Moved my blog

I moved my blog to my SwimYellowDuck website. Stop by when you can stay awhile...

Joe Sestak's Security Blanket

I don't want to be mean, but it strikes me that Joe Sestak carries his jacket around, over his shoulder everywhere he goes much like my granddaughter at one time carried her blanky.
The cameras are following Joe's every step nowadays since the White House big reveal on the Bill Clinton deal-or-no-deal phone call.
Sometimes when Joe stands before the microphone, he gives a look much like my granddaughter gave me when I was following her around with a camera.
I mean, I just could not put the camera down when she came to visit. I captured her making bunny ears out of her shoe laces to tie her shoes, sitting in front of the TV watching Veggie Tales, watching "grandpa" draw at his art table, etc. If she went upstairs or downstairs, I would soon appear with my camera. Every move she made charmed me. She was no doubt perplexed by her papparazi grandmother.
I can't tell if Joe likes being in the spotlight or not, but I do know he sports his jacket like a blanky, wherever he goes.

Memorial Day Tribute

Happy Memorial Day!

Darrell was outside today photographing antiques on the patio to list on eBay, and he took this photo of one of my flowers. It's like a miracle flower that blooms regardless of the misfortune of being planted by an occasional gardener.

That flower reminds me of so many Memorial Days and the beauty and strength of the people who serve our country.

First I think of all of the brave Moms and Dads who have seen their children off to today's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I can't imagine carrying around my heart until my child returns home safe from a battleground, and I salute the loved ones of our military and to those serving to keep us safe!

I see the fragile beauty of soul held by those in my life who have served in the U.S. Army—my husband, Darrell, during Vietnam as an instructor in the reserves; my son Brandt in Bosnia and now in bio-medicine with the VA; my brother David, a paratrooper in Vietnam; and my father and uncles during WWII. They are fiercely patriotic. Serving our country isn't something they did once upon a time as their fate in life, but it was a response to a call that defined them.

When David visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, he found the names of his fallen comrads on the Wall. Even before he arrived, he knew his heart would be stirred, but he surprised himself when he wept uncontrollably at the sight of the Vietnam Women's Memorial statue. When he tried to convey his deep sentiments behind those tears and his admiration for the nurses to me, he could barely talk. It was all so overwhelming, even to this day. He saw the same devotion in those nurses in caring for our troops that I see in him. It's this strength and beauty of soul that collides in an individual that we celebrate on Memorial Day.

For those veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, may they rest in peace, sealed by the love and respect of their country. For those veterans among us, thanks for your triumph of bravery, fighting in our stead.

I am the first to say, I am not brave. I could not do that, and I thank you for putting life and limb on the battleground for me and our generation. Those who commit their welfare for others hold strength and beauty in their souls.

Class of 2010

Our first granddaughter's graduating high school 2morrow, and the family's having flash backs, digging through our film archives. Her life is well documented with film and frame, thanks to her dad and mom and grandparents and aunts and uncles; notwithstanding her own Nikonic moments.
Julie's camera goes everywhere she goes. She has mastered the one-hand, back-at-you shot where she puts her head together with a friend, sticks her arm out, points the camera back--and snap!
She determined early in life to become a doctor. She's not wavered on that until now when her career goal changed to Nurse Practitioner. She's going to earn a bachelor's of nursing, which is ideal for her life's goals of also being a wife and mom and getting on with a career. She weighed her goal of wanting to be a doctor against years and years of medical study and investing $zillions in tuition and found she would be quite pleased to get her bachelor's.
She volunteered in a Neonatal unit during her senior year and loved caring for premature babies. It gives her joy to see these little miracles and to be a part of their young lives. Her eyes light up when she talks about them. She no doubt realizes that she can make a difference in the world and touch many lives through this medical profession.
Julie reminds me of my mom, and I loved my mom dearly. Mom was a strong and caring person, a great manager, and very talented. Besides having a hint of my mother in her, Julie carries my middle name, and she loves Spanish, like me. She's caring, talented with great administrative skills, and she's athletic.
She holds the family record with the most broken bones, which she came by honestly doing things like falling off a trampoline, out of a tree, and having the unfortunate luck of being on the bottom inside a jumping inflatable. She focused her athletic skills in high school on the Kickapoo Swim Team, and won many medals and swam in state competitions, where she earned a spot on the awards platform.
I could babble on about Julie and the delight she is to her family, but for now, I just want to announce her milestone in the class of 2010.

Couldn't Help Myself

Michael's store launched a Most Creative Mom's contest May 4th with a $1,000 store prize. My daughter Amy forwarded the e-mail saying, "We have to enter Stephanie!" (her sister, my daughter).
Well, I have a bucket of water hanging over my head waiting to dump if I don't get my year-long, to-do list--done, but I couldn't resist 'cause nobody, planet earth, is more deserving.
The contest goal was to find the Most Creative Mom. Wow! That screamed Stephanie! So, I put together three montages of the gifts Stephanie has made for her children and the family tree!

There was an essay required for the entry. Why did we think our creative genius should win? Michael's allowed 5,000 characters to describe her, and we used 4,881.
Just look at the montage. These creations are not from the past year but from the past months. And it's just a fraction of her gifts. And she makes everything in multiples, tailored to our individual tastes, thanks to her generous heart (and we beg her for things, too).
Next, the unexpected came. The number of entries was so huge Michael's FaceBook site had a meltdown. They closed the contest within a week with the promise to pick a winner from the entries on file and to announce the winner this Sunday.
Michael's broke a lot of hearts and they were apologetic. They even added five prizes because they realized it was going to be tough picking ONE winner.
Cross your fingers. I hope to update this blog on Sunday to say Stephanie won!

Of course, Stephanie says "it made me feel like a million bucks!" just being entered!

Good Times on eBay!

It started with a snafu on eBay last month!
I listed a vintage Rangefinder. I had written the text months earlier and Darrell had taken the photos. It sold on auction, and I went to ship it—but it had disappeared. I turned our house upside down, but no Rangefinder.

I have a work process; regardless, I could not find the Rangefinder. It seemed like only yesterday that I held it in my hand and wrote the description.
Well, I had to cancel the sale, return the money, apologize, etc. I promised to give the Buyer a deal if I found it before he found another. Displeased, the Buyer gave me the dreaded Neutral Feedback. I was crushed, of course, since I have a 100% rating on eBay.

The following day, I went to our other home (yes, we are moving) to further pack. Looked into the top box on the shelf and it contained three items: a MIB Furby, a MIB Sesame Street toy, and the Rangefinder. How random. Now found, I gave the Rangefinder a hug, re-listed it, and sold it again!
The "good times" came next when the shipping address showed my new Buyer was an Arnold Van der Hoeven from the Netherlands (I have some "Braaksma" and "Van Cleve" roots). Sweet. Furthermore, my Buyer collects Leica cameras, and he's a Visualizer/Illustrator!
He sent me a series of storyboards as examples of his work. He creates visuals for proposals to conceptualize an event or a new product reveal. His clients include Mercedes, VW, Audi, and Panasonic Worldwide. I'm impressed.
Arnold stresses that these works are not formal illustrations but "sketches." To me, however, they are wonderful ink and wash illustrations, and I am enriched to enjoy his talent, something that never would have happened had I not misplaced the dratted Rangefinder.

A happy ending in eBay world...
Arnold's sketches for companies in Holland and Germany...

Princess for a Day

Eric, my grandson, is always catching something that creeps, crawls or hops. His latest triump was a bullfrog. He and his Grandpa Sheldon like to grab a flashlight and go down to Lake Harrison, more like "Pond Harrison," at night and hunt bullfrogs. Last week they caught this cutie.
Eric studies his prize for a day or so, then back to the pond it goes. He took photos of this last one. He had to be quick with the camera he said because the frog would pose for only minutes before it decides to hop away and he would be off chasing it, camera in hand.
This has to be the cutest frog ever! Darrell deemed it a Princess Frog and wondered why Eric didn't kiss it before he let it go...just in case. Eric explained that it was a Prince Frog and needed a kiss from a princess, like his sister Stephanie. Eric's bullfrog photos called for a scrapbooking session!