Thru Barb's Lens

An Interview with The Spooner Advocate

2010-01-08T21:47:00.009-06:00

Last summer I enjoyed participating in my first fine arts fair in Shell Lake, WI where I met a reporter from the Spooner Advocate. He asked if I'd be willing to do an interview with him and he took my card. Lo and behold, he called me in December and asked if I'd like to do that interview. I of course jumped at the chance. How fun!!!! Yesterday the paper came out and there it was on page 11A, a FULL page COLOR spread on me and my photography. Yes, I jumped up and down when I saw it like I was about 4 years old instead of 44 years old!!! Frank did an incredible job capturing me in the article. I'm proud of where I've been able to take this passion of mine and look forward to where all it will take me in the future...all of the new people I will meet as well as all of the places I hope to see.

The full article can be found at:
http://www.spooneradvocate.com/articles/2010/01/07/community/doc4b44906630045965866712.txt

Below are the photos that were included in the print version of the paper along with the captions he added...
Frozen in flight. Barb Ray, a photographer from the town of Birchwood, captured this unique image of a bald eagle in flight by panning with the eagle as it flew - tracking the eagle with her lens - and then taking just one shot that makes the eagle appear still in flight and the background moving. She captured the osprey with her digital camera as it ate a crappie. Both images were taken in Washburn County.

Baby Snapper. Ray captured baby snapping turtles as they left the nest in her gravel driveway and made for Mud Lake. The little turtles, covered in sand, appear as animated rocks.

Golden leaf dressed with raindrops.

An example of Ray's portrait work. (personal side note - this is Miss Maggie M - isn't she a doll!!!)

Leaving home. Ray shot this snapping turtle as it just leaving its nest, which happened to be in her driveway in the town of Birchwood.

Stare down. Ray captured this image just off the intersection of Cty. Hwys M and D, on the south end of Long Lake.

A special thanks to Frank Zufall for the opportunity and the kind words!!! And thanks to all of you out there that have been supporting this love of mine and willing to be my practice subjects! Here's to a wonderful 2010...photography and all!!!

MCP Actions - Jodi Friedman - Camera Lens Giveaway!!!

2009-07-11T17:21:00.002-05:00

Jodi Friedman's MCP Actions Blog is being sponsored by Tamron USA Inc. who is giving away a Tamron lens for a digital SLR!!!! What a great giveaway!!! Just go to the following link and follow the directions to get yourself entered!!!! Good Luck!!!! http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/07/08/win-an-slr-lens-brand-new-tamron-lens-%e2%80%93-18-270mm-or-28-300mm/

Grayson - one month old!!!

2009-06-16T00:42:00.005-05:00

Grayson is a sweetie!!!! For some reason, he feels the need to stay awake for all of my photos! When he closes his eyes, I have to be QUICK because it is only going to last a moment at most!!! Of course the day I went over there without my camera...he SLEPT on my lap nearly the ENTIRE time!!! In any case, here are some shots from the other day...on his 1 month birthday!!!

Spring at Crex

2009-06-01T19:27:00.004-05:00

I'm so overjoyed by where we live!!! We have access to such incredible places. Check out these photos taken Sunday out at Crex Meadows! It was waaaaay windy but what an awesome place and what a beautiful day!!! Me...my camera...and some critters!!! What more can a girl ask for?!!!

Welcome to the family Harvey!!!!!

2009-02-26T23:51:00.002-06:00

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to the newest member of our extended family...welcome Harvey!!!

Aunt Pat and Cowboy went to the Humane Society of Johnson County this evening with the intention of meeting and adopting a cute little Boston Terrier named Willie. After meeting Willie and while waiting to see how Willie got along with someone else that was there to see him, Cowboy started playing with a cute little black pup named Harvey. Harvey is a 6 month old hound/lab mix that loves to run and play. The last guy to see Willie really wanted to add him to their family and Cowboy was having such a good time with Harvey that plans changed just slightly...Aunt Pat and Cowboy decided to adopt Harvey instead.

So...Harvey joins Cowboy, Middie, Abby, and Andy as the apples of Aunt Pat's and Susan's eyes!!!! Welcome to the family Harvey!!!

These are the photos from the petfinder.com website...more to come!!!

The Great Mr. B...

2009-02-26T17:59:00.015-06:00

I shared this on my Facebook page but wanted to add it here too...on Monday night, February 23, 2009, Oliver Ray, age 11 1/2, left behind all of us here that loved him to join Momma Ray in heaven. He no longer struggles to breathe, his eyesight is clear, he can HEAR, and he doesn't have to worry about his HUGE, very worn out heart any longer. He is romping around heaven like a pup!!! Although he was Momma Ray's pup, since adopting him upon her passing 3 1/2 years ago, I have loved him like he was my own. How could I not? I will look forward to seeing the little guy again some day...

Our many different names for Oliver
- Ollie (Momma Ray's fav)
- Ollie Bubba
- Bubby Boy
- Bub

- B-Bub
- Mr. B
- the Boy
- the Boy Dog (we only had one!!!)

Random things about Mr. B...

- I loved the patch of "unruly" hair on top of his head, best when made to stand straight up, even as a faux hawk...I'm sure he loved it...

- he loved to sit or lay ON you...not just with you...but ON you

- if your towel was left on the toilet lid when showering, he would drag it down so he could make a nice soft bed right outside the shower

- he was low man in the Ray "pack"...in other words, he was a wuss

- he loved with his whole heart...through his smiles and his wagging tail

- I loved watching him go down the steps to go to bed...his butt wiggled back and forth all the way down the stairs as his little legs carried him down as fast as he could possibly go...every time

- when he got nervous, he would "lick" the air...over and over and over and over...like his own little nervous tick...

- he loved his treats before bedtime - next to breakfast and dinner, treat time was the BEST

- when being fed, the twins knew thier place on the bottom step...his was on the left, Riley's on the right...not once did I ever see him eating out of the bowl on the right

- Faith picked on him because he is the only pup in the house that didn't fight back...we had to force him to socialize anytime after Faith would snap at him...

- he spent a lot of time sleeping in the bathrooms...his little safehaven away from Faith

- he loved to GIVE kisses...but was not so fond of GETTING kisses...I had to steal them!!

- he loved his crate...it was his other safehaven...and of course, the twin's crates were side by side and his, again, was on the left...and he knew it. If it was closed, not latched, just closed, he would use his paw to open it if he wanted in...clever little guy!!!

- he looked great wearing a red bandanna around his little neck

- it took us nearly 3 years of having him groomed to figure out he looked really cute with SHORT hair

- he was one of our best car riders...he would put his chin up on the little window ledge to look outside...he put in a lot of miles over the last 3.5 years with us!

- he loved his twin, Riley...they were inseparable...on occassion they would even sleep together in one of their little crates...or piled on top of each other in a chair...normally if you found one, you found the other

Thank you to the Great Mr. B for loving us as much as we loved you!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful...simply thankful...

2009-02-20T18:56:00.002-06:00

Beginning this coming Monday, my dear Brad is back amongst the employed again!!! I'm so proud to say he is my husband...and I'm so proud to know what an incredible employee he is that in this bleak economy, when so many people are out of work, he has found a great new opportunity outside of telecommunications. Thank you to Bill for believing in my wonderful husband and providing him this opportunity. Thanks to Clay and his team for building a great product, BidBridge, for Brad to sell. I know he will make me proud and I know you will be proud to have him as your product's ambassador in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

And for you, my love, I am your biggest believer, supporter, cheerleader...because you are the love of my life!!!! I am so very very thankful...simply thankful!!!

The wait is over...oh and Happy B-day Honey!!!

2008-12-06T00:40:00.003-06:00

First off...my sincere apologies that I still haven't made time to upload some photos, I've been pretty busy. Today I feel the need to purge the anxiety Brad and I have been holding onto over the past three weeks or so. After much waiting, we unfortunately found out on Friday that Brad's job was eliminated along with 12,000 other co-workers at at&t. Thankfully my job is safe...for now...but we are building our dream life on two incomes, not one. Today has been tough...I have survivor guilt...we second guessed the fact that he changed jobs just 10 months ago (just for a moment though...we did what we felt was best at the time and who knew the economy was going to go to hell?)...I have cried at the drop of a hat...the tears are just hanging out in the top of my throat...in the meantime, Brad is strong and is only hurt by seeing me sad and a bit scared...I will allow myself one day...24 hours...only one day...to feel sorry for us...to feel sorry for the fact that we need to change the way we are living...to be more frugal rather than so darn free with our money...my 24 hours isn't up quite yet so no guarantees I won't shed a few more tears before I drift off to sleep...however, tomorrow is another day...and we are survivors...and we can be frugal...and Brad is a great salesperson and will find a new job despite the economy...no matter what sacrifice we need to make...and we are a great team...the best team actually...together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to...and it is Brad's birthday...a day to celebrate LIFE...Brad's LIFE!!! We are strong and we have faith that the path we have been chosen to take...this one for which we had no control in choosing...will be a good path...and we will make the best of it if it isn't as good as the last one we were on...we have each other and THAT is what is most important! I love this man and I'm so glad that I have him by my side...as my partner for life. Rambling complete...I love you Brad and Happy Birthday!!! When I wake up in the morning, it is a new day...and I'll be done feeling sorry for us...I promise!!!!!!!!!

Absentee...

2008-10-02T18:53:00.002-05:00

...so sorry!!! I've been absent for a long time...sorry! Between having guests from July 4th through Labor Day, then having 3 weddings, and a couple other photo shoots along with my normal 40 hour week job, something had to give and it just so happened to be my blog.

I'm working on getting caught up...but I'm not really any where close. I'm thinking as the weather gets colder and the wedding photo editing is over, I may have some time to catch up and post some of the fun stuff I've been doing!!!

Thanks for your patience...stop back by when you get a chance! I'll try to have something for you!!

A little flower fixation...

2008-07-25T22:43:00.007-05:00

...ok, a really BIG flower fixation...I just love them!! Some of these are in our "yard," others on the side of the road. I've been eaten up with misquitoes while taking some of these, but the results of some were well worth the annoyance. Flower girl...signing off...

A little parade...and a little baseball...

2008-07-12T23:29:00.006-05:00

...makes for a very good day in my world!!!

We started out at "Cakes at the Lake" this morning. Record turn out...156 attendees. Michelle joined us just in time for the program. This month's program was bird calls. The presenter was incredible!!! He could whistle the bird sounds of about any species we threw at him. I was so impressed...he sounded just like them...he did all three loon calls, several owls, blue heron, and many different song birds. Oh so very impressive!!! Sorry no photos...because he was using the overhead projector, they closed the door...would have been like taking photos in a movie theater!

Brad convinced Michelle to spend one last day up here...after the short night of sleep and seeing how beautiful the day was going to be, it wasn't a hard sell!!! Because she was late and Brad and I were both working the event, none of us managed to enjoy the apple cinnamon pancakes the Hunt Hill staff had put together...so by the end of the program and after cleaning up the program area, we were all starving...ok...we were all very hungry! Since we were going to go into Spooner to meet Kathy at Mark's baseball game, we decided to make our way there to find something to eat. We noticed something strange once we got to town...just about every square inch of the main street was lined with people's portable seating devices...people had staked out their front row seat to the Spooner parade in honor of the Rodeo. There was some major "stuff" going on there! We were able to get a seat at a sandwich type restaurant right there on the main strip...we ate and drank and pretty much just walked out the front door in time for the parade to begin. The only part of the parade I was really interested in was the Budweiser Clydsdales. WOW are they big and WOW are they pretty!!! Here are a few shots of the parade.

Is it me...or are they both smiling at me????

Once the Clysdales went by, it was time to head out to see Mark Turner's baseball game. More fun for me! Not only do I love watching baseball games, love getting a chance to see Kathy and Walt, but of course, I love taking photos at the game. Here are a few...

Too old for this...

2008-07-12T23:13:00.008-05:00

Tonight we went to the Spooner Rodeo with Michelle, Donna, and Kevin. As Michelle explains it, I do think she and Donna are "sisters from another mister." Putting the two of them together is dangerous!!!

The forecast when we left the house looked as if we might get wet...well, the storm intensified after we left the house. We were able to see probably half of the event before the skies opened up and it downpoured. There was extreme lightening...but the strange thing was, there were still people in the metal bleachers and the show was continuing. Only in Wisconsin! The people in the stands and the performers were all drenched to the bone! We all took refuge under vendor awnings. It was quite a storm. We probably waited for an hour before it let up enough so we all wouldn't get soaked just getting to the car. I didn't take my camera in given the weather conditions, but Michelle had a "Gorton's Fisherman" jacket on so she took her's in. Photos compliments of Michelle!
As we were leaving the Rodeo, Donna and Kevin both told us how they thought it was quite funny that the "Pass Out" Gate showed Beer 50ft...for the rest of us, the sign actually read Beer Soft Drinks Food. I laughed until my stomach hurt!!

We all decided then to head up to Uncle Mike's for a "bump" as many call it here...Brad used to call them "orange whips"...ok, we went up to Uncle Mike's in Trego for a drink or two. The place is pretty nice...only thing I could see missing was a dart board...bummer for me. The place was quiet...then after a couple drinks, some fun photos with a rooster hat (not going into that!), the place came alive. A large group of people showed up together...they were drinking 190 proof shots and taking pictures as they passed the rooster hat around. As they were taking the photos, Donna was sneaking her happy little face into the background of as many photos as she could. It was a game...and she was winning by a landslide. It was totally funny...they had no idea it was even happening! Again, photos compliments of Michelle's new Nikon camera...she took some, I took some.

Here's an example of Donna getting in one of thier photos!!!
We finally packed it in and ended up home at 2am...we are old...we are too old for this when we know we have to be on the road to Hunt Hill in the morning by around 8am!!!

Ouch! That hurt!!!

2008-07-06T21:45:00.006-05:00

This is a female Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker...isn't she stunning!!! She took a wrong turn today and mistakenly thought the reflection in our window was an open space to fly and slammed right into the window. It makes us sad when that happens. I ran to the window and saw her laying on the concrete patio. I went downstairs and could see that she was alert and breathing ok...and was moving her head around watching me. I think she just got the bajeebers knocked out of her. It is so rare that I see these beautiful birds so I couldn't help myself, I had to grab the camera since I knew she wasn't going to be there long. Sure enough, after I took several shots, she regained her senses and took off. She flew to a nearby tree and took another little while there getting her wits about her. She then flew off. It was incredible to see her so close, but I'm sorry we gave her such a bad headache!

Happy Birthday America!!!

2008-07-06T20:28:00.008-05:00

What fun we had over our long holiday weekend!!! We had a whole house full of friends to celebrate with us! The Lynch's came up from Indy as did our friend Jan on Tuesday and Wednesday night, Michelle joined us from Chicago. The Lynch's and Michelle are all repeat visitors, but it was Jan's first time. He made me laugh the minute he got out of his car...he said "I think I forgot to pay the park ranger somewhere back there." That says it all from a first time visitor's point of view...we do live out in the middle of what seems to be no where...amongst nothing but lush green trees and ferns with a little wildlife mixed in here and there and lots of beautiful lake water reflecting the stunning blue skies we had the entire weekend!!!

We did lots of eating, boating, laughing, eating, drinking, watching turtles lay eggs, wake boarding, eating, fireworks watching, photo taking, eating, and even a little bit of sleeping...oh, did I mention there was a lot of eating??? Having several good cooks in the house is dangerous on the waist!!! But of course, I love it!!!

Here are some photos of the fun...

Here are a few of the fireworks...it was my first time shooting fireworks so they are far from good...the first night we were on the boat and those photos were horrible...second night was at Tagalong and we got there as they were starting. They shot them all off in about 15 minutes...which means it was like having a constant finale...which, of course, is the hardest to shoot...I needed one more night to practice!!! Oh well...guess I'll have to wait until next year.

Da Bear...

2008-06-22T15:21:00.004-05:00

We had two visitors show up Friday night. The first was Ty, Brad's brother...he was the expected guest. The second guest, wasn't as expected, but just as welcome!!! We had a two year old bear walk right through our front yard. The first shot is obviously the best...the only reason I'm including the 2nd one is to show how close he was to the house.

Admission...bear brain took over photographer brain. I could hear how slow the shutter was...but changing the ISO (which is all it would have taken) wasn't anywhere in my brain. It was crazy! Hopefully I'll have another chance to let photographer brain take over...if not...it was still cool to have a bear in my own front yard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watch out for that...

2008-06-18T22:10:00.004-05:00

...turtle!!! It is egg laying season for the turtles here in the Northwoods. They are everywhere right now...looking for a sandy place to dig the holes and lay their eggs. We see them on the roads everywhere. Last night I saw 4 painted turtles on my way to Birchwood and 4 different painted turtles on my way home plus a pretty good sized snapper. This is all from the road. For some reason, many of them lay their eggs right on the side of the road. Many times, especially on the weekends when there is more traffic on the back roads, we will actually move them across the road in the direction which they were going in an attempt to keep them from getting run over. Tonight as I turned onto our road, sitting on the side of the road across from the "frog pond" was a snapper laying her eggs...where else...but right on the side of the road. I couldn't help but stop and take some photos of her. When I look at stuff like this...it reminds me...I could NEVER live in the city again!!! If you are out on the roads in the Northwoods...please watch out for the turtles!!!

Luuuuucy...

2008-06-14T19:19:00.004-05:00

...had her babies sometime between yesterday and today. I went out and checked on her yesterday because Brad noticed Desi floating around pretty close to the nest. Lucy was on the nest and I saw no signs of any cute little fuzz balls. When I went out to check on her today, she was gone. As I got closer to the nest, I could see broken egg shells. Hopefully they are all safe and sound...off exploring their new world. The photos of Lucy and Desi are from yesterday...I didn't feel like "braving the elements"...ok...I had taken my shower already and didn't want to get any ticks. The one of the egg shells is from today.

2 down...1 to go!!!

2008-06-09T21:55:00.011-05:00

Brian Patrick graduated from High School on Friday!!!!!

Warning...there are lots of photos in this entry...had a great trip...can't help myself!!!!

We flew this year...which means we missed getting to see all of our friends on the way out, however, fewer hours on the road wasn't a bad thing!

One thing like last year, it was HOT...HOT...HOT there! We left home here with temps in the high 60s, low 70s...I'm not sure if it actually hit 100 in Maryland or not, but it was close enough to count if it didn't!

Lyn surprised Brian with a limo to pick us all up to make the trip downtown...allowed us to avoid the Metro and the taxi situation for Aunt Pat. It was really cool! I hadn't been in a limo for a long time...and boy did it make the trip to and from downtown DC a breeze!!! Brian was pretty stoked about it too! He especially liked the fact that we were early getting there so we took it to MickeyDs!!!
We were able to drop Brian, Lyn, and Aunt Pat at the building then...Robby and I couldn't get in yet, so we took off to take some photos. I love, love, love taking photos in Washington DC!!! I'm not much of a history buff...but the history there just gives me chills! We walked over to the newest attraction...the WWII memorial...it was awesome! While standing at the base of the Washington Monument waiting on Robby to get a hot dog (he just wanted the bun so he could feed the ducks!), a line of presidential like cars (security...security...security...limo...security...security...security etc.) went by...we think it was actually the President's motorcade. That was interesting...I don't much care for the current President so I decided to not even bother with a photo. Still interesting though! Anyway, by the time we got the bun and went back over to the reflecting pool to feed the ducks, we were both so sweaty our clothes were drenched! That meant it was time to head to graduation and get in the airconditioning. We were disgusting!!! Oh well...like anyone there knew me!!! Ha ha!!! Robby said he hoped he actually wouldn't see anyone he knew until his clothes dried!!!

The speaker at graduation was a guy from ESPN...he was GOOD!!! Brian was a clown during the entire ceremony...silly boy...just take a look!!!

Brian's girlfriend Brittany was also a senior at Gaithersburg...
A couple family photos...

His party was the next day and we had a crab feast!!! Yummy!!!! Here are a few photos of that as well!!!

Oh, and what could a party with teenage boys be without a little Guitar Hero???

What a great trip!!! Thanks for the incredible hospitality Lyn!!! 2 down...1 to go...but we get to skip a year this time!!!

Hmmmmmm...hmmmmmm...hmmmmmm

2008-05-27T19:44:00.005-05:00

The hummers are back! The hummers are back!!! A beautiful pair of ruby throated hummingbirds are back for the summer. We immediately put some juice out for them this morning and they have spent nearly all day visiting the feeder. Finally putting something out that the red squirrel isn't interested in! They are beautiful and fussy and fast! Too much fun!!! Before I sent the monster rental lens back today, I took a few photos of the hummers...here are a couple just to prove they are back!

Here's the beautiful, colorful ruby throated male...

And the muted, but still beautiful, female...

Eggs...eggs...eggs...and peek-a-boo!!!

2008-05-26T20:02:00.013-05:00

It is soooooooo spring around here!!! We attended our Lake Association's annual meeting on Saturday at Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary. After the meeting, we went for a walk with their naturalist, Nikki, and our neighbor and friend Marsha to take a look at all of the bird boxes and the goodies inside them. There were Tree Swallow, Eastern Blue Bird, and Black Capped Chickadee eggs in the boxes. How cool they all were. The moms were all there watching us check out the nests. I hadn't ever seen a Tree Swallow...the males were an incredibly beautiful blue bird. Here is what we saw...

Tree Swallow - Their eggs are white and their nests are made out of grasses and feathers - the feathers were a complete give away the minute the box was opened! This is dad trying to distract us away from the box.

Eastern Bluebird - Their eggs are blue and their nests are made out of fine grass and pines needles. Black Capped Chickadee - Their eggs are very tiny and white with brown speckles and their nest was the softest looking of all of them. It appeared to have "fur" of some type in it. It looked to be almost burrowed into the softness where the others appeared to be on top of their nests. Not sure if the picture shows it well enough but it was pretty cool...did I mention the eggs were tiny?!!!
We put the fishing boat in the water on Friday and made the maiden fishing voyage on Mud Lake the same night. It is really good to be back on the water. Yesterday and today the boys got up early to head out on their continued quest to catch "Walter." This morning I received a call as they were coming back in to tell me to get my camera ready and meet them on the dock. Brad ushered me down the lake near the channel to show me the newly hatched goose eggs. The chicks were so darn cute...look hard at the first photo...you should be able to spot mom still on the nest, little chick playing peek-a-boo underneath mom's wings, another chick off the nest in front of her (the little yellow furball!), dad keeping watch in the background, the beaver chewed tree right behind mom and another one that lost the fight to the beaver off to the right, the ferns as they are beginning to uncurl to the left of the tree...and last but not least...the blue blue blue water from the beautiful morning we were having!!!

Keeping on the nesting theme, we then took Robby up to The Robin's Nest for breakfast for the first time. Lots of great food!!! Glad they aren't "just around the corner!!!" We followed that up with a stop at Jenks where Robby was presented with a new fishing rod and reel. He loves loves loves fishing!!!

Once home, we saw Lucy and Desi off the nest having a snack so I took advantage and ran down to the lake to see if I could see their eggs. For the first time, I actually saw them!!! There are four from what I can tell. They are HUGE!!! I'm very anxious for Lucy to have her babies...but I'm going to miss seeing her every time we head down to the dock!!! I have to send my big lens back to Ziplens tomorrow...I'm going to miss it...and Lucy will probably have her eggs hatch before I get my new one...either that or they are going to wait until we head out to Maryland next week...I sure hope not!!! I really don't want to miss any of the eggsitement!!!

Sweet, sweet, orange...

2008-05-19T19:40:00.005-05:00

I mentioned the bright orange bird the other day that flew by my window...there was no question it was an Oriole. I saw one again Saturday morning so I decided to put out an orange so they had something to eat. I really want them to stick around! Maybe, just maybe, if we keep them fed, we can keep them around here all summer. They are sooooooo beautiful. The orange on the female is about the color of the inside of the orange while the male of the pair is closer to the color of the outside of the orange. They are both stunning...but of course, the pull of the strong bold male orange is music to my camera lens! Unfortunately he is the most skittish...maybe by the end of summer, they will be more used to me and I won't have to shoot through the glass. I've been trying to get shots of them on the tree rather than on the orange, but they are harder to get...they litterally eat, jump up on a branch to wipe off their beaks, and fly off. Here are a few I've gotten thus far. Hopefully I'll continue to get photos this summer. We'll keep putting oranges out...will have to come up with a way to hang them because Mr. Red Squirrel is enjoying them waaaaaaay too much!!

Here is the female...isn't she pretty?!!!

Now here is the male...singing his little heart out...

Introducing Lucy...

2008-05-19T19:37:00.005-05:00

Lucy is our new "pet" Canadian goose...ok, she's really not a pet. She is sitting on her eggs right in front of our house!!! How exciting!!! There is a tree down in the water a few feet from shore and she built her nest on the base of the tree. She is sooooooo very cool. She and her partner have been eating the weeds on the other side of the dock (a bonus for us! hope they eat lots!!). The other day she went back to her nest and it appeared that she might have been rotating the eggs...then she sat down and assumed her position. She lays down very flat...especially when anyone is nearby. She is very still. Check out the pictures I took...the only thing that moved was her neck and head...she followed my every move but I never actually saw her move even her head. We have had lots of boats since the beginning of the fishing season. I'm sure that has to annoy her...but my guess is very few of them have even seen her. She's very good at blending into her environment and protecting her new "babies." I look forward to seeing Lucy's babies...I've read the incubation time is 25-28 days. More photos and updates to follow!

Soccer time

2008-05-18T18:27:00.005-05:00

Started my Saturday off right by riding down to Barron with Robby to watch he and Josh coach and Maren play soccer. Bente and Annikka were there and Josh's folks showed up too. It was fun to see Robby interacting with the kids. I took the monster lens with me for more practice and to help me determine for sure that I want one like this for my own! Maren was such a good sport to let another little girl use her shin guards, so her time in the game was limited. Annikka is a soccer girl in the making too...she had a great time kicking the ball to me and she even let me take photos the whole time! It was a ton of fun! Here are a few shots from the morning...

Wouldn't that just stink...

2008-05-16T18:23:00.008-05:00

I haven't posted in quite a while. I really don't have a proper excuse...I've been busy with work and have been enjoying watching our surroundings starting to come alive. As always, the bird nerd in me is still alive...I saw my first Oriole of the season. Brad and I differ on our opinons on what is best about an Oriole...he loves their song (music man that he is) and I love their color...go figure! I didn't get a good look and I haven't heard one singing...I simply saw the bright orange fly quickly by my window yesterday! Hopefully there will be more to come!

Ok...now for the "stinky" part...I finally saw my very first skunk...live, not dead on the road, and not in a zoo. It was really cool!!! And I had my camera with the "big" lens with me! After it left the road and headed back into the woods, we moved on down the road...ok...so I made Brad turn around and go back to see if it came back out to the road (every time I have Brad "turn around" it costs me $1...normally well worth the cost!!! ha ha!!!). Of course it paid off...he was back out at the road...I didn't get any good shots so we passed him again as he scurried off into the woods, and turned around again...this time was better...he was running along the roadside but behind brush...here's the best of what I got...

Take note, I chased him while staying inside the vehicle, not on foot like I did the porcupine!! Wouldn't it just stink if he felt threatened enough to use his defenses???!!!! Ewwwww!!!

Play ball....

2008-05-06T09:59:00.009-05:00

I'm such a proud Aunt!!! How fun it was to go back to Maryland to watch Brian play a couple games of baseball his senior year! It really makes me sad that I've missed so much of this. If we had lived near each other, I would have gone to every possible game I could have!!! It is way too much fun!!! It is the best of both worlds...I get to be the proud Aunt rooting him and his team on and I get to record it on the camera. Brian had two great games while I was there...he laid down a great sacrafice bunt in the first game that even made the video highlights on the news internet! Then on Senior day, he had a walk, a single, and a double! He is such a great catcher...I love watching him behind the plate.

Here are a few of the hundreds of photos I took while I was out there...

The dynamic duo...Brian and Kevin

This was Brian's successful sacrifice bunt!!! Nice job!!!

I used an oil paint action on this one...hard to tell on here...

It was senior day...Brian escorted his very, very proud mom (my seeeeester) onto the field

The three amigos...Brian, Kevin, and Tim...these three have played ball together since they were 8 I think...that's more than half of their lives.

Brian and his "squeeze" Brittany...she is also a senior and was playing in her Senior Day Softball game at the same time as the boy's Senior Day game...

It was also good to see my Seeeeester, Aldo, Aunt Pat and Matthew. I forget how laid back my life is until I go visit them!!! 1) I was in the BIG city!!! 2) They are all very BUSY!!! It is fun to visit, but boy I couldn't handle living that life any more! I had trouble sleeping the first night because of all of the noise!!! Cars on the road right outside the window. Boy have I gotten used to only hearing nature sounds at night!!! I really feel like a country bumpkin when I'm in the city!!! Oh...did I mention it was already SPRING there?!!! Back home, Brad said there was snow in the forecast...ok...it is MAY...enough with the "S" word!!! Out here it is nearly 80 and sunny! The azaleas were in bloom as were so many of the trees! The trees had full leaves...heck, ours are still tiny buds at best! What a difference a 3 hour plane ride can make. It transformed me from brown to lush!!! Here are a few other "non baseball" photos from my time there...

Aunt Pat and Matthew

Azaleas...beautiful...

The dogwoods were in bloom too...those were Aunt Pat's favorites...

My sister's boyfriend (he'll shoot me for saying that if he sees this!!! too bad...I call it as I see it!!!), Aldo. We were pretending we were taking his Senior photo while he was waiting on Lyn to finish getting ready for their "formal" night out...

There she is...worth the wait...

What a DRAG...

2008-04-28T23:47:00.006-05:00

...Drag Queen that is...today my husband played Frenchie at the local "Remember When" at Rice Lake High School. Our friend, Donna, conned him into playing the part of Frenchie from Grease. They did "Beauty School Drop Out" with Donna playing Frankie Avalon's part and Brad as Frenchie...the Beauty School Drop Out. It was very funny, yet strange, to see my husband in a skirt and jacket along with hose and flat, hot pink sandles with a flower on top. Oh...and did I mention the hot pink wig? It was too much fun! Robby ended up not having to work the evening shift and was very excited not have to miss seeing Brad in drag. The entire show was fun...it was the 22nd Annual event...I'm thinking it will be on our calendar every year going forward. Here are a few photos from the event.

I sure am glad he was born a man...because as a woman, he's quite a drag...

Crane Count Day

2008-04-21T16:30:00.007-05:00

Saturday was the day of the annual Sandhill Crane Count. It is always an early morning as the cranes are most active (or so they say) first thing in the morning. We were up at 5am...all of us, Robby included...did I mention he didn't go to bed after he worked the late shift?...yikes...I'm not young enough to do that any more!!!
In any case, we left the house and were greeted at the first pond out the driveway to the left by 4 sandhills standing on the ice. It was still too dark and wasn't very conducive to photos...which was fine. As we drove around the north end of Long Lake, Brad spotted our first loon of the year!!! Again, no shot! We continued on and drove to our assigned site over off of Hwy 70...last year it was a beautiful day...today it was gray and raining lightly. Last year the pond and the small lake were all thawed...this year both were still frozen. We made the best of standing out in the rain, listening for crane calls...here are a few shots from the morning.

We didn't see any cranes while we were there, but here are a few I captured off our dock on Monday morning after the count...

Later we also saw this cool hawk! I have yet to figure out what kind of hawk it is!!!

One of my favorite ways to "blow" a day...

2008-04-21T15:21:00.010-05:00

...is to "joy ride" with Brad...exploring new places...aimlessly driving...with the hopes of running across something interesting, cool enough to take photos of, a new place to eat, etc. We did just that on Sunday...after a great breakfast at Grumpy's we were off to explore.

It was the first real day of spring up here in the Northwoods. We finally had some of the nice weather we had been hearing others have. The temperature had a + sign, was two digits, and the first digit was a 7...holy cow...at one point the car said it was 78 outside...that might have been a bit high but I'm good with somewhere between 70 and 75!! It was a beautiful day. It did seem strange to have the windows down with the warm air blowing...driving next to a frozen lake...but what the heck...a few more days like that will resolve that strange feeling!!!

We started out heading for the Blue Hills. Although it was a beautiful drive, given that we are still in the beginning stages of spring, everything was brown, most lakes were still frozen, and we are only seeing tiny hints of green. We didn't see hardly any signs of wildlife...well, that is, until I had the chance to chase a porcupine. Ok...yes, they are slow...but I still had to work to get into position to get a good photo. I've had the chance a couple times to shoot them, but this was my best chance thus far. I used to be scared of them...apparently that has passed. I even ventured far enough into the woods to know I'd come out with at least a tick or two! It is that time of year after all...and I am the resident tick magnet!!! For the record...I did get two ticks from the little adventure but this photo was worth it for me.

After running through Farm and Fleet to get some tick spray, we moved on to more familiar territory. We headed to Haugen and Bear Lake. We saw a few deer in one of the reliable places. We then drove around the north end of the lake...a place I've only been to a couple times. There was a man with his two kids playing around this little area (Brad would know the actual name of this particular area!) where the ice has begun to melt...it lead into one of the creeks. The creek was completely free of ice but the majority of the lake was not. With the distraction of the dad and kids down the other way, a loon spent time closer to our end doing a bit of fishing. Brad was on the right side of the car so we stayed in the car since it was pretty much a blind, and he took the loon photos this time. It was cool to see him with the camera in his hands!!! He got some good shots...here is my favorite one.
Meanwhile, on my side of the car, I had a great look at the creek. Brad pointed out a man made nesting platform in the distance...instead of seeing an osprey up there as expected, an eagle was there (look closely at the top of the pine tree in the photo below...the eagle is sitting there). Here's a shot from my side of the car...we'll keep an eye on that platform to see if we see any babies!!!
We headed toward home...taking a road I've never taken before. And to my pleasure, more surprises were awaiting us...the best of them, a pair of osprey...one standing guard the other on the nesting platform (There are many up here! They are normally for osprey as they are known to be poor nest builders!) a short distance away over the lake. He was right out by the road on a dead tree. I had only seen osprey from a distance flying over Long Lake. They are regal birds...and oh so very cool. Again it was on Brad's side of the car/blind...darn it. He took quite a few photos while the bird just sat there. Eventually I opened up the sun roof and comandeered the camera...the beautiful bird of prey stayed there and let me shoot more photos of him while I was hanging out the sun roof. Just to add a little entertainment, the sentry decided to head over to the nesting platform...and much to our amazement, decided to mate with the female right in front of us. Not being able to help myself, I continued snapping shots of them...feeling a bit like a voyeur!!! Who gets to actually see something like that...let alone get photos of it???!!! I wasn't about to be a prude at that point! Here, see for yourself...could you have stopped watching???

Leaving the mating couple behind, we went up a short distance and there were two immature eagles perched over the lake on the other side of the street. They were in the trees and the sun was behind them, so no photos to share...but, as always, it was cool to see them.

There are lots of other water fowl migrating through...here are a few shots of some we saw yesterday...

These are called Lesser Scaup's...two males and a female...

This is a Ring-necked Duck...it is a very blurry photo but the best I had...

Just a couple canadian geese here...

Oh...a couple other things happened that didn't get photographed...the peeps are out!!! The small ponds, run off areas, etc. are thawing and warm enough now for the peeps to start singing their mating calls...they aren't up to maximum volume yet...but they are finally out again. Another great sign of spring!!! On the way back to the house, over near the artisian well, there were a couple jakes and along with a couple hens...yes, it is the turkey mating season as well...best part, the one jake was showing off!!! It is a bad photo below but again, the best I could get. Isn't he the bomb?!!!

As we were checking out the peeps closest to the house, I saw another owl. Again, too dark to photograph, but hokey smokes...he was cool! He was calling out right above us! Incredible!!!

I think that's it for what we consider our first day of Spring...I truly can't come up with a better way to "blow" a Sunday!!!

My little kitty girl

2008-04-16T22:47:00.004-05:00

Took this photo the other day of my Kiki girl and felt the need to share...how/when did I become such a cat lover??? Good grief...she's the bomb and I simply adore her (when she wants me to, of course!).

Right in my front "yard"

2008-04-16T21:36:00.005-05:00

Ok...so I don't really have a front yard...but I do have a front "ice"...yes, the lake is still frozen. With any luck, it should be gone within the next week or so. Today I was really glad it was still ice. I was sitting at my desk this morning looking out at the lake...a very large bird lands out on the ice...immediately I figured out it was for a sandhill. I grabbed my camera and headed downstairs to tell Brad. He was on a conference call and had seen the same thing I did. I head out to the dock...lo and behold...there are 8 sandhill cranes out on the ice. Given that they are one of my very favorite birds, I was in complete awe. They were sounding off and walking around. They were definitely paired off...they mate life. It was so cool. They headed down toward the neighbor's house...so I ran in and called Marsha to let her know. This evening I found out they spent an hour and a half out on the dock watching and listening to them. I had a conference call so I didn't get to spend much time out there...but I did get a few shots while I was there. It was fun while it lasted...here is my favorite shot of the day...

My friends are back

2008-04-16T20:20:00.005-05:00

It has been really fun to watch so many of the migratory birds come back to (or through) the area and those that stayed to weather the winter are out and about. Definitely the first signs of spring up here in the northwoods!

Monday was an exciting day for this...although I didn't get very many great shots, I actually wasn't disappointed...I reveled in the feeling of just being in the same space with all of the incredible animals I saw. Between a jaunt out of the house for lunch and a detour on the way home from Birchwood as the sun was going down, I had the opportunity to see all of the following: several pair of hooded mergansers, a couple pair of wood ducks, several Canadian geese (nothing new!), a pair of sandhill cranes (my favs!), a barred owl, an immature bald eagle, a mature bald eagle, 7 deer walking across the ice on the north end of Long Lake, and an otter sitting at the edge of the ice in the same area. Could life get any better?

As I said, the photos aren't great...but here is proof of some of what I saw...

Pussy willow with a pinecone? Is it a fluke? This wasn't the only one...I'm confused! But it looks cool!!!

The ice went off this part of the channel the next day...and instead of it looking pretty and interesting, it looked yucky!

Same here...I thought this was stunning...the next day was UGLY!!!

This is a male wood duck...isn't he stunning? They are flighty...I would need a huge lens to get close to this guy!!!

This was my first sandhill sighting for the year. I had heard them...but had never been this close!!!

Ok...I'd like to say I planned this "pan" of the eagle...but I'd be lying! It was total luck!!! Panning is a technique where you move the camera while the shutter is open...following the action you are trying to capture. If done right, it keeps the main subject in focus but you see the movement in the background...like this...total luck...but I personally love it!!!

This is an immature eagle...

Not a great shot...he only gave me one chance to get it right and I failed...but I'll take it for my first owl shot...I took this while parked on the side of the road and I popped up out of the sunroof!!! This is a barred owl.

You'll have to trust me on this one...the dark "bump" just on the other side of the opening in the ice is the otter.

It is dark...but to the left right above the water opening in the ice is three of the 7 deer that crossed the lake.

It must be Spring somewhere...

2008-04-13T23:41:00.014-05:00

This has been a very strange weekend...we started off with ice and snow showers late Thursday and into Friday. By the time the storm was over, we had at least 8" of very wet snow. While all of our friends, family, and fellow bloggers were celebrating Spring, we were beginning to sing Christmas songs again!!!

We couldn't stand staying in on Friday night, so during the middle of our little snow storm, Brad and I ventured out for the normal Friday night fish fry at Pine Ridge. There weren't too many others with the same thought...seems as if most everyone was hunkered down for the evening to see what Mother Nature was going to do for her winter finale (we hope!). We didn't see a single car on the road to Pine Ridge and less than half a dozen vehicles were in their lot. Service was fast and as usual we had a great meal. The unusual part of the evening came on the way home...the snow was still coming down at a pretty good clip...the brights were on in the Pathfinder so we could keep an eye out for deer...about a mile north of Long Lake Road on B, in the near distance I could see what appeared to possibly be a rabbit hopping toward us in the right tire track left by a previous vehicle...as we got closer, Brad swerved to miss the "rabbit" which ended up being an OTTER...are you kidding me? An otter in the middle of County Road B in the middle of a snowstorm...in the middle of April. We were both in shock...and amazed at the same time!

I did get a chance this weekend to get out and take some photos. Most of Saturday was pretty gray but the clouds rolled out late afternoon and gave us some great blue skies. Sunday finally showed some signs of hope...nice blue skies, lots of sun...and 40+ degrees...enough warmth to melt some of that not so welcome spring snow. Here are a few shots from the weekend...

These are from our property...

While I was out shooting, Brad was moving VERY HEAVY snow around with "Big Blue"...

This chair is at a neighbor's house...I love the random paint on it against all of the white...

Here's a boatlift wishing for Spring too...

This is a hooded merganser...just passing through...

And some wood ducks...there are so many beautiful males in this photo...just wish I had been closer!!!

A stunning sunset...with a couple geese in what little open water there was..

A view of the Namekagon River...

Another sure sign of spring...the beautiful pussy willows...

We see grouse fairly frequently...but normally I don't get a chance to get a photo...

OMG! JBJ!!!

2008-03-22T15:33:00.007-05:00

Wednesday night will live in my memory for a lifetime! For our 5th Wedding Anniversary, my dear husband treated me to an incredible Bon Jovi concert over in St. Paul at the Xcel Energy Center. It was amazing!!! He bought the tickets on eBay and completely surprised me with them while we were celebrating our anniversary up in Ashland. I remember squealing...he remembers me being absolutely speachless for the first time he could remember!

After a busy day at work, Brad and I made the 2.5 hour trek over to the twin cities. We arrived a little early so we would have enough time to take the camera back to the car if they wouldn't let me in with it. I had purchased the camera pretty much for this occassion...I had attempted to meet all of their criteria...no detachable lens, no lens longer than 2", no recording devices. The only rule I broke was the recording device...I didn't know I was going to break it until I had the camera and saw a little movie icon on it then found the little microphone...cool...I hoped they wouldn't pay attention when they let me in. They didn't! That allowed us time to get a t-shirt for me, a beer for Brad, and a big pretzel for us to share. We then took our seats...not only were we on row 14...yes 14...but we had aisle seats. YES! Brad scored incredible seats! One of the girls next to us was a HUGE JBJ fan...she was from Atlanta and had been to the show the night prior.

Promptly at 7:30, Daughtry hit the stage. He was even better than I remember on American Idol. He put on a great 40 minute set. I practiced with my camera on him...realizing that I was getting better shots using the auto mode rather than attempting to use the manual mode on the new little point and shoot Canon we purchased. I really didn't get any great shots of him during his set...too dark, too much movement. I hoped I'd have better luck with Jon! After a 15 minute break for set change, right on schedule, THE MAN, my dreamboat, JBJ hit the stage. From that moment on it was what Brad described as a 2 1/2 hour Bon Jovi juke box. They sounded incredible...and you know Jon looked incredible!!! What an absolutely beautiful man!!! I did what I do...I took photos throughout the entire concert. I went through one set of batteries and a memory card...the batteries were actually HOT! I had to use the LCD screen...it was the only way I could see whether or not I was in focus. I took a ton of photos...in an attempt to get at least 1 decent one. After the concert was over, 24 amazing songs later, I had three different sets of people asking me if I would send them copies of my top 10 photos. How funny!

Here is the set list for the show:

St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center - 3/19/08

LOST HIGHWAY

BORN TO BE MY BABY

BAD NAME

SUMMERTIME

CAPT. CRASH

RADIO

SLEEP

BLOOD MONEY

BLAZE OF GLORY w/ Daughtry

I GOT THE GIRL

WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'

DAMNED

WE GOT IT GOIN' ON

IT'S MY LIFE

BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout

I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - RICHIE VOX

(YOU WANT TO) MAKE A MEMORY

STRANGERS

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME

HAVE A NICE DAY

FAITH

PRAYER

ENCORE:

WANTED

I LOVE THIS TOWN

And now for my top 12...

Anniversary Celebration

2008-03-13T23:04:00.004-05:00

To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, Brad and I spent the weekend up at the incredible 2nd Wind Bed & Breakfast up in Ashland, WI. While "normal" B&Bs are victorian, this one broke the mold and is a Northwoods retreat. A beautiful one at that! They have 2 normal sized suites and one large suite with a loft. The hosts, Kelly & Mark, along with their 5 kids are fantastic. We met three if the kids...Elizabeth (I think she goes by Lizzy), the youngest girl...she's a doll! She showed me her first knitted scarf...she did a great job...then the oldest daughter is Rebecca (Becca)...a very driven, funny, beautiful girl with a huge heart and a knack for making these adorable knitted hats...she just learned 3 weeks ago and she's made nearly 20 of them...she made two the night before we left to come home! Then there is Levi...a very cute, polite, and pretty quiet (from what we saw!) young man...he is an incredible drummer, cross country skier, and friend. Kelly and Mark are fabulous parents and were a great sounding board for Brad and I when it came to talking about teenage boys! This family loves the Lord and it was evident the minute we walked into the house...by the way their house was decorated, the music that was playing in the gathering room, to the way in which we were treated all weekend. They have definitely found their calling...they were great hosts and I hope we touched each others lives enough to call them friends. Did I mention she is a GREAT cook??!!! Here is their web site if you should be up around the Ashland/Bayfield area...trust me...it would be a treat for you to stay with them! http://www.secondwindcountryinn.com/

In addition to the incredible people, we had a great weekend. Saturday, on our way to Bayfield, Brad let me open the little wrapped box that contained my anniversary present. The traditional anniversary gift for 5 years is wood...well, it was a product of wood...it was a piece of paper. On the paper was a familiar logo...eBay...much to my shock and amazement (and squealing pleasure!) it was a bit more than wood/paper...it was the confirmation that he won 2 - row 14 center floor tickets to the Bon Jovi concert in St. Paul. OMG! OMG! OMG! I was going to be within 14 rows of the Jon Bon Jovi!!! I cried...how in the world did I get so lucky to deserve this incredible man? He couldn't have purchased a more wonderful gift for me.

After all the excitement in the car, we arrived in Bayfield and decided to drive across the "ice road" from Bayfield to Madeline Island (one of the Apostle Islands). What an experience...we were driving ON Lake Superior. Hokey smokes! In our new Pathfinder, no less...what the heck were we thinking? It was really cool!!! Brad was nervous, I wouldn't let myself be. We wanted to do it so we could say we did...doubt our little Pathy will navigate that trip again! We drove around the Island and went to the park...beautiful...as we were driving along the lakeshore back to leave the island, at the same time we both saw an animal running across the ice...it was fairly large...we had no binoculars with us so I used my camera with the big lens to see if I could identify the animal...it was a WOLF! That was a first for me! Moments later another one was seen running after the first. They were a long way off...and they were running away from the shoreline...but they were definitely wolves. How incredibly COOL!!!

We then drove up to the Ice Caves on the Lake Superior lakeshore. Here's what their website says about it: "Centuries of wave action, freezing, and thawing have sculpted shorelines throughout Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Some of the Great Lakes' most spectacular scenery occurs where these forces interact with sandstone to create extensive sea caves. Nature has carved delicate arches, vaulted chambers, and honeycombed passageways into cliffs along the mainland near the Lakeshore's western boundary North of Meyers Beach. People come to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in winter to visit the sea caves and witness Lake Superior's ever-changing handiwork." We had to walk about a mile on ice...it was pretty cold...and we weren't dressed to do so. It was also late enough in the day that the sun was setting. We were out there long enough to see how cool they were...and take a few photos (my battery died while out there - I had put what I thought was a new fully charged battery in as we left the car...but apparently it was a fully depleted battery that needed to be charged!). In any case, the caves were cool...we were cold...so we didn't spend much time out there other than walking!!!

We capped off the weekend with an indirect drive home...went to check out the ski resorts up in the area...info for Brad and Robby next season. They had a little more snow than us and the slopes were only going to be open for another couple weeks. Eventually we wound our way back home after an incredible weekend.

What a great anniversary celebration weekend we have...and Oh, did I mention I received tickets to go see Bon Jovi?

03/03/03 + 5

2008-03-03T13:47:00.012-06:00

I have been married to my very best friend for 5 years today. In many ways, it seems as if we were married just yesterday...I certainly remember the details like it was yesterday. In many other ways, it feels like we've been married forever. There have been so many changes in our lives since that magical day. Our big move...Robby coming to live with us...the changes in our jobs...the new friends we've met up here...having a house full of pets rather than just two...and the misfortune of losing our dear mom Ray.

Today I'm going to focus on that incredible day back in 2003 when Brad and I exchanged our vows to God and each other on top of one of His most beautiful landscapes in Mendocino, California.

One of the moments I had been waiting for...Brad pledging his love for me and placing those beautiful rings on my left hand...closest to my heart.

Husband and wife...at last...

All of the flowers for my bouquet were in season there...couldn't be more fresh! They were stunning!

We felt the need to take a photo with our sunglasses on since we were in sunny California while there was snow back home in Indianapolis!

It wouldn't have been complete without cutting the cake. This was taken in front of the Heritage House original farmhouse...we stayed in thier Deerfield 8 suite and the beautiful white gazebo overlooking the Pacific was right on the property.

This was on the deck of our suite. Taken with our first digital camera on auto timer! We obviously had full sun so we did our best!

What an amazing day!!! Just the start to an incredible forever together! I love you Brad with all my heart!

Winter isn't ALL bad...

2008-03-02T23:34:00.010-06:00

As the thoughts of spring start to enter everyone's thoughts around here, I thought I'd look back at Robby's first winter in the Northwoods. As you will be able to see, I do believe he hasn't just "survived" it...as expected, he has really enjoyed it!!! Here are a few examples of the fun he's had...

He ice fished for the first time...and was happy to be rewarded with a great northern pike...it was love at first sight!

He and Faith are extreme buddies...inside and out! Not sure which one has more fun. Here, Robby has piled a large amount of snow on his lap...which for some reason was an invitation for Faith to dig through it as fast as she could...snow flies everywhere...she was completely manic!

Skating is one of his passions...he was very determined to create his own ice rink on the lake...and he did! As sooon as the ice was thick enough, Brad took the ATV out and plowed the area. The ice underneath was pretty rough...after a couple of interesting attempts to put water on the rink area in an attempt to refreeze it and make it smoother, Mother Nature helped out and provided us with a few warmer days...a fresh layer of water magically appeared and proceeded to refreeze...shy of a couple places, the rink was in great shape! Robby skated no matter what the temperature was! He even bought a hockey stick and a few pucks (which Faith thinks are just funny shaped toys!) to play around with. He is quite a good skater!!!

In a previous post, I showed the result of Robby jumping off his snowmobile and dropping to the snow to create a snow angel. We went again yesterday and he did it again for me...this time with my camera in hand to catch the action.

This is what it looks like when snowmobiling on Long Lake...there are so many tracks on the lake that it looks nearly like a snowmobile highway!

I took a shot like this of Brad the other day...wanted one of Robby too...check out those baby blues!

His other winter passions that I haven't yet gotten on "film" are sledding and his #1 passion, snowboarding. I'm really glad he likes winter up here in the Northwoods as much (or more!) than we do!!!

Happy Birthday Kiley!!! You're TWO!!??

2008-02-29T00:12:00.006-06:00

We finally get to celebrate your 2nd birthday!!! Since you are a leap year baby, this is only the 2nd one we've actually gotten to celebrate! It also makes it easier for me to think you are only 2 when you are actually 8 years old today. You are my beautiful baby and you being a millenium leap day baby is just the beginning of what makes you unique. You have a huge heart and love to be my cuddle bug! Yes, you are quirky...your daddy could make a large list of your "issues"...but today is just simply a day of celebration! Thanks for giving me unconditional love and for making me smile!!!! I love you Susie Q!!!

Snowmobiling Fun

2008-02-28T23:19:00.007-06:00

We had great weather on Saturday and took advantage by hopping on the snowmobiles and heading out to enjoy the trails. Brad and Robby had gone out earlier in the week while I was out of town and they realized how cool the Long Lake trail was. They both wanted to share that with me. WOW! It was awesome!!! I've ridden on lakes before, but it has been a while. We rode pretty much the entire 17 mile length of the lake...it was fantastic! I was surprised by what were apparently once snow drifts out on the lake...they cause little hills...also known as JUMPS! Yikes! That was a surprise! Robby, of course likes those a lot! We're not "X Games"...but boy was it fun! We were on our way back to the house and Robby was way ahead of us. All of the sudden he stopped...hopped off his snowmobile...dropped to the ground...and started making a snow angel in the middle of the lake in a place where there was undisturbed snow. We laughed...and of course, I pulled out my camera. Pretty good angel, huh?

I had this desire to see if I could match Robby's 70mph...I did it! Don't plan to do it again, but boy it was a rush! Brad and I went out again after Robby went to work...we had a great ride...tried out another new trail for me and went down the channel for the first time. He was patient as I took time to snap a few shots. We saw our first porcupine of the season...he was way up in the tree and I could see lots of places on the tree where he's been eating the bark. As long as the pups aren't around, I really enjoy the strange little critters! It was a great day!!!

One COLD Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-22T00:11:00.005-06:00

Last night I decided at the last minute to do a little research to see if I could manage to get a couple shots of the lunar eclipse. I looked outside and shoot, it was already in process. Not sure if I read the time wrong or if the show started a bit early. Either way, I hustled and got both my camera and my tripod set up so I could go out in the COLD to see what I could get. I didn't dare check the temperature at the time or I wouldn't go back outside. Today when I checked, it looks like it was about -15 while I was out there. I went out, loaded the camera on the tripod, moved the tripod around in an attempt to dodge the tree limbs, and took a few frames. I didn't take the remote so I set the camera on self timer so I wasn't touching the camera during the exposure. I'd take a few shots then take the camera off the tripod...run inside to thaw out...and wait for the moon to change enough to go back out to brave the cold again. I think I could have slowed my shutter speed down a bit after the shadow became larger to get better photos...but I'll take what I got...I was a lunar eclipse rookie after all!!!

Looks like the next lunar eclipse isn't until December 2010...hopefully it will be warmer next time!!!! It was fun, but did I mention...it was COLD???

VIBE ROCKS - New Website!

2008-01-31T09:01:00.000-06:00

My blog is very new and still in the very early stages...not to mention it is darn cold outside so I'm not taking many photos right now. In any case, for any of you that drop in to see my blog that are avid Photoshop users or Lightroom users, you need to check out Renee Oakenfull's new VIBE website at http://reneeoakenfull.typepad.com/extras/. Renee is the BOMB! She is so very creative! She has actions for both PS and LR, card templates, storyboards, new textures, borders, new blog banners, and oh so awesome custom designed logos/brands. She's awesome to work with and a great photographer herself. You won't be disappointed!!!!!

A BIG day for Brad

2008-01-14T23:36:00.000-06:00

This blog is supposed to be about my photography, my thoughts, and my life...leaving Brad's life and thoughts to his own blog...but I just can't help myself today. It was a very big day for him...he quit his job that brought us up to the Northwoods three years ago. He did so because he finally received a good offer from my little company. It is a good thing. Mr. Modest was surprised to get the calls I expected him to get...the ones from co-workers that took him under their wings and showed him the ropes. He will be very missed by the company and by many there. While some of the good byes were tough, starting over at a new company in a newly created position is going to be tough too...getting used to working out of the house instead of an office will be another new challenge. Unlike me, who LOVES that, visiting customers will be his lifeline to survive feeling trapped in the house. I look forward to being able to have lunch with him once in a while and starting a different routine around here. As hard a day as it was, it is the beginning of a new chapter in our book of life for him...and for us. I'm so excited for him and I'm so very proud of him. It is time to move on to this new exciting challenge! I love you Brad! Congratulations on your new job!!!