Monday, May 30, 2011

Good Morning Memorial Day

 

 

My three lovelies surprised (well, you know) us with a really tasty breakfast this morning!

All we had to do was sit outside on the front porch, drink the freshly brewed coffee (by them) and read the paper.  Honestly, it was fantastic!  And the food was absolutely edible (:

 

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Finishing some front landscaping this morning, and then it’s family pool time and rib fest!

 

Have a great Memorial Day!

 

~Kathy

Big Brown Eyes.

 

 

On Thursday I took my 50mm 1.4 lens in to be calibrated to my D300S.  My two utmost favorite pieces of equipment – want them to work at their full potential.  I had been noticing lately that the wider my aperture, the more my focal points weren’t tack sharp.

 

My favorite local camera shop offers this service.  However, if you are interested in doing it yourself you can rent or purchase the equipment and try it out.  I rented the Lens Align System once, and let’s just say it was doable, but frustrating at the same time!

 

Oh boy though, what a HUGE difference it makes.  I LIVE for tack sharp eyes. 

Be ready for a few more posts of sharp eyes (:

 

 

 

 

I was playing around on the back deck while we were grilling out.

“Hey son, look at me” … and snapped this one :

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f/1.8   1/125th  ISO160

 

(I normally have to shoot at 2.8 to get this level of sharpness!)

 

I did not do any editing except a curves adjustment, resize and sharpen for web.

 

 

I let my son play around in Lightroom per his request, and here is what he came up with :

 

 

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I like it I tell ya!

 

Hope you’re enjoying your long weekend~

 

Kathy

Sunday, May 29, 2011

How to Make Some Kickin’ Chicken Wings!

 

These wings are soooooooooo good!

I’m no food blogger – but this is and easy recipe anyway.

 

Ingredients :
Fresh chicken wings.  I usually cook about 2lbs for my crew.

Couple of tablespoons butter

FRANKS Red Hot Sauce

Celery & blue cheese dressing for the side

 

 

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Grill you wings low and slow on the grill, until they are crispy and falling off the bone. 

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Melt some butter in a large pot (the more butter, the less spicy).  Add about 1/2 bottle or so of Franks Red Hot Sauce.  Stir together.  Add your wings to the large pot, straight off the grill while they’re hot!

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Give it a shake this-a-way and that-a way, until everything is nice and coated.

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Now EAT them UP!!

Sorry no photos of the pretty presentation – we just had to start eating them immediately…

I like to think that these aren’t as bad for me since they are grilled vs. fried!

 

~Kathy

Friday, May 27, 2011

Ocracoke : Easter

 

 

Yes, it is is true!  The Easter bunny will find you no matter where you are (:

I still have two that believe … but know that is going to change very soon (sad sad)

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning my little bedheads.  I am glad you woke up early to eat chocolate and candy!

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We ate candy.  We packed up.  More sad sad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

found a fun pier while waiting for the ferry :

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Bye Bye Ocracoke ~ until next time!

 

~Kathy

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Ocracoke : Dune Day

 

As far as my kids are concerned, every day is a dune day.  My children spend hours playing in the dunes … imagining all kinds of cool stuff like being stranded on an island, or hiding from evil.

 

All I know is, they are together and having fun.  And my husband and I are on the beach & ALONE – sweet deal!!

 

It was a somewhat chilly and windy day – the dunes are also great for getting rid of the just-out-of-the ocean-i-am –freezing feeling …

 

 

Every once and a while I join the kids for some dune jumping … and this day I joined with my camera!

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I hope you are enjoying my Ocracoke series …. one installment left ; Easter morning. (pretty uneventful, but nonetheless!)

 

~Kathy

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge : Yellow

 

I didn’t realize until today how little yellow I shoot!  I was glad when I found this shot though.

 

I love this shot in b&w – and processed it again with a slight vintage style…

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Add a little sunshine to your day, and check out the rest of the yellow entries HERE at I Heart Faces.

 

Have a great Tuesday!

 

~Kathy

 

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Monday, May 23, 2011

yup … she wants to be a model

 

One of the three final installments in my Ocracoke series!

 

Sun was setting … the beach was long and wide.  Light breeze.   ALWAYS my favorite time of the day.

 

 

Asked my girl if she wanted to do a mini-shoot with her walking down the beach.  That’s all I had to say, she did the rest.  Some of these images really smile, and some really crack me up!

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Now we’re having fun! DSC_2061rubybw DSC_2067 bw DSC_2078-2 ruby

 

Played a little differently with post-processing on these … gotta mix things up every once in a while!

 

Next up is ‘Dune Day’  and ‘Easter’ (which seems like yesterday!)

 

~Kathy

Sunday, May 22, 2011

One Last Look

FINALLY got the kids down to the art museum to see “The Leap”.  With not a moment to spare … we arrived at 4:30 and the museum closed at 5pm.  The Auction party starting at 7Pm, so we were able to see some of the setup.  Looked to be a grand event!

 

Here are some snaps from the museum :

 

 

 

first glance …

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the stand in the corner is some remote electronic bidding transmitter for the auction…

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oh overhead lighting, you are so much better for wall art than for humans … !

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I am really happy with how I printed it – it’s acrylic with the four stud mount.  I was unique (:

 

And there your have it!

 

 

~Kathy

Friday, May 20, 2011

A Respite

 

Been spending a lot of time in front of my computer this week.  It really wears me out in more ways than one.

Decided yesterday morning to take a nice break to the arboretum.  No phone, no kids – just my coffee & my camera.  A lot of deep breaths and slow walking.

 

My two favorites :

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an all time favorite here ... trying to decide how to print it ...

DSC_2770 copy Have a lovely afternoon ~Kathy

Ocracoke : Fishing

Two of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

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And don’t think it’s just for the boys … my girls fish too.  Just not that day!

 

 

 

TGIF!

 

~Kathy

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Dock

While on a trip we normally eat in to save money and have food that we all like.  This trip we decided to eat out one night – whoo hooo!
 
We walked to dinner – love the island lifestyle & the fact that it’s mostly foot & bicycle traffic.
 
 
We started out at a place in the harbor … let’s just say the best thing about this place was the dock!  We had an appetizer and a drink, and left to eat somewhere else.
 
Here’s our fun on the dock – it was overcast and the light was soft …
 
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oh my sweet boy …
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she liked that pillar too…
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thank you, my daughter, for ‘the look’.  I LOVE this shot!
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then we got into our picture groove.  love when this happens…

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Had a fabulous meal at this restaurant, and got a pretty neat family photo too, thanks to the server.
 
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Next up are some fishing and modeling shots – told you I took a lot of pics – my camera was very happy on this trip!
 
 
 
~Kathy

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Ocracoke : Sisters on the Beach

I was sitting in my chair, icy beverage in hand, toes nestled so nicely in the sand, reading my book.
I looked up and this scene was before me:


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I love Ocracoke for it’s small island-ness, and that we frequently find ourselves alone on the beach.




Decided this would be a great backdrop for some sister shots:


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(I have to apologize that lately blogger seems to be mutilating my pictures – thinking about switching to Wordpress soon …they look better on Facebook!)

edited : I imported a few of these images from another source as a test... mucho better!


Next up in the Ocracoke Installation series (!)  is
“Out to Dinner & the Dock”

Have a great Wednesday!

~Kathy