Hamel Rodeo

For those of you who're rodeo-goers out there (and I realize the list isn't long), I do have to say the Hamel Rodeo is the best Minnesota rodeo there is. Nothing says "summer" like sitting on a hillside in the sunshine, eating a hotdog & swilling beer while watching hottie cowboys a) roping calves, b) riding broncs or c) braving the bulls. I don't mention the gals racing barrels because, let's be honest, it's just the "respite" before the bull riders come out, anyway. (PS: Girls, let GO of the horn and RIDE that horse, for crying out loud!)

Of course, every rodeo always starts with the national anthem, and then whoever carries it in always carries it out in style - i.e., at a dead run. It IS pretty cool.

Oh, and let's not forget the alcoholic references - go, Budweiser :)

It was a beautiful day, and other than the fact none of the bull riders came close to 8 seconds, it was a great rodeo. No injuries - to either people OR horses - so that was a sigh of relief...of the last few horse events Clint and I have watched together, 2 times a horse broke a leg (a different rodeo and of course, the Derby).

They keep the action moving along pretty quickly and they always have good bucking stock, plus big payouts attract more participants.

Anyway, so that's my "plug" for the Hamel Rodeo. At $6.00 per ticket (we went on Family Day) how can you argue some good, live entertainment?

Even the kids love it :)

The Troth

On July 3rd, at the end of my parents' dock - with the setting sun shining on us - Clint asked me to marry him and I said yes!

That's right, we're engaged!

(Much to the delight of both our mothers, who've been waiting in anticipation for this for quite some time :)

He truly knows me - there's no other place I'd have rather been when he asked than barefoot on the dock, throwing the stick for the dogs, looking out at the lake where I grew up. Sigh. Yup, there's a bit of romantic stowed away in me after all!

Evidently there was quite the ordeal to get the ring out to me, since the thing came in a HUGE box, and he couldn't fit it in his pocket...plus the fact that my sister was still there (she and the girls were up for a couple days) and was ... feeding ... Charlotte in the room where Clint would be staying, so he couldn't get to his bag. Meanwhile, I kept wondering why he needed to 'change his clothes' or 'get his flip-flops' (i.e., needed to get the ring). I thought, "when did he get so picky about what he's wearing up at the lake?

I love, love, LOVE it - and him, of course! - and it's more beautiful than I could imagine while looking at ideas. It's hard not to stare at it all the time! Which, of course, we did all the rest of the weekend. I have to admit, in a client meeting yesterday, I'd catch my glance wandering down towards my finger to check it out - AGAIN.

It's a tension ring - well, they call it that, but technically it's a compression ring - using only the strength of the metal (and tiny grooves on each side) to hold in the diamond.

I like to see people's reaction when they see the diamond seemingly "floating" in midair. I wasn't crazy about the concept when we first started looking, but I was curious so researched it and wouldn't you know, they (Gelin Abaci) have never had a stone come out of the setting. I figured if the Roman aqueducts are still standing - using only compression and keystones for support - then that'll work for my ring, too.

The next day we decorated Madge & Merle's pontoon and headed out for the annual July 4th Mission Lake Pontoon Parade. The parade's been growing in popularity, as there were more boats in the parade than normal...leaving a scant number of spectators. But, we still had fun.

Mom broke out the bubbly in honor of our engagement and we all toasted to a long and happy marriage...haha, MARRIAGE. Still sounds funny.

It was a gorgeous day for a boat ride and very fun to watch the diamond sparkling in the sun! Overall, it was a VERY fun and relaxing weekend.

And now I get to plan a wedding!

Candid Photography

I find that the majority of the time (probably 90%), the best photos I get are the ones that are a) unplanned or b) a tad unorthodox.

This goes for random events - like tonight, when I whipped out the point & shoot & grabbed some cute images of Zada - all the way up to (and especially!) - weddings. Granted, there's more pressure at a wedding since you're being paid to render the day in images...but those "gems" you capture are worth it.



When you take a lot of images, you're going to get a LOT of usable ones, a bunch of good ones, and some REALLY good ones (Again, this goes for weddings or just in general). In my opinion, of course. If you're Ansel Adams or something, you might get 1,399 stellar shots. Then again, I'm not sure I've ever seen him do anything but landscape/scenic stuff...

I think the key to getting those unexpected shots is - of course - being prepared, but there's also an element of not tying yourself down with "expectations"; you must stay open. Basically, I 'shoot now, assess later'.

Some shots might not look candid or unplanned; that's the beauty of them. A lot of times, I'll tell anyone BUT the people who have vested interest that the photo was serendipitous. For example, the parents of the little boy in the yellow flowers - unless they read this blog - will never know as they were desperately trying to call him back from the edge of the wedding gazebo (the bridesmaids/groomsmen were walking down together) I happened to turn and snap this shot of him. Can't lie, it's better than I'd have gotten if we were posing the kid :)

Another thing to keep in mind is don't always think "straight" - unless you're taking a scenic photo of the ocean, you don't NEED a straight horizon anymore. Shake it up a bit - be daring.



Of course, you can venture into the "too daring" category, which includes putting yourself (or others) in danger just to get that shot...I'm talking about hanging out of trees or cars in order to take a photograph. Granted, MOST of the time when I shoot out of cars, I'm not driving, but that's not always the case. However, in my defense, when I'm photographer extraordinaire AND behind the wheel, I don't focus/aim/compose; rather, I shoot and what I get is what I get. I.e., my eyes are on the road.

For the "desolate" shot (above) I was the passenger and I cheated a bit...straightened it a tad & turned it B&W...but who's to know if I'm not saying anything?

Ok, so for the Minneapolis Skyline shot, I was driving (hence the blurriness and horrible composition), but again, my eyes were on the road...no less so than if I was checking things out normally, anyway. All I'm saying is keep an open mind and you'll find you can get some pretty neat shots.

Happy shooting!

I ♥ Picasa

Yup, I'm in love with Picasa. It's free, it's easy, and it's a dang good lil' tool. I'm not saying it can compare to PhotoShop - which I've never tried but I understand is a "MUST" for photographers - but for a free photo editor, it's my #1. It does the easy stuff, like turning an image to black & white, for example. Nothing to write home about. But, in addition to that, you can also fine tune your balance - fill light, highlights, shadows, and color temperature. Pretty slick.

Then, it'll do color saturation and "warmify" type stuff. Again, any photo editor should give you the option of "colorification", i.e., super-coloring your images. Of course, I touched up this pink flower (no clue, so sue me for not being a green thumb) because the day was overcast, so I punched 'er up a little. Then, just 'cause I had to say I'd used it, I used the "warmify" tool and it actually did the trick. It was a bit "blue" beforehand; now I think it's truly a warmer color.

Ok. So sometimes what you think something should look like and what the camera thinks are different - it's just another item to play with on Picasa.

Then, it has the power to make the image sepia or to sharpen it - I'm assuming this is the "resolution" modification magic button (try to say THAT quickly even once) because obviously it takes a photo and makes it clearer. Beware, tho', this could uber-enhance an image and make it TOO clear. That's right, it can look "digitally" if you add it to an already-clear picture. This is best for those shots where you're just a TITCH off or if you want a different effect.

Along with all the other normal tools it has - crop, straighten (a horizon, for example, which is what I NEED it for), redeye reduction, etc - Picasa also has other "fun" tools which make it somewhat of a drug. It was hard to leave the computer and stop messing around with wedding photos, when there are so many cool features to add/change. (I have NO CLUE what PhotoShop does, but I'm pretty sure it takes the cake - and doesn't eat it the next year on its anniversary - so I'm not sure how my photo buddies ever get anything BUT photography done!)

Anyway, I digress...the things of which I speak are "film grain", "soft focus", "filtered B&W", "glow" and "focal B&W". It also boasts tint and graduated tint, but I've not found use for these yet.

I do know - as alluded to previously - it's hard to step away from roughly 1,400 wedding images when you can do fun stuff like softly-focus the image on a guy with arm around his girl amidst a sea of people in a congregation or have just the bridesmaid's flowers in technicolor...needless to say, it took quite awhile to get the images back to the bride & groom.

Well, I could go on and on (but not like Celine Dion) about Picasa and how I've fallen head over heels...but I have a feeling that with my pending copy of PhotoShop looming I might soon leave this free little tool as a thing of the past.

That being said, I have to stand by my opinion that as a FREE TOOL, this little guy holds his own! I highly recommend it for anyone not able to shell out the obscene amounts of money it taks to get the "good stuff".

Way to go, Google :)

Princess Sophia

As promised, I must needs highlight Princess Sophia, since her new baby sister just got web-time.

This was back before said sister was born, and the parental units were gone for a couple hours so I got to watch Sophia Michelle. As you can see, she was modeling her princess dresses for me - one pink, one blue, just like in Sleeping Beauty! - and twirling.

Twirling soon gave way to somersaulting, so we had to exchange the dressier attire for more appropriate tumbling wear.


...Tho' I didn't get any shots of that.

So far, she's liking her little sister, although Amy said she's taking advantage of Mom being preoccupied to be somewhat naughty of late. Ah, a girl after my own heart :)

I think that phase went by the wayside when she spent a week up at Bernier Boot Camp with Nana. Dogs, horses, kids...if you've got 'em and you want 'em whipped into shape, send 'em on up to Mom's.

Cute lil' devil, isn't she???

La Sobrina Nueva

On June 6th, Charlotte Penn was born. What's neat is Sophia's birthday is 4/5/05, so double numbers must be "in". My sister was hoping for a baby and a Triple Crown winner on the same day, but Big Brown let her down. (PS: that would've been a birthdate of 6/7/08, but hey, obviously the shoe didn't fit...)

Anyway, I don't know how much she weighed (a little over 8 lbs is as close as I can come) or how long she was, but she's healthy and CHUBBY. (I fear this'll be the one that inherits the "Bernier Saddle Bags". )

The pictures here are the 3rd time I'd seen her, and only the first time I knew she had eyeballs tucked away behind those lids.

Evidently she's very calm and spends the majority of her time sleeping and eating, much like a cat.

I even held her - I mean, I had to. We were hanging out on the patio, and Amy went into the house to get something, tossed her to me and said, "Can you hold her while I....?"

Ok, she didn't throw her like a football, but I'm sort of like a guy in that I don't quite know how to hold babies, and when I'm coerced into it, we sort of just stare at each other, both of us in alien territory, until the mother figure reappears and rescues me.

Here's the proof. Not bad photography for my sister! She tried to commandeer my SLR and a CF Card to go into business for herself, with me as the silent partner, but then she got distracted by the baby.

Well, so here she is! I'll have to post about Sophia, too, because of course with two of them what happens to one...happens to the other.

My European Working Line German Shepherd

Zada (formal name Mallory vom Kozies, obviously from the '06 summer "M" litter) is almost 2 years old. Finally, the last couple of weeks, I have trusted her enough to let her run around - free - with kids. 2 weeks ago, while "chucking it" for Tucker & Zada at Clint's, some neighbor kids came running out to see the 'wolves'. There were about 6 kids, around 10 years old, and I did have them get acquainted with the dogs (while I talked to them, the dogs were there, then I let the kids come in closer so the dogs could smell, etc) and finally those kids were running after the ball along with both shepherds, and neither of them (of course I trust Tucker) could've cared.

Then, my friend, Dani (Tucker's owner) had Zada for 10 days while I was out on vacation; she took both dogs to her grandparents' lake place and took them out for walks, threw the stick in the lake, etc, and all while her 2 nephews (younger than 10, I believe) were running around as well. She said Z was good and though she kept an eye on her nothing ever happened.

WHEW.

It's a start. I stand by my previous opinion - I'll never completely trust her around children again - but this is a breakthrough. Part of me wishes it was her getting used to being around running kids and NOT chasing them; part of me merely thinks it was Tucker's influence. a) He's excellent with kids and doesn't have the prey drive like she does; b) every time she starts after another dog at the dog park and he's there, he makes her stop. Now, he just growls or barks at her, before, he'd tower over her, menacing, and she'd just crumple to the ground. It was great to see him do that - hey, at least when he's around, she doesn't act like an idiot!

Anyway, I don't know that's enough to encourage her to be invited back to the Wisconsin farm this fall (where this all started last September), but like I said, it's a start. I'll take it!

I don't have any new pictures of her (uploaded to Shutterfly, that is), but I'll insert a couple of when 'Uncle Tucker' was here sometime...

I just heard a statement that made my breath catch in my throat.

A co-worker (whom I can't see when sitting in my cube because she's on the same side and at the far end) interjected herself into a conversation I was having with my other co-worker (sits across from her and I can see him). That in itself is fine, but then, since he and I were talking about beer (why wouldn't we be, at work...), she said, "I've probably only had 5 beers in my life."

I was stunned.

She proceeded to say that although she'd tried several kinds, she just couldn't get used to the taste, so never has liked it. I find it surprising she can make such a quick, snappy decision about a staple of life.

Let's pretend she took a good 3 gulps out of all the myriad of beers she's tried...that's STILL not enough to pass over the taste buds (and repeatedly) to form an opinion.* Plus, let's not forget, since she's NOT a beer drinker, then she's most likely a foo-foo drinker. When you're drinking foo-foo drinks (defined as any blended, wildly colored or otherwise girly drink; normally accompanied by dorky garnishments), you need to cleanse the palette before trying a beer. This oh-so-important step was most assuredly not taken.

Sigh.

In the same vein, the dude I was talking to originally about beers said something to the effect of "cracking a beer" when he gets home after work. (Not necessarily an alcoholic - especially if he stops at 1.) I had to ask what kind of beer he drinks, if he's "cracking" one - see, us Bottle Drinkers don't use that expression; it's solely reserved for Can Drinkers - and he responded "Coors Light". BLECK.

For once, I feel superior (as a beer drinker, anyway) and snobby...and rightly so. After all, we're not in college anymore - there's no need to be drinking inferior brews. That being said, I have a dear friend who still chugs Busch Light like it's going out of style, and I'm OK with that. She and her husband take me out on their boat, so...when in Rome :)

These have been random thoughts brought to you by the left brain. I say left brain because they're very logical opinions and have hard facts to back them.



* Unless, of course, you're an avid beer drinker. Then you have carte blanche in regards to beer opining.

Compilation of Random Things

I can't believe the last time I "dogged" (blogged about my dog) was in March. Granted, how many posts and comments could I possibly have to offer on a regular basis, but still. She is, after all, my "furry baby" and there's not a whole lot I can do in life without having to think of the implications (re: her). Come to think of it, it's quite similar, I imagine, to being a single mom.

Anyway, so here's the latest. I'd like to credit Mom for the photography skills.

I'm listening to some little snot-nosed kid screeching right now. That's just not necessary. I'm fairly positive the kid's not dying, so the parental units should be monitoring it and making sure it's quiet. Sheesh.

Sisters? Not yet, but we've already been mistaken for such (let's be honest, by a ... grandfatherly type gentleman). This picture was taken at Penny's bridal shower a couple weeks ago. She not only has a ton of friends, but I've never seen more beautiful blondes all collected in one place in my life.

I found a random ankle hair I'd inadvertently missed (shaving) today. It was a bigun. And BLACK. I'm shocked, because I don't even have black hair ANYWHERE. Random? Yes. Gross? Maybe...I got it, though.

So, I sneezed not too long ago, and got the usual all-over body goosebumps. Does that happen to anyone else? I've been in the sauna before, at 210 degrees (Fahrenheit), sweating like a horse; sneezed and - WHAMO! - instant goosebumps. Talk about weird.

Let's talk about service. Ever since I've been going to Puerto Vallarta (at the tender age of 11) I believe we've had the same waiter at a place we fondly call "Tizoc's" but whose actual "registered" name is "Café Tizoc". Keep in mind, there've been a few years when Tizoc's wasn't in business - i.e., another restaurant had come in and tried the real estate on for size - but the majority of all these years, this little café that could has been there, and there's always been Roberto.

He's got to be 75 years old if he's a day...bilingual, good people-person, and humor that won't quit. I finally had the pleasure of taking his "portrait" (of course I had to include his colleague that day/this year, whose name escapes me), which of course highlights the backdrop of 'his place'. Of course I had to document my favorite Mexican waiter, where else can you go that, year after year, your server remembers you and your family? I mean, c'mon, he remembers my GRANDMOTHER who went there way back in the '60s. It's priceless.

And, last but certainly not least...here's the update of the Satterfield family - this was taken at Sophia's 3rd birthday party in April. I missed it because Amy was unaware Clint and I woul be flying back from Puerto Vallarta (even tho' I told her the dates...let's be honest, she's pregnant so I absolve her of all forgetfulness). Let's just say I got her some good gifts in PV - including maracas! Those were Clint's idea, and a total hit :)

That's about it for now. *Yawn* Time to get some beauty sleep!

(PS: Feel free to insert joke here)

Puerto Vall-larta

(PV Cathedral ↑) (Lighted Palm →)
A special note to all of you who attempt to speak Spanish. Double "l" (ll) is pronounced as a "y". Hence, the stewardess who announced everything on our flight down to PV should probably - if she's going to continue to fly the friendly skies and squawk away on the intercom - learn that all us tourists are headed to Puerto 'Vayarta'; not Puerto 'Vall-larta'.

Just had to mention that.
(Cloudy day in PV →)
Although, I did get a chuckle out of surrounding passengers the first time she said it - "this is flight 531, non-stop to Puerto Vall-larta..." - I turned in wide-eyed wonder to the row behind me and said, "holy cow, we're on the wrong plane!"

(←Malecón Mermaids)
That being said, don't you find it odd how your mind picks and chooses what to remember the longer away you are from an event? What I mean is, it's even now getting to the point where I have to look over the photos again to remember exactly what we did each day or where we ate at night. But, I DO remember the stewardess butchering the name of the city.

(Cirrus Clouds over Palapa →)
I have to admit, I thought heading down to PV at the end of March / beginning of April would be a bit "late" because winter would already be done, and it'd be nice enough here that I'd want to be outside...well, it was sort of that way, but evidently winter's hanging on by its fingernails, as yesterday St.Paul-Minneapolis woke to find snow on the ground. At the end of APRIL for crying out loud. That wouldn't be *as* bad if, just a few short days before, I hadn't been in a t-shirt, capris and flip-flops in 70+ weather. Make up your MIND already! I stand corrected - winter is a woman. Can't make up her mind for anything...

(← Yelapa Bay)
IRREGARDLESS, we're stuck here and at least it's (allegedly) supposed to reach almost 50 today. Above, so that's good.

I was thinking, since this year winter / spring are coinciding more than usual, maybe we should call it "Swing" since it can't come to grips on a course of action one way or t'other. While I eagerly - and not very patiently - await the next nice day, the bare glimmer of hope that summer WILL return starts to fade...but I keep fueling it by revisiting my sunny Puerto Vall-larta images. (Yelapa Flower ↓)


P.S. Today, "Swing" didn't cooperate - again. We didn't, to my knowledge, get even close to 50s and it SNOWED. Enough already!

Bon Jovi Concert - Part II from "The Point & Shoot Camera"

I cannot BELIEVE I forgot to report back on Jon Bon's performance on March 18th!


Not only was I obligated to report that my P&S camera performed mightily...but so did hotty-po-tattie Jon!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.




I apologize. I'm composed now.

Amy and I found out after that concert that it was his 49th show on that tour, and the next evening (March 19th), he turned 50. FIFTY YEARS OLD. Just a rock star who's still goin' strong. I admire that. Not just that he's still making and performing music, but that he (seems to) genuinely enjoys it. Granted, I assume it helps to have thousands of fans (mostly of the female persuasion) screaming at him, but hey. Still impressive.

I think you'll agree with me that my itty-bitty Canon (as opposed to my behemoth SLR) held its own in the murky recesses of the Excel Center!

Mexico Hangover

Keep in mind when I mention "hangover", I don't that which results after a night of inebriation. Tho' if you wish to argue semantics, I could be inebriated but not drunk from alcohol. (Discuss.) Frigate Birds →

No, rather, I'm using "hangover" in this vein (from Wikipedia):

"Something remaining behind from a former period or state of affairs."

The 'State of Affairs'? Our vacation in Puerto Vallarta...the 'remaining behind' part? Yeah, there IS a part of me that was left behind. Sigh. It's pretty hard to leave 80s and sunny behind when you're venturing back to the cold, snowy North!

↑ The Malecón Arches
Unfortunately, I didn't sustain the blog-rythm I enjoyed pre-vacation...but that's because, inevitably, when you leave for a tropical vacation and put your "real" life on hold for a week (or longer), there are repercussions. In my case, catching up with work, photos (of which I took over 500), housework, etc etc etc.
We saw 3 humpback whales on the way to Yelapa ↓

That being said, I can only say it was a blast - even tho' Clint, poor guy, was suffering from a slipped disc (which he just found out "for real" today - I say "for real" because Dad diagnosed him merely off of description, but an MRI was a good thing to get to KNOW for sure). All that means is he was drugged on muscle relaxants, Alleve, and a fair amount of Negra Modelo most of the time :)

← Clint Parasailing

But, I digress.

The point? It took me awhile to get over being back in Minnesota after having such a GREAT time in sunny PV. Out of the almost-400 images I loaded to Shutterfly, I'll have to pick & choose which to send to family & showcase here. Although I had a lot of fun shooting down there - despite having been there off and on over the years since I was 11 - I was tempted to give the local kid-vendors $1 to go do it for me...after all, there were Piña coladas ( Lifeguard Stand ↑)
to be drunk. But not THAT kind of drunk.