20AUG11

I love those Coldwater Kids! <3

18AUG11-One Year of Photos

Today (18AUG11) marks the one year anniversary of the commencement of my photo blog. My intention was to take and post at least one photo a day. I've fallen down on the job a bit, but I don't think I will beat myself up over it, yeah? I mean--I kept trying even if there were times when I didn't post for as much as a month at a time. There are times when you just don't feel like it, yeah? Additionally, the winter is a time wherein Pop and I don't really get out of the house much. And--if you think about it--there is only so much you can photograph inside the house!
When I first began this blog, I was taking pictures with my camera phone. What surprised me was the really decent quality of the camera phone photographs. It really picked up quite a bit of detail! I had fun taking pictures with my camera phone. It allowed for freer hands since I didn't have to carry a phone AND a camera, but I really do enjoy the easy share camera I received from Pop and Marilyn for Christmas. She said that she knew I wanted to get a really good camera sometime but that this one could be an 'interim' camera--you know, a little better than a camera phone. And it is! The photographs are even better quality and I can even record videos on it! I also received--for Christmas--a 'Digital Camera for Dummies' type of book. I try to read a little of it every day so that I"m continuing to learn about digital cameras and how to use them, so that when I've actually saved up enough money to buy a decent DSLR, I'll actually have a clue as to how to use it.

Today photos were taken when Pop and I were out on the front porch enjoying the fading day. I decided to use the time to practice my guitar cos there are too many distracting things inside the house! So, I took a photo of my guitar leaning on the bench where I and my lesson notes and pick were sitting. It was really a great practice session! I even picked out a little song! While were were out there, we heard thunder rolling and it kind of inspired me and I wrote a song tentatively entitled "Rainstorm." I have tons of 'cleaning it up" to do, but I'm very proud of myself. I'll prolly need to run it by my guitar coach to see if he has suggestions of how to do so.
Also, Pop and I stayed out there practicing and enjoying the evening air (near 100--sigh) until the sun was just disappearing. It was a really great day.
And--if you happen to want to see what the very first blog was all about, you can see it here.

17AUG11

This is my first view of the day in the morning. Outside my window, I see--in the backyard--the old fashioned twirly clothes line that was used in the days before this family had a washer and dryer. I know it is somewhat odd looking. The window screen and glass were situated between my camera and my object of focus, so that leaves the photograph a little "blurry." What is really interesting to me is the reflection of my curtains. If you look carefully, you'll see vertical stripes of fuchsia, lime green, and blue 'draping' the entire photograph. I took the photo with nothing but glass and screen between us, but the reflection of those curtains added another layer.

14AUG11

I love taking pictures of these two! Though they've been married prolly close to 40 years, they still clearly adore each other! :)

13AUG11

12AUG11

The first day of my road trip began at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The day was short but was enjoyable. I love road trips. I hope one day to have a road trip where I don't have to be anywhere at any certain time. I'd like to be able to stop when I want to do so and take pictures of all the neat old buildings and purty skies and fields which house old barns etc. And at least once, I'd like to stop and take pictures of all the church buildings and all the signs announcing them. It'd be cool to have a weekend's worth of churches of christ.
These pictures are all from the trip north to Tyler and then from my dinner with one of my top five favorite families in the whole city of Tyler: The Shumates. They call me LFSF, short for Loralee Fabulous Shumate Ford!
I had a really great time with them this weekend. Usually I stay with Ayers, Bluhms, or Tindalls, but none of them were available this particular weekend. So, off to the country to stay with the Shumates. We went to this really great hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Legends or something like it. They have pretty much the tastiest burgers I've ever had. I found out why--they grind their own meat! There is no frozen, then thawed taste to their burgers! After we ordered, the gal at the counter asked for a name. Scott said "Blind Bartimaeus." Seems that he gives them a different, wacky name every time they go.
When we got home, Scott invited me to tour the workshop and then asked if I wanted to help him sand the set of blinds he was working on. At first I didn't really want to do so. I was tiiiirrreeed. But the thought of Scott staying up 'til 3 or 4 a.m. working on blinds and then having to take a two hour trip to his Great-Uncle's 80th birthday party didn't sit well with me. So, I grabbed my IPOD and set to work. Scott and I sang and sanded and worked for almost 2 hours and finished all but 3 of the sets of blinds! I enjoyed--as I am wont to do--working with my hands. I did learn one lesson though. Always wear protective eye wear when you are sanding!
Anyway, I had a fantastic time with my Shumates!

11AUG11--Self Portrait

I had just read a bit in my digital photography book that I received for Christmas and was messing around with the camera. I took this self-portrait which is nothing special--just okay, except for this one thing: Do y'all notice in the top right hand corner that the evening light is making my hair look blue!?! Guess I should consider that a sign that since I turned 42 last week I should be considering myself a blue-haired old lady, hmmmm?

08AUG11

This is my very first knitting (with needles) project ever! Yes, I realize it looks like a barbie skirt when it was supposed to be a rectangular washcloth. Ah well! It'll do as a washcloth anyway, yeah?
I went to the knitting circle at Strings and Things on Dowlen Road (near Phelan) and those ladies knew just what I had done wrong and taught me how not to do it. I really enjoy the ladies there. Every now and then, we have a problem with Sailor mouths, but other than that minor issue, it is soooo great there. These ladies WANT to help me learn and go out of their way to do so. I found a little knitting home away from home!

03AUG11

Here we are at my birthday party at the Coldwater's home. Kelly and Aurora and Pike and I all hung out there. Of course--since I was involved--there was a lot of talking involved. And actually, Pike did a lot of talking, too. That boy has really improved in the last little while, or else, I'm just around enough to start understanding him. maybe it is a little bit of both, yeah?
I really love Pike and Aurora! They are really great kids, ya know? And the more I am around them, the more open and affectionate they are toward me which--of course--I LOVE!
I made myself a home-made cake on Tuesday for POp and I to eat. I realize it is silly, but since no one else made me cake, I decided I would do one for myself. Homemade chocolate cake with homemade icing! It was really delish! Kelly said it was that kind of good when you can tell it is homemade. YAY!
We also had dinner there. Mostly veggies from their garden! So Good!
I L-O-V-E the Coldwater family! <3

31JUL11

These photos were taken after morning worship on 31JUL11 which--as I'm sure you already know--is Harry Potter's birthday. I'm sure some of you really think my obsession with this story is silly, and that is okay. Everyone has opinions. For all we know, there is something you like that I find silly. Anyway, one of the reasons that I know all these birthday is cos I'm a super fan. However, these three birthdays are in a row"
1-Neville Longbottom, good-hearted, brave, right-doing, snake-killing Gryffindor.
2-Harry James Potter, The boy-who-lived--TWICE!! and--though he is often a whiny baby--that boy went to his death to save the whole world. I don't think he thought that the death would be temporary when he did it, either. He went intending to die completely for the well-being of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and even Malfoy. Ya gotta appreciate that fact, yeah?
3) Moi! Y'all know me. I don't have to describe myself, yeah?
So, the three of us have birthdays one right after another...

Okay, so the pictures: The first one is a young gal who was just born last month. She is precious and we have similar names--Loralee and Danilee!
The other picture is the mother of my birthday twin--well, I guess that isn't TECHNICALLY true, but we were born on the same day of the year--28 years apart!

30JUL11

The day these photos were taken was important for several reasons.
1) It was Neville Longbottom's birthday! If he were flesh and blood--as he seems to me--instead of a literary character, he'd have been 31 years old! Wow! I think I read somewhere that JKR said he married Hannah Abbott. I think they would have been a really cute couple! I can imagine him having a cozy little house with a garden in the back and he and Hannah raising two girls. I don't know what he would have named 'em, but I'd like to think he would have named them after two women he really admired--Ginny and Luna.
An interesting aside: I wanted to make sure I had his age right, so I googled him. I put "Neville's birthday" in the search engine. I want you to note that I didn't put his last name or any reference to Harry Potter into the search bar--only the words "Neville's birthday." The very first response to my query regarded the literary character! In fact, of the eight non-advertising responses on the first page, six of them referenced the snake-killer! I find that amazing.
2) It was the day I paid my last bill to a credit card company. Now, I am less debt-ful! I think I've paid off three or four of my five credit cards. YAY!
3) I had my second counseling session with a local Gospel preacher. I feel like as if we're taking care of business during these sessions. It may be slow-going, but as long as I'm healing and dealing and growing and getting better and loving God and myself and everyone else more, then I'll be glad to take however long it takes. It is nice to see a light at the end of the dark tunnel, yeah?
These photos were taken when Tony, Mary and I went to eat lunch at Novroski's in Vidor. I had a lovely time!