Beyond Automatic

It was a beautiful morning so the boys, Chloe and I headed out to Lake Galena. I love this peaceful spot...3 minutes from our house, a perfect 6 mile loop around the lake, nature center with frequent turtle and blue heron citings, a luxiously silent place on a 5am run...completely a different experience at 9am on a summer Sunday with two boys and a puppy. I took my camera along, hoping to get a chance to explore more than just the automatic settings. I have had my Nikon SLR for almost two years now and I LOVE it but I still haven't learned more than just the basics. I can change the lenses, navigate the menu, use the automatic settings and download pictures. But I feel like I should be able to do more. I was able to get a few decent shots but after 10 minutes of walking Owen was tired and wanted to be carried and Joey was struggling to keep curious Chloe out of the path of the numerous cyclists and runners.
A totally different experience with boys and dog---just like Rices yesterday morning---
fun but the focus certainly changes. So...this afternoon I took my camera to the pool and had my friend, Alex, give me some pointers and explain some features...apature (think I understand), ISO (still have no idea), and a number of things I can't even remember. After a minor bribe (promise of ice cream) Owen became a willing subject...Joey not so much. I have a lot of practice to do if I want to actually get this....hopefully minor bribes will continue to work for a while.

the mulching saga has ended

Well, I slept until 6am this morning...awakened by the announcement that Chloe pooped in the sun room. As I stumbled out of bed I stepped on a half eaten strawberry sticking out of a torn plastic baggie. Chloe evidently had been into the bag we took to the pool yesterday and a trash bag in the kitchen...trash was strewn everywhere. Not that my 10 extra minutes of sleep would have prevented the trash... but I was cursing the extra sleep as I cleaned the sun room mess.

So yesterday I finally finished mulching...another decision of the summer that seemed like a good idea but left me cursing myself---ordering 8 yards of mulch. Ordered the end of June, I finally got to the end of the massive pile yesterday. Who takes a whole month to mulch half an acre of property? Last summer I was running 12 miles around the lake, biking 50 miles on a Sunday morning and completing my first triathlons. This summer I am celebrating tackling a pile of mulch and getting over my fourth bout of poison ivy. Pitiful.

5:50 AM

Without fail Owen and the newest member of our family, Chloe, come bounding into my bedroom each morning at 5:50 am. This is how I start everyday...the three of us in the backyard, Chloe enjoying an early morning exploration, Owen with his "light saber" ready to fight Darth Vader and taunt the dog (see drum stick in left hand) and me trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes.

It always amazes me how quickly the summer passes. I have been wanting to blog again on a more regular basis. Get into a good rhythm of posting before the craziness of school begins. Over the next few weeks I'll play catch up...more pictures of the summer to come.

There we go, Dad, up an running again... Now if only I can remember how edit my settings properly...at least I was able to finally get rid of the Christmas background!