So Much to Catch Up On

Wow!  This has been an eventful summer for someone who rarely goes anywhere.  I am still amazed at having my art in an online gallery belonging to a legitimate store front gallery in Arizona.  In September I was able to get started on my own business domain, for Capirani Photography and it is connected to the online gallery site as well.  This was truly exciting for me because I have always wanted my own domain and a professional website.  Although I have not yet sold anything, I was contacted last week by another photographer in the online gallery.  He does abstract work also, but his work is done with a program he actually designed himself.  His work is really one of a kind.  I hope you will take a look at it.  His name is Allen Hirsh and if you read his bio on the page, you will see what I mean when I say that his work is unique.  You can also visit his business website from that link as well.  Tell him I sent you.

Whew!  What else?  Oh yes.  I'm teaching myself Hebrew!  Yes you read that correctly.  This is something I have been wanting to do for many years but thought maybe it was too hard for me.  And until the availability of the internet, how would I hope to be able to learn?  Who would teach me?  But over this summer I have become interested in Messianic Jewish praise and worship music, which is often sung in Hebrew.  I wanted to be able to sing along, so I started trying to find the lyrics online.  I even wrote to the church in Jerusalem that puts out the YouTube videos of the music I am learning. The church is called King of Kings Community Church of Jerusalem and I really enjoy the music as well as the preaching.  It is a combination Christian/Messianic Jewish community church located in Jerusalem, Israel.  The playlist link I gave you above lists the first few songs I am learning, but I only have the words for three of the songs so far and parts of the others.  I will probably end up emailing them again for the words to the rest of these songs.  But in the meantime, teaching myself Hebrew makes me feel like I belong to their church and that I am doing something to draw myself closer to God.

Okay, so where and how am I teaching myself Hebrew?  Well, I started out looking for different websites on the subject and found a couple that seemed to be easy enough to get started with.  And I then went to YouTube again to find videos so I could actually hear the words pronounced as I learned.  I ended up narrowing it down to two sites so far, plus the YouTube.  The YouTube site is actually connected to one of the regular websites so I don't even have to use YouTube now.  The first site I chose was Israel Hebrew: Learn Hebrew and Stay Updated With Israel News.  Through that site I went on to download a pdf file they suggested that was supposedly used by the US government for learning Hebrew.  You can find that on the link above.  They give some good options including some books you can buy if you want to pay for instruction.  The pdf file is free, however.  After that I went to Hebrew Pod 101 and that is where I went after finding their videos on YouTube.  YouTube only has a few of their videos so to get the most out of the lessons using the website is better.  In all honesty, other than the different form of writing, and alphabet, it is a lot like learning Spanish, which I took in high school and college.  Doing this by myself is not so fun, but I am really motivated to learn.  It fills some of my time as well as exercises my mind.  There is really no downside to this.

The last thing I wanted to talk about here tonight is the idea of making a possible change to this blog.  This is still in the brainstorming phase and since I am brainstorming with myself, who knows where I will end up.  The thing is, I want to do something to be an influence to others in some way.  Although I post a lot of things on Facebook, it isn't what I really want to do with Facebook.  I want to work with Facebook more to promote my photography and just hang out with friends.  Plus if I do this right, I can reach more people with a blog than I can a private Facebook account.  The question is, in what way do I want to do this?  There are a lot of thoughts going through my head at any given time on this topic.  Sometimes I want to talk about how I wonder what happened to everything?  I mean, America...people...values...morality...and so much more.  So I think it will probably end up being more in that line.  But I also want to help people who are searching to find the Lord and be saved before it is too late.  I want to leave something online that could maybe be found after the Rapture to help guide people to the truth so that during the Tribulation, they can read and learn and find truth.  But right now, as I said, it is still in the thinking phase.  I don't really know how to start.

It's colder outside.  Autumn is much cooler this year than usual.  It makes me wonder if winter is going to be like last year.  I hope not.  It makes things really difficult for me when there is so much snow and ice that I end up really locked inside.  Odd though, because this spring, and summer, I did not spend much time outside at all.  It was mild enough to enjoy too.  Aside from the photography, I'm dealing with some personal issues that keep me occupied and it just seems to make things harder for me to want to do.  Well, it's almost 4 a.m. here and I really should start winding down to try to get some sleep.  Please do take a look at the websites I've posted for you.  Especially if you are also interested in learning Hebrew.

New Developments For Capirani Photography

I have been truly blessed to have my photography represented by Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ in their online gallery.  You can find me at the following link in their gallery.  You can also find my art now on Flickr.  Both of these new adventures are very exciting for me.  It also somewhat explains why I have been absent so much from this blog.  I've been busy with the Capirani Photography  blog.  So if you have missed me, take a hop over to one or all of these places and find me there.

Kittens

Today when I took Jonah outside for his afternoon/early evening duty there was a pretty little kitten on my porch.  Of course Jonah wanted to catch it, I hope to play.  But the kitten ran straight up one of the walnut trees out front.  It didn't climb up far and as soon as I got Jonah to a safe distance, it actually came down and tried again to get close to the porch.  Jonah did what he had to do and then kept trying to get to the kitten who hid itself in the shrubbery of the flower garden.  Jonah tried to get to it even though he never did.  The cat was not disturbed at all as it seemed to know it was safe.  It sat there and posed for me while I took as many pictures as I could.  It was so cute.  I have posted all the best of the photos on my Capirani Photography Blog but I just have to post at least some of them here too.  It was almost like he came to me just so I could photograph him.  Later on I did not see him around.   As I said in the other blog, sometimes I think God brings things to me to photograph since I have problems getting out to go places where I can get some nice photos. So I just want to say Thank You Jesus!

   I tell you I could not have posed this kitten any better than what it did on it's own for me.  It would not let me pick it up or really touch it, but it let me get in really close with the camera and behaved like this was totally normal while the whole time Jonah was barking and trying his best to get close to the kitten too.  Jonah got groomed today so he was looking especially spiffy for the photos too.

 

See You In September...Oh It IS September!

Busy, busy, busy.  Okay so not as busy as most of you out there, but for me this past few weeks have been busy.  This year has been so different than last year was.  It's hard to believe this is the middle of September already and the end of the year is nearing.  Some believe the end of the world?  (Mayan calendar and all that.)  Okay well I am not going to get into talking about that.  

I have resigned from the Scams of the Heart group and since then I have found so much time to be doing things I have been wanting to do.  Don't get me wrong.  I still support the group and believe in what is being done there.  So if anyone reading this needs help because of romance scams or friendship scams, that's the place to go for help.

In the past two weeks I have spent more time with my family than I have in months and that is the best change of all.  Last year my family and I spent a lot of time together.  This year was different in so many ways, but it seems to be back to the normal routine and that makes me very happy.  

Working on my photography and now adding graphic design to it all has kept me pretty busy too.  I've updated, remodeled, changed, and even deleted blogs I had here.  Some needed work, and others just needed to be gone.  All the ones that remain got worked on and hopefully improved.  

In addition to working on the photography and the blogs, I have also been busy at Squidoo updating existing lenses and creating new ones.  In the past few days alone I have created three new lenses.  You can see all my lenses as well as all my blogs in the right-hand sidebar on this blog.  The lenses I created the past few days include one about cookies, one about Star Trek and Stargate television shows and movies, and one about what a pescaterian is.  I used to have a blog about being a pescaterian (spelled pescatarian and pescetarian but not the way I spell it--LOL) but I removed it and decided later to create a lens about the subject instead. I also created a lens about how to use Corel PaintShop Photo ProX3 to change bad, blurry photos into good graphic designs.  So I guess I counted wrong and have actually created four new lenses in the past few days.  I haven't made any money yet with Squidoo but prior to this I haven't really had the time to devote to the project.  Now that my full focus can be on that instead of other things, maybe I will start making some progress, as I know it can be done.  

Tonight will be my first meeting at our local art center's Camera Club which I am excited about.  I've wanted to try this group for a long time and finally got the chance, thanks to my daughter who had them include me on her family membership.  Hopefully I will learn some good tips to make my photography better.

In addition to all this, since the weather has gotten much nicer, Jonah and I have been spending quite a few mornings sitting outside enjoying it all as well as some afternoons too.  It's nice to finally be able to get outside and breathe some fresh air and enjoy some sunshine without roasting.  All I can say about this past summer as it comes to a close is that it has been absolutely brutal.  The birds and squirrels are really hungry right now too, it seems, as they are eating up the bird seed a lot faster than they did the rest of the spring and summer.  I can't keep up with them.

Oh I can't forget this.  I uploaded my first YouTube videos this past weekend.  My grandsons each have a robot-type toy called a Turbo-Fighter and the adults at my one grandson's birthday party went wild letting these two toys battle it out.  Have a look before you leave my page.

Roses and Bird Feeders

Today is Mother's Day, or it was still an hour ago.  I got a beautiful surprise yesterday from the neighbors across the street from me.  They are a cute 80-ish year old couple, the wife of which was my roommate when I was in rehab after my second knee replacement surgery.  Yesterday the husband of said couple knocked on my door for the first time since I got home from that surgery and in his hands he had a bouquet of freshly cut long stem pink roses.  They are gorgeous!  It's been years since anyone gave me a bouquet of roses and never have I had any fresh cut from someone's yard.  The funny thing about it was that I was occupied when he knocked on the door and by the time I got there, he was about to leave.  He didn't have the roses in his hand immediately.  He said "Oh, just a minute," and he went into the apartment next to mine.  I could hear him talking to the lady there.  She's probably in her 80's as well.  What I heard was, "I'm going to have to be an Indian-giver..." and then he was back with the roses for me.  Her family was visiting her at the time so I let it pass.  I guess he thought if I wasn't home he would just give them to her instead, but when he saw I was home, went and retrieved them for me.    It made me laugh, smile, and wonder at the same time...did he have more and split the bouquet so she could have some too?  I hope so.  I'd hate to be the one who got roses and had them taken away in the same instant.

My daughter and grandson got me a bird feeder for my yard.  Since they got me my dog I have been outside a lot more and they helped me plant a lot of flower seeds this spring.  I thought a bird feeder or two (or three?) would be a nice touch.  I mean if I can't get out to see nature for my photography, let me bring nature to my own yard.  So they got me my first ever bird feeder.  I figured they would get me one since they asked me what I wanted.  But I didn't figure it would be such a nice one!  I don't have a shepherd's hook yet to hang it on so for now it hangs in the cluster of small maple trees in my back yard.  Eventually I may move it, or I may just try to get at least one more to put in the front flower garden so the neighbor (yes the one who had the roses taken away) can see and enjoy the birds too.  I told her about all the flowers that we planted in the flower beds and she seemed pretty happy about that.  The flower beds have been needing attention for the past couple of years.  I can't do much about it and neither can she.  Maybe at least the places the new flowers will be growing will help it looks better.  My mom loved feeding and watching birds in the years after she retired and she got me interested in it too.  Hopefully this summer I will have some photos of both the flowers we planted and the new birds attracted to the yard.

Time For the Next Baby Step To Health

For the past couple of weeks I have been mentally reviewing my changes in eating habits over the past two years since I got sick. As I review I also realize that there are more changes that have to be made. I am thinking about what those next changes should be. Here is what I have done so far.
I am a salt-aholic and a few years ago I realized that I don't like salt with my food as much as I like the taste of food with the salt. Does that make sense? I mean, for the best explanation I have for this, I enjoy the way the salt makes the foods taste. I am not talking about having bunches and bunches of salt added to food. It is just that of all seasonings that there are in this world, it is salt that I like the best. Well, when I got sick, after a few months, my feet and legs began to swell so I cut back on salt. Then I got put on diuretics and I cut back salt even more. This was not something the doctors told me to do. In fact, they never even mentioned it. Curious about that I researched the diuretics and found that cutting salt intake was not necessary with these particular medications. The medications helped some, but not as much as I would have liked. At this point in time, after almost two years of gradually lowering my salt intake, I am happy to say I have not used a salt shaker in a long, long time. I very rarely add any salt to my food and when I cook, I use a lot less than I used to. Indian foods are the hardest for me to stop adding salt once the food is on my plate, but I am working on that. Salt does do a good job of inhancing other flavors. I don't have salty snacks in my home anymore, well, maybe once or twice a year I have bought some salty snacks and brought them home. When I want them I have bought them and taken them to Daughter's house, eaten some, and left the rest there. It works much better that way. The only thing I have in the house for snacks right now is a bag of corn tortillas that I will one of these days cut up and make my own tortilla chips...without added salt. I did that about a month ago and they turned out quite good. Sometimes I have popcorn, but I don't like the microwave popcorn and I would rather make it myself on the stove. I do salt that but only when it is cooking and not afterwards. I think I probably use about half what I used to and I haven't had even popcorn for at least three months! That in itself is a breakthrough because I used to make it almost every night. That habit changed a little over two years ago when I didn't have the access to make it that often. I was buying microwave popcorn here for awhile, but got tired of it because I just don't like it as well as stove popped.
Years ago I cut way back on drinking my favorite Pepsi (or in my case--caffeine free Pepsi). At first I switched to orange juice, and water, then gradually just cut out the orange juice as well. During the time I cut out the orange juice I found out that because I ate a lot of oranges and drank a lot of orange juice, I was keeping another problem in check. That was that my fingers would split after I stopped the oranges and juice. When I would drink the juice, they would heal and not split. Gradually I figured out that I could drink juice once or twice a week and keep it under control. Someone suggested it was actually the folic acid in the juice and oranges that was helping, so I started taking folic acid instead of drinking the juice or eating the oranges. Yes I still buy oranges once in awhile because I do love them. But I don't have them all the time like I used to. Actually it ends up being just around Christmas that I have them. I take the folic acid once or twice a week and don't have anymore problems with the fingers splitting. If I forget to take it, my fingers soon remind me. So, there I cut out a lot of sugar, both the refined and the natural, but still sugar. All I drink now for the most part is water with an occassional powerade maybe once every other week, and home-sweetened koolaid with sweet n low about twice a month. About once a month I might have some caffeine free Pepsi or Sierra Mist. Other than that, I just drink water.
About two months ago, Daughter and I had a discussion about trying to figure out what was causing me to have a lot of bloating and making me feel bad. So with her suggestions, I cut out milk and yeast breads for awhile, then gradually introduced them back. It apparently wasn't either one, but at the same time, I decided to cut back on the dairy and yeast products. So I have been using milk only in cooking. Many times I use non-dairy coffee creamer as a milk replacement for cooking and have done so for years. I can't tell the difference and think the creamer makes whatever I am making creamier anyway. However I don't use cremora because of the flavoring. I just use generic unflavored creamers. Occassionally, about once or twice a year I get a craving for cereal so I will buy that and use milk in that. Don't get me started about soy milk. I tried that stuff and it is horrible! I don't know how anyone can say otherwise. Well, to each his own...
Over the past few months I have been cutting out red meats and for the past two months I have been almost 100% red meat free. I have been trying substituting turkey where possible and had turkey brats this past week. I fried them on the stove, but they were really good and if I didn't know they were turkey I would not have known the difference. On the grill they would be fabulous, and they would not need the pre-cooking if not cooked too quickly. My next goal is to try ground turkey when I make spaghetti. It's too hot to cook right now so I hope next week I will get to do that. My freezer is filled with chicken and fish and some turkey meats. Daughter and I experimented with ground turkey while cooking some Indian foods and the results are in a previous post here. We really could not tell that we used ground turkey rather than ground beef. Now, if you are wanting a plain ole hamburger or cheeseburger sandwich, you might want the real thing. I know for now I do. Thankfully I don't want them much. Even with cookouts I would rather have the hotdogs or brats, and I can have them turkey.
The very best thing I have done so far has just been in the past two to three months and that was that I have cut out all fast food--meaning things like burgers, french fries, and things like that. The last fast food I had was KFC last week when Daughter and I had a quick picnic in the park after shopping. Before that it has been at least two months and it was taco bell which isn't as bad as the other grease filled processed crap. I don't even crave it anymore. I thought giving up McDonald's french fries would be really hard, but it wasn't. Pizza is the next thing that is on its way out of my diet. At least I am not going to have it as often as I was. For awhile, when I was sickest and didn't feel up to cooking, pizza was my main foods. Around here the only thing we can get delivered is pizza or food from one Chinese restaurant. This area is really bad about having delivery foods available. When you are sick and live alone, you get your meals however you can do it. Mine mostly came from the local pizza places. I am so sick and tired of pizza. I think that is why the fast food is out too. When I would go out, just to get something other than pizza I would eat the fast food. I am so glad to not even want that stuff anymore. It sure didn't help my weight while I have been stuck in such an inactive state.
Let me see...is there anything else I have already changed that I haven't mentioned? Yes I have increased my physical activity now that I feel better. I have a LONG way to go in that department though. I have my Richard Simmons DVD of sit down aerobics. I haven't worked out with that other than one time so far. But I still do chair exercises on my own daily for my legs. Also, since I am feeling better I am up and around more and going out more, so I am walking more.
Tonight's blog got rudely interrupted by a tornado warning and I had to leave my mobile home to go to my friend's house where she has a basement. Then when the storm was over, we drove around and looked at the sky, took some pictures I hope turn out well thru the car window glass and flash, and looked at downed trees and limbs. I ended up driving thru what was the worst of the storm. The weather radar showed nothing in our area and suddenly there was the warning so off I went. I am glad we didn't get any real damage here...at least it looks like we didn't. If the pictures came out good, you will find them on my photography blog soon. That is enough for tonight! What an end to a hot day...and to be still hotter over the weekend...mid 90's. Whew!

Squidoo Lenses

I have been working on my Squidoo lenses the past few days and have also created a brand new lens while I was helping a friend start a lens of her own. It has kept me a bit too busy to do any blogging. Now that the lenses have all been updated, it is time to come back to the blogs.

Just as a refresher...here are the URL's for all my Squidoo lenses, in case you want to take a peek and see what has been done there.

http://www.squidoo.com/photographyhotspot

http://www.squidoo.com/creativelycapirani

http://www.squidoo.com/theactivitydirector

http://www.squidoo.com/familytreeandtwigs

http://www.squidoo.com/ADHDalternative

Frustrated

I'm getting better. At least the part of me that made me feel sick is getting better. That would be the heart--the atrial fibrillation. Now that my heart muscle has had this time to rest, (this is my theory anyway) I am feeling better. So why am I so frustrated? The rest of my muscles, while my heart muscle was resting, have lost tone and strength. The arthritis seems to be continually growing worse and my knees really hurt when I am up walking or standing very much. At the same time, my body is refusing to allow my mind any peace. It wants to get up and move! That is wonderful! My mind and my body are in sinc at least some of the time and I am finding myself doing more all the time. Not just that....but I am wanting to and that is an important thing to. When you are sick, you just don't want to do much of anything and you end up not caring about a lot of things. You just don't have any energy to care.
Feeling better started gradually around December/January. It was then that I was able to start thinking about the baby steps I would be taking to work my way back. At this point I don't think I am going to get back everything I was before all of this, but I am not going to allow myself to give up. Eventually maybe I will get a knee replacement or two. But that is not in the foreseeable near future.
Another reason for the frustration is that with this nice spring weather I want to be outside enjoying it. The thing is, I don't know how to anymore. I don't know how to do anything other than go to WalMart where I can drive around and around in the motorized cart, or stay in my car when I go anywhere else. I want to get to the parks, to the lakes, to the rivers, and other places where I can photograph nature in its glory. So for the past few days I have been trying to figure out how to do that. For example, I want to go fishing. Instead of just thinking about what I need to buy and pack for a day trip, I am thinking of additional things such as where can I park so I don't have to walk more than a few feet to the shoreline? Where is the nearest facility for those little necessary trips that interrupt a day spent in the sunshine and breeze, and how far would I have to walk to get there? Or, better yet, can I find a place to park and fish, take pictures, and picnic if I want to, and still be within close driving range to those facilities? These are the kinds of things that are occupying my mind these days.
Soon, like the first part of next month, there will be all kinds of activities going on here in this area, including concerts in the park. I used to go to those every week and really enjoyed them. But at that time, I didn't have to worry about how far away I parked. Even the closest parking places now are too far for me to walk. I don't have a wheelchair and I don't want one unless that would become absolutely necessary. A motorized scooter would be nice but at this point in time, that is way out of my budget. Besides, I am not sure about how easy they are to get in and out of my van.
I really admire those who are able to continue on with their lives and be active even though they are disabled in one way or another. This is a new challenge for me and I hope to conquer it soon. By that I mean, learn how to not let it keep me down or hold me back. I have learned how to manage inside my home by doing things in a different way. Now it is time to learn how to do them on the outside. Of course one obstacle here includes pride. I have issues with feeling embarrassed by my situation and that doesn't help me to push forward. One of the things that bother me about this is that I feel I have to do this by myself because other than my children and a few close friends, the rest of the people I thought of as my friends turned their backs on me for the most part when I got sick. They offered their prayers, from a great distance, leaving only one or two to be the contacts. So, all the activities I used to enjoy with them I will be doing alone now until I find some new friends as I get out and about more. And I am not going to turn my backs on them if they choose to return now that I am feeling better. But I don't expect that to happen.
So, even though I am frustrated right now...even though I want to get out and be as fully active as I was more than two years ago...I am not going to let all these obstacles stop me from moving forward, however slowly I will have to do that. I know for sure if I want to continue putting photos on my photography blog I am going to have to get out there and take some more. In fact, I have tentative plans for this weekend, weather permitting.

Speaking of photos, I am hoping to get out to Daughter's house in the next few weeks and get some pictures of the puppies. By then they should be up and waddling all over her kitchen. One of them died so there are only 8 instead of 9. She said all of them but one are girls. Son-in-law wanted to keep one of the boys, so it looks like that choice is very limited.

Check My Photography Blog!

Finally I have some photos on my photography blog! It's certainly about time. What was I thinking making a photography blog before I was ready to put photos on it? Oh like I am in so many other ways, I tend to get ahead of the game sometimes. But now there are some photos. So go check it out when you have a moment. Be sure to post a comment to let me know what you think. That's just the start. I have a lot more to get scanned and get on the blog. Then of course, there will always be more pictures to be taken.

Today is youngest Grandson's first birthday. Sunday was oldest Granddaughter's seventh birthday. Where does time go? This weekend is birthday party central. One party on Sunday and another one on Monday. This just starts the season for grandchildren birthdays that will last through July.

Going Digital

If the weather holds out long enough over night and in the morning, I am going shopping. As much as I love my Canon AE1 camera and would not trade it for anything for photography, I am going to get my first digital camera. I was hoping to hold out until I could afford an SLR digital, but those things are still far to expensive for my budget. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am notoriously slow about getting my pictures developed. There is always something going on that prevents me from taking the film in once it is filled up with pictures ready to be shared. Usually it is my memory. Just today as I was talking to my daughter about getting a new camera, she said, "Mom, you should take your film in and have it developed tomorrow." Uh, yeh, I should. I figure I have at least one roll, maybe two waiting to be developed. There is some still in the camera so that will wait....depending on how far it is used. I may just go ahead and take it in too. Some of that film that is ready to go is close to 2 years old. It is a good thing film doesn't go bad quickly, or I would be out of luck on many of my photographic endeavors. So, don't you agree--digital is the way to go. I can take my pictures and come home and get them on my computer, then just print the ones I want or need at the time.
Of course, the Canon AE1 is still going to be a big part of my photography fun because there is just so much I can do with it that I can't do with the digital--at least with any digital I can afford. That camera was my birthday gift years ago and it was not cheap. I have a great zoom/macro lens, filters, and all kinds of settings I haven't even figured out yet! (I really need a tutor to help me with those kinds of things because some things when written just go right over my head.) I love landscape photography. I also love taking the real close up pictures of animals, leaves, flowers, and other things you don't normally look at up close. Some of these digitals say that I can take pictures as close as 5-7 inches away, which is really pretty close. I am just going to have to see if the quality is as good as it is with my Canon.
So, why am I adding digital to my collection? Well, aside from what I said above about getting the film developed, I have these squiggly, wiggly, quickly growing up grandchildren who don't stop and wait for Grandma to get her camera put together...hmmm which lens will I use for this picture? Oh and wait for me to get the flash attached and for the little light to come on. I need batteries for the flash. I need a different battery for the camera. That camera was not meant for taking pictures of little ones on the run. It is wonderful for the landscape that isn't moving as fast as I try to push a button. It is wonderful for getting shots of animals and children and other people from a distance so that they are truly candid and look close up because of the great zoom lens I have. But it isn't so good in the tight spaces I call home. And, it surely doesn't fit in my purse like a digital camera will. From what I am seeing, these cameras are not much different in size than a cell phone or a pda, so I can have my camera with me whereever I go and be able to catch a shot of something without issues of not having my camera with me when I see something interesting...like the bald eagle I saw just outside our little town several years ago. I have never seen a bald eagle before and did not believe I was really seeing one then. I had a perfect shot of it, too. But no camera!!! When I got home I did some investigating about bald eagles and found that they can, indeed, be found in our area. That was the first and last (so far) that I have ever seen anywhere, let alone in our area. I can't tell you how many deer, or blue herons I have had to pass up because I didn't have the camera with me. A few months ago, I did have the camera with me and went to have lunch beside a nearby lake while I was doing business in that area. There standing in the water, not more than 50 yards from me (probably closer) was a blue heron waiting for his lunch. My camera was still in the bag. I put it together as quickly as I could hoping and praying that the bird would stay put just long enough for me to get all set up. Sure enough, just as I was finishing, the heron took flight and I lost my chance. Canon AE1's need planning for good photography. Digitals don't. Reason enough. Then, once the pictures are on my computer and then on CD, I can share them so much easier with other family members and friends. Oh, and organizing digital shots on the computer is going to be a lot easier than the task I have ahead of me of organizing my great big box of photos. My daughter got me some of those photo boxes for getting my pictures all put together nicely and neatly. I hope she wants to help.
Having both cameras is going to be a big plus as an incentive for helping me get feeling better physically. I want to get out this spring and take pictures to put on my blog. And I still have a goal from ages past that has not died...to be more than just an amateur photographer.
Well, I have been doing my homework. I am learning about megapixels and optical zoom. So far I have narrowed my choices down to 3 cameras available locally. One is the Kodak EasyShare Z885 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5X Optical Zoom & Image Stablization. Next is the HP 8 MP Photosmart Mz67v Digital Camera with 6X Optical Zoom & Image Stablization. Finally, there is another Kodak--the Kodak 10MP EasyShare V1003 with Image Stablization--it only has 3X Optical Zoom. Each camera has its pluses and minuses. So I am weighing the pros and cons of each camera and hoping with a little help from the people at the store, I will be able to make the right choice. Also the first two have movie mode so I can take videos, with sound. The last one, although it has higher megapixel quality, I am not sure it has the ability to do video. It doesn't say on the available info on the website I found it on. Then maybe tomorrow when I get to the store, they might have something that I didn't find on the website that is better for the price than any of these.
Either way, I can't wait to start taking pictures again. Come Monday, I hope to have pictures of one of my most favorite restaurants to put on here. I have an appointment to see my electrophysiologist and my daughter and I generally go there for lunch buffet after the appointment. It has become a regular activity about 4 times a year. The doctor and the appointment are about an hour away so it isn't somewhere we go often. Maybe I will even be able to get some photos of the food on the buffet. If you like Indian food, it will be sure to make your mouth water. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.