The Time Sink

Back to work, and back to the rains... Yep, the normal routine may finally be able to reassert itself what with the project work being done. I'm hoping for a mild evening or two this week to be able to work on the garage and get back into the swing of posting a few more items (here and there!).

...and Daniel wants to never, ever need money for paintball supplies to the point he has to clean a house again. He'd much rather help me in the garage in payment for the items he finds that he can use.

...and the rains? They've been gone much of the "Spring" we have here in February; they came back last week and look to be here again this week: most days have either 'rain' or 'showers' in the forecast. That may make the routine shopping week a bit not so routine. ...but hey, you should see the mountains!

Okay, I admit it, this week's shots (so far) were taken with the longer lens setup. Saturday morning I 'escaped' for a few before the homework project got underway and took a few shots that turned out to be suitable for the first three days of the week. We'll see if that trend continues <g>. ...and Gary, here's one that's not it the books (I think): when using the tele for close up shots, activate the continuous focus tracking; that helps to smooth out small movements. Yep, it's a nice complement to the anti-shake.

...and to break the pattern for the week, the A-2's complement is the source for the post on "Views" today. That series was shot over two days last week with the X1 (yes, I just realized I have to update the 'cameras' page) and was taken on the freeways and surface roads in the area (with the exception of the last shot; that one was taken just during a brief respite across the street from my office building). Those two days produced some serious weather here. ...and some spectacular skies at times.

...and it's a late one tonight! We spent the evening at the musical equivalent of that football game we went to at Daniel's high school where they invited all the teams and pep squads from the feeder schools to participate. This time it was the bands and orchestras from the junior high (seventh and eight grades) and the elementary schools that joined with the award winning high school bands and orchestra in the gym for an evening of combined and joint performances...

The standards were high for this evening, but I'd have to say everyone acquitted themselves very well. I don't think I'd ever try to combine four elementary bands or string groups into one and try to make it work, but the instructors managed it. Even better was when the high school and junior high groups came in with them. ...and I have to say the junior high strings and bands were fantastic. ...and that the high school orchestra and both bands (and the jazz band to open the show) displayed why they are among the best in the nation. Wow...

...and tonight was Open House at the elementary school! ...and we got to see all the stuff we've worked in for the last month or so decorating the teacher's classroom (</cynicism>). That aside, it was an interesting evening, meeting teachers from years past (I took Daniel around so they could see how he has grown and matured; he did okay with it) and starting the 'goodbye' process to a school that we've been part of since it was placed in service eleven years ago...

Yep, Daniel was a 'charter member' of the first kindergarten class! We've been with this place for like what seems like forever. ...but with the last few field trips, special events and tests this Spring we'll wind down our association with this school and focus more attention on the high school and the junior high. ...and college prep.

Finally. Heh. Yeah, I'm way behind on emails, and way too tired to deal...

Today turned into a day of rain and rest, with rain falling when it wanted to and Shelley and I resting whether we wanted to or not. Yeah, the close to the week was very anti-climactic (climatic?)

The weather beings have flat refused to call this week, citing the nature of the storms passing through; they just said, "Hey, periods of rain..." They got that part correct; we had rain even when it was sunny. I have a shot or two of one of the patterns sweeping across our area; if they are reasonable, I'll post them here. Today I took a photo walk and ended up dodging droplets serveral times. ...and cold! Yep, that low snow fall they'd predicted did come to pass; there's snow on the foothills here. ...at least there seems to be when the clouds part for a view.

...and the week took its toll, at least on the adults. While the boys both managed to get out (Daniel to paint ball and Brad to air soft) the best Shelley and I could do was the food channel and BBQ shows. That really wasn't a great plan on a rainy day: I ended up hitting a rib place for takeout <g>!

It simply has to be something to do with Shelley's family's roots in Arkansas... Ribs for breakfast just isn't something I can even consider. The boys, on the other hand, seem to have picked up something from their grandpa on this one...

...and finally we can say the parents in this household got something done (for themselves <g>)! Shelley got her Bible study caught up and some cookies baked; and I have both of the bookcases nestled back where they belong between the water heater and the electronics bench. Yeah!

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke, "Technology and the Future"

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