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Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266)
Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I spent most of the day logging
Some friends are thinning out their trees, cutting the big ones into 8-9 foot logs and sending them to a local lumber mill. I volunteered to give them a hand today, so I spent my day clearing and cutting back brush, chaining logs and standing well back as the tractor dragged them up the hill.
I was too busy working to take a picture – so here I am at home with a spare chainsaw Ginger’s dad left with me, initially so I could help out in Joplin, and latterly in the vain hope that one day I’ll cut up the limb that’s been sitting in our front yard for the past few months.
Had I not been tired I might have worked a little harder on the lighting. Had I arrived home before dark I might also have cut up that limb – honest.
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Thursday Evening (365:265)
Today was my study day.
Today it really is 100 days until the end of this project!
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Double take (365:264)
I thought I’d cleaned the mirror before taking this picture.
Obviously not. Ginger’s not been feeling too well, so I let her sleep and picked up the big kids from school.
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2 am. (365:263)
okay 1.55 am to be precise.
It could also be titled HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript, oh my! I’ve been busy working on a WordPress theme.
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We had a bolt stuck in our tyre
So this afternoon I got it fixed.
The van’s a lot quieter now.
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This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261)
This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. AKA Parking lot fund raiser wash-out.
Ginger and I volunteered to watch over the Youth Group kids working the Cider Days parking lot fundraiser after church today. Yesterday’s attempt got rained off, and the weather wasn’t any better today. After less than an hour we sent the kids in and Mark and I stayed out and took around six dollars an hour (that’s two cars) for about three hours before throwing in the towel.
While Mark was off having some lunch I took a few pictures for today’s self-portrait. This is what you get when you accidentally hit the shutter and it fires several times in quick succession when you are not expecting it to do so. I had a more normal shot – but I’ve loads of those, so I decided to go with this rather stupid-looking one. You will, I hope, note the rain on my glasses. Unfortunately, you can’t see how wet my hair is.
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Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260)
Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It took nearly an hour to complete a ten-minute journey.
I spent the day doing ‘webby’ things and ending up ultimately disappointed once more in the quality of software – this time bought. Sigh. This should be simple.
Ginger took Lanie down to church to help with the ‘Cider Days’ parking lot fundraiser, and Katie clothes shopping in a hunt for some classic clothes in the downtown flea markets. The fundraiser got washed out, but the shopping trip was a success, and I was treated to an impromptu fashion show when they got back.
John and Marsha are on vacation and very kindly gave us their tickets to this evening’s symphony concert, so we had a Beethoven treat night. I had planned on taking today’s picture either just outside or inside the auditorium, but the light was horrid inside and it was frightfully busy outside.
After the concert we got stuck in traffic trying to exit the parking lot – apparently a rodeo just down the road had finished at the same time, so we spent 50 minutes just sitting in line. I decided to take a safety shot while we were waiting.
We were a bit concerned about our back tire which currently has a number plate screw, complete with washer, buried in it. It’s been raining heavily all day, and I didn’t fancy changing a tire in the wet, so we left it in place. It can stay there, probably until after the school run Monday morning if I can get away with it.
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Warmth (365:259)
Warmth (365:259). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This week it went from a hot 94°F to a chilly 45°F.
Ginger got the chance of a well earned break today and went out with our friend Rebbie.
While she was gone, considering that it looks like autumn is on the way, I decided to clean the furnace’s air filter and burner ready for the colder weather; fitting in my daily picture in the process. Working on the furnace has to be better than another ‘Wall’ picture.
I won’t recount the epic tale of how I got this photograph, but let’s just say that taking the doors off the cupboard turned out to be a good idea. If you look carefully you’ll see the sweat on my brow.
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Studying again (365:258)
The second year of my EFM course starts tonight.
We’re working on the first lesson in advance. This week I had to listen to the text, which explains the earphones. I chose to read it too. I’m really looking forward to getting back to class again. Keeping up my tradition from last year, I realized I’d listened and read the wrong text – so I had to start over. In many ways it turned out quite helpful as it put the text I was supposed to be listening to into context.
Ginger had a meeting at church at the same time as my class, so we had a chance to see how the kids coped without us. Very well as it turned out.
Blue Kitteh will lay on anything. Whether it be a box, a book, a piece of paper or a laptop. I was dashing to get out when I saw her slumped on Ginger’s laptop on the bed. I only got a chance for a couple of quick pictures before some noise outside distracted her. Just as well, if I had spent a lot of time taking pictures we’d have been late getting to church.
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Day 257 (365:257)
Day 257 (365:257). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s gone 1 am again.
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Working late (365:256)
Only 99 more days to go.
This documentary picture a day project doesn’t work very well when you never leave your desk. My day began at 7.20 am with the school run, then back home at my desk and I’m still here at 1 am.
Edit: I’m mildly dyslexic especially where numbers are concerned – I didn’t find it out until I started doing business accounts and couldn’t work out why they never balanced – I was typing in a lot of the numbers all jumbled up. The right digits, just not necessarily in the right order. The astute will have spotted that I have 109 days left to go…
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Staring into space (365:255)
Staring into space (365:255). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I do a lot of mental staring into space, not so much actually gazing into the distance though. I’m having a bit of a mope at the moment. No real reason, just a minor self-pity fest. I’ll shake it off quite quickly.
My EFM class starts again this Thursday. So that means I get to do a ‘Studying for EFM’ picture each week. Potentially more exciting than all the wall pictures I’ve been churning out. Part of this week’s studying is listening to a two and a half-hour reading. I’ve not yet thought out what photo opportunities that will present. Earbuds in my hand? Earbuds in my ears? Maybe I ought to pass on those.
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Today is my son’s birthday. It is at times like this that I miss being able to see my family.
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This evening I was momentarily stumped as to where to begin (365:254)
This evening I was momentarily stumped as to where to begin (365:254). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I soon got over it.
This Sunday was different. At church people were exchanging their “Where were you when..?” stories, and the services were extended to include additional prayers. At the 11 o’clock service the adult choir was supplemented by members of the Dury Singers for a performance of a piece specially written for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. To my generation this must be like the assassination of Kennedy was for our parents. One of those key moments in a lifetime.
Growing up with the IRA and their ever-present threat and the actuality of terrorism, and living in a city that 30 years on still hadn’t completed rebuilding after the second world war, my reaction to 9/11 is somewhat different from my American friends. No less saddened by the losses, but not as disbelieving or indignant.
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Today also marks my mother’s birthday. Were she still alive she’d have been 76 today. Oddly, for the first time in several years I miss her.
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No Wall (365:253)
No Wall (365:253). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. After yesterday’s escape into the garden I spent today at my desk.
That’s all folks.
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Gary in the backyard (365:252)
Yay! Out of the house and no sign of a wall (same basic pose though).
Out and about this morning, with a trip to church and WalMart. We spent a fair bit of the afternoon in the backyard where I fed the mosquitoes while we took pictures.
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Tedious (365:251)
Tedious This 365 days project is a bit tedious at the moment
Probably a reflection on my life, which involves not a lot more than sitting at a screen slogging away for 10-12 hours a day. Not a lot of room for photographic excellence there. Even worse I sit up late in the vain hope that some inspiration will strike, then dash off a half-hearted quickie like this just before bed.
I was so immersed in whatever research / writing / reading I was doing this afternoon I forgot to go to the Thursday service. But I did get to go out at eight pm for an hour or so with a friend. The bar we picked was too noisy inside to chat, so we sat outside – where there was a band. Oh well. It was also dark outside so I didn’t try for a picture.
Today’s picture involved a very lazy set-up – it was coming on for 12 O’clock, so I’ll cut myself a little slack. I didn’t bother to diffuse the fill light and it shows in the harsher shadows around my hand.
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Gary at the computer (365:250)
Gary at the computer (365:250). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. After too many hours spent working at the computer the law of diminishing returns starts to set in.
I broke away from the dreaded machine at least a couple of times. Once for a meeting at church and a second time to go pick up the girls from Youth Group. Originally the title was ‘Gary working at the computer’ but by 11pm I was way beyond working anymore.
This picture marks a departure for me. Normally I’d have used monitor light. Tonight I opted to place a large diffuser on the desk in front of me and tucked a wireless triggered speedlight behind it and used that instead.
Technology gone mad: you realize things have become too complex when your flash gun locks up due to a software error. Sad but true.
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365:249
365:249. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Lately it seems I’ve been running a lot just to stay in the same place.
Discuss: More often than not freeware and shareware reduces the quality of software products down to the lowest common denominator by removing the investment and incentive required to produce a good well tested and documented product.
That gives you some idea of how my day was spent – researching suitable software only to find a load of mediocre half-arsed products, 50% of which don’t work, and the remaining 50% don’t actually do exactly what you want them to. I’m not alone – I found pleas in the various fora for a product just simply did what was needed.
I love the catch lights in this picture – it looks like I’m wearing contacts, but it is actually the reflection of my glasses.
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Gary, Lanie and Ginger (hiding at the back) too (365:248)
For what seems like the first time in over three months the temperature dropped below 90°F.
So, we had a celebratory hike. A nice short 4 miles on the white trail and Busiek. We took along Lanie, Katie and Katie’s friend. My camera is far too heavy for an arm’s length self portrait, and it took me a few attempts to get the flash level right.
We should have tried for a better shot in which all of Ginger’s face was visible, but we wanted to get on our way as we had an appointment with some burgers at Tom and Rebbie’s to keep. Very nice they were too.
Tonight we’ve had to close up the house. Not because it’s too hot – but because it is too cold!
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I was going to use a picture of me facing right for a change. But I like this one more. (365:247)
Gary Allman. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I could have gotten a much better picture if I’d got the camera out earlier today. I didn’t.
Church this morning was at Camp Shawio followed by burgers and conversation. I enjoyed the informal service and had a great time catching up with people afterwards.
