304 of 365 My Pumpkins

Allison - age 10 months taken October 31, 1990
Eva - age 13 months taken October 31, 2011
Wearing the the little pumpkin made by me for Allison.
My how time flies.....

303 of 365 Colorado

Colorado as we approached Denver.... in our sandals, and shorts and tans.

 

Missing Palm trees already.... and some of our luggage.

302 of 365 Family

Well here we all are. The whole gang and this makes me very happy. It was quite the feat to get them here all together but this photo makes it worth it to me. It will likely be some time before we can all get together again.

301 of 365 Gecko

I have the MOST adorable photo of Tanis and Eva....But the 365 will have to be the gecko that hung around the house this afternoon.
Aren't those the most amazing eyes?

300 of 365 The Ocean

Allie takes a rest after being pummeled by a strong wave and watches Sammy, Harold and Mark take on another wave.

299 OF 365 Watching the Sunset

That's Mark. Can you tell?

298 of 365 The Heavens

...declare the Glory of God

taken at 5 am this morning.

297 of 365 Mark and Harold do the Matrix Thing

Or something like that....
Not that I have seen the movie or have any deisre to.
But love seeing the guys spend time together. 

296 of 365 Joy

This photo gives me great joy!

295 of 365 Father Daughter Moment

294 of 365 Dancin'

Well you almost got another sunset. This is odd but I didn't pick up my camera all day. I spent the day doing NOTHING. It was odd but wonderful. Then that spectacular sunset came.
David and picked up the grand babies (and their families) from the airport tonight. We all squeezed into the van, car seats, luggage, strollers and two very tired babies who were really at the end of their ropes after 12 hrs of travel, airports and flying, Poor things.....It was an interesting 40 min drive. :)
But once we had them at the house, fed, undressed and feeling that ocean air, they perked up and were full of giggles. Here they are dancin' with grandpa and having a grand time with each other. It is 3am for one of them and 4 am the other but here in Hawaii it is just before midnight so THIS is the 365 and you are saved from another sunset.

Grandpa and I are having a grand time too!

293 of 365 Sunset

This is the view if our back yard along with a sunset over the ocean and our private pool. I plan to jump in that pool tomorrow morning.

 

But right now I will fall asleep to the sound of the ocean waves.

292 of 365 A long day

I haven't slept more then a 15 min stretch since Monday night. Why do I try to pack so much into so few days? But I did it and I now sit in a warm tropical place after getting up at 4am... actually I didn't really get up becasue I never really went to sleep last night. But I plan to sleep tonight. As soon as I finish this post.
Here is where we are....

Can anyone guess?

If you know for reasons other then this 365 post, please don't tell. :)
Anyways, the rest of the family arrive Friday and Saturday, Lord willing and then the festivities begin. Until then we have plenty of grocery shopping to do.

291 of 365 Equipment is Ready!

The 365 is posted, the batteries all charged, the lenses all accounted for.....
Well, can you guess what I am up to?

Nope! Not a photoshoot - done three of those in the 10 days .
Here's a hint - my toe nail color is called Bahama Mama.
And I will likely get about 3 hrs sleep tonight.
Stay tuned!

290 of 365 Our Daily Bread

Tonight our Bible study group watched a Francis Chan video about Hell.
You really should watch it (it's short) I have his new book Erasing Hell packed for an upcoming vacation.
We talked a lot about how important it is to stay grounded in the Word. But how does that play out in our busy, hectic, list filled days.  Well, Jean-Guy went to his car and brought in one of his daily disciplines - Our Daily Bread. So we have all committed to make the mornings our time of study in the Word and not bedtime. After all, the knight does not put on his armor after the battle. :)
It was a great evening and a joy to have one of our members return to us with renewed health. God is good! I am just so blessed with the group that gathers every Monday night at our house.
You are always welcome to join us. :)

289 of 365 Harold is 30!

Yes our eldest son is 30 and that makes us....... old.
I do NOT feel like the mother of a 30 year old. Gosh some days I think I am still 30.
Just some days....

We celebrated at Harold's favorite restaurant - Red Lobster.

Harold had the 'all you can eat' shrimp.......three orders of it. :)
Look at that Miss Eva. She knows exactly what to do for the camera and she has now taken to trying to see the screen on the back of the camera after I take the shot. Smart girl. I wonder how she learned to do that!
Oh, and like most family birthday photos.... I must add that I was there too.

288 of 365 Saskatoon Wedding

Wedding today and just WAY too tired to go through any number of photos tonight but here is one taken before the ceremony. It is not often you get the flower girls and a 2 year old ring bearer to pose for you.
Loving this one.
The girls were just so delightful I could have adopted them both. The ring bearer was the cutest thing going. I just wanted to pick him up and hug him. 

287 of 365 Wedding Rehearsal

Duane and Kathryn are getting married tomorrow. YEAH!!

Do you think Duane is having second thoughts?

Or just staying out of it! :)

286 of 365 Chandelier

The chandelier at the Bessborough taken from directly under it.
With my point and shoot.
Believe it or not I have a little trouble with the P&S - I rarely use it. Just pointing and shooting, well it feels just down right weird.

285 of 365 Our evenings

We arrive home from work. We have sloppy Joes - haven't had those in eons. I retreat to the "office" and settle into editing photos on the Mac. He settles into the couch reading his book and watching three channels at once.
And I though I was the multitasker around here....

The dishes await us though......

284 of 365 Memorabelia

Whoa!
I have been so busy since getting home from work editing and uploading family, engagement and wedding photos that I completely forgot to take my 365 shot.
I have taken well over 1000 RAW photos in the past week! The Mac is complaining.
Work at SHR is crazy busy and tomorrow I get interviewed for a DCF video.
Why do I do this to myself?  (don't answer that!)
I need my beauty sleep tonight.
But the 365 MUST go on - so I grabbed this vase off the mantle since I think it is the only object in my entire house that has not been photographed. We brought it home from Niagara on the Lake.
One shot - no edits!
I am going to bed!

283 of 365 Angela and Blair

... in love
and I got to spend an hour with them today. :)

282 of 365 Saskatoon Photography ~ Family

Family Photo Shoot today.
This is Camden and Camden does not stay in one place for more then 1.3 seconds. He had fabulous expressions and was quick as a whip. I asked him if he wanted me to take his photo near the crane lift in the parking lot. He told me very politely that it was an aerial lift not a crane lift.  He is five years old. :)

281 of 365 Butterflies

We squeezed in a wine tour at Pellar Estates and a trip to Butterfly World prior to spending and hour and a half on the freeway, 2.5 hrs at the Toronto Airport, and four hrs on Westjet (plane was delayed 30 minutes after it loaded)
So we are now home, it is late and I am in the process off trying to remember how to save my Lightroom 3 catalogue off the PC laptop and on to my Mac so I don't loose all the edits so far. Also charging batteries and readying equipment for a family photo session tomorrow.
It is good to be home however there is lots on our plates over the next two weeks - including a few family, engagement and wedding shoots. And then there is catching up on missed time with the SHR....
and we need groceries.... badly. 
I think I need a holiday ;)

Today's photo - a butterfly. I have no idea what kind. Just that he or she is a butterfly sitting on a purple flower. I have several more that I just love and will put on the regular blog ASAP. When I get this Lightroom 3 catalogue transfer stuff figured out. 

I am loving the delicate nature of this butterfly.

280 of 365 A Solitary Moment

I took over 280 photos today - Jackson Trigg Winery Tour, the Fort George Tour, walking Niagara on the Lake, and Niagara Falls Sky Tower at sunset. About 200 are real keepers and about 20 I would love to post today for the 365. But since I can only choose one, I will chose this silhouette of an elderly gentleman sitting on a park bench, the sun breaking through the trees, the sky over Lake Ontario in the distance. We were heading back to our car after a lovely lunch by the water when I saw him. I had the macro lens on but decided the moment was there and I had no time to change the lens or play with settings. No sooner had I taken the shot then his family walked into the frame and helped him to his feet.
I love these life moments.

I am feeling pretty good about my macro lens too. :)

279 of 365 Horse

Wondered the streets of Niagara on the Lake, ate lunch outdoors, bought a few things. Wonderful day!

278 of 365 Niagara Falls

 And because I could  not decide which to make my 365, here is both the Canadian and American sides of Niagara Falls.

277 of 365 Niagara on the Lake

This is me cuddling up to my sweetheart at Cork's in Niagara on the Lake. We were waiting for fish and chips to arrive.
Indeed a wonderful way to start a vacation.

I had a photo of last nights giant sardines that David had for supper, but this photo was... well cuter.
Gourmet breakfast from our B&B host who is an executive chef and then we are off to the Falls.

276 of 365 Toronto

It's a pretty happening place. People everywhere and lots of them. I am flabbergasted at the enormous amount of electricity that bombards pedestrians with advertising. We have both discovered that Toronto is not where we would want to live.

The conference is over and I am officially on holidays for a few days.
Looking forward to a simpler existence tomorrow.

275 of 365 Pressure

Not sure who had more pressure- myself or my husband trying to use my 200mm lens from the back of the room. Not bad. He got the moment. I put the camera on aperture priority for him. It is confirmation however that photography is not about the equipment. :)
I spoke at the National Case Management Network conference in Toronto today.
It went well - very well.... but I still think it would be a whole lot more exciting if the topic were photography. :)

One more day of conference and we are off to.... Niagara Falls!

274 of 365 The big TO

The Eaton Place mall in Toronto. This place is so huge with so many stores it makes me stop and think how much money is exchanged in a day here. And I wonder what percentage of those purchases were necessities.
Consumerism...... I guess I am not much of a shopper. Actually I really dislike shopping.

Young street is closed off tonight for Nuit Blanche. We can see it from our hotel window.

"For one sleepless night experience Toronto transformed by artists.
The familiar will be discarded as the city becomes the artistic playground for a series of exhilarating contemporary art experiences.
One night only.  All night long. All free."

Oh Lovely! It is only 8 pm and the party rages outside our hotel.

Ahem..... I have to speak at a health care conference tomorrow people. Please tone it down!
I think I was meant to live in another place and time - a small place and quiet times.