I'm Missing Mojo

Can't believe that so much time has passed since I blogged.  2011 has arrived, is rapidly passing, and I'll try to do better this year. Ha! If you believe that I've got swampland to sell...  Mojo has been missing for quite awhile now and my new laptop wouldn't recognize the hardware when I tried to download the photographs I had taken.  Not that I'd taken two shots every weekend; however I had taken some.  Last weekend, before the Pine Cove retreat, I took one last try at downloading and voila! it worked! Don't know how, don't know why -- I'm happier now.

I should have some fabulous photos to share. I do not. So much time has elapsed that I'm not really feeling any of those shots. Well, okay.  Here are a couple of the ATCs I did for an M&M swap a few weeks, uh months ago.  They were fun and I absolutely loved all the ATCs received from my scrappy peeps. I'm hoping Mojo will return soon and we can play again.

I created a December Daily digi album that I'm working on now to add photos and journalling.  Yes, I did say I'm adding some journalling!  This is DD last Christmas at home and I thought I'd document all the family traditions of the season.  We tried to do as many as possible this year and even added a new one.  One page from the 2010 December Daily...

One Weekend, Two Shots (Sept 11 & 12)

Ashleigh had a car accident yesterday evening. She's lucky to be alive. The photo says a lot about the damage that has decreased my trade-in money even more than the age/condition of the vehicle. She's lucky to be alive. Her dad hasn't seen it yet and he won't for a couple of weeks, as he's on vacation. I took photos and sent them to him. This one shows how the car door no longer seals with the roof.  The full impact isn't seen in this view. Just wait til her father gets home... Did I say she's lucky to be alive?

One a happier note, I've been working in the Krafti Korner. I won't reveal the total project, just an element.  And leave the other elements as a surprise for some of you who will see the end result in just a short 18 days at the Texas Scrap Retreat!

One Weekend, Two Shots (Sept 4 & 5)

Labor Day weekend was busy with shopping for the new office bathroom. I should have photos of ALL the rugs I looked at and returned. Who knew buying a bathroom rug was such a challenge?!  I didn't even think about toting the camera with me.  The weekend slipped by quickly, as I had to work the holiday. It was nice being one of two on the whole floor.

Over the weekend, I came across the most unusual bromeliad with stiking colors in the bloom. Seems like this is my summer of flowers and foliage pictures.

Our front yard is finally looking good this summer. We had major damage a few years ago from a spring storm and our huge trees were old & rotting.  They were both taken down two years ago and we redid the front. This year I waited to prune the hedges along the house and DH was afraid I'd killed them.  Well here's proof that I didn't.  They look healthy to me!

One Weekend, Two Shots (Aug 28 & 29)

I cheated. These were taken while Elena was here from Greece.  Let's pretend they were taken this last weekend.  The point is to actually use the camera and take two shots.  Doesn't matter when, right?  Well, I got more than two shots on this outing and decided these were the best from a photographer's point of view.

We spent the morning in Fort Worth at the Stockyards and played until the heat was unbearable. Riding the mechanical bull was a highlight for both the girls and they really enjoyed the Maze. 

I loved the signs!  Seems the folks in the wild, wild west had a sense of humor.  This first sign was posted inside the maze.  

The second was hanging on an antique display case in the museum.  I'd love to see this hanging outside the office of a psychiatrist...

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I (photograhy skills aside.)

One Weekend, Two Shots (Aug 21 & 22)

Do you know how hard it is to capture a moving go cart on film?  Well, I do!  We visited Speed Zone on Friday night and had such a good time.  Mostly, I played.  However, I did try to get a few photos for Elena to take home. It was very difficult to get good pictures when everyone was actually racing - in fact I only got one that wasn't a blur of motion.  So, here's a shot of the trash talk that occurred before each race started.  You know how that goes. "You're going down! etc... " Paul kept nudging Ash before the go signal was released. She got annoyed. eventually.

We also visited the amazing Gaylord Texan Resort for a fabulous lunch on the river walk. The hotel was a set up like Alice in Wonderland and the garden was even more spectacular. These are metal flowers bursting with color and quite artistic centers that I had to show you two shots to give you the full picture. They were huge too!

I've got a few more adventures with Elena to share. I'll do that later in the week, as they aren't great weekend photography.  And then it's back to normal, routine life at the Hakes home.

One LONG weekend, three shots (Aug 12 - 15)

I took loads of photos during our weekend activities. This weekend actually started on Thursday in Glen Rose, TX.  We took a road trip to Fossil Rim, a drive through, Safari type park and then visited Dinosaur Valley.  The kids really enjoyed both and were even quite daring in their interactions with some of the animals. Here's witness to how they fed some...

I do believe this challenge is improving my skills.  I'm trying different angles, different lighting and really stretching myself to get better shots. The kids really wanted the giraffe to poke his head through the car. That wasn't possible this trip because we didn't take my car.  Granny's van doesn't have a sunroof, so they tempted the guy to stretch over the van to the other side for his treat. This is the resulting shot...

Ashleigh's best friend has an awesome mohawk that she striped last week.  Ruben resembled the zebras and I tried and tried to get a picture of the two together for compare & contrast.  Due to lighting issues it didn't work out.  This shot does however, show off the effects and you can see what I mean with the hair...

Flowers, flowers, everywhere!

The trees and bushes in my yard are just busting with blooms. They thrive in the extreme heat of summer and boy are they getting it this year.  The Crepe Myrtles on the back fence are just gorgeous; however, I keep thinking the Little Gem Magnolia tree in the front is on it's last bloom. I love that it keeps surprising me with more.

The Crepe Myrtles provide privacy to our tiny backyard during the summer. They stretch all across the back fence creating a beautiful 25 ft. screen.

This magnolia tree was planted just two short springs ago. It was pounded by a hail storm last summer and I feared it was permanently damaged. To my delight, it is just fine! I'm glad I went out last weekend and captured a few of the blooms before they fully opened.