Sunday Stills: Glass

This week's challenge was Glass, but the bigger challenge was actually finding time to take pictures of it, then get them processed. It was a long weekend, which included the fair and horse show, plus the first week of school. Busy. Busy. So I took some liberties interpreting this one.

This first one is taken on Friday morning, at about 7:00 am as I pulled into the Tim Horton's parking lot.  I grabbed my cellphone when I saw this guy parked there, obviously getting a coffee before work. I liked how the glass in the windows was dripping with morning dew, and the sheer amount of junk you could see collected through the bottom of the window.


Next one is from my cameraphone on the way out to dinner on Friday night with George. We drove over to the next city to meet a very nice couple of supper at a golf course. The clouds were amazing that night (even though I blew out the backgroud...it's a cameraphone, after all.)



And, to pull one from the archives, here's one of my favourites of the year, taken in April:

Sunday Stills: Shoes or Boots

This week's challenge, Shoes or Boots, was fun because I like taking pictures of feet. When I go on vacation, I always try to take a picture of my feet wherever I go...a self-portrait, if you will.

This week, I used the kids as models. The first two are Faith's "high heel" sandals, plus her dual-colored toenails. The second two are Blake's feet - one in his dad's cowboy boots and one in his crocs, playing in the sand at the stable.

Eager subjects

I've been taking a picture a day for 335 (!) days now, so I like to torture the kids into photo sessions on a fairly regular basis. Unfortunately, I don't usually get as much cooperation as I did today. Either that, or I'm getting better at herding them in front of the lens. I didn't even have to bribe them with candy on this one.

I was very happy with the results, especially after applying some secrets that Curtis taught us at a recent photo gang get together. :) The only negative was that Faith found out the hard way she has some sort of allergy to the grass she's sitting under in the first photo. She was playing in the leaves, and ended up with a rash on her arms. Suffering for my art...sorry sweetheart!

A very hot horse show

A couple of weeks ago, the kids spent the week at Grampa and Gramma's house. Faith's been doing this since she was three, but it was Blake's first time. (Our house was eerily quiet while they were gone.) The week culminated in a horse show where we reunited.

It was a 40 degree day in the hot sun, but the we all survived -- with ribbons! Faith competed in the lead line class, walk, trot class, costume class and the grandparent driving class. She did miss her driving class due to scheduling changes, which she was not happy about. The kid  has a competitive streak. Anyway, here are a series of pictures from the day.

Lead line class with Indigo (Sydney's mare -- and Sydney's hat)...



This was my Dad's first show with Stormy, and she's already peaked. She won a grand prize for best something or other (my brain was melting, so I can't quite remember).



Blake even got to compete in the "stick pony" class. We didn't know you had to bring our own pony though, so we had to do a little improvising. When you've got a great-grandma, a gramma, and a mom together, you can do anything. Great-grandma donated her cane, my mom found Blake's stuffed dinosaur in the car, and I whipped off my pony tail elastic to strap it to the top of the cane. Presto! Stick pony.



It was ingenuity, and Blake's innate ability, that won him the class. First prize and $5. He bought us all timbits afterwards. :)



Faith rode Indigo again in the walk, trot, class, which she won. I'm not sure who was happier, Faith or Sydney, who was excited  to see Indigo so well-behaved for Faith. (Notice, no bit either!)



And, here's Sydney in one of her classes. Indigo and Sydney both got a big workout that day.



It was a great day seeing the family (great-grands, great-aunt, parents, etc., etc.) and watching everyone compete. More photos.

Ice cream in sweaters

It was an odd week with the hubby gone on a business trip. We were crazy busy, as per normal, but with one less person around to share in the craziness. The kids were actually really good and didn't torture me too much in the mornings. This is normally George's domain, so I really have no idea what goes on after I leave the house at 6:30. But, both of them got up and dressed and breakfasted with relative ease. Kids know when not to push their luck I guess.

As a treat on Thursday, we had supper and then walked down to the ice cream place. Believe it or not, we had to wear sweaters as it was a relatively chilly evening for August. It did help when eating ice cream--everyone could eat it before it melted all over our hands. Even Blake came through relatively clean!  And, I've also figured out that he's outgrown most of his warm clothes. The sweatshirt he's wearing is about 2 inches short in the arms. A cold snap in August has to be good for two things: non-melty ice cream and a pre-school size check.

Sunday Stills: Statues or Figurines

This week's Sunday Stills was Statues or Figurines. After trying to figure out what I was going to take a picture of in my house, I determined that I'm not a big figurine collector. So, I scavenged my friends' display cabinet instead.

These two little dudes from Karen and Rob's are perfect. Who knew monks could not only be salt and pepper, but also look mischievous at the same time?

Sunday Stills: Metal

Another week, another Sunday Stills challenge. This week: Metal.

The first one I took at the riding stable. Tucked away in the barn were rolls and rolls of snow fence. I thought the twisted wire of snow fence made an interesting contrast against the weathered wood.

This one is a picture of the top of a genuine German beer stein a friend of George's brought back for him.