Archive for the ‘Images Captured’ Category
Tiny Relief
We had a brief rain storm yesterday evening that brought the temperature down a bit. Unfortunately, it didn’t alleviate the weight of the humid atmosphere. Plus, the moisture that hit the ground was but a sip to the thirsty growing trees and plants. Small victories.
There are other ways to deal with summer heat. Like pictures! Doesn’t this make you feel just a bit cooler, simply by gazing at it?
Enjoy!
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Old Pictures
The reason I found the old pictures for the dunk tank story is because Julian gave Cyndie a gift of having old photos scanned. The disk arrived over the weekend. It’s been fun browsing through them this week. I probably wouldn’t have missed ever seeing those images again, but now that they are accessible, I am valuing the perspective they renew.
There are quite a few images from the 25 years we have lived in this house. I had forgotten almost all of them. It adds a certain poignancy to our current situation of having our home for sale.
Did I mention that Julian batted left?
Priceless Moment
There is one highlight from Saturday’s games, that especially stands out for me. It was during the first round of the watermelon eating contest, which involved the youngest competitors.
First, you have to consider what it is like to gather 80 people together in such an informal, fun-filled environment. There are usually at least 30 people (plus or minus) talking over each other at the same time. It is hard for the “official” game hosts to control both the crowd and the willing participants.
Now, imagine a situation where you are setting watermelon in front of anxious young kids, who are being energized by the surrounding crowd. While the game hosts are diligently distributing melon to each additional eager competitor that finds a spot at the table, the odds of a false start rise to, oh… 100%.
It was my nephew, Beck, who went the farthest, before he was “busted” by the crowd. He stopped abruptly, pulled his head up, with lips pursed and mouth filled with bites. His priceless expression, that I can only describe as a morphed combination of genuine innocence and guilt, was hilarious! I was laughing so hard, I didn’t get a shot of the actual moment, but here he is, just as his face was about to cross over to a smile that was no less precious to witness:
He recomposed himself and put in a valiant performance, keeping his hands behind his back, as the slice of watermelon slid farther and farther out of reach toward the center of the table.
After the games transitioned down to the water, Beck found a way to get out and relax a little with a turn on the paddle board. Few challenges appear beyond his willingness to take on, at this stage of his young life.
His parents will have the pleasure of being both proud, and distressed, by his confidence in adventures up at the lake this summer.
Game Day
Started with a raising of the flag while the national anthem played…
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followed by a brief parade up and down the driveway. We have more kids than trailer space.
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Then the first event, the shoe kick. Here is the senior division in action.
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New this year was the ingenious set up for knocking off ping-pong balls with a water gun.
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.Water balloon toss is always a hit.
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There was the classic watermelon eating contest. No hands allowed!
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The last event was a water relay with swim, and paddle legs required. Here is the lap around the rafts.
Goin’ Again
Goin’ to the lake again, today! I need to put in at least a half-day of work, and then we are off. Our lake community will celebrate Independence Day a little after-the-fact this summer, with tomorrow being our day of games, followed by the collective dinner.
I have revealed this image in my collection of bike-trip pictures, but for those who haven’t navigated to my photo album yet, I present it here for the occasion.
Beat Heat
It’s hot around these parts. It’s hot around lots of parts of the country lately. I have holed up in the confines of air conditioned shelter while stuck in town this week. When I get back to the lake, it’s back in the water to beat the heat. The annual games of our 4th of July celebration are being held this coming Saturday, to allow a chance for us working stiffs to be present.
It should be a collection of all the classic games: water balloon toss, scavenger hunt, fish pond, sack racing, and a watermelon eating contest. Pretty much everything except for a dunk tank.
The kids won’t miss it. They will be out tubing behind the speed boat. Summer at its best.
Not Alone
It turns out, I am not alone in my outbreak of chigger bites. My friend Mike, who held the other side of the raft, walking through the reeds and brush into the lake, and not on the dock, called me last night to report a similar affliction.
The itching comes and goes. When it comes, it can come with a vengeance. It seems to erupt in furious irritation in the evening. I look forward to being done with this, as soon as possible. There is no treatment to stop it, just ways to tolerate the discomfort. I just need time to pass. Bring it on.
I distracted myself last night by manipulating some photos. While up at the lake over the weekend, I carried my camera out into the water, till I was neck-deep. Then I turned around, and while staying in one spot, took pictures of the shore line of our community. Last night I stitched together 5 of the images.
I have very limited experience with the process of stitching photos, but I don’t let that stop me. I struggled a bit, crashing my software several times, due to limited memory for the task I was trying to perform, but I will share the rough result I accomplished. I’m okay with the double images where they occur. The gist of the image, is a version of what the view is from one of my favorite places to be: neck-deep in the water of our lake-place getaway.
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