One pic processed for Kim, on her birthday :-)

April 27, 2012 Happy Birthday Kim. Wow, I remember 36 years ago was a nice day. I also remember your Father celebrated REALLY REALLY hard with some of his friends. Good thing you were born early morning otherwise I probably wouldn't have seen him on the 27th. A story relating to the day you were born. Everybody knows you were all born at Regina General Hospital. At the time, the nurses were on strike. Everyone of our Regina friends remembers your entry into the world. That night Merv, Dan, Dick & Walter helped your Dad celebrate. You'd think he was the one who gave birth. They started at our place (at the time, we lived on Westgate Avenue) and went to each of the guys places. That, however, wasn't enough. These four clowns ended up at some strangers place who gave them more beer. (Oh yeah, did I mention at some point they met this guy because they accidentally drove up on the corner of his lawn.) Like they needed MORE beer. Can you imagine that happening these days. I'm afraid the outcome would have been way different. To end the evening they went back to Westgate where the landlady threatened to evict us. Mrs. Brandick already wasn't thrilled she was going to have to contend with a crying baby in her house. Lucky for you Kim she caved and we lived there for about one year.

Why wait...

Sometimes a photo comes along that there is just no sense in depriving the world from any longer... This is one of them!!

A Dogs Purpose

Here is a story I found online.  Deep deep words from a 6 year old about the purpose of a dog. 

My disclaimer:  There will be tears and reminders of Cosmo... If you're not ready for that... please do not read any further. 

A Dog’s Purpose? (from a 6-year-old)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa , and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

New trastes! Yes that is dishes in Spanish

Bought some snazzy new dishes today! I love them! They look so grown up! And of course, they're teal!

Preperation

Thanks Mom.  Ya, it is something else to prepare for a shoot like this.

In advance I get all 3 cameras ready, one of them in the underwater case.  I'm still practicing the setup of the underwater housing and it's not something I want to screw up, so that takes quite a while.

Not to mention the life jacket/wet suit/snorkel gear, etc, etc...  I will work on refining that process and figuring out what works best for floatation.

Great pics of the kitchen.  It's looking good.  Glad to see Teva is helping out.

See you "all" on Wednesday!!  and some others on Friday!!  Can't wait.

Anyone wanna see the kitchen update?

Here's a few more recent shots. You will see Teva does all the final inspections. One picture in there is just for Bill. Only he will appreciate the workmanship. We have decided to go with a small island. Would be the Espresso Cabinet in the middle. We decided to go with something totally different for that. Working on carrier moldings and crown this week-end. Countertops are ordered. Only 4 - 6 weeks before they come.

Lori, we should be seeing you Friday. I'm bringing my camera so I can show you a few tricks....Haha...Not. But we should be able to do some clicking with the girls. Can't wait!

Underwater Shots

Those are really cool shots. Pretty difficult to get set-up for or do you have a camera all snuggled in the plastic enclosure before you leave? Nothing like an extra challenge, eh Lori?

Underwater Bride

Just wanted to share a couple images from my latest TTD.  I shot in a cenote with my underwater equipment.  I am so glad I finally got the chance (and the gutts) to do it.  I learnt so much and am so excited to do it again!  It's alot of work but well worth it!

Here are some of my faves: