The Birthday Girls

Today was Kathy's birthday.  (There will be no numbers talked about here...)  Liz and Amy wanted to make sure that Kathy didn't feel older, so they came up with the idea of getting some house dresses and some gray wigs, and dressing up, so that Kathy would be the youngest looking woman in the room.  Oh, and they got me involved, complete with house dress and wig.  Liz and Amy are SO creative to think of this, and when the three of us came down the stairs singing "Happy Birthday" I thought that Kathy was going to pass out, she was laughing so hard!

More Fun With Infrared

I am having so much fun with the camera that Dean loaned me, that I can't stand it!  It is a completely new way to see the world.  I try and visualize what a scene will look like in infrared, and I am continually surprised by what the camera sees.  Surprised at how different it sees the world.  This camera makes the world seem magical, and sunny all over, and believe it or not, I feel really wonderful when I look at these pictures, after I have shot each one.  I didn't expect that, it was such a nice surprise.

Amy & Liz At The Dining Room Table

Liz and Amy are here from California for a week's visit, and of course, we are so excited to have them here, and to hang out with them.  So I am always looking for photographs, and saw this scene when the two of them were both working on different projects at the dining room table.  I really love this moment of the two of them at work.  And I love the hat, which belongs to Liz, hanging on the chair in the foreground.  

A Friend Like This

Is this magic, or what!  This is my favorite subject - the Japanese Maple tree in the side yard.  Why does it look so different? Because it was recorded in Infrared light.  All digital cameras are sensitive to IR light, but the manufacturers put in a special filter that blocks this light.  So my friend Dean, who lives in Tucson, Arizona had his camera modified by having the filter removed, and then it can take pictures like this.  I haven't known Dean for that long, and yet he said that I really should try shooting with an IR camera for a while.  So he put it into a box, and mailed it to me, just like that!  Is that a friend, or what!  I have been going nuts shooting with this - it sees the whole world differently.  Any plant with chlorophyl reflects infrared light, and so that vegetation appears white.  You may soon get bored with me shooting up a storm with my temporary new playtoy.

The Altar Boy

I was photographing a Mass this past Sunday, and began by going to the back of the church where the Priest and the Eucharistic Ministers gather before the procession to say a prayer.  I was photographing that, and then looked over to the corner where the altar boy, holding the cross, was waiting for the procession to begin.  His eyes were fixed on the cross, and I quickly made a couple of exposures.  I kept shooting, and was amazed that he kept his eyes fixed on the cross.  I just love his face - such a handsome young man.

Loosing our Pastor

We're loosing our pastor, after 12 years, and we are sad to see him go.  The way the Roman Catholic church works, is, that pastors serve for a 6 year term, and that can be extended for another 6 years, but then its on to another parish.  It is always so difficult to say goodbye to someone we have come to love.  The cool thing, is that in addition to being a wonderfully spiritual person, he is also a geek!  He has done wonderful things with the parish website to stay in touch with young people off at college, and he loves to take photographs.  That's what he is doing here, at a small going away party that the Marriage Ministry members held for him the other night.  It's always fun to be around another photographer!

Creeped Me Out

This really creeped me out.  I was driving eastbound on the Long Island Expressway, in the center lane and I suddenly realized that some guy in a black SUV was right on my tail.  Like 4 feet from my rear bumper.  At 60 MPH!  What a jackass.  Not only was he so close, but his car was creepy as well.  It was completely covered with mud, and his windshield was almost obscured by mud as well.  So first chance I got, I moved over to the right lane, and he zoomed past, which was when I saw that the whole rest of the car was covered with mud. I hate drivers like this. This picture shows my rearview mirror, the image in it, and part of the view out the front windshield.