Aren't We Cute?

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

I can't figure out how to put this at the bottom of my page like Miss Emily so I thought I would just post it. Anyone have any ideas on how to do it?

A Few Lawn Photos

Gary works very hard on our lawn and landscape...and I get complimented constantly.



















G may be one of the few men who someone has to say "Why are you mowing the lawn...again?!" Sometimes he even uses a reel mower after the regular mower to "shave the inconsistencies" left by the incredibly expensive Cub Cadet 33" mower. All this because our yard is on a hill.

Anywho. It looks wonderful. The grass, the flowers... all of it. Most of it was done before he began working for a landscaping company. Most of the hard scape was done using "found" items, things people didn't want or we got for free.
The flowers...not so much.

Beautiful Butterfly

This butterfly has been visiting my purple coneflowers for the past few days. I got a ton of pictures of him (or her I suppose) — wings open, closed, even fluttering. Here are my two favorites:





Happy Summer!

p.s. There is no editing on either of these photos, except my name of course. That wasn't actually in the photo. ;)

Happy 4th of July!

Each Fourth of July, I try to take firework photos. Usually they don't work out. This year was going to be different though. Armed with my work camera, the correct settings and a tripod -- I was ready. I even had a tutorial Friday from my boss. I have to say this year turned out better than others, but still not awesome. Some I hit the button too late or didn't hold it long enough. Those were my two biggest problems. Also, the fireworks were at such different heights that a lot I cut off because I couldn't move quickly enough. All of that will get better with practice though, I'm sure. Here are a few of my favorite shots of the fireworks.

I know this one is a little blurry, but it looks like it has a heart in it!

My view of the finale, note the tree silhouette.

Oh, and finally, my neighbor's trees are getting quite tall! I've been watching fireworks from my front yard for 15 years, so I guess that's to be expected.

Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with how I did for my first year. Next year I will try to remember each of these lessons and get even better shots! I'll add a few of Vincent later.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Sunflower

Many of these happy flowers are popping open at my house.

Fun and Friends 7.1.11

Vincent's besst friend, without a doubt, is Miss Paige. He loves her so much and always wants to see her. He gets more excited about seeing her than anyone else and usually the two of them don't get tired of each other. Occasionally they'll hit their limit, but most of the time they're pretty happy campers. Paige and Vin had a playdate the other day. Here are a few cute snapshots of them.

Dragonfly

Canon 40D