Ron McNutt, Car Expert!

You'd think seeing names in print would be a pedestrian experience for me now. But a few months ago, a writer in a freelance organization that I am also active in was looking for an authority to speak on trends in the auto industry. I offered that my dad was the most preeminent expert I knew since he's been very successful and built a multi-state business in the past 35 years.

She was interested in talking to him, and I got all PR-like and even set up the interview. I just discovered the article online, and it was such a kick to read Dad's quotes in the story:
Small Cars are Selling Big

He's on the second page, talking about how people down here still love their gas-guzzlers! Great job, Dad. :)

ch-ch-changes

So, what do you guys think about the changes I've made? I also added a poll over on the sidebar -- the URL for this site is englishfamilyinthebayou. I started this blog when we moved down here to Louisiana, but now that we're leaving, we obviously won't be "in the bayou" anymore. So do I need a new URL, or should I just keep this one to save everyone a whole lot of trouble? thoughts?

Maybe I figured it out!

This has to be a new record for me. Just yesterday I complained of a certain photographic malaise I was feeling. Today, I think I might have the answer...and it's simple.

The camera I always felt like I was best on was my old 3 megapixel, 3x optical zoom Olympus that we bought when Will was a baby. My photos just seemed better for some reason. After I got the 12x optical zoom, 8 megapixel Sony and I just couldn't bond with it, I thought it was just that I just hadn't bought the right camera for me. Then we got the Nikon, and I was having trouble finding my groove with it, as well.

Fortunately, Ben's parents have some generous friends, the Holgates. His parents friends were devastated when Katrina flooded their waterfront Biloxi home. They lost everything but what was in the attic. And when they went through the long-forgotten items stored away on high, Mr. Holgate found his old Nikon camera equipment. It was for manual cameras, but it fits on the new digital bodies. He asked Ben's parents if they might like the equipment, and they said they wouldn't be able to use it, but they were pretty sure they knew someone who would. Yeah, that was me.

So I was blessed with a ton of amazing Nikon equipment: lenses galore, filters out the wazoo, and even really great retro cases. I'm still learning the world of DSLRs, however, and I was a little reticent to really go and give the whole manual thing a shot.

Well, today I was browsing some other mommyblogs, and read on Posie Gets Cozie about her wide-angle lens discovery. So I decided to go and dig out that lens and give it a go.

So yes, long story to get to my point of discovery. But I'm getting to it, I promise! Because the wide-angle lens isn't zoom, I used my body again in my photography. I was squatting, climbing, hovering and laying on the ground the get the shot I wanted. I still have a long way to go with getting used to manual focus, but when I sat down and looked at what I had, a light went on. I had become a lazy photographer.

When I got my fancy-schmancy new cameras, I suddenly was content to park my butt and use my newfound zoom capabilities. But for some reason, that seems to have taken a lot of the soul out of my photos. I needed to be in it, to see the light (literally), to find the angle. Even though you never see me in the photos, I am "in" them in my composition. And I was losing that completely.

So today, a wide-angle lens helped me get my groove back. I'm so excited to realize that I haven't lost my touch -- I'd just forgotten where to look for it.

Anyway, I was playing with the focus a lot, trying to get used to full manual, but the slideshow about shows some of my efforts. I don't know if you guys will be able to see the difference, but I know I can. And I expect that my photo plateau will lead me on to even greater picture-taking experiences in the future. Yay!

Will went on a playdate today, so I decided Little Miss and I would take another shot at some good "two year" photos. Yes, I know that was almost a month ago, but I still haven't gotten any I'm really happy with. These are better.

I am feeling a little sensitive, like my photos are missing that je ne sais quoi I think they used to have. I haven't been putting as much into them since I've been really ramping up my writing career, but I do still love it, and love messing with them when I have time. Maybe it's the post-process time I'm missing. I don't know...but these are okay. They show HER, I think. And isn't that the idea?

The second-best real estate sign ever

There it is. Finally. The prettiest sign on the block.

It's been "pending" for a few days now -- forgive me for not telling you all earlier. But you might characterize the buyer as "difficult"...if you were being diplomatic. But Ben and I have worked it all out with him, and because of the great corporate relo package from Sherwin-Williams, we know now we're actually moving.

See, the package has this phenomenal contract that says that after an inspection contingency has been removed from an offer, if the sale falls through for any other reason, the relo company buys the house at the contracted price. I am kind of a superstitious person by nature -- I don't like counting my eggs before they've hatched. I don't like saying anything is guaranteed in life -- I've been bitten enough.

(Don't believe me? Ask Ben about the Jets comeback against the Dolphins in a 2000 Monday Night Football game. Sounds tangental, but it's really a great story for showing that I can never count on ANYTHING to happen.)

So onward with the inspection on the house in Mississippi. And if that goes well, I'll post photos of that house, too. But I'm not assuming it will go well. I'm not assuming anything. I'm only knowing that I'll do what it takes to get our family back together. Like I told Ben, you can make back money, but you can't make back time.

So, God-willing...northwest Mississippi, here we come!

Good Times

Knowing we'll be leaving soon, I took the kids outside this evening to enjoy our "backyard" a little longer. Ben grilled, the kids played, and I chased them and took pictures. The first few on the slideshow, actually, are from Adelaide just being silly last week, but those were worth viewing too, I thought.

Snow White

Lindsay, Edwin and Caroline sent Adelaide this little getup for her 2nd birthday. As soon as she opened the package, she had to put it on. I think it suits her. And I have to say, I was impressed with how she handled the heels!