December Wrap Up

December like the rest of this year has gone by so fast that I almost missed it. I did however capture a few special moments during the month. 

First was Sissy and Bubba's Winter music concerts. Sissy plays both in orchestra and in band as well as singing in the chorus. In their school band and orchestra are only open to 3-5 grade so Bubba who is in second grade was only had a chorus performance.

Sissy and her best friend both play violin and are in the center of the above photo. Everyone calls them twins and they do look a lot alike. Here is a cropped version of the above photo. It is not the best but easier to see why they are referred to as twins by their classmates.

In band Sissy is a percussionist and for this concert she got to play the snare drum which she was very happy about.

I tried to get a nice shot of her in the chorus performance but I definitely wasn't prepared for the fact that both her and her 'twin' moved the entire time. They held hands and even when everyone else was standing still the two girls swayed to the music swinging their joined hands. It was really cute but made for fuzzy photos.

Bubba was much easier to get a nice shot of. He is the little boy in the second row from the bottom wearing the deep blue shirt, just behind and to the right of the boy who is smacking his own forehead. Yes that is what he is doing, the poor boy goofed and sang out before it was time to start singing. I felt so bad for him as he didn't sing the rest of the performance. 

The concerts all went well and were very cute.

Next came Christmas

We had a quiet but nice Christmas. 

The kids were happy with their presents.

 Miss. M was happy with the fuzzy Cheshire Cat sock's the kids got her.

 Mrs. G was happy with the 'old lady' scarf the kids got her.

Mr. G was happy amused with the 'connect the dot' activity book the kids got him. His job requires mapping (connecting dots) so we tease him that he is just a glorified dot connector.

With a little over a day left until the new year I am excitedly anticipating a number of changes in my life and hopefully they will all lead to a rewarding year. 

How about you, are you looking forward to 2015?

Joyful Play

After a walk around the frozen lake at Memorial park we saw a large flock of geese. The kids got all excited, not wanting to scare them off they quietly and slowly walked up to them. Once the geese noticed them and started to fly off the kids ran after them. Soon the kids and geese were all going in circles. The kids would run a bit then walk. Some of the geese would fly to a different area while others would go up in the air when the kids got too close, only to circle around and land back near the kids.

I am really curious to hear what you my readers think. I understand that geese are protected waterfowl and there are laws regulating hunting and trade practices involving protected waterfowl. However, the kids were not hunting are trying to capture the geese. At no time did the kids try to hurt the geese. They did not throw anything at them or even yell or make loud noises. This is a city park not a wildlife refuge where disturbing the wildlife would be against the law, and yet I had someone tell me that we broke the law? Yes the kids startled the geese, but the geese did not seem all that upset about it. I mean heck let's face it geese can be pretty ornery critters and not once did any of them make that scary honking noise or come after the kids. So I really don't see any harm in running with the geese, what do you think?

For more virtual travels click on the Sundays in my City button:

Have a wonderful Week!

Flying Fragments the Christmas Edition

I am not sure where this year went but it sure flew out the window! Here we are with the new year coming at us quicker than I care to think. Boy how time has flown, it is a good thing Mrs. 4444's has a nice tidy home for all our fragments because I have more than a few.

Someone needs to teach this driver how to operate his side dump trailer. Even more confusing is the fact that it would appear he was driving it on the wrong side of the road.

I may not be a big football fan but I sure love hockey! Tuesday I had the chance to go see the Rush play. The team is all new young players this year and so far they are not doing good. It didn't take long to recognize they haven't learned to be patient and set up their shots. They lost 2-0 but it was still fun to watch. 

When I went to retrieve the first two photos from my cell phone I came across a few more I took over the last few weeks that I wanted to share.

On December 5th I was lucky enough to get this shot of the Full Long Night Moon. It sure appeared larger and brighter than most full moons. This was taken at about 4:20 in the afternoon.

This month my cat has been a real pest. He is usually very good about not jumping on desks, table tops or counters. But he has taken to jumping on my desk when I am trying to work.

I figured I might as well put him to work and asked him to proof read an article I was working on. Then I discovered his spelling is worse than mine.

Now for some flying Christmas fragments

Two of my all time favorite fun Christmas songs.

and of course

This next one though has a very special place in my heart. It was my late husbands favorite video to watch with Sissy. Every time she came over she would crawl up in his lap and they would watch this video.

This next week is going to be wilder than wild so I would like to make a holiday wish for all; May your life be filled with peace, love and laughter.

Warm Macro on a Cold Morning

It's Macro Monday and a chilly morning here in South Dakota.

Which in my book makes it a perfect time to share this little bit of warmth I have been saving.

My week is off to a good start and I feel the creativity seeping back into my life.

Sharing with 'I Heart Macro' 
and Macro Monday 

Enjoy the day!

If you get a chance share a bit of warmth in the comment section, I would love to hear how your day is going.

Sunset on the Prairie

Last night I decided to look through my November archives and see if I could find something to share today for Unknown Mami's 'Sunday in My City' meme. I came across a folder full of images taken at sunset while driving back from our last trip to Sioux Falls.

I was not at the top of my game so the photos really aren't very good. Most of them are really grainy and between motion blur, a dirty window and my obvious inability to focus properly they all need some help. But the scenes that I was trying to capture are there so I have decided to play with some of them and transform them into more sketch or painting style images.

This first scene pictures an idyllic prairie homestead during the late afternoon. I loved how the blanket of clouds did not meet the horizon and formed a canopy over the home. Another thing that drew me to this scene was the balance between the earthy tones and the blue-grey clouds.

Here are two artistic renditions of this scene.

A color pencil rendition.

A painting rendition.

This second photo was taken a half hour later facing to the southwest rather than to the north as in the first photo. I have to say I love sunsets on the prairie, especially when there are some clouds in the sky. Each layer of clouds seemed to have a different texture and of course that meant they all reflected the light of the sunset differently. The photo really doesn't do the scene justice it was truly an amazing sight.

A color pencil rendition.

A painting rendition.

In the first set I think I prefer the color pencil rendition but I really can't decide with the second set. 

Have you ever seen a sunset on the prairie? What are your sunsets like? Leave me a comment and tell me what you like the most about sunsets, and which rendition you like the best.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great Sunday!

To continue on the virtual travels be sure to hop over to Unknown Mami's, just click the button below.

Feeble Fragments

First things first, I hope everyone is having a fantastic Friday!

Now for a few feeble fragments.

The weather has been simply beautiful here in eastern South Dakota. It certainly hasn't felt like winter with temps in the 50's and 60's. I heard it even got close to 70 yesterday. Sadly I have been feeling feeble and actually was so sick I spent the entire day in bed. Hopefully I will be feeling strong enough to get out and take advantage of the nice weather before it turns cold again.

I was considering taking an official break from blogging for the rest of the year, but I don't know that I can stay away that long. Even though I sure haven't done much blogging or even been taking any photos for the last few weeks.

Thank goodness Mrs. 4444's has a place for us to share fragments or this would be even more feeble a post than it already is.

Have a great weekend!

Frozen Wonderland

Have you ever felt like the whole month passed by in the blink of an eye? That is exactly how I feel right now. I can't believe it is already November 30th! Not only the end of the month but the last Sunday, so I better hurry and get this Sunday in my City post written.

Today I am going back one week to share my visit to the city I call home, Sioux Falls South Dakota. During the winter the city turns Falls Park into a winter wonderland with beautiful twinkling lights and fun ice sculptures. 

I was just as excited as this frozen sculpture when my friend offered to take me down to Falls Park a little after 9pm.

Mrs. G had dropped me off and I realized I had left my tripod in her car. That didn't stop me though.

I managed to get some half way decent shots even without the tripod. Although it was a bit difficult to keep from shaking in the cold night air.

 How about a some sun flare lamp flare?

 I just love all the twinkling lights!

Although the frozen falls are amazing too, especially if you come earlier in the evening when they have colored spotlights lighting up the falls.

 Of course one should not forget the inviting little restaurant.

 Or the Buffalo statue

 Or the gift shop with the observation tower!

Or the wonderful view of the Falls and the ruins of the Queen B Mill from the walking bridge.

My visit to Falls Park Winter Wonderland made my visit home extra special. Thanks to my dear friend our gift shop now features some of these photos on Christmas Ornaments and Greeting Cards.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual visit, and are able to join in the virtual travel at Unknown Mami's Sunday In My City.

Caption This Wordless Wednesday and a Wish

Caption This

Now for the not so wordless part of this Wednesday post. That is right it is Wednesday and usually I post the Wordless Wednesday photo on my photo blog but today I posted the last of my Autumn photos. While Wednesdays here on Artistic Composition are reserved for letting the Universe know what my heart desires. Since my Wordless Wednesday photo and my wish are tied together I figured why not share them in one post. 

This little sweetie is my youngest granddaughter. She lives with her father and mother over 300 miles away. My wish is that we lived closer to them so I could spend more time with her and her sisters.

So there you have it my Wordless Wednesday and my wish for this week. I would love to hear your caption ideas, just post them in the comments. 

Don't forget to make a wish!

  And join in the wordless fun at:  

Wishing You a Wonderful Wednesday!

Five Little Frags Fritted Franticly For Freedom

Luckily my little frags know just where to find their freedom, yep over at Mrs. 4444's Friday Fragments. If you need a home for your wayward blog fragments stop on by, the more the merrier!

Thank you Mother Nature!

The weather is nice and I am running away for the weekend! Not sure that I will get a chance to see the Falls this trip but I will be spending some much needed time with family and friends. How about you, will you be traveling to visit friends and family for the upcoming holidays? 

One thing I have to admit about winter, it sure makes for some spectacular skies.

Skywatch Friday Submission

The strangest thing has happened. My grandson's cat is five years old and has been a very anti-social animal ever since they got him as a kitten. He has always been a very good guard kitty, sitting guard at the foot of my grandson's bed or in his doorway at night. But that was about the closest he would get to humans. Until recently. He has become more than social, sitting in laps, wanting to be petted and so on. Now he is down right needy! 

I don't watch a lot of TV, especially reality TV but I do have to say I am addicted to The Voice. This season has me in a quandary though. The final 10 are all so good I really have no clue who I want to win. Although I do have a very soft spot for this artist, especially after this performance of one of my favorite Bread songs. If you are watching this season do you have a favorite?

I have found a new book to add to my list of must haves. It is Photojournalist Scott Strazzante book Common Ground. I read a recent article  about the project in which Strazzante  documented the transformation of a family farm into a suburban track of homes, and how it had come to life. If you haven't heard about it check out the article that shares some of the photos and a little bit about the book.

Week In Review:

On Artistic Composition the week started off with a true story of how one man gave three homeless children The Gift Of Joy. Then on Wednesday I posted a simple wish that included where you can find this awesome planner.

On Nita's Photography the week focus was late Autumn fun in the park with children playing, workers working and of course some pretty flowers and a playful critter.

 Have A Fantastic Weekend!

Please drop a comment or quick hi and I will stop by and return the favor.