Swamp Photographer

I have been taking pictures since I was 12 years old and my first camera was one of those disc cameras. If anyone doesn't remember what they look like here's a pic:

I took hundreds of pics with that little camera. I loved taking pictures even at that early age. I have had many other cameras through the years but never a REAL camera. You know the ones where you can use different lenses and have more control over your exposures.

Well I decided I was going to get me a REAL camera. I researched all brands and read countless reviews. I bought and read this book,


this book,

and this software and book since the previous books basically told me taking the pics was only half the job.

Then, I decided on this camera....

The Canon xSi

and it came with an 18mm-55mm lens but I also purchased a 75mm-300mm telezoom lens along with a lens filter kit, a cleaning kit, a tripod, and a backpack to carry all my equipment in. I have had it almost a week now, and I would just like to say, "I LOVE THIS CAMERA!". It is a learning experience everyday. This weekend I finally got out of auto mode and am happy to report I am fully capable of taking "tack" pictures in manual mode. This camera is very user friendly and so versatile. It takes AWESOME pics! The pictures from my previous 2 blogs were taken using it and though I'm still an amateur at this, I am super impressed with the pictures I am able to make. I am learning all about apertures and f-stops and loving every minute of it.

I'm looking forward to attaining this,

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II for my macro exposures of bugs and flowers,

and this,

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS for my wildlife photography.

I also want the rest of the books in the Digital Photography series by Scott Kelby.

Photography has always been my passion, but I've never fully embraced it until now.

Watch out world, The Swamp Photographer is on the loose!

Valentine's Day Apple Tarts

I made my two guys some yummy apple tarts for Valentine's Day because they are both my heart!

First I took a couple of these Granny Smith apples, peeled them, and cut them into small cubes.

I put them in a pot with some cinnamon and boiled them until they were tender.

Then I added some brown sugar for sweetening and corn starch to thicken. Then I removed it from heat, put them in a bowl, and placed them in the refrigerator to cool.

I took the easy way out by using canned biscuits for the crust.

I laid out a biscuit on a floured cutting board,

and rolled it out as flat and round as I could.

I added a tablespoon full of the cooled filling.

I folded them over and crimped the edges with a fork.

Then I fried them up in some hot oil. (yes, that is my George Foreman Grill utensil...I no longer have the grill but I love that little utensil for so many things!)

MMMMMMM.....yummy fried apple tarts! I hollered for my guys, "Tarts are ready!"

and in 10 minutes, my 10 tarts became 2.

They love me and my tarts!

Snow on the river!!!

I waited all day for snow. I watched closely, and then around 5:00pm we started seeing the first flakes.

The temperature wasn't REALLY cold but it was cold enough to snow and at least stick over night.

It really started coming down in big flakes just before dark. It looked like the inside of a snow globe!

It was a blizzard for a little while.

The dogs thought it was great. Skeeter found something else he could eat and it comes from the sky!

The next morning it started melting really quickly but I was able to get a few pictures on my way to a baby shower. This is at the bridge going toward the interstate.

I woke up at 7:00AM to shoot a few pictures at the farm. This is farm kitty. He wasn't impressed with me or the snow.

Snow on a pine bough.



A snowy dirt road off Hwy 46.

Melting snow on the river.

I have been waiting for snow all winter. It was so beautiful and magical. It brought back many childhood memories of when we lived in Germany when my Daddy was in the army. I have always loved snow. I love the quietness of it, the feeling of it under my boots, and even the taste of it. We haven't had any snow for at least 10 years. I hope it doesn't wait that long to come again!

Riverhouse Nightmares....The Kitchen

I remember when my brother used to live down at the riverhouse he would tell me stories about the "wharf rats" that would amble across the floor when he would be relaxing on the couch watching television. I thought he was just exaggerating because I couldn't imagine how something this huge could get inside your home. But when we pulled out the stove this is what we found:

And in the cabinets there is plenty of room for smaller mice to come in.

It took Ken about an hour to remove the old kitchen sink fixture because it was corroded on after 25 years.

Even though we can only afford to update small things right now. I think it's going to make a big difference and bring that little house back to life. It's been long overdue for a little TLC.

Water, water, everywhere!

Okay, so this has been the WETTEST winter we have had in quite a few years.


The river has been in my backyard since before Christmas. I know we live on the river, but usually when it is "in the banks" it is at least 200' from my house.








It's not just the river that concerns me, it is the entire water table. The water table is so high right now that everytime it rains, there is just no where for it to go.

So at the farm we have a pond in the corner of one of our hay fields.

I'm really concerned about the farmers this year. It is going to take a few weeks of warm, dry weather to dry the fields out enough for them to plow and get started with their planting. Unfortunately, I just heard there is more rain in the forecast for this week. :(

Starting Over

I have decided to rewind and revamp this blogging site and make a completely fresh start. I am a constantly evolving person and life leads me on many a meandering path so there is no telling where I will wind up with this. There is so much going on in my life these days and I will do my best to only share the "exciting" stuff with my loyal readers (all two of you!). Here is a preview of what you will hear more about in coming blogs:

• photography--I'm educating myself on SLR's and Photoshop and we'll see where this takes me
• remodeling--we are finally pouring a little love into the cabin by the river even though we're on a TIGHT budget
• chickens--my baby chicks will arrive in early March!
• gardening--trying out heirloom seeds this year
• motorcycling--Ean has his drivers license now so that will free us up for some poker runs when the weather warms up

This is just a glimpse of the adventures on my horizon and I will sprinkle in any "surprise" adventures that happen along the way.