Photo Shoot...(Without the pics)

In my years in the MS classroom there were students that I formed some sort of attachment with.  Not in a weird way, but in some beyond-academia-way, we just had a bond.
One of these students, CG, is now a senior in high school. (Wow, where did the time go?)  And of course, being a senior calls for "senior pictures."  Because I am a good friend of the gal who takes a lot of the pics, I found out the C G wasn't going to have his taken.  There was no money in his family's budget for this.  On learning this, I decided to negotiate with Photog for the "sitting fee" so C G could have senior pics.  Photog was very agreeable to this so we began scheduling a shoot.  We had to postpone twice due to rain (outdoor shots, you know are very popular) and CG's bad cold!  Yesterday the shoot took place and because CG found out that I was footing the cost, he insisted that I be there.  What a privilege that was.  And fun.  He is a quirky kid, has a goofy smile and a quick, smart sense of humor.  He is running neck-and-neck  with two other students for top places in his class.  He has been accepted at multiple colleges and universities, where he will attend on "21st Century Scholar" scholarships, and plans to study engineering and physics!  Talk about smart.
But, I digress!  The photo shoot was so much fun.  He had no idea what Photog was going to ask of him, but he went along willingly and was very agreeable to any and all suggestions.  We trekked all over town, down back allies, and to our city's wooded garden park.  Lots of pics were taken, and looking over Photog's shoulder into the viewfinder, I don't think there was a bad one.  I carried the equipment bag, CG's backpack and his oboe, which he brought along as a prop, and also played for us. (He's good at that, too.)
The best part was the "text" message I received later on in the evening thanking me for making this possible and telling me what a good time he had.  It made walking all over town, down dark allies, along the river and through the wood, all worth while.

Peace,
JE

Whatta Guy!

Today my youngest grandson turns 8 months!  Honestly, he smiles like this almost all the time. Unless of course, he's either hungry or has had enough of his older siblings pestering him.  One day, he'll let them know just who's boss!!

Love 'em all!

Peace,
JE

The Rumble and the Roar

 "Oh listen to the jingle
The rumble and the roar"


This weekend the "Wabash Cannonball," an antique steam locomotive was taken out of "moth balls" hooked to some old passenger cars and taken down the old Wabash Railroad tracks from Eastern Indiana to Lafayette, Indiana.  It made two round trips.  It went within 2 blocks of my home, so of course I had to walk to the tracks both days and see it pass by.

You see, for me this is more than just nostalgia.  Way back in the early 1950's, the Wabash Railroad was a main transportation artery across central Indiana.  Passenger trains stopped in my town.  Once a year, during "teacher's institute" when my mom was gone to meetings for teachers, and there was no school, my Gran would take my brother and I and board the train here in town and we would ride all the way to Detroit to visit my aunt and uncle for the weekend.  We wore our best duds, which Mom insisted on, and we were on our very best behavior.  About 4 hours after leaving town, we arrived in downtown Detroit and were met at the station by the relatives.  On the following Sunday evening, we boarded the train for the ride home.  Our town had no taxi service, and city buses were also a thing of the past, so Dad was elected to pick us up at the station and take us home.  It was uncommonly late for us to be out; at least past 11:00 PM when we arrived.

So, you see, seeing this train brought back very pleasant memories for me.  Maybe this is why traveling on Amtrak still holds a place in my heart over flying or even driving.

Yesterday there were very few people lining the tracks through town as the train went by, but today there were scads of people cheering, and photographing as this piece of history came to life once again.

Peace,
JE

Dental Visits ... Bah!

Wednesday last, I made a trek to my local dentist.  Dr. John is one kind, gentle man, and his assistant, Kelli, is wonderful.  But, the general feeling that comes with going to the dentist anytime is PANIC.  And, added to all that is the fact that I had an upper back molar that was inpacting with the tooth ahead of it and was 3/4 filling.  It had been giving me trouble for a few weeks, and the off and on pain became more that off and on...mostly ON!
Extraction is a horrible word that conjures up even more horrible "daymares."  But extract Dr. John did.  Now I am left with a big hole in the upper right quadrant of my mouth.  I didn't know that compressions with tea bags wrapped in gauze helped control bleeding either. But they do.  My jaw is sore, and tender, and occasionally bleeds, but is much better.  I know that by this time next week, most of the discomfort will be gone and my dental visit will be just another "painful" memory.  I do marvel at how far dentistry has come in my lifetime.  It's amazing.

Autnmnal Indiana

Yesterday I took my Canon Rebel (which is new to me and I am certainly a novice in photography) out to our local state park.  There is a reservoir there, which is a result of damming up the Salamonie River.  I took some pictures from the top of the dam, then ventured into Salamonie State Park and shot a few.  I thought there would be more color, especially the reds, but there was still more green that I thought there would be this far into October.

This is taken from atop of the dam, right above the place where the water flows from the dam into the river. Notice how muddy the water seems to be.

Another shot from atop the dam.  There's a small park down there with picnic tables and a playground.

Here is one taken back in the Salamonie Forest State Park.  This is just one of the many trails one can walk and enjoy the scenery.

A random shot in the forest.

A bit of colorful maples.

After leaving the forest, I drove east on US 24.  This color caught my eye.  I pulled over and snapped this shot.

The sky so so blue, yet the clouds scurrying by made the photo lighting difficult sometimes.

I like the contrast of the trees, color and the just-harvested bean field in the foreground.

I am still learning, but I won't if I sit at home with the camera in its bag and don't try.  I ventured out later at dusk to get some shots of the full harvest moon.  I got the tripod all set up and camera installed, but I could not get it to do what I thought the manual said for me to do.  More practice needed!

Peace,
JE

From The Hook

No, this blog today is not about fishing, or sheep herding.  I just want to share what I have recently made with my trusty crochet hook.  I am not much of  a TV watcher, so besides reading, I crochet.  Since the weather is turning cooler (or down right cold) I have been spending more time inside with my books and hooks.
Here's just a sample of what I have accomplished so far this fall.

This is just one project.  I have made some more of these wraps, but this is the latest. I was asked to make this one for a Christmas gift.  I will be paid (not-so-handsomely) for making it.  The buyer bought the yarn.  I usually just crochet and give away, so being paid is a treat.  She ordered two, the other one is in-progress.  I have to have it done before Thanksgiving Day.  Ah, plenty of time!

I started a blog where I displayed my wares, but no one ever hit it, so I will show some here from time if that's okay with all of you (few) readers!  Or even if it's not!  Ha!

With the coming of the holiday season(s), I will be making more stuff, carding and cooking.  I think that's what I like the most of all, besides, of course, the real reasons that we celebrate.

Peace,
JE