Camping Recap

Ahhh what a wonderful time we had last weekend!  It's been a busy week, so I'm just now getting around to updating.  We ended up having a group of 6 - Me & Jason, Charlie & Christina, Eric & Teena and of course little Bailey.  The weather was just about perfect!  Cool enough for a fire all day, but still comfortable.  All the wood was quite damp so the fire wasn't as good as it should have been, but we made due.  Lots of beverages were consumed, yummy food was grilled and lots of corn hole and ladder ball games were going throughout the day - so much that several of us had some sore muscles the next day.

A perfect ending to another camping season (even if it is only the second time we got to go this year).  Some photos:

Photo Flashback to October 2008

This time last year we were camping in Dog Woods.  This weekend, we'll be camping in Dog Woods!  Yay!

And a non-camping photo, but another from that same week when we were having a Mojo Red party at Kimmy's house. 

A Camping We Will Go!

Whooo!  Back to Dog Woods at last!  Check out this camping weather - sunny and lower 60's both Saturday and Sunday!


Sweetness!  We were actually supposed to go last weekend for Jason's birthday, but the weather didn't cooperate.   We haven't been to Dog Woods since Memorial Day back in May, which is just rediculous, but it's been a very hectic summer.  Sadly it will likely be our last camping trip of the season as well due to me having a (routine) surgery that will put me down for about six weeks.  But I'm so looking forward to this weekend!  We have two other couples going with us for sure and potentially two more - and with this crew there is never a dull moment! See our past Dog Woods camping extravaganzas here.

Buddy's Buddy

As Promised...Macro Bugs!

These were taken with a Nikon D80 using my Nikkor 18 - 200mm VR lens with the Kenko extension tubes in between.  They turned out better than I thought with the wind and my first attempt!  Now to try out the tubes with the 80 - 400mm....muahaha!  The rest are here.

Long Weekend and Kenko Extension Tubes

Ahh today beings a nice looong four and a half day weekend for me!  I have high hopes for the weekend and a list of things I want to do.  There is plenty of work to catch up on, but it can't be all work and no play!  So my goal for the weekend is to  pick up my camera and start playing with something new.  That new something will be macro photography using Kenko extension tubes that Jason bought last year.  They have been collecting dust pretty much since they were bought, so it's high time to learn how to use them before all the good insects are gone for the winter.

What the heck is an extension tube, you ask?  The extension tubes are hollow tubes that connect between the camera body and the lens.  This setup enables the lens to focus closer than its normal set minimum focusing distance.  The tubes come in a set of three ( 12, 20 and 36mm ) that can be used individually or stacked for varied magnification results.  At a price 1/4 that of a good macro lens, they are well worth the small expense!

However, there is a small learning curve, lots of light needed ( natural or external flash ) and some practice involved.  Here is an Extension Tube Flickr group dedicated solely to extension tube macro photography for your viewing pleasure.  Hopefully this weekend I'll have some to add and post!

And to leave you with a recent dawg photo:

Misty Morning Sunrise

I just love misty morning sunrises.  If I have to be up early for work, I might as well get a pretty view on the way in!