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?

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Have a wonderful Week!

Wild Wet Wednesday

Okay so these weren't taken on a Wednesday. But hey, looking at this last weeks photos trying to decide what to post today the photos just screamed this title. So here is my interpretation of what a wild wet Wednesday should look like.

Happy Wednesday!

Yummy... Snow????

Mrs. G took the kids out for a bit of fun today and got these shots of them enjoying the snow.

Both kids decided to snack on the snow....

Today was only the second time Sissy and Bubba actually got a chance to go outside and play in the snow. With the exception of the blizzard in October, each time it has snowed  we have had extremely cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills or the snow has melted so quick they didn't get a chance to go out and enjoy the snow.

It is suppose to warm up over the next few days so most likely the snow will be gone really quick.

Fragmented Friday

Feeling a bit on the fragmented side I figured what better way to get back into the swing of things than with a Fragmented Fridays post. The following pictures are among the few photos I took over the last month.

Just before school started Sissy was going through my material box and asked me to make her a dress using this yellow material with a brown oriental pattern. There was only one yard of the material and I wasn't in a very creative mood. So I took the easy road and using about four yards of three inch wide burgundy ribbon and half a dozen snaps I turned it all into this cute sleeveless kimono. As soon as time and weather permits we are planning a special photo shoot at the Japanese gardens.

I read about doing this a while back and finally actually gave it a try. It was a lot of fun, just wish we had a larger area of concrete to get creative with.

 Being rather fatigued the last two months I haven't been taking many photos which really was starting to make me a bit sad. So when Bubba asked me to play mini's (this is what he calls his miniature figurines) with him I decided that not only would I play mini's but I would photograph the action he had set up.

It was a fun way to play around with aperture creating various range of field shots. When I asked Bubba what he had going on he explained that the army men were in charge of the parking and telling all the cars were to go while the cowboys and Indians protected the parking lot.

We had a lot of fun arranging the figures and photographing them from various angles. Now Bubba and Sissy want to create a movie using the figurines. Not sure that I am up to that challenge, but who knows it might be fun. Maybe I can get a few pointers from Liselman.

 Sissy was not very happy when in this last shot her cat Belle decided to eat her Spanish homework. Luckily this is something she is learning at home and not homework for school. If it was I doubt her teacher would be happy to hear the old "My cat/dog ate my homework" excuse.

So there it is my fragmented September. I don't know about anyone else but I am sure looking forward to October and hoping I can finally get back into the groove of things. 

Work or Play

Adjusting to a new life and a new area has left me feeling a bit off balance. The easy route would be to simply retire to a life of pure creativity for the simple enjoyment of creating. Yet, one must still earn an income and so I strive to find balance between work and play. 

It might be easier if there was a vast difference between my work and my play. For although I often head out with my camera with the intent to capture images to use in designing new products or artwork, the exploration seems so much more like play. Then at other times I head out with my camera to have fun with family and wind up capturing an image that is perfect for some product or artwork I am working on. Like this one which was taken during a family outing to the beach.

Even photo sessions like this one feel more like play than actual work.

It is so much easier to differentiate between work and play when ones job is clearly defined. I have a feeling that many artists would agree with me when I say the only part of our job that actually feels like that nasty four letter word (WORK) is all the administrative duties that come with turning ones creative talents into an actual business.

So for now I stumble along designing a routine and revising it until hopefully one day soon I find a routine that feels balanced.

The Hunt

Deciding to start my adventures close to my new home I set out on foot with my two grandchildren, Sissy and Bubba.

Sissy

I told them we were going on a hunt and showed them the list of photography prompts. The photographer spirit came out in Sissy and she got all excited to find the prompts.

Bubba

Little Bubba was every bit as excited, however to him we were setting off on a hunt for a playground.

The backyards of the houses are separated by a wide grass area with walking paths. Along the paths we came across a number of interesting sights.

Although it had nothing to do with my list of prompts this hanging decoration caught my eye. Within the next few days I will be sharing more shots of this cool looking decoration.

Following the path around to the front we came across this porch. I can imagine sitting here on a quiet afternoon.

The kids really liked these colorful flower buckets. I do think it adds a quaint touch to the porch.

But we also came across a few very odd sights, like this bench up in a tree. One has to wonder if it was put their in an attempt at making a tree house.

During our hunt we came across three playgrounds similar to this one. The other two were a bit smaller but still very nice.

Of course we couldn't resist playing a bit each time we found a playground.

The kids had a race. Bubba won a few times.

Sissy insists that she won this time because her feet left the slide first. After looking at the photo I told her that it wasn't really a fair win because if you look you can see that Bubba's body is actually in front of Sissy's. Her long legs give her an advantage.

One of the most interesting things we came across on our hunt was this tree with flowers growing right out of the bark. Click here to see more of these beautiful flowers.
















After a fun time on our hunt we headed back to the house. Thanks to Sissy's keen eye and mind I was able to get photos for all of the prompts for this coming Sundays' Scavenger Hunt post. Both kids are looking forward to going on more 'hunts'.