My Pixelated Oasis

Depth of Field

2012-01-28T12:45:00.011-06:00

I thought it was time to revisit "The Wizard" for a little Depth of Field wisdom:

There are four major factors that affect depth of field: 1) Lens aperture (f stops); 2) focal length of the lens; 3) the distance from the subject to the camera; and 4) the distance from the subject to the background.

You'll see only the effect of three of the factors affecting depth of field, because I never changed the distance of the subjects to the background.

So! Here's my trusty 50mm 1.4 lens, Dorothy(no, Glinda! First, I wrote Dorothy, but someone corrected me and of course, this is Glinda!), The Tin Man, The Scarecrow and the Lion. Glinda is the focal point. The background is a DVD case and the ugly base of a poinsetta (a pretty poinsetta, but not the foil around the pot), and some random yellow flowers.

f/2.8 50mm
In the photo above, you can see that a large aperture produces less depth of field. Remember f values like 1.4, 2.8, etc., mean large aperatures relative to f values like 11, 16, 22, etc., which produce more depth of field. The greater the depth of field, the more of the background that is in focus. Including ugly, cluttered backgrounds.

f/5.6 50mm

f/11 50mm
The photo above has a smaller aperture, or opening, with an f value of 11, than the first photo with the f value of 2.8. And now Glinda has to share the spotlight more with her buddies, the Scarecrow, The Lion and the Tin Man. How annoying is that? Let's dump them with a large aperture again, and a lens with a longer focal length.

This next set of photos shows were taken using the 85 mm 1.8 lens. Obviously, 85 mm is a longer focal length than the 50 mm lens. Wide angle lenses have much more depth of field than longer lenses, even if the exact same aperture setting is used. Compare this next photo, at f/2.8, with the first 50 mm photo above, also at f/2.8.

Oh, that Glinda! She's just about completely ditched the Lion and Tin Man, and all that you can see of the Scarecrow now is a blur of his elbow. (The Scarecrow is missing more because of the much more narrow angle of the 85mm lens than that of the 50mm, but it's the shallow depth of field that booted his buddies.

f/2.8 85mm

f/5.6 85mm

And by f/11, the Tin Man and Lion are making more of an appearance again.
f/11 85mm

Now look at this next set of photos, using my 70-300mm lens, set at 200mm. I had to move the tripod further away from the subjects for these photos, in part because there was no way I could get the camera to focus on this subjects while staying as close to the figures as I was with the 50mm or 85mm lens.

And the 3rd factor affecting depth of field is distance from the subject to the camera, so these next two photos are introducing two variables: the long focal length of the lens (less depth of field), and greater distance from the subject (more depth of field).

If I had been able to keep the distance the same as the f/5.6 50mm, and the f/5.6 85 mm above, you would have seen even more pronounced blurring of the background in this 200mm photo:
f/5.3 200mm

Even at f/11, with the 200mm lens, look how creamy the background continues to be. Now imagine the possibilities of shooting outside using a longer focal length, keeping your subject at least 10 feet from a background, and you being a good 10 feet in front of your subject!

(Personally, I'm not going outside until is significantly warmer!)

f/11 200mm
And because we all know that the Wizard used smoke and mirrors, if you have any additional bits of information about depth of field that you'd like to add in the comments, please do so!

PS (I wish I had Dorothy!)

An Eerie 6 am

2012-01-25T08:28:00.003-06:00

It's not suppose to look like this, nearly two hours before sunrise, at 6 am, in Grand Forks. The lighting has been really weird lately. A few nights ago, it was surpisingly bright at 10:30 pm, with just a crescent moon. I kept walking outside, looking at the sky, wondering what the heck was going on. And there's a pinkish tinge to the sky.

Last night, it was usual night; you know, kinda black.

Then this am, it's like this, with the pink again. I know there's a solar hurricane going on, but I'm not really sure if this is part of the Northern Lights, or just Grand Forks Weirdness.

Cold or Brutal?

2012-01-19T10:45:00.001-06:00

From Drop Box

Cold or Brutal? You be the judge!

(Just doing what we do best in North Dakota: complaining about the weather.)

Thank God For Cheerleaders!

2012-01-13T15:45:00.001-06:00

Thank God for colorful, cheery cheerleaders. . . .

. . . . to get us through days like this!

Cold Nights, Dreaming of Longer Days!

2012-01-12T19:10:00.005-06:00

Sometimes ND is chilly. And a little dark. Like today, where sunrise was at 8:15 am, and sunset was at 4:58 pm. I'm actually excited about this, because there's more light now than there was a few weeks ago. And right now the windchill is 17 below zero.

Here's how I prepare to go outside with Ruby for a walk:

Northface Triseason jacket (excellent!); Northface gloves (not very good; fingers still hurt fairly rapidly); hat that I can pulled down further over my face; neck scarf with zipper that I pull up to just below my glasses; cuddle duds under my jeans (you can't see them, but they're purple); boots; dog leash, poop bag, and string cheese (partially split into little strings for easy puppy luring to walk on my side rather than dragging me at 10mph across ice). And out I go, lasting about 15 minutes max.

I've been thinking about future retirement and drooling over Austin, TX, weather, pulling it up on all my weather apps. Today, at 7pm, it's 44 degrees. Spring weather! But even better, I've realized that they actually have longer days! I don't quite get the whole planet rotation thing, but I do get that their sunrise is 7:30 am, and sunset today is 5:50 pm! Look at that! That's a whole 95 minutes more of sunlight! Of daytime! Like, an hour and a half's worth!

As in you could leave for work in the light, and come home in the light! Oh, the bliss that would be!

Someday. . . . someday. . . . .

All Gone!

2012-01-10T19:10:00.004-06:00

Gone, but missed, are these pretty Christmas ornaments:

Gone, but not missed is my "trial" of Sirius! I made myself listen to this until the trial ran out, and I'm very happy to see it gone now. I could see if you were frequently driving across the country, or trapped in the no-where-lands of SD out of range of all radio signals, relying on Sirius for entertainment. But for my day-to-day life, no thank you! I'm really surprised by how many commercials and sales pitches for Sirius Radio took up their air waves! I felt I had to listen to it while it was "free" but am delighted to have Minnesota Radio back where it belongs--my number one spot on my radio!

See you next year, little Santas and Angels!

Christmas Present(s) and the Texan

2012-01-06T10:07:00.005-06:00

My sweet sister-in-law, Barb, sent me this Texan ornament. It's part of her diabolical though brilliant plan to recruit Doug and I to Texas. We're thinking about Austin TX when we retire. (Oh, I don't know why. Something about it being 72 degrees right now when we're at 29, with a "real feel" of 15.) This Texas ornament really is the size of the local high school, too, because everything really is bigger in Texas!

Ruby got this crazy squeaky toy for Christmas. She loves it! She can drive us humanoids insane with its squeaking in just under 72 seconds! The way it's constructed, the squeaker is in the middle of the toy, with extra layers of plastic/rubber webbed around the outside. She hasn't shredded it yet! All stuffed animal squeaky toys have a very short life-span with Ruby, but this one looks like it's going to be around for awhile. She loves carrying it around in her mouth!
It won a Best in Show award at the 2010 Global Pet Expo. Here's a link.

A Beautiful Face of January 1, 2012

2012-01-04T13:16:00.004-06:00

Today's prompt is wide aperture, and although I took this photo January 1st, I decided to use it. f/1.8; 1/100; ISO 400. Used external flash, -1/3 flash compensation, TTL/BBL. 85 mm lens, shot RAW, tweaked with Radical Lab to add some contrast.

I'm a little biased, but I think Ruby is gorgeous! And she's a great little poser; she'll "Stay" forever for one lousy Cheerio. How long would you stay still for a Cheerio? Actually, I'm lucky I caught the shot before she started drooling.

Good Bye Christmas Ribbons

2012-01-03T19:37:00.003-06:00

Good Bye, Christmas Ribbons, your days are numbered. This weekend, you'll come down, along with all the other Christmas decor. The others will be packed away. But you. . . well. . . most likely the trash.

But you did your job well, after Elizabeth carefully hung you from the chandelier. You saved lots of tall people from bonking their heads, as they reached for the meatballs or phyllo and goat cheese pockets, during our Christmas party.

Such a sad ending for festive little ringlets . . .

I could let Ruby play with you for awhile, but it would just be all drool and slobber, and then wrestling you from her before she swallowed it. . . so I guess it's just the trash for you. sorry.

Christmas Open House Party

2012-01-02T21:08:00.005-06:00

Don't you just hate it when you have a large gathering, and don't take very many photos? I had SO intended to do so!

I invited 40 to 60 people to our house the Friday before Christmas, as a Christmas Open House party, and to celebrate Scott and Elizabeth's wedding (in October.) So for months, I've been baking and cooking and baking, and stuffing my freezer to the brim! My wonderful sister-in-law, Maria, has been consulting with me on recipes, and she sagely recommended the Silver Palate Chocolate mousse (pretty red ramekins, from Maria, in the photo above). I substituted Kahlua for the Grand Marnier. I'll never again make the Chocolate Fantasy, in the little flared dishes, to the left of the chocolate mousse. Pretty, but nasty tasting. I don't get it; I did a trial run and liked them well enough. Most of the 24 little cups went into the garbage disposal after the party.

The punch with peppermint ice cream (foreground, right) was a definite hit! See the little white cups behind the punch bowl? I managed to buy them from a dollar store, 48 for $6. At that price, I would never give the "Northwest Airlines" stamped on the bottom a second thought!

Bottom left: the 3 tiered plate was inspired by Rachel Ray, and episode in which plates and tall glasses or vases are arranged together to make extra 3 tiered servers. I used a tall candy dish at the base.

Biscotti and raspberry linzer cookies are two of my favorite Christmas cookies.

Above: before the party, but before I put most of the items out.

And these two beautiful faces belong to Saxon and Scott. Bet you can figure out which is which!

A few of you marveled at the extraordinary ability of Saxon and Ruby (yesterday's video) to avoid knocking things off the coffee table while they wrestled and raced around the living room. They really were quite agile, and we were able to successfully tell them to leave the Christmas tree alone. But the first night, before the party, we were not as successful. Ruby's tail managed to down two glasses of red wine onto the carpeting, before we adult humans caught on and watched our glasses carefully.

The Mean, Mean, Ruby Machine Teasing Poor Little Saxon

2012-01-01T01:38:00.004-06:00

Poor little Saxon (Scott and Elizabeth's four month old Cockapoo), valiantly tried to hold his own with the older woman, (Ruby, 11 months). But Ruby is in training, and must perfect her skills of using Saxon to clean up spills in the kitchen. After all, every dog should have a job to do.

But now Saxon has gone back home to DC, leaving Ruby to pine away for him, and him for her.

And we are left to our own devices, celebrating the New Year in our usual fashion: watching Reno 911 episodes and a touch of the bubbly at midnight. Hello, 2012!

Decisions, Decisions. . . What Should the Well-Dressed Lab Wear for Christmas!

2011-12-27T22:20:00.003-06:00

Sometimes it's tough to choose just the right attire for special events. And SOME friends are pushy about their ideas. First, they tackle you. . . .

Cover you in slurpy kisses and chew on your ears. . . .

. . . insist they know just the right thing to wear. . . .

. . . . and sit on your head to be the hat.

Friends! What would life be without them?

Another Peek at the Relatives While We Were In Philly

2011-12-03T16:00:00.003-06:00

If you ever need to rent a really cool brother for some kind of PR reasons, consider this one, the one who's giving me weird looks while I hug his shoulders.

. . . Or this one, although Maria has first dibs on him, of course. Be forewarned, my rates are high for their rental. . . .

Here, we likely have my brother corrupting my sweet husband, Doug, with something on his camera. Can't you just tell by the look on Robert's face?

All was not fun in Philly. . . . This city is downright evil when it comes to parking! My brother, Robert, got a $76 parking ticket. . . . AFTER having put money in the meter AND having a handicapped sticker in his window. Down the block, 4 cars down, was a sign that said "bus loading zone." But not next to where he parked, but apparently he was suppose to know. Here, Doug is frowning ferociously at the parking ticket we got. . . . $36 for being about 3 minutes over! And then there was the $26 fine my sister got because of the way tollway lanes were labelled, and they missed the window to get toll ticket, and had to pay for the entire length of the tollroad, when they got off 3 miles down the road!

Everything else about Philly sang "brotherly love," but definitely not their parking policies/transportation policies!

Distractible Huddle

2011-11-30T08:44:00.005-06:00

First task each am on our Philly trip: gathering together and deciding what we want to do, eat, do and eat some more. Especially eat.

But look how well we stay focused!

And notice Lee playing a game of checkers. With himself. With scraps of paper.

And look how happy he is that he won!

Philly Fun

2011-11-29T18:36:00.004-06:00

Should you have children, (which happen to be quite a bit of work, but very worth it), make sure that you require them, if they get married, to do so in a cool city. Because it's the least they can do to entertain us (which they must), given how much work they are.

So, Scott got married in Philadelphia (good choice, Scott; so far, you're doing it all just right!) And what a cool city it is! (Except for their parking issues!)

And when/if your kids get married, it will give you a golden opportunity to hang out with your relatives!!!!

This is Betsy Ross--NOT one of my relatives. She was excellent and stayed in character in such a wonderful way that I'll always picture her any time I ever hear of any reference to Betsy Ross again.

These ARE two of my relatives, one older brother, one younger. It's the funniest thing, getting two brothers together; it seems to bring out the Uber Imp in them. Who knew that Lee would be so fiendishly attracted to. . . . vegetation?

November Days: Best Spent Being Industrious

2011-11-26T22:01:00.004-06:00

It's time to get busy!

. . . . each in her own way.

Wedding Photographers are Awesome!

2011-11-22T17:40:00.005-06:00

Seriously, you are! I don't know how you do it, day after day, getting all those perfect shots! Just the handful I got at my son's wedding were laborious . . . . and imperfect. And it was terribly agonizing to sit in the front row, tears in my eyes, seeing Scott and Elizabeth so lovingly wed. . . and not have my Nikon D300s in hand!

But my sweet sister, Mary Ann, graciously saw to it that my camera made it to the reception for me to get a "fix." Isn't her son (above) just cuddly adorable?

And my daughter Dianna, who is truly always right, says that wedding photographers have the most thankless job on the planet, because everyone looks at their own photos, and don't like them. Especially us women. (Relatives! You know who you are!) Ahhhh, but the rest of us! I love this photo of Maria and Lee, joyfully dancing at the reception. When I walked down the aisle, and caught Maria's beaming smile, I felt so embraced by a circle of love, and knew that this was the kind of family embrace that would extend to Scott and Elizabeth, and on through our circles of connection.

Thanksgiving week is such a wonderful week to count our blessings! I count this photo of Brian, above, one of my blessings! To catch his under-stated smile, without any hands warding off the Mom-Camera, was such a gift!

Mmmmmmm, cake! The fall theme was so perfect for the wedding! But WHY did I miss a shot of the pumpkins that they carved the night before, lining the path to the wedding venue?

No one would let me put these desserts in my purse to take home to enjoy the extras! I want to swirl white chocolate like that!

If only I could live close to these wonderful women!

Group Shot

2011-11-20T19:11:00.003-06:00

Wow! Two days in a row (although, technically, one was this morning and this one is the evening of the same day.)

(You'd be posting twice in one day too if your husband was doing what mine is right now. He's watching Lawrence Welk! I kid you not! It's just sad.)

OK, so about my post. This is a group shot of my family at Scott and Elizabeth's wedding. It's a shot at the very end, after much dancing, (at least on Scott and Elizabeth's part), so everyone is beginning to look a little bit bedraggled.

But, I have to say, I really love all these people! This photo has me and Doug, our three children, the wonderful woman my son has married, two of my brothers and their phenomenal wives, my wonderful sister, her husband and her two little kids. You have no clue who is who, right? But you know what I mean, I hope, when I talk like this about family. . . .

Me and Three Sibs

2011-11-20T09:09:00.001-06:00

Life's been such a whirlwind! A vacation, a puppy, an anniversary, a wedding, and now, preparing for a large Christmas party and a grand-puppy!

But I miss posting on my blog!

Barcelo Maya Palace, the Yucatan Peninsula

2011-09-01T09:36:00.002-05:00

In my fantasies, this is where I'll go, come Winter, North Dakota.

Just for Fun. . . From Mexico Xel Ha

2011-08-30T09:23:00.001-05:00

This bad boy is fun to mess with with different editing techniques:

The Birthday Tour: Part 4 Our So-Called Scenic Backway

2011-08-16T15:49:00.002-05:00

And practically a stone's throw from Canada, traveling west, we proceeded along the so-called Rendezvous Region Backway through the "Spectacular Pembina Gorge." I suppose I should be more ecstatic about it, but somehow I was not. Maybe it was the construction we ran into on a 2 lane gravel road, which literally made us have to stop in our tracks for 20 minutes, waiting for the pilot car to lead our little caravan of about 10 cars, across a stretch. Apparently, some kind of construction was occurring (invisible construction escaping the naked eye.) And do you know how long it takes to accumulate 10 cars on a North Dakota backroad?

Well, to prevent totally caving to the phenomena of the "grass being greener on the other side," I just boosted the saturation and contrast in this photo:

This is as hilly as you could ever get in North Dakota. I kid you not; this is our ski slope! (My son once broke his collar bone skiing there. The parent accompanying him on this middle school trip really annoyed me when she called me from the hospital, s*l*o*w*l*y dragging it out that she was in the hospital with my son, then digressing into something about the weather, before she told me he was fine! ALWAYS begin these conversation with a parent with the bottom line: "He/she is fine." That's the rule. Don't break it! It's evil to handle it any other way.)

We did have a hitchhiker on our trip to see the scenery. Before we got totally lost, out of range of our Garmin and cell phone coverage. How do you get lost when there are only a handful of roads? And we kept asking, is THIS the spectacular scenic byway?

And we saw wildlife, so all was good.

The Birthday Tour: Part 3 Icelandic State Park

2011-08-14T20:25:00.004-05:00

And this is a rare bit of wonderfulness in North Dakota: an honest to God, actual, real, beach. They're rare, and miles and miles apart (unless you think of Devil's Lake, which is a lake that seems to be slowly consuming the state, like something out of a grade B horror flick named something like "The Glob"). But this is in Icelandic State Park, and it's beautiful.

And there are walking trails! Just wandering through the woods, along some fields. Doug is stalking a monarch. The monarch population has been declining because of the use of herbicides to control milkweed. Apparently, the monarch really depends on the milkweed plant. So I guess Doug should grab this photo while he can.

And you know that little obsession I have about sRGB? And making sure that the photos I post are in this color space rather than RGB? Forget all that stuff I said about "convert" vs. assign. It turned out that the new "save for web" action I created did not have the "embed color space" box checked off, after my computer crash in March. That's all it was! I created a new action, and now, finally, I should have dependable sRGB posts.

Why is this important, you ask? Because web browser need the information to figure out how to interpet the colors in your photo. This means that after you carefully edit your photos, the browser will willy nilly interpret the color any old way it feels like. Unless you embed the color profile in sRGB, and then there's more of a chance that the right color information will be communicated to the browser. (But then there's still that problem of not all browsers being color managed. Will you ever listen Google Chrome?)

Hamilton, ND pop. 73: Part 2 of the Birthday Tour

2011-08-14T16:01:00.004-05:00

It was an exhaustive process, but I managed to edit the all of the photos from my extensive tour of Hamilton, ND. Should you, yourself, attempt this walking tour of the city, let me assure you that with good shoes, you CAN walk the entire downtown in one day.

Here is the post office, the centerpiece of the city's sweeping skyline:

Note that the post office includes a small cafe.

Next up, the shopping district. Should you desire to have a shopping spree in Hamilton, it would be helpful to check in advance which days, and hours, the Coffee House Treasures is open. Sadly, we missed that golden window of opportunity to pick up the rare, and perhaps rarely accessible, treasures of lifetime.

And here is a second cafe, and lest there be any question about it, YES! They do have Budweiser! My photo does not do justice to the signage which graces this establishment, marking it as Luscious Lou's 5-81 Country Bar & Grill. Darn, looks like I also missed my chance to meet Luscious Lou. (What's your guess, male or female?)

Above, you also see poor Ruby with Doug. Ruby is not "poor" because Doug has her with him; she's poor because he left her idiot harness on her that keeps her from leaping over the back seat of our car and taking over the steering wheel. It's bulky, obnoxious, and did not manage to keep her from chewing the backseat belt almost all the way through.

Another thing to note about the above photo is the red pick-up truck. After we got back in our car, the elderly, and rather grim-faced driver of this vehicle, tried out his Homeland Security Skills on us, driving up and down the street, four times, seriously scanning us for any signs of Up-to-no-Goodness. A tip of a the hat to the man in the red pick-up in doing his part to protect the Homeland, all .3 square miles of it, only 9.8 miles south of the Canadian border!

And if you want to do a bar crawl across little Hamilton, you could probably literally crawl it from the post office to Bill's Place, to Luscious Lou's. And back. And what a night you'd have!

Birthday Road Trip

2011-08-13T16:33:00.005-05:00

My birthday was last week, and you know how on your birthday, you get to push the envelope a little and ask for something from family members that on other days they might grumble a bit. (Not terribly; you just know it's not there favorite thing to do).

Well, my "pick" was to head to a little hole-in-the-wall cafe for breakfast, and then hit the back roads (long, boring, flat stretches) of North Dakota, with two wonderful buddies, Doug, and my dog, Ruby, and some camera gear.

First, we went to Darcy's Cafe in Grand Forks:

You know-- the perfect place--great coffee, huge breakfasts, and old, chipped, wooden booster seats, odd little photos tacked on the wall, neon lights, and waitresses that call you "hon", and Kenny's Special on the chalkboard menu.

Oh, and the ever kind server who will race out to your car before you pull away to give you your credit card that you forgot on the table!

Re-Enacting the Trauma

2011-08-03T20:19:00.003-05:00

Kind of like play therapy, only different:

She's great at removing the body parts . . .

. . . but I don't think she'd be good at stitching things up.

. . . but I bet she'd be awesome at removing stitches!

Thanks for the well wishes yesterday as we worried about Baby Ruby's Big Girl operation. Not surprisingly, it went well, but it's still hard to see her uncomfortable, and the idea of "keeping her quiet" till her stitches come out seems almost delusional!

The Big Red Dog's Date with her Birth Control Plan

2011-08-02T09:02:00.005-05:00

What a day! As I write this, Ruby is at the vet getting her reproduction capabilities nixed (spayed). And it seems to fitting that this should occur on a day when I opened the newspaper (you know--those print things) and saw that the federal health care plan is going to mandate that insurance companies cover women's birth control contraceptives, starting January, 2013! It's about time! The fact that men's Viagra is so routinely covered, but women's contraceptives are not, has really angered me over the years. Insurance companies have been able to duck this by claiming religious controversy. I suspect it's been a "convenient" and lucrative "moral position" and their part, and that they've been much more inclined to cater to their male stakeholders than to young women. But I digress. . . .

. . . Anyway, so Ruby is at the vet, and I'm anxious about this. She looked at me with her beautiful big eyes this morning and said, "Where's the food? Yo! Are you forgetting something near and dear to my heart? Tricks? Shall I do tricks for you? How about a handshake? Ummmm, let's go in the kitchen and get some food!" Apparently, we would get to fee her until tomorrow.

And then we pulled out the leash and led her to the car (translate, she practically dragged us to the car and leapt with joy into the back seat), and now she's probably under sedation. . . . so I'm pacing around, antsy, looking for ways to distract myself . . . . (I'm glad my children never needed their tonsils taken out, or. . . ummmmm. . . . needed to be fixed!)

So here are two versions of a shot of the Big Red Dog, and look how red--I mean, REALLY, really red she is in the second photo. The photo was taken with my new 20mm f2.8 lens at the dog park. The first photo is much more what she actually looks like to me.

The second version is one in which I used the command "convert to sRGB" from my working space of RGB in photoshop, and then ran an action that resizes and sharpens for web.

The first shot is one in which I used the command "assign to sRGB" and then ran the same action.

I don't get it. The "convert" command somehow loses the sRGB change, and results in a photo that is interpreted by the web any old which way, in whatever color space it feels like. And Wild Red it is.

But the "assign" command keeps the sRGB designation and successfully bosses the web around demanding that my instructions about the sRGB color space be followed. (But then again, Google Chrome and internet explorer are still not color managed and will play looser with color instructions; Safari and Firefox have much better color management capabilities.)

Other than all that, this shot is of Ruby at the dog park. She loves it! She's now gotten to go about four times, and still thinks its the Happiest Place on Earth (sorry Disney.) See the black dog taking a drink from rectangular Rubber Maid container? Ruby is a maniac with it; when she gets a chance at it, she manages to "dig" out all the water with her front paws, splashing any nearby humans, who then are at her beck and call to refill it from the drinking fountain. Apparently, other owners at the park are telling me their dogs are picking up her fiendish ways and are doing the same things to their dishes at home now. Sorry folks!

Sigh. Time to go pace around in the kitchen again and clean a closet. . . .

***** UPDATE * * * * *
Ruby is home and well and groggy and sleepy. I'm not sure yet if she's going to be trying to lick her stitches a lot, so we're taking a wait-and-see attitude about whether she need to wear the cone around her head. We actually got one of those inflatable ones. It's hard to see her like this; she's definitely uncomfortable, and for awhile she just laid in her crate and moaned :(

Hopefully the next two weeks will show a speedy recovery, and we'll see our little maniac back!

The Gutsy Petunia

2011-07-31T21:08:00.003-05:00

We have a concrete patio in our yard, and this summer, we haven't exactly put a lot of effort into "beautifying" it. But there, growing from a small crack, is this gutsy little petunia that decided to take matters into its own hands:

This first shot was taken with my beloved Nikon 105 mm lens at iso 400; f/10; 160 ss.

And this second shot, just to compare, and with identical processing from RAW, was taken with my brand new Nikon 20 mm 2.8 at f.2; iso 100; 1000 ss.

The Puppy Takes the Platypus

2011-07-26T20:34:00.007-05:00

OK, I know it's silly, but here's a video of Ruby gutting a platypus, with Doug, in his special "video-voice narration" talking you through the 6 minutes. It's long, so feel free to speed through it, unless you are enthralled.

This little toy is an "egg baby." It has an opening, and you can stuff "eggs" in it; little, soft, squeaky toys that are like puppy-crack.

Yep, kids, this is what "old people" do when you leave the nest.

Brace yourselves!

One of These Photos is Not Like All the Others

2011-07-24T17:06:00.005-05:00

HINT* All the rest are from Valladolid, Mexico in Quintana Roo.

We had the most extraordinary excursion, one day (the spring equinox) in Mexico, visiting a cenote, then stopping in this little city for lunch, and then moving on to Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza was the "climax", but I wanted to weep for joy in this little city. I could not press my shutter fast enough to capture the color and visual delight all around me!

This was my idea of a perfect day: five of my loved ones and pure photographic bliss!

People seemed to delighted in this little town to let me photograph them. I showed them the LCD screen, and they smiled, called their friends over to look, and seemed pleased to indulge me.

I used my Nikon 16-85mm lens for most of the photos in town.

I like how in one of the filter sections of Bridge, you can see how many photos you shot at each length. By the end of the day, 129 of the 465 photos I took were at the 16mm end of the lens.

She's Such a Good Dog!

2011-07-23T20:22:00.002-05:00

She's learned a lot of things in her obedience training classes and approaches all the lessons with great gusto. She shoots through the training tunnel like a rocket, and when we're asked to lure her on this rocker platform and see if we can desensitize her to the motion, she leaps on it, and will spin and twist in circles clockwise and counter-clockwise for a lick of Gerber Chicken Baby Puree. She's such a good dog!

Except when we go to obedience classes and she wants to EAT the trainers, the other dogs, and their owners. And as we approach, the other owners rush their young-uns away lest Ruby corrupt them with her wild-germs. Whole crowds of doggy gatherings disperse when we approach with our little pariah. . .

But she's such a good dog! Except when she refuses to walk when we've gotten about 6 blocks out, planting her feet in front of her, deciding it would be more fun to watch the cars go by for awhile. And the only thing that we'll convince her otherwise is to pull out an old sock from my pocket, with a squeaker ball in it, and let her carry it home in her mouth. . . .

And she's just learned this cool trick where we have her "touch" a lid with her nose, and then we give her a treat. It should come in handy if we ever want her to learn to answer our smart phones, or start the ignition on our car. . . .

Today she was a really good dog when we took her to the local farmers' market, and good to LOOK at people, but not touch them. And she SO wanted to take home so children, but we wouldn't let her. She just had to settle for playing tricks with us, in the middle of market, so that we could learn the occasional stray child to us who was brave enough to play "Sit" and "Down" and "Leave it" and "Take it" with her.

She even nicely spit out the cigarette butt she snatched (A man walking by sai!d "Now THAT's a smokin' dog!"

And she even resisted jumping into a fountain, which she desperately wanted to do (mainly because she couldn't fit through the bars all around it. Thanks,City Planners!)

If you look closely at this photo you'll see that it's also a self-portrait of sorts.

Mystery in Valladolid!

2011-07-21T22:51:00.002-05:00

Really! What is going on here? What is this?

This looks like a simple case of standing on a street corner in a foreign country and photographing workers driving by:

But look more closely at the driver. Who or what is the driver?

Is Valladolid populated by aliens? And why isn't his or its passenger screaming and fleeing?

Or is that some kind of protective headgear. . . in which case shouldn't we ALL be wearing it?

And you thought photography was dull!

The Shops outside the Cenote

2011-07-21T08:26:00.005-05:00

Once you travel someplace, do you ever really come back to where you started from?

Shops outside the cenote in Mexico, on the way to Chitzen Itza.

Over The (Adobe) Bridge and back to Mexico

2011-07-19T17:26:00.003-05:00

I'm reading a fascinating book right now, "Buddha's Brain," by Rick Hanson. The book is written by a psychologist who talks about how our brain benefits from contemplative practices, like mindfulness, or meditation, or brushing the dog. . . anything that activates our parasympathetic nervous system brings tremendous rewards in reducing stress and inducing a sense of happiness.

It turns out that mental activity has a greater direct influence over the autonomic nervous system (of which the parasympathetic nervous system is part), than any other system. When you stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which you can do through mental activity, you can have "calming, soothing, healing ripples spread through your body, brain and mind."

And guess what! Most of the brain's mental activity is spent on nonverbal activities, such as processing mental pictures. All this is a fancy way of saying that imagery can be a powerful anchor for well-being. So if you're feeling stressed at work, imagining a peaceful scene. . . like in Mexico. . .can bring you all kinds of physical and emotional benefits!

So, fire up your Bridge program in Photoshop and head back to someplace wonderful, and bask in those neurotransmitters!

And what better way for me to do that than through a photo like this:

In March, while we were in Mexico, we went down into a cool cenote, and is was unbelievably peaceful and tranquil, even with bats flying overhead. And look at these two lovelies, Dianna and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, sweet, wonderful, Elizabeth:

I wasn't as brave as they were to climb down the rock to the water, but watching them splash and the play of light on the water was mesmerizing. . .

Photography in a cenote is a bit challenging. Flash would bounce against the water too much, but thanks to a greatly boosted ISO (6400), and noise reduction in Adobe Camera Raw, a rock to use as a tripod, I could still use an f/5.6 setting, and 1/30 shutter speed.

Mosquito Zombies of North Dakota

2011-07-17T19:52:00.003-05:00

They are evil, and they are quick. They are North Dakota mosquitoes, rivaling our state buffalo! And they are prolific.

And they love me.

Apparently, they are no match for:

1.) 2 teaspoons daily of cider vinegar (I'll try anything!)

2.) lavender oil dabbed here and there

3.) Avon Skin so Soft bug guard (the last bastion of my hopes and dreams of not being devoured by these heartless blood-suckers)

I foolishly ventured outside and tried to do a 5 minute raid on the garden weeds, but after 17 bites, I stopped counting.

But I'm not giving up! I only applied a light spray of the Avon Skin so Soft, and started glugging Apple Cider vinegar (God Save Me!) this morning, so there's still hope!

I have read that the real defense against mosquitoes is straight DEET, plentiful and unsparingly, but I hate the smell and it scares me that Ruby, who likes to slather me in doggy kisses, would probably start glowing in the night if I use Off as much as I want, so I'm trying other approaches.

Doug, my ever sympathetic Beloved Spouse, said, "At least you don't have tuberculosis."

What makes husband say such things????????????????

Ruby's Growing Up!

2011-07-15T15:13:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how totally cute little Ruby is? Here are some late June photos of her. . . .

She's learned a new trick! It's called "Open the front door and greet people before Angela and Doug can find my leash!" Fortunately, the Schwan's man comes prepared with dog bisquits in his pocket for potential escapees. Smart man.----smart little dog, too.

She loves this turtle toy. It's legs, tail and head are all attached by elastic, with squeakers embedded in each section, so she can stretch it viciously and boss it around. Sadly, I'm going to have to sew parts of it back together already!

If you ever come meet Ruby, prepare to be her New Best Friend, because you will be at risk of being licked to death!

More Disney World

2011-07-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts about Disney World without kids was wandering where we wanted to wander, whenever we wanted, and taking as long as we wanted to get photos.

And since I have very little interest in rides, the lines were minimal!

It really helped that Doug has now started experimenting with the D5000 while I tote around my D300s. You wouldn't believe how long he wanted to hang out in the bird areas of Animal Kingdom! (I think I've created a monster!)

30 Years of Marriage

2011-07-13T18:41:00.004-05:00

In May, Doug and I celebrated 30 years of marriage!

And we decided to spend it at Disney World's Animal Kingdom, sans progeny. We had a great time. . . . and I have SO many photos to edit now!!!!!!!!!!!!

And finally, as of yesterday, I seem to have gotten my new computer configured the way I want it (almost).

I couldn't figure out why my photos were all posting to my blog in an overly-red sort of way. I dragged out the mammoth Color Management for CS3 book (although I have CS5), and I don't know why, but first assigning a photo to sRGB, rather than trusting the action I created to convert it to sRGB seems to be doing the trick!

But, you have to ask, does it really make sense to pick a photo that has brilliant reds to demonstrate this? (But he's too cute to resist, so I had to post him!)

The 4th of Texas

2011-07-12T14:05:00.008-05:00

There are some people, with whom, it's impossible to NOT have fun!

Robert and Barb are doing a wonderful job of making Texas, even at 100 degrees, seem so very appealing!

Of course, it helped that Robert dashed around holding umbrellas above our heads, and plugging in electric fans outside aimed at us!

(You might think I'm kidding, but I'm really not!)

Some Critters are FAST!

2011-05-19T20:39:00.004-05:00

Like the kind who can who can, in the amount of time it takes you to brush your teeth, unroll the toilet paper, swallow a button, and eat plaster or plastic screws or something off of the faucet by your toilet, causing your bathroom to flood--while you're trying to get ready for work in the morning.

That kind.

Day 53: Held Captive

2011-05-18T22:42:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, we went to our first obedience class with Ruby at the Grand Forks Kennel Club. This class is so much better than the crazy experience we had at Petco with the dog trainer that it's hard to think that these trainers could possibly be of the same species!

But that does not mean it was stress-free! Oh, no--not with a lab!

We tried to prepare for the Big Day by getting Ruby somewhat tired during the day, with lots of exercise, then sufficient sleep in her crate. We made sure she was hungry, cooked special "treats" to use in the training, ate dinner early, got her seat belt harness ready and reminded ourselves that our egos would not be on the line in this class.

And then we smoothly headed out the door to the car for class. Or tried to. First, I could not get the harness on her. This little harness is to help keep a puppy safe in the car so that she does not become a projectile with sudden stops, or a projectile with sudden bursts of energy during which she tries to consume the driver. Harnesses are good.

But you have to get them on said pup. Somehow, Ruby managed to have 12 legs and 7.6 arms that flew in dervish-like directions while I tried to snap strap A to B, attach carbiner to C, and looping it around to X etc. Trust me, between her needle-sharp puppy teeth, leaps into the air, and somersaults for belly rubs, it's no wonder that I broke out into a sweat and Doug sat nervously in the driveway, waiting for me, worrying. . . .

But eventually Ruby was locked and loaded and I hit the front door with her. She misses nothing; her mulching tendencies leave no twig unpulverized, and no gallon jar of Sun Tea on the front steps untossed.

After my feet were drenched with Sun Tea, and I had her in the car, we headed off to class, but not with the nice margin of time we'd hope for. We'd hoped that Ruby would get to meet all the nice people, get her exuberance at PEOPLE and OTHER DOGS under control in time to settle down.

But class had already begun, with all 10 other pups and owners sitting in a zen-like circle (most likely after the pups had been dosed with Valium and Prozac), when we made our Grand Entrance, hoping to slip in unnoticed. Let me just say it was noisy; Ruby was ecstatic and I'm not sure her little paws really ever touched the ground in the first minutes. The trainer paused, and announced "Looks like we have one of those dogs right here!" and approached Ruby. Ruby decided the instructor was her New Best Friend, flipped over on her back, and showered the air with dog pee.

Yeah. About that little ego thing. . . .

The trainer then slipped a little Premier Easy Walk harness over Ruby's head and middle, and Goodbye Marley! Ruby turned all angelic on us and with the sheer brute force of two adult human beings, we were now able to control her wiggly 29 lbs!

And today, we rushed out and purchased our own Easy Walk harness! What a Godsend! Now Ruby is truly a Good Dog and deserves these little treats sent to her by Elizabeth and Scott.

We ARE held captive, but most enthusiastically!

North Dakota and It's Pathetic Version of Spring

2011-04-19T11:40:00.008-05:00

April showers bring. . . . wind chills? (And the wind actually blew down our basket ball hoop, hitting the back window of my car! It didn't break; just scraped a swatch across the window.)

Oh, and we have another 6 to 8 inches predicted tonight.

Guess we'll just have to stay inside a little longer and find something else to do.

Well, Would YOU stick a matchstick up her butt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

2011-04-16T09:40:00.005-05:00

Now this is a title that REALLY demands an explanation! Doug and I are now Petco Puppy Kindergarten dropouts, after one day. We had an experience with a trainer that I am finding to be just plain out bizarre! Have you ever had one of those experiences where you hear something, and then your head goes into this twilight zone where you try to figure out if you REALLY heard that? Like maybe, you just had this little hiccup in your ear or something, and No-she-did-not say that?

Except she did.

Doug and I joined one of those obedience classes for new puppies to just work on the basic commands. . . like walk on a leash, don't eat the guests.

We should have been suspicious when it turned out that we were the only ones in the puppy class.

The trainer asked how it was going with housetraining, and we said that it was really going quite well, better than expected. The intrepid little Ruby does have occasional poddy accidents in the house, but we're pretty pleased about how that's going. Could we get some suggestions for walking on a leash.

I swear, the woman has an anal fixation!

She said we HAD to reward Ruby with a treat outside every times she goes. OK, we could do that. . . can't see what it would hurt, except to be a nuisance, since she does this just fine.

And THEN she said, (and not even Dave Barry would make this up!), "And to get her to poop, light a match, put vaseline on it, and stick it up her butt."

"What?" And my brain does this strange sloshing from side to side in my skull at this point, thinking it's maybe like lighting a match if someone makes the rest room unusually stinky.

And she says, "Well, not lit still of course. Ha Ha."

"Why? She goes just fine!"

"Because she'll push against it, just like you did with your babies and thermometers." (ummmmm, no!)

She said we could not get a refund after that evening. We went into Petco and got a refund of $99.95 the next morning.

This little gem of wisdom was also mixed in with extensive hawking of the Petco products, and telling us that most likely Ruby would need intensive individual training by her privately, because she's "a certified dog trainer with 50 years experience." (She looked to be about 55 years old, so she must of started with butts and matchsticks at about the age of 5!)

Any other Petco customers wandering by were also fair prey for her to promote her therapeutic methods at her private business as well. She told one couple who was expecting a baby in a few weeks that their large boxer, who had recently been attacked by another dog that their dog could now later shows signs of trauma, and their baby could be at risk. She gave the couple her card.

She also taught us the "Therapeutic Grab and Hug" for "brain recovery," which all puppies need. (?) This involved rolling Ruby over on her back, sticking our hands in her mouth, and as she'd tried to bite, growling/shrieking "Off!" , with our other hand in a claw as if to strike at her, and as she stopped biting (or cowered) massaging her vigorously all over.

I know some trainers do recommend alpha rolls and dog massage, but someone please tell me it doesn't start with this harsh approach to a 10 week old puppy!

So here's the reason Doug and I continue to be tired, but you know what? She's not nearly as tiring as making sense of some of the craziness out there!

Oops! Here are the Cuties in Mexico!

2011-04-11T07:42:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Maria! I made a reference to these two cuties we spotted from our balcony in Mexico, but my photo didn't post. Here it is:

We could see them from the balcony of our room--the first room, that is. We happened to have the "fortune" to be right across the Teatro in the resort, so each night, between 9:30 pm and 11:30 pm, music blasted through our room and our bones. We could see the stage from our balcony, and under some conditions, this would be a "feature," but especially since we'd all had about 2 hours sleep the night before our 5 am flights, we really wanted to sleep. Their "Michael Jackson" revue (and I wish I could spell phonetically how Me-KELL' YACK'-sen was pronounced, loudly, repetitively) just wasn't conducive sleep.)

But they nicely moved us the next day to another room. And we couldn't spy on our neighbors on the balcony anymore.

Mexico and No Mercy for Ice Cubes

2011-04-10T19:38:00.003-05:00

There was a welcome gift in our room the first night in Mexico. I dutifully wrapped this in bubble wrap to bring home and we've never really figured out exactly what it is (the liquor; not the grapes!). But I also forgot it in my luggage. . . which was lost. .. and caused me great angst thinking that Customs Officials were coming for me, because when I was asked about liquor, I said "no." (Because I forgot, not because I'm inherently a felon.)

But there would have been liquor, (tequilla) if our adventure to Walmart in Mexico had worked out a little better. (That's a story for another day.)

We had two rooms in Mexico, and look at these two cuties we spotted from the balcony of our room:

And what's a post, without a video to make sense of the title? Here you see the intrepid hunter dog showing her prowess in the wilds of our living room, stalking a possible threat to humankind:

But Where Did Angela Go? (and spring equinox at Chichen Itza)

2011-04-09T17:10:00.005-05:00

. . . . those of you who are quite bored may have asked.

Well, I went to three places, two of which are not for the faint of heart.

First, I went to the Puppy Dimension. As the astute reader may recall, I embarked on a campaign to soften Doug's heart to the idea of getting a new dog, after we lost The Beautiful Ms. Bonnie last July. Doug said, "No more dogs." I co-opted the Netflix que and ordered doggie tearjerkers , movie after movie, until the poor man was absolutely red-eyed and chafed nosed. Then I would occasionally whistfully comment on how when he would do something that would raise the hackles of one's spouse, I would chant my mantra, "but he picks up dog-poop, so deserves a lot of grace," . . . and those good times were over.

So Ruby Baby, aka Ruby Beast, aka Ruby the Rascal has come to live with us and keep us on our toes.

And the 2nd place for the not-faint-of-heart was Cyber Hell. My hard drive crashed. The new hard drive also crashed because of the crazy Acronis back-up program (don't buy it!). The computer then had "heat sink issues" (whatever that means!), and my wonderful husband said that (not only could I have a puppy!!!!!!!) but I could get a new computer.

Since I had no back-ups of all of my software and settings, I've had to start from scratch with Photoshop settings, and then monitor calibration, preferred sharpening, sizing, color workspaces for web, for printing, for everything, etc. Sheer torture.

And then Ruby (the Beast) chewed up the data cord to my external hard drive. Just enough to make it inconsistent. So I replaced the external hard drive, transferred everything over. . . . to a new external hard drive that failed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And bought a new one, which now works, and was able to finally, get all my old photos onto it.

(Do you hear the important lesson in all this? Back up, back up, back up. Many ways, on many media.)

And we went some place else! Doug and I went to Mexico, with all three of my children and the wonderful Elizabeth, Scott's fiance.

There is no more perfect place to go in March, when your departure point is the horrific Winter of North Dakota!

This is a photo at Chichen Itza, a Mayan Ruin on the Yucatan peninsula. We had the extraordinary good fortune to get to be there during the spring equinox. (I'll write more about this later.)

If you look closely at the photograph, you'll see a snake head at the base of the ruin on the left side. Between 4:30 and 5:30 pm, during the spring equinox, if the sun is shining, it strikes one corner of the structure, creating a shadow on the other corner, creating the illusion of a snake body slithering down the side of the building.

Look Who's Come to Live with Us!

2011-03-29T23:07:00.005-05:00

And is she ever keeping us busy! 8 weeks old and running on all engines; Meet Ruby, aka Ruby Baby.

A Hint of Things to Come!

2011-03-11T12:12:00.003-06:00

I won't be able to post much in the way of my photos for awhile, but I managed to snag this hint through my phone!!!!

So the Cyber-gods are Punishing Me, Are They?

2011-03-09T12:33:00.003-06:00

Was it really so awful, my sending an email to everyone in my contact list? That I had to be put in time-out for awhile?

I won't be posting photos for awhile :( , although maybe I'll wander over here from time to time in the long weeks ahead. . . .

It seems that my hard drive got corrupted and started to fail. Being under a Dell warranty, they sent me a new hard drive. I installed it, all was looking good, I attempted to recover some data, and the whole system crashed!

Crashed as in putting me into some kind of crazy loop, and perhaps even denying the existence of the operating system! So a very nice guy on Dell chat spent two hours with me trying to trouble shoot it, run strange diagnostics from the point of booting the computer. . . and although my computer claimed things were fine, it kept shutting down completely, and getting very, very hot!

Poor Doug, he happened to be near the power cord the first time it shut down, and I thought he'd stepped on it!

We started the testing again, and again it shut down completely! And was even hotter. The Dell guy promptly instructed me on boxing it up and Fed Ex-ing it to them.

But I NEED photoshop!!!!!!!!!!!
And it snowed today.
(Let the whining begin. . . .).

Oops! What have I done?

2011-03-06T19:40:00.004-06:00

Oh crap! Don't you just hate it when you mean to send something to a just a few family members, but instead you send a list--an extensive list-- of "favorite" bars in Playa del Carmen to everyone in your email contact list? With the top 15 favorite underlined? And conveniently organized into 5 categories of bars?(And nary a word that you copy and pasted this info, rather than personally experienced each one?)

Why, oh why, couldn't it have been the lovely guide to Chitzen Itza, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, that went to all of the ministers, past and present, of your church, the congregation, and all your physicians?

A re-enactment:

At least a list of restaurants was included as well. . .

And to those of you who have been asking whether you are being invited: I don't think I can get a table for 300.

Those of you have asked if I've danced on the tables in the bars in Playa del Carmen: No.

And no, I have personally acquired a thousand dollar bar tab at Senor Frogs.

And no, I have not spent half of my adult life in the bars of Mexico, although, oh, how I would have loved to have escaped the vicious temperatures and ugliness of North Dakota this whole winter!

Hasta la vista! And have a margarita.

The Month Formerly Known as March: NOW: Snirt-Pox!

2011-03-02T19:08:00.005-06:00

Yep, "March" has been retired. It's inadequate. It does not sufficiently explain the ugliness of this foul, spirit-devouring month. From now on, I declare that the 3rd month of the year in North Dakota will be called "Snirt-Pox." As in Snirt-Pox the 3rd, all the way up to (God help us!) the 31st of Snirt-Pox.

Snirt, because the mixture of snow and dirt makes snirt, and we have it all over the city right now, in ugly, ugly pox-like piles waiting for a hint of above-zero temperatures. Witness, one of the pox:

So next time, when you are in traffic and consumed by road rage, please think twice before wishing a pox on your fellow drivers, because it could be a snirt-pox.

"But Wait, Angela!", you might say, "what about white balance? You've got all middle-grey! Fix that white!" Nope, this is it; it IS middle grey all over North Dakota right now, until the month of Snirt-Pox is over.

"But Wait, WAIT, Angela!", you might say, "you can't possibly leave us with such an ugly picture!" And you're right; I can't.

Here's something that won't make your retinas explode, like snirt-poxes. Here's a beautiful cyclamen that's been bravely blooming all winter in my office:

Now THAT's a Color-Cast, or Aliens Walk Amongst Us

2011-03-01T15:49:00.000-06:00

Chuck and Doug revealed themselves to be aliens from outer space (or maybe from Texas). I went out to dinner last night with my sweet Douglas and good friends Chuck and Ute, and this was the most startling revelation!

Here's the proof, and you know it must be real, because you're reading it on the internet, and because this is an un-edited photo:

Now, here is the photo edited in Photoshop. First I did noise reduction, followed by the creation of many adjustment layers to pull down the glowing green and red. And, blah. . . still off in the color:

So, next I just did a simple color wash with an action, and they might be pale, but that's how you can hide your own aliens from outer space from the government if you want to; just use Photoshop--easy peasy!

By the way, it's very useful to dine with aliens. Chuck, who I know to be a guy that often tries to be helpful to people, noted that my steak was not the well-done that I requested. He turned his laser eyes on it, and fixed it right up!

(Now, if only the aliens could also zap some heat into our STILL minus 25 to minus 35 degrees in this wretched state!)

Things are Looking Up!

2011-02-11T20:42:00.003-06:00

. . .temperature-wise. After 26 days of windchills ranging from 20 to 37 degrees below zero, we hit 33 degrees today! Above zero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hooray for longer days! Sunset was at 5:44 pm today!

Because It's True

2011-01-21T18:16:00.006-06:00

I don't care if this is "unprofessional" but I think this is a very appropriate screensaver about now. And it's true.

I posted this photo last year, but thought it really deserved to resurface.

I don't often stop at Starbucks on my way to work, but I thought today should be an exception. Because I'm desperate.

Here's my approach to the window:

And now, I prepare to roll down my window. I don't want to. Starbucks Coffee is no consolation for frickin' 40 below:

Ever Wonder What it Sounds Like at -40 degrees

2011-01-20T19:15:00.004-06:00

Well, at 40 below windchill (-23 without windchill), it sounds crunchy. There's not much noise otherwise outside, definitely no chit-chat of gathering neighbors. But the tires of cars and trucks, and footsteps, make a distinct "crunch" sound when it's this cold. It's a strange signature of this temperature; sound breaks sharper and echoes as you walk across the snow---crunch . . . ~ . . . crunch. . . ~ . . . crunch. Mostly, I try to walk very fast, when it's like this, so it's a little more like crunch!crunch!crunch!

This is the same photo, only without noise reduction applied. It's equally cold.

Our newscaster just said there's a possibility that it will be 30 to 40 below tonight without windchill, depending on cloud cover. He's a poor excuse of a rotten human being, through and through.

I'm hoping for the cloud cover.

This cold, it hurts when you breathe in, so I also tried to hold my breath, while I crunch!crunch!crunch!

Are you up for 214 pages of weirdness?

2011-01-18T18:48:00.002-06:00

No, not my post, but an old (1962) novel, "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," by Shirley Jackson.

Do you remember Shirley Jackson? She wrote "The Lottery," and back when I was in high school, this was pretty much required reading. I've often thought of The Lottery over the years, and Shirley Jackson's portrayal of brutality in the name of compliance.

In my Classics ReRead Book Club at the Grand Forks Public Library, we recently read We Have Always Lived in the Castle, another book by Shirley Jackson; I'm suspecting this will be another book that filters into my thought at odd moments in the future, reflecting life around me.

You wouldn't think that this plot reflects any life as we typically know it. This book follows the very strange Merricat, an 18 year old woman who lives in seclusion with her sister, Constance, and Uncle Julian in a house on the edge of town. The Blackwells are outcasts; Constance was accused of but found innocent of poisoning the rest of her family, several years earlier, with arsenic, traced to the sugar bowl. Constance likes to cook. . .

The Blackwells are outcasts not just because of the family murder; they are also outcasts because they were rich. And in their seclusion their very odd, idiosyncratic and bizarre points of view become more. . . . unique. . . the more they separate themselves from the rest of the world.

I don't think this would be such a compelling book if it was just about their strangeness; what makes it most compelling is the reaction of the community to the Blackwells. Although some reach out, another response of raw hostility occurs during the midst of trying to save the Blackwell house during a fire. I read that Shirley Jackson herself in her own life felt very rejected by her community, and I think her books take those all too universal instances of people feeling like outsiders and writing about them, symbolically and metaphorically, in the extreme. And she is particular fond of examining that edge between societal compliance and differentness. Shirley Jackson never got even; she wrote! Just think what she might have written in this day and age in response to TSA checkpoints in airports!

I enjoyed this book immensely, but I will caution that others in my book club did not; they thought Merricat was too weird, but that's why I liked her!

What's even weirder is life in Grand Forks. How do we survive -36 to -45 windchills? I don't know; . . . cuddle duds help. Last night, my weather bug registered -36, but rumor has it we're settling into a bone-crunching -45 tonight.

Which way is outta here?

Is Minus 31 Degrees Really Necessary? AND the snow????

2011-01-16T00:21:00.005-06:00

We are on the 6th day in a row of getting snow, and it's becoming quite tiresome! But not nearly as tiresome as the minus 31 degrees with windchill last night. Grand Forks has even't stopped putting its salty brine mixture on the road to help to melt the ice. . . . because it's freezing into a slick glaze and making things even worse.

It's only January, and we have much, much more of winter to go. Well, at least it's not New York. . . .

My morning task is to brush all this stuff off my car. Strangely, I have to be particularly careful to get it off the roof and hood. If I don't, no matter how much I've let the car run to warm it up, approximately 2 1/2 minutes after I start driving, the snow from the roof, which falls on the hood, and the snow on the hood is sucked into my car through it's intake system, as moisture, and freezes solid on the inside of all my car windows. It's rather disturbing, especially when 2 1/2 minutes takes me from my parking lot to the center of the bridge, and I can't see a thing! I literally scrape away a little peep hole on the inside of my car with an old plastic card/hotel door key.

I was really happy when, after many years, I finally figured out that clearing the snow from the roof and hood would solve this problem.

And just a little view outside my office window:

By the way,the book in my post yesterday is not a blurb book, but a blog2print or sharedbook. It was extremely easy to make, and before Christmas they were running some specials (which I suspect is a very frequent thing.) I sent them a "support" question, and rapidly got an answer that the photos could be sRGB (they prefer RGB) and that the 72 dpi resolution would be fine. So using the photos that were uploaded to the blog works well. It sucks up the dates of the blog you specify, so it's really easy to create a book with very little effort. I really didn't want to spend much time on this, especially before Christmas, and just get a little sampling of posts from the summer. I didn't want to be perfectionistic about it, and since it wasn't very expensive, I was willing to be quite casual about it. So I just rapidly put it together, let Doug give it to me for Christmas, and now I'm really, really glad I did it! I'll appreciate it a lot in the future, when the technology of blogs may be long-gone, as just a little memento of this fun chapter in our lives. I really did approach this as "perfection is the enemy of the good" so it wouldn't become a huge time-consuming project. I'm thinking of doing another book of just my "cranky woman" posts (see label on left in side-bar), although why I would want this is kind of a mystery to me. I guess I just value my quirky side ( I mean, I WOULD value my quirky side, if I had one.)

I'm Sorry Canon Point & Shoot; I'm Just Not That Into You

2011-01-15T17:13:00.005-06:00

The test is over; I just can't embrace my new Canon s95 Point and Shoot. It's fine; it's not bad. . . .but it just doesn't make my heart go "pitter patter."

I got a point and shoot for Christmas, thinking it would make my purse weigh 700 lbs less, and would be easier to carry around while slogging and trudging through the snow.

And. . . . it was a lovely thought, but I just never felt like taking it out of my purse and taking photographs with it. I do have some photos taken with it, and will be happy to have those later, but they don't tend to be photos that I love, or photos that I'm excited about taking.

So, my Nikon D300s is (and acting a little snug about it) back in my purse. . . and calling my name again! (my little precious!)

I Whacked my Husband, but It Wasn't His Fault!

2011-01-04T23:14:00.009-06:00

I was having one of those nightmares. You know the kind. The kind where you're trying to ward off the Bad Guy, and you can't move. But I tried, and tried, and next thing I knew, I smacked my husband in his sleep! Fortunately, it wasn't that hard, and he didn't even wake up. Maybe this is a case of "Let Sleeping Dougs Lie. . . . . "

But maybe he deserved to be whacked, after all!

Later in the day, he said to me, and I quote "I just had this thought, all by myself, in my own head." (Literally, he said that! And he really is a smart guy!)

Because we have these huge piles of snow hanging down over our windows. That's a bad thing. It causes leaky roof problems, and broken things. And it makes winter even darker. Last winter, we hired some guys to come shovel the snow off our roof, and after we paid them lots of money, in the spring, we noticed lots of broken pieces from our roof on the ground all around the house. And it was very, VERY, expensive replacing our roof. . . .

So Doug's Really Great Idea in his own head was that he was going to get on a ladder outside, and throw a basketball over and over at the roof, knocking down the snow!

I voted "no." Thoughts in my head ran more along the lines of him falling off the ladder, the basketball damaging the roof, breaking a window, who was going to be grabbing that ball in the snow over and over and handing it back up to him, and that it really wouldn't knock much snow down.

So we opened the windows, took off the screens, and used brooms to at least knock the hanging down snow. . . down.

My coworker tells me there are actually these long, telescoping, rake thingies that we can use to rake the snow off our roof.

I bet it would be a REALLY GOOD IDEA to try and do this before the Siberian Arctic Express hits us in the next 7 days!

Obsessed or a Resolution?

2011-01-04T19:05:00.004-06:00

So what's the difference between a resolution, or being obsessed?

From the Free Dictionary:

res·o·lu·tion (rz-lshn)

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on.

4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the U.S. Congress.

5. Physics & Chemistry The act or process of separating or reducing something into its constituent parts: the prismatic resolution of sunlight into its spectral colors.

6. The fineness of detail that can be distinguished in an image, as on a video display terminal.

7. Medicine The subsiding or termination of an abnormal condition, such as a fever or an inflammation.

8. Law A court decision.

a. An explanation, as of a problem or puzzle; a solution.

b. The part of a literary work in which the complications of the plot are resolved or simplified.

10. Music

a. The progression of a dissonant tone or chord to a consonant tone or chord.

b. The tone or chord to which such a progression is made.

11. The substitution of one metrical unit for another, especially the substitution of two short syllables for one long syllable in quantitative verse.

For whatever reason, I was determined today to find Celestial Seasoning "Nutracker Sweet" tea. Someone gave me a box of these tea bags, and I really liked it. A lot. I also realized that this was a seasonal tea, and might not be available in town much longer.

And Doug and I have been enjoying Peppermint Tea by Bigelow, which may or may not be seasonal. But Doug seems to be drinking up all my (my?) tea.

I'm developing a cold, so I decided today that I had to act fast, before this cold kicks into high gear, and all the tea is gone. And I made a list of the 8 potential stores in town that might carry this tea, and set out on a path to. . . well. . . buy it all!

I managed to hit 3 stores, and found only one box of the Nutracker Sweet Tea, but 7 boxes of Peppermint. But! I discovered two other possibilities (Gingerbread and Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride). I decided to cut my craziness (I mean, agenda) short and at least go home and try these last two teas before I continued the circuit through the city. I mean, I might even not like them!

Resolution: hoard all the city's tea????

Let Me Just Say My Children Are Odd and My Friends are NOT All Dead

2011-01-02T12:23:00.004-06:00

Perhaps you have gleaned from my blog that I have weird children, and you would be right! Or perhaps I should say, more diplomatically, that they have strange senses of humor.

The silver lining is that Dianna showed some interest in photographing. . . . my feet! Brian gave me these socks in memory of our beloved Bonnie, and he gave Dianna this strange little book. Dianna then decided it was the perfect opportunity to photograph my feet along with her book:

But the really, really, wonderful thing is that Doug is beginning to show signs of melting his cold, hard-hearted heart (ONLY on this issue, and only if he doesn't change his position!) and relent on our getting another dog.

Sure, we could live a fine, adequate, semblance of a lame life without a dog, kind of a life that's been desaturated in photoshop of all color and joy, but there are better options! (It's probably why the dinosaurs went extinct; they didn't get to have dogs!)

Happy New Year's!

2011-01-01T19:11:00.005-06:00

Toasting the New Year is the perfect time to put all my camera gadgets to work!

It took me a good year, but I finally figured out the very bad English translation from Japanese of the instructions for the remote for my Nikon D300s.

And my problem was so silly: I just could not find where the remote receiver attached to the camera! It turned out to be under a little rubber cap on the front left of the camera! Right there in plain sight! Ah,. . . well, . . . I got to used it quite a bit this Christmas!

So that's why you're seeing a few photos of me this year; it's not that I've suddenly turned into some kind of narcissist; it's just that it's easier to coerce me and dear Doug to pose for pictures, than other members of my family, and with this remote, now I'm fair game for practice.

So, for our New Year's toast, I used my tripod, SB800 set on iTTL, -2/3 exposure compensation and a diffuser bounced off the ceiling above us; ISO 400, f/6.3; ss .5, and the Nikon 2.8 105 mm lens.

On the Nikon D300s, you can arrange and save settings in different "banks" known as "Picture Controls." I have one set up for portraits, and one set up for more vivid color processing, and then another set to just use jpeg formats & vivid processing. Unfortunately, I goofed, and picked the more vivid processing, and then had to beat back some of that wild Nikon color in post processing. . . .

Doug and I did what we usually do on New Year's eve; we search for old episodes of "Cops", although this year we delved into new territory: "Mall Cops."

Perhaps you remember my inadvertent ending up in an episode of Mall Cops. I thought it was just a re-enactment that was being filmed, not an actual event involving a guy from Russia being tackled to the floor in the restaurant in which we were eating. And I jumped up to photograph the blood!
If you must, you can see that post here.

The episode I ended up in. . . . or rather, the back of my head ended up in it. . . is the first episode of Mall Cops, after the pilot episode.

But I digress (or am about to, now.) We had actually considered breaking with our usual New Year's Eve "Cops" tradition by going out with friends to hear music New Year's Eve.

Fate would have none of it, and sent a 2nd blizzard in two days to our little neck of the woods, and stranded us inside, with Netflix, Nikon, "Mall Cops," and a bottle of champaign.

I hope your celebrating the New Year was equally fun!

Martha Stewart Would Surely Cry!

2010-12-31T11:02:00.001-06:00

But I did not. Ugly though it was, after it's unfortunate collision with . . . --my open purse! on the floor- -. . . my family and I still managed to enjoy this Kahlua Expresso Chocolate tart. It WAS still mostly intact on top of the bottom of the tart pan, and the floor was relatively clean. (Literally, moments before, I had cleaned up the clean (filtered, even) water that had poured from my refrigerator all over the floor. (Yeah, it was me that spilled the water.I was THINKING, deep thoughts, while filling a glass of water.))

But, Note to Self: It's NEVER a good idea to leave my purse lying around, open. I've had even worse "issues" with it in the past which should have thoroughly taught me a lesson by now.

Tolerating the Parents

2010-12-30T14:53:00.002-06:00

Tolerating the parents is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it!

Wish I could get the remote/focus working a little better, though. . .

Hanging out with The Fam'

2010-12-28T16:54:00.003-06:00

Doug and I:

Scott:

Christmas 2010 and Pandemic!

2010-12-27T18:23:00.002-06:00

I love this game, and of course, these people! And what a way to spend Christmas eve and Christmas night!

Our tradition is that on Christmas eve we get to open ONE present each, and usually direct each other to something we can share together. That often means a game of some sort.

This year, I opened "Pandemic" a board game by Z-Man Games. This is how it's described, "You are specialists at the CDC/Atlanta where you watch several virulent diseases break out simultaneously all over the world. The team mission is to prevent a worldwide pandemic outbreak, treating hot spots while researching cures for each of the four plagues before they get out of hand."

This particular game has a common goal, rather than individual competiveness; you have to develop a strategy of containment and eradication, together. This is about as opposite as you can get from a game of Monopoly or Risk, and I love how the dynamics elicited are so much more. . . well, cooperative!

The first night, we all died, and the world was wiped out. It actually was quite discouraging. . . .

But Christmas night, we triumphed and saved the world!

Every Family's Got a Risk Taker

2010-12-26T12:04:00.003-06:00

Here's ours:

Fortunately, Santa came anyway!

Please Don't Tell Them There's a Cure for Over-Compliance Disorder!

2010-12-22T13:48:00.016-06:00

This is my little Christmas Gift to you; I'm sharing with you sordid details about two Sufferers of Over-Compliance-Disorder. Once I discovered they have this disorder, I've felt that I've had no choice but to exploit them mercilessly for your entertainment.

I got the Anonymous Doug (his real name) to prance into my office, wearing reindeer clothes, to deliver my present to the Anonymous Sheila (her real name)--not once, but twice! First, Doug had the unfortunate experience of arriving too early, before my camera was ready to capture him in the wild, and allowing him to encounter the General Public (although I had PROMISED him this would not happen.)

So after he was totally mortified, he agreed to re-create the event with the Wonderful Anonymous Sheila (her real name), for your edification and enjoyment:

But since I am mercilessly exploiting them anyway (but only in the spirit of Christmas gift-giving to you!), I thought I'd also include a few links to their past. . . . ummmmm . . . . . Compliance Behaviors.

Remember the ShamWow! battle? Here's the link: Oh-Woeful-day Shamewow Evil

Or how about the Gamboling and Cavorting in the Fountain: Gamboling & Cavorting

I want to make two final points which are particularly important should you acquire your very own Over-Compliants:

1.) Never promise not to use the photos, unless it will further your aims;

2.) I've never actually hurt them! (That little episode with the arrow in my brother's head doesn't really count; I didn't get to photograph it! . . . but maybe he'd consider a re-enactment. . . . ?)

Merry Christmas to All and To All A Good Night!

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Barnes & Noble Nook!

2010-12-22T07:39:00.006-06:00

You know how we throw around the words "I love. . . !" so much, like I love my phone, my camera, my paint. . . .

Well, with my Nook, it really is a love affair! It's officially one year old today, and I was one of the "early adopters" with all kinds of initial angst. But there have been software updates, and features added that I never expected in the first place. . . . and I've read and read and read (not to my heart's content, because I don't think that could ever happen!)

But, oh, that library feature! It's just so wonderful to be able to access free books through your public library, and get to read the books on your Nook. I can bring hundreds of books with me, with just the weight of one paperback! And *poof* the book magically goes back to the library without me even having to drive there when I'm done! (Plus, I can check the books out, in my pjs, at two in the morning, if I want, right from the comfort of sitting by my Christmas tree!)

So many books, so little time!

"There must be some kinda way outta here!"

2010-12-21T09:36:00.003-06:00

"There must be some kinda way outta here!"---Bob Dylan, All Along the Watchtower

I'm with you, Santa! Time to put our feet up and take a break from the Christmas merriment/preparation.

And here's a few shots from outside the front of my house, at 1:36 am, hoping to see the total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice. I speak truth; I KNOW it was this time; I checked my exif data on the photo!

I couldn't see the eclipse because we were also in the middle of a snow storm and there was too much cloud cover. But look how bright it is! I think there was also a full moon (and an eclipse?????) and the reflection against the newly falling snow creaed the most incredible ambient light. I didn't use any flash for these shots!

Are You Racing as Fast as You Can?

2010-12-20T21:09:00.002-06:00

Remember to keep your eyes on your goal (and not run into any walls or stub your nose on the ornaments on the way!) Sure, it's the holidays and there's lots of busy-ness, but remember to enjoy the ride along the way!

Play it Again, Mickey!

2010-12-18T21:59:00.002-06:00

It's Christmas! Cuddle with Your Moose!

2010-12-16T19:05:00.002-06:00

It's winter; it's cold; it's the holidays: it's the best time of year to cuddle with your favorite moose!

Delta Airlines on the Naughty List; American Express on the Nice!

2010-12-15T18:32:00.004-06:00

I definitely need to give credit to American Express for getting me a credit on my account yesterday, when Delta just kept dropping and tossing the ball. For those of you who asked about "Peggy" as the Delta customer rep, I have to say that "Peggy" actually was much nicer than Delta's reps!

And American Express never even hung up on me or sent me to some kind of "hold/Alternate Universe" to stagnate for all eternity! So they really are getting to be on the "nice" list. But Delta? They SCARE me!

Now, on to more festive, happier things! Maria asked about the errant Flamenco dancer and the back story on that ornament.

That's the thing about Christmas trees and ornaments; one way or another they come to resemble your family and philosophy about family.

Our tree is, shall we say, "eclectic." If I were a highly controlling, highly organized, person (shush, offspring!) I'd have "rules" about the ornaments. But there are none. Everyone gets to pick an ornament every year.
And it goes on the tree.

In childhood, I remember one year, we "had" to have our tree decorated in the style of my dear Auntie "I". Antie "I" made little poof balls, that kind of look like modern day loofsahs, in various bright colors. And that was all that was allowed on the tree. It was really lame. Whenever I take my glasses off and look at ornaments, and just see a ball of amorphous, feathered light, that's what the tree looked like.

Our trees now are decorated with ornaments that have quite a range of stories and personalities and mysterious origins. The Flamenco Dancer that piqued Maria's curiosity is on a miniature Fiesta Ware dish. Doug gave it to me in 1997, because he spotted it somewhere, and I collect Fiesta Ware. There's no logic why such an object should be on our tree. I mean, why are there half moons, and miniature Christmas Story leg lamps, Star Trek figures, Barbie dolls, and fish with big lips on our tree?

Nobody knows, but someone liked it, it came from somewhere, and all are welcome on the tree unless they misbehave!

Delta Airlines, Your Wings Are Being Recalled

2010-12-14T22:58:00.004-06:00

I'd hoped to blog much earlier tonight than this, but 2 hours of my life were swallowed up by Delta airlines. Tonight, I wanted to book a flight for my son. Earlier this year, I'd applied for an American Express Skymiles card that promised a $100 certificate and frequent flier miles. And a few months ago, I got the letter in the mail providing the instructions to redeem the certificate.

Sounds so simple, right? But with Delta, nothing is simple! Oh, how I wish there were other airlines that serviced North Dakota! I think flight on a mosquito might be simpler!

But it's their customer service that is so very dismal! Of course, the directions to redeem the certificate did not work. And during the 8 phone calls totaling 86 minutes, I promise you I stuck to my resolve to remain polite. I can't say the same thing for the Delta personnel; what is it that makes them so cranky? Has someone been threatening to make them take a turn in the TSA line?

The Delta representatives seemed to have three favorite options when they ran into difficulty resolving my problem:

1.Play a form of "hot potato" by blaming American Express,and telling me to call them (press "one" for "pass the buck");

2. Placing me on hold, for a VERY long time (28 minutes IS long, isn't it? My sense of "normal" started to get a little distorted. And I really didn't understand the Indian music. It was pretty, but a little weird, and I started to wonder if I was really connected to Delta. After awhile, I just hung up (press "two" for "on hold for all eternity or until you feel really, really gullible and/or baffled.)

3. This one is a variation of #2. Tell the customer to "hold for a few minutes" and after an interminable amount of time, just disconnect the call. (press "three" for "ha!ha! tricked you!")

I will say that American Express actually showed some initiative in the process, trying to talk to Delta directly for me, noting that Delta had 2 different frequent flier numbers assigned to me, and eventually issuing me a credit, most likely because they also despaired that dealing with Delta held any hope whatsoever.

Kudos to American Express; Delta, turn in those wings and ground yourself to the sidelines.

December Challenges

2010-12-13T20:27:00.003-06:00

1. I call it "whipping the angel into submission". Doug calls it "straightening it up."

2. Digging out. (I'm so sorry, Minneapolis! You make our 30 below, but NO SNOW look good!)

And how busy were YOU today? (Less than 2 weeks to Christmas!)

2010-12-12T18:18:00.005-06:00

Time to get these puppies in the mail! (Thank you, Doug, for braving the US Postal Service even when it's 30 below!)

And more about Doug's sweetness: the ornament above was just a little bit buried into our Christmas tree. Doug takes many, many, MANY UNTOLD hours in arranging very specifically the ornaments of our tree. He also really likes to put the ones that he knows I like to look at very much in my line of vision.

And this ornament is one of my favorites; it reminds me of reading to my children when they were little (not that I wore hats with feathers while reading, and my kids didn't happen to be bears.)

So when I mentioned that there was a green ornament in front of it, the next thing I knew, the green ornament was relegated to the blackness of the other-side-of-the-tree outcaste-land! Isn't that sweet?

Speaking of sweet, but not at all in a good way, we happen to turn on the tv a few minutes ago and come upon The Lawrence Welk Show. Any of you know of this? It's this god-awful variety show produced in the late 50s and early 60s, and OMG! It's frightening! the lime green pants paired with fluffy pink jackets, combined with sappy, bubble-gum songs, marshmallows and bubbles, 2 cans of Aquanet Hairspray per person,zimbie-grins, background accordians and ukeleles music is all so very gaggy! (Apparently, Lawrence Welk was born in ND, and ND has such little claim to fame that it strolls out this stuff every now and then, ummmmm, celebrate? Someone is singing "I could have danced all night" right now. Someone, please, shoot me now! I hated this in childhood; I hate it now; time to wrestle the remote control from Doug, sweet guy or not!

Almost Finished Kitchen

2010-12-11T21:17:00.006-06:00

Here's a glimpse of my kitchen, almost finished and getting a little "festive" for Christmas! (Please ignored the dishes in the sink!) The contractor still needs to return and finish things, adding some trim around the windows, a cabinet door or two, paint touch-up, but I'm content to ignore those things for now, because I figure I don't have to pay some of the bills until it's all done!

One of my favorite parts is the lighting! True, maybe it would have been nice to be put in recessed lights in the ceiling. . . but not at the cost involved! But I do love the lighted cabinets I added above the stove! And really like the under-cabinet lights as well.

The cabinet immediately above the stove is waiting for the correct sized doors to arrive. . . . someday. And to the right, you can see our new refrigerator! I didn't intend to replace any of our appliances, but ours was almost 14 years old, and there was this really good Black Friday sale at Lowes. That, combined with a North Dakota refrigerator rebate meant I got a brand new stainless steel, larger, refrigerator with a water filter for about $800! I'm particular fond of the fact that food is not freezing in the bottom drawers of the refrigerator, and the drawers don't fall out when I pull them open.

I'm putting some of my Snow Village pieces in the lighted cabinets for now. And the lights have dimmer switches as well!

Some close-ups:

I added a fairly dramatic track light above the sink. I really like a lot of light to see what I'm doing in the sink. It makes it less likely that my hands will wander into the garbage disposal like in that particularly gruesome Stephen King short story I read some time ago. I think a dimmer switch might have been nice. . .

And you get to see my black sink again too! I never would have guessed how much fun it is to have a black sink! It makes no sense, but I really like it.

What does make sense is having the kitchen aid mixer. After using my little handheld mixer for, like, my whole life, one day it occurred to me it might be much easer to have a stand alone mixer. I like to bake, but I had no idea how much easier this would be! This is one purchase I should have made about 20 years ago!

These are the "old" (5 years) cabinets, but with the new counter top to match the new counter top. With every thing organized differently, even this side of the kitchen looks new to me too now.

Santa is Breaking Out a Sweat!

2010-12-09T15:00:00.000-06:00

. . . . because there's only two weeks and two days 'till Christmas! And Santa has no app for cutting down those Christmas trees or getting the elves in line. . . .

. . . or does he?????

Actually, on my DroidX I have an app for a Christmas gift list, but I think I need (want) an app to organize ALL of my Christmas events. If the app market doesn't have one, I think I'll create a hanDbase template for one for my phone, with the tasks of Christmas: baking, packages, Christmas cards, decorating, Angel Tree, Christmas tree, driving through the park, visiting neighbors, cookie deliveries, watching schmaltzy movies, and eagerly awaiting my children coming home. . . .

Merry Christmas, Book Club Buddies!

2010-12-08T20:07:00.002-06:00

I am so very fond of Christmas! Of course, over-the-top happiness occurs when all three of my kiddos get to come home.

But I also like decorating, and the baking, so I really enjoy when I get to have my book club come to my house for the monthly meeting. Last night, I got to try out my Caramel Pots de Creme on my group club members. True, I screwed up the recipe, managing to somehow put all the whip cream inside the recipe, rather than a third of it elegantly on top. But it still tasted wonderful! And next time I'm going to take on an idea presented of including a little kahlua in the "pots".

Note that I'm not even mentioning the book we read. . . because, really, are book clubs really about the books?

I think not.

Buck Up, Santa!

2010-12-05T17:50:00.004-06:00

. . . Seriously, Santa, what's got you in such a snit? Is it your credit card bill? That you have to stop off in ND and deal with our windchills on the 24th?

I just have to say that I so enjoyed Nicki's recent posts of glum-looking Santas that it's got my scrutinizing my own Christmas ornaments to see who's dishing out Christmas- Story-level (the movie) stink-eye in my living room.

Oh, no! I Caved!

2010-12-04T23:00:00.005-06:00

After months of telling my husband that we didn't need smart phones, he bought one. And I scoffed at it, and his Talking Tom . . . . rapture.

Wellllllllll, then my Palm Pilot died--my trusty, little, brain-of-the-household, with its lock-box like storage of all things essential to running our lives. . . like addresses and immunizations and Christmas lists.

And the Droid X looked very appealing after all.

OK, I admit it; it was the Nook android reader update that allows the synchronization between the Nook and the phone that got me. Which means I get to leave both the Nook AND the palm pilot out of my purse. . . leaving more room for my camera!

But then I discovered the Gallery for storing photos (38 of Bonnie alone!), and the Live Christmas Tree Wallpaper, and the Digital Chef (imports recipes from allrecicpes.com AND reads them out loud to you, advancing to the next step with a hand clap or "Yo!"), and Pandora and DoubleTwist and fmRadio; and weather apps to track road conditions, and the ability to set individual songs as the ringtones to people in my contact list (when Doug calls me, I hear The Beatles, "Oh, Darling!" )

And a Thanksgiving planner, a Christmas gift list, news feeds, a google reader app, and handDBase (which let's me use templates to create my own databases to my heart's content).

But no talking tom :)

Status Report: The Kitchen Remodel and the Christmas Cactus

2010-11-28T17:33:00.003-06:00

And were we successful in our race to complete our kitchen remodeling in time for Thanksgiving?

Well. . . . yes and no.

This is the stairwell and living room just outside of our kitchen, Tuesday morning, before Thanksgiving. And many of these boxes happen to contain all those little things you need for cooking, like bottles of oil, spices, pots and pans. . . .

But this is the condition of the kitchen Tuesday morning. The contractor was very apologetic about not having completed the kitchen by Thanksgiving. He finally heard our desperation to have a functional kitchen in which to bake and cook our feast, and he did manage to put the microwave back in, just above the stove, before leaving for the day. Luckily, on Wednesday, the electrician came and finished the wiring in order for us to actually power the microwave to use for Thanksgiving preparations.

It's not finished yet, but it is now such a treat to get to pull open drawers for spoons, and open cabinets for bowls, rather than rummaging around in boxes in the living room! I'm hoping to soon quit looking for the microwave on the floor of the dining room, and remember that it's at eye level in the kitchen now!

And to celebrate the progress, and Dianna being home, my Christmas Cactus decided to bloom for the first time ever!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Snowy Night in Grand Forks . . . and

2010-11-21T16:17:00.004-06:00

Out and about last night, and it was the first significant snow fall in Grand Forks. It's very weird for this to be so late in the year, and it was nice and fluffy. Look how strange in photographs. . . like little octagons falling out of the sky. . . .

. . . and this is STILL the condition of my living room/dining room/kitchen because we've been so abandoned by our contractor. Over the past two and a half week, he's told us 4 times that he was going to show up. . . and maybe tomorrow he actually will!

Four days before Thanksgiving, and my "work arounds" only go so far in trying to prepare for Thanksgiving. If Craig (the contractor) still won't surface, I'm thinking about repacking/rearranging all the boxes to retrieve more of what I need for baking/cooking, moving the microwave to our coffee table, and running extension cords. We think he actually may show up tomorrow after my extensive, pathetic, begging at LumberMart, where we bought the cabinets, and who referred us to Craig. They actually did get him to return our phone call last week!

Celebrate! And trashing a novel

2010-11-11T21:02:00.005-06:00

I can be a positive and happy person; I really can! For example, look at this burst of joy that is in my office:

(double click for full oomph)

A dear friend of mine, Claudette, whom I've worked with for 20 years, recently retired. But this is what she brought to our office about a week ago! I may live in North Dakota, the veritable epitome of winter, but I have this exotic, tropical, plant blooming in my office. Now, if only the friggin' building would fix its heat, now that we're in the 30s. . . .

But the better reason, the more, glorious, over-the-top, joyous reason I have to be positive and happy is that my oldest "child", Scott, is getting married in October! The hibiscus doesn't even begin to compare to the delight I feel about Scott and Elizabeth!

OK, that being said, now I can sneak in some of my negativity, and it's about this book,

and my view of it, posted on Goodreads:

"This book does have a compelling central conflict that does pull you in right from the beginning, but I found little else to recommend this book. Dr. David Henry and Norah have twins during a blizzard in 1964; he delivers them, and tells her that the 2nd child, Phoebe, a little girl with Down syndrome, died at birth, and instructs his nurse, Carolyn Gill, to whisk the newborn away off to an institution. Carolyn cannot go through with this, and runs away with the baby.

Obviously, there are going to be some problems, and I wanted to know the outcome, of how someone could live with this terrible deception and what it would do to the people involved.

But the process of resolving it is needlessly, laboriously, drawn out--for many, many pages. Enough pages that if you have a chunk of hours of your life that you hate, you can waste them on the middle 7/8ths of this book. Otherwise, turn it into a short story, read the first 50 or so pages, and then skip to the last 20, and call it a day!

I did not like the main characters or find them to be particular believable, interesting, or likable. The only main character who showed any promise was Carolyn, who, although still not particularly believable, was somewhat interesting. This was sadly diluted, however, by frequent introductions of minor characters who seem to show no other purpose than to allow for endlessly descriptive, dull, detours and passages that delayed getting to any kind of resolution.

The experience of reading this book is like being told that something monumental and significant is about to be announced, like you are holding the winning ticket in a contest, and then enduring a great deal of hype only to be told something anti-climactic and lame, like "you just won a $2.00 off coupon."

Seriously, read something else!"

My Black Sink and Two Steps Forward

2010-11-09T20:38:00.004-06:00

I have no clue why, but I'm really enjoying my new black sink. And I don't know why I picked out a black sink, other than that on the spur of the moment, I decided to get a new sink, rather than put back in my old sink, and I suddenly decided that a deep, graphite, sink, would look nice again the new brownish speckled countertops.

Take two steps forward --

-- but one step back--

Note to self: when buying a sink, and you want to use your old faucet, count the holes in the sink. This might save the plumber having to head to the store to buy a faucet that will actually work with your sink.

So. . . it looks like I got a new faucet, too!

Color Drama!

2010-11-07T20:16:00.003-06:00

I have two sons, one who is color-blind, and one who is not. It always baffles me that my non-color blind son will consult the color-blind one for his fashion sense. Even though color-blind, Brian really does care greatly about his clothing, and actually took 4 years of art in high school because he enjoyed it so much.

But to not see the full range of colors!

Does this mean he doesn't get the full, dramatic, glory of the color of flamingos?

Or will he "see" the new color I finally settled on for my kitchen?

It's slowly coming along (the kitchen,not the flamingos). The lilac you see on the walls will be covered by cabinets. (The only reason I even had lilac on the walls was because of a minor dispute with my daughter. I painted the bathroom a type of pink/mauve. She objected, saying it would stress her out, and that she "spent the most time in the bathroom" so should have the choice of color. I really didn't want purple in the bathroom (think color casts on your face!) and compromised by painting the kitchen lilac.

It was ok in the kitchen, but more "eh?" than anything else.

See that little grate on the floor? The one that matches the new cabinets? I myself painted that with spraypaint all by myself! Impressive, huh? It looks much better now that the old grate for the heat vent, the "gold" was all rusty and grungy.

North Dakota Measusure 2: Does this make YOU want to live here?

2010-11-03T21:01:00.008-05:00

SUBTITLE I Too like to Shoot Zebras

In North Dakota, people can petition to have a measure on the ballot, like this measure, Measure 2, which came before the citizens for a vote. It failed.

Fee killing of certain captive game animals prohibited – Penalty – Exception. A person is guilty of a class A
misdemeanor if the person obtains fees or other remuneration from another person for the killing or attempted killing of privately-owned
big game species or exotic mammals confined in or released from any man-made enclosure designed to prevent escape. This section
does not apply to the actions of a government employee or agent to control an animal population, to prevent or control diseases, or when
government action is otherwise required or authorized by law.

~~~~~~

Like everything else in politics, there are at least two sides to any story. One side to this story is that government should not tell people what to do with their land. They also argue that this hunting is really no different than any other type of raising livestock for slaughter.

The other side is, do you really think it's ok to allow the fencing of animals,"canned hunting," including exotic animals, to provide a shooting experience to people with money who want to be hunters and shoot them.

And the bill failed to pass, which means that, just as in the last 12 years in North Dakota, this is a legal industry. Over the last 12 years, there has not, to my knowledge, been a practice of shooting exotic animals such as giraffes and zebras, although it is legal to do so. Other animals are shot in this canned hunting, however, in case you want to bypass Disney World this year and, do this instead.

So does this sound like a desirable state for you to live in?

Surprise! Guess What's Behind that Wall!

2010-11-02T19:10:00.005-05:00

As my dear sister-in-law, Maria, knows, remodeling is Fun! Fun! Fun! I used to envy all my brothers and sisters and the collective wisdom they have in tackling their remodeling their projects themselves, but I am now even more aware of how completely out of our depth Doug and I are when it comes to this. I didn't even buy the right fan light/dimmer switch today!

But our project is coming along. . . . and I'm hoping (desperately) to be up and running by Thanksgiving.

But my first . . . hesitation. . . was when I saw a splash of the color of the paint I picked out. And no matter how I tried to spin it, I knew I could not live with bright cherry red walls in the kitchen. Bright cherry red would probably be a SIREN call to all the Cedar Waxwings in North America, making them crash through my windows and eat my interior walls! I tried getting some brown paint added to the paint. . . and then decided that I should just cut my losses and buy new paint. Not a big problem, once I got beyond the indecision. . .

The bigger problem was discovered by the contractor. Take a look to the left of our oven, toward the floor. . .

. . . and NO that is not a Nikon lens scandalously, wantonly, lying around among the dust and construction! I'd never!

That's plumbing stuff. Pipes. Kind of like the big honker of a pipe in the wall, just above it, discovered by the contractor to be--well--cracked! As in, leaking. In the wall, between the kitchen and the bathroom.

See! I actually DO know some construction stuff! I know leaking pipes in the wall are bad. So is the resulting mold. . .

And another thing that's bad is how all the plumbing and pulling-out-the-cabinets banging around reveals the problem with the electrical connection and knocks out the lighting in the bathroom, so now you have to wash your dishes in the dark in the bathroom.

But first, we tried flipping some circuit switches. Because that's what you always do when the lights/power goes out; you go down to the laundry room and flip switches. And the lights come back on and all is good.

Except, of course, instead, our crazed flipping of switches just blew out our internet router. Which for us, is NOT simple and easy to repair, and left me going through Serious Blogger Withdrawal.

*sigh* But now I'm reconnected to the internet, have new paint on the wall, have new pipes in the wall. . . . but a lot of dark in the bathroom.

And that dimmer switch? Seems I didn't remember that the switch that turns on the fan is really NOT also connected to the light switch. Oh. . . and the light doesn't dim, either. . . . And eventually after searching the parking lot at LumberMart, I found the receipt (which fell out of the car)for Lowes to return that ridiculously expensive switch.

Trick or Treat? Horror in the Target Aisle

2010-10-31T19:36:00.003-05:00

A woman tried to save my life today in the Target checkout line! There I was, minding my own business about to buy this scary menace:

. . . and the woman behind me threw all caution to the wind, and tackled me, throwing me to the floor, and begging me, "Don't do it! You're too young to die!"

Or something like that. . . .

Actually, more like this: She told me that she'd just read that baby carrots are really not sweet, little, innocent, healthy carrots, but these "babies" are really nasty deformed carrots, rescued from the garbage heap, and disquised as cutie to lure you to your death. They're soaked in chlorine, and if you leave them in the refrigerator for a few days, they'll develop a "white bloom" on them as the chlorine surfaces, unmasking their dastardly plot to send you to an early grave.

Needless to say, I left them in the store and fled for my life!

Well, at home, I have a few left in the refrigerator, dragged them out to photograph for you to warn my cherished blog reader friends, and then decided to check out the details with snopes.com.

Well. . . . . . .

. . . . like many things on the internet, the Lurking Dangerous is not always to0 factual.

Go ahead and eat your baby carrots! It turns out that they are now carrots that have been specially bred to contain more sugar, and are cut down to make them little. They ARE soaked in chlorine, and then rinsed, but this is apparently a pretty standard antimicrobial processing of food. The "white bloom" is just the result of the additional cut surface. Snopes states that if you bring a carrot in from the yard, cut it so that it has more cut surfaces and put it in the refrigerator, you'll get the same outcome.

Hmmmmm. . . . . so these baby carrots are looking more "treat" than "trick" to me now, and I say, go ahead and eat them! Here's the snopes link if you're interested.

By the way, I'm so happy that I now have internet again and can post again! I was going through blogging withdrawal there for a few days!

No, Really, You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

2010-10-25T21:21:00.005-05:00

So, Doug thought he'd introduce Brian to the fine art of shooting his pellet gun.

Brian asked, is there much of a recoil?

No, not much.

But he STILL should have warned him to not put it right up to his head!

(And, yes, there was blood! But from his forehead, not eye, thank God!)

eta: Poor Brian. Really attentive parents, right? Doug laughs, and I grab my camera. (I think Doug was a little nervous; but I just have to seize the moment for photographic purposes.)

eta some more: They were NOT shooting squirrels; just those vicious cardboard boxes with circles painted on them, that might attack your house when you're not watching. Must.Defend.The. Homestead.

eta one more thing: You would not believe how long it took me to figure out what "eta" stood for when I first started blogging on POTD! Google really is my friend!

Dragon Chalice from Amsterdam

2010-10-22T19:36:00.002-05:00

Brian had Doug and I give Dianna the birthday present he got for her in Amersterdam. He couldn't give it to her himself, because he's already gone off to his next internship in San Francisco.

Here are 3 views of the same chalice.

I wish I had gotten a sharper focus, and realized that I was much too close for the f/2.8 aperture to get good detail. I would have been better off cranking up the ISO to more than 320 and going with at least a 4.0 or 5.6 aperture, and backing up a bit. . . maybe adding a touch of flash, even if I used exposure compensation to reduce the flash.

Dianna was totally blissed out by the gift, pronouncing it as the "best birthday present I ever got!" Good job, Brian!

Minneapolis at Night from the Guthrie

2010-10-21T17:36:00.003-05:00

These are some views outside of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. Early in October, Doug and I went to Minneapolis to help with that totally fun middle-aged parental past-time known as "helping young adults move." You know, the kind of pleasure that involves dragging dressers and TVs and little refrigerators up narrow stairwells to third floors of old houses. That joy- - and all the while trying to repress any thoughts of "what goes up, must come down." My role is just to cringe and sweat and wring my hands (and paint); Doug's role is to do the actual heavy-lifting.

I'd always wanted to go to the Guthrie, so it was a real treat when Dianna suggested we go see The Master Butchers Singing Club (by Louise Erdrich). It's excellent! It's based on a book by the same name by Erdrich, which is a fantastic book, as are all her novels.

During the intermission, I went out on the balcony and got to take these shots of the night skyline. A tripod would have been wonderful, but I hand-held these. I actually used Brian's camera, the Nikon D5000 and my 50 mm 1.4 lens at f/1.6.

Which brings you to my dilemna.(no, google dictionary; I will not change the "n" in dilemna, to an "m". I've done the research; I know there's a difference of opinion, and I'd miss the "n" too much.)

My dilemna is that Brian never, ever uses this camera, so I bought it from him. Of course, I love my Nikon D300s much, much more. But next year I'm going on a trip to Mexico, and like all good little obsessionals, time is awasting and I have to start my obsessing now. Never mind what I'll wear, I have to figure out camera gear. And I don't want to bring my D300s with me.

So I started researching p&s. Pshaw! I scoff at them! (Actually, the idea of being stuck with a camera that does not shoot RAW would literally ruin the trip for me. I am a jpeg snob! So throw me in a 12-step program, but I MUST SHOOT RAW!)

There's a new breed of p&s, including the new Nikon Coolpix P7000. It really doesn't sound like a good option, especially given the reported 4 second delay in writing the image to the memory card for RAW, but it does weigh only 10.9 oz. One option is I sell the D5000 and buy a Coolpix.

The other possibility is to take a Tamron lens, and the Nikon D5000 (still lots of weight, but less than the D300s, and I protect "my precious") and this could be the "lighter" travel camera.

What would you do?

Summer Love Tour 2010

2010-10-20T20:41:00.004-05:00

Doug and I had such a treat this past September! We got to go to Garrison Keillor's Summer Love Tour in Fargo, ND, one night after work. Garrsion Keillor is the author/star of Prairie Home Companion, a Minnesota Phenomena broadcast over National Public Radio.

Fargo is 70 miles south of Grand Forks, so this was a challenging trek, after work, and then home again with work the next morning.

But that was nothing.

What was something was our "surprise" to realize that the venue was outside. Outside CAN be good. But not across from a river, at night fall, in September. Outside meant organized massings of vampire-wannabe bloodsuckers known as mosquitoes that conducted their intense campaigns against us (and me in particular.)

Until the temperature dropped. I mean, it's North Dakota! And even in this unusual fall, it meant temperatures of between 40 and 50 degrees . That's why I bought the t-shirt above to add under my very light, not-even-long-sleeved jacket, above.

And then Garrison came out. . .. . . I love his shoes!

And soon after his appearance, he rattled the audience by appearing to take a stroll. . . . away. . . fleeing from us. . . . .

But then came back to the stage, in time to take cover from the absolute downpour that drenched us to to our very . . . undies. We're North Dakotans. We're like Minnesotans, (except with all that Minnesota flamboyance sucked out of our Life Force) with huge heapings of Minnesota Nice. . . which means you'd never, ever, think about leaving the audience before the performance is over. Never mind the mosquitoes, and cold, and wind, and deluge. . . we're f.i.n.e.

And this little segment alone was worth it! I don't know if you've ever heard Prairie Home Companion, but on the radio, it's tame compared to what happens live! On the radio, you hear sound effects, but live, you see this Guy (on the left) who takes the cue from Garrison (right) and creates the sound-effects fitting the moment, adding a bit of pantomine and body language. And his version, along with Garrison Keillor, of impregnation and childbirth, was the funniest depiction I've ever seen!

Made it worth my intense anxiety about my D300s (almost) in the downpour. I wrapped it in a neoprene sleeve that Scott gave me for my birthday, wrapped all this in plastic bags, closed it up in the middle of my purse, and tucked it under my chair. Oh, how I lusted for a rain poncho or umbrella!

Later, I heard Garrison Keillor on the radio described this particular performance as his all-time favorite performance. I guess he actually appreciated all us middle-aged lemmings sitting there spell-bound in our seats, without enough sense to come in from the monsoon!

Like My Housekeeping?

2010-10-19T18:02:00.005-05:00

"If you're messy and you know it,
Then you really ought to show it. . .
If you're messy and you know it,
Clap your hands!"

Actually, there's really a reason for all this. . . My old (maybe 40 years) cabinets, painted over and over, kitchen cabinets are going to be replaced! Good-bye sawdust, every time I pull out a kitchen drawer!

. . . but I really am messy, and I embrace my Inner Messiness!

Run! Martha! Run!

Galveston Homes and a Book Review (The Woman in White)

2010-10-17T18:05:00.006-05:00

As if it wasn't enough to for us to take in, searching out the tree sculptures in Galveston, every corner, every block, was filled with beautiful, stately, homes like these:

Imagine how much work and dedication it must have taken to restore these home after Hurricane Ike!

I just finished reading a book - - a literal TOME of a book, on my nook: The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins. This massive adventure is 590 pages on the nook, but was actually a very fast read.

This classic, written in 1860, intimidated me when I first picked it up for my Classics book club. Besides being huge, I worried that the language of the 1800s would drown me in some kind of twilight between wakefulness and sleep.

But it was more of a modern-day, page-turner, OMG! What's-going- to- happen -next -kind -of -novel! Wilkie Collins wrote what came to be known as a "sensation" novel, printed in serial installments in newspapers, and eagerly awaited by the non-TV-viewing public. Many of the early reviewers trashed the novel when it first came out, but this book has surfaced again, over and over, in various forms, across the decades, as plays, silent movies, TV miniseries, and movies.

The novel presents a mystery that must be solved, involving star-crossed lovers, evil husbands, fainting women, mice treated like children, dwarfs and ghosts, a peculiar uncle, secret organizations, plots, identity theft, insane asylums and of course, murder!

As long as this book is, it's a satisfying, engrossing read. I stayed up way too long reading this, and stole moments away from the rest of my life to read it here and there, (even while drying my hair at one point.) (not my best hair day, I might add.)

(One caveat; the language of the 1800s became almost infectious, and I foolishly wrote a letter to the IRS emulating the style of the time. If I end up in tax jail, I hope to take a nice stash of Wilkie Collins' books along with me.)

Big Dogs in Galveston

2010-10-13T18:30:00.004-05:00

A few more wood sculptures in Galveston. . . . .

This dog sculpture is huge. . . .

. . . . and these two photos probably give you more of a sense of the scale of this puppy. . . .

Captions, anyone?

Run! It's the Pumpkin Stampede!

2010-10-12T20:05:00.002-05:00

What is it that's so photogenic about pumpkins? I mean, it's not like they're cute little babies or puppies or anything. . . .

Fall, The Most Drama Queen Season of the Them All!

2010-10-10T18:23:00.003-05:00

I have more photos of Galveston, TX, but Fall color has been demanding attention in no uncertain terms.

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A Fall Interlude

2010-10-09T01:47:00.003-05:00