Saturday, February 24, 2007
Progress
Pat & I have gotten most of our wedding invitations mailed and are starting to get RSVPs back on who will be coming. Our original plan was to just go get married. Then it started to grow. Now it looks like this is going to be a pretty large affair. We are hoping for good weather on April 28th so we can use the gazebo outside but if it rains (we DO live in the northwest!) we will move into the clubhouse.
Huggy has been to Pat's house once and it went pretty well. We need to do it more often and try to get the three cats (Huggy, Molly and Peewee) to the point that we can let them get together. That will be the real test. When we tried it I first tried walking Huggy in on her leash and both she and Peewee had a hissy fit when they met. So she went into her pet taxi & was carried into a bedroom to be let out. Pat's two seemed very interested in the door to the room from the outside while Huggy stayed close to it on the inside, so I kind of think they knew they were all there close.
We have been meeting a lot of each other's friends. Today D & J came up from Vashon Island to visit and meet Pat. Last weekend we went to Auburn to pickup my grand daughter, K, and bring her up to spend a few days with us during her mid-winter break from 4th grade. While in Auburn we visited Pat's friends, L & MM who I got to meet. Next Monday my brother, L, will be over from Spokane for a short visit.
I am slowly getting things out of my house. Today J took some of Annie's favorite clothes, things I had wanted her to have as I wanted them to be with someone we know. Annie was a pretty small person and so is J so most of her clothes will fit. Many of the others have already gone to Goodwill. I've been working in the hobby room this past week. It seems to go slowly but I can see some progress. Lots more to go, though.
Huggy has been to Pat's house once and it went pretty well. We need to do it more often and try to get the three cats (Huggy, Molly and Peewee) to the point that we can let them get together. That will be the real test. When we tried it I first tried walking Huggy in on her leash and both she and Peewee had a hissy fit when they met. So she went into her pet taxi & was carried into a bedroom to be let out. Pat's two seemed very interested in the door to the room from the outside while Huggy stayed close to it on the inside, so I kind of think they knew they were all there close.
We have been meeting a lot of each other's friends. Today D & J came up from Vashon Island to visit and meet Pat. Last weekend we went to Auburn to pickup my grand daughter, K, and bring her up to spend a few days with us during her mid-winter break from 4th grade. While in Auburn we visited Pat's friends, L & MM who I got to meet. Next Monday my brother, L, will be over from Spokane for a short visit.
I am slowly getting things out of my house. Today J took some of Annie's favorite clothes, things I had wanted her to have as I wanted them to be with someone we know. Annie was a pretty small person and so is J so most of her clothes will fit. Many of the others have already gone to Goodwill. I've been working in the hobby room this past week. It seems to go slowly but I can see some progress. Lots more to go, though.
Labels: Annie, Huggy, Pat and I, Wedding
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Valentine's Day and Elvis
Valentine's Day yesterday was wonderful. We went out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I got some sorting at home done. Then we again went to the Northern Lights Casino at Anacortes, WA to see Danny Vernon as Elvis. Dinner was at their special Valentine Day buffet and Pat's daughter, C, went along with us and to the Elvis show.
This show included people impersonating Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper but for us the main draw was Danny Vernon. This show was in the large bingo hall and I really don't like it as well but it seats a lot more people so I can understand why the casino likes it better. I found the lighting on the stage was not as good here either. And once half of the band went off when a breaker somewhere tripped, cutting off their electric power. I tried taking photos with my big zoom lens that came with the D200 camera but even with it's vibration feature turned on I was not getting sharp photos. I think it is because the lens is slower. So I put the trusty 50mm f1.8 prime lens on and it worked fine. I have a lot to learn about using this camera and a lot more is done manually but that is good as it gives you a lot more control. A lot of that can also be done with the D70 but I never got that deeply into using it's menus. With this one I have no choice as it doesn't have all those automated features.
This first photo is early in the show, just after I changed to the prime lens. It shows Danny in a new jacket and includes the two dancers, Double Trouble.
Here is Danny in one of his full new suits. This photo has had a slight adjustment done in contrast and been brightened slightly but that is about all. You can see the affect of the colored lights used in the stage lighting in his skin tone.
Here a small amount of tweaking of his skin tone has been done but the colored lights are still very noticable. Do note the difference in the look of the clothing color.
More tweaking of skin tone has been done. His flesh tone is nearly back to normal.
And here the flesh tone is just about right. Note that the color of the clothes has not changed a lot in these three where adjustments have been done but they are all a lot different from the first one. Just a few examples of how playing with Photoshop can change and perhaps improve photos.
We enjoyed this show although not as much as the last one where the venue was in the smaller room. I haven't looked at Danny's web site to see when he will be back but when he is again in our neighborhood we will try to attend as we do enjoy his shows. These are the first photos I have posted from the new camera. I think I will enjoy using it but I do have a lot to learn and haven't had much time to just play with it so far. I've got a house to clean out. Got to get to work on it.
This show included people impersonating Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper but for us the main draw was Danny Vernon. This show was in the large bingo hall and I really don't like it as well but it seats a lot more people so I can understand why the casino likes it better. I found the lighting on the stage was not as good here either. And once half of the band went off when a breaker somewhere tripped, cutting off their electric power. I tried taking photos with my big zoom lens that came with the D200 camera but even with it's vibration feature turned on I was not getting sharp photos. I think it is because the lens is slower. So I put the trusty 50mm f1.8 prime lens on and it worked fine. I have a lot to learn about using this camera and a lot more is done manually but that is good as it gives you a lot more control. A lot of that can also be done with the D70 but I never got that deeply into using it's menus. With this one I have no choice as it doesn't have all those automated features.
This first photo is early in the show, just after I changed to the prime lens. It shows Danny in a new jacket and includes the two dancers, Double Trouble.
Here is Danny in one of his full new suits. This photo has had a slight adjustment done in contrast and been brightened slightly but that is about all. You can see the affect of the colored lights used in the stage lighting in his skin tone.
Here a small amount of tweaking of his skin tone has been done but the colored lights are still very noticable. Do note the difference in the look of the clothing color.
More tweaking of skin tone has been done. His flesh tone is nearly back to normal.
And here the flesh tone is just about right. Note that the color of the clothes has not changed a lot in these three where adjustments have been done but they are all a lot different from the first one. Just a few examples of how playing with Photoshop can change and perhaps improve photos.
We enjoyed this show although not as much as the last one where the venue was in the smaller room. I haven't looked at Danny's web site to see when he will be back but when he is again in our neighborhood we will try to attend as we do enjoy his shows. These are the first photos I have posted from the new camera. I think I will enjoy using it but I do have a lot to learn and haven't had much time to just play with it so far. I've got a house to clean out. Got to get to work on it.
Labels: Danny Vernon as Elvis, Entertainment, Photo gear
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
I've updated my profile
I just updated the About Me section of my profile. I don't mention RVing in that part of it and part of that is because I don't know how much RVing I will be doing in the future. It is still mentioned in the upper part of the blog and I do hope we will continue to at least do some traveling that way.
But right now I have other things to occupy my time, like getting my house cleared out and ready to sell. We have decided to live in Pat's house after we marry so will sell mine. Combining two households, especially when one of them is owned by a guy who is kind of a packrat that doesn't throw things away, is going to be a challenge. The two houses are only about two blocks apart so it isn't a big move distance wise.
When we do get to the RV I think we will sell the one I have now, which is Dick & Annie's RV, and buy a smaller one that Pat & I will pick out. It will be Pat & Dick's RV. There will be some changes in vehicles that I own, too. Pat has a VW new Beetle that is diesel powered. We will keep that. If we are going to continue RVing we will want to keep the Saturn as it is all setup to be a towed car and does that very well. The Miata may be traded for something like a 1966 Ford Mustang and the Honda moped will just be sold.
One of Pat's daughters has bought my Nikon D70s camera so it will be staying in the family. I think she will enjoy and get a lot of use out of it. It really is a good camera. Tomorrow night we are going to another performance of Danny Vernon as Elvis. I will take my new Nikon D200 to try out there.
The times they are a'changin.
But right now I have other things to occupy my time, like getting my house cleared out and ready to sell. We have decided to live in Pat's house after we marry so will sell mine. Combining two households, especially when one of them is owned by a guy who is kind of a packrat that doesn't throw things away, is going to be a challenge. The two houses are only about two blocks apart so it isn't a big move distance wise.
When we do get to the RV I think we will sell the one I have now, which is Dick & Annie's RV, and buy a smaller one that Pat & I will pick out. It will be Pat & Dick's RV. There will be some changes in vehicles that I own, too. Pat has a VW new Beetle that is diesel powered. We will keep that. If we are going to continue RVing we will want to keep the Saturn as it is all setup to be a towed car and does that very well. The Miata may be traded for something like a 1966 Ford Mustang and the Honda moped will just be sold.
One of Pat's daughters has bought my Nikon D70s camera so it will be staying in the family. I think she will enjoy and get a lot of use out of it. It really is a good camera. Tomorrow night we are going to another performance of Danny Vernon as Elvis. I will take my new Nikon D200 to try out there.
The times they are a'changin.
Labels: Pat and I, Photo gear, RVing, Wedding
Monday, February 12, 2007
Well, I changed to Beta Blogger
Becky at the Absent Minded Housewife blog said she has changed to the beta version and it seems to be working pretty well, so I decided to at least try it. If I don't like it I can always move over to WordPress. Of course I had to join ANOTHER thing, Google something or other, in order to continue using this system.
I did go and buy a new suit. Then I needed a new shirt and tie and they tried pretty hard there (The Men's Wearhouse) to sell those to me but luckily I had Pat along and she said their prices for those accessories were too high. They advertise pretty low prices for suits but don't seem to have any of those low price ones in the common sizes. And they charge extra for all of the tailoring and there is always some since the pants legs will have to be set to your length. Anyway, I have it and we found a shirt & tie to go pretty will with her dress, so are set for the wedding. On clothes.
It appears that getting married is a pretty complicated activity. It seems that there are a lot of things I never thought of that have to be done. It is a good thing that women seem to like to do those things and are good at remembering them so we men can sort of relax and let it happen.
One of the commenters on my last post mentioned that her hubby who was in the Navy never talked about going boating. I should make sure you all know those were my words, not my son's. I guess they don't call his boat a boat because it is a ship and they don't go boating, they go under way. Just saying they are going boating in the boat seems easier to me. It is probably a good thing that I am not in the Navy.
Only two days to Valentine's Day. Last year on that day I found a wonderful poem that brought a lot of comfort to me and since then I have been able to share it with other friends who have lost loved ones. Thank you Emily for posting it that day on Susan's blog so that I was able to read it. This year I have Patti and it will be a much better lover's holiday for both of us.
I did go and buy a new suit. Then I needed a new shirt and tie and they tried pretty hard there (The Men's Wearhouse) to sell those to me but luckily I had Pat along and she said their prices for those accessories were too high. They advertise pretty low prices for suits but don't seem to have any of those low price ones in the common sizes. And they charge extra for all of the tailoring and there is always some since the pants legs will have to be set to your length. Anyway, I have it and we found a shirt & tie to go pretty will with her dress, so are set for the wedding. On clothes.
It appears that getting married is a pretty complicated activity. It seems that there are a lot of things I never thought of that have to be done. It is a good thing that women seem to like to do those things and are good at remembering them so we men can sort of relax and let it happen.
One of the commenters on my last post mentioned that her hubby who was in the Navy never talked about going boating. I should make sure you all know those were my words, not my son's. I guess they don't call his boat a boat because it is a ship and they don't go boating, they go under way. Just saying they are going boating in the boat seems easier to me. It is probably a good thing that I am not in the Navy.
Only two days to Valentine's Day. Last year on that day I found a wonderful poem that brought a lot of comfort to me and since then I have been able to share it with other friends who have lost loved ones. Thank you Emily for posting it that day on Susan's blog so that I was able to read it. This year I have Patti and it will be a much better lover's holiday for both of us.
Labels: Boating, Pat and I, Valentine's Day, Wedding
Sunday, February 04, 2007
I guess I have a camera for sale
It looks like neither my son nor my brother will be buying my Nikon D70s digital SLR camera with it's 18 - 70mm zoom lens. If anyone out here is interested, let me know. I will sell it at a good price and it includes some of the accessories that I can't use with the D200 as well as a few third party books that are specific about the D70.
I don't know where the time goes. It has been six days since my last post but it feels like only a couple of days have gone by. We are making progress with wedding plans. Selecting a date was a bit of a challenge with four kids and some grandkids schedules to consider, plus our own wants and wishes. We didn't want to have it in the fall or winter as both of our original weddings were. My son who is in the Navy will be off on a boating trip from early May until well into the fall, so that rules out the summer and leaves the time from now until early May, and they will be out twice for a week or ten days between now and then. My other son works every other weekend and it is pretty hard to get time off since they have already picked their vacation times for the year. One of Pat's daughters and her family are building a new house and have their own business to run, so they are quite busy. The other works nights but does have Saturday and Sunday off so she at least isn't a challenge to schedule around. Her grand daughter is a serious volleyball player so there are tournaments to keep in mind. And there is the Junior Prom. On the day we selected. But it is at night and we will hold ours in the early afternoon. Anyway, we selected Saturday, April 28th. That is the date of the once a year plant sale at my church so that facility can't be used. But, we were able to reserve the club house where we live and if the weather cooperates we will use the outdoor gazebo.
We have been working on invitations. Pat bought a dress yesterday and I may go buy a new suit today. I think we have the attendants lined up. And it is still almost three months off.
I am beginning to see why it is popular to just elope!
I don't know where the time goes. It has been six days since my last post but it feels like only a couple of days have gone by. We are making progress with wedding plans. Selecting a date was a bit of a challenge with four kids and some grandkids schedules to consider, plus our own wants and wishes. We didn't want to have it in the fall or winter as both of our original weddings were. My son who is in the Navy will be off on a boating trip from early May until well into the fall, so that rules out the summer and leaves the time from now until early May, and they will be out twice for a week or ten days between now and then. My other son works every other weekend and it is pretty hard to get time off since they have already picked their vacation times for the year. One of Pat's daughters and her family are building a new house and have their own business to run, so they are quite busy. The other works nights but does have Saturday and Sunday off so she at least isn't a challenge to schedule around. Her grand daughter is a serious volleyball player so there are tournaments to keep in mind. And there is the Junior Prom. On the day we selected. But it is at night and we will hold ours in the early afternoon. Anyway, we selected Saturday, April 28th. That is the date of the once a year plant sale at my church so that facility can't be used. But, we were able to reserve the club house where we live and if the weather cooperates we will use the outdoor gazebo.
We have been working on invitations. Pat bought a dress yesterday and I may go buy a new suit today. I think we have the attendants lined up. And it is still almost three months off.
I am beginning to see why it is popular to just elope!
Labels: Pat and I, Photo gear, Wedding
