Yesterday.

Being the die-hard fisherman that they are, Josh & Coley were up at 4:30 am to go fishing yesterday.

I was on the phone with Josh while they were out on the boat and asked him if he was having fun catching fish, he said "No, but I'm having fun watching Cole catch some".

It's become a bit of a sore subject with Josh but, he seems to do more "fishing" than "catching".  However, when I jokingly said that he wasn't that great of a fisherman awhile back, he quickly replied "You can't say that, that's like me saying you're a bad cook." to which I replied, "Did you just say I'm a bad cook?"...

Coley caught a couple of fish though.

Sorry (maybe I should have warned you that picture was coming).

Ah, there's the fisherman.

And then we had a fish fry at Josh's parents house.

Where Annie made her rounds from Papa...

to Grandma Jo...

to Great Grandpa (who got her a new teddy-bear that is now appropriately named "teddy" and says nice things like "It's always good to share" and "You should always say please & thank you")...

to G.G. (Great Grandma) also affectionately known as "Grandma Cracker" by Annie for her never-ending cracker supply.

Annie's animal cracker lion was "growling" at Great Grandpa.

Dillon came with us (Ross & Dillon haven't been able to hang out together in a really long time because they've both been grounded for bad grades).

We've all missed Dillon.

Josh's parents run and live on a mill (Josh grew up here). 

Every time Annie sees a mill, she starts hollering "Papa!".

Ross & Dillon and Coley ran around the mill for hours last night.

Coley banged up his forehead playing chase.

And Annie started a rock collection...

which she was quite proud of.

She brought them back to show everyone.

But she wasn't quite sure she could trust her Dad with her new collection.

I think this had to have been the coolest place in the world for a boy to grow up.

Oh, and on our way home we ran into Dillon's Dad (he's a cop).

Comments

[Terri B in Oregon]

Love the pictures and commentary! Almost makes me feel like I was there!!

[Teresa B]

Great shots Karen.. love your stories.. looks like sooo much fun!!

[Addie]

Great pictures, sounds like a good time! Awesome fish Cole!

[jen]

oh my, annie...she is the cutest little girl! (that's kinda tough for me to say...i think my girls are both pretty darn cute too...but i'm biased)
i too love rocks.
came across a book once - everybody needs a rock (?). very cute.
not sure where you can find it now.

[Sharon]

Great to get a GODD pic of your kids in a police car. ;)

[tara pollard pakosta]

soooooooooo cute and fuN!
and great day!
tara

[Sara]

I LOVE your little picture stories! A great reminder to me to always bring my camera!

[janel]

Love love love every one of your photos. You capture a goodness that is so very special. Thanks for giving me a smile and the promise that love and family are the things that makes our world wonderful.

[Basia]

Great pictures, I missed you :)

[lovely cee]

can i say... i can't get enough? love the photos... in love with the photos! love the short stories behind each one of the pictures.

registration is coming and looks like my money don't get here until it's too late. although i am hoping that you'll have another one coming before this year ends. i still want to take your class so badly.

[shabbyVTchic]

OmGosh, that last picture is the best... a riot really! Your pictures bring back memories of my own childhood... I grew up just a few feet from the tracks, right here in this railroad/river town where I raise my own children. We walked to the river to fish and swim regularly. We used to put our coins on the track and retrieve them after the train flattened them. We used to wait in the parking lot by the paper mill across the street from our home (where my parents still live) and wait for the engineer to toss out candy (they always did that for us kids). One day, we opted to sit up on the bank eating our Dannon yogurts (yogurts were new and a cool snack to buy). The train derailed. We would with out a doubt not have survived that had we been below waiting for the candy. I still love the train tracks... it's just a cool place to be. Love your pictures!

[jenny]

okay - LOVE the shots of the fishermen. i usually outfish my hubby so i could totally see him in a shot like josh! :)

what an awesome place to grow up (and take pictures - heheehe).

i love reading your posts. :)

[stacy]

i love the shot on the railroad tracks! priceless!

[april]

CRACKING UP at the look on Cole's face in the cop car. He's having a little too much fun there!! ;)

[Deanna]

Hi Karen,

Your photos are so beautifully composed using your awesome eye and the rule of thirds. I especially liked how the picture of Coley with the scratch on his forehead is composed, along with the picture of Annie with her grandpa. As an amatuer photographer, I am very eager to find out the answer to a photography question of mine.

Are these compositions ones you cropped during post editing or did you compose the pictures in the viewfinder when taking the photo? I tend to do the latter since I don't like to do a lot of post editing, but this is very limiting if you want to convert the photo into a square or other size beside 4 x 6 because the subject is positioned in a third of the picture and the focus is zoomed in. I would appreicate it so much if you could get back to me.

Thanks for your time,
Deanna

[Trina]

You have such a gift for taking the most amazing photos, Karen! Your color & composition are great as well as just finding the perfect shot all the time! I especially love the shot of Annie bending down to pick up the rocks. Just beautiful! Also love the shot of the boys on the railroad tracks. You always seem to be in the right spot at the right time to get the very best photos. Do you take many photos or are you just good at getting the one you want in just a couple shots?

Your family seems really amazing, wish we could all be so lucky! You are truly blessed. How do you encourage such a great relationship between all your kids? I have 2 boys and they use to be better about hanging out and loving each other, but these days they seem to do more fighting than anything!

Thanks for sharing!

[Kathleen Loughran]

What a cool day!

[Mary Ann]

I LOVE the photo of the boys on the train tracks. It just tells it's own story.
Thanks again for the inspiration, and making me want to be a better photographer.

[Peggy Lucas]

Magnificent photos. I love the one of Cole with the scrape on his head. That boy has such a darling look with those eyes. :) Great photos, Karen.

[Val from Down Under]

I love, love, love your pictures and stories Karen. Thanks so much for sharing - again! God Bless...

[MamaJayne]

How fun that is! Your pictures are awesome, your children adorable, and your family day looks so fun!

:J

[nancy in ks]

You are brilliant.

[nancy in ks]

You are brilliant.

[nancy in ks]

oops, sorry for the double post.

Thanks for the "PHOTO FIX" I needed that. I have to say I had slipped back to using my AUTO setting on my rebel, but this weekend I took "real" photos on Manual setting, so nice..........
Laura P

(PS Carma had scolded me for going back to AUTO )