Sunday, May 31, 2009

Yet Another Yarn Shop


We found another NEW yarn shop in Lakeville, Minnesota. It seems I'm becoming somewhat of an authority on yarn shops and this one is pretty good. The owner is friendly, helpful and has a wide variety of yarns, books and needles. And, no - I'm not taking up knitting - I will however take photos of knitting and knitters.
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(Click on a photo to view a larger image).

I acquired a new "toy" yesterday - a Flip Video Camera. I thought it would be fun to take quick videos here and there to add to a few of the websites I do. I don't plan to post videos here, but thought you might enjoy my first video - shot at the yarn shop. The above photos were taken out of the video and edited with PhotoShop.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

In Bloom


The Peonies have started blooming.
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Friday, May 29, 2009

Peonies


The Peonies are just starting to blossum. They should be springing out any minute now...
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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Now - Where did that Deck Go?


We had a deck on the back of the house that was in pretty bad shape - had to fix it or lose it. You can see the choice we made...
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Patriotism


Showing the flag at the Memorial Day Service in Waterloo, Iowa...


...moments before she placed a flag on her father's memorial brick.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Memorial Day 2009


In gratitude for those who have served, and in sorrow for those who have lost their lives.
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Monday, May 25, 2009

Generation Gap


I don't know if it's a generation gap or a difference in perception, but... Yesterday my grandson came into the house and said, "Grandpa, I drew a picture of the Enterprise can you take a picture?"

Grandma always supplies the kids with chalk so they can draw on the driveway and as I grabbed my camera I was expecting a rendition of the USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier) and then I saw that it was the Starship Enterprise. It probably just means I'm not a treckie... an excellent rendition...hope it doesn't rain.
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Statue of Christ


I went wondering around a cemetary and it seems there are a ton of photo opportunities.   This photo was just one.
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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Well Fed


Saw this guy at a rest stop - appears to be well fed...
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Friday, May 22, 2009

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Another T-Pot


This is not our T-Pot but our daughter's - m-m-m-m must run in the family.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Colorful Cabin


A cabin in a field of yellow.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Scarey Guy Stands Guard


Not sure what this it is... It's either a scarey looking frog or a real ugly bug. At any rate it is standing guard in a flower garden. It probably works too - I imagine as the birds fly down to pick up the seeds they see this guy and say to themselves, "what is...". And, as they are distracted they fly into a wall. [I just made that up - this guy may be there just to make visitors say, "that's so ugly it's cute."].
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Monday, May 18, 2009

St. Patrick


St. Patrick's Catholic Church, St. Patrick, MN.
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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Wind Crop


2nd only to California Iowa's newest crop is wind energy.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Minnesota Mobile Home


We've been visiting in Minnesota the last several days and I have shot at least 150 photographs. The difficulty is now which one do I use for the photo of the day? I have chosen to go with a bit of levity, so pictured above is a Minnesota Mobile Home (my apologies to any Minnesotan who may see this - but with all the Iowa jokes...).

To view a series of other photos you can visit my Flicker Photos.
(Click on the photograph to view a large image).

Friday, May 15, 2009

Geometric Shapes


Rectangles


Circles
I went to a middle school concert last night where my grand daughter Ania was performing. Since grandpas always take cameras to such events I was ready to take pictures. As I was sitting in the auditorium I noticed interesting shapes in the room. I shot in black and white - just 'cause...
(Click on a photo to view a larger image).

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ania's Artwork


I'm in Minneapolis, MN attending a Credit Union seminar. As a side benefit I also get to visit my daughters and grand daughters (Ania (12), Emily (10), Abbie (8) and Ellie (5)). Now, when you are with grand kids their are tons of photo ops - but, the above art work taped on a door got my attention. Ania showed me several pieces of her art and I do believe she is a budding artist.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Spring Color


I just love the color green and add red, white and blue and it's a perfect combination.
(Click on the photo for a larger view).

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Grocery Shopping - Robin Style


As I was continuing my safari I had the opportunity to view the food chain at work. Mr. Robin had completed his kill and was standing guard. Right after this picture was shot he took off with a moutful [beak full] presumably to feed his family.
(Click on the photo to view a larger image).

Monday, May 11, 2009

Backyard Safari


I've been roaming around my yard on what I call my "Safari" in search of photo opportunities. The top photo is a photo of a bleeding heart. [As a quick side note - I have not planted these and grown them on purpose. I have a black thumb and if I had planted these and wanted them to grow - they would have died.]

My last attemp to grow something was right after we moved into the house. I thought pampus grass was cool so I bought some, planted it and waited. It grew, grew, and grew. Then one day my sister-in-law came over and asked about the patch of weeds in back. It seems the pampus grass had died somewhere along the line and I was culvating some sort of giant weed. I did think it looked funny - but, I just thought it was going to morph into grass...


Does anyone know the name of this flower? (Don't tell me if it's a weed - just make up a name!!)
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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Dandelion


I used to see the "ugly" dandelion. You know - the one that was no longer yellow and was about ready to spread the seeds. But, now looking through the camera lens I see some gorgeous colors.



I had to post 2 photos again. Actually this one was the top photo and I painted it with Corel Paint4 software.
(Click on a photo to view a larger image).

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Huey


I made a return visit to the Sullivan Brothers Museum with my new wide angle lens and took some new photos. This Huey is NOT a replica. The back half is missing - but the front half is real - including the caked on bugs...
(Click on the photo to view a larger image).

Friday, May 8, 2009

Changes Over Time


2009
There is a tree behind Trinity Episcopal Parish which we have called "Trini-tree". The parish has watched this tree grow over time -and, die over time. Kind of mirrors life...


2005




Unknown (Photo courtesy of Brandon Nieman)
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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Candid Cookie Shot


My brother-in-law Robert passed away last Saturday and we had the funeral yesterday. During a lighter moment after the service my sister-in-law Carol was clowning around with a cookie. [People need to be careful when there's a photographer with a camera in the room]

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

In Bloom


Note the water droplets...
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Irritated Customer


This little guy came up to the credit union's front door - knocked on the window, waited, layed down, knocked on the window, and then left in a huff when we refused service.
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Monday, May 4, 2009

Music


I was hired to do a photoshoot Saturday night and part of the program was young musicians.




(Click on a photo to view a larger image).

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Wide Angle


I have a new lens in my tool box - a Tamron F/3.5 10-24mm Wide Angle. It works great - but (why does there always have to be a but?) it has been giving me an occasional communication error on the camera. Not every time, but often enough to bug me. So, I am going to exchange it on Monday and hope the relacement works with no hitches.
(Click on the photo to view a larger image).

Saturday, May 2, 2009

May Day


On the way home from work the clouds were gorgeous, so I pulled into a parking area and took a photo.


An interesting shape and color.



A remainder (or reminder) of winter.
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Friday, May 1, 2009

Silhouette


A silhouette of a photographer against the sunset.
(Click on the photo to view a larger image).