Nesting

#bohostyle

I believe that my husband can build, modify, create anything I can dream up. I would love to recreate our kitchen footprint, he says we need more storage. Down time is coming and then we can get to business drawing out the new floor plan. 

Wren's Gate

While we are at it, how about modifying the sun room on the south side of our home? We have the windows and radiant floor heat in place. Tiling the floor and painting the window frames would spruce it up and make it cozy.

countryliving

I would like to build a small barn on our property for housing an antique store. This could work. Plenty of light and wood trusses to hang the treasures from. 

#kidsplayhouseplans

Husband is starting with building a shed to house all the tools we use to keep the Holler in tip top shape. Lawn mower, snow blower, chain saws, trimmer and leaf blower. All the gas and oil containers. Making room in the garage for his furniture repair business. Caning, weaving rush seats, painting and varnishing. 

I can see we have a productive winter ahead of us!

 In the meantime the sun is out and the colors of the fall foliage is breathtaking. Have a great day!

 

A Thank You Note

Dear Will Hoge,

I would like to thank you for bringing your "Thoughts & Prayers" to Grand Rapids Michigan.

You left behind new converts to your music.

"Social D" fans will never be the same, again. The Chicago crowd, who were sitting all around us, were seen at the merch booth after the show, buying the cds.

The buzz through out the crowd..."Who is this singer?" "Where do they come from?" "They are a good live show!"

You are part of the great expression of music so that all mankind may listen and understand. 

I thank you for that. 

To catch more of Will Hoge and his band, try out the new CD, "My American Dream". 

Breath Focus And Shoot

The third song playing...

Time for photo ops, running out....

Quickly I pulled the camera up to my face and stared getting intimate with the dials....

"Hey, that's my mom!" look on Christopher's face....

I have had the new camera body for two weeks...

And the telephoto lens six days...

I wound up with eighteen exceptional shots of the band...

As I racked off the shots...

my hands playing braille over the the rings and meterings... 

The music, inside of my head, familiar and comforting....

as I was out on the edge of my comfort zone...

Well into my learning curve...

To my amazement I was getting it right...

As the third song buzzer came on...

It was over, just like that!

I walked back to my seat, listening to the rumble through the audience, as the "Social D" crowd discovered Will Hoge.

Last, but not least, part four to be continued....   

Shooting From The Sweet Seats

So here I sat, in the sweet seats with my camera resting on my lap, a vodka and cranberry in the cup holder, my photo pass over my left breast, dialing my camera in so I don't miss their entrance. 

Focused in on where Christopher will stand and play his bass. 

And "Bam" just like that, they were on stage, Christopher on bass.

Will on microphone. 

Thom on lead guitar.

A great shot of Allen on his throne.

Boy, I was excited, they came on playing "Still A Southern Man" and immediately caught the crowds attention. 

Lights...

....camera....

....action...

And just like that, busted! Security quickly escorts me down two flights of stairs, through the crowd and into the pits!

Part three to be continued....

A Photographer Shoots A Concert And They Threw Her In The Pits!

It is pre-concert and we are visiting the Will Hoge band, backstage in their dressing room. I asked them if they had heard the story about my purse! What a joker I am. (inside joke)

Outside of the venue was a sunny yellow peace sign, metal sculpture. Set the tone for the concert.

What concert, what venue? Social Distortion tour at 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids Michigan. 

No, not the Van Andel Arena, not yet! But right next door!!

A quick forty five minuet, rock and roll enema, they got all the music that mattered, out there at once. 

We had the seats, premium seating, it was called. 

And then, just like that, I was deep into a learning curve!!

How was I to know I had to be down in the pits to shoot the first three songs? I was shooting them from the seats at the fifty yard line until security threw me into the pits with one song left to play.

To be continued.

New Lens

First thing I did on Monday morning was drive into Traverse City to purchase a telephoto lens for the new camera. Then, after an afternoon of running around, I finally found the chance to try it out! First shot, not bad!

Second shot, even better. 

I had wanted a longer lens but also needed a Macro lens capability as well. So I bought an eighteen to two hundred and fifty telephoto with the macro. Really wanted the 300, but money constraints verses what I wanted was an issue. 

Pretty happy with the first shoot out!

Cheryl's little macro, her poops are so small you don't even notice that you stepped in one, lol. 

Tuesday morning and Steve hollers from the garage, "the sky is really pretty this morning!" So I run outside with my camera in hand to take a picture. This is how fast the light can change. When I first ran out the sky was peachy pink but when I raised the camera to my face and focused the color was already faded. 

Blue Lobelia in October. 

Looked up from the Lobelia and spied the light on the Sugar Maples at the top of the driveway. 

Second consecutive shot and look how fast the color faded in the quickening dawn. 

Background focus. 

Foreground focus.

Pretty pleased with the lens so far. Look at the details of this shot from yesterday. You can see the sailor of the boat standing at the helm and the row of cherry trees in the orchard at the same time. 

One big thing to realize is that the telephoto lens is heavy and requires a deep breath and study hands or you have a blurred shot of your man!

So far so good!