Memorial Day found us at several cemeteries including one located in a small, rural Pennsylvania town (Parker) near the Allegheny River. My dad spent many of us formative years living in this area and until my great aunt died in 1988 we visited often. I've always been fascinated by the old markers and I came upon this one that had been updated. Without men such as John, this country wouldn't be what it is today.
I used to enjoy visiting my aunt's home even though at times, it scared me. She was a prolific gardener with tons of flowers and strawberries but behind her garden, was a small cemetery. Ghost stories abounded in the family and her home was always rumored to be haunted. It was an old home. The bathroom still had a pull chain to flush the toilet. My memory of the street with its uneven sidewalks and large trees doesn't live up to the reality. Time marches on but at least I have my memories of skipping along those sidewalks, picking strawberries and peeking through to the cemetery to try and spy a ghost.
I know that Memorial Day is to honor those who gave their lives in active duty but in our family, we honor all who have gone before us. An annual visit to plant flowers on the graves has been happening for as long as I can remember. This year was no different. A stomach flu that had my dad hospitalized and my mother knocked off her feet for nearly a week (and heart surgery a few weeks earlier) wouldn't keep him away.
The past 10 days or so have been stress filled and full of concern for my parents. I'll be traveling a lot more to help with doctors as his heart will have to monitored. It seems in each family, one person always must step up to the plate and in mine, it is me. I may be over 6 hours away while others, 10 miles but it is still me. Do I have home support or even understanding for all that I must do? Not really. Do I worry how I will continue to do this? Yes, but it must be done.
This summer, I do hope to find time for myself even if only in little ways. My updates may be scarce but I do thank you, my few loyal followers.
It's that time of year again. Spring Polaroid week. My first two entries are taken with the Impossible Projects PX100, Silver Shade, First Flush film. 
And this last one was processed in Lightroom. I don't remember which preset I used or if I adjusted the preset to suit my tastes. I do enjoy my camera and its various apps. At first, I found myself still longing for the effects that iPhone users have at their disposal but now, it seems everybody is using the same iPhone apps. I'm happy to stand out a bit as a Droid user. 
I used my camera phone with a tilt shift app applied and to subdue the tones, a Lightroom preset from Shirley called Coffee with Cream. 
All three pics were taken with my camera phone (Motorola BackFlip). The first has a Lightroom preset and the following two just minor adjustments for sizing. 
The next three of my PX100 Silver Shade prints. It is one finicky film but it has some quality that I find very appealing. I have to images left to make. Kind of wishing I spent more money now but it'll have to wait.
I may attempt a few more today, if the weather improves but so far, I am enjoying the imperfections.
I am excited to receive my first pack of this new film for Polaroid sx-70 cameras from 
Well, I know that I've said that I like control over my images but this demo of Vignette for Android looks quite interesting. After you take the photo, you can try out different settings before it becomes processed and saved. That makes it a bit more flexible. The demo only saves a very small thumbnail so I put them together. If only it was a US company so I didn't have to pay more for it. *sigh* 
It's been surprisingly springlike the last few days and I've spent much of it outside, either working or most likely, relaxing with a coffee or reading. 
Indulge in more chocolate, dance lots and plant trees.
Trees taken while visiting the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin. Be sure to notice the wind farm in the middle image.
No longer in operation, this lighthouse was originally built in the 1930s and lit by a kerosene lantern. The date it ceased to be in operation is unknown. During the dredging of Lake Winnebago, a Native American burial ground was discovered. The area, near a mental asylum, was once a popular destination for picnics. It has been restored and access to the island is available by a small footbridge.
Trees on the small island. Lots of ice still covers Lake Winnebago. There was one man, with his dog, ice fishing and as we were leaving, a snowmobile could be heard. Also saw another rare event but couldn't photograph it, an inversion layer fog. So cool and with the history of the place, lent itself to some fun stories.
Photos taken at Raceway Woods, a former racetrack turned park in Carpentersville, Illinois. 
After much thought, I decided on a new cell phone. I have really loved my last two Samsung phones. They could really take a beating, dropping in puddles and even being stepped on and only suffer cosmetic damages. I looked at the iPhone and the new Motorola BackFlip Droid with Motoblur. I went back and forth many times and really love the feature set of the iPhone but that touch screen for typing drove me crazy. I settled on the 'Droid with its keyboard and option to use a touchscreen. The phone has a 5mp (yes 5) camera with even a built-in flash. So far, I've found plenty of apps for it, too. I know iPhone has more camera apps and it is far easier to browse using the iTunes store but mostly, I wanted a phone that I could use and felt more durable in my hand.
The above photos were taken with FxCamera. The only real complaint I have with this app is the low resolution but it 
Photo taken with Camera Illusion and again, low resolution but free.
The link to the Blurb bookstore is in the sidebar. 
It should come as no surprise that I like to take pictures of clouds. I've been told on more than one occasion to get my head out of the clouds. ;-) Yesterday's gray, rainy skies cleared out to leave pretty, wispy clouds and a bit of color thanks in part to an air pollution alert day.
I wish you all a beautiful day whatever the weather.
He, okay I, really love the Mustang. I just don't get Ford's reasons for clinging to that solid rear axle, rear-wheel drive platform. They claim it's to be true to the original and car enthusiasts. Okay, if that's the case, get rid of power windows, power-steering, power clutches, FM/Satellite radio and probably even A/C as those items weren't original and aren't mandated by government safety standards. It's a car I would dearly love to own if they would get rid of the solid wheel axle and make an all-wheel drive version. They could make it rear-wheel drive unless needed. As it is, if it even rains, it becomes a dangerous car to drive. 
Mostly, I wandered around snapping a photo here and there.
Came home to a wonderful book, Shelter Me by Shirley (Sketches of a Common Life). It chronicles their decision to adopt not one but two shelter kittens and the first few months of their time together in both photos and a cute story. 
And now I have much to do but the I'm feeling very much the desire to nap.
Standing in the snow and ice. More experimenting with that close-up filter on the Polaroid 250.