't get you wired, there's always the real stuff. Lots and lots of wires.

This is Patricia. Well, it's Patricia's arm and she's working the computer that operates the PowerPoint. This is what the congregation sees on the screens in the service. If she doesn't move a slide forward during worship, you don't know what to sing and you just stand there mumbling and pretending that you know the words to the song.

This is my brother, Craig. He's the one who's in charge of all things technical for the church.

This is Charles. He's Craig's right hand man. Charles' second language is Geek.

When he's not fixing slides, turning on equipment, troubleshooting all things techie, or singing Final Countdown, he can be found beating up on some of the unpaid help. Or at least giving them "The Eye!"

Charles is good. He's right by your side should you let out an exasperated sigh, which in Geek means that something has gone wrong.

I think Charles deserves a raise. Or a round of applause.

This next piece of equipment is ... uh ... gee, I don't know what it does. Maybe someone can give a little help. It's in a dark room and I know it's pretty important but I'm just not sure what it's purpose is.

And this doohickey thingy changes what the congregation sees on the screen. It's what puts the live shots from the cameras on the wall.

For instance, this baptisim was captured on camera and projected onto the screens.

This is a picture of Craig as someone was talking to him about a perceived problem.

One more of my brother as he's working hard. I think he's wishing I'd get out of his face!

A Dog and a Butterfly

2009-08-08T20:10:00.003-04:00

A dog ...

... and a butterfly.

The end.

Flower

2009-08-03T21:26:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of one of my flowers after it was converted to one of my favorite Lightroom presets.

Daisy

2009-08-01T18:54:00.004-04:00

July was a busy month. Between Maxx being here and Floyd being here, construction of our garage, and life in general, time just flew by. Although we hardly knew Floyd was here because, well, Floyd was hardly here. He'd leave for Savannah before I got up and returned home after I went to bed.

For all my Facebook friends, this note is actually my blog post. I have my blog synced to FB notes so that I'm forcing all of you to read my blog. So there!

I've had several photography projects for friends this past month (I'll blog about each another time), my latest one for my sister-in-law. She wanted pictures of daisies. The only place I knew that might have daisies was Lowes and so I took my camera to see what I could see. I wasn't certain they would have them so I prayed and sure enough, Lowes had lots of daisies.

They only had three colors yellow, pink and red. Now mind you, I decided to go at high noon and real photographers don't take pictures at high noon. Why? The lighting is too harsh and colors are washed out. But I'm not a real photographer so this is what I got.

There were yellow ones.

And pink ones.

And red ones.

I don't know if this is anything she can use or even if she'll like them.

I told her to let me know what her vision is and I'll go again.

If you like daisies, Lowes has a bunch of them.

MCP Actions Giveaway

2009-07-08T09:28:00.002-04:00

MCP Actions is having a giveaway and she's giving away camera lenses. The following will give you the scoop and I've provided a link to her website so that you can enter this wonderful contest yourself. Now go to MCP Actions and get yourself enrolled to win a new lens!

I am very excited to have my 1st BIG lens give away on the blog. Tamron USA, Inc. is sponsoring the MCP contest for a brand new lens. The WINNER chooses from the 18-270mm (for a crop sensor Nikon or Canon) or the 28-300mm (for a full frame Nikon or Canon).

This would be an amazing lens to have for travel when changing prime lenses is inconvenient. I can just picture this lens on a trip to Disney World.

To enter, you will need to do the following:

- Post to your blog, twitter and/or facebook about this contest (let people know how to enter and provide a link)

- Come back here and leave a comment writing where you posted (with link so that it can be verified if your post is picked from the random drawing)

- In your comment, please write why you want to win this lens, where you would want to most the lens, and for fun tell us how many lenses you currently own.

To qualify, you must:

- Have a US mailing address that the lens can ship to – this can be yours or a friend or relative but make sure you have one prior to entering (Tamron USA is only authorized to sell and distribute in the US)

- Have a Camera that works with Tamron Lenses. If you do not have a Nikon or Canon SLR, a similar range lens for Pentax or Sony will be substituted.

Flowers

2009-07-04T12:29:00.003-04:00

This year's flowers have produced different colors.

This is a color that we had last year. I took two shots of it with different focus on each.

Last is a light yellow. It almost looks desaturated but pretty, nonetheless.

Playing with the Camera

2009-07-03T11:08:00.002-04:00

What do you think he's thinking?

Maxx's Pet

2009-07-02T20:10:00.003-04:00

I know we like to think that we own our pets, but in reality it's the pets that own us. Meet Floyd. He's Maxx's pet. Floyd is staying with us while he goes to school at Savannah College of Art and Design. If you know Len, then you know Floyd. They are so alike that it's scary. It's also frustrating.

Floyd is a very talented artist but don't take my word for it. See for yourself at his website.

This next picture is one that I took while we were at Lowes. Normally I wouldn't take my camera to Lowes but we had just had lunch with some friends and I took my camera to take a few pictures of them. We stopped at Lowes on our way home and I didn't want to leave the camera in the car. So I just started taking pictures of Floyd, Len and Joe. Joe hides from me, Len ignores me, and this is what Floyd does.

He says he hates his name. Maybe I'll start calling him Jack.

What's Wrong with this Picture

2009-06-27T22:03:00.002-04:00

There are no holes in the jeans.

My Friend, Maxx

2009-06-17T22:30:00.003-04:00

I have a new friend and his name is Maxx.

Maxx is visiting us for the summer and he had quite and introduction to the neighborhood. Or should I say, the neighborhood had quite an introduction to Maxx. After spending two long days driving from Texas, Maxx's morning outing turned into quite an adventure. For him, his owner and me.

While we thought the dogs were in the yard, Maxx was actually getting to know my neighbor's yard, trying to "mark" every spot that he thought should belong to him. And when he wasn't in that neighbor's yard watering the lawn, he decided to visit the neighbor on our other side. That's when the feathers flew. Literally.

My neighbors have chickens and Maxx took some time to play with them. Unfortunately, chickens don't like to play with dogs. One got stressed out and died and the other one was never to be seen again.

I can't tell you how bad we felt. It made me sick to my stomach. Floyd, Maxx's owner, was totally distressed. He even checked Maxx out and noted that Maxx didn't eat the chicken as there was no blood or feathers in his mouth.

And then, just as we had recovered from Maxx's deadly romp, I introduced Floyd to the neighbor's little girl. She looked at Floyd and said, "Your dog killed our chickens!" Even though she said it in a nice way and not accusing at all, it kind of felt like a knife going into the heart ... again.

We've all recovered and Maxx in adjusting well to his vacation home. He and Buffy get along famously. Today Buffy, Maxx, Roscoe and Webster had a chance to gather in the yard and play for a few minutes. I think Maxx kinda likes country life.

Construction Time

2009-06-13T22:52:00.011-04:00

Today was day one of the construction of our new garage.

We're excited because soon we'll be able to park our cars in the garage and not have to get into vehicles that reach 500 degrees in the summertime.

Ok, maybe 500 degrees is a bit of hyperbole but it sure does feel like it. I bet these guys feel like it's 500 degrees out.

And this guy chose to cool off under the tree for a minute or two.

They had this digger thingy to help out so that there wasn't as much manual labor digging a trench. Or whatever they're digging.

See how much dirt it pulls out?

Here's a hard working man. My Mother-in-law was worried about them out in the heat.

If it were me, I'd be crying about now. The heat has a way of doing that to me. Not to mention that if I had to do this, I'd probably end up whacking myself in the leg. That is if I could even lift the darn thing.

Here's Larry. He's the boss. He assured me that they were used to working in the heat.

However if you look closely at his T-shirt, you can see what he'd rather be doing.

This guy finally came away from the shady tree and worked up some more sweat.

They have a hard, hot job but someone's gotta do it.

Yep, I'd be crying about now.

Ferret Face

2009-06-12T09:29:00.002-04:00

Picture of the Day

2009-06-11T12:46:00.004-04:00

My good friend allowed me to take pictures of her daughter yesterday. This was taken at Hunting Island and is one of my favorites.

Saturday Wedding

2009-06-09T21:24:00.004-04:00

Len and I went to Cally Marcy's wedding this past Saturday and here are a few shots that I got. I went to the professional photographer's website and Cally is going to have awesome pictures!

Here is the groom and his men. I call this Men in Black.

The ring bearers.

Proud pop as he escorts his daughter to her man.

Here they are, man and wife!

The bride and groom with the ladies.

Brother and sister ... flower girl and ring bearer.

The bride with the groomsmen.

The bride and her sister.

The ring bearer playing baseball with one of the bridesmaid's flowers.

Flower and Butterfly

2009-06-05T22:31:00.001-04:00

Downtown Beaufort

2009-06-04T19:40:00.005-04:00

More from the Sands

2009-06-03T14:47:00.002-04:00

Another Flower Picture

2009-06-02T09:13:00.003-04:00

Flowers and a Lizard

2009-06-01T12:18:00.003-04:00

Baseball Saturday

2009-05-31T16:09:00.006-04:00

Joe started his day by getting a base hit.

He's pretty fast and was able to beat the ball to first base.

He ended up scoring a run.

When they took the field, the coach put him in as pitcher. He didn't stay in too long as pitcher because, quite frankly, he stunk up the mound.

I know that sounds harsh, so I guess I'll take that back and just say he couldn't get into a groove as pitcher. He went back to playing first base where he is a bit more comfortable.

He informed me today that you need to be tall to play first base. I think he thinks he's tall just because he's taller than me. Bless his heart, he's excited about being taller than me and wonders if people think we're brother and sister. In my dreams!

Here are a few shots of the players in the dugout. This is our catcher, Clyde.

This is Mark. Mark and Joe have been friends a long time.

Here's Dee. Or is it just D? He gives me hugs which is more than I can say for my son!

Then there's Will. One of the things that I like about Will and the rest of the team, is that they're all eager to help each other out and give pointers on how to be a better player.

I love being in the dugout with the boys because of moments like this. If the game was closer, you wouldn't see this and of course the coaches would never allow it, but we were winning 17-3.

You think this player is smiling now, you should have seen him a couple of weeks back when he hit the game winning run! This page wouldn't be wide enough!

We only have two more games left in the season. The end of the season brings a bit of sadness for me because I always end up falling a little in love with each boy. It's neat to see them come together as a team as the season progresses.

But then there is always next year!

Beach Girlfriend

2009-05-30T00:14:00.004-04:00

Guitar Nation

2009-05-29T14:53:00.003-04:00

Bucket

2009-05-29T11:17:00.001-04:00

Scenes from the Beach

2009-05-28T12:06:00.008-04:00

Faces of Joe

2009-05-28T00:17:00.001-04:00

Here is a slideshow of pictures that I took of Joe.

Pic O' Day

2009-05-27T22:23:00.004-04:00

New Life

2009-05-25T23:22:00.003-04:00

Well done, Robbie and Heather! Congratulations on your new little girl.

Surfer Dude

2009-05-22T20:51:00.002-04:00

Air Show 2009

2009-05-17T14:35:00.008-04:00

Guess what we did yesterday?

We went to the airshow! We were among about 100,000 others who went.

Everyone was amazed at the stunt pilots.

The Blue Angels own Fat Albert got to show off his fat stuff.

I love Fat Albert.

But then it was time for the fighters to do their job.

It really is awesome and exciting. I have been going to see the Blue Angels ever since I arrived in Beaufort. They are so thrilling to watch.

They'll be back in 2011 and if I'm still around, I'll probably be there!

Webster

2009-05-14T23:36:00.003-04:00

Webster is my neighbor's puppy dog.

He and Buffy like to play together.

He likes to jump on Buffy.

Webster loves me more than anyone else on Earth.

It's true!

He told me this yesterday. If you don't believe me, ask him!

He Pitched!

2009-05-13T22:28:00.004-04:00

My baby pitched his first game. I don't know who was most nervous, him or me. You could tell he was nervous because he had a hard time catching the ball.

His first inning wasn't pretty. He balked two or three times and you could tell that his head just wasn't in the game at that point.

But then he started to gain some confidence.

He gave up two runs in the first inning.

At the end of the first inning, he got himself into a rhythm.

He worked three innings and ended up with five strike outs. Not to shabby for his first pitching effort! Oh, they won the game 8-5!

Momma Said

2009-05-12T13:29:00.003-04:00

I took this photo ...

... because of this.

Which all started because of this.

Yep, a flat tire. A flat tire that couldn't be salvaged. And a tire so stubborn that Len couldn't free it from the car to put on the spare. So we had to tow the van.

I got to ride in the tow truck. The driver/owner kept apologizing for the looks of the truck. His better looking truck was broken. He explained what was wrong with the truck but when any one tries to speak mechanical things to me, I turn blond. I get the deer in the headlights eyes. And I'll mumble "Oh," like I understand, but I really don't.

I told him I liked his truck. I told him that his truck had character. Then I told myself that I needed to shut up.

We took the van here.

I've been using Barnard's since I came to town. It's a family run business and they give you good service.

This guy was frustrated.

He said a bad word, got up and walked away for a bit. Sometimes you gotta say a bad word to alleviate the stress. Not that I'm condoning the use of bad language.

This is the tow truck driver. He told me that he used to work for NASA and that he invented the space shuttle tile. I'm not quite sure that I believe him. However, maybe driving a tow truck really is rocket science.

Momma said there would be days like this.

Pic O' Day

2009-05-11T21:21:00.003-04:00

You might wonder why I'm posting this photo. You might wonder why I would take this picture in the first place. You might even be wondering what this is a picture of. Or you might not even care.

Tune in tomorrow for the full story.

Ana Maria Fundraiser

2009-05-10T22:19:00.003-04:00

Here are some more pictures from yesterday's fundraiser for Ana Maria.

Usually I'm pretty shy but for some reason when I have my camera in my hands, I become a little more bold. This fireman didn't really want to talk to me but I just asked my questions and took a shot of him. Then I thanked him for his work as a firefighter.

I think he thought I was a fruitcake.

Then I went over to the County Sheriff's officer. I asked her if I could take a picture and she said that I could.

She's very pretty and I almost told her that I liked her hair style but refrained myself from further foolish banter. She was very interested in meeting Ana Maria.

This little one caught Len's eye. I can see why!

"Now, smile pretty for your Momma!"

Here's another shot of one of the bands that played.

Ana Maria Fundraiser

2009-05-09T23:30:00.003-04:00

Here are just a few pictures from today's fundraiser for Ana Maria Bennett. More to come in days following!

Baseball

2009-05-08T09:31:00.002-04:00

It's a team sport.

Sisters

2009-05-07T20:33:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of a friend's daughters. I caught this while at the ballpark tonight. They had a lot of fun while their big brother played baseball.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-06T13:19:00.003-04:00

Lady Likes a Rose

2009-05-05T20:17:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year. Yep, the time of year when I bore all of you with pictures of my flowers. This is the first rose of the season and it has a small visitor.

Just in case you can't see her very well, here's one a little closer.

And while this isn't the "first" of the yellow/red flower it is one of the first of many that we should have again this year.

It just wouldn't be a post about my flowers if I didn't include my yellow day lily.

It's going to be another colorful summer. I hope the butterflies come back.

Pure South Carolina

2009-05-04T20:30:00.002-04:00

To me, these pictures seem to shout "South Carolina."

Boyz n the Hood

2009-05-03T22:40:00.005-04:00

The boys in this neighborhood are ALL boy.

Baseball is the game in the hood right now, but as soon as fall comes, out comes the old pigskin.

One of the boys has big feet. That would be my Joe.

They take playing very seriously.

Or not.

They're even good at playing the air guitar.

But most of all, they're good at doing boy stuff.

They're so much fun!

The Girls

2009-05-02T19:06:00.006-04:00

There's three of them.

One...

Two ...

Three.

Friends and sisters.

Having fun in the sun.

Slipping and sliding.

Enjoying being with each other.

They don't make them any cuter!

Carnival Fun

2009-05-01T22:38:00.006-04:00

There is a roadside carnival close to where I live so I decided to get some pictures. No one went with me. Joe didn't feel like coming with me so I went by myself.

Enjoy the sights and imagine the sounds!

Train Tracks

2009-04-30T19:09:00.004-04:00

I don't know why I have a fascination with train tracks, but I do. Yesterday my Mother-in-Law went to Varnville for some business and while she was busy, I took a walk to the tracks.

In Varnville, they have Palmetto trees running parallel to the tracks.

A professional photographer that I follow gave out an exercise which entailed putting your camera on ground level and taking a shot.

So I decided to give it a try.

I tried it by setting the camera on the rail, as shown above. And by setting it on the thing that goes across.

I like train tracks but I'm not very versed in train track vocabulary.

At one point I heard sirens and thought someone had called the police on me. You can never be too sure about those small town folk and what they think about some woman hanging around the railroad tracks.

Heck, I probably would have called the police if I had seen someone like me a-sittin, and a-settin, and a-squattin with her camera on the railroad tracks.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T22:38:00.002-04:00

Today's Top Ten

2009-04-28T11:09:00.011-04:00

Before you give me a great big yawn about my morning walk, please note that I went to a different place today. Instead of just walking out my door, I drove about 20 miles down the road and visited The Sands. I would have liked to have gotten there earlier, but I needed the extra five minutes sleep.

The Sands is a beautiful place in Port Royal. When Joe and I were just Joe and I, we lived just a short walking distance from here.

We used to walk here and then go across the street from where we lived and get some Plum's ice cream. Then we'd walk back to the house, sit on the front porch swing and enjoy our creamy delight.

I loved the creamy delights from Plum's. Then they moved to Lady's Island and we were no longer within walking distance to them.

Rats!

So then after our walks instead of eating ice cream, we just swung on the front porch swing.

They shoot off fireworks at the Sands every Fourth of July. We would walk down there enjoy the fireworks and walk back home. There was something relaxing being able to sit on the front porch swing watching all the traffic after the fireworks show was over.

I always felt sorry for the tired people in the cars who had to fight all the traffic to get home. Now I'm one of those tired people in the cars who has to fight traffic to get home.

But that's ok. I really like fireworks. There's something romantic about them. There's something thrilling about them. There's something so patriotic about them that makes me want to start singing The Star Spangled Banner.

This morning as I walked along the Sands, I could hear the noises of Parris Island. The sounds of the recruits echoed across the water as did the pow-pows from the rifle range.

I wonder if the folks on Parris Island heard me as I shouted, "Stupid gnats, GO away!" Man they were thick this morning.

They interrupted the peace and tranquility I felt as I walked along the shoreline.

Gnats are a part of our little paradise that I could do without.

The Old Homestead

2009-04-27T18:07:00.002-04:00

This is a picture of the house. I like it because of the sky and clouds. Look closely because soon we will be building a garage.

Thought I Was Gonna be a Nikon Girl

2009-04-26T21:39:00.002-04:00

But God thought I looked more like a Canon girl. And who am I to argue with God?

My uncle gave me his Canon EOS 350D Rebel XT today and, needless to say, I'm quite excited. I took it for a test drive without reading the manual first, because that's the kind of person I am. Besides, the manual my uncle gave me is written in Spanish.

Here is my very first shot with my new camera.

I know it's not very exciting or anything that someone would want to hang on their wall but it is the first picture.

One of the first pictures of Buffy.

I have a learning curve but that's ok.

Here's the tree I told you about the other day. You know, the one that looks like an alligator. That's the first thing Joe said when he looked at this picture and I didn't even explain it to him earlier.

Yep, I'm pretty excited about my new toy. Please bear with me as I learn how to use the thing. And remember, my instruction manual says, "Gracias por adquirir un producto Canon." So it may take me awhile ...

Our Game Against Georgia

2009-04-25T15:40:00.004-04:00

It wasn't pretty nor was it a winning day. We lost 9-0. We didn't even get a hit.

Today I've put the pictures in a slideshow. I don't normally do this but I had a lot of pictures to choose from today.

And that's it from me. No dialogue to go along with the game.

Why I Like Candid Pictures

2009-04-24T20:08:00.010-04:00

I like candid pictures of people. Not that I have anything against posed portraits but I think that candid shots allows the personality of the person to come through. Or maybe a different side to their personality.

I like to take candid pictures of children. They provide so much variety and spontaneity to almost each click of the camera. One of my favorite ways to catch them is to just sit in the middle of where they're playing and snap away.

Believe it or not, this little girl is sitting in a tree ... with the rest of her family! This is the daughter of the friends who had me take their pictures and I captured this when they were settling in on a humongous tree limb for a family shot.

Shooting candid shots does have it's challenges though. Many times you accidentally get a picture or two with eyes closed or arms flailing this way or that. And, if you're like me and have no mercy, you try to get shots when people are eating and have their mouths full.

One of the most challenging subjects for me is when the subject happens to be that of the canine variety.

My dog doesn't listen very well and it's extremely unusual for me to get pictures of her looking like a pretty puppy.

Eating is about as normal as I can get. Eating is something that she loves to do. It's her favorite part of the day.

I wasn't quick enough and she licked just as I clicked.

There there are shots like this, where you see only her tail as she goes exploring in the weeds.

She actually tried to jump this ditch and ended up landing on her nose. A few days ago they mowed the ditch and it looks even more menacing than when it was overgrown. This did not go unnoticed by the dog who is currently recalculating her take0ff speed.

And then there's the candid shot like this next one. The one where just a moment ago she looked all cute and cuddly.

And now she looks all gnarly. Could be that she's in mid-burp.

Nope, with candid shots you just never know what you're going to get.

Backyard Moonrise

2009-04-23T13:50:00.003-04:00

Nature

2009-04-22T11:32:00.003-04:00

I told you in a previous post that some friends asked me to take some Christmas photos of them. We did this at Paris Island and the next two photos are a couple of nature shots that I was fortunate to grab. By the way, it's absolutely gorgeous out there and if you have a chance, you ought to go out and enjoy the scenery.

This guy landed right by us as we were walking from one spot to another.

Beautiful trees are all over the place. Some of the most beautiful scenery in Beaufort.

This may be my new favorite tree. It's located in the area that we live and I walk by it almost every day.

This is the next tree up from my new favorite tree. On the wider angle shots that I got of this if you turn it horizontal, it looks like an alligator.

This is a close up of some stuff that's leaning against my new favorite tree.

Almost the same angle of the shot only changed to a black and white, sepia-ish version.

A Conversation With Joe

2009-04-21T14:49:00.005-04:00

I look at this picture of Joe and it almost brings tears to my eyes. Where, oh where, has time gone? I noticed in the pictures that I took on Sunday that Joe's neck is getting thicker which gives him a more mature look.

But don't let the looks fool you (or me). He's still very much a boy.

By the way, I had to pay him a dollar in order to take his picture. Sheese!

While I was snapping pictures, my neighbor came over to chat and when she did her extremely cute daughters came with her. One went back home because it was hot but the other stayed and let me take some pictures of her. And I didn't have to pay her a dollar!

She can be a silly girl!

But then she saw a little bat and decided she wanted to play some ball with Joe.

Such a contemplative little girl.

I think she looks quite natural playing ball. Even though she is all girlie-girl.

I showed Joe this next picture and we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: Aww, look how cute! Don't you wish you had a little sister?

Joe: No. I want a brother.

Me: Oh, a baby brother about this age?

Joe: No, a brother who's about 7 or 8 years old. Someone to have fun with. Someone who can play baseball with me. Someone who has my DNA.

And I laughed! Where do they come up with stuff like this?

I don't know, Joe, I think you'd make an awesome big brother to a little sister.

Help

2009-04-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

Does anyone know what kind of spider this is? This is the spider's back.

Playing Catch

2009-04-19T20:41:00.006-04:00

Boys like to play catch. I think most of them start playing catch or at least playing with balls at an early age.

Right now if you were to visit us, you would most likely see Joe with a baseball in his hand. This time of year he eats, sleeps and breathes baseball.

Playing catch is not only for the young, but also the young at heart.

You know, those "older" boys.

The ones who teach the younger guys how it's done.

This younger one is a good student.

And the older one is a good teacher.

They both have fun playing catch.

Back and forth the ball goes.

Both will never admit to being tired.

Or sore.

Joe got a haircut this afternoon.

I think it makes him look older.

Even though, he's still just a kid.

And he's a kid at heart.

Maryland vs. Miami

2009-04-18T15:12:00.009-04:00

Today was another great day for the Maryland Terrapins. They pulled off a 12-4 win against Miami.

Here is Mark taking some warm up swings before the game.

Coach is doing his job and giving tips to one of the players.

And here we have some pregame batting practice.

The Terrapins were the first to score some runs.

This is Joe's first bat of the day.

He got a hit but he was out at first.

But his hit drove in a run.

This is Will pitching. He is just releasing the ball in this picture.

His wind up.

Joe at first trying to keep the runner from stealing.

And he's OUT!

Even though I know you're looking at Joe, you can see the scoreboard with us leading 4-6. We were the visitors. I know, it's hard to read.

Joe at bat and he does't like that pitch.

Joe taking his base on a walk.

Joe sliding into home and making a run!

He likes to slide.

He used to ask his dad if he thought his slides were good.

These guys are a hoot to listen to. They were cheering Joe when he was up to bat chanting, "Go Joe! Go Joe! Go Joe!" I think they get a kick out of themselves too!

If a hitter decides to go golfing, they will let that hitter know that this isn't a golf tournament!

One of the things that I notice about Joe is that he always seems to be focused on the game. He's not really one to mess around in the dugout and he always knows what's going on in the field.

Another fine play at first.

The agony of defeat.

After a great game where the team ball went to the team, they are honored by helping the coach pick up the gear.

Another great game for the Terrapins. Even though the score was 12-4, Miami played a great game.

A Mother and Her Son

2009-04-17T20:08:00.003-04:00

This is a song by Kim Hill that I used to sing to Joe when he was just two years old. I would play this song over and over when he was visiting Richard and it would make me cry and I would long to hold my dear, sweet son in my arms.

I think a mother's love for her child is timeless. I'm so grateful to God that Len is able to spend this time with his mother. I can only imagine the comfort and love she feels knowing the son she loves up to the moon is right here with her in the same house, under the same roof.

I love you up to the moon
And I love you big as the sky
I love to watch you when you sleep
I love to hold you when you cry

One day when you're older
And taller than me
I'll say I watched you grow
Like a beautiful tree

I love you up to the moon
And I love you big as the sky
You'll always be my little man
I love you the best that a mama can

And one day if you rise up
And call me blessed
I'll say it was a joy
To give you my best

'Cause I love you up to the moon
I love you big as the sky
I love you up to the moon
I love you up to the moon

This Train is Gone

2009-04-16T17:34:00.002-04:00

"Hear that lonesome whippoorwill? He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low, I'm so lonesome I could cry.” Hank Williams

Evening Colors

2009-04-15T11:23:00.003-04:00

There's just something special about God's color palette in the evening.

They become more vibrant.

They become more amazing.

They make for such sweet dreams.

A Place Called Home

2009-04-14T16:56:00.006-04:00

Are you bored yet with pictures of where I live? I can't help it that I think I'm in one of the prettiest places on earth.

Look at this first picture. It was taken from the front porch.

On my afternoon walk I took a left at the end of the drive.

At the stop sign is the intersection of Butler Farm Road and Jasmine Hall Road.

If you take a left, you'll go down Jasmine Hall Road towards Highway 21. At that intersection, if you take a right, you'll go toward Beaufort and a left will take you to Highway 17.

But I didn't take a left. I took a right.

Jasmine Hall is home to corn fields.

It won't be long before this little corn plant gets bigger. I was amazed last year at how quickly the corn grew. This corn isn't the eating kind, well at least for human consumption.

There is a vegetable stand on Highway 21 that sells incredible veggies when they're in season. They have really good white corn. They also make a killer tomato pie. It's $12.00 and worth every penny. Yumm-O!

After going across one of the fields, you come to this road. Buffy and I usually walk the whole way down it.

On the right is a ditch that Buffy went flying across the other day. She almost made it to the other side. She kind of bammed nose first into the side of it. I thought we might have to take her to the vet but she was ok.

Aren't those flowers pretty? I know they're weeds but they're pretty nonetheless.

This is the other side of the road.

And here's a picture of an old tree stump. I've been wanting to get a picture of this and I finally did it! WooHoo!

This is the way that I usually go on the way back home. It runs parallel to the road.

This is the road that runs parallel to the picture above.

It was a little muddy today so I decided not to take this route.

Here we are back home. You can tell it's home because the dog is in the drive way.

As I was coming up the drive, I heard my little neighbor say, "Miss Karen, will you take a picture of Webster and me?" Sure! Webster isn't her puppy but she wanted her picture taken with him.

Webster was looking at Buffy.

Then all the girls came running and wanted their picture with Webster too.

Webster is very popular around here.

Power Outage Fun

2009-04-14T08:39:00.004-04:00

We had a power outage last night and I've learned that a power outage can provide a unique opportunity to entertain oneself.

The boys chose to play card games. And me? Well I found a program on my laptop (battery powered) that kept me entertained for almost the entire time our lights were out.

It's called Photobooth.

There are a whole lot of ways to take pictures of yourself.

It reminds me of going into a carnival fun house. You know, the one with all the different mirrors that give you different shapes of yourself.

BIG body with a little head.

You've heard of Twisted Sister? Well, here's Twisted Karen.

Oh my aching head ...

What's that you say, Len?

I crack myself up! I had waaaaayyy too much fun!

A Few Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T12:10:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Easter and after church we went over to my Uncle Bob's and ate dinner. It was a beautiful day, in the 70s and breezy.

Joe and I took a walk on the dock and as usual he didn't want me to take his picture. I was able to capture this. He was trying to hide behind his baseball glove. Actually, I think he was trying to shove it in my face.

It was a bit chilly on the dock. The breeze was more prominent and we didn't stay out there long.

Here is my Aunt Nina. She's had a tough year, health wise. But she is a trooper and seems to get better every time I see her.

This is my cousin Karen. She was the chef today and made us lasagna. It was delicious! We also had a salad and garlic bread.

Please don't tell her I took her picture. She thought she was having a bad hair day and didn't want her picture taken but I think she's gorgeous and took her picture anyway. Lord knows if I had to get permission from everyone in order to take their picture, I probably wouldn't have any!

Uncle Bill always looks so studious in his pictures. Like he's deep in thought about some philosophical matter of importance. Like he's solving all the world's problems. Or maybe he's just wondering what kind of trouble his dog, Toy, is getting into.

Len and Uncle Bob both found comfortable chairs and refused to leave them. I don't think a hurricane would have moved them from these chairs.

Here's the rest of the crowd. We were watching the Master's. We watched Tiger make a great stroke and then we watched him choke. Such is the life of a golfer.

Here's a closeup of Craig.

And if your wondering about me? Well, here's a shot of me while I was on the dock.

It was a nice, relaxing day! I hope yours was too!

Pictures from a Walk

2009-04-10T22:19:00.002-04:00

The last time Len and I went on a walk was probably a week ago. These are some pictures from that walk.

We came upon this little fellow and I just had to get a picture of it. I hadn't used the macro setting on my camera for quite some time so it was a bit difficult for me to capture it just the way I wanted. Plus the little sucker was literally hanging by a thread and kept blowing this way and that in the wind.

Len was excited about getting a picture of it and even asked to look at it in the preview of the camera. His response was a non-enthusiastic, "Is that as close as you can get?"

Well, yeah. You want me to get a better shot? Then buy me the Nikon D-90, or better yet the D-700 with a couple of really cool lenses to go with it! A point and shoot can only do so much!

No, I really did not reply this way. I was quite humble and said that I probably just forgot how to use the macro on the camera.

However, if I did have a Nikon D-90, or better yet the D-700 with a couple of really cool lenses, then, THEN, I would get the kind of pictures that leaves a person filled with breathless awe and wonder.

Sigh.

Here's a picture of trees and grass and weedy flowers. The sun was setting so the colors were magnificent.

Another colorful picture. Which, by the way, was not altered in any way by photo editing. I'll look at it and probably wish I did something to it.

Photography is all about light.

Thursday Night at the Ballpark

2009-04-09T22:23:00.006-04:00

Baseball season is in full swing. Tonight's game was a pleasant victory for the Terrapins and they now stand at three wins and one loss.

The game starts out with the coaches meeting the umpires at home plate. This is where the umps go over the rules and tell the coaches that they must not call them names such as, "fatty, fatty blue," or some other derogatory slam.

Just kidding on the name calling bit. Coaches would never think of calling the umps names.

This player hit a home run.

Here he is crossing home plate.

Ya think he's excited?!

Here's Joe at bat. He got a double and then he got a single his next at bat. He was two for two tonight.

He had a great night at first. But then I'm his mom. What am I supposed to think?

Here's another player getting a hit. Several players who hadn't had a hit in previous games were getting hits tonight. You like to see that because it increases their confidence.

At one point, the coach called a meeting on the pitcher's mound. It's times like these that I wish I could read lips.

If I were to ask Joe what was said, he would say, "Nothing."

This is a picture of a Terrapin crossing home plate.

It was kind of hard distinguishing the good guys from the bad because both teams had the same colors.

Joe gets a little action at first base.

Don't you just love watching the dads watching their kids?

I had some time to do some people watching for myself. I'm telling you, it doesn't get much cuter than this.

Ok, well maybe it does.

This is a friends little girl. Although she's not so little anymore. Her brother was playing in the next game and she was doing sidewalk art with chalk while she waited.

In case you're wondering, the score was 5-1. We won! Yippee!

Just the Two of Us

2009-04-08T19:48:00.004-04:00

Back in December some friends wanted me to take pictures of them and their family to use for Christmas cards. Here is one of the photos. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional portrait photographer and I'm sure a professional would look at this and roll his eyes.

Hope you enjoy.

I See You

2009-04-07T18:33:00.001-04:00

But does it see me?

Last Year's Baseball Video

2009-04-06T19:47:00.001-04:00

This is a slide video that I did for Joe's baseball team last year.

Little League 2008 from Karen Johnson on Vimeo.

You Win a Few ...

2009-04-04T16:41:00.005-04:00

... and you lose a few. We lost today 3-0. They played well but their bats just couldn't muster up any hits.

Here's a few pictures from today's game.

Team chatter.

Thomas

Will warming up.

Joe playing first base.

Joe still playing first base.

Mark at bat.

Our pitcher. Very good pitcher.

Mighty Joe at bat.
He struck out.

Maryland just couldn't get their bats going today. Next game is Tuesday evening.

Evening Walk

2009-04-03T21:20:00.005-04:00

Len and I went on a long walk this evening after dinner. Here are a few pictures of some of the scenery.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Here Comes The Sun

2009-04-03T10:01:00.006-04:00

I'm singing now. Yesterday's theme song was Who'll Stop the Rain but today everything's all right now. The sun in shining and the dog is happy.

Instead of taking a left turn out the drive on today's walk, I decided to go right. Mainly because I knew that the dirt road might be harder to maneuver if I went left. You see, dirt roads turn into mud roads when inches and inches of rain are dropped from the sky. I'm glad I did because it gave me a different perspective of the neighborhood.

The Cardinal was waiting for me in the tree but he's a little camera shy. I say that because as I approached him, he decided to fly off into the brush. Why don't Cardinals like getting their picture taken?

I love the spring green that the trees are sporting these days. After a winter of looking at naked trees, I'm ready for some green!

Today I decided to go into the woods at the end of our road. These actually belong to somebody so I didn't venture too far into them. Don't you think woods are neat?

There are so many stories that your mind goes through while exploring.

I like to read mystery novels so a lot of my thoughts aren't filled with happy-happy-joy-joy stuff.

I almost fell backward while taking this next picture.

I wonder if the people who own this property take care of the woods. I say that because they just seemed awfully clean to me. There isn't a lot of natural clutter to trip over.

I did have to step around puddles. But that proved to be easy on the eyes as I saw the reflection of the sky and clouds.

The sun makes all the difference in the world.

Outside My Window

2009-04-02T11:06:00.003-04:00

This was outside my window this morning. I was able to get a shot of it before the deluge started. Another day of rain ... sigh.

These two birds were among about six that were in the tree in the backyard. I didn't get to go on a walk this morning because of the rain. But these birds were enough to cheer me up. Unfortunately I think I need to give my dog antidepressants. She hasn't been able to enjoy the outdoors for two days now.

Oh Mister Sun? Where are you?

If you see him tell him I miss him!

What Is It?

2009-04-01T13:28:00.003-04:00

I thought I try something fun. Can you identify what the object is in the following photo? I'll post the answer tomorrow. The winner gets to be called "Winner." I wish I had something to give away but unfortunately the budget doesn't allow for it at this time.

My Morning Walk

2009-03-31T12:02:00.007-04:00

Just about every morning I take a walk. It's a great way to start the day and to enjoy the peaceful country life.

Today on my morning walk I took my camera along and took some pictures. It was cloudy out so the sky isn't all that interesting.

This is our neighbor's beautiful yard. I love spring and the colors of the azaleas.

I may not travel to Rome, Paris or London nor will my camera capture shots of the Pacific Northwest, but I can honestly say that God placed me in one of the most beautiful states in America. I point my camera here and this is what I get.

Or I point it over there and this is what I get.

Go a little bit further to the right, and I get this.

Walk in the opposite direction and this is what is facing me.

Even the weeds provide beautiful colors to look at and enjoy.

But then the inevitable happens and my serene nature walk gets disrupted. It gets disrupted by something that craves my attention and so we have this.

A dog. My dog. I have to take her with me on my morning walks. If I don't she'll sulk the rest of the day.

She runs at top speeds, faster than the speed of light and then stops suddenly to do this.

She digs furiously in the ground.

And then she eats it.

Ok, back to nature. A little further down the road is a field of wild flowers (weeds) with trees and a garage for farm equipment.

A tree showing off its spring colors.

More trees dripping with Spanish Moss. I'm told that you don't want to touch the Spanish Moss because it has little biting bugs in it.

But, hey, I'm a Yankee and even though I've been here over 20 years, I still enjoy looking at it ... bugs or no bugs. There's something just so southern about it and ...

Uh oh. Guess I'm not paying her much attention because this is what's coming at me.

Here she is again running like she's the fastest dog in the world.

Beware of the dog ...

"My name might be Buffy but I'm mean and bad! You heard of 'Don't mess with Texas?' I'm telling you don't mess with Buffy!"

And then she'll eat the dirt she digs up ... again.

Back to nature. I love trees. Trees are one of the things I enjoy photographing most. They're full of character.

There's a lot of texture to them and they point in so many different directions. It's almost as if they can't make up their minds.

As I come up for air after being filled with the awe of trees, I wonder where my dog went. She usually stops when I do but this time she didn't.

Oh, there she is.

She's got her head deep in the brush sniffing and eating at something.

I'm not sure I want to know. However, I'll probably find out later when she pukes it up. Dogs! She'll eat dirt, roll around in other dogs "stuff," and drink dirty ditch water. But heaven forbid if you accidentally drop dog chow into the portion of the dish that holds her drinking water. She looks at you disgusted and you can almost hear her say, "You don't actually expect me to drink that, do you?" Forgive me, your Majesty.

As I turn for home I go down my favorite part of our dirt highway.

I call it "The Tunnel" because the trees cover this part of the road.

Then there's more spring color. And a parting shot of some flowers coming up through the leaves.

I love living in the country. Even with all the distractions.

The Three Amigos

2009-03-30T12:58:00.004-04:00

These three boys have been friends for a long time. I hope they remain friends forever.

The First Game

2009-03-29T20:35:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of Little League. Yesterday was Joe's first game of the season. It started out rather ominous. We'd been expecting rain since last Thursday and it didn't come until Saturday ... of course.

The rain came between games so that none of them were called. It would have been disappointing if the first game of the season was rained out!

Joseph's best buddy spent the night. If they were girls I would be calling them BFF (best friends forever) but I don't think boys use that saying. If they knew I did, they'd probably hate me forever.

I told Joe that if his friend was going to spend the night that he would have to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. because he had a game in the morning.

I made them brownies at 11:00 p.m. I guess that makes me an enabler.

They were still up at 3:00 a.m. and I didn't know if Joe would have a good game or not.

His friend thinks I'm weird. He didn't want to look at me when I was taking his picture. I think he's seen too much of me walking around the house in my fuzzy purple slippers and shudders every time he looks at my feet.

Look at the faces on these boys. Pregame contemplation and possibly a butterfly or two fluttering at the walls of their stomachs. As my husband reminds me, baseball is a mental game just as much as it is physical.

The catcher is pulling on his equipment. Catchers have a lot of equipment to pull on. I don't think I could do it. I have a hard enough time getting ready to go on a date with my husband.

Ok Len, you can quit laughing.

This is our team in the field. We are the Maryland Terrapins. We thought we were going to be Michigan Wolverines. It's kind of hard for 12 year old boys to adjust at being "turtles" instead of Wolverines.

But they managed.

Here's a Terp at bat.

Here's my baby! This was his first at bat of the season and you could tell he was a bit anxious. He probably would have struck out but the umpire called the catcher for interference and Joe was able to take first base.

He ended up scoring a run.

And he hit the next time he was at bat which happened to be in the same inning.

Yep, it was one of those games. The first inning took almost an hour to play and the score was 13-0.

In the first inning.

That gave me a chance to get some shots of other things going on in the park.

Oh, lookie here. Folk that I know and love. Aren't they a gorgeous family?

Their little girl was playing softball and I got to see her get a hit and score a run. Unfortunately the pictures that I got of her were really out of focus. I have to stick my camera lens through the holes on the fence to get unobstructed shots and a little boy was shaking the fence so all the pictures that I got of her were blurry.

And then Len was trying to talk to me just as their little girl was scoring a run so my next pictures of her were even more blurry.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Look at this little girl. She is just too cute for words and as friendly as can be.

You just can't resist getting a picture of something this cute!

Joe was playing first yesterday. He did see a little bit of action.

Not a whole lot, though.

You see the outfielder in the picture above? This is what he was doing ...

He was watching the grass grow.

(See Len! I told you I had a purpose for taking a picture of the grass!)

It's nice to see them coming off the field with smiles.

I guess it's pretty easy to smile when you win 20-0 on the first day of the season.

Here's to a great season. I have a feeling we're going to have to sit through some nail biters though! They can't all be 20-0 games.

Play This Game

2009-03-26T18:30:00.003-04:00

Go ahead and play!

You can find out about this game by going to Toys for Your Blog.

Quote for the Day

2009-03-26T12:04:00.001-04:00

I wish our politicians had as much sense as Yogi Berra!

"If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer."

The Scrimmage

2009-03-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

Joe's baseball team had a scrimmage the other night and these are some pictures that I took. I've still got a long way to go before Sport's Illustrated will call.

This was Joe's first at bat and he struck out. His next time up he got a double with an RBI.

These next shots are of him playing first. I asked him a couple practices ago if he would enjoy playing a certain position. His reply to me was that he didn't care where he played just so he got to play.

This is the first year that base runners are allowed to lead off. I think it makes for so much better playing. It's about time the the county PALS joined the 21st century!

Still trying to keep the base runner where he should be.

But then ...

Oh well!

Did you notice that Joe's trying to make a fashion statement? He's playing with his shirt on backwards. Sure, he can play baseball, but dressing himself is another matter.

Watching Joe play ball is one of my favorite things to do!

Facelift

2009-03-21T22:44:00.002-04:00

I gave my blog a new facelift. The background you see was designed by me. If you leave a comment, you'll see a new design there too. I didn't do it but made the changes a per a tutorial that I found online. And I even have a favicon (up by the browser). I'm thinking about changing it though!

Let me know what you think!

Thought for the Day

2009-03-18T17:03:00.004-04:00

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

C.S. Lewis

A Funny Thing Happened ... (UPDATE)

2009-03-17T19:55:00.001-04:00

The oven cooled in time to salvage dinner. Whew!

Joe is out of the dog house ...

for now.

A Funny Thing Happened ...

2009-03-17T18:19:00.002-04:00

... on the way to the dinner table.

I'm making a chicken dinner tonight and planned on having rice and asparagus to go along with it. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it's going to make it to the dinner table.

Joe decided that he wanted to look at what was smelling good and instead of pressing the oven light button, he mistakenly hit the oven "clean" button. The chicken is now locked in the oven and the door won't unlock until the temperature lowers.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, anyone?

Today's Weather

2009-03-16T10:36:00.000-04:00

The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

It Starts

2009-03-12T15:12:00.007-04:00

The time is near. The beginning is almost here. Oh sure, right now everything looks almost desolate and even a bit lonely but I can assure you, the beginning is almost here.

The bleachers are empty ... for the moment. Soon, however, they will be filled with cheering parents, friends and family. Soon you will hear the crowds saying things such as, "Wait for your pitch, Tommy." "Go! Go! Go!" "Nice pitch." "Play's at second!" or "Ump, I think you need glasses!"

The field is empty ... for the moment. Soon there will be outfielders, infielders, runners, pitchers, catchers, coaches and umpires.

Instead of blank scoreboards and bare bases, there soon will be runners rounding second and heading for third. Soon the board will be alight with numbers that tell the story of the game.

Right now the only thing on second base is the photographer's foot.

Soon all kinds of activity will surround the base. Can't you see it? The pitcher looks back to keep the runner in check. He throws but the runner returns and is safe.

Can't you see it?

Things are going to change soon. They're getting ready.

The players are busy warming up their arms.

They're stretching.

They're running.

Soon the dugout won't be empty but will be filled with boys anxious for their turn at bat, cheering their teammates as they score runs and bragging about the great plays they made. They'll be guzzling Gaterade, spitting sunflower seeds and chewing gum.

Can't you see it?

Instead of the ballpark reminiscing about yesterday's activity, a new year is about to begin and will bring memories to last for its own season. People will be going here and there, looking for seats. Looking for food. Looking for shade. Boys and girls will laugh and cheer and, at times, cry over a hard loss.

Yes, the bleachers are empty now, but soon, very soon, they will be filled by spectators to witness the thrill of little league baseball.

Can't you hear it?

"PLAY BALL!"

My Favorite Snack

2009-03-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, maybe I should entitle this post, "My Healthy Favorite Snack." I don't know if I would choose this over ice cream. But it is so good and satisfying!

Take some plain yogurt and plop it into a bowl. I'm using homemade yogurt but you can use whatever plain yogurt you like. By the way, making your own yogurt is extremely easy but it just takes a little bit of time. The recipe I use is here and it comes out creamy and delicious.

Then I take some honey and give it a six second squeeze. I'm talking one Mississippi, two Mississippi and so on until you reach six Mississippi, then stop. It probably works to about a tablespoon but I don't measure. The honey gives it a sweetness and takes the tartness of the plain yogurt out because, quite frankly . . .

I can't handle the tart!

Feel free to skip this step if you like it on the tart side.

Then I take an apple and cut it up and mix it into the honey/yogurt mixture. I've been into Gala apples lately but I'm sure whichever apple floats your boat will be good.

Adding about a handful (or more) walnuts makes this dish supremely good.

And that's it! Most of you probably do something similar to this anyway but I've just recently stumbled upon this simple but satisfying snack!

Another Glorious Day

2009-03-09T12:59:00.003-04:00

The weather here in my section of the world has been fantastic! So fantastic that today Joe and I did most of our schooling outside. We took our books and a blanket and headed out to the yard to enjoy the weather while schooling.

Before we could get started, however, there was the matter of the dog. She came running up to us with her satisfied, happy-go lucky-face and wanted to join us in our day. But then the smell. The smell of why she was so satisfied and happy. She had been rolling around in some other dog's ... (hmm, how shall I put this?) ... poop. I really don't understand this dog. She won't go to the bathroom in our yard even though it's about an acre, but she'll roll delightedly around in some other dogs stuff.

And here's something else I don't understand about her. She loves to roll around in muddy water and have fun with Joe when he's on his slip n slide, but heaven forbid when we get the hose out to cleanse her of dirt and other obnoxious stuff. How does she know the difference? Anyway, it was funny watching Joe try to catch her and hose her down.

We started reading our lessons for the day and then discovered we had placed the blanket on a small ant hill. This did not discourage us! On to the front porch! While I was reading aloud, Joe was going hither and thither and I was thinking he couldn't possibly be getting any of this. But he did. He narrated back to me almost word-for-word what I had just read. It amazes me at how much he pays attention when he's allowed to move around rather than sitting quietly at my feet.

Although, he's never sat quietly at my feet.

Never.

So school is done for the day and now we get to enjoy the beauty and warmth in our little section of the world.

Bread Making Demonstration

2009-02-24T12:35:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday I went to a bread making demonstration at my friend Heather's house. She and Sharon showed how easy it is to make bread from freshly milled flour. Here are some pictures from that event but be warned: these pictures are not very good. I really believe I've forgotten how to take a decent picture.

Here are some "fellowshipping" pictures and of guests arriving.

These are the hostesses with the mostesses, Heather and Sharon. These ladies did a great job!

These are the wheat berries. I believe Sharon used Hard White Wheat in her bread. Anyway this is what they look like before they're milled.

Heather is describing the mill she uses. She uses a Nutrimill, which is the same mill that I have

And this is what it looks like after the wheat berries have been ground up. Looks just like flour!

Milling your own flour and using freshly ground flour for bread baking is better for you than what you buy in the stores. Freshly milled flour has many nutrients in it that your body can use whereas the flour you buy in stores has had all the good stuff taken out.

You want to see some action? Here you go! This is a picture of the dough being kneaded by Heather's Kitchen Aid mixer. She has the same one I do only in a different color. We even have the same coffee maker.

While we were waiting for the dough to rise, Sharon taught us from the Bible and shared her story of why she started milling her own grain.

Here is the finished product. Just look at this bread. I've never seen bread this big.

I've never seen bread so out of focus!

Heather and Sharon with their masterpiece. And, yes, it tasted wonderful!

Did I learn anything? Yes. Even though I've been milling my own wheat and making my own bread for a couple of years, I've never been able to get mine to rise like they did. After watching how they make their bread and Heather showing me how long she kneads her dough in the mixer, I was anxious to make my own bread and see if I could get a decent rise.

This is what I was able to do. Thanks to Heather and Sharon, I finally got a couple of loaves that rose! I called Joe in to see them and he called them "fat."

Fat bread = good bread!

Thanks Sharon! Thanks Heather!

2009-02-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

Marine Corps Police Academy

2009-02-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning Len and I attended the first ever East Coast Regional Marine Corps Police Academy graduation. We have a friend who was a part of the class and now serves as a Patrolman.

Our friend is Bert Merchant and if you look, you'll see his name as it was printed in the program.

In this next picture, you'll see Len as he is reading over the program.

I felt it necessary to get a picture of the back of the head of a Marine with the American flag. There's just something about the bald head of a Marine that goes well with the American flag. It's too bad the focus wasn't better.

The guest speaker for the ceremony was Brigadier General James B. Laster. He is the Commanding General, Eastern Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. It was an extreme honor for his presence at the ceremony.

Here's the General pinning Bert.

Here's the General shaking hands with Bert. The lighting wasn't very good so the action of the handshake is a little blurry.

Here are the graduates from behind as they're taking the oath of office.

Bert and his beautiful wife, Carli.

Bert with his wonderful children. I just love this family!

Here are a couple of shots of Bert and guys who mean a lot to him.

Here is the group as they witness the promotion of two of their fellow officers.

It was a nice ceremony and Len and I are so proud of Bert. Congratulations Bert and to all the Merchant family!

Some of My Recent Pictures

2009-02-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

These pictures were taken at Beaufort's Waterfront Park on the Sunday after Christmas 2008. I'm ashamed to admit but this was the last time I had my camera out. I think I might be getting rusty and I better get going again pretty quickly!

Here's a shot of the ever-present black bird. Or is it a Crow? Or Grackle? Or...? Why is it these birds will pose beautifully for you but heaven forbid you should try to get a decent shot of a Cardinal or Blue Bird.

I call this a duck. My Uncle Bill called it by it's real name but I can't remember what it is, so I guess I'll just stick with duck.

I'm so original.

This is a sailboat that just went under the bridge. I hesitate to use "sail"boat (yes I know it's a sailboat) because it's using it's motor and not sails. I knew a "sailor" once who refused to use the motor on his sailboat and would only sail with the sails. Unless there was no wind and he really needed to get moving.

I know, shut up Karen!

These Palmetto Trees are actually in a circle in the park. They really are quite pretty and I guess this shot is kind of silhouetty.

Have I told you that I like to make up words?

Here's really getting up close and personal with a Palmetto Tree. I think it's a rather interesting point of view.

This is probably one of my favorite shots. I like the warm colors of the day along with the inviting table. It just has a certain feel about it. I wished we would have had some Plums ice cream and sat at this table to enjoy it.

But we didn't.

Sigh.

I can't quite decide if I like this picture. I almost feel as if there is too much going on and not enough of the bridge. I guess it's ok.

I don't know if I can explain why this picture is the way it is. I wanted to get the line of palmetto trees going all the way down the street but in order to do it, I had to turn the camera. I tried to get an even "line" of the street and sidewalk. I'm sure there would have been a way to get a more "normal" view but Len was tagging along with me saying, "Hurry up!"

Not really.

Not really on the hurry up part.

He was tagging along with me.

This photo was actually taken in 1975.

Ok, not really. I photoshopped it to give it a 70s feel to it.

Groovy, man.

I love this photo.

I love the colors.

I love the shadows.

But mostly, I love this little girl!