Memorial Day

Under the sun we drove in
down the road, past the pond.
People were everywhere, they
said maybe one thousand.

The voice out of the speaker
tells us to gather under the tent.
After some music he invites them up.
Veterans. Four brothers, the baby is eighty.
They fought in World War II.
Their voices are a bit shaky,
but their memories are vivid.
We clap when they stop.

After lunch I take Karis,
I hold her hand and wait in line.
We climb up the tractor and sit.
The hay is scratchy. She is happy.

It's almost three when we leave.
Sunburned, full, and happy.
I think of those old men
and how wonderful it it is
to honor them.
And how wonderful it must be
to have lived a life worth honoring.

p.s. I was ready for a change! I think this has been the longest period I've gone without changing the look of my blog, but I wanted something new, and something that would be personal, and reflect me. And what better than a wall in my room? It took me a while, and a lot of patience to get it up, but I love how it looks now! Please tell me what you think!

Gloaming

the time of day immediately following sunset.

(awkwardly injecting some links because I think they may be helpful!)

• This picture is beautiful!
• I wrote up a post about something I've been interested in lately for a friend's blog- you can read it here. 
• 22 ways to change your photography forever (here)
• Having a hard time explaining f-stops to a family member? Or are you the family member :) Read this, most of it will be very helpful even though there is some photography lingo in there. 

The gym

The boys are loving the gym near our house. I foresee many more hours spent bouncing balls here.

Karis

Today was rainy and overcast. I walked with Karis over to a bit of forest, with a small lake in front of it to make some pictures. We listened to the dripping in the trees and squelching of our wet shoes. I turned to camera to black and white, and focused on her eyes. I love her.

for photography geeks like me: The background of these pictures are forest, and the lake in front gave her eyes catch-lights, not to mention some lovely open shade. I will be coming back here, it's hard not to get the shot! 

Water is so fascinating. I've been trying to capture it in different ways lately, whether that means slowing down the shutter, or opening up the aperture. Have you ever tried capturing it?

Our last romp

 A few nights before we left I picked up my camera, for the first time in a while, and took Karis out to play by the lilacs. Even though she has a nice shiner under her eye (she woke up crying in the middle of the night!) I still love the pictures because they show how she is, and one of our last days in Minnesota.

And we're here!

Our favorite place

Two of my brothers and I recently finished our last summer visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house. This was my sixth year, and despite Grandpa's prediction that I wouldn't want to come after I turned twelve, I still love going every year. This is one of our favorite places to ride our bikes and skip stones, hunt for golf balls, or blow dandelions seeds everywhere. These pictures are of the little details I don't want to forget, the plants we always see, the gravel we climb up, the pond we ride by. Memories I want to keep forever!

Marissa

It's spring!

 Dandelions

Crabapples

Dew in the morning