Shooting the Moon

Just so happened that I ended up with my camera when the moon was there.

We had gone to Estes to eat with my BFF from Kindergarten! who was visiting from my hometown, and as we were saying good-by, there was the Old Man in the Moon!

The rest I took while on our September vacation in Zion or Bryce.  Seemed like every morning, against a blue sky, there he was again. (Clicky for biggy...)

The above...in order...Kolob Canyon, Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon.

This Time I Did

When it comes to extended warranties, I usually decline.  I read…once…somewhere…that seemed very reasonable and reliable and convincible at the time... that, generally speaking, extended warranties were an income stream for the provider.

Well, they wouldn’t be getting any income that way from me! Nosirreebob!

Even when my computer crapped out after 17 months (or so...I forget now) and the Office Depot guy said, ‘if you had an extended warranty, we would be giving you a new one free right now’ I figured all the times I didn’t buy a warranty and DIDN’T use it paid for the new laptop.

But right after I purchased my fancy smancy camera, a fellow from where I purchased said camera calls me and says ‘…have I got a deal for you…’ And proceeds to offer me an extended warranty, which I declined, then he offers to upgrade my shipping, which I also declined, then he throws in some free filters, and lentgthens the warranty deal…and I start adding up what he is offering, which I know isn’t really costing him much, but it would cost me some dollars to buy, and is really sounding like an okay deal.  Sure it upped the cost of the camera a bit, but I took it.  I got my camera faster, I got extra lens filters, and I got a 3 years extended warranty with a couple of camera cleanings, for the cost of the filters.  I called it good.  I wanted my camera fast…and I also got a sidewise look from Wonderful Guy.

Whatever.

It was aggravating in Cancun when the lens fogged up, and perturbing when it wouldn’t power up.  I was relieved when the problem went away.

Over the 4^th, we traveled to see Wonderful Guy’s family in eastern Kansas where there is a wonderful fireworks show.  I was primed to try my hand at some night photography.  The night we arrived, I checked to see if I knew where the settings were that I needed to adjust.  Camera was fine.  Next morning, taking the pups for a walk, I wanted to take a photo of a cut wheat field….and the dern thing would NOT POWER UP!!  And remained in such a state until the MORNING WE LEFT.

Upon our return, I fished out that extended warranty, and started the process to ship the camera to the fixer-uppers.  Of course, the thing is working, so who know if they will see what is the problem.

At least, I will get it cleaned.

Sunday night, Lovely Step Daughter was in town with her mini-doxie pup.  We cooked out at Only Step-Son’s with his 5 chocolate lab 6 week old pups.  There is a nest of baby birds tucked in the eaves of their front porch.  GrandGirls One and Three enjoyed the Son, and the pups, and their ice cream.

And I was without my camera.

And pouting, so apparently the point and shoot wasn’t good enough to take along…

Spectacular Saturday

This morning, I made suggested that Wonderful Guy get up early, and without breakfast, drive me around town to take pix of trees.

The spring has been perfect for the blooming trees in our fair burg.

On the way to work this week, I noticed how glorious the crabapples look in the morning light.

And remarked to myself how I ought to get myself and my fancy schmancy camera out there in the morning light to capture just how spectacular they are looking.

These are some of what we saw.  Not all are crabapples.  If, indeed, any are...but really I do think the pink are crabapples.

Not sure what the white are.

This is a sweet plum, but produces no plums, and I don't know that it is particularly sweet on anyone.

And this is one of the few redbuds around town.  There are a few about, and on occasion, they get to flower.  I remember living in Kentucky, the Kentucky River palisades were covered with redbuds all over in April!

I know...a lot of photos, but the trees around my town deserve a showing off this spring.

For up close and personal, embiggen by clicken....

And Still There's More...

...of Kansas.  I am not quite finished.  Close, but not quite.

To answer DSis, we did ride a train of sorts.  It was more of a small cart behind a very noisy mini-engine.  Very. Noisy.  But fun.  For our ride, there was only...us.  For a full ride, there would only have been maybe 6 more!  Like I said, fun.  And very green.

One evening bore a walk to the cemetary to see what might be afforded in photo opportunities.

Rural cemetaries are in such pastoral settings. (Clicky for biggy!  The birdy is a fun one!)

Trees were blooming.

Important events are memorialized.  Sidenote: These people are not buried here, only the manner of their demise noted.

And some fancy pants artsy efforts...

To end the week with.

Have a good weekend, and keep a good thought for my lilacs.  We are in for a few chilly nights.

Last We Saw Of...

Kansas...

I know, I know.  DSis tells me I am blathering.  Not in so many words, but I know what she means.  But see, I have this KnitCroBlogWeek thing, AND some reeeeely awesome pix from the trip.

One might say that the photos will wait, and well they may.

But...I have iris coming on!

So.  In Kansas.  Not only were there lilacs, but there were dogwoods.  Oh I do miss dogwoods, but dogwoods are a tree of my adulthood.  Lilacs are from my childhood.  So...different there.

( I made my father-in-law stop the car for these. He was a pretty good sport.  I think.)

The honeysuckle was blooming.

So were dandylions. I heard on NatGeo TV last night that dandylions were brought here from Europe. (I am a wealth of trivial knowledge.  Seriously, if we ever play trivial pursuit, pick me as a partner.  I win alot.  Or use to.)

And then.  I heard a wren's song, and chanced to see one fly into this birdhouse.  So I grabbed the camera and the telephoto and just sat on the step of the back porch.  I saw her (him?) fly out, away, and back, about 3 times.

It was awesome.

How about...

a study in...

pink? purples? shades of...them?

And cake.

Well.  See.  It's like this.  I have been practicing some photography thingies.

Like the lighting thing.  The Christmas cactus and the pear blossom are all front lit (or is it back lit? No. It's front lit!).  The crocus and phlox are side-lit.

Also the depth of field thing.  Sometimes I use it, and sometimes I don't.  On purpose even!

And sometimes I take photos of stuff that isn't flowers.  Or fibery.  Like cake.

Then.  I learned to put it all together in a little mosaic AND to load it up here.  Very much new stuff going on.

The cake?  I had only 8 photos of pinkish purpley flowery current growing things.  I needed a 9th photo.  It was getting late and I saw pink (raspberry, Jan!) icing.

I think a clicky will make the photo big.  Probably ginormous, really.  Some of the photos are really kinda' kewl...I think....and maybe worth a close-up look.

And really?  No photoshopping.  Honest.

Little By Little

Pix from the show.

It's the only way I can absorb them myself.  Plus it's fun for me to relive the day. We had so much fun, sore feet notwithstanding.

I 'captured' a drip hitting the water in this one. (Clicky to see rilly rilly big.)

We decided that the callas weren't really 'frozen' in these containers.  Not sure how it was finagled, but we don't think they were really frozen in there.  really....

It seems my employment future may only be certain for a few more months.  After that, it's anyone's guess.  Maybe that's all anyone has.

I am tired of it.  Not tired of the job, or my worker peeps, but tired of having to be employed.

I made it one more year, at least.  And some months.

Now to figuring out my next move.

Weather is suppose to be decent this weekend.  Maybe the next move is just to enjoy that.

I'm In!

from the Philly Flower Show...

I heard today that I made it in the Spinning Workshop during the Estes Park Wool Market. Two days learning with Maggie Casey!

I. am. so. excited!

And so is Molly.

Tonight was my last 'beginning photography' class. I gained enough nuggets of knowledge to justify the time and money, I think.  I am not rushing to enroll in the next class, however.  I am going to play around with the camera for a while.  I was pleased with my experience at the flower show.  While my 'artsy composition' may be lacking, my technical skills are gaining ground.

So progress, and that is good.

And that's all there is tonight.  I have had a really busy week, with knitterly peeps, and watching the grandbebe girls, and photog class.  Which is all good, but on top of a cold, getting back into the swing of things at work, the timezoning and all...well, that's just all I have.

At least I am back to blogging!

Photography! And Fauna!

My photography class started last week. It is offered through my little city’s parks and recreation department and held at the senior center. Taught by a retired forestry service worker/photographer, I am picking up some nuggets certainly.


It is good that I have read what I have already read, and I am re-reading more. Which is fine. The first time around there was a lot! To learn! And it was too much to get it all. Now, down the road aways, I know some, and I can pick up some of the rest.

So it’s all good.
We even had a field trip on Saturday for practice in some hands-on picture takin’. Some of the exercises I put to work new things about my camera. Some of the exercises…well, I figured out later I didn’t know what I was doing, and will do those exercises on my own later this week.

Again..good. That is the purpose, is it not?

So on Sunday, Wonderful Guy and I headed up the mountain to Estes and Rocky. For more practice.  And after looking at the shots on the computer, I have some notes. Not all great photos, but overall a learning experience.

However!

On the way home. Look what we spied. First one I have ever seen in real life. So cool.

Close to the road. And I got lots of shots.

But! The camera? She was still set on manual. With a wide aperture. And focused on a fence rail between me and the bobcat.

D-oh! Lots of shots, but none as good as they might have been. Still learning.

(Best Dog Ever barked at the big kitteh…)

Playing With the dSLR

Wonderful Guy and I headed up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain over New Years to try out some tips and tricks with the camera Eldest Daughter showed me during her visit.

This camera has lots of tricks. And I need lots of tips.

I have only begun to scratch the surface using the lens I purchased originally, that came in the kit.

But for Christmas, I put a zoom on my list, which the Guy bought for me.

And we wanted to try it out. We wanted to get some Wild! Life! Shots!

So up the mountain we went. Before Christmas, when we took Eldest and ManFriend up to Rocky, we took this shot. It is an exposure (technical term!) of a bachelor party of bull elk. How many do you see?

There are five in this photo.  Really.

This past week end (and this may be the same group, actually), we were able to zoom in on these guys. From further away, I do believe.

Sweet, huh?

In town we found these folks lounging…

And the snow blowing around this deer.

But as we headed home, at dusk, and after I had changed out lens, the lights on the Stanley (remember The Shining, or Dumb and Dumber?) came on. Wonderful Guy turned up the road saying ‘this might be worth a shot’.

(lighter than it really was)

I was full of excuses…too dark, no tripod, zoom put away…blah blah blah…but I would try. I put to work the tips on exposure that Eldest had fed me.

(mostly realistic of actual light)

I tried a couple of different aperture stops, setting the shutter speed accordingly, with the camera on Manual.

Then I adjusted the ISO setting.

I had a few shots that were worthless, but I got some really good shots, too, I think. (No photoshopping here, except for sizing.)

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, January 2,2010, at dusk.

Also, on Tuesday, this week, I had my old co-worker knitting peeps over. And it was suh-weet!