I shot a buck!

OK - With a camera. On Friday nite, my husband and I were leaving to go on an inspection of a new home. As we walked to the door of the garage, he noticed a deer just inside the edge of the woods by our house. Of course Annie was with us, but she never noticed (good watch dog). We stood there for a second and I said I wanted to see if I could get a good picture so I went around the side of the garage as he stood there. After a few minutes he came looking for me. I was able to go around the garage and sneak up on him. Every time he looked away or put his head down I would take another step or two. I didn't have my zoom lense on so I wanted to get as close as possible. I got about 25 feet away from him. For some reason, he either didn't notice me or he didn't care. I got my hair colored that morning and the wind was going in his direction so he should have been able to smell me. Go figure?

He must be living in the area because we have seen him from time to time during the summer. Last Sunday he was at our daughter's house. She called while we were tearing down after the quilt show at church and said it was standing outside the patio door and Aubree had opened the door and was waving at him. He just stood there.

I really don't understand why guys have such a difficult time hunting these????? OK - I know, I am just talking smart. Try to get that close when hunting - Not. Anyway, he is a nice buck - not as big or old as John's but I am sure if Lorin sees him again, he won't be around long.

Vail Wedding - Photos

For the past several months I have had people asking me where the pictures of the Vail Wedding are. It seemed like everytime I thought about posting them, there was a reason to wait. Well, I am waiting no more. Here are just a couple of my favorites that I took that day. I think this first one is one of my all time favorite photos. The bride was being walked "down the aisle" by her son.

Here is a similar shot of the wedding party. Aren't the mountains in the background beautiful.

The wedding ceremony took place on the top of a mountain in Vail. This is actually known as the Wedding Deck at Eagle's Nest. You take the gondola to the top of the mountain and then walk (or take a golf cart) to the edge of the site of the wedding deck. The first time we went there, the day before, I walked there and it took my breath away. It was an abosuletly spectacular view. What a beautiful place for a wedding.

Here you can see the mountains in the background. I really like this shot. I also did a few variations of it. The red dresses were so striking against the mountain backdrop.

A shot of them leaving the area.

Here is a photo of them arriving at the reception. Angie was a beautiful bride and it was a stunning wedding. I am sure it is one not only the bride and groom will remember, but also their wedding party and guests. I took hundreds of photos that day and maybe I will post a few more another day.

We Got a Clydesdale!

For anyone who knows me, they know that as soon as fall is here, my fireplace is going. And, it is going all winter long. I love the feel of a wood fire in the fireplace, especially since I hate winter. My only solice is the fact that I can sit in front of the fireplace with my cup of coffee. That's the only thing that gets me through winter here. In our past homes, we had "efficient" fireplaces that produced heat. Since we have moved into this house, I still had the fireplace going all the time, but we didn't get a great deal of heat from it. We have been looking for a fireplace insert since we moved in here that would fill the hole. Our fireplace is huge and every insert we looked at had a tiny little glass door that would have looked silly in such a large opening/fireplace. This summer, Lorin said, "No matter what - we are getting an insert - NO MATTER WHAT!" I had to pick something. A few weeks ago we went fireplace shopping. Many were UGLY, many had little glass doors, many were inefficient. None were what I was looking for. We had our mason stop here three times trying to see if we could take our existing fireplace apart enough (it is a real stone fireplace) and add the unit we had in our last house. After much contemplation, he said we "might" be able to but no guarantees. When he starts to take it apart, it may come crashing down. So - I had to find an insert. Well this is what we came up with - and I am happy. I have only had it for 15 minutes - but I am happy.

I took a few pictures of the day. The first one is the empty fireplace. Lorin had it prepped so when the installers got here it was ready to go.

Here the installer is on the roof. I'm glad I didn't have to go up there. Anyone who knows our house, knows the roof is super steep. I think it is a 24/12 pitch. "A-frame".

Here they are installing the unit. Good thing my brother stopped to say Hi. He got out of his vehicle and I said "I am so glad to see you. You are just in time." That unit weighs 550 lbs. and I am so glad I didn't have to help lift it.

Here is the unit installed - It's called The Clydesdale because of its size, etc. It has a huge glass door, a 12 hour burn time and is supposed to heat up to 3,000 sf. Anyone want to come for coffee?

Phase 2 starts soon. New mortar, new hearth, new mantel..... Oh the living room remodeling has only just begun.

Prayers for Cindy

A few years ago my aunt, who is only a few years older than me, found out she has cancer. After battling for the past few years with several surgeries, chemo, etc. we were given good news that they were very optimistic and no cancer was detected. Last week we received news that it is back and she will again have to go through many treatments, etc. So, if you can spare a minute, please say a prayer for Cindy. We love her dearly and want her to know how important she is to all of us. God Bless her and everyone who is stuggling with this awful disease.

Trash The Dress

I have wanted to find a bride that would be willing and excited about doing "Trash The Dress". When I mentioned it to Casey, she was all excited. So the week of the wedding, we had some fun one rainy night. Casey came with several from her wedding party including her two flower girls and her two miniature brides to have a little fun. We decided a great way to trash the dress would be to jump in the pond. Here are a few shots from the night. Marie (her photographer) http://mariewalkowskiphotography.blogspot.com/ was here and took a few shots from the shore and I went out on the pond in the paddle boat.

It was a lot of fun and I think we had about 25 people here watching and participating in the fun. Our "theme" for decorating the wedding included a number of antiques. The wedding was at the Simek Center and we decorated the entry with old wedding dresses from her mom, Andy's mom, and two of Casey's grandmothers. We included the dress she trashed in an old antique washer with a number of pictures from the night. Lots of fun and it worked out great to add to the entry decorations.

Ouch!

This week while at school Aubree had a bit of a mishap. She was out on the playground and a little boy from her class tripped her. It was such a surprise that she fell right on her face. She took most of it in the nose and forehead. Heather got a call from the school nurse to let her know. She told her what happened, and that although she was pretty upset, she didn't think she needed to go to the clinic. The nurse calmed her down and took care of the injuries. She told Heather she should just watch her for any unusual behaviou. It's healing now, but it still looks pretty nasty.
When papa saw it, he was upset. He told Aubree he was going to go talk to that little boy. Aubree liked that idea and said she would come with and papa could "hold him down for her". We had to explain to her that it was only an accident and that's not the way we handle something like that. I think she is friends with that little boy again though. She was talking about him at dinner last night and we asked, "Isn't that the little boy that tripped you?" She said "Yes, ( like what's the big deal.) I'm glad she doesn't hold a grudge. She has a lot of teenage years coming up to deal with all those "boy issues".

Photo Sneak Peek

On Saturday, we had a wedding for our nephew Andy. His best man, one of his groomsmen and their parents are very good friends of ours. Since they looked so good for the special day, we decided to take a few family photos of them. Here are just a couple of my favorites. The first one is in our courtyard.

This next photo is of Ken and the boys.

And this last one is of Ken and Sue. I love taking photos of friends and family. Capturing their energy and personality is such a treat. They are such special friends to us and I had so much fun taking their pictures.