Day 5: Fishing, Part 4

Remember my inappropriate footwear for fishing? Because of that, and because I have an attention span wholely incompatible with fishing, I chose not to follow the dudes as far down the river as they meandered. I meandered elsewhere. And found these beauties...

And, we're back.

California. Home, sweet home.



As seen from the freeway on our way home last night (about an hour north of us). Nasty fire. Still raging today.

And Thy truth reaches to the skies...

My heart is steadfast O God;
I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
I will give thanks to Thee, O LORD, among the peoples;
And I will sing praises to Thee among the nations.
For Thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens;
And Thy truth reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Thy glory above all the earth.

Psalm 108:1-5

Day 5: Fishing, Part 3

In this series of photos you'll see: our first fishing destination, what Eldest Dude caught and released, Dog Dude enjoying the freedom, my ever inappropriate footwear, what I photographed when I stopped following the Dudes downstream (in my inappropriate flip-flops), and what Littlest Dude (with a little help) caught and kept and happily ate!



This is our second destination. Nothing caught, kept or released.

Hearkening back to another time...

I can scarcely look at this picture without whistling the tune to the Andy Griffith show.

Day 5: Fishing, Part 2

Step 2 (ewwww, I'm sounding like an episode of Inspector Oso...): bait those hooks...

Day 5: Fishing, Part 1

Before one can fish, one must procure bait. Observe the hunt...



The goal: catch live grasshoppers. Which was surprisingly NOT difficult. Papa Dude, Big Dude, Eldest Dude and Middle Dude caught plenty.



Littlest Dude, on the other hand, caught none. But what he lacked in bait-procurement-usefulness, he made up for in cuteness.



Somewhere in Montana, not too far from St. Regis

Northwest Breakfast!!!

Mmmmmmm.... berries. Specifically, blackberries, raspberries, and huckleberries (which apparently are ONLY grown in the Great Northwest).



And here's mine (though not as Martha-Stewart-beautiful as Big Dude's above...)



Mmmmmm.....

It's a 1000' deep lake? It's a 1700' deep PIT. It's a Superfund site...

and until recently you could drive right up and peer right over the edge into this pit filled with toxic soup. That is until some genius came up with the idea of making it a tourist attraction. So we did our part for the local economy, paid our $6, and walked down the "tunnel" to see the sight ... site? Anywho, it was kind of cool.



Berkeley Pit - Butte, MT - Day 4

Traveling with the Dog Dude...

has been a little bit challenging. Super high heat + dog = problem. It means he can never be left in the car for any amount of time. All our meals happened at fast food and/or grocery stores with an outdoor, shaded eating area. It was a relief to hit Northern Montana with its clouds and lower temperatures. Not to mention the pretty streams.

Day Three: ID, MT

Three days of driving and no clouds. Not til Montana. They don't call this the Big Sky State for 'nuthin...













Gosh, can you tell I'm a total sucker for clouds?!?

Day Two: Zion National Park, Utah

It was HOT! Here, Littlest Dude will show you just HOW HOT:



Luckily there was beautiful, cool water...







And our last hurrah as we drove out the park: base jumping.

Great are the works of the LORD!

Great are the works of the LORD;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work;
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

Psalm 111:2-4

First Stop, Day One

Virgin River Day Use Area, Utah/Arizona border

Vegas, Baby!

But we didn't stop to walk around, because (shhhh!) last time we walked through Vegas 2/3rds of our Dudes were crying about not wanting to be there. Silly us. We thought pirate ships and pyramids, and volcanoes, and Caesar's world would all be fascinating to boys. We were soooo wrong.



ps. a first for me: I edited all these (so far) vacation pictures in THE MINIVAN on the laptop ... while we were on the road! So, y'know, if the color is kinda wonky, it's because I'm on an uncalibrated monitor working in a moving van with my sweatshirt hanging from the window to try to block the sunshine :-P.

Leisure Reading...

Heidi kindly provided me with my reading for the road. If the stars are all properly aligned and we play our cards right and the "best laid plans" work correctly, then I get to join her book group next week :-). Here's crossing my fingers... (getting back to reading now!)

On the Road Again!

Day 1: CA, NV, AZ, Utah!!

My best intention was to blog our trip "real time", but you know about "best laid plans..." First I forgot to pack my camera-to-computer cord, so I couldn't upload my pictures. We remedied that problem on day 2, just to discover that our hotel room had internet ... for a fee. sigh. So here we are on day 3, and I'm hoping we find a free wi-fi eatery on the road along the way... (nothing on the road, so here we are night 3 in a hotel with S.L.O.W. internet, but slow is better than nothing at all!!)



And just so you all know ... no need to consider dropping by our home to break in and loot and steal ... because we have our killer lizard on the loose. A not-to-be-named Dude (cough, cough, Eldest...) rearranged the sticks in the cage and our killer guard lizard is now on the loose, protecting our home and property. (Mom? No need to fill his water bowl, but if you happen to see him?... please catch him and return him to his proper place. Thankyouverymuch!!)

We dusted off Big Dude's childhood guitar...

and put it into practice again ... practice 3x a week, that is. :-)

Like a bird that wanders from her nest ...

Like a bird that wanders from her nest,
So is a man who wanders from his home.
Proverbs 27:8

Dog Daze of Summer...

More things you can learn about the Kellers from pictures:

1. I tend to put down my lens caps ... wherever. (and then forget where I put them).
2. We have ants. See the bug spray bottle? Another item I tend to put down wherever I last entered combat. (and then forget where I put it).
3. I have a hard time keeping the piano plant alive. This dying one is #3, I think.
4. Dog Dude is not allowed upstairs. So there he sits and waits for my return ...
5. Confession: I have a pair of Crocs. They're my summer slippers. And yes, they are hideous. I try never to leave the house wearing them (no offense to any of you who like them and wear them wherever). Last night I failed to remember to switch to my regular flip-flops before we ran to Costco. argh. While in the food court enjoying our frozen-yogurt treat, a guy next to us started coughing/choking (no! not because of my hideous shoes. because he had food stuck in his throat!). Everyone around him was watching carefully, prepared to jump in and Heimlich if necessary. All was well, no Heimlich necessary, and we left. Big Dude says: "Well, the good news is that the choking guy distracted everyone from your shoes..."
6. Speaking of shoes ... Kellers (of the male persuasion) tend to drop theirs by whatever door they enter.
7. Nothin' but the deepest thoughts shared here at Short on Words ... [snort!]

1000 Pieces ...

What you can learn about the Kellers from these photos:

1. We like puzzles.
2. You would NOT find our bedrooms in a Pottery Barn catalog, despite my love for PB aesthetics/design.
3. The Dudes' laundry is often not folded (their chore, not mine) and put away in a timely manner.
4. Littlest Dude is one relaxed, goofy dude ... who probably still needs a nap, but no longer takes one.
5. The tripod in the background is for the Dudes' use, not mine. They like to make Lego movies.
6. Some of our shelves house something other than books. But these toy shelves are neither neat nor tidy nor properly "contained."
6.5. Boys' toys usually always have hundreds of pieces. sigh.
7. Fish-eye often sneeks in a sexy knee or two ... ;-)
8. Sometimes the carpet eats a puzzle piece or two or three. But not this time. This particular puzzle was finished in just a couple days with all pieces intact. A nice turn of events.

Summer Reading...

I love Laurie King's Mary Russell series. A new one recently came out and I found it on the rental shelf at the library. The Language of Bees. It wasn't her best, but I loved it nonetheless and was sad when it came to an end. It always seems too long til the next one is slated to publish. (and this one had a decidedly "unfinished" feel to it, a to-be-continued vibe). At the end of the novel, I was missing the characters enough that I had to go back and re-read the first novel in the series: The Beekeeper's Appentice. Loved it all over again.

Also read three Martha Grimes mysteries. Pretty much disliked them all ... vehemently (surprising for me, as I usually enjoy MG's books).

Against my better judgment, I read a couple Sophie Kinsella books: Shopaholic & Baby and Remember Me?. Hated them both.

And somehow I ended up reading a bunch of random books that all revolved around war-torn WWII Europe:
I am David by Anne Holm and L. W. Kingsland - excellent.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - also excellent.
Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling - so-so literature, but fascinating story of the looting of Europe's art treasures by Adolph & his gang of thugs...

But leave the stump with its roots in the ground...

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream:

These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed:
I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land.
Its height was enormous.
The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky;
it was visible to the ends of the earth.
Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all.
Under it the beasts of the field found shelter,
and the birds of the air lived in its branches;
from it every creature was fed.

In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice:
'Cut down the tree and trim off its branches;
strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground,
in the grass of the field.
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth.
Let his mind be changed from that of a man
and let him be given the mind of an animal,
till seven times pass by for him.

The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.'

This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had.

Daniel's Interpretation:

The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air -- you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.'

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.

What Nebuchadnezzar Learned from Living his Dream:

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High;
I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as He pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back His hand
or say to Him: "What have You done?"

At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Daniel 4: 10-18; 20-26; 34-37

Let's Talk Texture...

I love texture ... when other photographers use it on their photos. I like it so much, I've tried my hand at it a few times - usually with not-so-pleasing results (as evidenced by how many textured photos you've ever seen me post - ha!)

So I like texture. But I'm not very good at it. To be honest, I pretty much gave up. Until Nichole Van sold this nifty texture + action set. And it wasn't too expensive. And I pretty much figured it would be my one last ditch effort at attempting texture.



Guess what? Nichole's set is simple enough that even a techie-challenged chickie like myself can use it successfully. And maybe, if I use it enough, and pay attention to the steps it has me walk through, I'll be able to try my own textures from scratch down the road. But for now, I'm happy with plug and play.





My last photoshoot with the W family provided me with images that were begging for texture. The sky was gray and somewhat void of cloud detail, which made the water gray, which all left me with a wide expanse of no-color-ness. Texture was just the ticket, methinks.



If you'd like to try your hand at some textures, I think Rita over at Coffee Shop has a wonderful texture tutorial.

note: each of the pictures on the left or the top are the SOOC images.