Life in the Bristolwood

The new little camera is still getting its menus and such worked through and out, by me.  A lot of these photos aren’t very good, but I will get the hang of it!  I think the photos are getting better and better as I use the camera,

How I wish the next two would have turned out better.  Murphy was investigating the Christmas tree and it was hysterical!  In the photos, the light he is concentrating upon is red, although it shows up orange.  However, Murphy’s bright red nostrils and mouth were not inflamed…just a reflection of said light!

The last photo was taken this evening as Mark and I sat in a parking lot at the north end of Canandaigua Lake.  Off in the distance, the lights from Bristol Mountain were reflecting off clouds and making a glow in the sky.  When I took the photo, it looked nearly black until I tweaked the colors and focus a bit!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

We are still struggling, learning how to live without our little Angus, but today, I actually felt like taking some photos.  These are all taken within just a few miles of our house….(and some in our yard!)

No further explanation required!  Enjoy!

Yes! After days of rainy and wet weather, we saw that bright yellow orb in the sky late this afternoon!  I heard on the radio things are going to dry out a bit for folks in flooded eastern New York.  My heart goes out to those who have lost so much.  I heard the weatherman say yesterday that the flooding was “historical”. 

Today, I went shopping for groceries.  I have not done that in ages.  It is so hard to find time to get to the store!  We are always rushing here or there, making it hard to shop.  I really need to concentrate when I shop and going in and out of stores in a hurry just makes it hard!

So, today, I took a little time.  And, afterward, I took just a few pictures by the lake…

Whether the sunshine or the fact it was Friday…doesn’t matter….folks just seemed so chipper today!

That is a kind way of saying I carry TWO cameras and drive the family absolutely crazy.  I am constantly looking at life as though through the lens.  I cannot help but try to compose life into a continuous series of photos.  Sounds pretty sad, eh?  Ah well, it is a relatively harmless “addiction”.  I don’t mind missing, say, a day of no photos, but don’t expect me to go MORE than a day….it might cause withdrawal!

Okay. Enough of the silliness.  I had stated in the previous post that I would see if there were any good photos on the little Canon camera.  I thought there were some good ones there, so here they are….

There you have it!  (How was that for a little self-tour without my narration?)  The reason for two cameras is simple.  The Nikon had a big, heavy telephoto lens on it.  (the lens alone weighs in at about 3.5 pounds)  This is great for shots from a distance…works great for that.  However, sometimes I want a wide angle on things, like the photos taken on the village green above.  The Canon not only fullfills that role, but it also does a great job of portraits and closeups. (Like the sweet little sheep face in the fence rails)

Late yesterday afternoon,  Mark and I drove to Canandaigua.  We had had a few downpours and Mark said he didn’t see any more storms headed our way…so we slipped out for just a little ride. (and an opportunity to take more photos!) When we got to Canandaigua,  I asked Mark to drop me off on the pier.  I would walk my way back to the truck and hopefully get some photos along the way!

Right after Mark let me off, I began taking photos and walking around.  I love these times…it is great to get to stretch my legs and get photo ops, all at the same time!  The only problem was,  I had only gone a short distance when the skies began to really threaten.  It got so dark!  I didn’t take my camera bag out of the truck, so it was just me and the camera.  If the rain started, I was going to have to hoof it for shelter….I didn’t have a jacket or anything that could protect my camera!

Shortly after hopping out of the truck,  I was greeted by this (adorable, happy, amazing!) face…

Look at the sky changing colors and how the clouds have transformed into angry, dark clouds!

This storm was moving in from the northwest and if one looked in that direction, it was scary!

Scary….yet, as I was about to snap the shutter,  a small streak of sunlight shone down on the walkway between boathouses!

Looking toward the west, one could see nothing more than foreboding skies with brighter skies rimming the dark clouds. Talk about a power struggle!

Even the lights on the pier seemed to come on prematurely.

I walked….rather briskly….hoping I wasn’t going to get caught in a downpour.  It was okay as at this point, there wasn’t a whole lot more to photograph.  As I walked along Lakeshore Drive, I looked to the south and saw nothing but big, puffy, white…harmless clouds!

I made it to the truck and then the wind began to blow like crazy.  Thankfully, the camera…and I….were safe!

I went down to the dentist yesterday…my appointment was originally for today, but when the little plastic temporary crown made to cover the post for my mini implant slipped partially off on Sunday,  I was anxious to get in a bit sooner!

On my way down to the dentist, I had a few extra minutes, so I stopped at Woodville and saw that one of the Eagles was perched in “the tree”.  I also watched as a young woman backed a small trailer carrying her kayak up to water’s edge.  She parked, walked around, then launched off on her own.  Time was a-tickin’ and I had an appointment!

I got to the dentist office and was taken in quickly.  The first order of the day was to remove the temporary. The hygienist was ready to crank it off with those dental “pliers”, but I told her it should pop right out.  She took a gentler approach and out it came with little urging or force!

The hygienist then told me she was going to scan my teeth.  Mark had this done previously for the manufacture of a crown, but it was new to me.  I was amazed as she began, listening to the computer giving her instructions on which to to scan, the surface to be scanned, and the degree at whixh to hold the “wand”.  It was funny….the voice sounded similar to a female computer voice for GPS.  When this was done, the hygienist looked at the scan….for one reason or another, it didn’t show the teeth properly.  She spoke to the dentist, and he came in to give it a whirl.  For one reason or another, the scan just wasn’t working….it seems there was too much light reflecting.  I told the dentist it was just my luminous nature and we laughed!

Ah yes, back to business….the lab was still going to need an accurate model of my teeth. So….back to the good ole impressions!  The hygienist came at me with one of those bite plates and a “caulk gun” full of goop.  The dentist and I laughed as she was about to try out the plate….it looked about the size to fit a horse….I have an abnormally small mouth!  She came back with the right size and gooped it up, bluish green glop running down the sides of my mouth.  To add insult to injury, the bite plate had to remain in my mouth for five minutes.  Yikes!

After that procedure was done, I thought maybe I was free, but not. Next, a bottom impression was needed. Thankfully, the glop wasn’t so wet and the plate only needed too remain for two minutes.  Then, a bit model needed to be made, showing how my bite is, top to bottom.  This one was really easy and only had to stay in two minutes as well.

In the midst of all the dental marvel, there was a four-year-old sitting in a chair kitty corner to me, absolutely terrified of the filling that was being worked on in her mouth.  Ah, what ambiance!  I was thinking back to our kids…they didn’t have filling until they were older.  It would be traumatic getting a filling at four! 

I was thrilled when the hygienist took a photo of my teeth and told me I was done!  Hurrah!  In about three more weeks, I will have the final crown mounted and this mini implant will be complete!  I am thrilled, particularly since the dentist was leary at first.  He had done a bone scan that indicated I might not have dense enough bone. However, upon screwing the post into the bone in my jaw, he said it appeared the bone was very dense.  Whatever….he was impressed when he tapped on the post yesterday.

I went back home, noting that there was an Eagle when I passed by Woodville.  I quickly made lunch and cleaned up.  When I was done,  I asked Mark about going kayaking by myself.  He has always been an advocate of the “buddy” system, just in case there is a problem.  I told him I had seen at least four women launch their kayaks with only themselves. He thought about it and gave me a thumbs up!  It was awesome!  I loaded the kayak in the back of the truck by myself and drove on down.

I was able to unload the kayak and get into the water in record time!  There was an Eagle in the tree and I paddled like crazy to get out there!  It was so obliging and just sat there as though it had been waiting for me! I took zillions of photos. Of course!

What an awesome bird!

I could have sat all day, admiring my friend, the Eagle.  Thinking I probably had some fairly good photos, I decided to leave.

I paddled over near the mouth of the river and looked over toward the tree where the Eagles often perch. I felt sorry for anyone who doesn’t even realize they are there!

It would be so easy to miss seeing these birds if one didn’t know where to look!

By now, I had taken enough photos. I had to get back home, so I began paddling away. As I was paddling, something made me turn back.  I looked at the Eagle and called out,  “Jesus loves you, Eagle”!  A funny thing to say to a bird, but I thought about the verse that states that God even knows when a sparrow falls from a tree.

I paddled to the north a bit to get out of the water lilies and seaweed that grow profusely in the shallower waters.

Suddenly, a large shadow came over me and I nearly fell out of my kayak. The next photos are awful.  Between shaking, and just being bounced about by the waves, (there was a pretty brisk breeze over the water) it was hard to capture what happened!

Now, I have no idea what, exactly, inspired that bird, but both in taking off and in landing, it flew directly over my head.  I don’t remember when I have been quite so awestruck!!!

hahaha…you will hear why soon!

Ben and I decided to take a little kayak adventure this morning.  Instead of just paddling along on the lake,  we decided to head on down the river.

As we passed by the Eagle tree,  we looked, but no Eagles to be seen. I did find this little bird seeking food while sitting on lily pads rather amusing!

The little bugger actually placed the lily pad in its mouth and picked it up, looking underneath for food!

We paddled out into the lake and turned into the river. There sure was a lot to be seen there.

Ben called out to me about a Great Blue Heron ahead.  He hung back while I paddled ahead, hoping to get close enough for a good shot.  Well….

That bugger lifted off! As Iwas photographing it,  I heard the strangest noise…Refusing to lower the camera, it was only after I had finished that Irealized the dreadful sound was the Heron!  Wow, could that thing make noise!

We passed by so many, many turtles! They seemed to be “hanging” off every floating thing in the water!  Some were very shy,  immediately going overboard as soon as the kayaks approached,  while others held their ground,  seemingly undaunted by me and the camera!

As we paddled along,  it began to grow hotter and hotter!  The hat on my head had to be removed as I thought I was going to explode from the heat!

We passed by some pretty awesome “still life’s”.

We had a good time, but as the heat increased,  I was anxious to get out of the water and to remove my life vest.  We paddled some more and even though we weren’t exactly sure we were on the right path, Ben assured me he was 85% sure.  Not that the 15% worried me….too much! 

As we moved along, the green algae increased.  I made a comment that it felt more like we were in a Louisianna bayou than the river and Ben smiled….he had the very same thought!  As we approached the launch where Mark agreed to pick us up,  we needed to paddle down a fairly short “corridor” of waterway.  We moved along at a pretty good clip..the algae was so thick, I can only liken it to porridge!  The stench was enough to propell the paddles at a nice rapid pace!

All in all, the scenery was lovely, but we shan’t repeat this adventure until some of the “green” disappears!

I have been around, just too tired to post! 

We have been spending a good bit of time looking at cars. We need a vehicle that gets better mileage because RIT is a good haul and the Explorer gets about 15 miles per gallon.  The biggest problem is that cars are so expensive!  My goodness….they have increased greatly in price over the past few years.  We bought the Explorer in 2002 and got a good deal because it had 18,000 miles on it.  I wish we could find a similar deal now,  but all the “gas sippers” are in short supply.

I also have  been having a bit of a time with breathing lately.  No idea what is going on, but I do dislike the heat and humidity!  It only seems to make breathing even more difficult. 

Sometimes Iwish we were Amish!

Those photos were taken on the way down to the dentist the other day. Shh…..we  were a few minutes late for our appointments, but these are amongst some of my favorite photos….they look surreal, don’t they?  Another time, another place….far away, and long ago.

I included the last two photosjust because I loved the colors! 

We are getting ready for Kingdom Bound.  It begins Sunday and the kids are excited. It is always a fun excursion and they get to hang out with their friends each and every day, all day!   So….guess I had better get moving along!

This morning,  Michelle was up bright and early for her Rochester Institute of Technology orientation.  Truth be told, our girl was a bit hesitant about going….this was a “Michelle only” event….no Mom or Dad to help walk her through it.  Although Michelle exhibits confidence, every now and then, she gets a little “stage fright”. We encouraged her she would be fine and will even be meeting new friends along her way.

The weather forecast was for hot and humid, with a threat of scattered (but perhaps violent) thunderstorms.  Since I have had breathing issues the past few days,  we decided it might be wise for me to remain home with the Scottie boys.  I was happy because when no one is around,  I find myself more at ease and able to rest.

So, off went Mark, Ben, and Michelle this morning.

I enjoyed having some free time to look around on my Facebook account.  Sad to say,  I usually miss much of what is said or going on as I rarely have time to sit and read for long!  I only read the most recent of postings, so I am really behind on what is happening in everyone’s lives!  Oops!

After spending a few hours doing a little laundry, straightening the house, and washing dishes,  I looked at the Scottie boys who both were looking a bit forelorn.  Hmmm….perhaps they wanted to cool down a little with a ride in the Explorer.  When I mentioned the words “ride in the car”,  their tails began wagging!  Okay, so a car ride it was!

We drove on down to Woodville just because it isn’t that far away, and also, there is just something about life at the lake (not the people, but the birds, fish, and animals!) that excites me.  As we pulled into the boat launch, I spotted two white heads in the “Eagle tree”.  Oh, how my heart longed to be able to kayak out to see them! I took my camera and walked around a little, just taking some photos here and there…

Not satisfied with the 200mm zoom of my lens,  I stepped into the lake wearing my flipflops.  Thinking I should brace myself for the chill, I was shocked when the water actually felt warm!

As I was walking around, a car pulled into the parking lot with what looked like a sailboat on top. (It was a flat board, as opposed to a kayak)  I scooted into the Explorer and moved away, as I was blocking the launch area. I tried to nonchalantly watch the woman…she looked older, and she was alone, save for her dog,  launch this craft.  She slid the board down off the top of her roof, and placed it into the water.  She then got a paddle from the car, and had her dog follow her. Drat!  i didn’t notice the sequence of events…whether it was she or the dog who got onto the boat first…

The dog stood solidly at the front of the little boat as his mistress paddled out onto the lake. Guessing from the mostly grey muzzle, my guess was that this dog was an old hand at these adventures!  Amazing.

The rest of today’s photos were taken with the small point and shoot Canon camera….yes, I carry both cameras a lot!

One of the greatest challenges of using a point and shoot camera, versus a D-SLR (digital-single lens reflex)  is the lagging shutter speed.  With a D-SLR, as soon as you press the shutter button, you capture exactly what you see in the viewfinder. The typical point and shoot takes a bit more time to hone in and shoot.

That said, I challenged myself to capture a photo of a hummingbird with the small camera.  It was a challenge, for sure!  Add to that the lack of lighting.  With trees shadowing our front porch (I am NOT complaining here!) it makes lighting a bit of an enigma. 

Plus, these little birds move…..fast! That bugger was playing peekaboo in the next photo!

The Scotties and I were having such a lazy summer dog day!  We finally got a call from Michelle at about five saying they were on their way home.  Wow!  What a long day this was.  Michelle was beyond excited….she was so happy!  She loved the orientation and she even met some people she already knows! 

After the call, Angus and I decided we would go outside to relax a bit.  Michelle told me it was 91 degrees in Rochester!   Here in the trees, it was only 82.  as we settled in on the hammock,  a nice breeze gently cooled us.  Hanging suspended midair on fabric in the shade of trees is a terrific way to relax and cool off!  (Too bad I had run out of lemonade!)

It was a little tricky holding a Scottie, leash, and camera, while mounting the hammock, but Angus and I made it look easy! Or not!  Angus got a bit nervous, but settled down.  Thankfully, Murphy was content to remain under the bed in the house. Two Scotties would have been very difficult!

Of course, with both Angus and I delicately balanced on the hammock, there was no way to make it swing back and forth. One false move and either of us, or both, might fall onto the ground.  And so, we settled in, just enjoying the time of relaxation…

Until I got just a little stir crazy!

That is my favorite necklace, by the way…handmade by a soapmaking friend all the way over in Oregon!

Talk about potpourri! These photos make no sense at all…they look as though they are just thrown together, but I will explain!

The first two were taken in Penn Yan.

This old truck was in a parking lot with a few other old cars and trucks.  It is “so” old, the tires are mounted on wooden spoked rims!

This photo was taken near the boat launch. I loved the buildings and sky reflected on the smooth as glass surface of the water!

Remember the goat in the chair?  As we were hurrying to get Ben to Urgent Care,  guess who was “lounging”?  Yup…

Wish I would have had the Nikon with the telephoto lens and also that I wasn’t hurrying! As it was, as we pulled over to photograph the old goat,  a young man was also stopped, snapping pictures!  I hurried and as I tried to jump a small ditch, I landed with my flip flop in mud which oozed up between my toes…great way to arrive at the Urgent Care center…looking like a dirty hillbilly!

This bee was really trying my patience this morning!  I had to rescue it not once, but twice from the swimming pool! The second time,  I placed it far away from the pool and it didn’t try to go back!

Michelle and I cleaned the pool today, replaced some chlorine, and backwashed the filter.  After we finished, Michelle went out to the garage to help Mark replace the front brakes on the Explorer.  While they worked in the garage, I made Michelle a  dress.  A friend had posted on Facebook about a blog showing how to make a cute sundress out of a tank top and two yards of fabric.  I had bought the things to make it a while back, but finally found some time to sit down to work on it this morning.  The whole thing probably took about forty-five minutes to make!

Our forecast was for rain today, but it held off.  After finishing my sewing,  I went out to see what kind of subjects I might find. I was getting concerned as it seems I have hardly seen any butterflies this year.  As I looked around, though, I saw a few varieties.

I also saw this little grasshopper sitting on a Calendula plant!

This butterfly is called a Little Woods Satyr.  It was so friendly, allowing me to close in for a photo shoot!

This butterfly was TINY!  I wasn’t able to find out what it is, but you can see by comparing it to grass blades, it is very small!

Mark and I had to go to the dentist today.  I was thrilled to hear the dentist say that in one month, I will have impressions made and then the new crown will be made!  The temporary crown is fine, but it will be nice to bring closure to this (mis) adventure!

On the way home, we stopped briefly in Woodville.  We had a cloudburst that lasted maybe fifteen minutes. Although it was short, it produced some pretty hefty results…and made for some nice photos…

While in Woodville, I was able to find two different varieties of Dragonflies!

When I told Mark the lawn with the cactus plants growing in it had flowers, he pulled off the road in front of a house. Quick! Take the photos and let’s get on home!

I still find it hard to believe that cactus can grow in our cold winter climate…and these plants are right next to the road, meaning they get a hefty, healthy (UN, really!) heaping of salt every winter as the plow passes by!

Well there. That does it.