Sexy Shoes!!!

Gotta love a sexy pair of shoes.    Not mine but mine at heart.   To only be 20 again and buying those shoes because I have a place to wear them to.

Cherries

We have lucked out again having a house with lots of fruit trees around the property.    Though we are on the ball finally with spraying.  ( missed it a few times in Australia and got fruit flies bad!!)   So these are the awesome cherries that I'm fighting the bear for.

Papparazzi

Just a little shot of the craziness of people down taking photos of their prom kids!!   Very hard to get all the kids looking at you they didn't know where to look.

Classic Beauty

I went to photograph a friends daughter all dressed up for her prom.   This girl just captured my attention.  She must have thought I was a stalker.   He attire just reminded me of the 40's and I just loved her whole look.    There was quite a few girl with very unique styles which is great to see at that age.   Expressing themselves and doing a fabulous job at it.   It was a lot of fun doing this today but a little overwhelming people everywhere!!

#18 of Faces Challenge

I am back at it!!  Slowly.    This is Franco he was walking his dogs and had stopped to have a coffee at Tim Horton's.    Owen headed straight for his dog names Shiloh and had a good long pet while I photographed Franco.   

A little bit old fashioned

He's Back.......

Or it could be a girl but I don't know how to tell the difference and I'm not doing to get that close to find out.     But it's war he's eating my cherries!!!!  I watched him climb up the tree and sit and eat.   But photo was too blurry and when I opened the door to get a better shot he was coming down the tree.

Fluff

So I'm use to the Dandelion fluff  (the first photo) but BC has this monster Goat's Beard Fluff (2nd to 4th photos)  that I have never seen before.   The kids love it more fluff to blow around.   Dad on the other hand has nightmares of it taking over the yard.      So we try to blow across the way in the gully!!

Hornets......

Owen and Ciara were out in the bush climbing trees and playing.   Owen started screaming.   Ciara pulled him out of a hornets attack.   He got bit 6 times on his body and then 2 or 3 on his thumb.   The left hand started to swell up.   Though you can't really tell from this photo.   He was fine no reaction except for the thumb swelling.   So we gave him some Dimetapp and went swimming.   All fine now.  Ciara got one bite on her arm from the rescue and doesn't want to swing from trees anymore.   So we have to find that nest so they can continue their playing. 

No!!!

No is my life lately.  " No mommy " (don't take anymore photos),  "no mommy ( I don't want to leave),
"no mommy"  ( I don't want to go wherever you want to go),  "no mommy"   (I don't want to say whatever word you are trying to get me to say!)   and Finally No I haven't taken any photos of strangers in a very long time.
Happy Father's Day to the North American Dad's.  

Eating my day away

My day started with a potluck lunch and a first outdoor swim of the year.   They said the pool was 20 degrees but I think that was the outdoor temperature.  Owen went in and then straight out shivering!!  (my true Aussie child)   I was glad though.  It was cold and I didn't have to stay and spot him anymore.
Then an evening of wine and Epicure party.   www.epicureselections.com
Was a fun day of laughs and yummy food.   

Strawberries

My first picking from our strawberry patch.  Now to get the ice cream!!!

Awesomeness!!!

My friend Christine has scoped out an amazing spot for me.   She took me out some back roads and then behold the vision you see in the photo.  Thank you,  Thank you!!  Open views for miles and miles.  I have visions of photos dancing through my head all night and my list beside the bed is huge.     Now I just need some models and I can put the visions together and build up my skills and portfolio!!

Playing with Photoshop

Sunset

Pink and Purple sunsets are odd to see after the brilliant orange sunsets of the outback.   Now if I can only realize it is going to be like this so I can run out to the hiking trails behind our subdivision and take a photo of the sunset with space.   I'll get there.

Chicken.......... I mean Turkey

Okay I'm a huge chicken.   I see lots of people I want to ask to take a photo but I chicken out.   I let them pass.   Get distracted by the kids....     I can have a conversation with an animal.  Like this Turkey at the Little Farmer's Petting Zoo and the Westsyde Centennial Park in Kamloops.    They say  he is very sociable but I have my doubts he kind of stalks you!!!     So I have done 17 strangers.  I have no more in reserve.  I have explored lots of Kamloops and have great spots for the summer holidays to go with the girls.    I have a zillion ideas of photos I want to take.   No I just have to get the chicken out of me and become the stalking turkey!!!

Weed Man

To those of you that didn't know.  I grew up on a Beef Farm in Guelph, Ontario.    My brother bought the farm now and farms it.  Dad has become the hired hard and enjoys that more then running the day to day stuff.    My brother is also the Provincial Weed Specialist.    So here's a photo for him in honour of the  great talk a had with him today.   He always makes me smile.

Gone Butterfly Hunting

Slowing down today and watching life.....

The real #17 Face Challenge Photo

This is Corey from Valleyview Barbers on Flamingo Road in Kamloops.   Great shop has lots of photos of barbers around the world.   A M&M collection, toys for the kids to play,  tv,  and some good magazines for while you wait.   Cory looked at me a little funny when I asked if I could take a photo even though this was far from Owen's first hair cut.  But he agreed and here's one of the shots.    I think we have found our barber for the men in our house.

Can this be my #17 Face?

Honestly I had a conversation with him.  He chirped and whistled to me for quite a bit.  I think the jist of it was "Come on  lady feed me,  see everyone else is feeding me !  Don't be so high and mighty I know the sign says not to feed me things that aren't in my natural diet but I'm hungry!!"
This is a Yellow Bellied Marmot.   I haven't seen one of these before they are related to a ground hog that we find in Ontario.    A marmot is a ground squirrel.   It makes homes in the rocks and digs down deep into the ground.  The males tend to have four or five females living with them.  

#16 of Faces Challenge

This is Mrs. Casper's.  She's one of the Helpers at the school.   I asked if I could take her photo and she said " Oh no!!  I take horrible photos!!!  I look mean and I squint. "    I said perfect I'm trying to get you in your mean mode when you have to make sure the kids get on the bus!!!   (secretly thinking I can get a good photo of you)   She agreed and well she is very hard to take a photo of.   I thought I had her eyes nicely open some laughing and boom squinting!!   Even if I took lots I don't know how she does it?   I thought I had a quick finger on the shutter.   Maybe this is another challenge to get her under the shade,  not in the harsh 2pm light,   away from making sure the kids are getting on the bus,  talking about her favourite place (her cottage),  knitting,  and all the work she does at the school and get a relaxed great photo of her.   Another Challenge for sure. 
Also think instead of looking for neat people I should start looking for interesting light.   I need to shake up some of these photos they are looking the same!!  

#15 of Faces Challenge

This was the MC at the School's Carnival.   He quite literally took me at my word when I asked him if I could take a photo.   He went sure posed and let me take one photo and then took off.  I didn't get to ask him his name and thank god this photo actually was in focus and exposed right.   I would haven't gotten another chance.  I guess that's why wedding photographers have to have this talent.  They have only one chance to get one moment sometimes.   So I'm learning to be quick and have my exposure right.   That still doesn't mean I'd want to do weddings!!!

A Vampire visited us last night

I think it may be a slight bit mixed up though.  It slept through the night and has been up all day!!!

#14 of Faces Challenge

This is Linda.  She caught my eye because she was sitting reading the paper and having a cuppa outside the shed at Riverside Park.   Apparently she is quite a celebrity as people all know her because she has worked at the park for 20 years.    She was a great model and has a great smile too.   I posted my favourite.   After the picture taking she told me and Owen to be very quiet and then took us over to the tennis courts.  By the side of the court in some long grass was a duck with 8 eggs.   Nesting.  Linda had just spotted them that morning as she was weed eating the tennis courts.   So needless to say the grass will stay long around that side of the court for the next 21 to 35 days.  

Carnival and Snow Cones!!!

The girls school had a carnival last night.   Similar but different to their past school carnivals.   I'd say a lot more sugar was involved in this one!!!   It was fun watching them run around with their heads cut off trying to decide what to do first.   I didn't have to make dinner which was a bonus in my books.
Then came the huge snow cones ..................  I think that finished them off.  (after the lollies,  cotton candy,  soda pop, hot dogs,  sour suckers)   They did not have the best tummies the rest of the night. 

Now to get back to the challenge.  It is proving quite hard.   Which hence the name "Challenge".  This week I haven't had the chance to just go wander Kamloops and ask people.   I have been on missions,  had to get back to met someone or pick up the kids,   it was raining,  and sometimes that laundry does need done doesn't it?!?!?!

We interrupt this challenge for a BEAR SIGHTING!!!!!

So yesterday afternoon around 2pm.  Owen and his friend were just inside from playing outside.  Enjoying a snack and watching a movie.   The door was open because we had the neighbours dog (babysitting it).  So  I look up and there is a bear heading towards the door!!!   The dog barked the kids and I dropped our jaws and the bear stopped for a moment before running.   I slammed the door and locked it then ran upstairs for the camera!!!   Saw it standing on the stones by the pond so took some photos before it took off again. 
So that's my excitement for the month!!!  Hope that satisfies your sticky beakness for the month as well.
Because even if I could I don't think I want to top that excitement.  The only thing that would top that would be a cougar in my yard.    And we aren't going there.........

#13 of Faces Challenge

This is Kelly he was taking a break from his morning bike at Riverside.   He usually goes on a daily bike and gets to see lots of wild life at Riverside park.   Horned owls, ducks, and deer have been his most memorable.

#12 of Faces Challenge

This is Marty who works with Eric at the mine he is a Geotech.  This is his girlfriend Tasha and she works at Kelowna Wines.    They have a dog names Tucker, black lab.   So Marty was the one that got talking to Eric about going 4WDing on the May Long Weekend.    I didn't get to talk to these two too much during the weekend but they have a great vibe and are very friendly.