random reflections

52/50: Week 14

It's been a whirlwind of activity since we arrived home (on time!) Wednesday night. It's amazing how much mail accumulates in nearly three weeks and then there's the empty refrigerator to fill, suitcases to unpack, and multiple appointments and errands. So here we are again on Saturday with another week gone by. 

Sarah, Tracy, Caleb, and I hiked the Orson-Todd Trail on Tuesday. There's an entrance to it just down the street from Sarah's house. All the photos were taken on our hike. Caleb alternated between the backpack and walking on his own. I'm guessing he did close to half the walk on his own power (that's about a mile.)

The view from the top of the trail was simply gorgeous, and it's the pick for this week's 52/20 project which I'm posting on Kent Weakley's P52.

The light on the mountains/hills is almost always dramatic and beautiful. It's a really wonderful place to live. I'm hoping to get time to visit all of you in the next day or two. I imagine there are a lot of posts to catch up with!

 

Blog Update & 52/50 Week 13

First off, Happy Easter! I hope you've had a wonderful holiday. After days of sunshine and warm weather, we awoke to much cooler temperatures and a steady rain. It cancelled the Easter egg hunt in the church yard, but one was held in the Celebration Center. Caleb gathered about eight eggs before he lost interest. 

If you're reading this in a reader, hop over to see the new blog design. Random Reflections has been in need of an update for quite some time, but I’m always reluctant to mess around with it for fear I’ll do permanent damage. So I signed up for Jessica Sprague’s “Bloom Your Blog” course. Like every class I've taken with her, it was wonderful. Lots of great information, clearly presented on both videos and pdfs. 

One of the first things I decided I wanted was a two-column blog instead of a three column one. It turns out that to have the dimensions I wanted I would need to upgrade to the next level at Typepad which I’m not yet willing to do. Typepad offers a variety of premade themes, and I found one that I liked a lot except for the overlay on the banner. Once again, in order to eliminate it, I’d have to upgrade. Thanks to Adam, I was able to get a new banner designed that works with it, and I think I'll be able to use other photos as well. Along with quite a bit of frustration, I’ve learned a lot and have more confidence about how to make changes on the blog. It doesn’t pay to let it go for so long.

I deleted a few items from the sidebar that were outdated, and updated my Photo-a-Day blog. That’s another frustration as it clips the photos, so if you want to see the whole photo, you need to click on the sidebar photo within that album. But it’s a great place to keep my Project 365. If I get time, I’ll get January and February up as well. 

Next on the agenda is to get some social media buttons up and add a signature for the blog posts. I thought they might be done by now, but we were on a road trip yesterday to Crater Lake (more about that later), and we’re having a guest for Easter dinner tonight. Hopefully, I’ll get it done tomorrow. For now I need to get my link up for my 52/50 Project. Here are the contenders---Caleb again---but, sadly, this will be the last week as we’ll be headed home on Wednesday.

I loved this reflection of Caleb in the sliding glass door, watching his dad work on the patio.

Concentrating.

At North Mountain Park wearing Dad's sunglasses.

At the top of the slide.

And this week's pick for 52/50 posted on Kent Weakley's Project 52 post.

52/50: Week 12 - Caleb, Of Course

This week has flown by even though we haven't done much besides just hang out with Sarah, Adam, and Caleb. I almost missed the fact that today is the last day to post this week's 52/50 project. I actually have taken a few (very few) photos of some flowers and the park, but most of them have been of Caleb, of course. So here are a few from this week and the pick for the 52/50 Project on Kent Weakley's P52.

We took Caleb to a new park, and he was thrilled to find a slide short enough for him to come down by himself. He did it over and over.

It's about simple pleasures. Caleb has a little stool, and he loves to use it to climb up and sit on his toy chest. Sometimes he takes a toy or a book with him.

For a fifteen month old, Caleb has a wonderful attention span, and Legos seem to hold his attention the longest of all.

I have many more photos of Sarah with Caleb since she's home with him all day (and she spent three weeks with us in the fall.) I was so happy to get this one of Caleb with his dad!

I'm not sure why, but this turned out to be my favorite of the week. I think it has to do with the photo/heart connection that Rinda posts each month for Kat's monthly project. Those big brown eyes just melt my heart. I'll be posting this one on the P52 post.

Hope you've had a great week! The weather here was simply beautiful today--sunny and warm. Tracy and I ran an errand after church and walked the length of main street in Ashland. We didn't even need our coats. It's still hovering around freezing in Rochester, and there's still snow on the ground. I'm hoping Spring will show up there before we get home!

52/50: Week 10 - Day Trip to Canada

After another gray, dreary week in western New York, we were thrilled to have a sunny day for our trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was still cool, but not nearly as cold as it's been. 

We've been going to Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Shaw Festival with our friends, Mike and Karen, for over 15 years now. A few years ago, we started going twice-once in March to buy the tickets and again in October for a weekend away at a bed and breakfast. This year we bought tickets for Guys and Dolls, and Tracy and I bought another set for a July performance of Enchanted April when we'll be going up just for the day with another couple.

I took my DSLR and the 50mm lens in hopes of getting some fresh photos for the 52/20 project.

Love the flags at the Jackson Trigg Winery

The lines and color at Southbrook attracted me.

The pun on this jam was too cute; I love the tag, too!

I'd love to have these clocks to display on my mantle.

This was a first, and it made all of us laugh! Too bad Tracy and I qualify!

Shadows always interest me . . .

 . . . as do reflections. My favorite kind of self-portrait.

Here's the photo for 52/50 this week. At Southbrook they had a huge jar filled with stones. I like this perspective, and like the black and white conversion as well.

You'll find lots of  photo inspiration at Kent's P52.

52/50: Week 9-Miss Skylar

The weeks are flying by, and once again it's time to get my photo for my 52/50 project posted on Kent's P52.

Matt's home to visit and we had a great time this morning opening gifts and watching Skylar entertain us all! I didn't have any photos I just loved from this week, but now I have more than enough. It was hard to delete any of them, but I tried to be a bit critical. Nonetheless, I ended up with over 30 photos that I decided to keep in Lightroom at least. Here are five favorites. 

This was the first time Skylar's been able to get on and off the rocking horse without any help. She always seems to like it.

I'm always happy to have a photo of Matt and Skylar together. I got several good ones today.

She was determined to get Matt's birthday card open by herself.

Betsy says Skylar's new love is stickers. She put her Dora stickers all over herself and the rest of us too. There's a scrapbook layout coming!

But this is my favorite because it just captures perfectly her fun-loving attitude for just about everything! I'll be posting this one at P52.

52/50: Week 8--Lamberton Conservatory

We live just a short walk away from a fabulous park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. It's beautiful during every season, but one of my favorite spots during the winter is the Lamberton Conservatory. When I just can't take any more snow and cold weather, a walk throught the conservatory cures the winter blues. Here are some photos from this week's visit. I neglected to write down the names of all the flowers so a couple are unknown to me.

This looks like a variation of a shamrock plant, but I can't be sure of it.

There are lots of orchids, but these were the most beautiful.

This little turtle was poking his head out as the koi swam about in one of the pools.

The hibiscus are always a favorite of mine.

But this one is my pick for 52/50 this week. I've taken other photos much like the ones above, but this back of the hibiscus is a different perspective.

You can find more photographic inspiration here.

Winter Storm and Project 52/50

It's sunny, but cold here today. There is nothing but a remenant left of the storm we had a week ago. Unlike the east coast, we got lots of snow, but NO wind. The result was exceptionally beautiful as the snow clung to the branches for nearly three days.

It started like this:

And developed into this:

Here are a few more photos of the first two days:

But it was Sunday when the snow came out that it became simply stunning. 

Lots of these were taken with my iPhone and a few with my wide-angle lens. This one was taken with the 50mm and it's my pick for the 52/50 project I'm doing this year. I'm linking it to Kent Weakley's P52.

You can find more photographic inspiration here.

52/50: Weeks 5 & 6

Last week I had only one photo to post for my 52/50 project. Although almost all my photos are taken with the 50mm lens right now, most of them have been of crafting projects or for reminders of our daily lives here. This week (Week 6) I took a short break and went to Powder Mills Park. We finally had a bright, sunny afternoon, but it was still so cold I couldn't stay out for very long. I debated a while between the third and fourth photos, but am linking the last one to Kent's P52, probably because it focuses on the blue sky we see so little of in the winter.

This is the pond next to the Fish Hatchery.

Loved the shadow of the tree next to the pond across the road from the Fish Hatchery.

I'm always a sucker for reflections.

The blue sky and the composition made this photo win out for the week.

And here's last week's photo:

We don't have any pets, but our neighbor's frequently cross out patio.

52/50: Week 4

At the last minute, my resolve broke, and I signed up for Candice Stringham's "Flash of Brilliance" class at Jessica Sprague. I'm already glad I did. Tracy bought me a Canon Speelite 430EX for Christmas two years ago. I've been moderately successful with it, but had a lot of trouble at a recent Presbytery event. In just the first week, I've learned quite a bit.

Betsy and Skylar came to dinner last night, and Skylar was willing to let me practice a while. Here are some of my favorites, all taken with my 50mm lens.

This little girl is almost always happy and agreeable.

She loved crawling up into the rocker . . . 

. . . and was able to rock herself. She didn't want any help!

But she was willing to sit in Tracy's lap and rock.

Although she doesn't have many words yet, she can surely let you know what she wants, and she understands all kinds of directions. She's also very good at signing for what she wants.

It wasn't easy to pick, but I'm linking this one up at P52 this week. I love the catchlights in her eyes and the expression is "so Skylar!"

52/50:Week 3 and Florida Birding

Here's this week's photo for 52/50. It's been closely cropped, I was amazed how clear the details were when I zoomed in on the photo so our birding friends could identify it. The birds along the stretch of beach where we walked every morning are totally nonplussed by the human beings walking along the shore. They stand still and let you get incredibly close for a photo. I used my zoom lens at the Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel, but took photos for two mornings on the beach in Ft. Myers Beach with my 50mm lens, and was amazed at the photos I managed to get. I'm linking this first photo to Kent Weakley's P52.

A Double-crested Cormorant (50mm)

I thought I'd share some of the many bird photos I took at both the wildlife refuge and along the beach. Our friends are responsible for the fact that I know which bird is which!

An Anhinga drying his wings. (zoom)

This Great Blue Heron walked out into our path as we walked to the beach. (zoom)

A group of Royal Terns (50mm)

A Roseate Spoonbill and heron. I was so excited to actually see a Roseate Spoonbill. They were all a long distance off, so using the zoom was essential.

White Ibis (taken with my Canon S95, a point and shoot)

This, according to fishermen on the beach, is Walter. I got a great photo of him one morning and inadvertently deleted it. I was so bummed, but the next morning as soon as we walked onto the beach, there he was. He stood perfectly still for multiple portraits. Walter is a Great Blue Heron. (50mm) 

American Oystercatcher (zoom)

A flock of White Pelicans at the Wildlife Refuge (zoom)

Cormorants on posts. Just as I got ready to take the first photo, one of the cormorants flew away, but when we walked back up the beach all the posts were filled. (50mm)

A Yellow-crowned Night Heron (zoom)

In all we saw 29 different species of birds while we were on the trip including two American Bald Eagles (too far away for my zoom) and a number of Sandhill Cranes in fields as we drove across Florida from the east to west coasts. I'm quite sure there's a scrapbook page(s) about birding in my future.