weekend recap, september 30

1. Friday meeting | 2. September sky | 3. Fire pit meeting | 4. Starting pitcher | 5. Ballpark food | 6. At bat | 7. Beagle on board | | 8. Black & White Beach | 9. Blowing in the wind | 10. Windowsill herbs | 11. Tiny project | 12. Seeds | 13. Autumn leaves | 14. Kitchen witchcraft | 15. Football food

Well hello there lovelies! I've missed you guys. Even though I posted on Friday, it feels like it's been forever, doesn't it? And about Friday. I want to thank you all, so much, for your thoughtful words of support about my classes. Through your emails and comments and the dear friends I have here, I really do feel lifted up and well, okay.  That it's not personal. That I just keep plugging, and we'll see. Teaching classes like these is one of my life-long dreams, so I'll keep putting myself out there and trying. Someday it has to work out, right?

But enough about that? We had a B.U.S.Y. weekend. Lordy. A hangout with our neighbors and the first fire pit of the season on Friday is one of the many, many reasons why I love fall so very much. The chill in the air, and the smell of wood smoke permeating our clothes. It's so easy to lose track of time completely. But we were up and at it early for a double header on Saturday. YIKES! That's a glorious amount of baseball.

Fall baseball is the instructional league, and every kid gets a chance to try something new or get better at different positions. It doesn't mean they don't want to win, but winning is almost secondary to learning at this time of year. Almost.  Still, let me just say that it did not help the headache I already had to learn that Cal would start as pitcher in our first game.

I gotta say, he held it together better than I did, and he was throwing some good pitches (especially given the fact that he hadn't pitched in about two years), but it was HARD to watch. Let's just say I was glad to see him back at 3rd where he's much more comfortable. I'm proud of the poise he showed.  

We took Lucy back to the beach early Sunday morning. Cal was at a sleepover and when we picked him up, he asked, "Did she get in the water?" 
"Yes!" 
"Good girl!" he said, rubbing her head.
"One paw."
"Oh."

Poor Lucy. Still, there's so much to sniff there, her nose is constantly covered in sand! 

And as always, I'm having fun taking pictures. I'm working on a couple of projects right now. Photo #11 (above) is part of one that I just started with a couple of friends in my Thursday Morning Photography Group (now on Fridays). We're playing on Instagram, and after we get a few rounds under our belts (that shot was the first), I'll fill you in on the details. I've also been having fun continuing to play with black and white, both on Instagram and with my big camera. I'll share some shots and thoughts on that tomorrow.

I guess when I get stuck thinking about these classes, I need to just get my camera in my hand. My photo meetings are so good, and so inspiring. Those are the things I need to remember. It's about the photographs and honing my skills and pushing myself creatively. If I keep doing that, the rest will come. That's what faith's all about, I suppose

five things, september 27

1. I think it's pretty funny that I like to cook different and creative things when all my family wants is meatloaf and sloppy joes. Ha! Joke on me, right? It's all good. Callum really will eat anything I put in front of him (the spicier the better), but we had both meatloaf AND sloppy joes this week, and the gusto with which both my men gobbled up those dinners, not to mention the glee? Well, lesson learned. When they're happy, I'm happy.

2. I think  I've been thinking some about how outsiders see us lately. Outsiders? Wrong word. For the next few weeks, we'll have a young woman living with us while she's in Virginia working on efforts for the gubernatorial campaign. She's a recent graduate of the college Neel and I attended (where we met, actually), and she found us through the alumni directory. She needed a cheap place to stay for a short amount of time (just through the election), so we had a family meeting and decided, why not here? She got here Tuesday, and she's been nothing but a delight ever since.

You can't help but wonder, though, how someone new will see you. After Neel told her to be sure to have cash for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I said, "Okay, Dad..."  Are we fuddy? Are we mainstream? Quirky and fun? Does she even give us a second thought? Only time will tell, I guess. At least the guest room was ready for her. I hope she's cozy.

3. I think  I really appreciate the nudge that Christine gave me with this post about shooting in black and white. I tried to do it for most of the week, and I'll share some of those photos on Tuesday if you care to have a look. I'm not sure I'm getting it yet, but I'll keep trying!

4. I think  I'm still not completely out of my funk. I'm getting there, but two of my classes didn't go (not enough students), and even though I've been reassured left and right that it's not personal, it's hard not to feel it, you know? Baby steps, I guess. Perhaps I need to read more of those articles about jumping back from failure. Or not. I've been thinking about friendship too. I'm enjoying some deepening relationships very much, but I've been hurt lately too. How do you let go of a thrum of anger when you feel you've been let down by someone you love?

5. I think it's good that I was "off" these last two weeks. Well, "off-ish." I'll tell you more about what I did next week. I wasn't offline as much as I wanted to be, and I didn't get things straightened out quite the way I wanted to, but where things were slipping into chaos, they're now merely busy. I guess that's a good thing, right?