Fun Day!

While the husband spent today running Crackers, I went to the Wild River State Park here in Minnesota for a class on landscape photography. A few friends went with me and we had a good time, got some great shots and learned a lot about how to use nature to create amazing pictures. OK...well...the POTENTIAL for amazing pictures is there anyway :) I have a lot to learn in that department.

Here's a few things about me you need to know...If I haven't mentioned it before. I DON'T CAMP...I will stay in an RV, with a working shower and toilet, which personally, I don't really call camping. It's just living in a trailer :) By camping, I mean, tent, ground, fire etc etc. Camping and I do not like each other. The ONLY way you will get me in a tent IS IF, #1 there must be WORKING showers and bathrooms and #2 I have an air mattress. I do not go without showers...ever.

I'll scoop cow/sheep/dog/pig crap, I'll get my hands dirty with about anything...but I am NOT a camper. Thank goodness the husband is with me on this :) If he was the outdoorsy type, I would be in my own personal hell.

The other thing you need to know about me is I HATE, HATE, HATE ticks. I would rather be put in a room filled with snakes than ticks. They really REALLY creep me out. And I try to avoid places that have ticks. Thank goodness where we live, there are very few, and I am very happy for that! :)

So we set off, into the woods, to learn all about landscape photography...and as we are learning about what to take, how, and when...the dude giving the little class informs us all that there ARE deer ticks out...and we should be careful.

Enter, Loretta going into a mild anxiety attack...borrowing OFF! from a fellow classmate and basically dipping herself with the lovely chemical defense system. The rest of the hike I kept glancing down at my pants legs like some kind of druggie going on a bad trip, looking for crawling bugs. Paranoia set in and I became itchy...I was told via my lovely and patient friends, that I would be FINE...lucky for me, I didn't find any ticks on me!!! Thank goodness for OFF! Sure, chemicals are really bad for you, but I love chemicals that keep ticks away...I love you OFF! I love you more than life itself. Thank you for being created!

So...many pictures to share. This is my first attempt at taking photos of nature stuff...as I do prefer taking pictures of animals and people over trees and such. But I think several of them actually turned out pretty well :)

No, I wasn't taking a picture of Sarah :) NOPE, NOPE, NOPE :) And then there is Donna...being all mature and stuff, taking pictures of the landscaping...whateva!

Lots of moss and fungi stuff...it's still really dead here in Minnesota as spring hasn't really decided to stay yet this year...so, for me there was only so much of that I could take pictures of...then I got distracted by bright, shiny objects and lost my focus...

But then I saw this...COOOOOLLL...and then got distracted...

And challenged Dianna to a full out camera war...I opened up a can o' Canon EOS 50D on her...BOO YA!

LOOK! Signs of LIFE! Little buds!

There were TONS of birch trees around here...

And pines...thank goodness for evergreens!

And a lot of dead, dry thingies :) A few people in the class knew the names of all the dead things...and were all like, saying the genus and species of each dead plant...I then got distracted again...by...

Cool green mossy stuff growing on birch trees...PRETTY...

And more pine trees...

I don't know what this is but it looks like a Chia Pet:) Chhh Chhh Chhh Chia!!!

Native grasses were everywhere, one of my favorite types of plants...made for some great textures and contrasts.

Because it was cloudy (imagine that?? We haven't seen the sun in like, oh 4 years) close up shots were going to create the biggest impact for pictures.

More moss :)

Not sure why this intrigued me...but it reminded me of a Robert Frost poem...

They also had some Oak savanna areas in the park, I think Oak trees are gorgeous...I can't wait to come back to the park when there are leaves, and then in the fall with all the colors.

More fungi/mushroomy/thingies. Mr. Nature dude knows the real name for them...I prefer fungi/mushroomy/thingies.

Got distracted...started another shootout...

This time with Donna...she was ready for me :)

OK, back to moss/mushroomy thingies growing on trees again...

More close-ups, bark is really cool...

And so is whatever this thing is :)

Below is one of my favorites...just so peaceful...

And finally, my favorite in the moss/fungi/mushroomy category :)

Day 106: Cool, Green Things :)

Again...no idea what it is...but I like it :)

After a day of taking pictures of things that don't move much...I came home to my dogs :)

During our class, the instructor talked about how the best light for landscape photos was either early morning at sunrise or sunset. So I thought I would take a few pics of the pups as the sun was setting :) I like the richness of the photos :) And of course, I am horribly biased...the subjects are gorgeous :)

Day 107: The Fam Damnily

Gator, Even, Klink, Zip and Lynn---Ace was hiding away from the camera and Crackers is in Chicago this weekend with the husband. We really miss them tons. YES, I said it, I miss the terrier...little white maggot :)