Summer is here!

On the calendar, it is officially summer. I still have 5 days left of work until I am off for a month, but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying the sunshine and warm weather already.What better way to spend a summer evening than playing with your friends? Grace got to play with Dawson, Mayna, Luke, Mya, Alex, and Isabel on Saturday. At this age, they play alongside each other not really "with" their friends and sharing isn't always welcome. It was fun, though. Especially watching how they interact and discover new things!

The grass so green,

The sun so bright,
Life seems a dream,
No worries in sightTans and tank tops,
Laughter and bliss,
Each moment passes,
Without even a missFriends and cookouts,
Memories and laughs,
Good times to remember,
That will last and last.

Cookie was very good

Cookie Monster went to the dermatologist yesterday. Lucky for him, Grace was there to check things out and hold his hand!Point and shoot camera...can you tell?

Experiment

Last night we had some pretty big storms. The satellite TV kept going out and I thought there was a chance the lights might follow. So, I got out a flashlight just in case. Grace found the light fascinating and she illuminated her face, body parts, the wall, and Daisy. I remembered some photos I recently saw on another blog and decided to experiment with the camera a little to see what would happen. These photos are evidence that I have no idea what I am doing. But I am going to learn how to make this work and you will see some crisp, clear, low light, no flash photos someday.....

I wanted these to be in black and white, so I had to venture away from the comfort of the automatic modes to "P" on the creative side of the dial. That would have been great if I had any idea what I was supposed to do next. I knew the shutter was going to be open longer so I tried to brace my arms and stay as steady as possible but the pictures still came blurry. I can't see a tripod working here since my subject wasn't sitting still either. I think I was supposed to do something with the ISO and I suppose I could have tried the flash, but I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I think I need to try things out like this and then go and figure out what I did wrong and try it again.

Enjoy them anyway....I think the concept is cool, even if the pictures are not so great.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Just some photos we took yesterday afternoon... I was trying to get close-up portrait images looking directly at me, but Grace was too busy (putting ALL her toy food into the kiddie pool) to look at the camera. I had to take a lot to end up with these....

This one is a little light, but I love how Grace is smiling!
Here she was patting her legs and singing to herself!

Just some old-fashioned fun

We went to Brooklyn today. Brooklyn, Ohio, that is.Memphis Kidde Park (named for the street it is on, not the city) was started in 1952 as an amusement park for younger kids. You have to be under 50 inches to ride their rides, which made it perfect for Grace. Lately, she has shown an interest in all things that "go" - planes and helicopters in the sky, the Goodyear blimp (which flies over our lake often), the train at the zoo, the toy cars at daycare, those coin-operated rides at the mall, and the grocery cart with the car attached at the supermarket. (That last one she calls "mine" as soon as we get out of the car. I fear the day that they are all in use when we get there and Grace has to ride in a regular cart!) Kyle even lets her sit in the front seat of the car (when it is parked in the garage and without the keys in the ignition) and she pretends to move the steering wheel, pulls the emergency break, and tries to play with the radio. So, when I heard about this place I thought it would be worth visiting to let Grace ride to her heart's content.Memphis Kiddie Park has 11 rides that look like they have been there since they opened in 1952. (Well, okay, that is not really true. Although the rides are not NEW, they are clean, well-maintained, and in good condition.) The rides are mostly the old-fashioned ones you probably remember from your childhood - that rocket ride that goes up and down as it moves in a circle, boats that float one behind the other, a small wooden roller coaster, a Ferris wheel... In fact, the entire time I was there I kept thinking about my parents taking my brother and me to Nellie Bly, a kiddie amusement park near Coney Island - also in Brooklyn, New York, of course!. This is just like that place. I guess that is is pretty cool that I can provide Grace with experiences similar to the ones I had as a kid. And, I am so glad that we went today because it brought back a lot of memories that I probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

Kyle couldn't wait for Grace, he jumped right on the
Little Dipper with a bunch of other 7-year old boys!Oh, I'm kidding. Grace was sitting right beside him,
but you can't see her in this photo. She didn't like this ride.

The first ride Grace tried were these individual cars that went around on their own axis and also in a big circle. So, potentially you could be moving in more than one direction at the same time. You can see her initial reaction. After this and the roller coaster, I was worried that taking her here was a mistake. But she soon warmed up and eventually rode every ride at least once and her favorites several times.

By the end of the morning, this is how Grace looked
on this crazy-car ride.

Grace chose the merry-go-round for her 3rd ride
- something she is familiar with. It was a good decision!

Here comes the big choo-choo!And the little one.

I think Grace rode the boats the most. Maybe it was because this ride was in the middle of the park or maybe it was because it seemed calm and safe to her. She could barely reach the steering wheel, but she did ring the bell a few times!She also seemed to like this rocket ride. I had fun taking pictures of her on this one. It was a challenge to get anything decent because it was moving too fast to focus and the ride kept going higher in the air with each time around. Eventually, I stood on a picnic table and got the best shots there.

There is something I like about this photo...

We had a nice morning. When we arrived, the park was pretty empty but there were a lot of people when we left. Grace rode the Ferris wheel at the end with these two little girls who were waiting in front of her.Next time, we need to go with a friend....

Evening swim

I tried out the zoom lens tonight and got this tranquil picture of some geese swimming near our house. I am happy with it. I like how clear the water was and the reflection of the geese on the surface. There was a slight ripple in the water but what you are seeing there is the vegetation growing from the bottom. The lake is really that clean!

I was surprised that I couldn't get a good picture of an osprey on the other side of the lake. I am figuring out the parameters and limitations of the 75-300 mm lens quickly and am already coveting more zoom and image stabilization. But don't worry - I am not crazy. That lens alone sells for $650!

Princess and the pea

Today Grace got in trouble at daycare. At lunch as she tried to stuff a perfectly round, green pea in her nose, the teachers quickly caught and scolded her. When I went to pick her up, she immediately put her snack in the trash and came over to me for some cuddle time. She never does this. In fact, most days I have to pry her away from the toys, the "cars" outside, or her friends. It takes us many minutes to round up Grace and her things and say goodbye to everyone. Not today. She came right to me, asked to be held, and pointed to the door as if to say, "We need to go!" Now, I will gladly accept any and all cuddle time, but I knew right away that something was wrong. When I looked over her head at the teachers they told me what had happened. Apparently, they made a really big deal about the pea-in-the-nose incident so she would understand not to try it again. Good for them! Grace cried and the rest of the afternoon kept her distance from the teachers. Right before snack they asked her if she wanted to hug Miss Diana. Yes. Was Grace angry with Miss Diana? Yes. Did Grace want to hug Miss Jessie? Yes. Was Grace angry with Miss Jessie? Yes. Was Grace angry with Grace? No! Of course not. But I think she learned her lesson. (Insert satisfied smile here.)

Oh, this is gonna be good!

The original title for this post was going to be, "In over my head!" because, thanks to the BTST, I came home from the camera store yesterday with a brand new Canon Rebel XS kit with an additional 75-300 mm lens, filters, a 1G memory card, DVD tutorial, and a backpack to carry it all in. I listed all the "extras" because that is part of the reason why I went to an old fashioned camera store instead of a chain or buying it on the internet. The guy there threw in some of the little things I needed (filters, memory card, DVD) and set up the date, time, strap, etc. for me AND showed me how to put on and take off the lens. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but really it is. Plus, I also figured now I have someone to go to with any questions as I start experimenting with this amazing piece of equipment.

So last night after Grace went to bed I charged the battery and watched the DVD trying out many of the different modes and features of the camera. I took a lot of really bad pictures of Daisy, Grace's toys, the wall, and the plants. Today, I left work a little early and took some uninspired photos of flowers in my garden. This is the only one I dare to show you.Yeah, nothing to write home about.

But then I picked up my favorite subject from daycare. Let the games begin! I had the baby pool all ready so we went out on the deck for playtime and a photo shoot. I started out in full "auto mode" where the camera did everything for me.

Grace looks like she is saying, "Wait a minute" but she is really pointing to a helicopter. Daisy wanted to get in on the action.

I also played with the "sports setting" (another type of "auto") which they say is what I need for kids and pets. Since I have a 2-year old who only stops when she is asleep, I think I am going to get to know this mode well!

Wow! That water is cold!Don't you just love my swimsuit?

And, I tried out the "portrait mode". I was trying to get some close-ups of Grace with the blurred background like a "professional". Don't misunderstand. In theory I understand how to get the blurred background but I have no clue how to make it happen on the camera. Anything you see here is due to the camera's ability to focus on the subject. I can't take any credit.And, yes, Dad, I took MANY, MANY more pictures than I saved. That is a huge deal for me. I always wait for the best shot but I really should just keep snapping away and edit later. In the sports mode you can hold the button down and it will fire off 3 pictures per second. Grace thought this was pretty interesting and the noise of the camera clicking got her attention. Hmmmm. That's one way to get a toddler to look at the camera, I guess.

All these were done with the "auto" mode.

I have to admit, when I left the store yesterday I was really worried that I dropped a whole lot of money on something that I might not use. Then last night (and into the wee hours of the morning) I played with the camera and felt like I was taking the worst pictures ever! That made for more panic and no sleep.

Close up in "auto"
Close up in "sport"
Close up in "portrait"

Ahhhh, but today, all I can say is there is some hope and this is gonna be good! Stay tuned.

(One feature I really like on my point and shoot camera is that I can zoom, edit, and save right on the camera. This is not possible with the SLR camera. Too bad. It is a nice feature. But I guess I am about to get really picky about my photos. The next purchase looks like some editing software.)