Relationships by the sea...okay, lake!

Okay, so- hit me with the cc. I will say, that I do like the composition of the first, the second and third seem off to me. Which really annoys me, because the moment in them is cool. Rats!
So, hit me with what you can, or with anything that strikes you at all. The first two are of different friends that we were with up north, and the third is my DH with S. TFL, and all HHCC is welcomed heartily!

some catching up...from our visit to the Adirondacks

These three shots were taken while the kids played in and around the "playhouse"- which includes a swingset attached, a picnic table down below, and a small deck for lounging! Can you say fun???
And yes, K and friend A are pretending to fly to Neverland. I am happy to report they made it there, but narrowly escaped Captain Hook. Thank goodness we're friends with Perter Pan and Tink!

TFL!

Street Music

Sorry if you saw these already on the boards; I took these with the summer challenge (street photography) in mind.

My mom and I took the kids to Central Park, mainly to the zoo. If you can go, if you have young children or just want a smaller zoo that you can take in an afternoon, this is the place to be! It is amazing to know that you are in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world, and be surrounded by a rainforest!

The trumpter kindly allowed me to take his photo; S was done walking around and was happy to dance to his blues. He asked if we'd come back tomorrow- many people stopped to watch him play and her twirl around! It was great! The shots of her dancing with him aren't so great- true street photography- had to snap as I could, I couldn't get the perfect settings and framing. Plus, there was only so far I was willing to back up away from my little doll on a busy walkway.

He was playing just steps away from the Delacourt Clock (it marks the entrance to the CPZoo- and is beautiful- it plays music every half hour, as 3/4 size animals dance around in two circles. Beautiful!), in the underpass of the 79th street crossover. The stone was beautiful, and the sound of his music bouncing off the walls all around us. Great stuff!

Not even a block away, we found this group. They had a fun, jazz sound as well. The girls stopped and had a quick popscicle break awhile we all listened.

I wish I'd gotten a better shot of the bass. It was a rich nutmeg color, with lots of nics and lines in it. I was too pooped, and was lazy at that point.

Anyway, TFL!

From earlier this month...

I have to admit, I was very psyched to get this gull as he flew over my head on the beach a few weeks ago. I was using my telephoto, and with the first and last shot, I did not run photo/ color enhancement stuff- I did decrease my exposure a hair in ACR, and obviously, I cropped- but that's it other than sizing for web.

The middle one has a defog and sharpen for web.

I was jumping up and down excited. I got a shot of something in motion without screwing it up! Hurray! Okay, so it's in full sun and has a nice big beach under its belly as a reflector, but c'mon, I'm still so pleased. I hope this picture is interesting to someone other than me...

TFL!

Snapshots of "S"

So, I had been thinking about the summer challenge, playing around with coutre-jour. When S came out onto our little covered portico to hang with Momma and Dad, I ran to get my camera. Now, it isn't exactly shooting into the light source, but she was backlit pretty well. Behind me, there was an open space that had light, but nothing directly lighting her, KWIM? Just enough to create catchlights in her eyes-in some of these, anyway- as well as even out the light on her face...yes!

This is her,"I'm up to no good" smile.

I played with this one, can't decide which version I like the best. This is my first attempt at a more chocolate-y conversion- is it too copper-y?

Thanks so much for looking!

Christina's summer challenge

I stumbled over the summer challenge thread. Now that it is half over... I figured I'd post these two now, so I can jump in on Monday with the next one. I appreciate the challenge, it has me thinking differently. Tomorrow, I'll post the great snaps I got of S, inspired by thinking about coutre-jour (sorry, I know I butchered that spelling).

Thank you for the posts yesterday. I'm glad I stirred some memories for others, too. And the nursery school didn't start until after the children were much older- my dad was in high school. Thanks again for the thoughtful responses!

Grandpa's rocking horse

Tonight I have a tale to tell.

My grandmother is an amazing woman. She was raised with money, and with a hightened awareness of proper social etiquette. That being said, she is vivavious and funny and very clever and creative. She graduated from Weelock College with a degree in early childhood education. Did I mention that she is 91? In the day, that was no small task (not that it's small today either, but- you know what I mean). She has some fun stories from growing up...she dated Joe Kenneday Jr, but he stopped calling on her when she wouldn't sneak out and go to visit Kennebunkport (sp?) with him (she just knew she'd be caught).

On a train headed to- hmm, I'm not sure I remember where, maybe to New York? or New Haven? she met my grandfather. He was older than she, charming, and she assumed not available. he changed his plans just to be on the train with her. They later married.

My grandmaother converted the garage into a nusury school called Little Brick School, which she ran for forty years. The backyard became an amazing playyard, with a playhouse that included a slide down the chimney, a rescued water tower ladder which she had fashoined into alternating "m" shapes for kickin' monkey bars, four swings fashioned to an "x" configuration, with a wheel mechanism mounted to a tall pole. The end result- four kids run in a circle with the swings around their bellies. If they time it right, they all go flying, H I G H!!!

She would find interesting tree stumps and arrange to have them brought to her yard for a place for kids to climb and create forts out of. She had an old foyer/steeple type building that she recovered and had as another little building which housed bikes. At some point, there was a small school house built as a parade float, which then became another playhouse.

She had giant murals painted inside the school. She created an indoor sand room in the space above the breezeway connecting the house and school.

Her creativity goes on and on.

Fortunately, my grandfather was also creative, and good with tools.

"Tom, I found this old saddle. I think the children need something they can pretend is a horse, on which they can ride."

My grandfather would grumble, and then created a saw horse type thing that fit the saddle, and was ambigous enough for imaginations to let the beast be anything they could possibly think of.

"Tom, I think the children need to be able to rock." This is what I imagine she said. All I know is I grew up thinking my grandmother's house was the most magical, amazing place in the whole world. And one of the many things I grew up playing with was this horse my grandfater built. The seat is well worn, and it has been painted many, many times. But it positively made me tear up with joy to see my children rocking on Grandpa Tom's horse.

Sadness, too. He died before I married, before my children were born.

And the school was sold before my kids got to see it. It was moved off the property to some other place.

The house has been remodeled; the playground is no more, and I understand the school is now a master bedroom suite and kitchen? maybe. I don't really want to know.

I'm sad my kids missed it. But I'm so grateful for the pieces that are left to help me pass along the magic to my kids.

And my grandmother? She's an surprising blend of strongly traditional, and very hip to current day. She's funny and gracious, generous and creative, and one of my strong role models for dealing with children, projects and the small problems of life...

wanna know how to clean silver without having to polish endlessly? Or to take a fruit stain out of a dress?

GG's (short for great-grandma) has it covered.

Thanks for reading through my tribute novel today. I get super sentimental, and I make no excuses. Thanks for looking!

Crocs with style

Yeah, I know. Totally trendy. My sil's been talking to me about these for a year now, they're so comfortable, you've gotta try them...

so I caved. I walked by a pretty window display one afternoon when I was *gasp* by myself. I was in an upscale area of NJ, and was just drawn in. I even allowe myself to be talked into the little charm thingy- it has a name- and I chose Tink, of course.

They are sitting out on my in laws' new deck that DH and FIL were working on over the weekend.

These happen to be on theme, so I figured I take a break from the last week of zoo and family pictures. Stay tuned for summer highlights thus far...

The Zoo

We visited the Adoirondack Animal Park zoo when away on vacation last week. It's a small zoo, with playground equipment and a mini western town and playhouses interspersed along the way. It's perfect for young children! Plus they have apetting zoo with goats, and further away, with deer! S. was very amused this deer was following us along the trail.
K. was amazingly patient, standing very still and holding out food. She is really good with animals. I love that she looks like she's reprimanding the deer. Too bad the dof is so shallow that she's out of focus; but, I like it anyway.
This just amazes me. She approached K. and ate out of her hand.
I hadn't ever seen a black deer before. It's kinda cool, huh?
Had to take the picture. Wouldn't you?
TFL!

Storm's a comin...

I snapped this before ducking into my car. This was a out of nowhere, violent, unpredictable storm that we get in the summers in the northeast.
The light was uber cool, but the wind was whipping so much it was tough to take.

We were visiting my SIL's home. The girls met the chickens and donkeys for the first time. My suburban girls now know their Zia is totally cool. As if she wasn't great before?
I have many more pics from the last week or so, but haven't had the time to sit and edit. So, more to come...TFL.