Photo Story Friday: Things That Make Me Go Weak in the Knees


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek


I have a penchant for old cars, vintage to be exact. Although classic is the correct term.

I love them.

Well, not all of them. I don't like the souped-up models with mag wheels, racing stripes or flames going down the side and all hot-rodded out. Barely a flicker of what once was.

And I lean toward the 1940 to early 50's models.

But a little improvement is acceptable.

And a nicely restored class models just makes me all giddy.

Crazy, I know.

Who would have thought? I'm not the type.

But I look at the picture above and still get weak in the knees at the beauty of it. And the real beauty - that shot is straight out of my PAS camera. And if you click on it, you can see me in the fender taking the picture. Too funny.

It moved me.

I remembered this picture because I stopped at the grocery store last night and parked right next to a Vintage Chevy truck - 1947-48 or so, right in that range. I so wanted my camera; but even then, how could I explain to the owner if they walked out at that moment that I'm lusting after their truck!

Can we say - Awkward.

But it was so beautiful in its worn glory, with its perfect mix of green patina, eroded copper-rust and gray paint colors. I just wanted to hug that perfectly round dome of a hood.

I stood there staring for a moment.

I envisioned myself behind the wheel, driving down an old dirt road in the middle of South Dakota. Perfect. [Not too unlike the ending of Castaway with Tom Hanks]

**********************************

My grandfather had an old 1956 dark green Chevy truck {3100 series I believe] I grew up with it. One year I came home from college to visit and found an ugly old red & white contemporary model sitting in the yard. I felt betrayed. [as if my grandparents were supposed to get an approval from me to get a new truck] But I understand that South Dakota winters are hard on vehicles and the old green [beloved by me] Chevy had seen better days.

I still reminisce about the coolness of that truck.

**********************************

In college I had a 1963 Dodge 880 Custom with push button transmission - midnight blue. Do I have stories about that car. [all rated G - BTW.] It was a beauty. I put it up on blocks when I moved to the Big City and reluctantly sold it a year later.

Very reluctantly - to this day.

Not that I would still have it.

But it was a COOL car. For a first car.


Yup, classic cars excite me.

Theme Thursday - What I Want

That's simple enough.

I 'm not going to elaborate on this right now. But my wait may soon be up.


Head over to the Land of K.A. to see what others want this week.

Photo Story Friday - Welcome to My Office


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

MamaGeek invited me to participate in Photo Story Friday a couple weeks ago and then, as it goes - life happened. But today I share my husband's office - no not the one with all the paperwork piled up. The one he drives to each weekend. The one that he met and hired me to work at.

This is the shady tree at my husband's office. It's a beautiful old oak tree that sits on a hill above the stage he works on every weekend, it provides us shade while we are working in 100 degree weather entertaining people that have come to have lunch at their company picnic.

I took this picture of couple of weeks ago, when my husband stopped by his "weekend office" to show some friends. Now that we have Harrison, I don't go up to help in the "office" as often as I previously did, but it was certainly nice to go visit this old friend. It brings back a lot of memories of meeting the Guy I Dig and falling in love. We were almost married under this tree - but since we were married in December, wedding plans took us in a different direction.

Since I don't have a better camera, my point and shoot doesn't give the size and grandeur of this tree justice. I can say that when there isn't a picnic taking place in the area, it is a peaceful deposit in an otherwise noisy, hot, chaotic theme park. We spent many an afternoon between events laying under this shady tree gazing up at the blue sky and talking about life.

Lyin’ under a shady tree, you and me
Under a shady tree, you and me
Can you feel the breeze blow by?
Can you feel it on your face?
This is our special place.
Under a shady tree, you and me…
Can you feel the soft cool grass?
Can you feel it with your toes?
We can sit here while it grows.
Under a shady tree, you and me…
If you want to close your eyes
And sleep beneath the tree
You can rest your head on me.
Under a shady tree, you and me
Under a shady tree, you and me…

~ Laurie Berkner

No Mom-of-the-Year Award for Me! or "How I Forgot the Baby and Saved the Camera"

David McMahon from authorblog asked What Is Your Worst Camera Nightmare? One moment - recorded accidentally - popped into my mind. [other camera nightmares notwithstanding] It's rather embarrassing but it's time to 'fess up.

When Harrison was 9 months old, we went to South Dakota for a visit with relatives. I took him to my grandparents home on a crisp December afternoon; while there, I wanted to get some pictures of him in the snow. At one point I propped Harrison up near a branch because, even though he could easily sit on his own, this day he was dressed in a snow suit that made him look like a green plaid version of the Micheline Tire Man. And while he wasn't talking yet, I'm sure that during this little excursion, he was probably channeling Ralphie's little brother from A Christmas Story through his cries... "I can't put my arms down!"

But I had to try to get the shot, Harrison was indeed warm enough, he just couldn't stay upright in the snow suit and he was DONE.

Then it happened, I dropped the camera in the snow. Enough snow for it to sink. A NEW camera - not even a month old at the time. Not good. I had no idea that I had hit video record earlier and that my silly verbal attempts to get Harrison's attention as well as the camera's slip from my fingers was all recorded for posterity. (thanks Cerulean Bill for that spelling correction!)

I laughed to the point of tears when I discovered it much later... because of the comment that I made to my child as he slid down into the snow while protesting his predicament. I'm such a great mom.

Go ahead check it out. I actually edited it down a little bit - you only need to see so much cleaning the camera and bada-bada-bada sounds mixed with crying to get the idea. If the video doesn't work try this link.



Yah, you heard it here, folks, "Hold on Honey, got to save the camera!" Not one of my better mommy moments, eh? Forget that my baby is laying face down in the snow! Got to save the brand new camera from near disaster! (Okay the video proved that he never ended up face down in the snow - how bad of mom do you think I am?)

The camera still works to this day and I wear the nice little strap provided with the camera around my wrist. Here is a shot from that day in the snow. This was before he was DONE but still unable to stay upright.

Doggone Disgruntled Dog

This is Bennie, isn't he cute? Well almost as cute as Duke-the-Dog! You know how it is - just like your kids - Duke belongs to us and Bennie doesn't so Duke is cuter by default.

Although this day he wanted to belong to us.

You see, he had had a bath right before we got to his house and he was apparently still reeling from the experience!
So when my back car door was left open to get an extra car seat out, Bennie grabbed his chance for a new adventure and jumped in!
Not only did he jump in for a chance at new ownership and possibly never having a bath again; but he planted himself firmly (and I mean firmly!) in Harrison's car seat.

No amount of coaxing or tugging worked to get him out.

Not even his favorite doggie treat - although he did move to open door to check it's placement on the ground.
I believe he was calculating the odds at getting the treat in mouth and back into the car before we were able to intervene and put a stop to his evil plan!

Being the Alpha-dog that he is, we let him be for a while - let him think that it's HIS prerogative to change his mind... (and I told him that Duke-the-Dog gets baths too - sometimes even tomato baths!...and he doesn't get any table scraps - at all, Ever. AND he doesn't get to sneek food from Harrison's plate when Harrison isn't looking.)

After taking some time to weigh the pros and cons, Bennie chose to step away from the car.


My blogging friend, Daryl, over at Out & About in New York City participates in Camera Critters and I thought I would participate this week, too. Go visit each them and see some more great animal stories and pictures.
Camera Critters

Eight!

Yesterday I devoured an incredibly yummy cupcake at a friend's birthday party and tonight I divulged in chocolate covered blueberries and chocolate covered almonds!

Why is this so noteworthy, you ask?

It has been (painfully at times) a sweet-free zone for the last 2 months. But as of this week I am officially a size 8!!

A Size 8! She said!
I have shed the 12 pounds that I wanted to lose. It's funny how I even feel lighter - and thus better. It makes the sacrifice worth the effort. And I've been wearing clothes that I haven't fit into for the last - well - 3 years. Like this pair of really cute, comfortable white pinstripe pants that I got from Banana Republic a month before I found out I was pregnant! (Let's not talk about if they are out of date, I don't really care.)

It's maintenance time from here on out. shouldn't be too hard with summer coming on and bike riding in the near future.

I am glad to not be on full-blown diet mode. I get tired of being pushed into a corner and having to say "I'm on a diet" when acquaintances ask if I want something and I politely decline and they push, no really have some, and I decline again, and they continue to pursue until I confess that I'm dieting.

How do they respond?.. Why are you dieting? You don't need to diet! Have you ever noticed that 9 time out of 10 it's a person who follows with a statement like, "I need to diet, but I just don't have the discipline" or "Every time I diet I put it right back" or "You're doing that diet? Oh, you'll put it back on..." Ugh. I don't need to explain myself to someone I'm not close to and is just projecting their failure onto me anyway. Is it REALLY their business what I do? So because I conceal my undesirable body areas better, I don't need to diet?

Who are these people??

It's not unlike the people [older and supposedly wiser then I was] that I now curse [kidding - sort of] who used to say, Oh just you wait, it will catch up with you...because I was once a [very] skinny, shapeless kid. Why? Why, did you have the need to say that to a kid? And with all the eating disorders that we have in this society, did it ever cross your mind that if you say that to the wrong young, impressionable skinny girl it could just propel her down an anorexia disorder path? I'm sorry, did I offend because I was skinny and you were not? Did you really think that I bought into the idea that my [even then - imperfect] body wouldn't change? You didn't see my mom, I understand genetics, I saw myself in the future.

I guess what annoyed me most, recently, was a comment made to me about obtaining a flat stomach. I informed the person that I haven't had a flat stomach since I was 25 years old, that is not what my expectation was/is. And frankly, that bit of belly fat that I will always carry is a badge of honor for the birth of my son. for me, it is a reminder of the miracle of life.

Let me say it again...

My stomach is a badge of honor that I am proud to wear, a daily reminder of the birth of my son who is a gift from God.

That fact is, I needed to shed 10+ pounds that was getting me down. So after maintaining it for almost 3 years, I decided to get disipline and get it off. I'm now planted firmly in the middle of the normal and healthy BMI range for my height and body size. And I've doubled my whole foods intake [fruits and veggies] and decreased my sugar intake [soda and all things sweet].

I am healthier to keep up with a Toddler that is only going to grow bigger, get faster and more become physical. He needs healthy, active parents.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Now I think I'll go eat a couple more almonds.

Best Shot Monday

I'm behind on posting because it has been a week of Harrison adventures, one after another, (you can see some of what's going on here) and we're heading out again today to meet some friends.

In the mean time, I thought I would post a couple of my favorite shots from Harrison's adventures at Thomas Town on Thursday and the City Yard Open House on Saturday (I'll post more about the later on Harrison's blog this afternoon.)


I love his expression in this picture - it represents how much he loved talking on EVERY radio he got his hands on that day; and there were plenty of CB radios to be had!!



See more shots at Mother May I!

Long, Long Ago - Part 2 (Photos of the Day)

Toes are looking good...


Here's a couple more from my teen photography years.


My little model is now in her late 20's with her own family. My how the time flies!

I've Been Busy...

The new computer is working out great now that I took care of a couple glitches. I have some deadline to attend to this week and a Toddler who decided he was ready for a "big boy" bed - wish my muck I mean luck!! [could the muck typo be a foreshadow to the week? I'll keep you posted...]

Harrison gave me a nice Toddler-style pedicure on Saturday. Isn't it lovely?
I cleaned it up a bit since Saturday but there is a blue haze across the tops of my feet that give them a kind of gangrene appearance. You can read & see more here.


And yes, those are some pretty scary feet, I know. You should see the chicken ankles they are attached to. Then again, maybe not... but seriously, not that my feet were ever REALLY attractive (especially attached to said chicken ankles) but since having a child they just look like flat, smashed platypus feet - with dark blue & green nail polish slathered on them.

I just glance down occasionally to view those deflated appendages protruding from my legs awed and amazed that they just - flattened like that during pregnancy.

A true bummer for all my cute strappy shoes that no longer fit because they're too narrow.
But I wouldn't trade the bi-product of my newly acquired platypus feet for all the green tea in China.
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