Here and now: August 27, 2015

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clock and book 

On my mind...

Wondering how people without decent health insurance survive.

Reading...

Finished up The Mapmaker's Children last night. Starting Circling The Sun by Paula McLain tonight.

Watching...

Brianna's new puppy, Max, each day at lunch. The nine-week-old can't get through...

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

kids and cameras

As long as my grandsons have known me, I've had a camera in my hand more often than not. I may not be a pro, but taking photos is one of my favorite activities.

I like to think it's my penchant for taking pictures that encouraged my grandsons to enjoy using various cameras—from their kid camera to smartphones to my DSLR—for shooting shots around their place now and then. 

I'm pretty good about explaining to my grandsons the basics of using a camera, but as a true and untrained amateur photographer myself, I'm not the greatest at sharing with them sure-shot techniques for composition and more, in easy-to-understand snippets they'll understand and remember.

Enter National Geographic Kids book Guide To Photography by Nancy Honovich and National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths (which I...

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Birthday gals, plus GRAND Social No. 169 link party for grandparents

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Birthday gals

Welcome back! I hope your weekend was great!

My weekend was spent celebrating birthdays. Saturday's birthday gal was my oldest daughter, Brianna, who turned 33 last Tuesday:

mother and daughter 

Sunday's celebration was for my mom, who turns...

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Saturday movie review: Alex of Venice

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Watching blockbuster movies as they premiere at the theater can be the ultimate movie experience for movie lovers. That manner of watching movies isn't the norm for most folks nowadays, though. No, most folks are more like me—enjoying movies at home as soon as they premiere on DVD. Or later yet, on streaming services.

The relatively extensive lag between a blockbuster movie showing at the theater to appearing in my Netflix streaming queue means I spend a far amount of time searching streaming options for gems to watch between must-see movies I'm waiting on. I found a gem the other night: ALEX OF VENICE.

alex of venice movie

ALEX OF VENICE is the directorial debut of Chris Messina, whom many may know from TV's...

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Here and now: August 20, 2015

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In my world...

clock and book

On my mind...

On NBC News Tuesday night, there was a report of an unscrupulous doctor who had been egregiously knowingly misdiagnosing patients with MS. Such a horrible thing to do. I have MS. BUT, though his actions are unconscionable, that's not what most stuck with me after viewing the report. What did stick with me was a comment from one of the women incorrectly diagnosed. She stated that...

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Colorful Colorado, plus GRAND Social No. 168 link party for grandparents

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Colorful Colorado

Over the weekend, Jim and I visited a local park (actually called an "open space") that we've heard much about and passed the entrance into literally hundreds of times. To further test drive a Subaru Legacy I had for the week for review, we decided it was high time to head deep into Red Rock Canyon.

This is a sampling of what we found:

Red Rock Canyon Open Space 

So peaceful and pretty!

I have nearly 300 more photos from the nearly three hours we spent...

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Saturday movie review: Mavis!

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Most folks are familiar with Aretha Franklin and her impact on the music scene—and the hearts and souls of listeners—for generation upon generation. It seems not as many folks may know as much about her contemporary, though: the equally soulful singer Mavis Staples.

mavis! documentary

The documentary MAVIS! is about to change all that, introducing younger generations to the inimitable powerhouse and...

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