Some beauty, some water, a new orange bird feeder

A view around the yard

A New Smilebox

is next. Our Llano Photography club has several chores for the summer, one is fireworks. My latest attempt was last week at the Iowa Cubs AAA baseball game vs Omaha. CUBS WON! Our instructions for great fireworks said to go manual, with f-8 or f-11 and ISO 100 or 200. I set my camera for f-8 and ISO 200. After about five shots, I checked the pictures, no good, too dark. I changed to the sports setting. The camera let me do a quick one frame shot or multiple shots. I did not have a choice for the foreground, due to our reserved seats and I felt I should have used a smaller zoom lens and had NO tripod. The fireworks show was only about 10 minutes long, so I kept shooting and ended up with only about 25 shots, they are fun to examine. I really like the ones with the puffs of smoke. I wish I had the smaller camera ready to shoot a movie, the finale was awesome with some big BOOOOMS!

Carry on

Fireworks at Sec Taylor Stadium

Create your own free digital slideshow

I found

a new web site that will do everything.....www.wolframalpha.com

ask a math question, it will give you the answer. put in your home town, there is an aerial map and you can zoom in to your home. Lets see, I think they took the photo in late April or May last year. I can see the trailer in the driveway and mom's tulip tree is bloomed.

Check it out.......carry on........

They are off and running

in the Dam to Dam 10K and downtown Des Moines 5K run/Walk. Raindrops kept falling on their heads through most of the 10K, but they finished. One lady that ran had a lung transplant a year ago. The father of the donor found her and ran along side of her for the 10K. The organizers are great, they have it down to a science, Lots of water tables, beer tables and KYBOS!
























f

Who are these guys?

I think Charlie made this statement, on LOST.......when the group encountered "The Others" for the first time.....

She's a Golfer and She's a Hockey Player

That's the Ankeny golf phenom, Victoria Grasso, aka MOOSE. In the fall she will be a junior at Ankeny Christian Academy. Last season she was state 1 A state golf medalist, this year she finished in 2nd place. Her interview in the paper reported that after graduation, she would like to play golf in college......as well as hockey.....This week she is in Toronto, Canada. She was chosen as one of the 100 top youth hockey players and was invited to an exclusive camp. What northern team will fill her needs for college? Michigan? Minnesota? The great Johnny Wooden passed away last week. It was because of his success on the basketball court that made us UCLA fans many years ago. He said to "learn as if you were to live forever, Live as if you were to die tomorrow. " He is the second greatest college coach of all time, only trails the great Dan Gable of Iowa wrestling. John had 10 national titles, Dan had 15....Greatest female coach of course is Pat Summitt of Tennessee women's BB. I guess there should be categories, each sport.....Football is difficult to choose. Right now I'd have to say Hayden Fry and his legion of coaches. Ferenz, Stoops, Stoops, Snyder, Chuck Long, Mc Cartney, the Wisc coach, Bo at Nebraska, Hayden really taught his coaches how to follow in his footsteps. Baseball, Arizona St/Arizona/UCLA/So Cal......any coach in warm weather areas where they can practice all year long. Softball? Right now, UCLA, they are taking names in the championship series right now. Track and field? Give it to Drake for their April Relays....College sports are the best to watch, especially women's basketball, they actually run an offense, play defense, are great shooters and don't show off with dunks. Go to a game this winter, you will be surprised at how much fun it is. Here's hoping Ms Grasso will concentrate on golf only, there is some money in her future on the LPGA tour, nothing for hockey. However, she could find a spot on the USA Hockey team. Go MOOSE!

SATC #2

Sex and the City #2 opened last week and I went to watch this great drama/comedy.......If you like the clothes, shoes, jewelry, and hot men........it is all that, again. The Austrailian water polo team is HOT HOT HOT.......The movie drags at times and should be shortened a lot, two and a half hours is too much.......I don't know who wrote the script, not as good as the TV show, I was
disappointed with the movie. Don't you think it is time that they quit showing Samantha humping some guy she picked up on the street? Or on a camel? Don't waste your time........

Winter 2010 Texas

Free photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

Memories are made of this.......

Memorial Day at Ankeny Memorial Gardens is a great morning. the cemetery is full of families visiting their deceased loved ones. Father Orr was blessing his parishoners. Sante said I should have him bless my parents graves. OH MY! The last two generations in my family were anti-Catholic.....WHY? We discussed this and do not know the answer.......That is what is good about our country, the USA.....freedom of religion, speech, etc.....Several of my classmates were on hand as usual. Thelma and I had a great visit while searching for the grave of a classmate, Mike Albaugh. No stone yet. Another friend made a phone call so we could locate his resting place. We think we found him. A special treat on Monday was a flyover by an Iowa Air group. First time. No warning, I did not have my camera.

2nd and 3rd verses.......

Fading light, dims the sight, and a star gems the sky gleaming bright, from a far, drawing nigh, falls the night

thanks and praise, for our days, neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky, as we go, this we know.........

Taps........carry on.........