Slightly Out of Focus

Bittersweet

Life is a journey. Our lives changed forever on Nov. 9,2011. My hope is that this blog will be a variety of memories and photos that we create from this point forward............ in honor of my husband.
We went to the Gaylord Texan Resort and enjoyed the ice sculptures and snow tubing.

Putting New Skills to Work

After Donna attended the Nikon School on Saturday, we took a trip down Black Point Drive to practice the lessons learned in the class.  I must say that her shots that day were much sharper, better exposed and composed!

  Taking Aim

    The Results: Roseate Spoonbill & White Ibis

A Good Long Weekend

It was a nice long weekend.  A little house cleaning, a little studying and daily trips to the refuge to get some fresh air and to photograph wildlife.  The migratory birds are slowly comming back for the coldest part of the winter.  Donna will be attending the Nikon School of Photography this comming weekend, so, I know we'll start posting some amazing pictures soon ;-).  Her pics are already very good!

 

 

You Otter Be Here

Jake stayed home sick today, so, I took him on an exploratory trip to the Viera Wetlands Park to see what we could see.  Here is a sample of what we did see and could photograph.  We gotta go back to get shots of osprey, bald eagles and especially the crested caracara that live in the area.

The show of the morning was this small otter having a big breakfast of fresh fish.

     

A couple of birds were near the bank.  Two old Coots, a Moor Hen and an Anhinga in a preening pose.

   

It's been a while...

Since we haven't posted anything in a while, here are some pics of Jake and Bailey. Jake is busy being an almost 4 year old. He's very good at it.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Bailey is the newest addition to our family.  I love her puppy breath and she's pretty much perfect except for all of the razor sharp teeth!

Catching a few rays

So, this is a little belated posting.  Sometimes we get a little distracted with everyday life and neglect to spend a little time reflecting on the finer moments in life.  Mamaw and Papaw came down for an extended spring break.  Nearly worked Papaw to death (some break, huh?).  But we got the old rotten shed down and hauled to the dump and got 15 yards of mulch distributed in the front beds and a number of other tasks checked off the list.  A big Thank You goes to Papaw!  The pics below are of one of the few serene moments of their visit.  A nice sunrise visit to the beach.  Enjoy!

Wonder Where the Yellow Went?

So it was a nice Sunday afternoon.  Jake was quietly playing with some freshly made green playdough.  Mom & Dad were looking at some pictures we took on this morning's drive throught the wildlife refuge.

Suddenly, it was too quiet......  Donna went to check it out.... OH My God!...Mike, I need your help quick! 

A whole teeny tiny dropper of yellow food dye can decorate a lot of cakes, change the color scheme of the kitchen floor and thoroughly stain your three year old son in a heartbeat.  Luckily, the dog was asleep. It was enough to turn two full bathtubs of water bright yellow.  And, his hands will look jaundised for days to come.

Lone Cabbage

We had a fun filled afternoon at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp. After some frog legs, corny dog, and shrimp we checked out the gators. The live band and airboats made for some great entertainment as well.

Biolab Beach

A quiet, secluded place with lots of things to explore. This is our most recent discovery on our trips through the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. You literally could spend hours enjoying the details.

If you'ld like to see more pics we've taken at the refuge (& other places) , you can look under "Blogs We Watch" and click on Slightly Out of Focus.

Buddies

First I'll shout out a big "Thank You" to Aunt ReRe for supplying the acreofsand photo dept. with a very nice flash for their camera - it really is very nice - see below.  So Mamma got the boys to sit together on the couch for a few candids.  They're both getting so big!  Jake will turn three in a few weeks and Sherlock will be two - tempest fugit!