Camper

Simply Saturday {Day Two Hundred Fifteen}

This week it's purple.

It Takes All Kinds {Day Two Hundred Twelve}

I just had to have one more go at those tulips before they're beyond beyond. This was taken on a distressed white table on our porch which gets great light. Since it is cold out there this time of year, I turned on the heat for a while and was able to do some shooting out there. Very nice it was, too. It makes me yearn for our nice warm porch days. When it gets in the 50's and sunny, we're good to go.

We had an interesting discussion over at Focusing on Life today. Many of you may have seen it but if you haven't you can find it in the link above. The post was about internet thievery. Yes, sad to say, it does happen. Those of us who post photos online can't be too careful. I find it very sad, indeed, that people would stoop to such low practices. But at my age, I really should stop being so naive.

I'm using several of the suggestions in the article in an effort to protect my photos. If you post online, I hope you'll read the article if you haven't already and try some of the safeguards.

This is the final week of my 50mm Project class. It's been great fun and a great learning tool. One of the 'assignments' from Monday was to try abstract photography. I'll tell you right up front: I am not good at this. But I gave it a try. Using a slow shutter speed, I 'panned' a canvas print of one of my beach shots. This is what I ended up with.

What do you think? You can be honest here, I have no intention of going full bore into abstract photography but I'm curious as to your thoughts on the subject.

Okay, the hour is getting late. It's tea time and the book I'm reading on my Kindle is calling my name, so I'll wrap this up.

Until the next time ...

Friday Snow Day {Day Two Hundred}

Well, would you look at that? 'Day Two Hundred'. That sounds like a real milestone, doesn't it? Only 165 to go. Hmmm. Maybe I won't celebrate yet.

As you can see by the title, we had snow day #3 today. Our May beach trip won't happen; it will have to be in June or July. As summer progresses, it gets hotter and muggier in Charleston, SC, that's why late May has been such a great time frame. That and rates haven't gone up yet. Oh, well. It is what it is. I'll do some condo shopping soon.

Anyhow, back to the snow day. As mentioned before, Campbell had her first piano lesson yesterday. When she got to my house this morning, she had no sooner taken her coat off then she was at the piano, practicing. All told, I'd say she practice an hour, on and off. And now, 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' is stick in my head. Forever.

But that's a price I'll gladly pay if Campbell latches onto piano and really likes it. While her mother and grandmother {that would be me} did not turn out to be good pianists {I know just enough to be dangerous}, my sister majored in piano and is still an excellent piano. I'm using her as a role model for Campbell.

I'm sure there are a good many of you out there who took lessons and gave it up or just quit playing as work, family and other activities of adulthood took precedence, as they did with me. And I'm sure, like me, you're kicking yourself. Raise your hand if I'm talking to you.

We've no big plans for the weekend. Have you? There's a UK game on tomorrow that we'll be watching and it will be a tough one. Then, weather permitting, I think I'll take Mr. Peepaw to Lexington to use the Bonefish gift cards he gave me for Christmas and do a little grocery shopping.

Monday is a school holiday. If you have a long weekend, enjoy! I'm sure I'll be singing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' for several days yet.

'Til we meet again,

Sunday Moments {Day One Hundred Ninety Five}

Sunday Simplicity

Simply Saturday {Day One Hundred Ninety Four}

Keeping it simple

What Can I Say About Friday? {Day One Hundred Ninety Three}

 

 

Random Five

1. I love Fridays. Why? you might ask, you're retired. Yes, I am. But I still love Fridays. I think this appreciation of Fridays is so thoroughly imprinted in our minds at such an early age, that we never get over it.

2. A couple of months ago, a dear friend of my daughter's passed away at age 39. We were so stunned as he was a very special person to us all. I wrote his mother a note. Yesterday I got the sweetest note back from her. It warmed my heart and soul. Have you noticed that people seldom acknowledge condolence notes anymore? It seems that way to me so that's one reason why this note meant so much to me. But mostly because it was so sweet and from her heart.

3. I'm participating in Kim Manley Ort's class, The 50mm Project {which I've already mentioned in these pages} and I have thoroughly enjoyed the first week. It's a challenge doing this in January but it's also good tonic for the month of January.

4. In Kentucky, January is the longest month on the calendar. June is the shortest.

5. Mr. Peepaw asked me last night what we were going to do this weekend. I told him I thought we could go to the grocery in Lexington and eat lunch or dinner out, after watching the University of Kentucky basketball game. {Go Cats!} And I reminded him that we tend not to do too much on winter weekends, which is his problem. Long winter weekends drive him nuts.

There you have it. Was that random enough for you?

And, now, drum roll, please. My find for this week is right here.

What did you find this week?

You can also find me over at Friday Finds and Random 5 Friday.

Now ... if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play with my new lens!

Sunrises and Apples {Day One Hundred Ninety Two}

When I opened the shades on the bedroom window this morning, this is what I saw. Then my mind said, this is going to be a great day!

Wrong. It was grey. Chilly. Not conducive to photography or inspiration.

The sunshine of the past three days has really spoiled me. Chasing the sun around my home has re-energized my photography. I should have known better than to be fooled, knowing what January in Kentucky is like. The grey days outnumber the sunny days. By far. Yeah, you'd think at my age I wouldn't be so naive.

So anyhow, after a hair appointment and a nice lunch with my husband, I came home, puttered around, waiting to be inspired. Yes, you read that right. 'Waiting'. To be inspired. Like it was just going to jump out at me. Really, Dotti? You really thought that?

Well, the inspiration came in the form of hunger pangs and a nice crisp apple sounded good. Yes! Voila! An apple!

I'm not sure about the doctor but an apple a day keeps the photographer's blues away. Although the house was rather gloomy {I do not like taking pictures in unnatural light if I can help it}, the porch held promise. So I took my camera and my apple out on the back porch ... which, I might add, is none too balmy right now. But a gal's got to do what a gal's got to do. Several shots later, with the shivering beginning to set in, I decided this one would do nicely, thank you. After all, it's kind of hard to get a photo in focus when you're shivering.

Yes, I know. You stay awake nights wondering what riveting stories you'll find on Camper tomorrow. Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to come back tomorrow to find out!

PS - I don't know yet, either!

No Snow Day {Day One Hundred Ninety One}

School was back in session today, albeit with a one hour delay. Little Miss Campbell was ready. When I finish this post, I'll pack a little snack {she's ravenous when she gets out of school!}, pop in the car and find my place in the pickup line. After that, we'll make a little trip to the tea shoppe. All this cold weather has depleted my supply of favorite teas!

Okay, I know you're wondering about the shoes. So here it is. On Monday, I started a photography class, The 50mm Project with Kim Manley Ort. The deal is you shoot only with a 50mm lens or 50mm focal point on your zoom lens. I'm using my trusty 50mm compact macro lens ... at least until my new 50mm f/1.4 lens gets here, hopefully Friday. But with the weather between here and New York, who knows?

So, why the shoes? Well, if you look back through my photos this week, you'll see that I'm chasing the sun in my house. This morning I had just picked up my walking shoes to do my walk on the treadmill. With shoes in hand, I noticed the sun playing across the floor of my office. So I dropped the shoes right there in the sun, grabbed my camera, got down on the floor and shot away. {I'm much better about dropping down on the floor in the privacy of my own home than I am when I'm out in public!}

Yes ... it's January and Camper is relegated to talking about photos of walking shoes. Campbell, actually, is quite amused by these shoes. I bought them on our girls' shopping day outing. When I showed them to her, she told her mother that DotDot had bought some crazy shoes. Well, to defend myself: Have you seen what's out there? It's all crazy! But you know what? They've kind of grown on me, they bring some color into my mid-winter life. I'm easily amused.

What have you done to bring some color into your mid-winter life? Now I know not all my readers are experiencing winter right now, but many of us are. And inquiring minds want to know: what do you do to chase away the winter blues?

 Linking up with Kim at Little Things Thursday because talking about walking shoes is about as little as it gets.

Snow Day #2 {Day One Hundred Ninety}

The weather was a frigid -4F, windchill -20. Need I say more? There was no school today. And instead of just Campbell today, I had the 4-month old puppy, too, who, it seems, has cabin fever and is annoying the older dog in the family.

With little else to photograph these days, I've taken to studying the light in my house. I mean, what else is a girl to do in such wretched weather? The crazy thing is, when our weather gets like this, we usually have abundant sunshine. In a few days when it warms up, it will likely just be grey. So, I'm chasing the light while I can.

This is the morning light in my dining room. Like the late afternoon sun, it's elusive. You have to catch while catch can. I love the shadows and reflections, which is what drew me in.

After a morning of Harry Potter and then reading a wonderful little book called 'Fuzzies' {published about 40 years ago}, it was tea time. As luck would have it, the afternoon sun was again dancing on my kitchen table.

Will there be school tomorrow? Well, that's the $64,000 question. Krista talked to a friend of hers who is a teacher. He talked to a school administrator and apparently the 'back roads' in the county are still in frightful condition. Things are great in town and close in, it's 'out in the knobs' where things never seem to thaw.

Campbell is hoping merely for a delay because she is ready to go back. to. school. And since she loves school so much, I'm ready, too.

Snow Day #1 {Day One Hundred Eighty Nine}

I love the way the late afternoon sun comes in my kitchen window and slants across the table. Some days I miss it altogether because it's fleeting. Even as I shot this, the sun moved and even vanished, so I have to work quickly. But before we got here, we had this:

Our first snow day of the school year and the calendar year. As you can see we didn't really get much but it doesn't take 'much' in these parts to have a one- or two-hour delay if not an actual snow day. Today could probably been more properly called a 'weather day'. The temps fell rapidly from a high in the 50's yesterday with rain to a morning temp of 3F with snow. Wind chills were -15F. With a large number of the district children riding school buses, it's prudent to cancel school in these conditions. And the powers-that-be have already called school tomorrow because tomorrow morning will not be much of an improvement. The thaw begins late tomorrow and into Wednesday.

So fingers are crossed that there will be enough sun and thawing so that school won't be cancelled on Wednesday, or a delay at worst. Campbell is soooo ready to go back to school. This is a child who loves school, loves to learn, thrives on routine and in spite of some holiday sleepovers and playdates, misses her friends.

I told her mother she was like Tinkerbell today, flitting all about all day long, almost constantly as we watched Harry Potter movies. Yes, I believe a bit of cabin fever has set in. Here is one of the very few moments when she was still, intently watching the movie. {Don't ask why she chose that chair, I couldn't answer.}

Still in all, it was a good day and I look forward to another snow day tomorrow. It's a cinch I'm not going anywhere in this weather!

One last quick thing to share. Above my computer I have a photo line. I decided yesterday to print out photos from our Focusing on Life get together last summer and put them on my line. Here it is. Every time I walk into this room {which is often}, a smile crosses my face.

Photos of good times and good friends and family are priceless. I'm so glad I printed these out. Are you good about printing your photos or do they hide on your computer? I'm fair-to-middling, trying to get better. This is a start.

If you're in the frozen tundra, stay warm. If you're not ... well, we won't go there.