moments...

...photographed as part of the Moments project

sometimes our family room looks like this ::






















and then there's the rest of the time ::












i used to be someone who loved a neat, clean house (car, office, etc...) all the time.

now i'm someone who still craves an organized, picked up home, but also loves the mess that accompanies life, and has learned to be okay with, and even sometimes enjoy, the clutter that is inevitable with children. (i just enjoy the neat, clean, and quiet after they've gone to bed, and before they awake in the mornings).

january one word photo...

...here's my photo for january's word :: create












"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
Pablo Picasso

check out the other amazing create photos at the one word flickr group. february's one word is nurture - so many possibilities!

photography explored...

...so one of the items on my 101 in 1001 list is to take a photography class. and while i've had my upgraded camera, Nikon D80, for almost a year now, and browsed through the manual, i still don't feel like i have much of a grasp of all there is to know - ISO, shutter speed, apeture, f/stop, different lenses, speedlights, etc...

so i signed up for a class through the city Parks & Rec Department, and this past weekend took my first of 4 classes. and i'm so glad i did - while the class made me realize just how much i still need to learn about, it also made me feel like at least i have a basic knowledge of composition and photography just from using my camera so frequently, and being interested & exploring.

so along with my goal this year of getting our photo albums organized, and stories told, i'm adding photography to my list. they seem to go together well - the capturing of images, and the display/organization of them.

on my to-do list for photography:
- research online resources - so far, i've found shutter sisters, and clickin moms to be great sites
- participate in the One Word and It's the Moments projects to expand my creativity in photography
- learn more about the above mentioned technical terms (ISO, etc...), as well as different pieces of equipment, like speedlights, and different lenses
- be able to apply what i've learned to different photography situations (indoors, bright light, etc)
- download & become familiar with Adobe Lightroom
- read Understanding Exposure
- read "Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits"... she's probably one of my favorite photographers (other than my great-grandfather, of course). i love this photograph, taken of a migrant mother and her children during the Great Depression












i really like the quote that ended class today: "Photography is 1% talent, and 99% moving furniture"... as our instructor said - it's a hobby (like most others) that the more work you put into it, the better you get.

2010 calendar (in photos)...

...last year, one of my aunts made up calendars full of family photos, and sent a copy to each family - i think that was perhaps my favorite gift from Christmas, as it was completely unexpected, included some great photos, and we enjoyed it all year. so come January 1st, it was time to find a replacement. since Ben & I are starting on a year-long project (inspired by the bird calendar Amanda's family did), i thought a calendar full of nature photos i've taken the past two years might serve as both inspiration, and a good reminder.

a few that are included in this year's calendar (i was definately lacking summer photos)...

on the hammock...

...it seems like our hammock gets much more use in the fall and spring than it does in the summer. just the right place to relax after the (endless) leaf & acron raking. it's also been just the right place for some late afternoon reading, relaxing, and looking up at the trees to see the changing colors.

a pile of library books, a blanket (knit by my step-mother), and of course a late afternoon snack of apples.





















i think i'd spend all afternoon out there if i could. oh, i love the fall.

a visit to the state fair...

...(in photos)






















...beautiful fall weather (sunny and cool), baby pigs, newborn chicks to hold, and lots of fair foods made for a great day. oh, how i love those piglets!

mushroom hunting & making...

...it seems there are mushrooms of all shades and colors popping up around our home. the walks we take most evenings have become mushroom hunts of late - ben carrying his mushroom eliminating stick with him in search of the next mushroom. and when one is found, he exclaims in joy that he's found it, we look at the color, and then he proceeds to knock it over with the stick. again. and again. and again...

a few we've found (prior to elimination)















of course i thought about getting books on mushrooms out of the library. children's books. our library didn't have much, other than the field guide to north american mushrooms. not exactly what i was looking for for a 2 1/2 year-old boy. ah, well... we made due with that, and got to work on our own mushroom project.

using an empty cardboard egg carton, ben painted his mushroom caps. after they dryed, i cut them apart, and we glued a stick to act as the stem on each one. i found this idea on a search for mushroom craft ideas, but i can't remember where i found it. then we went to plant them in the yard.





















while it seems not many others would know right away what these are, ben has loved going out and checking on his mushrooms. and surprisingly, they're still in tact. unlike the rest of the mushrooms in our neighborhood. (i'm starting to think little boys, at least a good number of them, are hard-wired to hit things with sticks. it's definately not a learned behavior, so that's my only explination)

fall wedding (in photos)...

...spent this past weekend in the Adarondack Mountains attending a family wedding, which included a rehearsal dinner pig roast, a Saturday morning hike up to a breathtaking view of the fall folliage, and a beautiful outdoor ceremony & reception. thought i'd share just a few images from the weekend...










inn where the wedding took place










view from the top of the mountain











































...it was so good to be back in upstate New York in the fall

because sometimes a little puddle just won't do...

...hurricane hannah came through our state bearing lots of rain in a short amount of time, which caused the pond at the end of our street to overflow onto the road, creating an oversized puddle. (to say there are some drainage issues is an understatement!). since ben, like most little kids, enjoys splashing in puddles (i must admit i still do, too), i thought this extra-large version would be a huge hit with him - especially since the roads in our neighborhood aren't busy.

i have to admit i also thought it would be fun to photograph this adventure, as well. while it was a bit overcast, and the lighting wasn't perfect, i still managed to cull a few good shots our of the dozen or so i snapped...

caught up on a yearly tradition...

...for the past few years on Father's Day, we've had a picnic at Duke Gardens, one of my favorite places in this area. we were gone on Father's Day this year, and the summer seemed to slip away from us, but we finally had a chance have our belated Father's Day picnic there over the Labor Day weekend...










2008... 28 months old, trying to master rolling down a hill

i also had a walk down memory lane looking at photos from our past few visits...









2006... 2 months old










2007... 14 months old, reading with Harry

i love having these small, almost ordinary traditions scattered throughout the year to look forward to. i'm starting to think of them as the thread of our family's quilt of memories.

snapshots of vacation...

a few of the moments from vacation i'm treasuring...

- curling up in a big hotel bed to read stories and more stories
- seeing a place i've been through the perspective of my child
- the relaxing motion of a boat to lull me to sleep
- ben collecting shells, and more shells, and examining each one with delight

digging in the sand at Myrtle Beach









eating gelato in Savannah









meeting a "new friend"










exploring at animal kingdom









enjoying the warm, warm water









playing shuffle board (who knew it was so funny!)

baby geese...

...the pond just down the street has some new wildlife additions - 6 baby geese. i don't love the 7 or so geese that live around the pond (nor do i mind them much, expect when they won't move out of the middle of the street). baby geese, on the other hand, are just about impossible not to love (just like baby kittens, puppies... pretty much any baby animal)

we've been to visit them several times, and ben always calls out excitedly when we pass by them in the car. we've taken old bread to feed them, and always keep our distance - the parents are very protective. i've also taken lots and lots of photos... i can't help myself - they're so sweet and fun to photograph.






























also fun to watch - the turtles that never come out of the pond. they're also interested in free bits of bread (and baby geese as well)










we also checked out several books on geese and turtles from the library. some recent favorite reads:

A gaggle of geese - Philippa-alyas Browne
Duck and Goose - Tad Hills
A gaggle of geese and a clutter of cats - Dandi Daley Mackall
Turtle splash!: Countdown at the Pond - Cathryn Falwell
One tiny turtle: Read and Wonder - Nicola Davies
Old turtle - Douglas Wood

we're enjoying watching them grow - their feathers seem a bit darker each day. i didn't notice any babies last year, but i'm hoping it's a regular event around "our" pond each spring.