Wheeee!

Oh, how I love the dog days of summer. What do I love . . . drinking lemonade on the dock, catching pan fish on every cast and jumping off the raft into the cool water. Sadly, it's been awhile since we've been able to enjoy those things, but when we did - we surely did.

We shot two rolls on the super sampler from the raft you see in this photo. We have yet to develop the second roll, and we are growing anxious with how those photos come out. I have always loved how these images turn out. Although I will say sometimes it can be somewhat of a challenge since it is hard to predict where you are focusing.

I did not even know this type of camera existed until we got married. We were hooked once we saw how cool these photos turn out. Ryan Fox is amazing! :)

Home improvements

Sunday, normally a day of rest, was re-organize day at the ampm household. We've been meaning to get a second dresser now for quite some time. I'm not sure what was holding us back - it certainly wasn't our sanity. We got a new dresser yesterday and have spent the better part of today setting it up and organizing our living space.

The results -- a much more homey living space. We moved a "junk" table to the kitchen to remove the card table. We switched also switched around our desks. [pm has been wanting to rid our place as of late of all "college-type" decor. The card table fit this bill, as did the built-it-yourself wire shelving.]

I'm starting to feel like a real adult now. No more hodge-podge furniture. (Okay, I lied. We still have it, but it works. Yes, I swear it does.).

I think our place is slightly more sophisticated, but still unique. We still have to declutter of lives some, but at least we are in a step in the right direction.

+Like the Pritzker Auditorium super sampler photo? This photo totally works in our space. It's a nice reminder for us that we live in this city. Sometimes it is easy to forget when you spend the better part of the weekend on home improvements and connecting with old friends.

All in all (despite the heat and no a.c.) it was a SUPERB weekend.

Feet Planted Firmly

Hope you haven't been missing us too much these past few days. After posting something for one month straight, we've been easing back into posts. (To our defense we've been a little sluggish because of the heat).

I've been thinking a lot lately about home; and by home, I mean home as a place. Turns out where you live doesn't matter as much as who you live with and by. Part of the reason I've been thinking so much about home isn't because we're planning another move. Quite the contrary, we're planning to plant our feet firmly on the ground, just as I mentioned in the title.

My parental units, however, are moving. This is what has got me thinking so much about the meaning of home. Will I miss visiting my family in my childhood house? Yes. Will I still drive by the house on occasion to see how it's changed? Yes. Will I miss the house? No. I won't miss the house. I don't see the point in missing an item. I'll still have the memories made in that house and I'll still have my beloved family. (Admittedly, I did take multiple photos - film & digital - of their old home. Got to have something to refresh my mind someday!)

I've come to an age-old conclusion as I've been thinking about home: Home is where the heart is. Doesn't matter where it is, how long you're there, or how much stuff you have inside - I'd be nothing without having others in it to make you happy. What's home for you?

30 Days of Creativity - Day 16: Millennium Park

Today we spent the evening taking pictures while walking around Millennium Park, which is a pretty miserable place during winter but also an awesome place during summer. We enjoyed watching little children playing in the Crown Fountain and the live music at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

We will be posting more pictures from our Supersampler as soon as we scan them, Walgreens rarely does a good job scanning film from it and most of the pictures are not framed correctly :P. We have a couple more photography projects on the works that will be sharing with you soon, so stay tuned!

Paraiso

The reminiscing about Ireland has got me thinking about some of my other European adventures. The more I think about each of those, the more I think about Spain. (I also find it much easier to think about Spain when the temperatures rise above freezing, people crowd the streets, and birds sing from dawn until dusk.)

This photo is taken in route to the Catedral in Sevilla with our super sampler camera. When I first was in Sevilla as a student this area of the city was not strictly reserved for pedestrians and the metra; in fact, I am certain thousands of cars whizzed by this historical masterpiece on a daily basis. The wear and tear of our modern life was beginning to show adverse effects on the structure of the cathedral - among them: graffiti tags along the exterior and pollution damage to the outer structure. Needless to say, and as you can see in this photo, restoration has since been completed. I love walking around this area. Now instead of having to time the shot perfectly around traffic, the only thing getting in our way are people. It could be worse. :)

[I've got to say, it always amazing me how buildings with such strong historical significance continue to "exist" in our modern society. The U.S. is more recognized for our natural wonders, so there isn't as much of a chance to pass such a historical treasure on our way to the grocery store, bar, gym, or on an afternoon stroll. I always miss this when I am here and not there. *sigh. Although on that same token, I guess the people that do live so close to these historic gems often forget it. Can you imagine living across from the Colosseum or Aqueducts and having it be "normal'?? ]

If you could choose one wonder (be in natural or not) to see on a daily basis, what would it be?

Mardi Gras: Love

Sometimes you just need a photo to bring a smile to your face. Well, for me, this photo does just that.

You sure do have to love children. If you were to stick a camera (be it a funky camera: Super Sampler) in an adult's face, the result would be entirely different. I don't think the smile would be as wide, the emotion would be so raw, and the effect would be as genuine.

We were at an outdoor festival last summer when this photo was taken. I wish I could say that I remember how this kid reacted, but I have a funny feeling that I was not around when PM shot this photo. Instead, I like to imagine how not only did this kid serve as the perfect model, but how he also afterwards asked various questions about the strange looking, plastic camera.

Kids are curious, and more often than not very honest.

As the old saying goes: Only children and old folks can speak their minds and get away with it.

Hope this photo brings a smile to your face. What helps bring a smile to your face? Please share!

Oh, and Happy Fat Tuesday.

~am