Garage Jam

 Becks Auto hosts an annual party every year in their garage, which is usually around Halloween or Valentines Day...however, this year it was decided to host it in the Summer.  Neighbors, family and friends gather to eat a delicious pot luck of big game, casseroles and sweets, listen to fabulous music, and of course, have some laughs.
Grandpa Frank's band usually plays during these parties, but this year they decided to bring several musician friends together for an open mike jam...and what a jam it was!

Here's a shot of Justin and Jon, of the Tunesmiths, rockin out...I just love Justin standing next to Jon in their clashing shirts...hehhehe....despite the shirts, Jon and Justin are great friends and have known each other for many years.

 And since it was open mike jam, why not open drumming too :)  Jordyn and Daddy cut loose on the skins here, and she was actually pretty good!

 Great Grandma Anita came up for the fun and to steal lots of hugs from her Great Granddaughter!  Jordyn was more than willing...she loves GG!  She saved some hugs for Uncle Patrick too...Justin's old school teacher and Uncle...he moved back to Colorado recently, and we are soooo thrilled that hes back!  He tells the best stories...and is never at a loss for Ollie and Sven jokes :)

It was the perfect Sunday and we couldnt have asked for better weather or better company...a great time was had by all!  Thanks for throwing the party Jim and Bev...you guys Rock!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Twenty Five

Week Twenty Five : Summer Wishes
Another photo taken with my new lens...this photo had such pretty depth of field and bokeh, that i decided not to digitally enhance it at all :)

Nosy Neighbors ~

 Just some silliness on the mountain today...Justin is clearing out some mountain rubble and we all went up to watch him pull down this giant rock (note: he used the backhoe to attempt this feat...not the muscle of our 4 year old)...sadly it didnt work, but he hasn't given up yet :)

 Meanwhile, we had our first visit from yogi today...this little one showed up to inspect our trash...i took a few photos, then interrupted the garbage raid before a real mess took place.  Sorry little one...no freebies here!

Yep...theres always something fun going on up here at the Black Bear!  :)

Father's Day Week ~

 Jordyn had lots of father's day activities last week...first we took her to the only place in the canyon with paved sidewalks for some scooter fun...weeee!  The new fire station put in these paths, so its a great place to trek around on.

 And here they are enjoying a piece of Chocolate Apple bread....

 And of course, another shot of the new kittens...i bought a new lens a few weeks ago, and im really enjoying it...

 Some flowers in the garden that finally decided to bloom...Summer took forever to get here...but thankfully, its here, and its wonderful to see the sun!

 Jordyn and Daddy enjoy an early Father's Day dinner...T-bones with mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes and an apple salad.  Yummo!

 Then on Sunday morning, as a surprise for my birthday (a day early), my best friend drove up for a quick visit to deliver me birthday wishes and these beautiful flowers :)  Thanks Christy...you Rock!

 After our visit with Christy, we headed over to grandpas house for some delicious dinner and laughs.  Grandpa recently had back surgery, so he was happy to have a little company.

 Then we enjoyed a crazy hail storm...

 And here is a sweet moment between Daddy and daughter...the perfect ending to a perfect week!

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful Dads out there...and to my own father, i miss you and love you!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Twenty Four

Week Twenty Four : Painted Purple

Recently i purchased a new lens, and it creates beautiful depth of field and bokeh.  I have been playing around with it for a few weeks, and im really enjoying it.  This image alone was quite pretty, but i decided to play around with it in Photoshop to see if i could make it look like a painting.  So here it is...Painted Purple, digitally painted in Photoshop :)
p.s. the details are lost on the smaller image...be sure to click on it to see it at full scale!

Canyon Cattle Drive ~

On our way down the canyon on Tuesday, we ran into a cattle drive...gotta love mountain living!  enjoy~

Kitten Cuteness ~

Summer Cold, Summer Fun ~

I havent blogged for a while, so i suppose i should get caught up!  Memorial weekend brought on nasty weather, so the big family camping trip up here got canceled.  I suppose it worked out for the best though, as i got really sick!  Jordyn was kind enough to share her nasty bug with me, and after a few weeks of feeling miserable, i finally went in to the doc to see what was up....well, turns out, i had an ear infection, a sinus infection and pink eye....good grief!  Im on day three of the antibiotics and feeling much better already!

 

The kittens are happy in their new home, and we just love them!  We still havent come up with a name for them yet...we have had many wonderful suggestions and ideas, but none quite seem to fit...so for now they are both "kitty"  :)

Somehow i finally managed to get my garden planted, nasty phlegm and all...and it turned out rather nice i think.  I planted zucchini, summer squash, roma tomatoes (in the cold frame), snap peas, beans, eggplant, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach.  Im trying a few new things this year, so it should be fun to see what happens.  I have a lot of rogue cilantro growing in my garden from last year, and thats just fine by me!

 

After Memorial weekend, the weather finally cleared up, the sun came out, and it finally felt like summer.  We have been outside every day since, and its been wonderful! 

 Here are some shots of our neighbor, Mena, playing with Jordyn...they were having a blast together playing pony rescue and foam swords.

 Yep...Summer has finally arrived!  Hurray!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Twenty Three

Week Twenty Three : Little Miss Blue Eyes

I decided to blow the dust off of my Wacom tablet, and did this painting in Photoshop from a photo i took of Jordyn this week.  I was originally planning to do it in Painter, but then i started messing around with some of Susi Lawson's techniques in Photoshop, and before i knew it, i was done :)  Im a little rusty with the stylus, but it was great fun!

2011 Photo of the Week : Week Twenty Two

Week Twenty Two : Sleeping Babes

I couldnt resist this shot of Jordyn taking a nap with the kittens.  They love to cuddle with her...once shes asleep!  Digitally painted in Photoshop.