31 May, 2010 - Memorial Day

We spent the majority of our Memorial Day at my grandparents' house. On the way in, the new growth on their great big evergreen caught my eye. I couldn't resist touching the soft, new needles.



Bonus photo:
I spent a good portion of the six weeks my grandparents were absent trying to catch a shot of their neighbor dog staring at me through the fence. Unfortunately, every time I approached him, he would jump up and start barking excitedly. This time, I managed it! I had to do a lot of zooming and act like I wasn't looking at him, but it worked out.

30 May, 2010

In an attempt to encourage birdies to stop for a drink and a bath, we've moved our bird bath to our front yard, where they won't be bothered by curious canines.

29 May, 2010

Went to a graduation party this afternoon. It was being thrown for one of my dearest and oldest friends (I've known her since kindergarten). There were plenty of familiar faces attending and several unfamiliar folks as well. I had a good time, though I can't deny that I'm exhausted. I can't believe the people that are capable of spending an entire day party-hopping.

28 May, 2010

Another really hot day. We relented and turned the air conditioner on for a bit. I pretty much did the best I could to hide from the heat until the sun went down, at which point I went shopping for graduation presents with my mom.

My dog's not a big fan of the heat. She's spending most of her days laying around, panting as hard as she can. I was lounging on the ground with her when I spotted this photography opportunity. I'm becoming a real fan of black and whites.

27 May, 2010

Hot weather and growing plants leads to lots of watering.


(I was actually attempting to capture the watering can's shadow, but didn't succeed.)

26 May, 2010 - Air Force Graduation

This time last year, the Mining Museum opened their grounds to anyone desiring a good view of the Thunderbird graduation show. We had a blast watching the spectacle with my grandparents and I had the privilege of taking pictures for my grandma. When we found out that the museum planned to host spectators again this year, we promptly arranged to join our grandparents for the show. This year, I was armed with my own camera. The skies weren't nearly as blue this year (and the vicious winds quickly demolished the smoke streams used by the Thunderbirds), but the show was still grand and I'm quite happy with a couple of my pictures.

Disclaimer: Anything that might look artistic is completely accidental. I could hardly see my camera screen -much less the photo subjects- most of the time, so I was pretty much pointing the lens in the direction of the jets.



(Better viewed in a larger size.)


(Again, better in a big size.)

And one more:

(The larger, uncropped version.)

25 May, 2010

I photographed this little decoration in the Memorial Day aisle at Wal-Mart. I thought it was neat that they had the states constructed out of license plates.

24 May, 2010

We had extremely high winds on Saturday and then again today. Our very old, not-so-sturdy fence has stood up to a surprisingly large amount of Front Range winds. We have pretty much been holding it together as best as we can for the past seven years. But today, the fence yielded and fell down. The neighbors behind us (whom we share the fence with) were kind enough to promptly prop it back up and hold it together with some screws and additional wood. However, it looks like we'll be needing a new fence in the near future.

23 May, 2010

Experiments in exposure.

High Exposure:

Mid Exposure:

Low Exposure:

22 May, 2010

Coca-Cola just released a new bottle (for the summer, I guess?) that much resembles some of their smaller sizes. The shape is quite novel and clever, I think. So I photographed it.

21 May, 2010

My sisters took their chance to soak up some sun this afternoon; and I nabbed a moment to photograph a portion of one of their beach towels.

20 May, 2010

I would love to purchase a leather collar for my dog, but those that are made of high quality leather are quite expensive and those that aren't expensive show wear rather rapidly. It's a frustrating situation. However, it has never deterred me from browsing when I have the chance.

19 May, 2010

I finally revamped my scene today. My viewers might recall that the last time I did so was on February 18th, in preparation for St. Patrick's Day. Yes indeed, this little decoration has been in the Irish spirit since February. Now its decorations are representative of spring.

18 May, 2010

The only Happy Hour that I shall ever be eager to take advantage of.

17 May, 2010

My extremely average day ended with a visit to Mangy's house, where I got to hang out with the Cat herself and the one and only LH. We had a great time!



(You'll have to pardon my silly expression - I was too focused on taking the picture to think about smiling like a normal person. Mangy and LH look lovely, though, so hopefully that makes up for my silliness.)

16 May, 2010

This is one of the more recognizable squirrels in our neighborhood as it has no tail. I find that it resembles a highly athletic guinea pig when bounding from branch to branch.

15 May, 2010

After a day of several sporadic rain showers, everything was thoroughly soaked. I've often thought that the chain-linked fence dividing our backyard from our landlord's could look quite artsy if viewed through the lens of a camera. So here is my attempt at making it look attractive.

14 May, 2010

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to catch today's shot. This little Mourning Dove didn't see me walking to the feeders and was, apparently, not startled when all of its fellow birds flew away. When it finally did spy me, it merely flew to a nearby fence and kept a close eye on me, providing me with a fantastic photographic opportunity. I was afraid the rain might reduce the clarity of this picture, but was thrilled to discover that it turned out alright.

13 May, 2010

LH lent this book to me a month ago, but I just started it last night. So far, I'm liking it!

12 May, 2010

A nice cup of tea makes for a good companion on slow days, I find. I've recently developed a taste for black tea.

11 May, 2010

Some very beautiful blooms from the same tree I photographed last Monday. I'm not much for pink, but I find this very pale pink rather elegant.

10 May, 2010

I tried this particular carpet deodorizer for the first time today. It's a bit stronger than the scents I'm used to, but I like it. This stuff is fabulous for the pet owner that doesn't necessarily enjoy their house smelling like their beloved critters.

9 May, 2010 - Mother's Day

My mom and I spent the night at my grandparents' house, and thus I was able to take care of the birdies nice and early. This beautiful Mourning Dove feather was just laying among some of the fallen bird seed, begging to be photographed.

8 May, 2010

I attended a "Hummingbird Festival" with my mom and sisters today. We encountered music, beautiful crafts, presentations, birds of prey and much more. Here is a sampling of our day.

A "Desert Beard Tongue" plant. I loved how the stem appeared to spear the leaves.


A beautiful Golden Eagle. I can't recall his name, unfortunately.


Arthur, the temperamental Prairie Falcon. The speckling on his chest was so pretty.

7 May, 2010

For a short-haired dog, Wisdom sheds an awful lot. However, she's shed drastically less this year than usual. Though I'm highly accustomed to a larger amount of dog hair than some people have seen in their lives, I try my hardest to eliminate as much as possible when I have the chance.

6 May, 2010

We took a day trip to visit LH today. We chatted, played with her dogs, shared some music, did a video chat with a mutual friend and enjoyed her wonderful cooking. Kristin's ever present companion, Jared, accompanied us and paused for a few photos throughout the visit.

5 May, 2010

So many teas, so little time.

4 May, 2010

I have had the brilliant privilege of growing up within visual range of the Rocky Mountains. They have always been there; a majestic reminder of God and all that He has created. Their king, the most easily identified of the lot, is Pike's Peak. The magnificent mountain tops off at a whopping 14,110 feet above sea level, making it a challenging climb for even the most experienced hikers. So here it is - the great peak that has been a part of my life since I was ten months old. A piece of my home. :)

3 May, 2010

More beautiful spring blooms. There's green everywhere; it's positively gorgeous!

2 May, 2010

The only time I set foot outside of the house today was to take these photographs. It was a cold day (snow, thunder and a bit of rain), which made it perfect time to just lounge in the house and relax.

I couldn't decide on posting only one of these pictures, so you get both of 'em.

1 May, 2010

Derby Day!

I forgot until this morning that today was, in fact, the first Saturday in May. Meaning that the Run for the Roses was on the schedule for this afternoon. My hopes were on the number two horse, Ice Box. Alas, Number Two placed second to the number four horse, Super Saver. I suppose I should have expected Super Saver's jockey, Calvin Borel, to pull off another breathtaking win.

So, in honor of the Sport of Kings, I photographed a pair of my model horses. Both are representations of the Thoroughbred breed. The one on the left is a customized model that I painted for a contest and the one on the right is a professionally painted model. Both are from Breyer.