262: #229 Paws

Maybe this should have been "a boy and his dog".
Would you look at that puppy's paws! He's gonna be a big dog!

261: #115 Furry

Apollo -- a worn-out 4 month old yellow lab.
He's ready for a nap after all the running and kissing and playing fetch the squeaky toy.

260: Free #19 A Boy and His Dog

Gregory has a puppy!
A 4 month old yellow lab that weighs nearly as much as Gregory.
And he loves the puppy kisses.

259: #257 Regal

This stag was watching me!

258: #093 Fashion

Well, that's the fashion for a 6'3" elf, anyway.
My ex-Bob is a volunteer for the local Polar Express train trip.

257: #169 Leaves

Well, I'm not going to try to catch up, but Autumn leaves are so pretty!

256: #250 Rainbow

Rainy days are sometimes good!
I stood under the overhang by my front door for several minutes
and caught varying sunshine and rain.

255: #280 Shopping

Holey smoke (or holey shoes)! Mom needs to take Gregory shopping for new shoes!

254: Free #18 - Change

Well, Autumn is here and the leaves are starting to change color.

253: #244 Public Transportation

Lolly the trolley is a tour bus for hire...

252: #222 Paint or Painted

Nice paint job!
Another car at the balloon festival.

251: #327 Thrilling

There were carnival rides to provide some thrills on the ground
at the balloon festival.

250: #331 Times Gone by

I remember...
when white wall tires were the coolest!

Classic cars at the balloon festival.

249: #091 Fairs or Amusement Parks

I went to a balloon festival today. This big balloon was partially inflated, but the weather was threatening rain and the balloon launch was cancelled. Too bad. There were lots of them in trucks and trailers all ready to go and it would have been a great sight to see twenty or more balloons in the air.

Maybe next year.

248: #215 Ornate

This beaded lamp shade is ornate!
It wasn't a clear enough photograph so I used poster edges to sharpen it up.

247: #163 Kids These Days

These kids just love performing in the marching band!
These shots were at the pre-game performance.
I didn't last for the half-time show and after the sun went down
I didn't get anything but blurry shots anyway.

It wasn't easy to spot my granddaughter from the stands. They're all dressed alike and the hats make it even harder to find her! From where I was sitting I needed her Mom to find her for me. One of the things I love about photography is that the camera can see what I can't with my aging eyes! I don't know if the flag-like sashes were just for 9/11 or if it's part of the usual uniform.

This football game was on 9/11 and they paid a little tribute to those who lost their lives. The trumpet player in the front stepped out and after a moment of silence he played "Taps".

246: #358 What's Inside?

This praying mantis on my door screen is probably wondering
"what's inside?" and "how do I get in?"

245: #038 Button

Gregory is in first grade now and he still has major problems with hand control so they (parents, therapists, and school, I think) are trying to teach him to touch the right buttons on a computer to answer questions.

Daddy set up a computer for him in the playroom with a special keyboard and a game to play for starters.

244: #047 Childhood Antics

Well, if the slide has curves and a way to make a bridge,
that makes a new fun game for two!

243: #267 Sandy

242: #309 Summer Fun

Labor Day stayed rain-free this afternoon and the kids went out to play.

241: #285 Silver and Gold

A bracelet in stripes of silver and gold -- shiny and matte.

240: #353 Water

Well, water lilies are in the water!

239: Free 17 - Gone Fishing

This great blue heron was patiently waiting for a fish or a frog.
I think a frog is more likely in the algae filled canal.

238: #028 Blue

There are red and blue berries on the Towpath Trail.
I guess summer is almost over...

237: #190 Multiples

I have no idea what this lovely little wildflower is.

In post-processing I was equally charmed by the bokeh with hints of the colors of the plant itself.

236: #313 Swim

Swim, little duck!
You're all grown up now!

235: Free #16 A Walk in the Park

A walk in the deep woods of the park on a bright and sunny summer day.

234: #249 Rain, Rain, Go Away

Quick! Run and get in the car! It's starting to rain!

233: #345 Upside Down

Daddy gets his exercise lifting Gregory (65 pounds!)

232: #041 Canine Companions

Luci is about the same size as Kayla's cat and she's such a sweet little dog!
Luci doesn't like to have Mike out of her sight -- definitely a little companion!

Lightroom does miracles with photos like this where there was way too much contrast between the backlight and the foreground!

231: #355 Weights and Measures

I got my appetite back yesterday and went to the grocery store.
There's an Idaho potato in the scale.
I probably could have turned the scale around, but didn't think about it at the time.

230: #180 March to a different drummer

After the 4th of July parade the drummers gathered into an oval back at the high school and put on a pretty good show!

Thanks for the hint on videos, Nan!
I'm trying an mpg file from Premiere Elements 7 and it's taking a long time to load into my blog.

This isn't much, but the kids in the high school marching band really impressed me with their "jamming" after the parade! It was the first time I tried taking video with my Panasonic p&s.

229: #176 Look Alikes

Well, I'm feeling better. I probably won't catch up, but my hobby makes me happy so I'll keep my camera handy and continue to post when I find something to show.

I looked out my kitchen window and saw what looked like 2 big shells on the railing so I opened the door to the deck and saw these 2 birds sitting very still. The kitchen is to the left and I was looking at their backs. My neighbor says that all the small creatures try to disappear when a hawk is flying, so I'm guessing that was the case. They are look-alikes, right?

228: pause...

I had a "vacation" this week at an expensive hotel known as a hospital and I've fallen behind.
I think I'll just stop for a bit and catch my breath before I start up again.

I might try to catch up, but then again I might just give it a rest for a while.

227: #361 Wholesome

Well, sunflower seeds are wholesome...
It's getting harder and harder to find a theme!

226: #048 Childhood Favorites

One of Kayla's favorite games is playing school.
She begrudgingly let Gregory be the teacher last week...

225: Free #15 Raptor

I think it's a red-tailed hawk eating a squirrel for breakfast. It was on the playhouse roof and let me get within about 15 feet of it!

224: #183 Metallic

A Metallic butterfly in the hydrangeas.

223: #136 Hair

Well, hair and eyelashes...

222: #270 Seasonal

Fragrant, ripe tomatoes at the farmers' market.

221: Free #14 Fireworks

I finally got a chance to try shooting some fireworks!
Friday nights after an Akron Aeros game.

Manual, ISO 100, F16, 4 seconds, 28mm with my 28-135 lens on a tripod.
My remote shutter release battery died, so I used a 2-second delay to minimize shake when pressing the shutter button.

Most of these are cropped because my camera was aimed wrong. It's kind of hard to guess where the fireworks will be in the viewfinder when you have to press the shutter button as soon as you hear the pop, but part way through I decided to use "live view"...

Next time I'll use the XSi kit lens at 18mm.

Skyrockets in flight...

A nice burst or two...

The next one's a little blurred because I adjusted the angle during the 4 second capture -- but I think I like it. Click on it for the big version.

My favorite of the lot...

I caught a couple with Children's Hospital in the background
and this next one shows a parking deck as well...

"the bombs bursting in air..."
Well, the flag is off to the left and out of the picture...

220: #114 Fruits of the Season

Mmmm -- softball sized peaches!