Baseball

 
This summer, my younger son played baseball in a league for the first time. It was a learning experience. And he wants to play again next year, so I would say it was a good year and a good experience despite the team only winning two games this season. 

As with everything else a new activity for a child is a new photography challenge for me. I spent much of my time on the ground right at the fence during games, so I could shoot through the chain link. I did take plenty of photos with the fence in them, I like the effect it has for some photos, just not all of them.

 Jamie learned to steal bases. That might be his favorite, and he can be quick about it. It's hard to cheer and shot at the same time; but it could just be that when  my big mouth is moving I can't keep the camera still!

Leading off third and heading home!

Getting advice from coach before batting.

High five at First!!

 We learned to keep our hands away from our head and let our helmet do its job! The finger got pinched but not busted.

This made Jamie a little gun shy in the box; but it's all part of learning.

Every run counted this year, we had several games lost by only one or two runs.

Mid season we bought Jamie a new helmet, he was quite proud of his shiny red helmet.

We faced opponents who go to our school, and it was nice to shoot the whole picture when we knew our pitcher.

We played under the lights, it was not always cool feeling by then but it was cool looking.

Another slide into home. I have a bad habit focusing on the runner and cutting off the heads of the fielders at home. Plus I want the boys to slide every time, it makes more exciting photos!

It was an enjoyable year, and I loved shooting the games. I'm looking forward to next year.

Alpacas

 We have a new (for us) herd of Alpacas. Four females, we bought the two males from the herd in November. We just got the females this month. This is Pearl, she has some food stuck in her teeth.

This is Dee. She is due to have a baby, soon.   

 Hubby and I think Spice looks like a
sheep dog from the WB cartoons. She
is due also at the end of the month,
like now.

This is Crescendo she is over due to have a baby. She was due in early May. We are waiting.

And not very patiently, I might add

 This is Pearl again looking all glamorous and white before she got food stuck in her teeth.

I decided to try this photo in black and white, I really like it this way, but...

 I love it warmed up.

Isn't Pearly-girl so cute?

Blossoming Plum

I loved the warm early spring days after I dropped the kids off at school I walked around town taking pictures I was told this is a flowering plum. I love the red leaves at the end of the blanches.

Every Spring

I'm blessed to capture such beauty.

The Bees Knees, and Siberian Squill, too

We have a Honey Bee infested tree on our property, I like having it. It makes me feel special for the creatures to choose to live with me. Normally, they go about their business away from the yard and the house, but when something they like blooms in the yard they are all over it. They like the Siberian Squill that blooms early in the spring.

Oh my poor neglected blog....

It's been a long winter.

Winter for our family started in November, with the accidental tragic death of my sister's 11 year old son, Thomas. Life changes in a heartbeat, and in just that moment your world is never the same. I'm looking forward to the day that every Wednesday doesn't make me think of it.


Tommy was 2 days older than my Ian.

And as of late my Jamie (2 years younger) had begun to develop more in common with his cousin, bringing them closer.

As you can imagine, the loss has been profound at our house.

As with any tragedy you can choose only to dwell on the loss, or you can see the whole picture.



11 is such a mixed up age for kids, no where near adulthood, struggling to become teenagers while still they are just kids. They still do stupid "kid" stuff, but then in (rare)moments maturity you see what kind of adult they are aiming to become. As many kids as adults attended the visitation, friends of Tommy, friends of his siblings, children of the adults who know our family. I remember going to the visitation of a classmate's father when I was in grade school, and having no idea what to say. None. I remember the horrible helpless feeling of there being no words I could think of to say and nothing I could think to do. As those "kids" visited with our family, I was struck by grace and maturity with which so many of them greeted us, hugged us, and held our family up, while at the same time they were grieving the same loss in their lives.

The funeral was an amazing display of the love and support of the community where Tommy lived, the funeral was at, my sister's church, while her husband's church hosted us for the meal afterward. The love shown our family from both church communities was incredible.




I have been backing up photos to a second external hard drive, so that my computer can function normally again. It pains me to delete the pictures and folders from my hard drive even though I have them double backed up on the hard drives and I have clicked through every file to be sure it is there. I feel dizzy and sick to my stomach, while I watch the folder delete. I would be sad to lose my nature photos and files, but losing the pictures of the kids? Sad does not even begin to describe it.

So, here is my little PSA for the day, Back Up Your Photos. Today. Make a plan. Buy a hard drive, pay for on-line storage. Do it.