66/365

It’s Snapshot Sunday! I wanted to practice shooting with sunlight through my diffuser panel (part of my 5-in-1 reflector), but the light was still too bright for Kristi Rose Toes. She was very squinty. But I had to take a picture of her puppy-dog-ear ponytails because I love them, and I fear that she will be too grown up for them before I know it. She’s just such a cutie patootie.

65/365

Wow! Day 65! Only 300 to go!

My sweetie and I went to Hamilton for some errands today. We stole a bit of time and had lunch at River Rising and then went to River Park for a stroll. As you can see from my photos, we strolled along the beach!

(This amuses me, because – as everyone knows – Montana is landlocked. There are no beaches here. The only time we really get sand is when the rivers are too low.)

Here are a few more shots I took while we were out walking. Notice that the goose is on ice, while a family is enjoying the spring weather at the river’s edge. I thought this was funny too – there’s still ice, and we’re all acting like it’s almost summer!

64/365

I am so done with food. I’ve been editing food photos for most of the last several weeks (in my photo editing time, anyway). So today is not Friday Food. It’s Friday Challenge instead.

This week’s challenge was to recreate a photo we love from another photographer. The photographer I chose is Chitra Aiyer (her work is amazing!), and the shot I wanted to recreate is this one. I didn’t have access to the same sort of flower, but I am reasonably happy with what I got.

I loved this challenge – really, really! And I spent a fair amount of time working on it today. 

63/365

I took a series of Thankful Thursday photos today – my littlest woman was trying her very hardest to play football with the guys. She was jumping, reaching, squealing, running, for all she was worth…but I don’t think she’s going pro any time soon.

Notice how the ball keeps going behind her when she throws…oops. In the third shot you can see that Andrew has his eyes on the ball, but Kristi is not looking at it. That will make it harder to catch it. In #4, see that great leap? You can’t see the ball because it’s out of the top of the frame. Oh well, she tried. “Uncle Joey” (Felice’s brother) tried to throw it right to her, but even that didn’t work too well. She sure can jump though!

For those who are newer to my blog, you might find our family’s story interesting. The great thing about this little football woman is that when she was an infant there was no certainty that she would ever even walk. Not only does she walk, but she runs, jumps, skips, hops, rides, races, swings, leaps – she’s truly a walking miracle.

62/365

It feels like time for a rant. It’s my blog, so I can rant if I want, right?
A little history…
Molly is a sweet girl, but not particularly obedient. We have tried and tried to keep her in our yard, but she finds ways out no matter what we do, so several months ago (October, maybe?) we started chaining her out front every time she needs to go out. We let her go in the backyard to play when the kids are there, but we don’t leave her alone in the backyard anymore. Ever. 
So. The neighbors behind us (who, by the way, have had the police called on their domestic disturbances several times) have recently gotten a bulldog. The bulldog appears to be full grown, and is very territorial. Unfortunately he believes our yard is his territory. Our next-door neighbor (not the bulldog owner) stopped us the other day to tell us that the bulldog was in our yard threatening him and his 2-year-old daughter. We tried to shore up the fence where we thought the bulldog was coming through.
Today the bulldog was back in our yard. It went right home when I went outside, but then it proceeded to growl, snarl, and threaten me from the other side of the fence. I put pallets up where I saw the dog go through. I can’t build a fence in a morning, so that was the best I could do. This afternoon the dog was at the fence barking furiously at the kids and Molly, and snarling like it wanted to rip people apart. I went back there and saw the young man who sorta lives there (I think he comes and goes as he pleases) watching the dogs bark at each other. I called Molly to the house and told the guy that the bulldog needed to stay on his own side of the fence. He told me the dog isn’t dangerous. Yeah. (can you hear the sarcasm?)
Then the guy’s mother(?) told Andrew that Molly goes over the fence into their yard “every day.” I don’t think she gets out much. Molly hasn’t gone into their yard in months! We stopped putting her back there so she wouldn’t go into their yard. Did they not notice that? ARGH!
Apparently, if our peace-loving, kind, gentle dog goes into their yard it makes it okay for their homicidal, blood-thirsty beast to come into our yard and threaten to dismember people.


Okay. Done ranting. It looks like the next major expense will be a privacy fence.
I did get out and walkabout today! Yay! I’m not thrilled with this photo because I couldn’t get back far enough to get the entire statue/sculpture in the frame without getting in the street (I didn’t have a wide-angle lens handy). I’ll have to go back with another lens. But here it is – I can’t remember the name of this one, but it’s made up of vehicle pieces and parts. Pretty cool.

61/365

Here’s a quick post as I run from the virus that’s trying to catch up to me…

Texture Tuesday – this the purse I’m currently using…

Converted using CoffeeShop Mocha Latte B&W for ACR. The framing was done with Sharon’s Mats (Photoshop action).

60/365

My Monochrome Monday shot is an outdoor shot of my poor, sick baby. He was out enjoying the sunshine for a bit in this shot, but he came in and conked out on the couch while the rest of us ate dinner. Poor guy. It seems the stomach bug that’s been running around has caught up to him. I’m hoping that we can keep the other kids away from that bug! Notice the bags under his sunken eyes…

f/2.2
1/500
iso 100
Converted using CoffeeShop Regular Cup of Joe preset for ACR

(He’s been drinking well, including Pedialyte and eating a bit – for those who will want to know.)