Proud to be Born in Florida

(Blog follower and Floridian friend Kristin, my guest blogger the other day with with gators on Christmas, is going to enjoy this photograph)

Michael is the only grandchild born in Florida and he’s proud of it.

I was fortunate he was an August baby and I hadn’t started back to school yet so I was on the scene to take care of big sister Anna when Mom and Dad went to the hospital.

The family has a Pittsburgher, two Buckeyes and a Floridian.

This Christmas Santa helped Michael get the proper gear to represent The University Florida Gators.

No one else in Columbus Ohio is sporting these colors around town. They’re all in scarlet and gray, right Rob?

What is your team?

What the Kids Like Best on Christmas

The Famous Box — Maura finds the exterior box of the pressure cooker a great toy!

Parmigiano Reggiano Soup Bones

The only problem is that they are resting in my DIL’s fridge in Ohio and I am back in Pittsburgh. The temperature going down to nine and I am thinking SOUP!

I just got a kick out of the label from their market. Soup BONES?

I had never heard the rinds called soup bones and it struck me funny. I use a rind in my minestrone and it really adds to the body of the soup flavor. Any be any soup will do.

and a prettier shot with the lid off

A Pick-Up Truck Bed Filled with Legs on a Snowy Highway

Guest blogger again today. The blog has been a family effort as of late. I’ve been out here for ten days and going back home New Year’s Day.

Today”s guest blogger is none other than my nine year old granddaughter Anna who shot this scene with her mom’s cell phone from a moving car.

She saw this pick-up truck on the way to swim practice. What I love is that she saw it, got her mom’s camera on the phone going and captured the shot and THEN she texted it to me saying “I just blogged for you”. People write to me and tell me they see something and think, ahh Ruth would photograph this. People have called or emailed suggestions of things to consider photographing for the blog. If I had seen this truck filled with a pile of fake legs in the back

And then there are these moments of serendipity.

I asked her where she thought the truck was going

Her reply “Probably a dummy store.”

Anna has shown me photos before to be on the blog but I said We’ll know when it is right! Today it is perfect.

Black Dog, White Kitchen Cupboard, Remote Cable and Presto-

Meet Charlotte- 1/2 Husky, 1/2 Shepherd. The runt of the litter four years ago at James’ sister Kim’s farm Red Rooster Acres. She was visiting her cousin Penny.

It was Sunday night visiting Laura and James before the Tony Monaco Show at the Rumba Cafe. I tried to photograph her in the living room, sans flash of course, and it was too dark. So I asked if I could photograph her in the kitchen. I had read that photographing a dog with black fur can be a challenge.

Using the white of the kitchen was the key and my new cable release. And the cooperation and attention of Charlotte. I swear she smiled. Thanks Shawn (James’ cousin) for allowing me to post her portrait today. When you look at her you can see she is not looking at me, but Shawn!

(My mother’s mother’s name,too)

Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in Pictures

The suggestion of the WordPress Photo Challenge is to select 12 pictures to sum up the year. As I looked through the folders from this year’s collection and started to pull a few here and there, I remembered what an Art Professor’s comment when he went through my portfolio. “Hmmmm. Peopled or unpeopled?” I was really mixing it up. You know how I love to find the unexpected- reflection, expression or scene.

Photograph what I am eating or where I am at the moment. When I look at this collection I am grateful for a patient and loving family who allows me to capture them in pictures. Like Matthew said at his college graduation, ” This is what my mom does. It’s annoying now, but later you’re glad.”

But my 2012 Pictures are Peopled! I read how some bloggers went to see which images received the most hits and then they would pick from those but some of my biggest hits aren’t from 2012. So this posting is to honor my grown up children’s Pop, who passed last month. As Matthew said to him, “look at all your descendants” when he showed him the photo of them gathered on the stairs.

You’ve seen some of these before if you follow the blog. Thanks for looking and clicking the “like” button or writing a comment this year.

Looking forward to 2013. Happy New Year!

532829_3581776935703_271266138_n — Mark and Erika celebrated their ten year anniversary last August.

steve and the dachshunds

December’s Electric Bill?

Columbus Ohio. About two miles from Mark and Erika’s house. Erika drove the kids to see the lights. I propped the camera on the window and was able to catch it but a tripod and cable release would have been useful. Must be a lot of work to take down all the lights and decorations. holiday

Christmas Mice to Admire and Eat

Guest Blog from Euthemia where my sister is spending the Christmas holidays.

Her friend Joanne brought these to Christmas dinner . Euthemia emailed me the photo of them and then I wrote back to ask if it would be okay to post. Directions below. Thanks Euthemia and Joanne.

Here are the instructions for making the chocolate cherry mice from Joanne Maier of Glenmont, New York.

They were a great hit at the holiday table.

24 Maraschino cherries with stems

Waxed paper

1/2 cup chocolate chips

24 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped

48 almond slices (match pairs by size)

Icing – 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon of water

Black food coloring

Red food coloring

Drain cherries, pat dry. Cherries, unwrapped kisses and paired ears need to be lined up ahead of time on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper. Microwave chocolate chips 15 seconds at a time until melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Hold the cherry by stem, dip and swirl til covered in chocolate, put on the side so tail sticks out and on the front, push on a Kiss to make the head. Where the Kiss meets the cherry, put in the two ears, and keep doing it until you finish. Make icing, take a small amount and add black food coloring, another small amount for red food coloring, and the rest will stay white. Put icing into 3 different baggies and cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag. Make the eyes white with a black dot in the middle, and use the pink for a nose.

Angel Lava Lamp

No kidding.

Plugged in and sitting on top of the piano at Mark and Erika’s house.

And I found myself watching it for a long time, the sparkles rising and falling, catching the light. Now photographing it was a challenge.

Too much light and the sparkles disappeared.

I was fascinated by the glittery colors inside floating and glimmering. This is the best I could capture it. I thought it was a lot of fun.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise

Seven surprises!

The weekly photo challenge: surprise.

I’m thinking about Stef’s Three Daily Delights blog and how she faithfully lists three delights from her day. Thanks Stef for the inspiration.

Here are 7 surprises captured by the handy iPhone, save #2,shot with Canon 5D.

1. Jack found the fresh snow when he opened the front door Saturday morning. That’s my unpacked suitcase by the front door. Surprise!

2. My wonderful DIL Erika sent a hot cup of coffee out with Anna as I was watching the kids play in the snow in the backyard. (this is the only shot with the regular camera) Yes, that’s a Roadside America souvenir travel cup. Surprise!

3. Penny the Golden Doodle actually watches TV(Christmas Vacation) at Laura and James’ house. Matthew and I arrived Friday night and ate delicious bowls of chili and cornbread, after a 6 hour drive in the snow and traffic (usually a 3 1/2 hour trip).

Surprise!

4. My SIL James’ parents sent the wonderful gift of perfect, juicy pears. I sliced one and it disappeared in seconds. Thanks Chuck and Sharon.

Surprise.

5. Thursday afternoon I was stuck in traffic in the rain and saw this pink building and two pink vehicles for Bread and Pastries. This is the true color, not enhanced! Surprise.

6. Anna(9) baked a cake all by herself then took a sandwich bag, turned it inside out and filled it with buttercream and then snipped the tip of the corner off and proceeded to decorate the chocolate cake.

7. Kerry, the student teacher(Art Department) did some serious baking and made special message cookies for the last day of school before Winter Break. Surprise!