Life at Full Volume

MCP Project 12: Love Freshly Baked

2012-02-10T23:28:00.001-05:00

Freshly baked love, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This month's MCP Project 12's primary theme, as opposed to the one I covered last week, is love. Which isn't too shocking considering the big non-holiday on Tuesday.

As I mentioned on Tuesday the bread was very well received. Rebecca for whatever reason was calling it the baby and I got her to pose cradling the loaf. Mind you it stopped being a baby once the bread cooled down to an edible temperature.

So really what better way to show love in a non-February clichéd manner than a loaf of bread baked with love that was in turn loved by the recipients.

Holding Pattern

2012-02-09T23:41:00.000-05:00

A month ago an elementary student in area died from a severe peanut allergy. The horror of the story has been compounded by the fact it was from a fellow student sharing a peanut based snack on the playground. When the news first hit I immediately thought of one of Max and Rebecca's classmates who has such a life threatening allergy. She is a very sweet kid with a wonderful mom that makes a point to come to every party and field trip to ensure her daughter gets only things that are safe her her to eat. It wasn't her that died, the child was much younger and in a completely different school.

Meanwhile it looks like Rebecca has developed a sensitivity to peanuts. A couple years ago we went to Five Guys Burger and Fries and Rebecca started coughing. It was a dry, almost asthmatic sort of hacking cough. She wasn't sick and she wasn't choking, but something was clearly up. Then I realized the place was awash in peanuts. Open boxes of unshelled peanuts were all over the place for patrons to snack on while waiting for their food. Rebecca has never cared for peanuts and that's not an unusual aspect of a food allergy. Young children often instinctively avoid foods that make them sick. I for one never wanted to eat shellfish as a kid, almost blasphemy for someone of New England stock.When I finally did try some crab meat salad at my cousins wedding I promptly had an extreme allergic reaction. Luckily my family is loaded with asthmatics and such and they were able to stave off the attack. So yes, food allergies are not unheard of in my family.

Anyhoodle back to the whole peanut allergy thing in school. For the past two school years I have carefully noted on Rebecca's information card that she has a minor peanut allergy. Since she does not like peanuts and is uninterested in other kids' food I didn't worry about her. At some point I would get her tested, but I wanted her to be a bit older and better able to deal with the prospect of a prick test. This was all fine and dandy until three weeks ago. Our school board decided that my little note was no longer enough. More details and an action plan were needed.

Sigh, so it was off to the allergist today.

Rebecca had a simple prick test on her forearms. Just three little jabs, the peanut on her right and the controls on her left. Fifteen minutes later the Dr. check her arms. The saline (negative control) was clear and the histamine (positive control) produced a large, red, and itchy welt. Just what was to be expected. The peanut however, well was not quite so clear. There was definitely something going on, but at most a three on a scale of one to ten.

Which was about what I expected.

However, it wasn't an equivocal answer, more of a kinda sorta. The upshot of it all is that now Rebecca got the added treat of a blood draw to see what is going on. It'll be another week until we know the results and even that won't guarantee us an answer. In the mean time her Dr. said it was best if she carried on avoiding peanuts.

Artist of the Week: Blastolene And The Decoliner

2012-02-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

There is a little part of me that is a would-be gearhead and this week's artist reflects that part. Below is an interview with Randy Grubb a member of the artistic collective known as Blastolene.

During the interview a couple of pulse engine vehicles are shown, but the main story is the Decoliner. It is a beauteous beast of a vehicle with some very startling features. At one point in the clip it is stated that isn't so much the miles per hour, but the smiles per hour that matter. I completely agree. Watch it and enjoy.

There is some incredible craftsmanship that went into the creation of the Decoliner and it certainly qualifies as a piece of art.

Baking With Julia- White Loaves

2012-02-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

Fresh bread, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I've joined in with a cooking project that I learned about over at Diane's blog, Ginosko. Last year the group did Tuesdays with Dorie, cooking recipes from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home To Yours," this year the cookbook is "Baking with Julia Child." From what I understand two recipes will be selected per month. I love Julia Child's style of cooking and I'm always up for a bit of baking. Throw in so blog fodder and I'm game.

The inaugural recipe is White Loaves and I must say it was a wonderful dough to create, silky smooth and not at all sticky. The recipe was pretty much dead on, my only issue was I had longer rise times, but that was due to my cool house and not the dough. In the summer I'll be able to easily find a nice warm spot for the dough to rise. My only deviation from the recipe was to make one of my loaves a cinnamon swirl. Before folding up the dough and plopping it into the pan I brushed the surface with melted butter and sprinkled on both cinnamon and sugar.

The bread smelled heavenly while baking and it was very hard to keep the kids away while it cooled. The plain white loaf, on the right in the picture, was soon gone. I got only one slice and it was delicious. The second loaf I squirreled away for tomorrow. I figure it'll be a nice treat when it's toasted with a bit of butter. I'm looking forward to my next assignment!

RE-COLLECTION

2012-02-06T23:10:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again that I dip into Tropfest. This year they are continuing on with the idea of the letting viewers pick out the 16th entry. A the Tropfest channel on YouTube you can see the 10 contebders and vote for your favorite. I went for the slightly darker themed film that is a great variation on turnabout.

Just About Little Old Me

2012-02-05T23:33:00.001-05:00

Robbo has an interesting post about introversion and such that includes a fun (at least to me) "Are you and Introvert Test." Yay a meme! I don't veiw my self as strictly an introvert, but I do live on the quiet side.

The more you agree with the following statements the more introverted you are.

1. I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities. Depends upon the group and the activity. For me smaller is better.

2. I often prefer to express myself in writing. Ha! More like photography or baking. Seriously I do like to talk to my friends on the phone. This blog thing I do is a bit of a stretch for me, I am not a writer. I am a much better story teller in person, ask Meryl who is a writer.

3. I enjoy solitude. Yes, I do cherish my alone time during the school year. The first week of summer break is brutal, but I adjust. For this reason alone I seriously doubt I could ever home school.

4. I seem to care about wealth, fame, and status less than my peers. Not really, but then my peers are my friends for a reason. I'm not driven to be famous, but a big lottery win would be nice.

5. I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me. Fairly true, hell to me is a cocktail party.

6. People tell me that I’m a good listener. Yes I do listen, but I will share my opinion if it seems wanted.

7. I’m not a big risk-taker. Another big Ha! Depends on the risk. I've moved out to the Midwest to be with my then boyfriend/now husband. I quit my job, line up a new job ahead of time, and moved from CT all on my own. However I never would have dared done the rattling around Europe and South America as my very extroverted brother did. Oh yeah and I've dyed my hair purple. Twice.

8. I enjoy work that allows me to “dive in” with few interruptions. Yes, I like a clear task that I can wade into.

9. I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members. True, very true.

10. People describe me as “soft-spoken” or “mellow.” Yes, although it has been noted that I'm all very quiet and agreeable until you cross the line. Then look out.

11. I prefer not to show or discuss my work with others until it’s ﬁnished. Yup.

12. I dislike conflict. Very true.

13. I do my best work on my own. Yes, I'm having a hard time baking with my daughter. It is hard to let go, I want it done right.

14. I tend to think before I speak. Generally yes. I try not to blurt out whatever crosses my mind.

15. I feel drained after being out and about, even if I’ve enjoyed myself. No, I do have fun going out and about.

16. I often let calls go through to voice mail. If I don't want to answer a particular call I will let it go to voice mail (I'm looking at you political "surveys" and telemarketers). However I do frequently answer when it's for an individual. I volunteer for my dog club by fielding inquires and dachshunds. I can talk to anybody for long stretches about dogs.

17. If you had to choose, I’d prefer a weekend with absolutely nothing to do to one with too many things scheduled. Yes!

18. I don’t enjoy multitasking. I'm fine with multitasking. It's a bit a necessity with four kids.

19. I can concentrate easily. If the subject interests me, absolutely.

20. In classroom situations, I prefer lectures to seminars.If the subject matter is interesting and the professor is engaging, yes to seminars.

So roughly 15 out of 20, but when I do veer off it's in a big way. I can be bold as brass when the mood strikes me. I mean really, how many 46 year old hard core introverts with purple hair are out there?

MCP Project 12: Leap... Sort of

2012-02-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

Girl with a Dolphin, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This picture from April 23, 2010 would have been a perfect choice for this month's MCP Project 12's alternate theme Leap (and not too bad for the primary Love). Sadly it's not from this month and is ineligible.

Bummer.

For a bit of background on the sculpture head on over my post from April 2010 when I first featured this particular work of art. I featured the other picture back in 2010 because of the rainbow, but I think compositionally this is the better photo.

Wonderful Stories

2012-02-02T23:50:00.001-05:00

I found the sweetest article today over at Neatorama, 7 Amazing Stories of Lost and Re-Found Wedding Rings. I don't know how I got there, but it was certainly the picture of the beringed carrot that got my attention.

Artist of the Week: Minecraft

2012-02-01T23:59:00.001-05:00

Jake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is the now camera shy Jake.

He really does not want anybody taking his picture now so I have to settle on a back view from way back in August. The more recent pictures I have are from band performances and I have already featured them. He'll eventually come around, I just have to give him his space. He is very much 15.

Anyhoodle I'm featuring him for what he has done on Minecraft. For those not in the know, Minecraft is a video game where you create everything from different textured cubes, for a better run down click here. It looks very interesting and Nate very much wants me to play, but I have demurred so far because I can see it can become a very big time sink. Case in point Jake.

He is currently the mayor of a town on one of the servers. Along with a few other co-mayors, he shapes how the town grows. He has his own buildings and has created some wonderful structures, one of which is a Spleef stadium (Spleef is a game within the game). Jake has created a neat little world and I wish I could show it you.

January Blooms?

2012-01-31T23:30:00.001-05:00

snow girl, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It's nigh on February and I feel that I should be taking and posting pictures like this one of Rebecca. You know something seasonally appropriate. This picture was from our grand trip up north. Admittedly there wasn't a whole heck of a lot of snow up there, but we were able to find some in sufficient quantities to go sledding.

Since then my mother has gotten a bit more snow. Nothing epic, but a goodly amount. There is a nice layer of snow and the temperatures have been fairly close normal.

January blooms, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Around here, however, we have daffodils in bloom an temps soaring into the 70s.

Seriously? 70s?

I joke about how lame Virginia winters are and that we have to go up north for real cold weather, but really this is too much. On the bright side I have been enjoying the impact on my heating bill.

Champis - The Herding Rabbit

2012-01-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

I think I found this little gem in the comments of... something.

I love the song "Run, Rabbit, Run" and the video itself is delightful.

The language in the description is Swedish and roughly translates to:

Who needs a dog when there are ... rabbits!

If you like to learn more about Champis, see:
www.gardsbacken.blogspot.com

The rabbit is a beloved pet that really does herd sheep. If you are willing to check the blog referenced and translate it all from Swedish you will learn quite a bit more.

Troubled Skies

2012-01-29T22:37:00.001-05:00

troubled skies, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We have had an incredibly mild winter so far, temperatures from the 50s and up. However as this warm weather has been fairly wet. Moody skies like this have been the norm.

I snapped this one just after I parked my car at the library. As I stepped out I glanced up and saw this wonderful cloudscape. For whatever reason I had my camera in the car, so I ducked back in and fished out my camera. The picture only needed a little tweaking of the contrast, the sky really was this dramatic. Interestingly directly overhead was blue skies, this was all south of me.

MCP Project 12: Raindrop Resolution

2012-01-27T23:42:00.001-05:00

Daffodil, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So far it has been an unbelievably mild winter in Virginia. It has been 50s and 60s all week long and I think it hit 70 today. Last week, during the morning walk I take with a few other people in the neighborhood, we noticed that there were quite a few daffodils in bloom. I resolved (ha! there's that theme word again) to take a few pictures before the temperature started to drop.

It took a few days for the weather to cooperate and for me to remember my camera. I finally got my moment after a rain shower this morning. I really like the details I captured of the raindrops on the flower's petals and the bright crisp light. I went back a few hours later and the blooms were all cloaked in shadow. It really behooves you to move quickly with the variability of natural lighting, when you see the "shot" you must not dawdle.

Growing Up

2012-01-26T23:36:00.001-05:00

Nate, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Our middle boy is growing up.

He had his big Bar Mitzvah a little over two months ago and yesterday he and I went to the bank and opened up a savings account. I'm proud of the fact that the bulk of his money went to the bank and wasn't just frittered away. He bought a few games, Minecraft being one, and a basic iTouch.

Next up will be a cell phone, which will be very interesting considering how social he is. We are only going to get him the most basic of phones, he only needs to be able to be able to call home. We'll see how that works out.

Artist of the Week: Dreaming of Doughnuts

2012-01-25T23:28:00.001-05:00

Dreaming Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Rebecca from way back in December of 2011. Remember that post I did, Not Moose and Squirrel? Well the whole reason I was at this art opening was because our dear little Miss Rebecca had a piece on exhibit. We got an invitation from her student teacher with all the details of when and where.

I was going to post about this earlier, but life (and the holidays) intervened. Honestly last December was a bit of a blur to me. I thought that after Nate's Bar Mitzvah everything would calm down, but instead it was holiday madness with a desperate catch-up from all the things I had neglected.

Anyhoo better late then never.

Doughnut dreams, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The art work that was exhibited was a sort of mobile. The students illustrated a dream on a paper plate and dangling from the plate was a brief description of the dream, hence the odd angle of Rebecca's portrait. I wanted to have the piece (which was hanging from the ceiling) to be like a dream bubble above Rebecca's head.

The quote from Rebecca that describes her dream is as follows:

I have dreamed of thousands of doughnuts and dollars.
I have dreamed of flying.
I have dreamed of never ending fun.

Which is entirely believable for Rebecca.

I love how the little figure representing herself looks like a little fairy, wings and all, in the land of giant doughnuts. A fitting dream for a child whose first words were doughnut and chocolate.

Purple

2012-01-24T23:58:00.001-05:00

Purple, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So for the second time in my life I've embraced my inner punk and dyed my hair purple.

There is no flying under the radar with my vibrantly hued locks. Strangers and friends ask me why and I say because brown is boring. I'm 70% grey and it's not a flattering grey like it is for some people I look tired and old, far older than my years. So I have being coloring my hair for the past 15 years. Brown, auburn, the odd red, I have done them all. I'm fortunate that my hair takes color well and is fairly resilient. My hair keeps growing and I keep coloring.

I guess in a way it's my super cheap mid-life crisis. It's non-permanent,which is annoying since all the purple dyes in the US are only semi-permanent. I get a lot of malarkey about purple isn't available in a permanent form because it is an "unnatural" color and the hair won't take it in. Really!? Any hair dye is unnatural, this is a very weak argument. It turns out there is one available, but it's in the UK and not worth the expense of shipping it to here.

Anyhoodle, it's fun and inspires all sorts of conversations wherever I go. And really it's a much better form of rebellion than tattoos and piercings, both of which are painful and can be devilishly hard to get rid of.

Update:Ha!

Punk Quiz from Quiz Rocket!
Quizzes: Customer Engagement

The Piano

2012-01-23T23:32:00.001-05:00

A short animation by Aidan Gibbons, Music by Yann Tiersen. A piano player reflects on his life while playing the piano. One of those little gems that YuoTube recommends to me that are definitely worth watching.

Moments of Hilarity

2012-01-22T23:57:00.002-05:00

For the most part our crew gets along. There is of course the endless sniping and requests to go away that Larry and I as parents have learned to tune out. We want our children to not rely on us to settle their differences, they need to learn to figure it out on their own. Mind you we do have some ground rules, no cruelty and no hitting, but for the most part they are able to deal with their differences. It might get a bit loud (hello four loud kids, hence the blog's name), but it's generally fairly mundane.

However once in a while we overhear a real gem. Today Rebecca loudly declared "You're the weirdest brother I ever had!" I'm not sure who it was directed towards, but the capper was the immediate objection by one of the non-accused that he was the weird one.

Around here there is never a dull moment.

MCP Project 12: Resolution to Coats

2012-01-20T23:58:00.001-05:00

Resolution to Coats, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

My children have the awful habit of shedding their coats and leaving them all throughout the house. I tired of tripping over coats and dealing with the last minute scramble in the morning to find said coats.

I have decided to take action and find a solution.

My resolution to the problem? I toss the offending jackets out onto the deck. So if you don't want a a frost covered coat you have to put it away on one of the many coat pegs/hooks out in the garage.

Of course if the jacket isn't put away and oh lets say it rains, the owner of the jacket has to put it in the dryer and hope that it will be ready in time for school. A certain member of the family was less then pleased when this happened two days ago.

Consequences baby, consequences.

Sunrise with the Moon and Stars

2012-01-19T13:33:00.001-05:00

Sunrise with the Moon and Stars, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This morning as I let the dogs I gazed out at the lightening sky. The sun wasn't quite up, but it's glow could be seen through the trees that surround us. The I noticed the moon hanging low in the sky. The lighting was such that it seemed you could see the dark side along with the brightly shining crescent. Three morning stars lay to the right right adding to the magic.

I had to take a picture.

I went back inside to hunt down my tripod. It took a bit of doing as it hadn't been returned to the closet, but was instead languishing in the dining room. Why there, I have no idea other than in all likelihood it was my own fault. I first set up the camera and tripod indoors since it was a bitter 25 degrees outside. Once my camera was ready I went out and took pictures.

The lighting was challenging. It was hard to get what I wanted, but I came very close. I think I might just submit this one to MCP Project 12, I just have to figure how it relates to Resolutions.

SOPA / PIPA Blackout Day

2012-01-17T23:41:00.001-05:00

SOPA, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Flyboy

2012-01-16T17:26:00.001-05:00

A lovely little animated film from Ireland.

Chocolate Covered Oreo Truffles

2012-01-15T23:58:00.002-05:00

oreo truffles, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Last week Rebecca had checked out from the school library The " Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunch-box Set." Inside were numerous recipes that Rebecca wanted to give a try, one of which was Oreo Truffles. I had just done a fair amount of baking and told her we would do it on Thursday and bring them over to the neighbor's house if we all got together the next day. Rebecca tought it was a good idea and was pretty patient all the way to last Wednesday, but I held firm.

I knew to would be too hard to hold off eating them if we made them before Thursday. I did, however, got the ingredients ahead of time to mollify Rebecca.

Thursday after school Rebecca was ready to roll. We had a brief snit over the cream cheese (she got impatient over how long it took to warm up), but that was our only problem. The Oreo truffles are ridiculously easy to make.

One 15 -18 oz bag of Oreos
8 oz of room temperature cream cheese
about a pound of melted dipping chocolate

Either crush the oreos in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or use a food processor, mix in the cream cheese, chill the dough for about an hour, make small (about and inch or less in diameter) balls of the chilled dough and dip them in the meted dipping chocolate. Plate on wax paper and chill until the coating hardens.

Rebecca was able to do most of the work, all I did was scrape out the food processor for her and dip the balls in the chocolate. I forgot the wax paper, but I was able to gently warm the bottom of the plates I put them on and that loosen the truffles enough so that I could remove them from the plate. The truffles themselves are delicious! They were a big hit with the neighbors and our family. We will definitely make these again.

MCP Project 12: Resolution

2012-01-13T22:04:00.001-05:00

Laughter, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So it's a new year and a new photo assignment group. This year it is title MCP Project 12 and will be on a monthly format. I think the weekly themes overwhelmed the mods and they are dialing it back this year. It is possible to still do a weekly submission (and I will try to!), but the relentless pace of a new theme each week has slowed down to one per month.

This month's theme is resolution, which is something I'm not that into. Oh I do believe in bettering oneself, but making New Year's resolutions is not what I do.

That said I had to come up with something and decided that to laugh more and have fun would be good ones to work with for this theme. I ended up submitting a series of pictures showing Nate starting to laugh. He was watching Captain Sparklez YouTube and I was nearby with my camera at hand. (And yes I already used the second photo for a post on Wednesday, but you have to admit it is too good to not use.)

I don't know how it'll fly over at MCP Project 12, but I really like the resultant linked sequence.

Livin' Large

2012-01-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

livin' large, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Honestly what can I say. My daughter is practically doing something straight out of "15 Things White Girls Do on Facebook."

This was part of the silliness that happens on New Year's day. The hat and glasses are Nate's, but the rest is all Rebecca. She put them on and immediately struck a pose and asked for the camera.

Artist of the Week: Skyrim!

2012-01-11T23:17:00.001-05:00

Nate, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Nate. I got this picture of him while he was busy watching a rather silly video by Captain Sparklez (Seriously that's the guy's online name). I love it when I can photograph my children when they are completely unaware of what I am doing. Thus I have silenced all the beeps and boops my camera makes. I don't need a chime when my camera is turned on or off, it bugs me and inevitably distracts my subject. You know you take too many pictures of your dog when they come to you when they hear the camera go on.

Anyhoo, it's a great picture of Nate with a natural and relaxed expression.

Skyrim, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Skyrim, however, is not relaxed. It's a game that Nate is very excited about, to the point that he drew this picture. He's a bit disappointed with the dragon and wishes he did a better job, but I think it is still a good effort. We were up north at my mother's house when he drew the picture. He had been pestering me for hours for a pencil, forcing me to go out to the car to fetch one (we couldn't find my mom's stash- just her pens and the crayons she has on hand for our visits). Paper was procured and the boy was then off happily drawing for an hour or so.

It was fascinating to see how agitated he was when the inspiration to draw hit. He paced about and would not settle until he had his drawing materials. There is a lot of drive in that boy.

Circle Dogs with Bad Kitty

2012-01-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

Circle Dogs with Bad Kitty, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Remember that picture I took titled "Circle Dogs"? You know the one with the dogs in virtually the same pose, but with a different book?

Well Larry noticed they were up to the same, but this time with "Bad Kitty." He thought it was an excellent photo op, and dang it he's right! I think it's just so very funny to have that book with the dogs clearly turned away.

Bad kitty indeed.

Urban Skiing

2012-01-09T20:48:00.001-05:00

We haven't yet gotten any snow, but that wouldn't stop this skier.

My understanding is that this is just a short segment of a much longer film "All.I.Can." by Sherpas Cinema, either way it's a fun shhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifort to watch. I think I found this over on the sidebar of Fetch My Flying Monkeys.

Dell, by Nate

2012-01-08T23:25:00.001-05:00

Dell, by Nate, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I've been sitting on this picture for awhile. I just didn't have anything to post with it and then things got busy and we then were off on vacation.

It's a wonderful picture of Dell taken by Nate. I love how most of the picture is in shadow, all that is visible is a bit of rug and half of Dell's face. The focus is dead on, which is remarkable considering the low light levels. Both Nate and Dell were rock steady for that brief moment in time.

New Jersey Sky

2012-01-06T23:17:00.001-05:00

New Jersey sky, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I never quite got to the MCP Project 12 this week, which really isn't a big deal now that it's a monthly theme. So instead I'm featuring a quirky picture from our drive home from up north.

Larry was at the wheel as we drove through New Jersey. It was not the nicest of days, the sky was still overcast from the previous days weather. The clouds, however, had the strangest almost luminescent quality about them.

I was struck by the clouds' strange beauty and fished out my camera. I have done nothing to this picture, except a bit of cropping. The clouds really and truly looked just like the picture. It was as though the sky was painted in watercolors.

It is not the *best* picture, but considering we were bombing along at highway speeds I am happy enough with the shot I got. It was sometime after 11 am and I have no idea what caused that interesting atmospheric effect.

MCP Project 52: What Life Is All About

2012-01-05T23:35:00.001-05:00

Max, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This picture was my finial submission to MCP Project 52. The theme was "what life is all about" and I thought Max running down the hill with a sled was a good selection. It's going full tilt and living in the moment.

I'm sad that it's over, I had a lot of fun working on the weekly theme format. This year it will be a monthly theme. You have the option of doing weekly, but the theme will remain static through the month. I'll give it a try, but already I'm challenged by the first theme.

Artist of the Week: Even More Dominos

2012-01-04T23:31:00.001-05:00

Max tower, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is the hugging machine known as Max. Nobody, and I mean nobody, leaves this house without a hug. Max is one of the biggest huggers I know and takes his self appointed job as chief hugger very seriously. Fortunately he does ask before hugging and will back off, much to the relief of his hugged out siblings.

Anyhoo, we dramatically increased our domino collection when we brought back from Nana's (my mom) a 55 piece piece set complete with storage tin! Max was positively thrilled and has pretty much built something with them every day. I don't think they will ever be used for the original purpose, but I fine with that. How could I deny such a sweet boy his favorite building blocks? Of course many of his creations must be documented with a picture as per his request, a request I'm more than happy to fulfill.

complex, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

In addition to the tower Max made this complex of buildings. There is a walled compound with five buildings and a large out building separate from the compound. The much larger assortment of dominoes is very much to Max's liking. He immediately asked me to photograph both structures and, wonder of wonders, asked to be included in at least one of pictures. He is positively beaming in the picture.

Winter Album

2012-01-03T23:43:00.001-05:00

winter afternoon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I have a lot of pictures to share so this post is going to be more of a photo album of a few of my favorite pictures from our trip up north.

Every year we slog up north during the school system's winter break. It usually runs about two weeks which gives us more than enough time to travel, visit family, and recover. My mom thinks we are a bit crazy to do all that traveling during the winter time. However, winter in Virginia is for the most part lame and this gives our children a taste of what real winter is like.

This year there wasn't much snow on the ground when we first showed up at my mother's house in VT, but that night we got a dusting of snow. I love the clean white of the snow contrasting with the dark trees and their shadows.

snow bunny, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I also like this little statue of a bunny that is on my mother's deck. I thought it looked so cute partially surrounded with the little patches of drifted snow. As I recall I wasn't wearing proper footwear (slippers perhaps?) and I didn't want to step down into the snow. So I squatted down and stuck my camera in front of the bunny and snapped a picture. I think it came out rather well! I did not do a thing to the picture except titling it and that really doesn't count.

Of course we didn't spend all our time at my mom's house. She did have some snow, but it wasn't enough to go sledding on.

looking east, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Instead of going to the park down the street with it's snowless hill, we went to my cousin's house. His house is about 20 minutes north of my mother's home and he got a bit more snow. He also has a rather epic sledding hill in the fields adjacent to the house. We wee invited up to go sledding and we gladly accepted the offer.

The drive was a bit more exciting than I would have liked. I did a half-assed job tying the toboggan down and guess what happened. The dang thing flipped off the van and skidded across the road. Fortunately no other cars were behind us and the the oncoming traffic was sparse enough that they avoided the sled. I quickly pulled over and hustled down the road to collect our wayward toboggan.

Larry, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Remarkably it was unharmed by it's misadventure. I was able to stuff the other sleds in the rocket box on top of the van, but the toboggan was too long. In the end we stuffed it inside the van with us. It was a tight fit, particularly for Nate (he was such a trooper), but we made it work. The rest of the drive was far less exciting and we finished it in due time.

The view from the hill was spectacular and I got some great shots of the mountains to the east. It was a crisp bright day and the snow was loose powder. The sledding wasn't perfect, but we all had a great time.

Are we high enough, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We never made quite to the tippy top of the hill. The field wasn't as well mown up there and as a result there was a fair amount of dried out plants poking through the snow cover. You can see it in this picture. Larry and Max ventured up into it on the broad path where the snow was a bit smoother. I think it was about 4/5ths the way up the hill. plenty far enough for a good long run.

Another of my cousins showed up to visit and she expressed a little concern about how far up were going. I told her that the kids were fairly experienced and had enough sense to know when to bail. There were a few fence posts to avoid, but not roads to worry about. I was perfectly happy to send them up the hill.

winter field, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

And speaking of fence posts, they are featured in one of my favorite shots. This particular line ran parallel to where we were sledding. I noticed them as I was trudging along and loved how the fence line mirrored the slope of the distant hills. I had a lot of fun composing the shot in the viewfinder and I proud to say it, along with the rest of the pictures in this post, is straight out of the camera. No tweaking of adjusting was necessary. Just download to my computer and post.

Vivian Maier, Street Photographer

2012-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

I found this very interesting piece on Vivian Maier. She was a nanny that would do street photography during her time off. She had an incredible eye and took absolutely wonderful pictures that she never shared. It took the auctioning off of her storage locker to bring her work to life.

Sledding into the New Year

2012-01-01T23:53:00.001-05:00

Sledding Hill, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Happy New Year!

I figure I'll make a return with the New Year. We had a wonderful vacation, visiting friends and family.

It was a bittersweet trip this year as my mom will be moving and it will be the last Christmas/winter break at her house. The new place will be smaller and much easier for her to manage. We will be able to still visit, my cousin has a house not too far away. There is an epic sledding hill there that enabled us to have one good afternoon of sledding before we headed south. The snow was pretty much nonexistent at my mother's home, just a dusting across here yard and nothing on the hill down the street at the park.

As for New Year's eve, we spent it at home with some good friends that came down from DC for the evening. We ate far too much food- flank steak, roasted potatoes, cheese, more cheese, and two desserts (one after dinner and one before midnight) and drank lots of lovely wine. We never did get to the bubbly, we had switched to coffee so our guests could drive home safely. It was a perfect way to spend the evening.

I hope all are well and that you all had a good winter's break!

MCP Project 52: Festive Cheer

2011-12-23T18:51:00.001-05:00

Festive Cheer, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

A little festive cheer from my synagogue's Chanukah party.

There were balloons, latkes, and children all over the place. We all had a very good time and I think Rebecca's smiling face nicely shows this week's theme of "Festive Cheer."

First Night of Chanukah

2011-12-20T20:38:00.001-05:00

Lets light the candles again.

A Very Calvin & Hobbes Christmas

2011-12-19T03:15:00.001-05:00

A wonderful tribute to my favorite strip. Let's hear it for snow goons!

MCP Project 52: Festive Colors

2011-12-16T20:25:00.001-05:00

Festive Colors, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Festive Colors was this weeks theme and I decided to go all "festival of lights" versus the overwhelming Christmas tone that I figured the majority of submissions would be.

My biggest issue was getting enough light, I wanted to shoot outside and not have to light the candles. I hit the jackpot yesterday morning and got a beautiful, bright sunny morning. I set up outside on the deck using a sheet, a table runner, a menorah, and Chanukah candles.

I was very happy how I could get the shadow along with the bright gleam of light along the arms of the menorah. It's not a terribly complicated composition, but that's what I like. Give me a clean and uncluttered image and I'm a happy camper. I think the light flare nicely balances out the colorful candles without overwhelming.. The emphasis is on the menorah with the candles adding a punch of color. I'm also very pleased that the candles not in the menorah seem almost dull in comparison.

Old City Hall

2011-12-15T23:36:00.000-05:00

Old City Hall, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

While trying to come up with a post I was combing through my picture files when this one of Richmond's Old City Hall popped up.

I snapped it from the observation deck of the new, or rather current city hall. It's a different perspective and lets you see the building's Gothic glory. I like how it looks like a something straight out of Hogwarts.

All it needs is a few owls wheeling in and out of the building yo complete the picture..

Artist of the Week: Winter Concert

2011-12-14T23:54:00.001-05:00

Tuxedo Jake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Jacob along with the high school band and I must state he looks incredibly handsome in his tuxedo. The shaggy hair adds to the whole musician esthetic, he definitely looks like his brother Nate in this particular photo.

Last week was the winter concert and as always, holiday themed music was on the program. In the following video the first and last songs performed by the band are showcased.

The first one is "Jingle Bells Fantasy" by James D. Ployhur, the same fellow that wrote "Pomp and Circumstance." I think the band did a great job playing this song, I just wish my filming skills were a bit better to do the performance justice.

The next song in the clip below is "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. In addition to Jacobs band, the school's symphony orchestra are preforming as well. There wasn't close to enough room onstage so the strings had to play off the stage and down in the orchestra pit. The combined pseudo symphony orchestra did a bang up job. This was the first time the Orchestra and band had ever been combined and I think they did a bang up job.

So sit back and listen to a little holiday music.

Cookies!

2011-12-13T23:54:00.001-05:00

cookies!, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week has been cookie-palooza and related post, my annual chocolate chip cookie baking marathon when I endeavor to give all of my children's teachers a gift bag of cookies. Way back when I just had Jacob and Nate in elementary school the teachers got tins, but when the elder boys started hitting middle school and beyond I switched to bags. When it's one teacher per child, no big deal. At 8 per kid, we are talking a serious expense in gift tins.

So bags it is.

Each bag contains a dozen and a half of my prize winning chocolate chip cookies (this years variant had regular chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and caramel balls) and our holiday card. I figure it's a pretty good bribe to keep the teachers happy with my children for another year. So far everybody has been very happy, if fact I got another rave review from Max and Rebecca's bus driver (the bus drivers get cookies as well).

This year it was 30 bags and seven batches of cookie dough (three double batches and one single). This covered all 18 teachers, two bus drivers and three music teachers. All I have left to do are our mail carrier (which is done and ready to go), the kennel where our dogs go to when we travel, and one more person. One more batch of cookie dough should take care of it.

The Gift

2011-12-12T23:56:00.000-05:00

Stunning visuals with the added bonus of the Moscow metro, the stations really do look like that. It was one of the biggest surprises when I visited back in 1986.
The Gift from BLR_VFX on Vimeo.

Season's End

2011-12-11T23:51:00.001-05:00

Season's end, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I took this picture while I was rattling around my subdivision looking for inspiration for MCP Project 52. I was attracted to how forlorn the whole pool area looks now that it has been closed up for the season. I jammed my lens through the chain link fence surrounding the pool and hoped for the best. I like to get in close, but it wasn't an option this time around.

When I got home and downloaded my pictures I was very pleased with this particular shot. I love how the reflections of the trees continue the strong vertical lines and the shadows create a soft counterpoint. I think the picture nicely captures the end of season emptiness of the pool.

MCP Project 52: Traditions

2011-12-09T23:24:00.001-05:00

The picture 2011, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's theme was all about traditions and fittingly enough it was time for own annual photo of the kids and dogs.

My children are never particularly thrilled with this annual , but they are good sports about it. This year they got to choose the location, which probably helped their mood. They have also learned that the more cooperative they are the sooner we are done.

For me , however, it's a fun tradition. I get an annual picture of them all together and I can see how they have grown over the years. The picture then gets incorporated into our holiday card and the photo calendar I make each year. As I go back over years through our holiday cards it's quite a trip down memory lane.

It's not the most exciting of traditions, but this is what I have to offer and it's a good one to me.

A Pound of Love

2011-12-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

A Pound of Love, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I requested no presents this year, but I husband decided he was going to get me my favorite chocolate regardless.

They are chocolate (both milk and dark) covered caramels with a bit of salt. I think they are sublime, combining salt and sweet in every bite. The first time I tried any sort of salted chocolate I was a bit wary. I love the combination of buttered popcorn and Milk Duds, but...

Salt? On chocolate?

I was an immediate convert. I settled on the salted chocolate caramels as my go to treat. Smooth caramel enrobed in quality chocolate with just a sprinkle of salt. Heaven.

Thank you Larry for the pound of love.

Super Mouse

2011-12-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

super mouse, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So... today's my birthday and I'm going to celebrate with my favorite piece of graffiti.

We call it Super Mouse and it's located in Richmond's fan district, just a block down from Sunday school. We first noticed it about a year ago and were pleased to see that it was still in place this past September. It took another two months for me to finally photograph it.

For the most part Richmond graffiti is composed of boring "tagging" and is devoid of any artistic merit. But this series of little mice is absolutely wonderful and it brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Not Moose and Squirrel

2011-12-06T23:52:00.001-05:00

Moose, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Moose and fish instead, with a little bit of artistry.

This past weekend I ended up at a student teacher art exhibition up at VCU. What I mean by student teacher, is that it was an exhibit for art created in the classrooms of the VCU students that are in the teaching program. The VCU student teachers are sent out to public schools in the metro Richmond area where they teach class along side the regular teachers to get hands on experience in the classroom. And they are not just limited to elementary school, they do the full range of elementary, middle and high school. Max and Rebecca's school was among the elementary schools that had participated and that was how I learned about the show.

Fish, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was a bit tricky finding the building and there was the added bonus of the door being locked, but it all got sorted out. The first that that I saw were these stunning cardboard sculptures. The moose was flanked by a dinosaur (the picture was very blurry and thus not featured here) on the left and a fish on the left. All three are rather large with the rather angry looking moose about 3 feet across.

I thought all three were wonderful and would have happily taken them home. They were made by small groups (I think three kids apiece) of high school students. They are made entirely out of cardboard with glue and are beautifully crafted. This is almost an early Artist of the Week. Which works for me since tomorrow is my birthday.

Address Is Approximate

2011-12-05T23:59:00.001-05:00

Beautiful stop motion film utilizing Google street view.

How Horses Rule the World

2011-12-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

Or nobody wants to change.

I'm not exactly sure how I got to the following blog and post. I think it was from a totally unrelated image search (Google the rabbit hole of teh interwebs), but find it I did.

Bureaucracy at it's Finest by Us Girls... Our Views is a simply wonderful essay about the origins of 4 feet 8 1/2 inches being the measurement of the US standard railway gauge.You really should go read it.

MCP Project 52: Twinkle Twinkle

2011-12-02T23:01:00.001-05:00

Twinkle, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's theme is twinkle twinkle and it looks like the majority of the submissions this week involve Christmas lights. I decided, early on, not to do lights. Instead I thought the twinkling of my ring would be a good idea. Particularly since the man who gave it to me is having a birthday tomorrow.

This my engagement ring that I have been the proud owner/steward of for the past 20 years. My husband inherited it from his maternal grandmother and it has a lovely history. His grandparents were married for over 50 years and were devoted to each other to the very end.

I'm very lucky to have such a special ring twinkling on my finger. Thank you Larry and happy birthday!

Hollywood Comes To Richmond

2011-12-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

Lincoln tents capitol, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Spielberg is in town filming the movie "Lincoln"and it just so happens that a chunk of the filming is occurring near my husband's office. He brought in our camera to work today so he could take a better class of picture than he can with his cell phone. This shot came out particularly well and shows some of the tents pitched on the capitol grounds and addition built onto the capitol itself.

It is a big deal up in Richmond with the production crew snarling traffic as they take over the city. The extras are dining in Larry's building and stretches of cobblestones around the capitol square have been covered with dirt.

I would love to go see the filming, but then again I'm very glad I don't have to be up there.

Artist of the Week: Dragon!

2011-11-30T23:43:00.001-05:00

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Miss. Rebecca. She is such a girlie girl, loves cute little animals, drawing, cooking, and dressing up. Then there is the insanely competitive and stubborn side to her personality. She is a tough little soccer player and never backs down. Rebecca just keeps at it and is not at all afraid of the ball, which makes her a fairly good goalie.

The stubbornness also gets born out in never wanting to be wrong or self contradicting, something I got to see just this morning. Max asked to try out "that stuff Rebecca eats every morning. You know that chocolatey stuff." I was perplexed at first and then I had my ah ha moment, he means Nutella.

Meanwhile Rebecca was deeply offended that Max said she ate Nutella every day. She most clearly did not eat that stuff every day and he was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. She sat and stewed for a bit and eventually got over her snit.

Dragon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Sort of, because in the morning Rebecca can be a bit of a dragon.

When things calmed down I asked her what she wanted for breakfast. I was then treated with watching her for five- almost ten minutes trying to figure out what she wanted to eat. Very clearly (at least to me) she wanted to say Nutella on bread, but there was absolutely no way she was going ask for that after her earlier outburst about not eating the stuff everyday. In the end she settled on dry cereal.

Happily she kept her inner dragon in check and did not blast us like this charming fellow she drew a few weeks ago. I think he is a lovely dragon, but I wouldn't want to have an argument with him about breakfast foods. I would end up being extra crispy.

Change in the Weather

2011-11-29T23:55:00.001-05:00

frosty pansy, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

After several bright sunny days in the 70s, the hammer came down today. It was much cooler, very wet, and very appropriate for late November.

I did enjoy the t-shirt weather and heaven knows the delay of the heating season, but it certainly did not feel like fall. It was odd riding the lawn tractor to mulch the leaves and be comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts.I knew it wasn't going to last, so I did make an effort to go outside as much as possible. Yesterday I espied mare's tails in the sky and told Meryl this would mean a change in the weather. She had never heard of the term and I had to tell her I was from a long line of sea captains and this was part of the folklore handed down. I had been taught what certain weather patterns would mean and by gum the weather changed just as I said it would. The temperature dropped and the fair weather turned wet.

I prefer the crisp fall weather, but you can keep the rain.

'Brinicle' Ice Finger of Death

2011-11-28T23:44:00.001-05:00

This week film is a little bit different in that the BBC doesn't seem to allow embeding on blogs. Pity.

However, I can send you over to the absolutely outstanding article and film. It is utterly fascinating to watch and well worth reading.

Hat tip to Ellen over at AMCGLTD.com .

Deer Track

2011-11-27T23:59:00.001-05:00

Deer track, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This picture was a close second for my MCP Project 52 entry. In the end I decided against it since there really wasn't that much water in the picture, even after pouring a bit of water into the deer track.

Anyhoo, I like the picture so here it is.

There were actually quite a few sets of tracks in our lawn Friday morning. I noticed them as I walked along the edge while trying to find just the right spot to photograph water droplets on the blades of grass.

As for the presence of the tracks, they were far from unexpected, especially since a doe ambled out of the woods as I was mowing the other day. She was unconcerned about my riding about on the noisy tractor and she just glided across the lawn, snatching mouthfuls the leaves as she moved along.

MCP Project 52: Water

2011-11-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

Black Friday Morn, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's theme was water and since I had it in my head that this would be easy I procrastinated until Friday morning. Fortunately the weather cooperated and I was able to get out this morning and do a little picture taking around the neighborhood.

My first stop was the pond in our subdivision. I got some perfectly nice, yet perfectly boring pictures of the pond. I got one of the mist curling about the surface, but it wasn't nearly as nice as the one I took back in August up at Bear Creek State Park. So I made my way back to the van and started to drive home.

About 10 yards away from the parking lot by the pond I espied the stream that flows into the pond. I pulled over and slide down the embankment to get closer. I love the light reflecting on the stream's surface and refracting through the mist. The feathery grass in the background coated with frost add a nice counterpoint. I was very pleased with the shot and glad I noticed the gleam of light from the van as I drove past.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:57:00.001-05:00

clean, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I hope those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving today had a happy and bounteous one, I know we did.

I am thankful for many things today- a loving family, good friends, and plenty of delicious food to share. Right know I'm most of all thankful for our dishwasher. I'm on load 4 or 5, I lost count between dinner and dessert.

And yes that is the good silver in the washer. We only use it a couple a times of year and when we do it's a boat load. Far too much to do by hand. Life is too short to be shackled to the sink.

Artist of the Week: Quiet Hero

2011-11-23T23:54:00.001-05:00

This week's artist is a little bit different, I can't say who she is or post a picture. However I will tell you why she is my new hero.

I met this remarkable young women just by chance. I was helping out with outfits for a group of students and she was one of many. She made a disparaging remark about the size she needed and I, along with the other adult person present, told her she was fine. Size is just a number and she shouldn't be so negative. Yes she is a big girl, but she is fit, active, and a delight to be around. The other adult present then said "Anyway you'll be losing weight after your operation."

Hmm, what's this about. We bustled about and then I got the full story.

It turns out this sweet young woman will be donating one of her kidneys to her mother.

Wow.

She then went onto say some people were giving her a hard time about this amazing, wonderful act she was doing for her mother. Statements along the line of "why are you doing this."

I was floored.

I spoke up and said. It's your mom, why won't you. This is the most incredible thing you can do to the person that brought you into this world. You are giving a gift that is beyond birthday and Christmas presents for the next 20 years. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about your decision. As she left us, I told her she was my hero.

No one was making her do this, it is by her own choice. She is fully cognizant of the pain and risks involved, but it is something she wants to do. A little bit scared, but fully confident that she is doing the right thing.

Occupy Walmart

2011-11-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

Hanging out at Walmart, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Yesterday as I was walking into my local Walmart I spotted a couple of people hanging out in the parking lot. They had set up a couple of chairs on one of the grass islands in the parking lot and were, presumably, sitting next to their pick-up truck.

I thought it was odd and called up my friend Meryl once I was inside the store. She agreed it was utterly bizarre. Yes it was a nice day, but really the parking lot? My area does not lack for green space and there is a county park just 2 miles away. Meryl asked me to take a picture and I said I would try my best with my pathetic cell phone if they were still there.

Amazingly enough they there still there and a third person joined them. Now it was getting seriously freaky. I dug out my phone and discretely snapped a few less than stellar shots. After I uploaded the best of the lot I stuck it up on Facebook. Shortly thereafter Meryl declared it was Occupy Walmart.

Who knew my community was on the cutting edge.

Tiny Food

2011-11-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

In honor of the upcoming food centric holiday I give you a video featuring tiny food.

Party Wagon

2011-11-20T20:12:00.001-05:00

party wagon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This is what the back of my van looked like last week. We brought home all the food Saturday and left the nonperishables for the next day. Larry and I were bushed and the idea of driving back and forth for the second load was unthinkable. We still had an after-party that evening and we wanted to relax a bit.

So Sunday morning we made our way back to the synagog and loaded up the van with two huge flower arrangements, a dozen glass bowls with pansies, two amplifiers, two pedals, a guitar (Nate's), a bass (Larry's), and two stands. It was a full load and after we packed it all in the van looked very festive.

The ride home was for the most part uneventful. Nate's guitar did topple over, but fortunately nothing broke. We made one side trip to drop off the huge arrangements at a local nursing home. After Jake's Bar Mitzvah we didn't think of donating them. I'm glad this time we did, they got to brighten a few more lives.

MCP Project 52: Over the Top

2011-11-18T22:39:00.001-05:00

Frost on the Pansies, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's theme was "Over the Top" and it certainly was a challenge for me.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with the theme. I had an idea of an overflowing water pitcher, but it never really came together. So in the end I picked out a picture I really liked and worked the theme into the description. A bit of a wimp out, but then again nobody is perfect.

My over the top picture is of the pansies from Nate's Bar Mitzvah coated in frost and ice. After the Bar mitzvah they sat on the deck in their glass bowls. I needed to transplant them, but I was in no hurry.

Then it started to rain. Wednesday wasn't too bad, but it was wet enough to deter me from any outside work. By Thursday, however, the light rain became intermittent deluges. Since the bowls had no drainage, my poor pansies were starting to float. I braved the weather and transplanted the contents of all 12 bowls to my deck rail flower boxes.

And it was a good thing I did, we had a hard frost last night. the water collected in the bowls (1/4 and more) froze solid. If I hadn't transplanted the flowers and emptied the bowls I think they would have all broken from the soupy soil freezing.

As is the pansies got kind of a rough deal. Their new home wasn't full of water, instead it was frozen and they were coated in hoar frost. I found that to be over the top, from a near drowning to semi-frozen in far less than a day.

Oh and that pretty little drop on the bottom of the bloom and catching the morning rays, it's not a water drop. In actuality it's a solidly frozen bead of water.

Family

2011-11-17T18:59:00.001-05:00

Group photo, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

One of the great things about Bar Mitzvahs is the bringing together of family. People that you only get to see maybe once a year make the effort to put into an appearance. It's a happy occasion, full of food and happiness.

Sadly a few people couldn't make it this time, but in three years I expect to see them all for the dynamic duo's B'nai Mitzvah.

Artist of the Week: Bar Mitzvah

2011-11-16T23:52:00.000-05:00

blessing of the candles, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Last weekend was Nate's 13th birthday and his Bar Mitzvah.

A few years ago Larry calculated when Nate's Bar Mitzvah would be and we were delighted that find it would be 11-11-11. Even better, his actual birthday would be on a Friday. Which is pretty darn cool. In reality the date means nothing, but it does make it memorable.

So for the past few months have been a whirlwind of studying, preparation, and attending services on both Friday night and Saturday morning.

blessings for wine, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr

For me it was a weird mixture of being easier and harder than Jake's Bar Mitzvah. On one hand it was old hat, since I had already done it before. And yet that made it harder, a few details almost got forgotten. But in the end it all came together.

Nate did a good job, even with the minor mixups with the pianist Friday night. It seemed as though the two of them weren't quite on the same page (sadly the original pianist that played with Jake passed away and we had someone else). It wasn't disastrous and Nate, to his credit, adapted as best he could and didn't lose his cool. Sunday things were a bit smoother and, miracle of miracles, Nate finally slowed down.

I'm very proud of Nate and the dedication he showed while studying. He even wiling gave up sports for the fall season. Nate recognized that he didn't have the time and that inevitably there would be conflicts.

Friday Morning

2011-11-15T23:51:00.001-05:00

Friday morning, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This is what the sanctuary looked like Friday morning. The light streaming through the stained glass and the flower arrangement complimented each other perfectly.

I noticed it as I was checking on the flower arrangements (which were gorgeous by the way). I ran back to the van to grab my camera, I had to take a picture.

It was one of the last quiet moments of a very busy day. Larry and I has already attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the elementary school and now we were setting up for Nate's Bar Mitzvah.

Veterans Day 2011

2011-11-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

Amongst the craziness of preparing for Nate's Bar Mitzvah, Larry and I took time out to attend the Veterans Day assembly at Max and Rebecca's school. We were treated with two versions of "America the Beautiful" by the fourth grade.

Max was in the first group that did a lovely a cappella rendition, you can just see him in the middle of the shot (and yes those huge kids surrounding him are really in the fourth grade). Meanwhile Rebecca was in the second group that preformed the song with chimes. Like Max, I tried to center her in the shot.

There were also performances by the third and fourth grades, and a presentation by a father of three in the school who happens to be in the Air Force. It was a lovely way to commemorate Veterans Day.

MCP Project 52: Book Title

2011-11-13T22:47:00.001-05:00

circle dogs, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Whew, this has been a crazy busy time. Nate had his Bar Mitzvah this weekend (more on this later), thus no post on Friday.

So, he we go with what would have been my traditional Friday post.

This week's MCP Project 52's theme was "Book Title." I originally planned on doing something with a stack of books and their juxtaposed titles, but that idea got tossed when Rebecca causally remarked one day that the red boys were "Circle Dogs" on the couch.

Circle Dogs is a charming picture book that we have has for quite some time. It features a family and their two dachshunds over the course of a day pointing out shapes that can be found in the boldly colored, retro illustrations. The book is wonderful and a dead on description of what a dachshund's day is like.

I had to use that idea that Rebecca had implanted in my mind.

It was no big deal for me to wait for the dogs to assume the "circle dog" position, every night they curl up on the couch. All I had to do was find my copy of the book and place it on the couch with them. They boys were very obliging and I ended up taking a dozen pictures as they shifted their positions over the course of the evening. I picked this shot to submit because the dogs reflect the two dogs on the cover. Which turned out to be a very good choice, for the THIRD time my picture has been selected to be in the MCP Project 52 top ten.

Dang, I'm pretty well chuffed!

Morning Visitor

2011-11-10T23:48:00.001-05:00

hawk, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This morning Rebecca looked out into the backyard and spotted our avian visitor. She turned to me and asked "Is that a hawk?"

Why yes it is darling.

I snagged the camera and took a picture through the glass. It was blurry, but recognizable. Then I told Rebecca to stay quiet while I eased the door open. I poked the camera out and quickly took another picture, this one was better.

Ducking back inside and closing the door, I told Rebecca I was going to try to get a bit closer. I excited through the garage and circled around the house. As I slowly stalked the bird I took more pictures.

When I was about 20 feet away the hawk decided it had enough and fly away. I think it is a red tailed hawk, but I'm not entirely sure.

Artist of the Week: Penguin

2011-11-09T23:24:00.001-05:00

Max and the bunny, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Max is the week's artist.

This picture was from the same party that had the bunnies. In fact Max has the more heavily marked rabbit in his lap. Max enjoyed the animals, but I think he had more fun with the boy that had arrived with the petting zoo. The boy is roughly the same age (maybe a bit younger) and seemed to be the son of the owners. Max thought the boy was a guest and when it was time for the animals to leave Max was shocked that his new friend had to leave as well.

Anyway, Max had a good time.

As for this week's art, this little gem was found as I was clearing out some old school papers from Max's school work drawer.

Penguin, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I don't remember seeing it when it first came home, but I'm glad I eventually got to see it. The smart little penguin is on an eight inch blue disk of paper that was carefully cut out. I like the confident air of the penguin as it appears to walk towards the viewer. The one upraised foot neatly coveys motion to the figure. I love the over-sized flippers and how the penguin is not quite centered on the disk.

I think it is a charming picture and I'm glad I made its acquaintance.

Morning on the Pitch

2011-11-08T23:58:00.000-05:00

Max, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was a rather chilling morning last Saturday. Max and Rebecca both had games at 9, fortunately at the same park, and it was picture day to boot.

So that meant we had to drag ourselves to the fields by 8:10 am.

I got to bundle up, but the dynamic duo had to doff their jackets for the pictures and the games. The pictures were particularly hard since it was in the shade and they couldn't run around. Once they hit the fields for warm-up and the game they were ever so much happier.

I, however, was very chilled. Since I wasn't moving around the stiff breeze cut right through me. At least I had dressed properly and I followed the sun for what meager warmth it gave. But, it was worth it, they both played well- Max's team tied and Rebecca's won.

Then again, I'll take cold over extreme heat any day.

Murmuration

2011-11-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

I saw this over on Fetch My Flying Monkeys. I thought it was an amazing little video and was too good not to share. It starts out as a series of stills with an audio track, then at about 25 seconds in the video starts in earnest.Enjoy.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Little Bunny

2011-11-06T23:54:00.000-05:00

Little Bunny, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We went this unbelievably cute critter at a birthday party today.

The party was in honor of another cutie's first birthday. We are friends with her father, grandfather, and uncles hence the invitation. The proud grandfather even went so far as to hire a pony. Along with the pony there were two miniature goats, a couple lambs, a brace of chickens, possibly the world's happiest pot bellied pig (it never stopped wagging its tail), a rabbit that has an amazing coat- the fringes along its jaw resembled an outrageous pair of mutton chop sideburns, and two of the tiniest little baby bunnies.

The critters were a huge hit with the dynamic duo and most of the other party guests. The little bunnies, however really stole the show.

MCP Project 52: Muted Tones

2011-11-05T01:05:00.001-04:00

Fall on Mute, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Oops! Almost forgot to post this!

Anyhoo, this week's theme was muted tones. I immediately thought of Virginia's (well at least around here in central VA) muted fall palate. Having grown up in New England I've been spoiled by the richness of nature's splendor up North. Around here it is rather bland, with the notable exception of Winged Euonymus' (aka Burning Bush) brilliant scarlet foliage.

So I happily snapped away under my dogwood catching the light filtering through the leaves in a lovely kaleidoscopic pattern. This is pretty much straight from the camera with a bit of cropping.

I also considering taking a picture of Jake playing his trumpet with the mute in place, but... It had already been done. I looked through the Flickr pool for MCP Project 52 and saw just exactly that. And decided to stick with my dogwood leaves.

New Reflections

2011-11-03T23:51:00.001-04:00

new reflections, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This is the final post from my photo trip to Richmond.

This is the same building that was reflecting the Old City Hall and this was my view stepping out of city hall. There was no question in my mind in whether or not to take a picture. I just needed to find the right angle.

I love how the imperfections of the window glass slightly distort the reflection in each pane of glass. It is a wonderful effect and I just wanted to share this one last picture.

Artist of the Week: Lone Pumpkin

2011-11-02T23:56:00.000-04:00

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Rebecca, who in a small way saved us from a pumpkinless Halloween.

As I mentioned yesterday, I completely failed to get any pumpkins. It was my own fault for waiting until Halloween itself to buy them, but I've been a bit preoccupied by Nate's up coming Bar Mitzvah and figured there would be pumpkins somewhere.

Well I was very, very wrong to assume that there would be any pumpkins left on Halloween. I went to all my usual sources and came up with zip, zero, and zilch. In most cases all evidence of pumpkininess was completely swept away. Only once did I find an empty display rack. It was a very sad thing indeed. I had Meryl help out and we discovered via phone that even a local farm stand could not help me out in my quest for pumpkins. Crushed by inability to find any suitable gourds I dragged myself home.

wee little pumpkin, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Rebecca, as I would have predicted, was the one most disappointed by lack of pumpkins. She stewed around and had it very clear she was not happy with this turn of events. She didn't quite believe the total absence of pumpkins in our county, so I took her out with me to try one more store. In the end I bought three balloons, one orange and two black.

When we got back home Rebecca ran upstairs. A short while later she came back down and asked to use one of my sharpies, in black. It had to be black. I told her to help herself, I kept them by my computer.

A few minutes later she triumphantly presented to me the cutest little wee jack-o-lantern I had ever seen. It was the gourd she won at the county fair and had held onto since the beginning of September. Technically it is not a pumpkin, but it'll do in a pinch. Rebecca had done a lovely job drawing on the gourd and saved us from a pumpkin free Halloween.

Trick or Treat !

2011-11-01T23:13:00.001-04:00

Trick or Treat 2011, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was a rather soggy Halloween last night.

The day itself was sunny and mild, but as the day progressed clouds gathered and darken. Then at about 4:30 the first drops of rain fell and from then on it only got worse.

But the real tragedy was the dearth of pumpkins on our front steps.

I had been busy and kept putting off my big pumpkin purchase. I didn't actively start shopping until Monday. At which point, much to my chagrin, there were no more pumpkins to be had.

Oops.

So there was no massive festival of pumpkin carving for me this year. A disappointment to be sure, but due to the rather foul weather not necessarily a bad thing.

We had only one trick or treater, the little boy next door. Combined with the steady rain all evening that would have extinguished out jack-o-lanterns, all my carving would have been unadmired.

Next year, however, I'll be a bit more on the ball.

That being said, Athena and Black Ninja had a good time being squired about in the van. A bit of a cop out for me, I prefer walking from house to house. However I'm also a realist and it would have been thoroughly unpleasant to to tramp about on such a dismal evening.

Vincent - Tim.Burton

2011-10-31T21:48:00.001-04:00

A little something for a dreary and wet Halloween.

Old On The New

2011-10-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

Old on the new, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Here is another picture from my architecture photography foray in Richmond.

It was just happenstance that I noticed the Old City Hall being reflected in the modern structure across the street. I had stepped out of the New City Hall on a cross street and was confronted by this building. As I strolled around the corner I realized what a neat image I had found, the old reflected on the new.

I had a lot of fun with my time being a photographer in Richmond. I looked at things (and for them) in a very different way.

MCP Project 52: Shadows

2011-10-28T22:57:00.001-04:00

morning stripes, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's theme, shadows, was another one I got done right off the bat. I love the interplay of light and shadows and I naturally notice it and am attracted to such. So all I had to do was to keep my eyes open and my camera handy.

I was initially attracted to the mosaic of color and shadow in the picture of leaves from Tuesday's post, but it didn't fully fit the theme of shadows. Shortly after I took that picture I headed back indoors and up to my room.

As I walked into my bedroom I saw my picture.

The angle of the sun was just right and the light spilled through the opened blinds. Stripes of shadows covered the table lamp and adjoining wall. It was a perfect representation of shadows. Even better was the fact I literally had my camera in hand.

Snap, snap, snap and this week's assignment was done. All before breakfast on a Monday morning. And a good thing too, since today was a grey, wet, and altogether dreary day devoid of any clear shadows.

New City Hall, Reflective

2011-10-27T23:54:00.000-04:00

New City Hall, Reflective, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It is well known that I love Richmond's old city hall. The new one, however, is a different story.

It' was an ugly, modern structure that was plagued for years with a very serious design flaw. The decorative marble cladding on the outside had the disconcerting habit of dropping off the building. The solution for quite some time was to literally strap the panels in place.

So a big ugly building was made even more hideous with bright yellow straps.

Fortunately it was only temporary and the exterior got a major overhaul. All the marble panels were removed along with some non structural columns. Granite was used on the lower levels and aluminum on the rest.

The final result is actually quite striking and, dare I say, attractive.

Artist of the Week: Last Call

2011-10-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

This week's artist, or rather artists are the Velvet Marias. Sadly they will be playing their last gig together this Saturday.

They have been together, oh about five years and Larry and I have been to many of their shows around Richmond. Originally we went because Larry is friends with the bassist, but we kept going because they are/were a fun band. Since then we have become friends with the female singer and the drummer. In fact two of the drummer's sons are teaching Max drums, Nate guitar, and Larry bass.

The video below is of the Velvets playing at a local BBQ joint. They are doing a splendid cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking." An all time favorite on their set list.

I'm sad to see them go as a band, but we'll still see them individually around town. They had introduced us to Richmond's vibrant live music scene and got us to go out as a couple again.

Mosaic

2011-10-25T23:58:00.001-04:00

mosaic, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Yesterday morning when I was walking back from the bus stop I was struck by the beauty of the leaves illuminated by the morning light. I was passing beneath a dogwood tree and the light is shining through the leaves. Quickly, I went inside to grab my camera before the light shifted.

I am standing under the tree's canopy and shooting towards the sun. I love the interplay of light and shadow on the leaves' surfaces. The leaves are just starting to turn and that adds a nice bit of color to the composition. It was one of those moments when I just happened to be looking at the right place at the right time.

War Horse

2011-10-24T21:29:00.001-04:00

I love these puppets, they completely nailed the motions of a horse. I would love to see this show.

Mummy's Girl

2011-10-23T23:15:00.001-04:00

Rebecca's cupcakes, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today was our neighborhood's Fall Festival. It's a cute little get together that features fun games for the kids, a hay ride ride, and a chilli competition. This year they even had a cupcake/cookie competition.

The cupcake thing alone was enough to get Rebecca interested. So Sunday morning I whipped up a batch of cupcakes for us to decorate. I wasn't sure if it was a decorating contest or a tasting one, either way I knew Rebecca would want to do her own thing.When I was out getting supplies I picked up an assortment of Gummi Halloween shapes that I knew she would like. It was a good call, Rebecca loved them and happily used them all, including the spider which is pretty major since she can't stand arachnids.

My cupcakes, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

As for my cupcakes, I stuck with simple shapes and sprinkles. Not very exciting, but I was pretty happy with the end results. The pumpkin (which is upside down in the photo) was a lot of fun to make. I utilized the ridges left from the decorating tip to simulate the lines. I had actually made an even better one, but I forgot to photograph it (I had picked that cupcake for the judging).

And hey, I don't mind not having it, because I got second place! Woot!

Not bad for an impulsive last minute entry.

Mummy girl, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

As for the rest of the afternoon, Rebecca and I had a good time together. Her brothers declined to accompany us ( a decision Max regretted later), so we got to have a girl's afternoon out. I watched her run around and try her hand at all the games. We did the cake walk together and Rebecca won a plate of cupcakes. Then we did the tp mummy wrapping. I wasn't the fastest wrapper, but dang it we had the best (and neatest) tp mummy. Good enough to garner to snow cones. Then we ended the whole thing with a hay ride.

It was an excellent way to spend a fall afternoon.

MCP Project 52: True Beauty

2011-10-21T12:29:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Bounty, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

And here's this week's MCP Project 52 submission.

Whew, I'm back on track.

This week's theme was true beauty and I thought there would be no better way to picture true beauty than the lovely organic veggies I picked up yesterday from our favorite grower Amy of Amy's Garden.

She is a small scale organic farmer that has some of the best produce around. Her stuff is fresh, flavorful, and very healthy. I get the sampler bag, so it's always an adventure. I never quite know what will be inside.

Which is good, it forces me to try new things. I certainly would have never bought Swiss chard, bok choy, and broccoli rabe on my own.

MCP Project 52: Architecture

2011-10-20T23:15:00.001-04:00

Old City Hall, Interior, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Between upcoming an upcoming Bar Mitzvah and the dynamic duo's birthday I completely forgot to post about last week's MCP Project 52. I hadn't forgotten to take the picture and add it to the group, I just never took the next step to share it here.

Oops.

Anyhoo, Richmond Virginia has some of the most diverse architecture and is practically in my backyard. So it was a no brainer for me to drive into the city and spend an hour taking pictures. I got a boatload of great shots and it was hard to pick just one. In the end I selected this interior shot of the Old Richmond City Hall. It's a gorgeous stone building with Gothic architecture that would fit right in with Hogwarts.

But the interior, oh the interior! It is utterly fabulous. The first time I stepped inside my jaw dropped. This is hands down my favorite building in Richmond.

It had been a dreary wet week until Friday and I was glad that It was a sunny day. The skylight above filters the light in the most beautiful way and I was glad I could capture it.

Artist of the Week: Tank

2011-10-19T23:41:00.000-04:00

Nate, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is my happy guy, Nate.

I took this picture of him for our congregation's bulletin. His Bar Mitzvah is fast approaching and our Rabbi likes to feature the up coming Bar and Bat Mitzvahs the month before hand. I have a feeling he is not entirely thrilled with Nate's long hair and is hoping he'll get shorn before the big day.

Unless Nate wants that, it's not going to happen. I want Nate to be himself and if that means long curly locks, so be it. All I require is that it stays out of his eyes and he keeps it clean and brushed (which he does grudgingly).

tank, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Long hair aside, Nate has an enduring fascination of all things military. Probably not enough to inspire a buzz cut and signing up, but enough to endlessly play war games and watch war movies. An off shoot of this interest is reflected in his Lego builds.

Nate's latest creation is this rather well designed tank. The turret freely rotates around and the gun can be raised and lowered. He also made a ramp that opens up beneath the turret. We don't have any viable tank treads, so it left it at with plain wheels. The whole thing is very well thought out and executed. Well done Mr. Nate.

Ask And You Shall Receive

2011-10-18T23:37:00.001-04:00

Battle turtle cake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

A battle turtle cake.

When I asked Max what kind of cake he wanted he said "a battlefield in the shape of a turtle with soldiers fighting on it."

Okaaay, this was clearly a job for my cake corps and my half-of-a-ball cake pan. Max had also wanted tanks, but persuaded him to let that particular idea go.With the army men there will be enough going on the cake.

It came out rather well considering the hurry I was in to get the cake completed Friday night. The only flaw was that it turned out Max wanted an orange flavored cake (a surprise for me). Otherwise everybody was impressed with the final result.

Oh and at least one of Max's guest wanted to take one or two members of the Cake Corps home, but I nixed that idea and explained these were my army men and not party favors.

The Little Girl Who Was Forgotten

2011-10-17T23:59:00.001-04:00

Something just a little bit dark.

Birthday Twins

2011-10-16T23:55:00.000-04:00

piano twins, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Yesterday Max and Rebecca hit the big one-oh. They are now in the double digits. This picture is from just before the big oh one. They still smiling today, just a whole lot bigger and more mobile.

This year the dynamic duo elected to have separate parties. Due to various scheduling conflicts Rebecca's party will be held later, but we did get Max's party in this weekend.

Max had a couple of friends over Friday night for a sleep over. Larry took them, along with Rebecca, out for a couple games of laser tag and then it was back home for cake. One friend didn't make it through the night, fortunately his home is just the next subdivision over.

Then on Saturday it was off to the soccer games and I'm happy to report both of their teams were victorious.

Happy birthday to my two smiling twins!

Further Adventures in Spam Poetry

2011-10-14T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is comedic gold. It turns out I really need to call them and explain on the phone I'm deaf and dumb.

Debt Management Office
Federal Secretariat Complex Annex
Block F204, Ikoyi Lagos.
Verification and Revalidation unit
Mr. Akinloye Williams
Chairman:

Attn: General joe hameed

We receive the shock news of a near fatal accident that left you with a broken spinal cord which impaired your ability to hear and speak. In order words, we have been officially informed that you are now invalid, deaf and dumb arising from a motor accident which damaged your spinal cord. This information is provided to us by your Nigerian Lawyer appointed to oversee your transaction.
Furthermore, the Lawyer presents us a set of documents to portray that you have willed your funds to him and has given him a Power of Attorney to take over your transaction and claim your outstanding funds accordingly.

In view of the sympathetic and sensible nature of this report, we are obliged to confirm this from you before taking action in favour of your Lawyer by wiring the funds to his chosen bank account as well as sympathize with you.

Pease confirm the validity of this report and state clearly whether you are invalid, deaf and dumb arising from your auto accident.
To further convince us that you are the very person, I would prefer you call me immediately you receive this message otherwise, we would have no choice but to act according to you’re Will.
Expecting to receive your call and email.
Yours faithfully,

Mr. Akinloye Williams
Chairman payment coordinator

The Trouble With Raccoons

2011-10-13T23:43:00.000-04:00

Raccoon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I wish all the raccoons in my life were as cute and sweet as this one. Unfortunately I have to deal with real raccoons in addition to adorable pretend ones.

Last week the red boys found a real one in our woods. Nate found them barking at what he first thought was a possum. The two dogs were circling around the poor thing while barking their fool heads off. I went down to fetch the dogs and both Dell and John willing left their new sport. It was almost a case of not knowing what to do and being happy to be redirected inside.

This relative peace lasted about five minutes. Then the red boys were back at the door, eager to resume their game. Max, not knowing any better, let the dogs out. The dogs streaked across the lawn and down into the woods to resume harrying their new toy. I slogged down with Nate again to round up the dogs. This time they were much harder to collect and I got a good look at the beast.

It was not a possum.

Instead it was a rather battered raccoon.

Nuts.

I could see it was on its last legs. Barely able to move, it was ineffectively thrashing about. Luckily the dogs had not bitten it, nor had been bitten by the raccoon. However, I had to call animal control. Half dead raccoons are not something to ignore. So once the dogs were dragged back inside and crated (oh the pitiful sounds they made) I hunted up the number for animal control. It was well after normal business hours and the call went into a menu. Select one for a loose or stray dog, select two for dead or injured animal, and so on. I was transferred to the after hours desk and got a person who was very concerned when I said I had a half dead raccoon in my yard. He said an animal control officer would be dispatched asap. I told him to be sure they had a good flashlight because it was getting dark and by the time they would get to my house it would be nighttime.

About an hour later,there is only one truck covering the county after hours and it can be a haul from one call to the next, we saw an officer tromping around our backyard with a bright flashlight. I slipped on my boots and introduced myself and led him to the creature. At this point it was clearly dead.

It looked like to the officer that the animal had been involved in an altercation with another raccoon, it's face was bloodied and torn. The dogs would have been savaged and covered with blood if they had done the deed. Instead, both dogs had not a hair out of place or a speck of blood on their jaws. Rabies was unlikely to be a factor. The poor thing had lost a fight and had crawled off to die.

The raccoon was then bagged up and hauled away. I hope that's the last time I ever see a raccoon in our backyard.

Artist of the Week: PW's Photo Assignments

2011-10-12T23:53:00.001-04:00

kitten, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week I'm featuring another photo group, PW Photography Assignment Group. Ree, aka Pioneer Woman, gives out assignments and invites all to give it a try. Sometimes there is a contest with prizes, sometimes not. The assignments range from creating an original photo that evoke a particular theme, to creative edits of one of her photographs.

Currently she has a picture of one of her daughters holding a kitten and wants to know how would we, her readers, would edit the photo to make it better. Ree is focusing on the difference that going from color to black and white or sepia can change an image.

I agree with her that the photo is much improved with a reduced color palate. I went for an "antique" effect which is pretty much a sepia tone. I futzed with the brightness and contrast to get just the right effect. However what really struck me about the photo was the composition. The original is nice, but to me it really needed to be cropped.

Most of my pictures are minimally processed, a little color correction, a bit of contrast/brightness, and some cropping are the norm for me. I'm a huge fan of cropping, a good crop can save a poor composition. With my chosen crop, I've changed the focus of the picture from the sharply focused kitten to the girl's rather dreamy expression. The kitten is still prominently featured, but the focus has shifted.

So we'll see if my edit catches Ree/s eye, either way it's a fun assignment.

Back to Snooze

2011-10-11T23:49:00.001-04:00

Back to Snooze, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Dogs will sleep anywhere and any time.

Max left his school backpack on the dog couch, and yes it's really the dog's couch. By giving them their own couch they stay off of the rest of the furniture.

Anyhoo, big bulky bag on the couch and Dell decides that it would make an excellent pillow. Never mind all the hard books inside, Dell had found his comfy spot. And there Dell stayed until Max moved his backpack in order to do his homework.

Rotate Your Owl

2011-10-10T22:45:00.001-04:00

It's October and it's that time of year to rotate your owl. Here's a handy film to help you made by those fine folks responsible for "Badgers".

MCP Project 52: A Taste For Vintage

2011-10-07T11:44:00.001-04:00

Favorite vintage, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's MCP Project 52's theme is "A Taste For Vintage." Most people would good the old timey route, and if fact I very nearly did. I have a fabulous vintage dress I picked up in England *cough* 26 years ago for a Moulin Rouge themed party.

So yeah, I had vintage in spades.

But... that's boring. Even sticking Rebecca in the dress couldn't rescue the idea. It would be cute, but still boring. I then stepped back and decided to give it a think.

Then I remembered that vintage could also refer to wine. Hmmm, now that is interesting.

So here is a picture of Larry's and mine favorite vintage of white wine. I guess this is actually a taste for A vintage, but I don't care. This is how I choose to interpret this week's theme.

WINNING at Imminent Threats

2011-10-06T22:53:00.000-04:00

This was just to good not to share. I love the caption. WINNING at Imminent Threats

Artist of the Week: Reader

2011-10-05T23:58:00.001-04:00

Max, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Max is this week's artist for his love of the printed word.Which did not come easily. After years of not wanting to read, Max has become a reader.

He literally can not go to bed without a book to read. This had led to the occasional mad scramble to find the boy something to read. So far he has plowed through the Harry Potter series, read because, I quote, "I want to know what I was missing from only seeing the movies." Now he has almost reached the end of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. I'm not sure what to give him next. He loves series so I think I'll have to consult the local librarian. Maybe the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events. They might be a bit dark for him.

When he does get overwhelmed by a book (and this has had happened a few times), he will solemnly announce that he is putting aside the book for a bit. This usually lasts at most two days, then he is consumed by the need to finish the book.

Max's love of reading is such a joy to behold. When you can read, you have the keys to a much wider universe.

Fall Post Haste

2011-10-04T23:53:00.001-04:00

What the heck happened?

We've been chugging along at the low eighties, albeit a rather soggy low eighties when suddenly a switch was flipped and now it's all fall like around here. Don't get me wrong, I prefer the cooler temps, I just like a little warning and a bit of a transition. Going from shorts all the time to slipper weather in a space of two days is a bit hard on the system.

I know we are warming back up again, I just hope we are not going to be yo-yoing back and forth on the temperatures. It's brutal on my semi-asthmatic respiratory system. Seasonal allergies coupled with just the right virus is my trigger and apparently that delightful cold I had two weeks ago was just the thing. I'm fine, I just hate having to deal with the meds.