Wordless Wednesday #3

Mychal in Pollyanna as a Orphan

Zeke and Baseball

Wordless Wednesday..(well at least for a few more minutes)

My Mother's Day Gift

So 3 years ago, my beloved Minolta X-700 35 mm Camera was becoming harder to use. It had accidentally fallen of the counter in the kitchen 10 years ago. It was sitting on the counter and the strap got caught in the drawer when DS opened it. Something broke inside the lens, but it was still usable. AS the years went on it became more and more difficult and when I took it to a camera shop a couple of years ago, to have it looked at and maybe get a new lens. I was told that I would be better off saving for a new digital SLR, as they are not making parts for the 35mm, or parts will be very difficult to come by. We have had some other digitals point and shoots. But I never liked the picture quality from them or the delay and would still use my 35mm for pictures. I should also add that I bought that 35mm when I was 20 and stationed in Alaska with the Coast Guard. So this camera is around 24 years old. Then my friend received a Nikon D70 DSLR, and I loved it, she let me play with it..and it was an awesome camera. I then knew at that time that if I was ever to replace the 35mm, so a few years ago for Mother's Day, the family gave me a gift certificate..to get a DSLR camera, well I never really took the leap, most in part due to finances at the time, we were paying out of pocket for Kodie's Therapy sessions and Norm had just retired from the military and was starting a new job. My old 35mm lens had finally given up. What ever had come loose all those years ago, had now managed to prevent the lens from moving but about 1/8th of an inch..so I could not longer zoom or focus it. With a very special trip coming up in September with my mom, a cruise to Alaska. I knew by then I needed something more then a point and shoot, even the Canon we bought last summer for the older kids to use for a photography class, wasn't what I hoped it would be. Yes I will admit...I got hooked on SLR cameras all those years ago. I guess you could say that photography is a serious hobby for me. I love capturing time. I think this is in part because my dad loves to take pictures. I wish I had his old camera, just to have it. But I also am learning that I need to step in front of the camera, as I looked through old family pictures and realized I only have a handful of pictures of my dad. So I will get better at that..I hope.

So this past week I was in Costco and the Nikon D60 that was released this year, was sitting there. It was a kit that came with a case and two lenses and DVD's. It also had an instant rebate. We still had our tax refund sitting in savings acct so I called DH on the phone and he said to go ahead and get it. So I have finally redeemed that gift certificate.

Cloudy and Kodie

These two make quite the pair. Kodie loves Cloudy and I think Cloudy loves Kodie. They are both new to the world of therapeutic riding. Here is Cloudy's tidbit from the website: Cloud Nine: "Cloudy" is a 13 hand 21 year old Welsh Pony Mare. In addition to her delightful personality, she has done "it all"; pulled carts, pony club, shows and lessons. Cloudy is on loan to the NWTRC from Sandra Hackney of West Linn, Oregon. We are very pleased to have Cloudy at the NWTRC and look forward to her new career with our program.

Kodie looks forward to her Friday afternoon session. We went shopping out in the county to one of the little country farm stores, where Kodie was outfitted with a riding helmet, cowboy boots and riding pants.

Her favorite thing to ask Cloudy to do is Trot. They work with the kids and get them to give the horse the commands. "Walk on", Stop, and Trot. Kodie has 3 assistances one on each side and one leading the horse. They play fun games, like basketball and tossing a ball around. They sing songs and get them to let go and clap their hands. Currently Kodie's least favorite thing to do is "Around the World", this is where that gravitational insecurity shows...she has to move herself around the horse on the saddle..both legs to the right side, around to the back and to the left and then back to the front. Luckily they have realized that she doesn't like it and saves it for the last thing.

My first Wordless Wednesday

Has anyone seen the month of April..

I think I may have lost it. :)
I can't believe the month is already gone. Things have been busy and crazy here the past month.
Baseball season began. Zeke has a great coach this year. Mychal is playing an orphan in Pollyanna at one of the local theatre's. She loves it. Last week was the toughest week...she had two full dress rehearsals/family nights. Then the show opened and we had 4 nights of shows. That was 6 nights in a row. Then all the rehearsal's that were the few weeks before. I love it when the show finally opens. It seems like such a relief from the busy schedule of rehearsal's.

Justin moved out and is living in town with friends. It seems weird to not have him here. He is doing well and we talk once a week. I think he is kinda starting to miss home a little. Dad was telling him about all the work of hauling old sheet rock and etc to the dump. He was like..you should call me, I would come home and help. He has been home once since moving out. That was to pick up a few more things and sort the rest, as to yes I want this, but don't have the room for it currently..to no get rid of this.

The remodel...well it is moving along slowly. Since Justin moved out, we moved all the furniture from that room to the girls bathroom, that is still not done. Thus creating a empty room. That room is now repainted with floor going in hopefully this next week. The room is Zeke's. The paint colors match that of the Minnesota Vikings. Purple, gold and sand. The floor was just tile squares. We have started to pull them off, as some had come loose. Now what we have bought...is multi purpose paneling...that will be placed on the floor and painted...green with floor and porch paint. The green is to make a football field look. We will tape white stripes and numbers. We have some before and will have after pictures (post those when it is done).

Kodie also started therapeutic horseback riding...she loves that. I will have to get some better pictures. But Ethan and Mychal have photography classes at the sametime, so the good camera is with them.

Hopefully I will get more posted before May disappears .

Memories of my Dad..Saturdays

My dad was a self employed Barber. He had his shop in town and it was open Tue-Sat. Every once in a while we would get to go with dad to work on Saturday. This was always a special treat, as being a child in a large family of 6 kids, one to one time with a parent didn't happen as often as we would like. We would leave the house early and stop to get a donut and hot cocoa. Then it was to the shop to work. We would get to help sweep up hair, talk the customers, visit the shops that were along the same strip. At one time there was this glass shop next to the barber shop. The lady was really nice and I loved to look at the little blown glass animals. That year for Christmas, Dad bought each of us a blown glass animal. There was the shoe shop that was owned by George. I got my first pair of cowboy boots there. As I grew the shops would change. At one time there was a Pizza place on the far end. I got my first paying job there at 15. Made 3.10/hr. That was alot of money.

For lunch we would go the Chinese Place, it was always fun, as dad knew the owners and we would get extra cookies. Sometimes we would go to McDonalds. I still have a peanuts glass from the late 60's that I got. My mom had put them away and when she was sorting and cleaning out the house. She gave each of us kids one.

Dad had this old cash register. It was so fun to play with and take the customers money and give them their change. Occasionally they would let me keep the change. Then after work dad would take us across the parking lot to King's to spend the money on something.

The other fun thing to do was to play with the barber chairs. We would usually just pull the release so we could spin around til we were super dizzy.

These were all great and fun times. One my dad passed away, by that time he had another barber working with him. Dennis left the name the same and my oldest son was able to have his first haircut there. It is gone now, in fact the entire strip mall is gone. The only thing left from my growing up days is the Chinese food place. Dennis retired this year, when he had to move the shop, he called my mom, to make sure it was okay to not carry on the name. It was fine. I still stop by and see Dennis every few years. It was great to share stories.

That is all for this time.
I think next month...I will share about Camping with Dad.