Chasing the Sunset
Do you ever do that? Chase the sunset?
Sadly, we have trees and barn to the west, so I have to hop in my car and take a little drive to catch the sunset.
The neighbors dairy farm, while the sun was just over the little hill.
And a couple shots of my son’s “field of dream.” This irrigator is on his grampa’s farm, and the silo and barn in the distance is the home place. My boy has been dreaming about, and talking about buying grampa’s farm since he was three years old.
Fresh Powder
It has been a long winter in Minnesota. Cold, windy, and snowy…yet we really haven’t had much for “good” snow.
We get an inch, or two, then the wind kicks up and it blows like crazy.
Sunday night though, we finally got a few inches of nice snow.
Looking back to see if he took me out….it was just my foot…
That’s my boy…fun lovin’, easy going, adventurous, and hard-working all rolled into one!
The Wild Beasts of the Field
otherwise known as our pets and farm friends….
It was a balmy 20 degrees outside today. We made the most of it. As did the wild beasts.
The whole pack of kitties were soaking up the sun on the porch today.
I heard my girls whispering about photobombing Buddy’s pics, but he heard them too.
Then, Ally made mention of his slight pigeon-toed stance, out of sheer guilt, feed him some treats.
It’s gonna be nice enough to ride soon, can’t wait!!
Brave Girl
I have to admit, I kind of expect January to be one of the coldest months of the winter. And, mostly because I don’t actually have to go outside every day, I kind of look forward to the snuggling in at home on the really, really cold days.
This winter, though, has been a bear. December was cold and snowy, yet not enough snow to really enjoy, just enough to keep the roads slick. January has been ridiculously cold, windy, and the roads are still not too great. And, there still is not enough snow for snowmobiling.
Just the other day, we had a blizzard warning. More of a ground blizzard than actual snow, but it did snow for awhile. Right about chore time.
The deal Alan made with us was that we could have a horse as long as we did chores. He has been great about hauling water to Buddy when it’s been really cold, but the other day, he wasn’t home.
Ally insisted on doing it herself. I let her do all the chores, but I went out with her because the it was actually dangerously cold with the whipping winds. I love the look on Buddy’s face…”really, you’re going to stand outside?” Then he rolled his eyes at me and told me to get out of the wind.
Fresh water, a little grain, a pile of hay, and a good brushing, and Buddy was good for the night.
Minnesota Winter
My husband is bored. There’s not much to do, he says, when it’s –25 degrees, and he is used to working 15 hour days.
On the other hand, I love our Minnesota winters. Bored? Yes! After our crazy fall farm season, that then turns into a crazy birthday and holiday season, I love the feeling of being “bored” in January. That’s not to say that I love the cold cold, but I do love that life slows down a little bit, and that there may even be the chance to throw in a weekend away with a couple of friends.
This last weekend, we headed up north to a friend’s cabin. A beautiful, relaxing place with in-floor heat, a big screen tv, and a huge table for scrapping, crafting, and games.
Though we did spend lots of time soaking up the nothingness inside the cabin, we also ventured out everyday for a walk.
We had just tiny hints of blue skies, otherwise it was cloudy every day.
The beach is such a different scene in the summer time.
We are very blessed, and thankful to our friends who so happily share their home-away-from-home with us!
Roseville Township •The Early Years•
Our township was recently invited to share in a project, run by the county historical society, to microfilm, and then digitize all of the old records.
This endeavor led me into the depths of the township’s safe to locate the old books. The earliest book we have, was actually from when our township began, in 1866. We have a {nearly} complete set of records for all these years.
The person from the Historical Society that I worked with noted that almost all of our books were written on, on every page. She said that was often not the case, as many books in other townships had large gaps. We found books where they wrote on the insides of the covers as well as every page.
The birth and death books hold a lot of history. Just looking at the listing of the parent’s occupations was interesting. Many farmers, many housewives…the occasional school teacher or blacksmith. Also, I noted, most of the babies born were listed as white.
The deaths too, were interesting. If the cause of death was known, it was listed. Some things we saw repeatedly were heart trouble, cancer, and even old age. 75 years old.
We found the Road Book that documents the township roads, and cartways from the very beginning.
There was also the Chattel and Mortgage Book, as well as the Court Book.
Once upon a time, local government was very important to the residents of the township.
I found myself fascinated with the penmanship in some of the books. Beautifully done.
I noticed that the town clerk, in the 1860’s, was also the Judge, and Justice of the Peace.
In a couple of months, I will need to get them out again. I will have to allow myself a bit more time to peruse some of our local history.
“L” Senior Sneak Peek~Paynesville Area Photography
Senior shoots…still one of my favorite things to do!
It’s so fun to chat with young people, listen to their plans for their futures, and hear their hearts, dreams, and passions.
This young man has plans to be a doctor.
And I believe it will happen!
Though, maybe I should have checked out his handwriting…to see if it was messy enough to qualify for doctor status….
Praying God’s blessings on your future doc!
The “P” Family~Sneak Peek!
I had a great time hanging out with this young family last night.
All in all, I thought it went pretty well considering the 30mph wind gusts.
But let’s be real. How could it not have gone well with this super cute family!
Sweet, sweet kids!
And a momma that I just met for the first time. I was totally struck by her sweet nature, her ready smile, and fun spirit.
Have you ever seen cuter shoes? These girls were rockin’ it!
Such a honey!
Thanks for trusting me with your family photos, and playing with me. I had a fun time!
The “G” Family~Kids
Such a fun group of kids. They did great during the big group shots, and their family shots,
but…there is nothing better than some one-on-one shooting!
Sunset At The Arena
We will miss our Tuesday night rides at the fairgrounds, the laughs and camaraderie of all the horse families. Oh, and hanging out at Taco Tuesday’s after it’s too dark to ride.
Winding down this season, our first season, with thanks to many new and “old” friends that made it possible, and fun.
Hope you all have an amazing time at the MN State Fair Horse Show, and Champ Show!
My Boy
I just love this picture of my boy. It looks like it should be an ad for….something.
Only, it doesn’t really reflect his personality, because he is most always smiling.
There…that’s more like it.
He has the bestest sense of humor. And a quirky wit.
Often, he and I are the only ones to get the joke. I like it.
~Jake~Sneak Peek, Senior Shoot
How time flies.
Jake is the son of a classmate of mine from middle and high school.
Thanks to modern technology, and social media, we’ve re-connected.
It’s amazing how, with some people, one can go for years without chatting, and then, pick right up where we left off…oh, so many years ago.
Jake, thanks for spending your evening with me.
Shoot for the moon, you have a bright future ahead of you!
4 Wheelin’
This is what my kids ride in their spare time…er, one of the things they ride….
and my husband won’t let us get a trampoline…they’re dangerous, he says.
Sun Flare and Sunsets
I had been wanting to learn how to rock sunset pictures…and sun flare.’
While out shooting with the camera club, I asked some questions, and then came home and studied a bit more about aperture as related to the sun.
Then, I went out shooting. Sawyer was with me, working on a 4H photography project.
We practiced what I had learned, at the railroad crossing a couple miles away, on a quiet gravel road.
Here’s the deal. The aperture is like a pupil. When there is a bright light, like the sun, making the aperture (fstop) smaller lets in less light. This was shot at f22. (the bigger the number, the smaller the “pupil”)
Sawyer’s shot is below. Very similar, but a bit lighter.
And, from a slightly different angle.
So there, you go…aperture.
Old Truck
Our Camera Club went on a photo walk in downtown Little Falls, Minnesota.
It was a beautiful summer evening, not to hot, and with a nice breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay.
This old truck caught our eye, sighting on the corner, for sale. The clouds moved off long enough
for me to grab a few shots with some sun flare.
Then I played around in Light Room a little.
Ground Hogs
What funny little creatures.
Some of these need captions…feel free to leave one, or two, or three, in the comments!
Small Town USA Summer Carnival
My daughter, and her best friend from first grade, met up after many months apart at our town carnival.
It was a happy day for both of our families.
Love Summer!
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