Pictures from Port A

We just got back yesterday evening from a brief stint at the beach with Don's youngest sister, Anne, and her family. Lindy was super thrilled to spend time with her Colorado girl cousins--Livi (5) and Sadie (3)--and we were thankful to have the chance to visit with Anne and Robbie.



It was great to get away from the to-do list and live without a set agenda for a few days. Well, I guess beach time, pool time, and putting away seafood technically are agenda items but you get my drift...

Didn't you get the memo, Don? NO to-do lists or agendas!

There! That's more like it. Some people PAY big money for a mud exfoliation treatment. It is much better FREE and at the hands of preschoolers.

I've been super frustrated with my photography skills (or lack, thereof) lately. I see more and more pictures I want to take and perfect backdrops but I'm not successful at seizing the moment or the driver seems less than thrilled to stop and let me out to explore. I also really, really, really wonder how one takes great beach shots without trashing one's equipment?! Perhaps I should have asked that BEFORE my trip and not after. Between the severe humidity, wind, sand, and splashes, I was a nervous wreck and probably took fewer shots at the beach than ever. I also couldn't see a thing through the viewfinder!

Anyway, for those of you who HAVE been successful at capturing beach shots, I'd love to know how you lovingly protect your equipment and get it to cooperate, as well as get so many wonderful shots despite the elements. (Mine fogs because of the humidity!) Is the key just to keep shooting and not spend so much time trying to search out the angle, settings, etc.??? I decided on day one, though, that I wasn't going to dwell on it and pout about it. Instead, I'm just choosing to be thankful for the memories I captured, not critique them too heavily, and keep trying to get better.

Uncle Robbie and the girls

A beautiful sunset!

A night at the WINDY ballfield! Life is sweet in the cheap seats.

Walk softly, but carry a big shovel!

It's a good look for her, don't you think?

Sadie might just be on a future cover of Sp*rt's Illustrated...

Anne, this TOTALLY counts as working out and lifting!

One word for all you future beach goers--REAPPLY!

No words...
...needed...
...about my loves...

Excited about a treasure--a dead crab.

I am kind of excited to have a TIMELY blog post, for once. Now back to my piles of laundry...Oy vay.

Hope you are having a fun and festive summer!

BTW, blogger, why are you italicizing this when I'm asking you not to?!

Precious family time

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

About a month ago, we spent a few days in Port Aransas with my parents and brother's family for some rest, relaxation, and a much anticipated visit. We had a great time together. We spent time at the beach and pool, went to the aquarium, watched movies, talked a lot, had some good fresh seafood, and ate more than our share of yummy ice cream.

Lindy, Brendan, & Bryce having fun at the aquarium

Mom taking in the sights and sounds of the beach. Totally not a sun, heat, or beach person but a super, duper GREAT sport.

Bryce with the coveted watering can

Can you really dig a hole to China?

Dani, didn't you see the sign? Please don't feed the seagulls!

Bren chillin' in the sand...

Great sand castle, Uncle Jeff!

My beautiful girl...
Don't be judging! Yep, our kids are eating their psketti in their undies. So???

Brendan enjoying his 5th birhday

Lindy enjoying Brendan's Transformer Party

I was a little bummed that my new camera locked up in the severe Texas humidity so I wasn't able to experiment with it as much as I wanted. I had grand plans to do the proverbial family beach shots in white. This year the humidity, race against the sunset, crazy wind, some punchy kids, and my lack of photography knowledge kept me from getting the "perfect" shots I had pictured in my head AND had documented on a list.

I'm beginning to think our beach shots will always be bloopers...I have to remind myself it is all about the memory, though, and we have plenty of great ones.

Jeff, Danielle, and the B boys--Bryce (6) and Brendan (5)

My precious parents


The cousins

Us with Mom & Dad...
Did I mention it was windy and humid?

Hey, no fair! He got the height, looks, and brains! RATS.

A phenomenal sunset!

Thanks, everyone, for coming our way to spend time with us. We look forward to the next adventure. I'm already coming up with the next picture scheme. KIDDING!!!

Beach bloopers

One of my hopes while we were at the coast was to capture some casual family photos of us by the beach. Easy, breezy, right??? Mind you, the photography manual my husband got me years ago hasn't been cracked open and has a layer of dust on it, I'm sure. Also, I'm not really sure where the owner's manual is for the little, now outdated, Canon digi camera that I use. So, I am not sure what all the buttons and settings are for. Figuring that out is on my to-do list! Procrastinators of the world unite, tomorrow...

So this was the plan: Let's get dressed for dinner, snap some quick pictures of each family because after dinner the kids will be tired, who knows what food and drink will be on whom, lipstick will be gone, pits will be sweaty, and hair will be either flat or frizzy.

We tried very quickly to get some pictures. We went first. First, Don looked at me like I was crazy when I told him to sit in the sand. Then he was not at all thrilled to take off his shades. Danielle couldn't even see to take the pictures. It is ALWAYS windy at the coast, so I'm not sure why I worked extra hard to straighten my hair. In the attempt to be fair, I snapped one picture of my brother's family, just in case.

Photography lesson #1: Do NOT take pictures at 6:00 in the evening in the middle of July when it is in the 90s and your subjects are facing west.

Here's what happens when you do...

Since it seemed like our mission was futile we packed it up after five minutes and decided to execute plan B--go to dinner and do the photoshoot later. We hopped back into the minivan rental and to add insult to injury, it would not start. Jeff couldn't get it out of gear and it wouldn't budge. To make a long story short, we didn't get the photoshoot and we didn't get the fish and shrimp dinner. We had to hoof it back to the condo, feed the kids odds and ends, order delivery pizza, and wait up until nearly midnight for the tow truck to deliver a new car and take the other one away.

Mark my word, I'm going to get those beach shots if it kills me!

Good times...good times...