My Quiet Reflections

It seems like I am always doing… and never accomplishing! I often wonder if this is just me… or if others feel this way too!

Anyway…

I start my photography class tonight and I am sooo excited about this one! I am also taking a class online through ISU, but I think that actually being in the class for this one is going to be awesome!

I did a photo shoot last week… we had so much fun chasing this cute little man all over the park! He was like a whirlwind!

I also have an engagement shoot to go to Saturday in Indianapolis… I can’t wait to see what kind of locations they have picked out! I’ve never done a shoot in Indianapolis so it should be lots of FUN!

I can’t believe that it is the last day of September!! It seems like it just started… how in the world did that happen?

This means Christmas is just around the corner and I’m in no position to even start thinking about it!! SCARY…

Off to do a photo shoot for the class I am taking… I hope all goes well!
Anyway, here’s to FALL and the many blessings it brings!

For the first time in 25 years I have officially enrolled in a college course! I can’t believe it!! I started a photography course this week and I am so excited about it! It really feels good to be part of a class and have things that will be expected of me… Uhmmm…. did I just say that?!?

I will also be starting a second course in October that will meet once a week for 4 weeks… this one will meet off campus and I am really excited about it!

This is a huge step for me, but I am so excited to actually seriously move forward towards my photography goals!

I made a decision this summer to continue to push forward with photography. For as long as I can remember I have always been the one taking pictures… doing free family portraits for friends and family for Christmas cards, etc… Made Memory DVD’s & videos for wedding gifts, not to mention all of the photo editing I have done for family & friends over the years!

I finally decided that I should be doing this on a more professional basis… It is something that I LOVE TO DO… it can be time consuming, however it is something that makes me feel like I have helped others and accomplished personal goals as well. So, for my birthday, my parents bought me a Canon 40D!! I am so excited to have my new camera… and I am really pressing forward in my efforts to get a small photography memories business started. This includes lifestyle family photography… engagement, maternity, baby, children, family, senior portraits, anniversary, pets, etc… Plus, Memory DVD’s (love them!), photo restoration, photo touch up & enhancement, and photo collection preservation! A stretch I know… but they all are a part of each other… I have experience in every aspect of it, therefore I am offering it all!

I have used Paint Shop Pro for many, MANY years… but, due to the fact that I am digging deeper into photography I have started using Adobe Photoshop so much more! You can do amazing things with photos… old & new!

I absolutely love the transformation that this Blue Girl Rose from my backyard took through editing….

Here is the original: (kinda boring isn’t it?)

and here is the edited version:

Isn’t that a huge difference? I was thinking…. this picture is no good… BORING! but after editing, it is my very favorite!

I also thought I would share a few things I’ve been working on from a recent photo shoot I did:

Enhanced version:

I am so excited to get this rolling! I will be doing another shoot in two weeks and I am sooo excited!

It is so important to understand and respect nature when you are out enjoying the many splendid things that God provides for us daily! You might have noticed the cute little critter in our Turkey Run State Park Pictures below… we came across him along the trails~ of course, Cody was the one to spot him! We took a quick picture of him, but did not bother him. It was a very cute, but unusual caterpillar which had “spikes” on it, so we did not touch it because we have always read if they have spikes they are poisonous…

Saddleback Caterpillar

After thinking about it, I looked him up on Google to see exactly what we had came across… He is a Saddleback Caterpillar. Below is a little bit of the information we found about him… I AM GLAD WE DIDN’T TOUCH HIM!

Saddleback Caterpillar

SIZE: 1 inch (25 mm)

COLOR: Purplish-brown body with a purplish saddle shape on its green back.

DESCRIPTION: The saddleback caterpillar is about an inch long, and has poisonous spines on four large projections (tubercles) and many smaller ones that stick out from the sides of its body. The “saddle” consists of an oval purplish-brown spot in the middle of a green patch on the back. Saddleback caterpillars feed on the leaves of basswood, chestnut, cherry, plum, oak, and other trees and shrubs.

HABITAT: The saddleback caterpillar is a general feeder and is generally found on shade trees and ornamental shrubs in late summer.

LIFE CYCLE: Adults tend to take flight in mid-summer.

TYPE OF DAMAGE: The poisonous hairs or spins are hollow and connected to underlying poison glands. Contact with them causes a burning sensation and inflammation that can be as painful as a bee sting. The irritation can last for a day or two and may be accompanied by nausea during the first few hours. Usually the site of contact reddens and swells much like a bee sting.

CONTROL: A person “stung” by a poisonous caterpillar should immediately wash the affected area to remove any insect hairs and poison that remain. An ice pack will help reduce swelling, and creams and lotions containing steroids will lessen the discomfort and promote healing. Persons known to be sensitive to insect stings should consult a physician. Stinging caterpillars rarely occur in sufficient numbers to be considered plant pests, but people who work with ornamental plants should learn to recognize them and avoid touching them.

It sure was a cute little caterpillar… however, I am so glad that we had done enough studying about caterpillars in the past to know to keep our hands off of him!

We made an “unplanned” visit to Turkey Run State Park just north of Rockville, IN.

We had the best time! Of course, the park and trails were packed with people due to such a beautiful day! The kids jumped onto the most “fun” looking trail paying no attention to the fact that is was one of the longest trails consisting of moderate to rugged terrain! By the time Larry & I figured this out, we were way to far into it to turn around! So, we figured we hiked about 3 miles of trails… It was FUN~ but very tiring on these old outta shape legs of mine! LOL~

If you get a chance to visit the trails at Turkey Run… make sure you do not miss the Punch Bowl, Rocky Hollow & Wedge Rock on Trail 3! This is a very rugged area… the the most amazing part of the park!

Well, the holiday weekend is over… the parades are over, the festivals are over… Man am I tired! The kids have collected way too much candy at the parades… and I am ready for it to disappear! LOL~

It is a very foggy morning today… one of the first signs that Fall is quickly approaching! I love the fall, but I am dreading winter this year for some reason.

Well, off to do schoolwork and get the day started!

Wow! The release was as fast as every other aspect of raising Monarch Butterflies! As soon as we got the door open one of the butterflies tumbled out flew away before we could even get a picture! A very quick good-bye!

Female Monarch Butterfly released

We did get the opportunity to handle the second one before she took flight! Cody got to reach into the cage and she climbed onto his hand! We had a very brief time to see her before she realized what freedoms were waiting for her! One snapshot and she was GONE!

You usually see butterflies hovering low around flowers and plants… sipping the sweet nectar that they provide, but not these two butterflies~ They both soared HIGH into the sky as if to say THANK YOU to us for releasing them!

She Flies Up...

Up & Away!

We were shocked at how high they flew up into the air before fluttering away in search of nourishment. I wonder how far them will make it? Within four to six days our little female butterflies will be old enough to mate… and so the life cycle of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly begins again!

Not one, but TWO of our butterflies emerged from their cocoons within minutes of each other this morning! Both are females, so we are hoping our third will be a male! …. I can’t help it, it is sooo tempting to go find some more “mature” caterpillars! It’s going to lonely without our Monarchs!

All crinkled and not really “looking” butterfly”ish” yet, each hung suspended from its now transparent and empty Chrysalis, as their wings and body began it’s last transformation filling up with fluid so that they can be released tomorrow to begin their beautiful journey in flight! I can’t wait to see them flutter away!

This whole experience has been so full of God’s Beauty… wonderful surprises that none of us are soon to forget! It was an amazing journey from beginning to end. If you have thought about doing this with your kids, I encourage you to do it! With one word of caution… make sure that you have plenty of Milkweed available. It is the only host plant for Monarch Caterpillars… though there are many varieties of Milkweed to choose from.

It is funny, this is what we have all been waiting for, yet it has a bitter-sweet reward! Tomorrow we will say good-bye to these beautiful butterflies… which will be a happy day and a sad day at the same time! I’m going to try to get some pictures of their release… so check back tomorrow to see our babies as they are released into the world!

Our first Chrysalis is starting to turn! We can now see the Monarch’s wings within the thin transparent shell! We should have our first Monarch Butterfly within a day or two! We are so excited… We have two more, one of which will be right behind this one because we can faintly see the wing lines within it.

We returned 10 baby caterpillars to the wild milkweed in the field next door today. It was a sad adventure, but we were running out of resources to feed them without getting in the car to go out looking for it… which doesn’t guarantee we would find any. So, we found a good patch of milkweed and took our babies out… encouraged them to climb onto the fresh milkweed and off they went!

This has been an amazing adventure! We will definitely do it again and again… but next year we will have a nice butterfly garden with “Tropical Milkweed” growing in it!

We’ll be posting pictures of our butterflies when we release them!