All posts by Troy

The Problem with the GoPro Hero 4

March 1, 2015 Troy

The GoPro Here 4 Black comes with so many great options such as burst mode which can take up to 30 pictures in a second which was used in the above photo to capture the firing of this gun along with timelapse, video up to 4K, and even the ability to make a timelapse video without any other software. These are all great features of a camera that takes nice photos and video in places such as under water or in the snow. Most of which I’ve used at one point or another to get some nice pictures previously unavailable to me. With all these options what is the biggest problem with the GoPro Hero 4 for me? The requirement for more storage space. It doesn’t take long to use 30 – 60 gigabytes of storage room and that can fill a hard drive in a very short time if you’re like me and tend to keep as much as you can without deleting files you may never really use just because you may want to use it someday.

Photos, Troy's Blog

My Photography Psychology

February 23, 2015 Troy

Try saying that fast a number of times. It’s enough to drive you crazy (or at least appear crazy). I don’t have any real expertise in psychology other than the one class I took part in in college but I do read books that cause me to think about why I do the things I do which I consider psychology because many of those reasons originate from emotions. This post will cover the last couple of years as I began to focus more on photography and the games we play within ourselves along the way to reach for better results. Reading and talking with others who enjoy photography, the paths tend to be similar.

I’ve occasionally taken pictures for almost 30 years but just to capture a moment and never really to display that moment. The focus became a little more intense with the arrival of my first child which also happened to coincide with the change from film to digital making photography easier and less expensive. At least I think it was less expensive but I never really added together the cost of more batteries, hard drives to store the pictures on, and memory cards for the camera. Still, honing my photography skills was not of much interest other than nice photos of the family. On my first point and shoot camera there was the option of manual settings but I didn’t really understand them and never really wanted to. Auto was the only setting I wanted to use.

After a number of trips on our National Parks Monopoly Board I started to question the quality of the photos I was taking and if I should upgrade. Do I go to an interchangeable lens camera or just a better point and shoot? Watching others struggle with changing lenses and having to carry around all that extra gear was not really appealing to me. Finally I began to see spots on my photographs and realized that there was dirt inside my lens and probably on my sensor. I decided to take the camera apart (you can read that story here…) and ended up breaking one of the electronic boards inside. After getting another camera of the same model for parts I got it back together but still knew it was time for an upgrade. The question was how much of an upgrade.

During the summer of 2012 we took a trip to Yosemite with friends of ours. During our time there we were taking pictures and so were our friends with their new Sony interchangeable lens camera. Later in the year I got to compare the photos and was essentially convinced it was time for that type of camera. Photography was starting to intrigue me more and I was already beginning to play with some of the manual settings and I wanted a camera with more versatility so an upgrade to a Sony Nex went into the budget. I chose this camera because of the overall size. It was smaller than most dSLRs but with many of the same qualities of photos.

During the next year I read a couple of books on photography and started practicing attempting to reach the level of professional photographers but severely failing. What’s the first thing we blame? The quality of the camera of course and I was no exception. As I continued to read more and look at the pictures of much better photographers I paid attention to the equipment they were using and kept thinking that’s what I need to get the pictures I wanted. The only problem was that equipment had a much higher price tag and I really didn’t want to put that much money into my camera equipment. How could I possibly achieve the results I wanted with the camera and lenses I had?

I struggled with this for several months continually looking at my pictures and those from other people thinking my equipment was sub-par and that was the major issue. The other part was of course the need for more knowledge and practice. Now some of the reason for blaming the equipment was I was trying to take amazing pictures of the night sky which are some of the toughest pictures to take and equipment can make a tremendous difference for those types of pictures. There were several times when I thought I made the wrong choice in cameras because no one else was using a Sony Nex for their quality photos.

I had to continually ask myself what I wanted to achieve with my pictures. My answer continued to be to take pictures that I would enjoy and others who looked at them would say “wow” when they saw them. Selling them was never the goal although it would be a confidence booster to sell an image or two. With these answers, upgrading equipment again didn’t make sense so I had to convince myself the equipment wasn’t the problem.

Practice and reading on how to take better landscape photographs kept me occupied and I have now convinced myself that my equipment is just fine for what I want to achieve. Over the past two years I have taken over 12,000 pictures and captured some amazing images in my opinion while learning a tremendous amount. These images are still not the caliber of many professionals but they are getting closer. The equipment has been pushed and I’ve found a number of limits but I’ve become ok with those limits. As long as I know what they are my expectations can be set accordingly no longer setting me up for disappointment.

Amazing photographs are in the person viewing them. There are many of my images that I love but many others don’t think there anything special. It’s because I know everything that went into each image and the experience around it that makes them special for me. I’ve come to believe that great photographs require two parts. The first is know how your equipment works so you can make the necessary adjustments to it quickly if need be. Second is the photographers view of each situation which eventually becomes more important than the first part. A landscape photographer needs to be able to identify a unique situation and have the knowledge of how to photograph it. Some of those unique situations only last for a few seconds and you have to know your equipment thoroughly enough to capture it.

The knowledge of your equipment can be the difference between and amazing picture and a great one. There is still much for me to learn and I’m having a lot of fun doing it. I see more and more opportunities to take a great picture and continue to work towards an amazing image.

Caribbean, Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Vacation Style

February 15, 2015 Troy

What’s your vacation style? No, not vacation in style. How do you like to spend your time away on vacation. Just a quick internet search brought some entertaining results which centered around luggage styles and travel fashion. I’ve gone through three different styles as I’ve gotten older and my choice of vacations is an indication of that. They are: Beach Bum, Whatever Happens, and Adventurer.

The first vacations I had decisions in was crossed between ‘beach bum’ and ‘whatever happens’. Spring Break in Daytona Beach is what I consider my first independent vacation where I primarily just wanted to lounge on the beach with the biggest decision to be made for the day was what to eat. A second vacation on a cruise ship brought more of the same as I never wanted to leave the ship even while at port. Apparently there is enough adventure when you’re a college student between classes, homework, working, and activities that vacation was all about R & R. Of course, spring break usually came after difficult exams and large projects requiring a mental vacation.

That first vacation along with several after did include a bit of ‘whatever happens’ as Daytona Beach was the sight of Mtv’s Spring Break broadcasts and I took part in those from time to time along with a quick trip for my first time to Disney World. Planning is not a priority for these types of vacations but you still decide to take advantage of an opportunity or two when they happen to go on an adventure. Maybe a snorkeling trip or a ride in a submarine for something to talk about later.

Currently I reside in the adventure vacation style which can take quite a bit of planning. As daily life now involves a lot of routine, vacations need to be more fulfilling to me. The need to just catch some sun has passed and actually feels like wasted time away from work. It usually takes 3 – 4 days away to begin to mentally get a break from the grind of everyday events so just using my vacation time a day at a time does not accomplish its purpose of refreshing me. My goal often times is to return from a trip needing to catch up on sleep but with many great memories packed into a short time.

There are definitely downsides to the ‘adventurer’ vacation style. Usually these trips can be more expensive because everything costs money and they require more time planning and making reservations. Along with the planning can often come additional stress because of trying to figure out if you’ve taken care of everything in preparation and needing to be at a certain place by a certain time once on vacation.

These vacation styles kind of came to me recently because of our next trip coming this spring break which happens to be a Caribbean Cruise. Cruising has lost its appeal to me because I want to spend the time in port doing things instead of be on a ship most of the time with all that food. So why am I going on a cruise you ask? It’s has become part of a family trip to celebrate my mother and father in-laws 50th anniversary and they would like that trip to be on a cruise ship. Our initial plans where to visit Padre Island and Hot Springs Arkansas for spring break which falls into the ‘Adventurer’ category. That will happen another time as a 50th wedding anniversary is an incredible milestone to me. I can only try to imagine it.

Back to my vacation style realization. When booking this next trip the portion I really was having a difficult time with is spending all that time on the ship. That has become kind of boring to me and I’m not all that attached to food so there is not as big of an appeal there either. That enlightenment helped me understand that I’m no longer a ‘beach bum’ and have moved further from the ‘whatever happens’ style as well. For this trip being in the ‘whatever happens’ category would be most beneficial but I’m not able to let myself and my family be that type of traveler because I know I’m missing an opportunity to create life long memories with my wife and children and the chances to do that are diminishing as the children get older.

It’s interesting to me to recognize changes in how I spend my vacation time from when I first started taking vacations to now. I’m sure that will continue to change as things in life continue to evolve. I know several people who like to be in the ‘beach bum’ or ‘whatever happens’ categories and that is a great place to be, just not for me at this point in my life. Is there a benefit to classifying vacation styles? Probably not. Just something I did without realizing it and decided to put out there. Enjoy you’re vacation any way you can!

Photos, Troy's Blog

Artistic Photos

February 1, 2015 Troy

When going out to take pictures I generally stick to the landscapes and/or wildlife as that is what I enjoy the most but from time to time I see textures or colors together and attempt to capture them. On a recent trip to Blue Mounds State Park I took several artistic pictures from a few places that I saw interesting combinations so here are a few of those.

In the picture above I thought the softness of the water and moss growing on the rocks contrasted nicely with the hardness of the fallen leaves. In addition, the colors contrasted beautifully together. Taking this photograph at another time of day could have given better light to really create a great picture and set off the colors.

While exploring the park I came across a number of places where the rocks were split apart exposing different patterns and colors. This was one of more unique pictures with the pinks of the rock closest to you and more of a green tone which is amplified by the shading of the sunlight as you look through this crevice. Also, I liked the text of the fallen rocks as you peak through this photo.

Another great contrast with one little flower managing to survive in a crack in the stones. Also, the purity of the white flowers against the irregular cracks in this hard, pink mottled stone add to the contrasts that I liked about this image.

Can you feel the warm breeze blowing when looking at this photograph? The grasses in the background are at an angle along with milkweed seeds all angled in the same direction and the bright sunlight illuminating it all. When I look at this picture I keep waiting for some of the seeds to fly off in the wind.

When I saw the amazing reddish fall color in these roses I kept trying to find a way to bring that out. The sun showing through these leaves provided the perfect light to bring these brilliant colors out which contrasted beautifully with the still green grasses surrounding this plant. In addition, the bright sunlight highlights the serrated edges of the rose leaves against the straight blades of the grasses making for a nice texture contrast.

Analyzing my ‘artistic’ photographs there are usually two main elements that catch my attention: contrasting textures and contrasting colors. With that in mind, I wonder how some of these may look as black and white photographs eliminating the contrasting color aspect?

Seeing these two next to each other I really like the black and white version as well. Just focusing on the textures and evident wind makes for an interesting photograph.

With this image the black and white version is not as interesting but still not bad. If I had focused on creating a black and white picture I would have taken it at a different angle to get the white flowers against the solid stone above them allowing the cracks to show through without being covered by the flowers and the flowers could contrast against the stone without the cracks taking away them.

I was amazed at how much I like this photograph in black and white. Removing the color really gives a sense of peering in between these large rocks and shows the shapes and shadows in much more detail. This little addition to this post may be helping me rethink the idea of black and white photographs. I certainly did not plan on doing this with this post. Since I’m having so much fun with it let’s try the top picture.

No, this picture does not benefit from the conversion to black and white. It eliminates the effect the moss has which is one of the things I like about it. Definitely worth trying though.

I won’t even consider trying the rose picture because the purpose of that photograph is the bright red colors. Hopefully this was interesting to look over. It was for me to write it.

Troy's Blog, Virtual Vacation

A Virtual Vacation

January 25, 2015 Troy

For any number of reasons it is not always possible to travel to that desired destination or dream vacation but that does not mean you should never visit a sought after place. Fortunately technology has given us another alternative – a virtual vacation. You can take a few hours or even more and travel the world from the comfort of your own seat and all you need is a computer and a fast internet connection. I’ve taken a couple of virtual vacations which have lasted 3 – 4 hours and give you a mental break from our daily grind without all of the costs and hours of traveling. Don’t get the wrong idea, this is still not a replacement for experiencing someplace new in person but it can be a good substitute until that trip becomes a reality.

Let me take you through a trip I would like to take to Sydney, Australia which I originally wanted to take in 2015 but will have to delay it until a future date. The first thing I do is start Google Earth which is a free program to download and search for my nearest airport. I like Google Earth because it brings you down to street level and then flies up into the sky before landing again at the next destination giving the feel of actually traveling to that destination. Also, there are many places that are now created in 3-D so you can feel like you’re actually going through the streets and sightseeing. It sets the mood pretty well because it starts with a view of the whole globe and then zooms in towards the ground preparing you mentally for travelling.

Once over Sydney, Australia you can zoom into the city and begin to move through the city as if you’re walking or driving and view some of the landmarks. Once you’re close enough to the ground you can enter the street view in some areas and see exactly what you would be seeing if you were actually there. Of course the big attraction in Sydney is the famous Opera House. One of my goals is to be in Sydney during the New Years celebration so in order to take part in that on my virtual vacation I search for photos and videos to watch momentarily transporting me to that event.

Another sight I have on my list of places to see is the Great Barrier Reef. Once again I put that into Google Earth and take a short trip from Sydney to the reef. Another benefit of Google Earth is that people have uploaded pictures taken of many highlights so you can click on those to see actual pictures from that location.

If that is not enough you can search for more photos and videos to submerge yourself in the reef and see amazing sights for your virtual vacation. There are hours worth of videos about the Great Barrier Reef so you can feel like you’ve been there for a whole day.

What about eating? If you want to really feel like you’re on vacation you can search for foods popular in Australia and make them yourself or try to find a restaurant to visit locally and eat as if you were actually on vacation. In addition you can search for images and videos of food and restaurants in Sydney.

If you desire you can end your few hours of a virtual vacation by going back to the airport and flying home although most people dread that portion of their vacation so I usually end before that point. Before I go I always like to catch an amazing sunset where ever I travel and why should this be any different? A search for sunset photographs in Australia provide beautiful images and videos once again. Thanks to all those that have taken the time to create these images and videos and for making them available to all!

That seems like a really good place for me to end my virtual vacation. You can add whatever you want to make a virtual vacation seem as real as possible with so many people carry cameras all the time to help make that possible. Maybe you want to see your hotel room so search for images of hotels. What other sights do you want to see? Look up things to do in Sydney Australia and there will be plenty to look at. Do you like to have a nightcap? I’m sure you can find information about doing that and photos of places to do that at in Sydney. Your virtual vacation can take a couple of hours or most of a day if you like. It all depends how in depth and how much time you want to spend transporting yourself to another location. And you can do it with little cost. Still, actually going on a vacation to Australia would be far superior to this virtual vacation but for now, this will suffice.

Lake Superior, Photos, Troy's Blog

Going to the Beach

January 17, 2015 Troy

Usually when someone thinks of going to the beach in the winter they have images of a white sandy beach in the Caribbean, Hawaii, or the Seychelles. I had a slightly different opportunity to start the New Year. A trip to Northern Minnesota to view the picturesque shore of Lake Superior. It was a beautiful January afternoon with temperatures just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) which felt warm compared to the cold of the previous days and days to follow which where anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees colder with brisk winds. Yes, I did take a quick dip in the lake since this is a beach with open water (if you consider sticking my hand into the water, which was warmer than the air this day, a quick dip) even if the beach is ice covered.

This was the first opportunity I’ve had to take in the North Shore of Minnesota during the winter and it was worth the effort to dress appropriately for a couple of hours in the cold. Surprisingly, I was not the only person on this beach this day. One of my neighbors joined me in climbing ice covered rocks and exploring this winter wonderland. We did encounter other people also taking in this winter wonderland that was missing it’s snow blanket exposing the many colors contained in this rocky shoreline.

Large waves had made their mark here earlier evident by the ice covered rocks and shrubs but on this day Lake Superior provided a relaxing, calm motion in the water giving great opportunities to explore the shoreline. Icicles hang abundantly off of the rock ledges from all of the water running towards the lake before this area became a frozen spectacle.

I could only imagine what it must have been like to be in this area when the waves where large enough to come crashing over the shoreline high enough to coat everything in a thick layer of ice creating these amazing ornaments only visible during winter time. In reading other accounts of the ice sculptures created by Lake Superior I could not fully appreciate what they were writing about. Now those experiences have become clearer and much more exciting to see.

Only a couple of miles to the north there was 6 – 8 inches of snow on the ground and to the south there was an inch or two but here…. snow was missing on this day. For me it was fortunate to be able to have the contrast of the ice and colorful rock all around. I’m sure there is a whole different beauty here when it’s all covered in fresh snow.

Lake Superior always gave away it’s location during these colder days because of the constant cloud cover created by the steam coming off the warmer water. A mile inland could be sunny but there were always clouds on one of the horizons. Fortunately there was just enough wind to blow this cloud cover away from the shore allowing the sky to clear a little overhead during these afternoon hours. It didn’t last long.

For a few minutes while the sun was out I was wishing for a comfortable lawn chair to be able to set up on the beach and just take in the quiet, calm solitude of this incredible landscape. These blue waters just begged to be touched and so I obliged by removing my two layers of gloves and soaking my hands. Sure the water was a little colder than I prefer but it wasn’t unbearable. It helped that I was kept warm by climbing up and around the boulders and trees of this shoreline before testing this water. I don’t recommend wading or swimming during the winter but a quick rinse of the hands is typically harmless.

While hiking through the woods this member of the local wildlife kept posing as if to tell us it was alright to take a picture. We were mere feet away and it just sat there like we were of no concern. Why would I pass up such a situation? I pulled the camera from it’s case and snapped a few photos. After a couple of shots it was time for red squirrel to move on to his daily routine.

After hiking for a few miles we came to this point, looked out over this Great Lake and decided it was time to begin our trek back.

On the return trip we noticed the clouds on the horizon appeared to be bringing snow and we were due back to our camp shortly so making our way to the vehicle became a little more hurried. Once snow covers the roads it can greatly increase the difficulty in traveling so using the dry roads seemed like a good idea. A few miles north we encountered this snow along with colder temperatures and increased wind. Yet, passing by this area again later in the week showed the snow never reached here. The beauty of Lake Superior is such a privilege to be able to take in and winter appears to be no different and with a lot fewer people joining you.

Adventures, Troy's Blog

A Week at the Ridge

January 4, 2015 Troy

Recently there was an opportunity to join my daughters class on a trip to Northern Minnesota for a week at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. There was some hesitation about going for me due to a couple of reasons. First, many of the activities are outside and spending a week outdoors in the cold of a Minnesota winter was not overly appealing and secondly, a couple hundred students talking, screaming, and goofing off is difficult for me to take in. I decided to continue on with the trip because I love new adventures and, even more, sharing those adventures with others. Watching another person experience something new and exciting and find skills they didn’t know they had is fulfilling to me.

In the days leading up to this northern adventure I got things situated at work for me to be gone and finished picking up appropriate gear as the weather forecast called for temperatures to be below 0 degrees F most of the week. Finally I got all my stuff packed and ready to go still a little uncertain of how the week would go with these kids. Monday morning came and it was time to head up. I was joined by another parent who would be sharing this adventure and off we went on our 4 hour journey to Wolf Ridge. We arrived a little before the kids got there on their buses giving time to settle in before the chaos started.

The kids all arrived, unloaded their luggage and went to their assigned rooms to put it away before heading to their first class of the week. Unfortunately the snow depth was on the light side meaning cross country skiing would not work and snowshoeing was questionable. Who would have guessed a thin snow base in Northern Minnesota in January? We began to figure out the routine for the week and let the learning begin. Each group consisted of 12 –15 students most of the time with 2 – 3 adults assisting them which made the week very manageable and a lot of fun. You get to know this group and these kids become almost like your own in a short period of time.

There were so many activities planned that each day felt like a week because of how busy it was. the fact that it was pretty cold became less of a concern because of the fun and education taking place. We all just knew we had to dress correctly for the conditions and we’d be fine. It helped remind me that subzero temperatures are not a good reason to forego outdoor adventures and that I am able to stay comfortable in these types of environments. Continually checking the forecast and outside temperatures became useless for me because it didn’t matter. I would go where I was asked to and do what was needed to help facilitate as much learning for these kids as possible.

The coldest day during the week, I had heard, was –26 degrees F with a brisk wind creating a wind chill of –43 degrees F. Yes, we still ventured outdoors on that day but not as long as other days. For those unable to imagine such conditions let me provide an example. After a meal in the dining hall I would grab a hot cup of tea to drink back at the dorm we were staying in. On the short 4 – 5 minute walk back I would almost be drinking iced tea in my room. That’s a slight exaggeration but not much. Another example was using my mobile phone to take a few pictures. I could only take a few because as the phone became colder it actually froze up and would not work again for almost an hour until it warmed back up.

While there were several different classes with a lot of learning going on surrounded by this beautiful landscape, the most talked about classes were the ropes course and climbing wall. These were the most challenging to complete and required students to push through their fears and often be surprised by their abilities. It was such a privilege to be able to witness these kids figure out what they could really do and complete either the ropes course or rock wall or both. A new experience for many. I was certain I could complete the ropes course but I’ve never taken the time to climb a rock wall so this was my first time doing it. Yes, I did make it to the top twice.

As the week began to wind down towards the end a little sadness entered that we’d be leaving. Several adults that have gone before me and encouraged me to take this opportunity all said I’d have a great time and they were right. It was so much fun spending time with these great kids and seeing what they could achieve along with meeting a bunch a great chaperones and having fun getting to know many of them. We’ve all gone back our separate ways but the memories will continue to be with me.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

2014 In Review, On to 2015

January 3, 2015 Troy 2 Comments

Reflection is an important piece in learning but I don’t want to spend too much time on it because going forward provides the ability to experience new things. With that in mind, how did I do in accomplishing my 2014 goals? Here’s what they were from my 2013 in review post:

-Finish the Photography Experiment Monopoly Board

-Explore Gettysburg, Edison, and the Lewis Falls Trail

-Share these travel experiences with others creating life long memories they can reflect on.

-Send Lysa off on her own European adventure

As I look over these I see I only accomplished a parts of most of them. Finishing the Photography Experiment Monopoly Board was close. There were five spaces that I didn’t complete – Flash, Fill Flash, Rock Climbing, and Travel Portraits. There are a couple of reasons they went uncompleted. First, these are unavailable on Peter Carey’s blog, and secondly because these aren’t experiments that seem as interesting or useful for me. Having said that I did start playing around with fill flash late this fall and realized there are times it can be quite useful so I may try to accomplish this space in the new year. Travel portraits are something I should probably pay more attention to as I tend to focus on scenery more than people taking in the scenery. Another goal for 2015.

We did get to explore Gettysburg and Edison but changed our plans to include the National Mall, Valley Forge, and a stop in New York which means Lewis Falls Trail is still on our list of places to experience. I have been debating since we started this National Parks adventure on how many places to cram into one trip and if it should be done at one time or split into multiple trips. Opportunity provided the answer with a conference in Baltimore making more sense to visit areas around that city. Lewis Falls Trail goal will be added to another year. In addition to only partially completed Gettysburg, Edison, and Lewis Falls Trail, I didn’t fulfill the goal of sharing those travel experiences with others. That was a little bit beyond my control. I did share other travel experiences with people beyond the four of us on a journey to Mammoth Cave, Churchill Downs, and a few days in Las Vegas.

Lysa made it to Europe so that goal was completed.

Another goal that I made but didn’t really push for was to take at least 3,500 photos to improve my photography. Surprisingly I took over 5,000 pictures this year. I write surprisingly because by the forth of July I had only taken 1,300 photos so the last half of the year provided more opportunities.

That essentially recaps the 2014 goals. Let’s move on to 2015.

The goals for this next year don’t include quite as much travel at this point. Here there are:

-Explore Padre Island and Hot Springs

-Complete the window replacements at my house

-Finish a few more spaces on the Photography Experiment Monopoly Board such as Fill Flash and Travel Portraits

-Take 3,500 more photographs in an effort to continue improving.

I started replacing windows in the house back in 2011 and figure I better finish all of the windows before styles change or the stain I used at that time become unavailable along with trying to keep all of the windows about the same age. Since there is not expected to be as much travel in 2015 I figured it’s a good year to complete windows.

Family Ramblings, Travel Review, Troy's Blog

Looking Back

December 26, 2014 Troy

As I was looking back over this past year I looked at some photos from the past several years, some of which were from our first Monopoly travels to the Badlands in South Dakota. This has definitely reminded me of how much the kids have grown since we began our National Park adventures not all that long ago. This brings a number of different feelings as I’m sure many parents experience.

First, a huge smile to my face remembering the places we’ve explored together as a family and the stories there are about each one. Then a little bit of sadness enters because we can never go back to those ages with the kids and all that are left of those times are the pictures and memories. As I’m reminded of the changes that have occurred I begin to think about the changes that will be coming as we have only eight spaces remaining on our Monopoly National Parks board out of twenty-eight total spaces.

The end of these family adventures is nearing and I’m wanting time to slow down because our last trip is supposed to be to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which coincides with the oldest daughter graduating from high school. From that point I expect our family to change as she begins to venture out on her own making family vacations more challenging to complete. As I envision entering our final park and stopping to take the requisite photo by the sign I begin to well up a little and feel as though I can’t get out of the car to get that last photo as my girls will be pretty much all grown up. Even writing this now is more challenging due to my emotions. I made the mistake one time of looking up images of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and saw a photo of the entrance sign making these visions all that more real for me.

We have been very fortunate to have these adventures and share them with several family members and friends along the way. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to explore so many areas of the United States with my children and watch as they grow up and learn about these parks and places as well as they get to learn more about what each of them likes and doesn’t like and begins to explore themselves. Fortunately I have eight more parks to share with them and watch them continue to grow more.

As I look over these photos I’m very proud of our family for what we’ve done and tried and learned. There is no question in my mind these Monopoly Adventures are worth what we’ve put into them and some of the trade offs we’ve made to accomplish our goals so far. I’m hopeful we are able to complete the last parts of our board without too many difficulties, but not too quickly. OK, time to look ahead into 2015!

Family Ramblings, Fiction, Troy's Blog

Photographing Christmas

December 20, 2014 Troy

It has taken weeks to plan a family Christmas celebration at your house for everyone to enjoy and that time has finally arrived. You’ve had wonderful images in your head about the beautiful decorations, the incredible food, and the enjoyment of everyone’s company while sharing gifts with one another. What a great opportunity to capture these moments with your camera and remember this time for many years to come.

For the past several weeks there have been countless emails, texts, and phone calls all in an effort to find a day and time that everyone can come together for a short time. Should it really be that difficult? If it is, does everyone really want to be together or is that just a fantasy in your head? Where’s the aspirin?! I feel a headache coming on. Why do I fight with these decorations for so long? How did they get tangled together? When they were put away last year they were wrapped up nicely and carefully put into storage containers. Now it’s one big pile of wires and glitter. Get the cutters! I’m going to win this battle if it’s the last thing I do.

Who’s calling me now!? Great, it’s my mother saying she can’t make it at the time we agreed on earlier. More emails, texts, and phone calls to accommodate her. Just what I was hoping to do right now. Ouch!! I think I cut my finger instead of the wire. Got to stop the bleeding. Who used the last bandage and left the empty box?! Tissues and tape will have to do. There’s no time for a trip to the store, well maybe the ER for a few stitches. Later, I’ve got to get more presents wrapped right now. But first let’s get these lights put up outside. Drag out the ladder along with nails and a hammer to hang these stupid lights. Why am I starting to get dizzy up here? Ohh, there’s a small pool of blood under my ladder now.

What? Why am I laying on the ground? I’ve got to get these decorations up and get to the store yet. How come these lights aren’t on? And those over there are blinking? Oops, I cut the wrong wire. Enough, I’ll have to do this later. Good, here come the delivery truck. My online order has arrived just in time. That’s not the color I ordered. Too late now, better get it wrapped. I’ll have to exchange it later. Now for the trip to the store to get the last of the food. There’s the phone again. What’s my sister doing with her friend at the bar? She’s suppose to be here soon. Can’t deal with that now.

One more thing to get – cheese for the potatoes. Why is that space empty? Sir, do you have more shredded cheese? Sir…. Sir? HELLO! SIR! No more shredded cheese?! OH but you have that 5 pound block of cheese? Wonderful! Just what I wanted to do yet today – shred cheese. A few more hours to go before our wonderful guests begin to arrive.

That snowman wasn’t laying on it’s side when I left. Now all the lights are off. Well Mr. Snowman. How would you like to meet my great oak? Here you go! That problem solved. Are these lights plugged in. Who unplugged them? Better plug them back in. Who’s that screaming in the garage? Dad? What are you doing? Oh, you were working on the electricity for the decorations. Sorry, I didn’t know. Where’s mom? She’s getting her no good brother out of jail. THRILLING! Who’s pulling up in a taxi? Wonderful, it’s my sister.

That can only mean one thing? Yep, she almost tripped over the pieces of the snowman. What great fun this is going to be. Well, at least she’s pulling enough bottles from the trunk for us all. That is until she dropped the box and broke them while falling on top and slicing her forehead open. Wait! don’t pull away yet. Can you drive her to the hospital to get…? Wait, Wait! Uh, Dad? you’re up. Never mind, I’ll do it? Here you get the cheese shredded inside for me then. Come on sis.

Unbelievable how busy that place was. Do they have more than one doctor? Back to the house for this amazing Christmas celebration. Now my mom’s here. Maybe she can help get things back on schedule. Or not seeing as how she’s crying while my uncle keeps insisting he’s been clean for weeks now. Not one hit of pot or anything. He accidentally tripped through the window to the police station. Those TV’s and computers in his truck belonged to a friend of his. How was he supposed to know he stole them? I’ve got to get in the house. Where’s all this smoke coming from? The ham is on fire! Quick get it out of there. No, don’t use water!

Can you deliver three large pizzas to room 121? Thank you. Maybe there’s some hope to get a few nice pictures of this Christmas still now that it’s a complete failure. At least the hotel has done a nice job of decorating for the holidays that will be a nice background. Why is this not taking pictures? Thanks brother for pointing out my blinking light that says low battery. Forgot to charge them again didn’t I. Are there any more bottles that survived the fall around?

For those hoping to get tips out of this article there’s probably not much here but hopefully you were entertained for a few minutes and have a much better Christmas story than this one.

Gaining Life Experience