Best Picture of Zoey Ever

Lee's sister and her fiancé have been staying with us lately. While fiancé and Zoey were left at home, this picture transpired. It's truly a treasure.

Hilton Head Part 3: Beachy

Hello, Beach!


We even got up early one morning to catch the sunrise.




Good morning, Sun!


Despite some clouds, it was gorgeous.


After going back to bed, we woke up for some more beach-ing.

Part 1
Part 2

Hilton Head Part 2: I'm on a Bike

One of my favorite things about Hilton Head were the wonderful bike lanes: wide, often separate from the road, extensive, and passing through some beautiful scenery. Our condo was centrally located so we were able to bike to many places.

 
To the Piggly Wiggly.


To the beach.


To the pirate mini-golf.


To the cupcake shop.


The bike lanes had their own little stop signs. Adorable!


And the paths would cut through some woody spots which was the perfect amount of nature to experience at a time.


Adorable bike bridges helped to separate us from the alligators.


Alligator

Hilton Head Part 1: I'm on a Kayak

This is the first in a yet-unknown-number (more than 2, less than 7) series in which I share my vacation photos with you. If you're really really eager to see all the pictures right now, you can just go to my Flickr (Sounds  dirtier than it is.).

Let's start with our kayaking tour. This was a big step for me since:
A. I don't like nature very much. (I'm glad it's there, I just don't want to spend a lot of time with it. This is mostly due to my fears of bugs, snakes, bears and drowning. See item C.)
B. I have the upper body strength of a mouse. (Apparently this is more of a core exercise, not that I have much of a core either.)
C. I don't swim well (doggy paddle FTW) so being in the water in something other than a medium-to-large boat makes me a little nervous.

But Lee likes nature, is strong, and can swim, plus has previous kayaking experience, so kayaking we went!


We departed at 6 p.m. from Shelter Cover Harbour.


We were told not to wear flip-flops but that was all we packed, so we went to Walmart just to get some non-flip-flops. After spending $34 on shoes we don't really like, we gathered with the rest of the tour and most of them were wearing flip-flops. Bummer.


I was both nervous...


and excited. (And a little sad that Lee didn't take me up on my suggestion that we wear matching nautical-themed pashmina afghans.)

You might also notice that I'm sitting in what some people call "the princess seat", but I like to call it "the photographer seat". Someone has to get these sweet dolphin shots.


Yes, there were dolphins. And even though we only saw about 20% of their body, they were still cool.




There were also a lot of birds. They were nice, but no dolphin. This one is an anhinga and is sitting on a barge.


I'm sure you recognize the pelican from Finding Nemo.




In Broad Creek (where we kayaked, it cuts through the middle of Hilton Head Island) there are also oodles of oyster beds. We saw some young American Oystercathers which is rare and none of the pictures turned out but they were still cool. Apparently oyster knives are based on their beaks. And even though oysters seem pretty defenseless, if they sense an oystercatcher approaching, they can clamp down on their beaks and hold them until the tide rises and drowns them. Neato and creepy!


If you're traveling to HHI and/or care, we did a two-hour nature tour through Outside Hilton Head. They were lovely and are not paying me (unfortunately) to say this.

Downsizing

Ever since Charles (my Nikon DSLR) came into my life, we have gone everywhere together. Even Walmart. Because you don't know when the perfect photo opp will appear and you want to be ready with your best gear. Charles compensates for so many of my photography shortcomings, much more so than his predecessor, a Sony point-and-shoot who was never even named.

(And yes, even Walmart has photo opps. One day I saw some crushed color ink cartridges in the parking lot and the colors mixing with the rain/oil puddle was really pretty. But my camera was at home. Le sigh.)

What Charles has in quality though he lacks in portability. His weight pulls on my shoulder. And while I feel more legitimate taking random photos with a professional-looking camera, I also feel like more of a creeper/paparazzi wannabee. (This might have more to do with my general insecurities than anything related to the cameras.) Unnamed Sony is much more lightweight and discreet.

When we were moving, I often left Charles at home and was so relieved to have my purse return to an acceptable weight. So for now, until I change my mind, my unnamed Sony gets to go with my on my daily trips.

My shoulders are so grateful, but my heart misses Charles.

Lee Runs, I Watch and Snap

Lee ran the Derby mini marathon like a champ this weekend. I was proud.


And since it wasn't raining too much, I went downtown to watch. I went to 4th and Breckenridge to watch Lee hit the 10 mile marker. When he recognized me and waved I figured he must be doing pretty well to have that kind of brain function at mile 10.

Once Lee past I took some time to snap some pictures around downtown Louisville.

Lampton Baptist Church (I think.)

The gate outside Presentation Academy.

Calvary Episcopal Church (I'm pretty sure.)

Library

I'm quite proud of the photos, but then again having something pretty to photograph and a good balance of sun and cloud pretty much does all the work for you.

By the time I made it to the finish line, things were so crowded I couldn't see anyone in the race, but apparently I walked by as Lee was running in, so I guess that's good timing? Wandering around trying to find Lee after the finish provided some more photo ops along the river.

Announcement! (not a house or baby)

Caitlin and I are starting a 365-day photoblog today! *shoot off confetti* *celebrate*

As you might know, Caitlin and I went to college together and are BFF, brought together by a shared love for movie nights and cookie dough. Sadly, we currently live 1000 miles apart (Louisville, KY to Austin, TX), but since we both like blogging and photos, this seems like a great way to stay in better contact and see what the other sees everyday.

I took this picture yesterday on my way to work, so sadly I couldn't use it today since that's against the rules. 

Check it out (and subscribe!) at www.1000milesbetween.blogspot.com

Some Audio/Visual Entertainment

Some snow pictures






But better than pictures is video of Zoey trying to get through the snow on her stubby little legs.


Also, for your enjoyment, we have finally captured footage of Zoey and Reagan wrestling!

Decisions

I am not always a quick decision maker. I will go back and forth over decisions WAY more than necessary and more than most sane people can tolerate. There's been one choice I've been struggling with for about two months and I am coming to you all for help and guidance.

Charles my Nikon needs a bag.

I have selected bags in certain categories but can't select which category I should go with. The main goal is to make Charles as portable as possible because I love to have him with me. It's creepy the affection I have for him. Probably my most-loved piece of technology ever.

You should also know that I'm about as good as packing light as I am making decisions so I carry lots of things with me. (I'm that girl who always has the bobby pin, floss, hand lotion, pen, paper, etc. you need. It's an important service that I offer.) And you don't have to worry about me transporting camera accessories at this time. Once I get the handle shooting modes other than auto, I'll look into some lenses and crazy flash stuff.

Option 1: Fitted case

Pros: The camera and case would take up very little space and I could pretty much just put Charles in any bag and walk out the door.
Cons: I haven't been able to locate a case that fits my specific model, but models that are very similar to mine. While I really like the idea of the case being able to fit in my main bag, it would be nice if it could also function as a stand-alone case, which this doesn't do. I would always want to put it in another bag.

Option 2: The Three Million Dollar Home
Pros: There are several bags in this style, but Crumpler's Three Million Dollar Home had me once I saw their sweet site, excellent bag quality, and ridiculous amount of positive reviews. I think and hope that this could fit in a messenger (I might finally get that Bayan Hippo bag I've wanted for literally the past year.) or tote bag because I like to travel with one large-ish bag. It can also work as a stand-alone bag if I want it to on any given day.
Cons: There aren't really any cons, so much as there is the existence of other options that have pros. 

Option 3: The Five or Six Million Dollar Home
Pros: A camera messenger bag that could hold a camera and my wallet, lotion, floss, pen, paper, cell phone, lip gloss, iPod...
Cons: A little bulky in a way I find unattractive. Also, I was really hoping to not spend that much money on a camera bag (Yeah, yeah, Option 2 plus the new Bayan Hippo bag would be equal or greater than Option 3, but with Option 2 you get two bags instead of one!).

Option 4: Backpack
I'm just throwing this out there since real-life friend suggested it when this whole hullabaloo started, but this option just doesn't appeal to me. I rarely want to carry a backpack and those get expensive. I'd rather go messenger bag or tote route.

Now that I've written this all down and gained a bit of clarity, it seems like Option 2 is the clear winner, but feedback filled with personal anecdotes about transporting your large camera would be greatly appreciated!