More Americorps - the Northwest

Vampires!

   Also when I was in Americorps I rented a car and drove from Sacramento, Ca to Forks, Washington...yes, because of the Twilight books.  I read the books before the movie, saw Twilight (book) in a library in Florida and was like, hmmm, ok, I'll read this teeny bopper book.  I enjoyed it.  I hate the movies.  I strongly dislike Kristen Stewart and think she cannot act and that Robert guy does NOT look like Edward and ugh! what a way to ruin things.  Tangent.  SOOOO I wanted to visit the small town and what better way to do that then drag my 2 teammates along and hit some awesome sights along the way?  We had a blast.  I only wish I had taken more pix of Seattle.  I think I was saving my battery or memory or both for Forks.  So, part 1, the trip up.

Redwood forest on the coast of California

view inside one of those crazy trees

herd of some animal we saw, no idea what they are

sometimes the drive way quite spooky

beach..west coast...Pacific ocean ya'll!

catching some rays (notice the layers of clothing) and the California plate..what what?!

cool rock

some bear statue...I don't know if this was warning you there were bears, the size of bears, or some sort of tribute to appease the bears and keep them away...it is California

another neat beach view on a rainy day

stuck in traffic jam, almost in Seattle! notice the lovely license plate blurring...you're welcome

One picture of Seattle! See the crazy totem pole thing? So neat.  Also, that hospital in the background to the left is where Grey's Anatomy happens.  True story*

This is that fish-place where the workers have tons of fun and throw fish.  I saw it in some motivational video for some job..I'll try to find it online..almost across the street from here is the first Starbucks! So wish I had taken a picture

Seattle Bay  (Actually I have not clue if it is called that. I shall go research now.)  Puget Sound - haha, I think I knew that

As you can see, these pictures were taken in April. 2008.  That is all.

*not true story, I just made that up.

Death Valley

Surprise!
K, so I was totally gonna share pictures from the hammock in spring, but I cannot find them! And in my search I came across theses pictures I took at the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley while I was in Americorps.  It was so worth the very long drive down the gravel road there, the rented SUV, and the trip home in the dark almost out of gas and thinking we saw a UFO, when really it was the moon rising.  Ha!

As you can see, I had the date stamp on there. Useful for remembering but kinda messes up the picture

A sailing stone! If you don't know about these, look it up, so fascinating

we got there a little before the sunset, but it went behind those mountains fast!

I'm being all scientific and studious...here is a rock, hmmmm

now I was being artsy with the black and white.  No, I don't know those people

All these pix were with my old camera (also red) not as great as my teammate's Cannon Powershot which made me want the one I got for Christmas last year, yay!
   As you can see, I took these in March, I was wearing shorts, it is Death Valley after all, I hear it gets pretty hot there.

Allons-y!

Sunrise I saw one day on my way to work.  The picture never comes out as awesome as it looks in real life.

I like this one better even though you can't really see the sun, its got some of the foggy mist that was all over the fields that day.  Gorgeous.

 

That's it. Happy Tuesday!

Bonfired

I Love My Camera!

   So I got my wonderful camera from my wonderful husband at Christmas.  Last Christmas.  No, not this past Christmas (I forget what I got....wait, I'll remember......wait for it.....wait for IT.....nope, can't remember...I'll come back to this)* but the Christmas before that.  I have had this camera for a year and a half now.  And I have taken a few (thousand) pictures with it.  Pix of landscape, foliage, people, stars, flowers, clouds, cats, kids, babies, and even (um, trying to think of something zany here) a bug!  I recently figured out how to do black and white, and therefore many other color varieties, in like May.  My camera does some fun zoom and focus stuff that I don't have much control over, I just know how to press buttons.  But somehow, last night, I accessed hitherto-for unknown wonderments of my camera!!!!  I can do fish eye lens! I can do toy camera! I can do multiple shots! There is a setting for kids and pets! There is a setting that looks like a parrot that says it is for super vibrant color - I guess they are including the green parrot in that.  Most of these cool things I didn't get to really use because it was getting dark and we were having a bonfire...then I found it.

Nighttime setting.
Ooooooh man.

Taking pictures of a fire normally, the fire is kinda a blur type thing.  Not with nighttime setting!! I got some SUPER AWESOME pictures!! Like individual flames! Like, what? I took that picture? Me? Wow! Are you ready for this? I don't think you are.  I will start you out slowly, with a nice sunset and blah bonfire.  Hold on to your hats.  I don't care if you are wearing a hat or not...go get a hat and hold on to it.  Ready?
(read the captions in a little girly dreamy voice.  Until you get to the crazy pictures ... don't worry, you'll know)

la la la, nice sunset

getting the fire going, la la la

ho hum, blurry picture, cool

getting rather dark now

whoa! look at those flames!

Boom! Fire!

Can you feel the heat? Smell the smoke? How's that hat doing?

 I told you! Awesome, right? Oh man.  Then I discovered long exposure!!! Tried to take a picture of some stars.  It was a black picture.  Then I tried the cars going by...neato.

car

I can't wait to try the other programs! My cats are gonna be so annoyed with me tomorrow!!

 *I forgot I was supposed to be remembering.  Ok, I got a Nook! Wow. Can't believe that took me that long cuz I love my Nook and hmmmm, maybe I should look for its secret section of unknown wonderments.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

I have a thing!

Hello again.  I am fully recovered from my sickness, thanks for asking.  Sadly, as a result, the results from the 30 day challenge are disappointing today, as I missed 4ish days of exercise.  So the 30 day challenge has been extended to 35 days! Commence cheering! Excellent.  Cease cheering!!

I have been getting sooooooooo many comments and requests from all my followers out there.*  "Put up more pictures please!" "We want to see more pictures!" "Stop being so funny, I keep peeing my pants!" and "You are awesome!"  So your requests have been heard, filed, and ignored.  Except the picture one.  I will put up more pictures! Starting today I will put up a daily picture for your visual enjoyment and photographic cataloging of my life's moments!

 Ok, truthfully I'm doing this as one of my "things."  See, I am a procrastinator at heart.  If there is something I don't like doing, I try to avoid it or put it off as long as possible.  Things that are not my favorite things to do:
making sandwiches
brushing my teeth
emptying the dishwasher
folding/putting away laundry
exercising
etc.

So I try to trick myself into doing these things by coming up with games, timing myself, or rewarding myself.  Examples - I race against my old time to try to make my husband's lunch - my fastest so far unbeatable time? 3 minutes and 8 seconds.  I read a book or watch a show while brushing my teeth for 5 minutes.  I watch a show while folding and putting away laundry.  I came up with the 30 day challenge which is one of the few things that has helped me be consistent with exercising. I haven't found anything to make emptying the dishwasher more bearable.  Mostly I'll put it off until my husband does it. :)

I want to make more blog entries but usually procrastinate about it......SOOOO I decided to put a picture up everyday! That is my blogging thing! Not that I don't like to blog, I just forget to or don't know what to write about.   Excited? Me too! Here are pictures for 2, count 'em, 2 days! You're welcome

Friday, August 2nd

this is what my porch looked like after a 2 and a 3 year old finished drawing with chalk.  They are quite enthusiastic

The hand prints are my favorite...this was all their idea.

 Saturday, August 3rd

blueberry bushes - yum!

Gorgeous view from the farm where we picked blueberries, Ed's Acres.

Happy weekend!

*False - I only get comments from my good friend, Sailor Moon.  What's up with that, people? I love comments!