We are halfway through the year, can you believe it? This week brought a family visit to summer camp, the boys came home (yay!), I communed with nature, we relaxed a little, and I started a new (big!) project.
Day 176 ~ Bear Creek Camper
Dominic and Curtis had left for the Boy Scout summer camp at Bear Creek on Sunday… Friday the family was invited to come for a visit. It was a two-hour drive through Boerne (pronounced burn-ee) and the last part of it reminded me of Austin’s Loop 360 and New Braunfels’s River Road. Anna and Nana were fabulous company on the way there and back. Dominic was so happy to see us (and so was Curtis!)!
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/1.8 | 1/200 | ISO 50
Day 176 ~ Campsite
The campsite was fairly primitive. The boys shared built-in tents that were on raised wood platforms, but the tent sides were open and not tied down. Curtis had his own tent and said he found several daddy longlegs crawling on him in the middle of the night. No thank you, I prefer a hotel.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/3.5 | 1/320 | ISO 100
Day 176 ~ Bear Creek
The boys took us for a tour around the huge campsite. Dominic posed for me in the middle of the Bear Creek sign that’s at the entrance. I wish I had brought my wide angle too, but oh well… I squeezed in as best I could. There as a fence behind me so this was it.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/4.5 | 1/320 | ISO 100
Day 176 ~ The Creek
Down by the pavilion is an area called the OA Ring which stands for Order of the Arrow. This is where they have campfires and group gatherings. Down a little further is the creek for which the camp is named. It’s beautiful!
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/5.6 | 1/400 | ISO 100
Day 176 ~ Family Visit
We were invited to stay for dinner and Dominic declared that he missed Anna the most. Made my heart very happy to hear that. I was shocked (and a little sad) by how much Dominic matured during his week away. He was covered in spider bites and would not let me take a look at them saying, “Stop babying me!” I was sad because I realized how much I enable the children to be dependent. I do too much for them.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/2.5 | 1/320 | ISO 200
Day 176 ~ Daddy Unplugged
Curtis also needed this week away. Work consumes him. Seeing him unplugged and sunburned, totally relaxed and happy, made me so happy for him. He works so very hard and it’s difficult for us to find the time to get away. He needs to do this with every single one of his family members, one on one. Quality time is his love language.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/3.2 | 1/320 | ISO 400
Day 176 ~ GaGa Ball
One of Dominic’s favorite activities is something I’d never heard of before… GaGa Ball. It’s a made up game where the boys get in an enclosed ring, get a soccer ball (or really any type of ball) and throw it at each other. If it hits your legs, you are out. You can’t kick the ball or use your feet or legs at all. The center of the ring is dirt so it kicks up a lot of dust.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/4.5 | 1/320 | ISO 250
Day 176 ~ GaGa Action
Curtis wouldn’t let Dominic play until we left so I got some shots of the other boys playing GaGa Ball. Once I saw how physical it was, I was surprised that Dominic liked it. He normally shies away from games this athletic. I am so proud of him! Curtis logged 20-25K steps per day during his stay. Wow!
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/5 | 1/500 | ISO 250
Day 177 ~ Flew the Nest
Once the boys were home, we spent some of Saturday in the pool. I noticed a lot of activity around the barn swallow nest on our back patio. I think the babies are beginning to take small forays away from the nest. Aren’t they pretty birds? We like them because they eat mosquitoes and other small insects.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/200 | ISO 1000
Day 178 ~ New Record
Dominic and Anna started playing Wii bowling again and they talked me into playing a game or two. I had to take a picture of my new record high score. We were playing 100-pin and I got a spare, 10 strikes, and another spare. That was fun! Nah, I’m not competitive at all. <grin>
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2 | 1/200 | ISO 200
Day 179 ~ Pleeeeeeease Mom?
The kids talked me into visited the New Braunfels Feed and Supply store. They had a huge chinchilla, two cockatiels (both of which made Anna VERY happy), and about a dozen guinea pigs in addition to their regular animals. If you remember from a post a few weeks ago, Dominic is obsessing on getting a guinea pig for his birthday (coming up in less than a month now). Another family with three small kids was also oohing and aahing over them. That mom decided to go ahead and buy one which made Dominic say, “Pleeeeeeease Mom?” Can you guess how I responded?
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.2 | 1/320 | ISO 1250
Day 180 ~ Rudy’s Back
Tuesday morning we were all up early because Anna went to school and Dominic shouted, “There’s a deer in the yard!” They rarely jump the fence because of the dogs. I grabbed my camera and went outside. Sure enough, it was Rudy, our buck that visited all the time last year. We haven’t seen him yet this year and were worried something bad had happened to him. I was so happy to see him again!
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5 | 1/640 | ISO 1250
Day 180 ~ Hello Baby
While I was feeding the deer, I saw the fawn that has been playing peekaboo with me for the last several weeks. I got several good shots of him, but I like this one the best. What a cutie-pie!!!
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5 | 1/640 | ISO 1250
Day 181 ~ Cooper Love
Cooper adores Curtis. Officially, he is Anna’s bird but Anna doesn’t spend as much time with him and I do or Curtis does. When Curtis’s beard is a little fuzzy, Cooper likes to get under his chin and scratch his head on Daddy’s beard. Sometimes, Cooper even gives Curtis a hug!
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.8 | 1/320 | ISO 1000
Day 182 ~ The Larder is Full
My first big run to the new HEB yields a full fridge. Curtis and I popped over there on Sunday to get a few things and enjoyed several wine and food samples. Dominic accompanied me for this big run and was a big help. I like the way a full fridge looks. Since Curtis put in so many steps last week and they didn’t snack, he’s extra motivated to start eating better. Yay for healthy!
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.8 | 1/320 | ISO 500
Day 182 ~ I Love a Project
So one thing I’ve been bugging Curtis about recently is how sad his office space is. He has all hand-me-down furniture in there. Everything is mis-matched. Every.Single.Thing. I told him that the next time he got a commission, I was taking some of it to redecorate his office. I have begun! Before and after photos maybe as soon as next week. Squee!!!
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/4.5 | 1/400 | ISO 800
Thanks for looking! I hope everyone has a great week!
