Cold Chair

Good Thing He Has A Furry Butt!!

Mrs. Pickle

Mrs. Pickle

Looking Thru The Tree

A View Thru The Tree

Berries on Our Tree

Berries On Our Tree

Red Door

Macro Shot of Red Door On Ornament

Christmas Begins

Ornament

Two of the grandkids are here this week and they have helped grandma get ready for christmas.  It's our tradition that the tree goes up on Thanksgiving - we're a day early.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

Mall of America

Orange

Green

Whatever problem Google was having last night they have it fixed...  of all the things to photograph at the Mall of America I was drawn to these silly over sized balls on the trees.

Trouble Uploading

Server Difficulties with Blogger - unable to post a photo - visit my other blog to see what I was going to post...

Sam With Mom and Dad

Sam With Mom and Dad

Portrait

Laurin and her fiance

While we were in Minnesota attending the baptism of our newest grandson, Samuel Clayton I had the opportunity to take some photos of Laurin and her fiance.  They are a gorgeous couple and there will be other photos (in this group and in the future).

The weather was cold, wet, foggy, sleety, snowy and down right miserable.  On Saturday night there had been 300 and some car accidents...(we were not among them).

Perhaps when the weather is better I'll be able to take some more photos of Laurin and her fiance as they are both very photogenic.

Oh Deer

Oh Deer

The granddaughters have a tough time having slumber parties - it seems they feel something is looking over their shoulder.

Samuel Clayton

Samuel

We are visiting in Minneapolis to attend our newest grandson's baptism.  He's had a tummy-ache today - this was during one of his pensive moments...

Bird Condo

We had our tree in the front yard trimmed the other day and the limbs are still in a pile waiting to be picked up. The birds are all over.  I believe they are depressed because their condo is undergoing renovations.  It's like they were all visiting and "re-living" all of the memories they had in their condo in the tree...

They're really going to be depressed when the limbs go away...

Berries

20 to 3

Hamburg Inn 2

Hamburg Inn 2, Iowa City, Iowa

The oldest family owned restaurant in Iowa City.  They're famous for their bean voting and some of their guests including former Presidents Reagan and Clinton.

If you've never been there here's a LINK to read more about it...

Linn Area Photo Club Annual Contest

Blue Cloth Flower

(Click thru if you're viewing this on Facebook as there are multiple photos.)


We had the Annual Photo Contest at the Linn Area Photography Club.  The judge was the Superintendent of the Photography Salon for the Iowa State Fair.  I learned a lot today - while he was judging a lot of folks had their cameras and were there to learn more about them - the object being to get out of the "automatic mode" and to use the camera to create photographs not snapshots.  A photographer's goal is to show "...the world has it has never been seen..."

We practiced bracketing and macro shots (the blue cloth flower).

Back to the contest - I received a Third Place in the "Scenery/Landscape" category and an "Honorable Mention" in the Portrait category.

Andrea Honorable Mention

Iowascape 3rd Place

Yellow Fall Color

Full Fall Color

Full Fall Color

I was surprised to find this tree so full of leaves and color.  Most of the other trees have lost their leaves and are standing naked in the wind...

The Black Angel of Iowa City

Black Angel

We paid a brief visit to Iowa yesterday looking for photographic inspiration.  Our son Stephen and his wife Cheri had the day off so we hooked up and drove around town while I looked for "inspiration".  I don't quite remember how we ended up in the cemetery, but we did, and that is when I learned of the legend of "The Black Angel."

You can learn more here:  The Black Angel

Anyone Longing for the Past?

.13 9/10 Cents Then $2.75 TODAY!!

I shall avoid political comment - unless my no comment can be construed as a political comment, than in that case, I guess, in fact that it is a political comment.*

Political comments aside it's a cool photo.












*Determining whether or not this is a political comment is left up to the viewer.

Shannon

Shannon Meets the Men in Purple

A short story - our Priest's wife Denise works in the Waterloo School District with special needs kids, and one of her students is Shannon.  Shannon goes to school every day dressed in University of Northern Iowa Purple.  According to her Mother, "She has every UNI shirt that exists."

I overhead her Dad telling the players that part of the rug in her room is the old astroturf from the Dome.  This girl loves the team, watches and goes to the games and wears purple EVERY DAY.  

Denise had mentioned this to Fr. Mitch, who knew a guy, who knew a guy and low and behold 4 of the players agreed to meet Shannon.  They gave her a signed football, and shared stories, asked her questions and answered hers.  It was a pleasure to be there and watch as she came down the hall and saw these 4 VERY large men in purple jerseys waiting to meet her.  It was a good end to the day...

A Boys Toy Box

It Takes A Villeage

1ST Haircut

We have a tradition where the babies do not get their haircut until their 1st birthday.  Yesterday, Daniel got his 1st haircut on his 1st birthday.  Daniel was there (of course), his parents, Uncle John, Aunt Laura, Cousin James and Cousin Katharine, along with Grandma Helen and myself.  It was quite the entourage which descended on Regis where the haircut took place. Daniel did extremely well and didn't even flinch when the clippers came out.

One Last Bloom

Perched

Big Step

Minus 1

Spent the day with some close friends.  While all of us have many friends and family there is 1 special person missing from this photo.  She knows who she is...

Smile - Birdy!!

Sea Shells No Longer by The Seashore

Seashells

Ok - Another Cardinal

I was paying a visit at my sister-in-law's house and there was this cardinal...  He allowed me to get pretty close before he hopped off...  Never did loose his treat in his beak!!