High Mileage

I have been driving my Honda CRV for years and it continues to serve me well. I purchased this vehicle on January 27, 2001. No, I do not normally remember the dates of any purchase, but I do remember that it was on my sister, Cindy's fortieth birthday when I got my little SUV. I never know whether to call it a car or a truck, but I do know that I can depend on my trusty Honda. I knew that my brother would give me grief for not buying American, and he did give me grief but eight years later I am still driving it.

This week I hit a milestone. . . one hundred and ninety thousand miles!! I have added 160,000 miles of my own to the vehicle that had just thirty thousand when I got it. I have never driven a car this far or for this long, but it seems like a good plan. The guy who changes the oil says that he is jealous and would love to own my CRV. The mechanic says there is no reason that it won't run many more miles. I say that I might as well keep driving it as long as it will cooperate. I bought new tires this winter, confident that I will get many more miles. I still like my vehicle and feel confident that it's been a great value. When it's time to buy a new car, I won't be able to complain about this one wearing out. I have hauled my bicycle, plants, firewood, some furniture and many boxes. I even moved Ashley back and forth to college a few times. It has served me well.

Lesson in Saturation

Ashley came for the weekend. I do love it when she visits. We mostly hung out at home and that was very nice. We hemmed some pants, cooked some food, watched a movie, talked lots and enjoyed the time to relax. We did make it to Felix and Oscars for Ashley's favorite Des Moines pizza and went to my favorite store for athletic shoes. The weekend went very quickly. We didn't have time to work on our Christmas tree skirts but we do have the plan for our next step.

I was looking forward to the opportunity to photograph with Ashley and Dale since we all have the same camera now. We planned the photo session for Saturday afternoon when we thought it was not going to rain. We were wrong about the rain but enjoyed the cameras. These photos were taken from the car through an open window as a part of my lesson on saturation. Ashley has been very pleased with "upping the saturation." I was surprised to find that this can be done on the camera before clicking the shutter, rather than editing on the computer afterward. The bottom photo has a higher saturation which brightens or enriches the colors. There is a difference, but I bet that it might look weird that I posted two nearly identical and unremarkable photos. It's all I got from the shoot! No pictures of Ashley and a few blurry ones of Dale coming up the hill in the rain. It is fun to learn more about the options on this camera. Too bad it was raining so hard! I am sure that we will try it again.

Tulip Time

Tulip time in Pella came early for Dale and me again this year. We enjoy going when the tulips are just opening and the crowds have not yet arrived.

These are a few of the photos that I took on Friday. I enjoyed the blooms and the opportunity to practice with my new camera too. I used to laugh about old people taking photos of flowers. Now I am quite happy to be one of those "old people." I am in awe of the beauty of God's nature and thrilled to take the time to enjoy the simple things. I do love tulips! I may be a bit of a purist. I favor this traditional style of tulips. There are some varieties with pointed petals or curly edges. Although I do appreciate the beauty. I am drawn to the traditional shaped tulips of all colors.

Friday Photography

Dale and I both had Friday afternoon off work. We had considered going to the Drake relays, but changed our plans. We set out to enjoy the gorgeous sunny day, our cameras and each other. We went to Pella for a sneak peek at the tulips and visited our favorite Dutch bakery and meat market. It was a wonderful day for photography! I will post my photos soon. Dale and I both enjoy taking photos of other people taking photos. I think he did a great job catching this image of me photographing tulips in Pella.

Beautiful Bulldogs

Drake Relays kick off with the "Most Beautiful Bulldog" contest. It has become an annual event for me and Dale. We take a long lunch break and meet downtown to watch this curious contest which is limited to fifty bulldogs. I do not think that bulldogs are beautiful but I do admit that they start looking cute after an hour or so. Their vision, breathing and mobility must be adversely affected by their physic yet there are quite popular. They are odd creatures. They do not look happy. What is that expression?

Sunday in Waterloo

Sunday was a good day for a day trip to Waterloo. I had not been there since Thanksgiving. I have seen Ashley and Travis at my house or at family functions but it's been a long time since I was at their home so I was excited to visit them. I knew that Mowgli had a dog show so I called Ashley to make plans. She was going to church then volunteering in the nursery so we planned to meet up with Travis at the dog show. Mowgli had a good weekend and won all of these ribbons on Saturday and Sunday. He continues to be a very sweet affectionate dog and he listens well too.

It was so good to have time to hang out with Ashley all afternoon. Travis was busy doing man-things in the garage so we stopped by to see him too. We also got to look at her gardens to see what was peeking up after a long winter. It was so cold outside that we headed in for the couch to relax together.

I called my friend, Linda to see if she was free on Sunday morning. I woke up early and left town early enough for a visit with her before the dog show. It's always good to get together with Linda and I was so happy she was willing to join us for the dog show and lunch. It was a great Sunday, friends and family!!

Signs of Spring

It was a gorgeous afternoon, perfect for leaving work early, digging in the dirt and enjoying Spring. I have missed having more room to garden but enjoy the small area near my patio. Today I turned up the dirt, mixed in the compost and checked the iris and chives that are coming up nicely. The bonus of the afternoon was finding a bright yellow dandelion, a sure sign that summer is on the way! After the soaking rain on Monday and the warm sunshine today things are really growing. It's a joy to watch the seasons change discover photography opportunities!

Camera Weekend

I have a lot to learn about taking great photos with my new camera. Fortunately every day offers opportunity to capture an image in a new way. For now I can default to the program mode and learn bits and pieces as I go along. Dale has been a good teacher since he has the same camera.

Saturday we went geocaching and located one geocache that was quite high in a tree. Dale was feeling brave and the tree seemed strong so he scaled the tree while I stayed safely below shooting photos, holding the GPS and cell phone (just in case.) It was a gorgeous day to be out in the parks, hiking around and soaking up the sunshine.

Jay and Briana came to celebrate my birthday and visit this weekend. Since I spent decades taking photos of Jay's every accomplishment and activity, he is accustom to my photography and was willing to lay still while I practiced with lighting, aperture and other things. I enjoyed spending time just hanging around the house with them, but we also took them to the Fleur, our favorite movie theater.

My friend, Tammy and I had talked about taking a trip to the dog park at Raccoon River and Sunday seemed like a good day for it. Sadie, her Brittany is young and we were not sure how she would react. We all had a great time. It was fun to photograph Sadie especially when she was getting to know Sparky, the Irish Setter. They moved fast and it was a challenge for me to catch them with the camera.

Holy Week

Holy week is filled with many memories and emotions. I came to learn more about those sacred days when my children were very little and we were a part of Old Stone United Methodist Church in Rock Falls Iowa. It was a small church with well worn pews much like the ones that I photographed at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. I took Jay to a Maundy Thursday dinner and we both listened and learned. He said that it sounded like an old Folk Tale. He was only about six years old. Over the years we spent many holy weeks attending and helping with special services at St. John Lutheran Church. Jay and I were just remembering draping the sanctuary in black to pull down the darkness and let in the light on Easter morning. Ashley just mentioned the refrain, "He is risen. He is risen indeed!" We have many memories of our times observing holy week. Most importantly we remember the very first Easter and celebrate what Jesus means to us and what he did for us. It is a special season in my heart and in my faith.

Big Birthday

Yesterday was a big birthday for me...the big one! It was a great day. I enjoyed every moment. Dale took this photo of me with my gift. I got an amazing new camera from Dale. One of the best things is that

he and Ashley have the same camera and can help me learn. After a delicious birthday dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant we settled in and played with our cameras.

This photo of Dale is one of my first shots with the new camera. It was fun to click away and laugh together about the shots and the poses. It was a perfect birthday date and I think Dale had fun too!

You have heard me mention my little point and shoot camera, usually in the context of an excuse for a less than average shot. Now I will have the equipment to take better photos. I have also lost my excuse for my disappointing shots. It's very exciting to have a new camera. I love photography and this will be so fun! I think I may even read the owners manual.

Before my birthday date I spent much of the day at work. One of my volunteers planned a surprise birthday celebration for me. She baked a cake and decorated my work space. Other volunteers knew that her birthday was later this week so they brought us both flowers and balloons. My coworkers and volunteers gathered to sing and eat cake. It was a fun surprise celebration.

I am so appreciative of all the love and attention on my special day. I was honored and thrilled by the phone calls, cards and emails. Birthdays are so much fun! Now the fun continues with a visit from Jay and Briana this weekend. Ashley is coming later in the month. Let the celebration continue!

Fifty!

Fifty feels fantastic! So far, so good! It's been a great birthday and I look forward to a wonderful year. Dale took this photo at sunrise on Jekyll Island, Georgia about a month ago. Life is good!

Pen, Paper and Photo

It's important for me to be to keep in touch with people. That's why I like blogs, facebook and email. But I really love to sit down with paper and a pen and write a real note or letter. Because I have always enjoyed photography, it makes sense to use those images to make my own note cards. I take seasonal and vacation photos then attach them to a note card. I love to write to friends and family who may be far away or those who are alone. Because I spend so much time with my lap top I have been writing less in recent years. Since my Internet access at home has been interrupted lately, I am finding more time to write notes again.

County Courthouses of Iowa

I still like to color. As I mentioned before, I also like maps. Therefore, coloring maps is great fun! I had maps of the USA to color states when the kids were younger and still keep up with my map of states that I visit.
This map of Iowa pictured is for another project. As Dale and I started to explore Iowa a few years ago we discovered some beautiful county courthouses which he photographed. This led to the idea for him to photograph all of the courthouses in Iowa. We know that there are ninety-nine counties in our state, but one hundred county seats. So there may be one hundred courthouses. Time will tell! I decided to find and copy this map to help me keep track of where we have been. It's not unusual for us head out for a spontaneous road trip then ask, "Have we been to the county seat here?" The courthouses are not that exciting to me but the goal of exploring a bit of each county is Iowa is fun. Saturday when we were in Northern Iowa we were able to capture more images of a few courthouses. Although Ashley and I agree that it's a bit dorky, she and Travis got to ride along to the Floyd county courthouse. They must have been thrilled! Today I colored a few more counties and we did an official count. Dale has photographed seventy-nine courthouses. We have just twenty (or twenty-one) more to go!

Family Time

Saturday was a great day filled with lots of family! The reason for our trip north was to celebrate Izzie's first birthday. Izzie is my first great-niece and she is adorable. I didn't take photos of the party because Ashley was getting great shots. You can see Izzie on Ashley's blog.
To take advantage of being in the same town as the kids, Dale and I headed up early to connect with Travis for some geocaching. Ashley was done with the photo shoot so she joined us too. Then we met Jay and Briana for a fun lunch and took them out to introduce them to geocaching. It was windy, drizzly and gray so it wasn't the best experience for them.

The top photo is Travis, Dale and Jay out on an inlet between small bodies of water after following the GPS to a cache. Briana was nice enough to play photographer for me with the bottom shot. It's always a treat to have Jay and Ashley together. This reminds me of the tradition of the birthday photo. Every year we would get a picture of the three of us together outside on my birthday. Sometimes there were daffodils, often rain and sometimes a snow flurry. It's April in Iowa! It was a Saturday filled with family and I loved it. Happy birthday to Izzie Girl!

It's April Already!

A month ago Dale and I were packing for our trip to Georgia. We got to visit Spring! This is a photo that Dale took on Folly Beach. We came back home to Spring also. There were gorgeous warm and sunny days, then things started to change. Morning temperatures have been in the thirties all week and now there is snow in the forecast for Sunday.
That's April! I am watching the trees start to bud and bulbs start to come up. April is always exciting. It's probably from years of looking forward to an April birthday but I think its also about the transition of seasons. It's so exciting to watch the seasons change and anticipate the new one. We may backslide to winter on Sunday but it still feels like Spring.