Lost Dog - Please Help!
Just for the record. . . .
I thoroughly dislike mowing the grass! That is all. . . . . . . hahaha!
Well, yesterday was the first mow of the year for us, and I cut all 5 acres. Well, it actually took 2 days to do and I finished today. The first cut seems to always be the most involved, especially when your front 2 acres are filled with trees, downed branches and EXTRA high grass over the septic leach bed, and the rear 3 acres are overgrown from not cutting all year in '09. It took me the better part of 6 hours to cut the back yard and back 40 of our property, and then another hour to cut the front yard.
Today took a couple hours longer than usual though because the belt came off of the mower deck in the middle of mowing. And it didn't help that the deck was fill with grass that had to be pulled out. So, I pulled the deck off to clean it out and in the process, I find that all 3 blades are extremely dull. I would have been better off trying to cut the grass with the back side of a butter knife! I put everything back together though after doing a little filing on the blades and got the yard done.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I AM FRIED! I got burnt to a crisp. Silly me didn't put on sunscreen or any thing, so now my arms, face, head and the tops of my knees are as red as the paint on our Troy Built mower. Not fun times at all. Oh well, I got a good base for our Myrtle Beach trip in a couple weeks. Can't wait for that!
Well, that's all for my rant about mowing. I hope you all have better luck, and a smaller yard, than I!
C-ya!
John
Well, yesterday was the first mow of the year for us, and I cut all 5 acres. Well, it actually took 2 days to do and I finished today. The first cut seems to always be the most involved, especially when your front 2 acres are filled with trees, downed branches and EXTRA high grass over the septic leach bed, and the rear 3 acres are overgrown from not cutting all year in '09. It took me the better part of 6 hours to cut the back yard and back 40 of our property, and then another hour to cut the front yard.
Today took a couple hours longer than usual though because the belt came off of the mower deck in the middle of mowing. And it didn't help that the deck was fill with grass that had to be pulled out. So, I pulled the deck off to clean it out and in the process, I find that all 3 blades are extremely dull. I would have been better off trying to cut the grass with the back side of a butter knife! I put everything back together though after doing a little filing on the blades and got the yard done.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I AM FRIED! I got burnt to a crisp. Silly me didn't put on sunscreen or any thing, so now my arms, face, head and the tops of my knees are as red as the paint on our Troy Built mower. Not fun times at all. Oh well, I got a good base for our Myrtle Beach trip in a couple weeks. Can't wait for that!
Well, that's all for my rant about mowing. I hope you all have better luck, and a smaller yard, than I!
C-ya!
John
Getting Back Into BMX
So, I posted a link to my page on Hookit.com, but didn't really explain the situation. For the last few years, I have been wanting to get back into BMX racing but have not had the time to train or get in better shape to ride. Before that I didn't have a bike anymore. Now I have a bike, a DK General Lee, that I got for my birthday 2 years ago. And Ashley and I have started going to Five Seasons to help loose weight and get in to better shape. So, now that I am starting to get more "spare" time, I can get some practice in and learn a few of the racing skills I have forgotten over the last 16 years. It's amazing what you can forget in that time, especially things that were pretty much second nature. Like something as simple as jumping, manuals or even a bunny hop. Easy stuff when you're half my age.
Yesterday, I thought I'd work on some starting sprints. Seemed simple enough to pedal at 80-90% power for about 100'. Well, the first attempt went well. I got a good start and felt pretty good. The second, not so much. After the second pedal, I either leaned to far forward or hit a stick and bailed, hitting my left knee hard on the driveway and dragging my pedal up my right leg. Kind of put an end to my practice session. So, before I went to sleep I was pricing knee/shin and elbow pads.
Today, I thought about riding a little after I got done working, but that's about as far as I got. My knee is still a little sore, but OK and not bruised. My leg is looking pretty bad, but little to no pain.
You would think at almost 34 years old I would have better sense than to try to get back into a sport better suited for kids half my age and younger.
Yesterday, I thought I'd work on some starting sprints. Seemed simple enough to pedal at 80-90% power for about 100'. Well, the first attempt went well. I got a good start and felt pretty good. The second, not so much. After the second pedal, I either leaned to far forward or hit a stick and bailed, hitting my left knee hard on the driveway and dragging my pedal up my right leg. Kind of put an end to my practice session. So, before I went to sleep I was pricing knee/shin and elbow pads.
Today, I thought about riding a little after I got done working, but that's about as far as I got. My knee is still a little sore, but OK and not bruised. My leg is looking pretty bad, but little to no pain.
You would think at almost 34 years old I would have better sense than to try to get back into a sport better suited for kids half my age and younger.
Carter's 3rd Birthday Party
This past weekend was Carter's 3rd birthday party, held at Rolandia/Magic Castle. Everyone had a great time, especially Carter! Pizza, cake, presents and arcade games, what more could he need. He got a lot of neat presents, but probably his favorite is the Imaginarium train table with some Thomas wooden trains.
Here are some pictures from the party and at home afterwards.
So, until the next post, God Bless!
John, "Pop"
Here are some pictures from the party and at home afterwards.
So, until the next post, God Bless!
John, "Pop"
Still Learning Our Camera
Well, it's been about 10 days since getting our camera and I have been trying to absorb as much about photography and digital cameras, especially our, since our T1i arrived. And just when I thought I read and learned enough to start photographing the things I want to shoot, I find some video on YouTube, or a blog, or some other website with a bunch more information I never knew about.
Some videos I have been watching are from Bryan Peterson (YouTube - ppsop2009's Channel) , Rick Sammons (http://www.youtube.com/user/pixelmagic), CameraLabs.com (http://www.youtube.com/user/cameralabs) and PhotoClassPro (http://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoClassPro). These so far have been the most informative YouTube videos. If you are new to photography, or just looking for different techniques, I would suggest looking into these videos.
As far as websites go, my bookmark list has grown exponentially just in the last two weeks. So you can see where I've been, here are a list of some of the websites. Feel free to check them out!
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog
Stare Photography School Online
DSLR Tips:
Digital Photography Tips
PhotoTips.biz
The Perfect Picture School of Photography
Not Your Normal School of Photography
The Photo Forum
Photography Forums
Digital Photography Review
Canon Digital Photography Forums
As you can see, I have probably let myself get consumed with this subject, which can be good or bad. It's good because I can possibly turn this hobby into a source of income in the future, and it will make me and Ashley better photog's. It's bad because I have spent a lot of (maybe too much) time online or in books reading instead of paying more attention to my wife and kids. Hopefully to former will pay off and support the latter. In other words, I hope we can in fact make at least a part time "business" out of photography and help pay for activities and vacations with the family.
On a side note, we have all been sick, so we haven't been in the mood or able to go take more pictures lately, but we are all finally getting over our illnesses and will hopefully be out shooting soon.
So, until the next post, God Bless.
Some videos I have been watching are from Bryan Peterson (YouTube - ppsop2009's Channel) , Rick Sammons (http://www.youtube.com/user/pixelmagic), CameraLabs.com (http://www.youtube.com/user/cameralabs) and PhotoClassPro (http://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoClassPro). These so far have been the most informative YouTube videos. If you are new to photography, or just looking for different techniques, I would suggest looking into these videos.
As far as websites go, my bookmark list has grown exponentially just in the last two weeks. So you can see where I've been, here are a list of some of the websites. Feel free to check them out!
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog
Stare Photography School Online
DSLR Tips:
Digital Photography Tips
PhotoTips.biz
The Perfect Picture School of Photography
Not Your Normal School of Photography
The Photo Forum
Photography Forums
Digital Photography Review
Canon Digital Photography Forums
As you can see, I have probably let myself get consumed with this subject, which can be good or bad. It's good because I can possibly turn this hobby into a source of income in the future, and it will make me and Ashley better photog's. It's bad because I have spent a lot of (maybe too much) time online or in books reading instead of paying more attention to my wife and kids. Hopefully to former will pay off and support the latter. In other words, I hope we can in fact make at least a part time "business" out of photography and help pay for activities and vacations with the family.
On a side note, we have all been sick, so we haven't been in the mood or able to go take more pictures lately, but we are all finally getting over our illnesses and will hopefully be out shooting soon.
So, until the next post, God Bless.
Some cropping in Photoshop Camera Raw
Here is a picture Ashley took tonight of the barn, at dusk. The snow was falling and she was trying to capture that. The other 2 are the same picture cropped and made black and white and sepia tone, both with vignetting. Enjoy!
More Pictures From the New Camera
Here are some more pictures from the new camera. These were croped and adjusted using Adobe Photoshop and the Camera Raw plug-in.
Camera Arrived Today!
Today was a happy day! UPS came knocking on our door this morning with gifts. Our camera, printer and other equipment got here and man are we excited. We just spent about 2-4 hours reading the manual and trying things out on our new Canon EOS Rebel T1i dSLR. Since all Ash and I have ever really had for a camera were point-and-shoot cameras, this is deffinately the best we've ever had. We can't get over how sharp the pictures are with just basic settings and not really fine tuning anything. It's taking some getting used to the use of a view finder instead of just an LCD screen, or not having the option of a view finder I should say. We haven't tried much with the live view yet, but I'm sure that will come soon enough.
Well, here a couple of our first shots! We took over 60 in about a 30 minute period!
Well, here a couple of our first shots! We took over 60 in about a 30 minute period!
New Camera Equipment Purchase!
This weekend, Ashley and I finally had the opportunity to buy a "real" digital camera. I think we've spent at least 3-6 months searching for the camera that would best fit us, and I have to say, it's almost like buying a new car if you aren't sure of what's out there.
What we decided on was a Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR kit. We had suggestions from friends and other people who do photography for either a living or just a hobby, and most of them came back for either a Nikon or a Canon. Some suggestions were for the more pricey cameras the pro's use, others were more in our price range. At first we had decided on the Canon XSi, but after further consideration went with the T1i instead. We really wanted a camera that would be great for getting pic's of the kids and family events, some sports and auto racing, railroad pictures and other shots that just cannot be done well with a point-and-shoot. We are done with the grainy, out of focus, poor quality shots we get with our Sony p-n-s. It has done it's job over the last 2 years we have had it, but it is not the best for action shots that are required when you have a 3 year old and a 7 month old.
Also with the camera we ordered some accessories. First is a dedicated flash from Vivitar and a mini softbox/light diffuser from Dot Line. We also got a UV filter to help protect the lens. For a memory card we picked up a SanDisk Ultra II SDHC 8GB card. And to carry everything around we chose a Canon backpack style bag that has enough room for all of our stuff and space to spare. And as an added bonus, there was a $400.00 rebate on a Canon Pixma P9000 printer, so we ordered it as well. And the cool thing about the printer rebate is that we are paying $446.00 before the rebate. So we get the printer for $46.00 and change.
Now, where are we buying all of this photographic awesomeness? A place in New York City called B&H Photo and Video. Of all of the places we shopped locally and online for what we wanted, B&H had the best prices and deals, and the people are great to deal with. At least the 2 Ash and I dealt with were. So we strongly recommend you check them out if you're in the market for photo and video equipment.
Also, we were recommended a couple books, or I should say an author, that are very informative and keep things light, without bogging you down with digi-cam techie jargon. The author is Scott Kelby and the books are called "The Digital Photography Books, Vol. 1-3". We got ours on loan from the library, but we will probably buy them later on down the road. Maybe when a book store has a sale or we get a coupon. Another book we were told to get was the "Rebel T1i for Dummies". This one we did buy since it was camera specific and we needed all the help learning this thing that we can get.
So, by Wednesday, the 10th, UPS should be knocking at our door with our equipment, as long as there isn't a delay because of the snow over the weekend. I'll eventually post some info and our thoughts on the camera after we play around with it for a few days.
Wish us luck, or pray for us, lol.
John
What we decided on was a Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR kit. We had suggestions from friends and other people who do photography for either a living or just a hobby, and most of them came back for either a Nikon or a Canon. Some suggestions were for the more pricey cameras the pro's use, others were more in our price range. At first we had decided on the Canon XSi, but after further consideration went with the T1i instead. We really wanted a camera that would be great for getting pic's of the kids and family events, some sports and auto racing, railroad pictures and other shots that just cannot be done well with a point-and-shoot. We are done with the grainy, out of focus, poor quality shots we get with our Sony p-n-s. It has done it's job over the last 2 years we have had it, but it is not the best for action shots that are required when you have a 3 year old and a 7 month old.
Also with the camera we ordered some accessories. First is a dedicated flash from Vivitar and a mini softbox/light diffuser from Dot Line. We also got a UV filter to help protect the lens. For a memory card we picked up a SanDisk Ultra II SDHC 8GB card. And to carry everything around we chose a Canon backpack style bag that has enough room for all of our stuff and space to spare. And as an added bonus, there was a $400.00 rebate on a Canon Pixma P9000 printer, so we ordered it as well. And the cool thing about the printer rebate is that we are paying $446.00 before the rebate. So we get the printer for $46.00 and change.
Now, where are we buying all of this photographic awesomeness? A place in New York City called B&H Photo and Video. Of all of the places we shopped locally and online for what we wanted, B&H had the best prices and deals, and the people are great to deal with. At least the 2 Ash and I dealt with were. So we strongly recommend you check them out if you're in the market for photo and video equipment.
Also, we were recommended a couple books, or I should say an author, that are very informative and keep things light, without bogging you down with digi-cam techie jargon. The author is Scott Kelby and the books are called "The Digital Photography Books, Vol. 1-3". We got ours on loan from the library, but we will probably buy them later on down the road. Maybe when a book store has a sale or we get a coupon. Another book we were told to get was the "Rebel T1i for Dummies". This one we did buy since it was camera specific and we needed all the help learning this thing that we can get.
So, by Wednesday, the 10th, UPS should be knocking at our door with our equipment, as long as there isn't a delay because of the snow over the weekend. I'll eventually post some info and our thoughts on the camera after we play around with it for a few days.
Wish us luck, or pray for us, lol.
John
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