From stilllife to wildlife

I started learning how to use my new camera by taking pictures of objects that wouldn't run a way from me - I am proud to say that I have graduated to taking pictures of living creatures. Ariel has taken an interest in the camera too and the pictures of the cat and bunny below are hers. Since taking these I have discovered many more settings so I will be experimenting with them over the next coupled days.

 Sadie - our house rabbit

 Annabeth - Queen of the castle 

 One of our many betta fish - Thank you Seth and Sara

 Gabriel supervising play time

 Navarre and Alex playing keep away with the ball

 Our sweet lady at the door looking for a snack

Watching Alex unwrap crackers for them

Sadie looking for a treat

 Annabeth is not pleased her nap was disturbed!

My little old man

If I close my eyes maybe you will go away!

The click of the shutter is music to my ears.

Rebecca and I don't usually go crazy with lots of presents for each other on our birthday's or Christmas. Usually we end up purchasing something that was needed or wanted but outside the normal realm of daily spending. The past year Rebecca has caught me looking at camera's and began to inquire about what I was interested in. I have been living off of point and press camera's ever since the age of digital cameras was ushered in and my 110 camera was no longer a valid option. I have to admit though that I don't miss dealing with rolls of 35 mm. film, although I think we still have a few rolls hanging around that never got sent out for developing. I was torn between getting a Nikon or a Cannon but didn't want to have to get another job to pay for it. After reading hundreds of reviews I found the Cannon Rebel series and had my heart set on the EOS Rebel T3. It was everything an aspiring photographer would need and was fairly simple to use out of the box with lots of options to use as I advanced. I was a little surprised when I found out that I was actually getting it for my birthday present from Rebecca and the kids and began nagging every day since if there was any updated tracking information. This morning I was extremely excited when Rebecca let me know that it was on the truck for delivery - Today I would finally own a real camera.

I don't think the Fed-Ex driver had made it back to his truck before I started unpacking the camera and all the extras that came in the bundle purchased for me. I placed the battery on the charger and read through the manual and CD-ROM's that came with it. I played with the two tri-pods and different lenses then finally, after what seemed like an eternity the green light came on the charger letting me know I could finally start taking pictures. I installed the battery and the memory card into the camera and as soon as it finished formatting the memory card I began clicking away. Here are some of the pictures I took tonight of our fall bouquet and the inside of the wood stove. Pretty good for a novice don't ya think!

I am looking forward to sharing many more high quality pictures with you from this day forward!

Birthday Celebration

This past Friday was my Birthday and for the first time in a long time I took the day off from work to ensure a day full of relaxation. Rebecca and the kids made me an amazing breakfast which was enjoyed in bed.

After breakfast we went out as a family researching firearms as Ariel and I are both in the market for new guns. We had a great day and found a gun store that we didn't know about which turned out to be Alex's favorite part of the trip. The employees at the shop were very friendly and once they realized that Alex had been researching different firearm manufactures they were more than happy to spend time giving him history lessons on some of their vintage guns and let him handle several different models he was interested in. After a day full of looking at guns we were all really hungry and found ourselves just around the corner from our favorite restaurant, U.S.S. Chowder Pot IV. Much to our surprise they were still offering the early bird dinners so Alex opted for a Salmon dinner, Rebecca had the Tuna steak, Ariel had the Seafood Imperial and I, being the birthday boy decided to have the Surf and Turf  - Prime Rib and Lobster tail! After dinner we drove to Friendly's for dessert. It was a great Birthday spent with my wife and kids and I look forward to many, many more.

Yesterday afternoon Rebecca's family came over for the family birthday celebration. I felt extremely special when I saw the care Rebecca put into setting the table which included a bouquet of fall flowers.

I had requested Chicken Pot Pie for the meal and upon entering the house the smell of the food cooking made me hungrier than a growing teenage boy! Along with the Pot Pie there were olives, cinnamon pickles, tossed salad with Nina's amazing homemade citrus dressing and Mom Rathbun's homemade Coffee spice bread. I added my own twist by pairing my dinner with a Harpoon's Chocolate Stout which was a perfect accompaniment to lunch.

For dessert we had cake - I know that may seem normal for most birthday celebrations but as many of you know I am not a fan of eating cake. There are however a few cakes that make me very happy such as cheesecake, pineapple upside down cake, gelatin poke cake and rum cake! I was lucky enough to get a combination of two of the above mentioned cakes. It was a pineapple upside down cake with a gelatin glaze rather than the typical brown sugar coating. It was Delicious and the leftovers were gone before day break!

I was excited thinking it was all for me and everyone else was getting something else - turns out I had to share - despite being older I still feel like a little kid, especially when it comes to time for dessert!

More Pumpkin Fun

We enjoyed using our pumpkins for ambient lighting during a few dinners but time is not kind to a carved pumpkin so today they went outside. After my celebratory lunch the kids and I went outside for a backwoods send off the pumpkins via our trusty Mossberg .410!

Once we were done the remaining pumpkins were a given to the chickens for a much appreciated snack.

38 is Great!

My daughter made the first full day of my 38th year of life extra special. Today was the first of the two CT youth deer hunting days. We both were awake hours before the sun and made our way to the grand stand with darkness to spare. It was a crisp cool 40 degree morning and any day that I get to spend one on one time with my kids makes it a good day. We waited patiently for the daylight to make its much anticipated appearance and enjoyed some cuddle time in the comfort of the tree stand 20 feet in the air.

It was a quiet, peaceful morning and we enjoyed being in each others presence which included some joking back and forth and the occasional power nap by Ariel which were cut short by the noisy geese flying overhead. While you always anticipate the chance to harvest a deer when your out hunting in your mind you know that it isn't guaranteed, heck you might not even see one. Ariel has been blessed the past 2 years with multiple opportunities and success each year but knows that the most important thing is to enjoy her time in the woods while taking in the wonders of God's magnificent creation.

The morning was going by quickly and I was originally scheduled to work in Boston at noon so despite enjoying every moment with my daughter I was anticipating our departure and found myself watching the clock. At 08:30 I received word that it didn't look like I would be needed at the Boston job site and was told to enjoy my morning hunting with Ariel.

It was less than 5 minutes later that I was pointing out a spot in the woods to Ariel that kept catching my attention which was driving me crazy and she replied "Ya, there is a squirrel that just got me all worked up" and as she went to point it out she declared "Wait, its not a squirrel - it's a deer!"

I immediately began scanning the forest floor trying to see what she was seeing. At the same time she was readying her rifle which finally gave me location to focus on. It took me a moment but sure enough there was a doe working her way towards us.

Ariel, readied herself and waited patiently for the deer to present a clean shot. I was very proud of her as she repeatedly calmed herself down during the approximately 15 minutes that this deer worked back and forth between several trees. When the moment was right she squeezed the trigger and much to my dismay the deer ran about 20 feet and stood there. Ariel could no longer see the deer but I could and informed her that I thought she missed. You could see a bit of panic in her eyes while at the same time a look of "Really Father - why do you doubt me?" I looked back and the deer was gone.

I scanned the area and didn't see the deer anywhere. After 10 minutes I climbed down and rather than going to the spot the deer was standing when she shot I made my way over to where I last saw the deer standing.

I got within 10 yards and saw that the deer was down! I ran back to the stand and assisted Ariel with descending from the stand. We made our way over to the deer and I quietly said a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to not only spend a day in the woods with my daughter and make memories with her much like I made with my father growing up but also for the meat that this animal would provide for our family.

Because she is under 16 I still do the dirty work and field dress her deer for her but due to the long haul back to the truck she stepped up and helped with getting it there. Ariel has been blessed with harvesting a deer 3 years in a row and the memories that have been made will be cherished for a life time. It was amazing watching how differently she handled herself today than she did on her first deer hunt. She was confident in her ability to make a humane shot, respectful of the animal in life and death but her understanding and enjoyment of the hunt had matured. I can honestly say that despite it being a day after my birthday my morning spent with Ariel was one of the best presents that I could have ever asked for. I am proud of the ethical sportsmen and young lady she is quickly becoming.

Annual Family Pumpkin Carving

We have made it a family tradition to carve pumpkins every fall. This year autumn came and went and due to my work schedule and the short season caused by a spring frost we never got a chance to go apple picking. It was earlier this week I realized that we never purchased any mums for the front flower pots or pumpkins which we normally carve and then roast the seeds for a yummy snack. I can honestly say I was bummed and when the kids both brought it up I was considering buying a pumpkin from the grocery store even though it would be expensive just to keep the tradition going. 

Thankfully I didn't have to get a store bought pumpkin, on my way home from work I was driving by a local farm stand which had closed for the season and they had placed a large wooden crate full of their left over pumpkins from the season out by the road with a great big sign saying they were free for the taking! There were multiple vehicles that pulled in full of children excited to pick a pumpkin of their own so I decided not to be greedy and only took four one for each member of our family.

Ariel decided to carve an owl into her pumpkin. And took a moment out of her teenage telephone conversation to pose for picture with her creation!

Alex decided he wanted to carve a Medieval Knight into his pumpkin.

I decided to carve a majestic buck into my pumpkin - in hopes of Ariel getting a real one this weekend!

Rebecca was busy with work so we decided to carve hers into a Fleur-de-Lis

Here they are all together and they made for a great candle lite dinner!

I'm very thankful for the farmer who decided to give away the left over pumpkins not only did we enjoy time together with our family pumpkin carving night we also have a big bag of roasted pumpkin seeds to snack on the next several days and once the pumpkins start to get soft they will make the chickens very happy and will mean extra dark orange yolks which will be great for making eggnog!

The Pitter Patter of Paint Brushes

So the last time I had a chance to post I was just starting to spruce up the house with the plethora of paint I purchased. I am happy to say I made some serious progress this week after taking a vacation day and the aid of my GWOC (guaranteed weekend off call.) I took lots of pictures throughout the progression but decided that I can't stand pictures were everything is disorganized so I am posting the pictures I took after Rebecca started cleaning up after me. I have to say my hatred of painting was renewed during this project although I now realize I don't mind painting the walls its the doors and trim that make me grumpy. Thankfully my wife is an amazing woman who is not only my helper in every step of life but also is a great painter of trim and turned this weekend into a success. I was able to put up most of the corner trim which really added a great touch to the walls and will hopefully protect the corners from me, the kids and our dog Navarre. I now only have the Master Bedroom, the kids bathroom and the ceilings left and if all goes as planned I will be finished by Thanksgiving.

 View of the hallway and back dining area wall.

 Entrance way and front wall

 Another view of the hallway corner trim

 Facing the kitchen breakfast bar

View into the kitchen and laundry areas

 Kitchen overhang accent

 Ariel's room with new furniture

 Ariel chilling out in her messy room :)

The 10 Year Cheer...

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 10 years since we built our house. When we built the house we kept things basic and cheap as we had 2 small children. I painted all the walls a creamy white and the kids rooms got a coat of free paint that we picked up at Home Depot when they use to give away their "oop's paints." My thought process was that there were more important things to spend our money on than walls that were going to get dirty and beat up. Over the years we put in a lawn, upgraded from a gravel to a paved driveway and lots of other useful and sensible upgrades. I promised Rebecca earlier this year that I would repaint all the walls, trim and ceilings in the house. I don't think she believed me because she knows how much I hate painting. I am actually pretty good at it and enjoy the look and feel of a clean, freshly painted surface but because I worked for a painter when I was a teenager painting is never something I enjoy doing. I honestly think Rebecca was happier than a child opening birthday presents when she realized that I was serious and committed to painting the walls. She was even more surprised when I told her I wanted to use different pigments in the paint!

I discussed my ideas with her and we headed to the store to try to decide on colors we would both be happy with. and amazingly when we got home and started comparing samples we had both picked several of the same colors. Some times its the little things that can cause discord between people, in our case it's always the little things that make us both smile and provide confirmation that we were meant for each other!

About 3 weeks ago we finally made the return trip to Home Depot and purchased the paint and believe me, its a lot of paint - 22 gallons! My only "condition" I had for this project was that I would do it a little at a time and only when I felt the urge to do so. Rebecca is always more than willing to do the painting but despite my lack of love for painting I don't like to share the work with her although I am more than willing to let her help with all the trim and doors this time! Last weekend I finally got the itch to start painting and decided to start with the room I disliked painting the most 10 years ago - the master bathroom. I love the color red and convinced Rebecca that our bathroom would look good with such a bold color.

I will admit, when I started putting it on the wall I was a little worried I had made a big mistake but once it dried it made our ordinary loo into a cheery addition to our daily routine. This weekend I decided to start working on Ariel's room. I started by going out and purchasing her a full bedroom set. She is no longer a little girl and we decided that she was ready for some decent furniture that would last a lifetime if taken care of. During the week I patched any holes and blemishes in the wall and last night after a final sanding I put the first coat of paint on the wall. Tonight I put the second coat on and once again the transformation is amazing.

Tomorrow I am planning on putting a fresh coat of paint on the ceilings in both rooms and hopefully paint the trim and doors later this week. I will post pictures of Ariel's room when it is finished and her new furniture arrives which is scheduled for the first week of October. I am looking forward to the remaining colors which despite not being as bold as these two were will fill our house with cheer in a calming shade of yellow, our favorite slate blue and a light shade of green to finish welcome you upon entering through the front door.

In 10 years so much has changed, my marriage to Rebecca has grown stronger and stronger year after year, our babies have grown into an amazing young people. Our house has never been a show piece but is has always been a "home." A place you felt welcome, a place you could relax and feel comfortable staying whether is was for a quick visit or an overnight stay. I can look back on the past 10 years and say without a doubt that I am blessed! I look forward to seeing what the next 10 years has in store for me and can only imagine how much our family will have transformed next time I have to paint!

A Smashing Good Night!

On labor day weekend Alex and I headed down to the shore line for an evening of crashing and smashing. It was the back to school special at the Waterford Speedbowl which included Ski Car racing, figure 8 races, School Bus races and demo derby's.

 The night started off with the Ski Car races. Alex and I both agreed that these were the most exciting races of the night. If you are unfamiliar with what these are I will do my best to explain. This race is run with front wheel drive vehicles that have had their rear tires removed and replaced with rims welded to metal skid plates or ski's. As you can imagine they are difficult to control and create a lot of excitement when they begin to spin while running at full speed with other vehicles around them. It's also great to follow them as they go around the track while being mesmerized by the trail of sparks.

After the Ski car feature they held a figure 8 race which once again had us standing most of time due to the non stop carnage which included cars flipping over, getting set back on their wheels and continuing on and eventually ending up in the demo derby at the end of the night.

Many of the vehicles attempted to run in each event. I enjoyed watching Alex's face during each event and I was reminiscent of him being upset as a young child every time he saw a car with any body damage. He sure has come a long way - I just hope he doesn't look this happy when he has his first car accident as a teenager!

The bus races were rather boring but the drivers were determined to put on a good show. They decided to add a school bus demo derby into the schedule and did their best to make these full size school buses into back road short buses!

I think that they did a good job shortening them up quite a bit!

At the end of the end of the evening they finished off the remaining vehicles in a front stretch demo derby. 

 It was a fun guy's night out and Alex is convinced that Rebecca is going to let him turn her Hyundai into an X-car and finally a demo derby car when he finally gets his drivers license in a few years.

It was a great night to celebrate the end of summer and a fun way to usher in the school year. The night ended with a great fireworks display which we enjoyed from the comfort of the truck. I am very blessed that each of my kids enjoys the same things I do and as they grow up will have great memories of times spent together. I just pray that I am around to make many, many more memories with them well into my old age!

It's always a good time!

This past Thursday we went to our second Owl City concert in Boston, Massachusetts. We went for Ariel's birthday last year and enjoyed it so much we decided if he ever came back to the area we would go again.

This year Ariel brought her best friend with her so the girls headed for the stage - they are in the center of the picture about 4 heads back. Ariel is in the black shirt right behind the hand with the peace sign.

 Alex and I decided that we didn't want to be surrounded by screaming girls so we headed up to the balcony were we would have a little breathing room and a birds eye view of the entire show.

This years location was a lot smaller than last years which made it a little more up close and personal. Adam Young and his entire band are amazing artists which put on a great show. When Ariel first started listening to his music I never thought I would want to go to see one of his concerts but I would be willing to go with just Rebecca, it is refreshing to hear an artist that can actually sing and sounds like his recorded tracks. I used my  camera to take a short video which obviously doesn't have the best audio recording ability but it will give you a taste of the concert!

The other highlight of the day was I found a new place to grab a bite to eat when I'm working in Boston! It's a little sandwich shop on Commonwealth Avenue called Roast Beast - the food was A+ and the staff was very friendly and made sure we tried all the sauces we desired and also went out of their way to assist us with where to park during the concert. I recommend everyone stop in and try one of their sandwiches - you won't be disappointed, I promise!