Contents May Disappear Immediately

A couple of days ago I came home to a mysterious package on my front step, with an interesting message:

and further instructions...

Since nobody else (that would be Robbie) was home at the time, I figured I was SAFE. So I opened the package to find a cool (literally) gift box inside (packed amongst gelled-ice bags) with this loving message...

Awwww! April! You are so sweet! I love you too!!!!!! And I opened the gift box for the big reveal...

Ahhhhh! Could anything look more delectable? You must know by now that these are giant chocolate-covered STRAWBERRIES!

...almost too pretty to eat...

...but not quite! I discovered a second layer of white chocolate beneath the milk chocolate. I think I found a bit of heaven in that bite!

And yes, just like the package warned, the contents has quickly been disappearing, between Robbie, me, and a some other lucky partakers! Yum, yum, yum (snarf!)! Thank you so much for the sweet love, April Joy! I love you! Mom

Katie Evans Photography Workshop

Katie Evans is an amazing photographer out of the Austin, Texas area. I've been a fan of her blog and never thought I'd ever get the chance to meet her. But she brought her "The Key to Taking Pictures Workshop" to my home state of Utah on Saturday, and I jumped on board. Maybe you've seen her easy-to-read and informative ebook by the same name? Or purchased it? I did!

Katie held the workshop at a colorful little shop called the Vintage Cupcake Co. in Ogden. There is a comfy sitting area in the back where the six of us in the workshop sat, getting intimately acquainted our cameras, and clicking our shutters, as we practiced.

It was so much fun to get to know Katie in person and learn from her. I've only been shooting with a DSLR since January and her workshop came at a great time for me. It was basic enough to cover all the ins and outs of camera settings and how they all work together, but it also taught about the artistic side of composition and editing. The best part was having Katie there to help us figure it all out on our cameras and then we went outside and practiced taking pictures. I learned so much. She even gave us all a printed copy of her book.

Here is Katie (on the right) with Ally, another workshop attendee. And it's me behind the camera (my favorite place)!

When it was over, Katie treated us all to giant yummy cupcakes, and I practiced my new skills by taking some snaps of the fun cupcake shop.

Thanks so much, Katie, for a wonderful workshop! I highly recommend it and Katie's ebook to anyone wanting to increase their photography skills! ~CJ~

My Deer Friend Has a Boyfriend

 

I went back to the woods this evening, hoping to catch another glimpse of my deer friend. This time I took my telephoto with me, so I could get a better snap.

I walked off the trail into the woods in the same area that I saw the doe in. It wasn't two minutes later that I heard the bushes moving below me and spotted this buck's antlers moving up and down as he snacked on a bush. He was too hidden by brush and bushes for me to get a good picture. But I was patient and eventually he moved out of the bushes and up closer to me.

I was surprised to see a doe with him. I think she was my deer friend again, and I was happy to see them both. Bucky here was bold and posed for me, though she was shy and stayed in the bushes. It was beautiful to watch them bound off together when they decided to go.

I think I've caught on to a favorite spot of theirs, and I hope to meet up with them another time!

My Deer Friend

My deer friend and I had a bit of a stare down as I came upon her hiking yesterday. I was on my favorite Elephant Rock trail and heard some movement in the woods off to the side of the trail. I looked over and she spotted me at the same time I saw her. I walked off the trail a little closer to her and she didn't take her eyes off of me as I snapped away with my camera. I think she was as curious of me as I was of her. When I got brave and tried to move in a little closer, she bounded away. I hope to see my deer friend again on the trail.

Ever Been to Hermiston?

Rainbow of Lilies

I hadn't been there either, until last weekend. Hermiston is in north-eastern Oregon - the farming part of Oregon - not the tree-packed part that most people associate with Oregon. I drove there from Utah to visit my daughter and son-in-law, who moved to Hermiston in early June with his new job. He's an irrigation engineer, and in this post, you'll see why this is the perfect place for his work.

Holly and I got up early one morning and went out exploring the country with our cameras. The picture above is of a gigantic field of lilies. Look at the rainbow of colors! In the back, you can see the irrigation pivots spraying away. We think the grower harvests the lily bulbs.

We came across a blueberry farm, too, with berries almost ripe and ready to pick...

 

It was so hard not to reach out and pick a handful. (But I'd heard from Holly that the owner is very protective of his berries.)

Then down a dirt road we went and found a group of horses who were friendly enough to come our way and pose for some snaps.

They were quite photogenic with all their colors and patterns!

This beauty with her platinum mane came right up close to munch on a bush nearby. I wanted so badly to shoe away the pesky flies from her face! How annoying. Flies...be gone!

It's a wonder to me how farmers can grow such perfect crops, when they are planted in such huge fields. I seem to have the hardest time just growing a few seeds in my little backyard garden...with all the tender care I can muster!

Morning really is the BEST time to take pictures. Here it is about 9 am, and look how high the sun is in the sky already. That's Hermiston for you. Holly says it seems to get light at 4 am! Maybe that's one of the reasons this area is so great for growing.

Looking back over these photos, I get the same feeling I had when I took them. A feeling of exciting discovery mixed with the comfy peace I feel out in the quiet country with the sun welcoming a new day.

And now for some more livestock. Let me just say that they are quite friendly in Hermiston, for the most part, anyway. I really wanted to take some pictures of the belted cows, but they refused to come out and pose for me, like they did for Holly.

But I did make some new livestock friends by the side of the road. I don't know what these cows are called, but the mommas have horns! Yep, these horned cows were nursing their babies! Obviously, I don't know much about cows. I always thought horns meant male. Oh well.

And I leave you with my country self-portrait.

Next, I'm planning to do a post of the flora and fauna I discovered while hiking in the Columbia River Gorge area of Oregon...a completely opposite landscape from Hermiston country! Stay tuned. ~CJ~