My First SLR

I was looking through my old photos, thinking I might find another retro look at some jewelry. Couldn't find any, but I came across this photo!
This is Christmas time, 1974. My boyfriend [and now DH] bought me my very first SLR - a Canon TLB. Ah, those were the days!!
I had been shooting with an Agfa 35mm rangefinder for years. I can't remember if I asked for an SLR or if he just surprised me with one, [it was a very long time ago!]
I've still got my old Canon, but I haven't used it in EONS!

What's that on your ears???

Being the ever individual, hippy-wanna-be teenager that I was, I used to march to the beat of a different drummer sometimes. One look at this photo now and all I can say is, "what was I thinking???"

This photo cracks me up every time I look at it. This is the photo that was taken for my parent's Church directory. My two older sisters were gone and married, so that would make me about 13 years old, [likely 1971]. So this is Mom in her wig and Dad looking like he's on something! I was into making my own clothes and the vest and the neck choker [ha - there's my plug for Jewelry week!] are my designs! Was I cool or what??? Funny thing is, I thought I WAS!

Ellen DeGeneres thought this photo was funny because she showed it on her TV show in May 2006. I never in a million years thought she would show it, so I didn't watch the show the next few days after submitting it! My cousin called me and said, "Umm, I think I just saw an old picture of you and Uncle Lionel on Ellen!" Doh! I missed it!!! I even watched the re-runs religiously to see if they would repeat it. Darn it all.

Anyhoo, you might think that I was a fan of Star Wars and Princess Leia!? Ummm - Star Wars wasn't released until 1977!!! Makes me repeat again, "What was I thinking??"

Heirloom Brooch

My Mother was raised in Holland. Being the only girl in a family of 6 brothers, she likely got spoiled by her mother with all the girly things. When my mother came to Canada, she was given many pieces of jewelry that belonged to her mother and her family. One piece is a gold brooch that holds a special significance in our family. My mother wore the brooch on her wedding day. My sisters wore it on their wedding day, as did I. I look forward to the day that my girls will wear it. I am not a fan of yellow gold and neither are my girls, but to know that the tradition will be upheld is a very treasured importance. I couldn't find a better photo, but here is one of me with the brooch on!

Doggy Socks

Turns out we didn't go to camp. Rain in the forecast and only 15 degrees C!!! WTH??? Where did the heat go? Sheesh.

I know these aren't shoes, but the story behind this is quite funny. A little history...
Our Gracie has been plagued with allergies for most of her 3 years of life. Until we found out that a vegetarian diet helps a lot she bit and chewed and scratched and itched constantly. She still scratches quite a bit, but not near as much as before. She also gets ear infections. To help ease her discomfort, I often put drops in her ears, calamine lotion on her belly, antibiotic lotions between her toes. After swimming I take a baby wipe and clean between her toes and wash her belly. The parasites in water are her worst enemy -- and she's a retriever! She LOVES the water.
All I have to say is, "it's time to fix your ears/belly/feet" and she stops what she's doing and succumbs to my nursing. She is such an agreeable dog. It's actually the cutest thing how she seems to know that what I'm doing helps her. Anyway, because she is so agreeable, you can do almost anything to her.
Gracie LOVES my daughter's boyfriend, Jay. She practically turns herself inside out when he's around and she vies for his affection always. I had just done laundry and Jay pulls out 4 of DD's tiny tennis type socks - the ones that don't even go up to the ankle. He put one on Gracie and at first she started to shake it off. Then all of a sudden she got this look on her face that said, "okay, do what you have to do". He proceeded to the put the other three on her feet. The crazy girl just sat there taking it all in. Maybe you had to be there, but it was the funniest thing ever. Jay was in hysterics laughing.
That's my Gracie!!!

Tall Sneakers

I was saving my favourite pair of shoes for my post today. But first, the story....
In 1971 when I was 13 years old, my mom, dad and I traveled to the Netherlands for an extended holiday. One month visiting my mom's 5 brothers and their families. Being 13 and totally into fashion and fads and everything fun, I was so enthralled with the trends in Holland. They were WAY ahead of us in terms of setting the styles. One of those trends was HOT PANTS!! Now, in Europe Hot Pants were very popular with the prostitutes. NOT that I was around any prostitutes, but Hot Pants had become quite the rage. I was hooked - I loved them! I remember a suit I bought. A little black bomber-style jacket [similar to a jean jacket] with tiny coloured flowers and Hot Pants to match. Now to go along with those Hot Pants that I bought, I needed some funky shoes. I wish I could remember where I bought them, but my calf-high runners were the COOLEST things I had ever seen. They are light blue denim sneakers, very similar to the punk sneakers of today.
When I returned to Canada, I was entering Grade 9. I wore those Hot Pants and sneakers to school! Wow! Shy little ol' me was getting looks left and right. I was so thrilled to be wearing a style that no one else was. It didn't take long before Hot Pants became popular, and it also didn't take long before they were BANNED at our school!!! To this day, the students can not wear any shorts shorter than the tips of their fingers when their hands are flat at their sides!
My daughters have worn those shoes to school, in plays, for Halloween, for 70's themed parties, etc. They are great shoes.
Anyhoo, I digress. Where is the photo you say?? Well, I went to the basement where I store the shoes. Not there. Then I remember that my daughter had loaned them to one of her dance students for a piece in Recital. Eeeks. Where are my shoes?? I am totally freaking out over the possibility that they're gone. I would surely die if they're lost. [I tend to get attached to old childhood keepsakes]. I'm sure that my DD knows where they are, but she's been so busy lately I can't seem to get her to LOOK!! As soon as I find them, I'll post a pic. They really are very cool for shoes that are 36 years old!!



***ETA -- THEY'RE FOUND!!! DD had them in the closet all along. I don't know how I missed them. I'll see if I can dig up a pic of me in the Hot Pants!!

Klompen

My mother was born and raised in Arnhem, Holland. She met my father overseas during World War II. He was an army cook and they met at a community hall at a dance. He was French Canadian and spoke little english. She was Dutch and spoke little english. To this day, we always wonder how they understood each other. However, they say that Love overcomes all!
I'm sure you've all heard of Wooden Shoes, aka Klompen. They really are used and worn in Holland, even today, particularly with Farmers. They were always left outside the door before going in to the house. At Christmas time, the children would expect treats from Sinter Klaas in their wooden shoes on St. Nicholas Day!
I have an old original pair of wooden shoes at the cottage. Right now I'm not really using them, but I'd like to make them into planters to hang on the wall.
Just last month my mother visited Holland, Michigan and she brought this Klompen back as a souvenir for me.

Boot Planter

These boots are at the foot of a HUGE Pine tree at our cottage. I'm not sure when I first saw this idea, but I've had some at my house and now these at the camp.
It tends to get pretty dry in between our visits, so the flowers are a little wilty.
Thanks for looking!!

Bowling Shoes

My dad loved bowling. I remember when I was very young, [under 10 yrs] my parents would often take me with them to the bowling alley for their weekly league games. It was such a loud place, but oh, so cool! I don't remember what I did while they bowled, but I still have vivid memories of that Alley. My parents didn't bowl for many years then got back into it after they retired and joined a senior's league
After Dad got cancer of the sinus, he had a tough time with surgeries. You might remember a previous post of mine where I mentioned that he wore a prosthetic nose. He still bowled after that for another year or two. Then both of them just stopped.
When Dad passed away, I got one of his bowling balls with his name engraved in it.
These are his shoes from w-a-y back!!!
I've got them on my wall in my office, which is decorated retro style. The big blue bowling ball isn't his - just a yard sale find!!

The Shoe Tree

A few years ago I saw in a magazine a very unique family project. The family had a walking trail behind their cottage that they had made and cleared by themselves. I wish I could remember more of the story, but I just loved their idea. They found a large tree near the beginning of the trail and each year they would attach a pair of shoes.
I thought the idea was so cool I just had to steal it!
We too have a trail that leads from the back of our property, up a hill to a 2km winding trail. It was perfect for walking until last summer when we had intense, damaging winds that felled several h-u-g-e trees right across the trail in several places. We can still use the trail, but we have to either go around, under or over the trees.
We've had our camp for almost 4 years, so this fall we will be adding one more pair of shoes!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am making a sign post and one of the signs will lead to our "Shoe Tree Trail".

Artistic Hands

The Festival so far has been great. It rained for a few minutes today, but then the sky cleared, the sun shone and the temperatures rose! Turned out to be a beautiful day. My girls danced at a few venues and their group got rave reviews.

Meghan dancing at the Drum Circle.



Djembe player at the Drum Circle



Drum Circle participant





One of the many on-site artists



Peter Elkas
I know you can't see his hands in this shot... but look at his eyes!! Just LOOK at them. Besides being an amazing artist, he is just so darn dreamy!!!

Dancing

My daughters are performing in the annual Northern Lights Festival Boreal this weekend. The earthdancers are putting on three brief performances, one each day. They had a rehearsal last night - in the pouring rain!
Tonight they performed at Main Stage to a pretty big crowd. Tomorrow they perform on the Amphitheatre stage accompanied by the Drum Circle. Sunday they will perform in the Arts Village.








Daughter, Meghan!


Daughter, Lauren!

My Hands

I can finally post!!! Being at the cottage and using Dial-up there doesn't allow me to upload or download photos - too slow! We had a great few days at the camp. The weather was great. One cloudy day, but still warm. Doug got lots of work done on the addition and it's looking great! We had a nice sauna and swim and I puttered in the yard. Blueberries are just starting!
For the last week or so, I've been working on a project for the camp. It's kinda kitchy, but cute. I made 5 little directional signs: Main Camp, Fish Shack (outhouse), Warehouse (Doug's big shed), Shoe Tree Trail and Sauna. I painted them with Folk Art paint and coated them with several coats of Varathane. I'm going to attach them to a post and put it up in our back yard. I think it's really fun! When it's all erected, I'll be sure to post a pic!
So, this pic is of me scraping the bark of the tree, which is the post for the signs. I remember when I was a kid how I LOVED to peel/scrape the bark off of branches and trees. I even got in trouble with our neighbours for cutting branches off their Hemlock tree and peeling them.

Texture III

Another shot from the cottage. This is my braided rug. I had it hanging over the picnic table to dry! This 50mm lens amazes me with it's DOF. I can't wait to get the Auto Focus lens though because I just don't trust my eyes!

Texture II

Just a bit of our aging hammock at the cottage. I don't feel quite as safe in it anymore because it's really starting to unravel and there's so many holes!!! It looks great between the trees though!

Texture I

This weeks theme for Picture of the Day is intriguing. I have found myself looking at things in a new way to find texture in it! At the cottage the other day I found oodles of things! However, being the ever lazy person I can so often be, I didn't always have my camera with me. And even then I much preferred to soak up the sun on my floating island!!

I did manage to find a few neat things! This is Gracie's fur after a swim and a roll in the dirt!
What is it about dogs that makes them want to roll in the dirt if they smell too clean!? She loves to swim, 20-30 minutes at a time. Afterwards, she gets all goofy and rolls and rolls and rolls in the dirtiest place she can find! But on the other hand, she loves pretty smelling things too! If we have lotion on or have just had a shower she loves to rub up against us and even wants to rub her head in our hair! She especially loves the smell of Noxema!! Goofy dog.

Neon Waves

We were at the cottage for a few days. I was practicing some Macro work with a set of extension tubes I borrowed from a friend. I do not like them so far.... too much of a learning curve. I'll try again this week and see what I think.

Anyhoo, the cottage was wonderful and peaceful and tranquil as ever. Hated to leave, but we had some chores to do in town. I snapped this shot of the waves on the lake and jazzed it up somewhat in PS. I like it!

Randomness

It's been awhile since I've posted. No inspiration lately I guess. I'm itching for a new lens, but I can't decide what I want to get. I really like the 50mm I have, but it's not automatic, so I find I'm missing some focus on some candid shots. Perhaps I should get a 50mm Automatic? Or a Macro 100mm? I'm going to borrow a friend's extension tubes to see if I'm happy with those. If so, then I think I'll likely buy the 50mm 1.4. Oh, so many decision.
It's the first day of summer. What a cool night. After the heatwave the last few weeks, the cool breeze is a bit of a relief - especially at night. I actually had to get another blanket for the bed.
Poor Dougie had to go back to work this week after 4 weeks off. And to add insult to injury, he's catching a cold. However, we'll be heading back to camp on the weekend and I'm hoping this great weather holds up. I'm planning on taking some of my lenses and practicing some technique.
Here's a few random shots I thought I'd share.

These girls are our cousin's kids. Their first time learning how to paddle a canoe!



This shot overlooks Lake Ramsey from the Lakehouse restaurant. The boat is the Cortina. There are a few tours a day on the Cortina.




I really like this one of L. Taken with my 50-200 zoom. She was planting some perennials for me.



Just had to include a pic of our Gracie. I was actually just practicing my focus and was pleasantly pleased with the colour, composition and look of this one!

Graduation Day

We went to North Bay yesterday for Meg's Graduation from Nipissing University! At first, Meg didn't even want to attend the convocation, but I think now she's glad she did. I goofed up [as usual] and forgot to reset my ISO once going outside, but good thing I caught it before taking too many shots. Will I ever learn??
We met Jay's mom Karen and his sisters Kaitlyn and Mallorie. We all enjoyed a great lunch at Casey's afterwards. Then it was back home. We ended up driving through a wicked rain storm. High winds and crazy rain. Whew.
Here's a few of my favourite shots taken with my 50mm M 1.7 lens. I'm loving this lens! It was full sun, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. I didn't do much editing, but what I did was on my laptop, so I hope the colours look okay.

Meg and Jay



Me, Meg, Doug!!

My Health Update

Some of you have been so kind to tell me that my presence has been missed and some of you have sent support and well wishes and have asked me how things are.
I'll try to keep the update short. THANK YOU. Your support is appreciated more than you know!

Since I have been diagnosed with the suspicion of Crohn's Disease I am STILL waiting to see the specialist. I finally have an appointment booked for July 12. In the meantime the doc prescribed both Pentasa and Prednisone. After reading the side effects of the steroid Prednisone, I totally freaked out and refused to take it. I have been taking the Pentasa for a week now. My pharmacist assured me that for the short time of 8 weeks with a minimum dosage of the Prednisone I should not be worried about the side effects -- but I am. Do any of you have an experience with it? Can you share any success stories? I am really torn as to whether I should take it or not. I understand that it will really help the inflammation and I'll feel normal again soon, but I am SO dreading the possible weight gain, face puffiness, bulging eyes, acne or rashes, etc. etc.
I am a little better these days but still experiencing the occasional stomach cramping and pain. I've lost a total of 11 pounds and I am looking a little ragged and drawn, but my appetite is returning somewhat. I am tired a lot, and I imagine that I am likely lacking some nutrients and vitamins. I'm self dosing with Omega-3s, Garlic, C, Calcium, Multi, MSM and Acidophilus. The Omega-3s seem to be helping somewhat.
Anyhoo, that's about it in a nutshell. I am truly anxious to feel like myself again. I'm not worried too much because I know that this disease can be managed. Looking back over all the ailments I've had since I was a child it's all tying in together with these new symptoms. It's possible I've had Crohn's for years, but just never showed any painful symptoms.
More than anything I have lost my spunk, my creativity and energy. I look forward to getting back to enjoying the things I love to do.

Thanks again for asking about me. You know who you are!! I am so lucky to have an extended group of friends through my favourite forums. You're great!

Fun at the Cottage

Doug's been on holiday the last two weeks. We haven't spent as much time at the cottage as we would have liked [lots of other errands to do and places to be]. There were some great days that we spent there with the girls and some where it was just Doug and I and Gracie. We had saunas and dips in the lake. We had a campfire. Sipping coffee on the dock at 8am in our PJs. Fun in the kayak and canoe. Saw a big Heron. Meg caught a fish. Gracie did lots of swimming and chasing squirrels. Delicious Bar-B-Qs. Games of Zuma and Rummy-Q inside. Eating junk food. One night at 3am we had a raccoon visit our deck. It was scratching the sugar water that had dripped from the hummingbird feeder. Some watch-dog we have - Gracie just yawned and rolled over!
It is absolute paradise at our camp. It doesn't get any better than this!

Here's a few pics from the last few days. I've been trying real hard to capture good pics straight out of the camera. I think I'm getting better!! All these are just cropped and NO PPing!!

THE THREE STOOGES


FIRST DIP IN THE LAKE [after the sauna]


WATCHING THE ANTS CARRY AWAY A DEAD BEETLE


DOUG OUT FISHING IN THE KAYAK


ME AND MY GRACIE


MEG IN THE KAYAK



MY GIRLS