Bring a Camera

Camping was a great! We played a lot of Texas Hold-em’ and burned some hotdogs and stayed up way too late. On the way down we saw a sheriff that had been run off the road by another car who took off. The cop had been spun around backwards and his back end was crunched by a tree down a 15 foot drop. Of course, I had decided not to bring a camera because I’m a moron so all I can do now is describe it instead of show you.
Tonight we went out as a family to the Home Depot. That’s a great place to bring small children for all of you out there who’re looking for more frustration in life. Everything looks like a toy to a little one but you just can’t give a two year old a circular saw to play with in the cart. At least, not a Dewalt.
I’m getting pumped about the house; it’s going to be so much work that it’s silly but it’s going to be so nice too. Every time I see Alec playing with a lens or camera or flash card or a Sharpie marker or an exacto blade, I think of how nice it will be when all of those things are safely in a separate building. Then I make Avery take whatever it is away from him. I don’t want to be the bad guy. I’m just kidding….but seriously.

Don't stare too long

Goin campin tonight! I need it too boy, sometimes you’ve just got to get out and play with a bonfire and burn a hotdog and play poker and stuff. Every time I go to a campfire I end up thinking about how for thousands of years they didn’t have TV, they had fire to watch. The same kind of mesmeriziation I get from staring at a TV is in a glowing, swirling, snapping, pulsing fire. There are a couple of things like that that seem to connect me (in my mind) to some guy living in 500 BC working the night watch in the mountains of Asia Minor. Or whatever. The same show is on.

718 N. Cottonwood

Catch up days are so nice indeed. It dawned on me today that we’ll be moving to a new house soon and all of the sudden I’m feeling sentimental about this house. We’ve been here almost 7 years and we watched them build it. Both are kids came home here from the hospital. Erin painted every wall in the house very thoughtfully and carefully.
The sounds of this house are special too. The wind-chime we can take with us but I don’t think it will be as windy at the new house. Right now that thing chimes almost endlessly. The train in the distance is just barely audible, you almost can’t hear it….I think we’ll be able to hear it at the new house but I’m not sure.
We’ve got a growth chart wall with Avery’s height penciled in going back to 10/3/02, and Erin painted her room with 3 greens doing a giant checker thing that was more complicated than you’d believe. Oh well, we’re going to have a sweet place (once Erin does everything she wants to it) and it’ll be full of great memories too.

It might sound like a dumb reason to really want a house but the new house has big trees that I can build a tree-house in and at this house we’ve still got about 10 years until the trees will be big enough. I can really see the kids having more great places to play at the new house.

Busy Days

Today was nuts. I had a daycare with 100 or so little toddlers, infants and preschoolers to shoot. No gun either. I had a wedding to finalize and deliver, and a senior session that ended up being cut short due to sunlight. Daylight savings isn't doing me any favors. Well, that's not true; my kids get sleepy earlier so I can get caught up with stuff then. I shot the entire daycare raw since it was the first time using that white and blue background and whites can get pretty hairy with digital. First shot's gray so the rest should batch true.
I'm really liking that background too. It's going to be pretty versatile because it's so simple. I felt bad running out of daylight tonight, it's a reschedule to start with and now it'll be next year before we're done. It was gorgeous out though while the sun held.

Candy makes them shake

Have you ever noticed that if you give a toddler as much candy as he wants, he'll start shaking and speaking speed-Indian? I didn't realize it until last night. Bob the Builder and the Fairy Princess were pretty wired last night and today it was hard to ignore the sacks of m&m's and snickers. This was Alec's first year to really trick or treat and Avery didn't get to last year because she was sick.
Tomorrow is a big day with a daycare shoot and a senior before church. I also got Doug and Jennifer's wedding pictures narrowed down to the best 413 shots which took some critical thinking. Their photos turned out fabulous, thanks in part to the second shooter, Adam Cole who has a great eye for composition. I think artists always have a natural eye for photography. Erin has a much faster eye for a shot than I do but she doesn't have any desire to take up shooting seriously.

me

 

Happy Halloween

We are getting ready to move to the house on Maple Ave which will be awesome for me (I get a studio). Avery is getting ready to trick or treat as a fairy princess and Alec is going as Bob the Builder. Yet again I've failed to get a UPS outfit so I could be the King of Queen's Kevin James but maybe next year.
We went to the Samuel's house Saturday night for the Little Youth Halloween Party which was so fun to see all the kids dressed up. I really like this holiday.