Buddy Ball

Emilie takes piano lessons. Adelaide is in gymnastics. Ivy was in need of something just for her, so along came Buddy Ball. It's like baseball, but with a special needs twist. Each player has a "buddy" who helps out with batting and fielding. Each player gets to bat twice, and field twice. Everyone scores, and everyone gets a chance to catch and throw the ball.

It was just about the neatest thing I have ever witnessed. The kids, all with varying disabilities, were so happy and encouraging to one another. All the parents were helpful and supportive of  the kids. I loved watching the boys slide into home plate just because they wanted to.

Ivy spent most her time in the outfield picking flowers and rocks, and chasing butterflies. Jason was so cute with her. Trying to teach her how to be alert and ready for the ball, should it come her way. She sort of strolled around the bases never really feeling the urgency to run from base to base. She would get there eventually.

I think she mostly just loved her pink batting helmet, and pink and black mitt. She wore the helmet around the house for days. I think she even slept in it.

All in all this was a really good experience for her and for the family. The girls got to cheer on their sister, and Ivy got to be the center of attention for just a little while.

Jason shares his baseball wisdom.

My little south paw.

What the sisters do during a game.

Memorial Day 2012

We went to visit Jason's family for Memorial Day again this year. This has got to be

 one of our families favorite weekends of the year. I know we do

this every year, but the kids always look forward to it. It's the one thing that keeps them going till the end of the school year. When they are uncooperative,

I can always say "you want to go to the lake house don't you?

All your cousins and Lake Grandma and Grandpa will be there."

That always puts them back in line.

This year was especially great because Jason took our new(old) kayak with us. It's old because

it has been sitting in my dad's closet for 20+ years. It's new because

it has never been used in those 20+ years. If you know my dad at all you'll understand

when I say it was one of his Marlboro mile items. A pretty awesome

acquisition considering he doesn't smoke.

Anyway, Jason took it out for her maiden voyage this weekend. He paddled the kids all around the Lake. At one point I thought he was going to drift out to sea, but he turned her around

and headed back to the dock. The kids had a blast, and Jason got an awesome sunburn, on the front half of his body. I too enjoyed paddling around in it. We will be bringing it

back with us for sure!

This year Mama and Papa Poyfair brought Grandma Ruth (Carol's mom) out for the summer.

Carol is now her primary caregiver, and does an outstanding job

tending to all Ruth's needs. Grandma knows it too. She talks all about how wonderful Carol and

 Paul are to her. It was really neat to see the little kids interacting with their

great grandma. They were so good around her, not at all shy or hesitant.

Jason's cousin Diane came from Arkansas. She spent a lot of time playing with the kids, and talking to her grandma. Diane is a welcome addition to our family gatherings. She is just a delightful person , and it's so nice to finally see someone who resembles Jason. It is so obvious he looks like his mom's

side of the family, but until Diane started coming out here I only knew he

doesn't look like his dad's side.

So to bring my narrative to a close I present the pictures, and yes I do hope to make Kimberly and Sharee miss us. We missed  your families greatly this trip, and look forward to the next time

 you guys can come out here.

This Semester's Work

With the end of a semester comes a re-cap of

what I've been doing in my classes. This semester I took a staged environment

photo class, and a digital imaging class. This was a really

tough semester for me.  I had a whole bunch of issues in my personal

life that I have had to work through. I was surprised at how those issues came out

 in my work. I can totally see the things that were bothering

me in the choices i made with regard to my images. I don't know that

anyone else will see it, but I think it was kind of therapeutic

for me.

  I was so burned out when the semester began, and I never really

felt like I was comfortable with any of the assignments. I guess that's a good thing. If a person gets

 too comfortable, their work usually becomes stale. I really had to stretch myself, and while

I am still not completely happy with the work I did, I feel like I learned a ton. I gained

valuable knowledge and experience that I can take with me into my next classes.

This isn't all the work I did, but rather just a sampling of what I have been up to.

Single Image Narrative

Each image tells its own story

Digital Imaging, Self Portraits

This was really hard for me, and for most of my class.

I really struggled with how to portray myself

my little nod to pop art

unrecognizable portrait

incorporated text

zoom in on the baby to read what I have tattooed on her back

 

Still lifes

digital imaging scanograms

Line

Texture

Depth of Field