Burned!

While writing my previous post I totally forgot that I had hummingbird food on the stove. We now have the sickly sweet smell of burnt sugar permeating our entire downstairs. And I just may have destroyed my small sauce pan!!!

(I have yet to get a good shot of a hummer!!!!)

Our Poor Sick Puppy

Rocket really isn't a puppy anymore even if he still looks like one! He hasn't been feeling well at all lately and so I thought I should dedicate my blog to 13 things about Rocket...

1. He's a miniature poodle.
2. He was a stray.
3. My dad brought him over to us cuz his friend who found him thought that he needed kids.
4. He's about 15 years old and came to live with us about 13 years ago.
5. He has a tug-o-war toy that he used to play with... but now he just doesn't have the energy anymore.
6. He used to play fetch by himself when he couldn't find someone else to play with him. He'd carry his tennisball to the top of the stairs, throw it down and run after it, climb the stairs and do it again.
7. He loves biscuits!!
8. He will only eat his food in the dining room. No matter where we put his dish he will carry his food to the dining room to eat - so I always have a trail of crumbs from his dish to the dining room!! For a while I even tried putting his dish down in the basement. He would go downstairs and come back up with a mouthful of food and when it was gone he'd head down for another mouthful.
9. He HATES the rain!!! One day, when it was raining pretty hard outside, I knew I was going to be gone all day... So I stood outside in the rain with him hoping he'd do his thing. No such luck!! Come evening, I stopped quickly by the house to try again... I figured by now he'd be desperate. He still refused to go! So off I went and didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning (by this time it had been well over 24 hours since he'd gone)... As soon as I got in the house he just couldn't hold it any longer and let it loose all over the carpet. UGH!!
10. He hates baths and getting his haircut.
11. He's afraid of Mango cuz Mango bit him on the nose once.
12. He likes other dogs and will follow them home.
13. He's afraid of the vacuum cleaner, brooms, and my camera! The only way I can get a picture of him is if Brett or Brian is there to protect him or I corner him!!

Grampy

Jessi and I went to visit Granny & Grampy yesterday. Since I already did 13 things about Granny - I thought it was be time to do 13 Things about Grampy...

1. He signs his name V. Glenn McIninch. I don't think he's too keen on his first name and so he goes by Glenn. I'll leave you all to figure out what the V stands for! :)
2. He worked at Kodak and firmly believes that Kodak makes the best cameras.
3. He took up windsurfing when he was in his 70's.
4. He loves photography too! He has THOUSANDS of slides but once he got his digital camera he never went back to film!!
5. He used to trim his bushes into different animal shapes.
6. He designed their house (and built much of it too!) and included such features as hidden doors that lead to extra storage and a laundry shoot.
7. He gave me a 1970 Ford Torino when I was 16. It was my first car and ever so cool!!
8. Once he got stuck in a butter churn.
9. He is a quiet, thoughtful sort and ever so nice!
10. He loves little kids once they start talking but isn't so sure what to do with babies.
11. He has 9 siblings! However 3 died when they were babies and two died as young adults.
12. He loves to talk about history and loves to share memories from his childhood.
13. He doesn't get mad very often, in fact I've never really seen him angry. But he told Jessi about the time he got mad at his brother and threw a wet paint brush at him. :)

Highlights

I got my hair done yesterday. It was my first time getting highlights. I actually let Heather take a picture of me so you all could see the results.

Now, you must know how it is to get your picture done by Heather... First she tells me I look slouchy and tells me to straighten up! Then she says I look stiff and too posed! Then she tells me to smile, and, being the obedient mom that I am, I smile. She starts cracking up! Now she says I look like a chipmunk and so she tells me not to smile. Of course by this time I'm having a hard time not smiling - even if I do want to smack her for telling me I look like a chipmunk! She snapped a couple of pictures and starts laughing again and tells me that I look NAKED!!!! No wonder I hate having my pictures done!! Ahhh well. What do you think? Am I cool yet???? Am I just the happening thing?!!

Beka says we need to work on make-up next.... And then, who knows, maybe a tatoo or a belly piercing. How 'bout a nose ring? Or better yet, maybe I should get my tongue pierced!

Becoming World Champ

I thought I'd share a project my mom and I have been working on. It's a magazine article about Kyle, a 10 year old boy, who is a rising star in the world of Radio Controlled Helicopters. He is already competing against some of the top pilots in the world. (This picture is of Kyle with a pilot who is ranked number 2 in the world.) Kyle is extremely dedicated - practicing hours every day, whether on the field or on a simulator. His parents actually have to make him stop sometimes to do other things! But they are very supportive of his hobby and do all they can to help him succeed at his goal of becoming world champ!

We sent our manuscript and pictures off to a publisher several weeks ago and never heard BOO!! BUMMERS. But it is off to another publisher (Highlights). So maybe...

We also have plans of making a book on the hobby of Radio Controlled Helicopters. It is a growing hobby. People spend thousands of dollars on helicopter kits, teaching videos, radios, simulators, engines and other parts and paraphernalia. They have to first build their helicopters! And they often crash (though Kyle doesn't!) and have to either repair or rebuild. To each his own I suppose! I have my hobby and wonder why everyone doesn't want to be a photographer and I'm sure these hobbyists wonder the same!! LOL. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully different God created each person.

RC Photos

This is Kyle with his Radio Control. The clothes pin indicates the frequency that he must use for that event.



Kyle spends hours on a simulator. It's supposed to be just like the real thing! Many kids think it's fun to crash on a simulator. Not Kyle. He hates crashes of ANY kind!!



Hovering upside down just above the grass is a dangerous and difficult maneuver that Kyle manages with ease.



Pilots have lost their helicopters by flying beyond what their eyes could see!




Every morning Kyle watches the same video that teaches various maneuvers while eating his breakfast. Even while I was photographing this scene he was oblivious to me and the camera and lights.




Kyle has all kinds of paraphernalia relating to helicopters.



As mentioned earlier - Kyle is already winning against the best of the best! Here he is with his very first trophy.

Quiddler

We learned a new card game this week. I bought Heather Quiddler for Christmas a few years ago and we had never even opened it! Jessi pulled it out the other day and asked if I would play it with her. It was a lot of fun! Kind of a cross between Scrabble and Rummy. The game consists of 8 hands. In the first hand everyone receives 3 cards, in the second 4, all the way up to 10 cards in the last hand. Each card has a letter or a phonogram (ie. th, qu, er, etc.) and each has different point values. On each turn you draw a card from the draw pile or the discard pile and see if you can use all your cards to make a word or words with one left over to discard. Each word must use at least 2 cards. When you can use all your cards you may lay them down and then each player has one more chance to play. They may lay down any words that they have in their hand and only cards that don't make words are counted against them. To score each hand you add up the points on the cards (minus any left-over cards). You receive a 10 point bonus for having the longest word and another bonus is given to the one who laid down the MOST words. If there is a tie the bonus is forfeited. Fun and educational! What more could you ask for?!

Apology

Hmmmm... It's been a while since I last blogged! Many apologies to all my fans. :) I will try and do better!! But I've been sooo busy! This week is especially busy.

She's Back!!

Joni Spaz Deere is back! Be sure to check out her new and improved blog!!

The Many Faces of Martha

At great personal risk (see threat under comments in previous post!) I now present to you the many faces of Martha...

Funny Faces

Would anyone like me to post the many faces of Martha????

Enjoying God's Creation

Photography has taught me to see and appreciate God's awesome creation like never before. I enjoy things that I never thought twice about before. Beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds, unique and interesting flowers, bugs, and other critters. On my hike with Martha we saw some very unique trees - the trunks looked like lizard skin! I've spent a lot of time down by seabreeze with the ducks, geese, swans and sea gulls. Each and every one of 'em is a unique creation with a personality all it's own. All the trees, every insect, every flower - a unique creation designed by God and for Him. And He knows everything about each and every one of them and He enjoys His creation! What an awesome God we serve!! And I'm learning that God really does speak through His creation. He tells us mysteries about Himself and about His kingdom - if only we would take the time to look and to listen and to learn.

Create your own video at One True Media

Up with the Birds

Jessi and I got up bright and early this morning and headed back to Durand. We wanted to get some more pix of the nesting swans. I thought it would be a good time to take pictures cuz morning lighting is sooo much nicer than the harsh afternoon lighting that I fought with yesterday. What I didn't know... mamma swans like to sleep in!! I didn't think a sleeping swan would make for an interesting picture, so Jess and I headed over to Seabreeze to take pix of the birds over there.


I also took some more pix over in Eunices garden while the girls had their music lessons. This one makes me dizzy! I was really hoping to get a giant bumblebee - but I can't seem to get one! While there I had this brilliant idea... I thought I'd take a picture of Eunice's house. To take the picture I went way out in her front yard and laid down in the grass so that I was eye level with the sea of dandelions in her front yard. I guess I thought it made for a more interesting composition. The thing I didn't count on was that I got dandelion all over my new jeans and my sweater!! I sure hope it comes out!!! Any suggestions for removing dandelion from clothing????

Hunting

My mom and I went hunting today. Here I am all decked out in camo!! Aren't I just the fashion statement? My mom has a friend that hunts with a bow and arrow and a gun - but today we were shooting with cameras. She agreed to teach us how we could get up close and personal to get a good shot. We had to buy scent free soap for our clothes and for the shower. We both forgot to buy the scent free deodorant so we had to go without. Aren't you glad you weren't there with us?! She sprayed us with a woodsy scented 'perfume'. YUCK!! But I suppose the deer and the turkey and other critters like it and that's what mattered today. She dressed us up in her camo from head to toe. My pants were several sizes too large - I think Jessi could have fit in them with me! :) We even had head nets which made it a little difficult to see. They are to keep the bugs away and also to hide your face. It got a little toasty hiking around in all those clothes! I had on extra thick socks too cuz my boots were too big for me. LOL. And somehow I was supposed to 'sneak around' in all this bulky/clunky garb.

Unfortunately there wasn't much out today. That's the way it goes with hunting I suppose. Sometimes you 'hit the jackpot' but most of the time... NOTHING! We did see some deer (I counted five) but I just couldn't get in close enough!! My mom got a couple of shots - but even with her 200 mm lens it still wasn't close enough. She also got a turkey... But again, it would have been nice if she had been able to get a little closer. But it was a good day and we had fun! I'm hoping to go out again sometime. Jessi wants to go hunting with us. And Heather too. Though she doesn't care about taking pictures - she just wants to dress up in camo and sneak around in the woods!

After our hunting excursion my mom took Jessi and I up to Durand Eastman Park where there was a nesting swan. I counted at least 3 eggs - but I really think I saw a 4th. Of course I took quite a few pix!! I want to go again early some morning and get better lighting! But I still like these pix. It would also be cool to be there when they hatch!!! My mom will be stopping to check on 'em often. And the rest of that area too. She says there is ALWAYS people over there taking pictures.