Get creative with me!
You might remember the braids I put in Chickeymonkey’s hair for camp. It’s been a few weeks of easy care and cleaning, but like all good things, it had to come to an end. I just had to get a shot of the de-braiding before the thorough cleansing and pony-tailing. Alotta of ‘ings, to match alotta curls.
We headed over to the street festival around 4pm yesterday afternoon. They closed off one of the main roads in Bettendorf and put a band on either end, the street between was lined with vendors. There were t-shirts, handmade jewelry stands, airbrushed tattoos, face painting, and of course – food.
Normally, we have about $20 to spend for a family of four. Needless to say, there were no frivolities in previous years. One lemonade, two funnel cakes, two glow sticks. This year, we were prepared, and we even had an extra guest. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to share my funnel cake. I even had my own hand squeezed lemonade and a corn dog! We splurged on airbrushed tattoos and hand made friendship bracelets, and spent a few dollars in the kids carnival area for the girls to bounce and play on air rides. (What do you call those things? Blow up toys? That just doesn’t sound right.)
The glow sticks this year were super cool – this is Chickeymonkey’s, she kept twirling it and I was already set to Fireworks mode on my camera – so this is how it looks when it’s blinking and being twirled.
Here are some of my favorite fireworks shots from our 2008 Fireworks display in Bettendorf, Iowa. (the best fireworks display in the Quad Cities!) Keep in mind when you’re looking at these photos that I had my camera (a Panasonic Lumix FZ50) in my lap, had it on Fireworks and infinity burst – and held it as still as possible. I wanted to watch the fireworks this year instead of see them through my camera – so they are literally “Point, Click and Pray” shots. I didn’t edit these shots but to crop them and give you a closer view.
11 Tips for Sparkling Fireworks Photos @ Photojojo
You should always play with these settings beforehand and if you can program it, do that – because once they start, you don’t have much time to be playing with your camera.
What are your plans for the holiday weekend?
…. do I even need to tell you where I’m going to be? I didn’t think so.
I walked into my living room to put my camera into Standard Hummingbird Photo Op Positioning when lo and behold, there was a stranger on their feeder. Good timing, I thought.
This cute little House Wren hopped around, posing for me in several positions. I wondered why he was there. Did he just enjoy the reflection in the window? Did he really think he was going to get nectar? Or maybe it was just a convenient and safe place to land while he’s still a little wobbly on the wings.
Who knows – I’m just grateful for the timing. It’s certainly not often you see something other than Hummingbirds – and ants – on a Hummingbird feeder.
You know you’re a birdwatcher when….
You can spot the bird in this photo in 3 seconds or less.
ssh. Don’t move.
If you hold really still and be quiet,
you can watch the hummingbirds as they perch and drink.
And in between Hummy visits, this Nuthatch duo will delight and entertain with their upside-down tree climby antics.
As we came upon the Giraffes, this guy was, well, trying to do the splits.
And then he asks “does my butt look big in this enclosure?”
A gorgeous Harris Hawk (I think he’s got Red Tail envy.)
Mr. and Mrs. Red Tailed Hawk – don’t they make a stunning pair?
The beautiful couple is my Godson and his new wife. The wedding was sweet, and short, and their adoration toward eachother was so apparent throughout the day.
The flowers were simple, but beautiful, they were just right.
The exchange of vows was romantic, and sincere, and yes, of course I cried.
They lit the unity candle in perfect synchronization.
The flower girl offered rose petals for everyone to throw as they exited the church.
And we danced.
* * * * *
It was a weekend of remembering, of smiling, laughing, hugging, and eating. It was a weekend of meeting people again that I haven’t seen in ages. And on the way home, it was a time of reflection.
In my 19 years away, look at all that I’ve missed. I’ve missed watching the childhood of my Godson – going to his baseball games, birthday parties, and graduations. I’ve cherished a photo of him when he was just a toddler and it was as though my mind didn’t think of him as a person who would grow up, fall in love, and get married.
I’ve missed my cousins being born – and met one of them, an adult, that I’ve never met before. I’m on the outside of the inside jokes. I’m loved, yes, from a distance and with casual yet formal hugs and smiles. I am the one they thank for traveling a distance (though it’s not a very big one) to visit.
It’s amazing to me how much life happens in 19 years. How not being nearer to your family means you will miss it, unless you make it a point not to. I spent some time mourning the things I missed, but also being so grateful that this realization hit me when it did. I won’t be the one who sits idly by and waits for an invitation to be with my family. I need to be the one to call, to remember, to make the effort – because if I’m not, no one will.
What a wonderful, beautiful, emotional weekend.
How far do you live from your family, and how often do you see the ones you love?
The storms that passed through lastnight were remnants of what hit Kansas. Still, they packed a punch and brought my girls to huddled piles of blankets. I watched out the window as the winds took control, saw the clouds as they swirled to form tornadoes that touched down in farms miles away. I stood in awe, humming this song as I watched, thinking that as terrifying as it is, it is equally beautiful and wondrous to watch.
I held my camera to the window, pointed it at the top of the tree in our front yard, and snapped in burst mode (they’re about 2 seconds long each). I opened them up this morning and was in awe all over again. The whole series is about 10 seconds worth of our tree blowing – it clearly shows the power of the storm. The movement is captivating to me – slightly blurry, but crisp where they need to be.
The hail came after the wind – quarter sized, but it didn’t do much damage that we could see.
I stayed with the girls as another storm moved in and counted “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand” with each flash of lightening, and fell asleep when the storm was about twelve-one-thousands away.
If I were tiny, I could climb on his back and ask him to fly me around the backyard. He just looks like he’s got a nice comfy little seat there for someone to ride on. In fact, I could probably bring a friend. Who wants to be tiny with me?
It looks like a comfortable spot, doesn’t it? Please say you’ll go.
