Life Through a Viewfinder

Part 2

2011-01-04T17:01:00.003-05:00

Part 2 is finally here!

Make sure to click older posts at the bottom of the page to view all of this post.

July 12 & 13: Craters of the Moon

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A Cedar Waxwing

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

A Barren & Forbidding Landscape

Our first stop of the day was Inferno Mound

There is a constant wind of
about 30-40 mph with gusts that exceed 60 mph.

This tree was supposed to be 1200 years old.

Beauty amidst the rock

I guess when you don't have many rivers you have to
keep all the ones you have.

July 14: The Great Salt Lake & Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

2011-01-04T16:59:00.001-05:00

The Great Salt Lake

The salty sand beach that we were on.

I wonder what it could be...

Nothing else but the largest man made excavation on earth:
Bingham Canyon Mine.

One of the giant shovels under repair.

Industry

July 15: Bryce Canyon

2011-01-04T16:58:00.002-05:00

Bryce Canyon, Utah

The day we were there the sun was unusually active,
they had a telescope set up so you could look at the sun. Really neat!

I wonder how long until this tree joins
the other ones on the bottom.

Bryce Canyon:
One of the most beautiful canyons I have seen.

The Beautiful Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon

Water is a very important necessity in the west.

The switchback that got us out of the canyon.

You never know what the sun and dryness will do to people. ;-)

July 16: Zion Canyon

2011-01-04T16:57:00.004-05:00

Zion Canyon:
Home of some of the tallest sandstone walls in the world

Checkerboard Mesa

A hole in the wall

A blue tailed skink

Miss Dorothy

Angels Landing

One of the very abundant ground squirrels

The Narrows

July 17: Grand Canyon

2011-01-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Friends to the end

The Canyon in July

Ancient Indian Ruins

Angels Window

The canyon holds it all, even a wedding site.

The Aisle

Lover's Leap

It's a long way down!

July 18: Lake Powell & Four Corners USA

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Lake Powell, Arizona

Four Corners USA

Since the actual four corners was under construction,
we had to content ourselves with going through four states
in under a minute.

July 19: Mesa Verde

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Balcony House

The Only Way Up

A kiva, minus the roof.

A View over the Canyon

One of the tunnels that caused this tour
to be rated "Strenuous"

Spruce House

A reconstructed kiva

Back on our side of the continental divide
we find water flowing east.

Colorado Mountains

A beautiful double rainbow.

July 20: Colorado Springs

2011-01-04T16:53:00.004-05:00

Colorado

The Focus on the Family Visitor Center holds more than meets the eye.

Dorothy at Whit's End

The Team USA Training Center

The Fencing Room

Balancing Rock, Colorado

July 21: Old Town, Colorado

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Our gracious hosts from Manitou Springs.

A very interesting display on the hundreds of kinds of barbed wire.
There were reportedly 1200 patents on barbed wire by the end of
the 1800s.

An 1800s wheat thresher.

An Indian Tepee under fluorescent lights? Hmmm........

Joshua and Nathanial checking out the cells.

No Comment

The Streets of Old Town

After Old Town, we took a ride on the oldest, best preserved,
hand carved wooden carousel. It still costs only $0.25.

July 22: Breakdown

2011-01-04T16:51:00.001-05:00

Kansas Sunrise

Well, we almost got home without a problem. In Missouri
the serpentine belt shredded, causing the engine to overheat.

After waiting for about an hour the tow truck finally arrived.

Bored

The whole delay cost us four hours.

Intro

2010-09-01T21:01:00.003-04:00

Western Trip, Part 1

Since this blog seems to be almost over taken with dust, Isaac and I have decided to take it over for a little while, and do some posts on our trip out west with our sister Sarah and her family. We took what is known as the inner loop tour of the west which includes Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde and many others; it was simply amazing. We hope you enjoy all of the pictures, and we plan on having the rest of them up soon.

Enjoy!

P.S. Make sure to click "older posts" to view all of part 1.

July 1: Indiana Dunes Lakeshore

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Where the trees meet the sand.

The Swimming Beach

The Non-Swimming Beach

Typical Tourists

Aaron struggles up a shifting sand dune.

Chicago Rush Hour Traffic

July 2: Spam Museum & South Dakota

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"I wonder what's inside?"

The mighty Mississippi barges.

Hannah

The Spam Museum located in Austin, Minnesota

Aaron the factory worker.

South Dakota
Great Faces, Great Places

July 3: Ingalls Homestead & Corn Pallace

2010-09-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

"The Worlds Only Corn Palace"

Good thing Dorothy doesn't read yet.

All of the decorations are done with cobs of corn.

This was the last good picture that I took before I was informed
"No Pictures!"

A typical school house, similar to one that Laura taught in.

Typical tourists who cant read a map.

The Wide Open Prairie

It was windy out there!

As you can see, we decided to change our form
of transportation along the way.

Mount Rushmore or Bust!

Minimum Maintenance: Drive at Your Own Risk

(That is actually what the sign said.)

July 4: Badlands National Park

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A morning walk beside the Missouri river.

Prairie Dog

Badlands, SD

Aaron

Looks like he may have been bitten by one!

A lost child in the desolate waste.

One of the few life forms: buffalo grass.

Happy Fourth of July!

July 5: Badlands & Mount Rushmore

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Morning Drink

The starting point of our hike.

The Exploration Team

Where the Badlands meet the prairie.

Wall Drug

We finally made it!

Art

Mount Rushmore after the rain.

July 6: Custer State Park & Wind Cave

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The American Bison

The Pronghorn of the Prairie

We saw a total of around 200
of these on our trip.

Art

The Needles in Custer State Park

In the clouds.

The Eye of The Needle

The Natural Entrance of Wind Cave.

The Cave That "Breathes"

Wind Cave is home to the largest concentration of
boxwork formations in the World.

July 7: Devils Tower & Little Bighorn Battlefield

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Wyoming

Devils Tower Looms in the Distance

Art

Isaac "conquers" Devils Tower

The View from the Base of Devils Tower

The view from the hill on which the battle of the
Little Bighorn was fought.

Custer's Last Stand

Prairie Cone Flower

July 8: Virginia City

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The Rockies in the Distance

Virgina City

A real ghost town from the gold rush.

A Virgina City General Store

How is that for a taffy puller?

Montana Train Tracks

The Madison River

Where Joshua & I did some fishing
and Isaac found Gold. ;)

This man we met at the Madison River.
He was going from Mexico to Canada on Horseback,
living off the Land.

He asked us for a drink of water.

July 9: Yellowstone

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The first elk we saw in Yellowstone.

Smoke in the distance.

A Hissing Fumarole

The Yellowstone River where the hot springs flow into it.

Old Faithful...not quite as we expected it to be.

Abyss Pool

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

July 10: Yellowstone Day 2

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King of the Road

The smoke breathing mountain.

The leashes came in handy.

The springs claim all that is in their way.

One of the Yellowstone moons.

Mountain Top Beauty

Summer and winter fun all in one place...

Come to Yellowstone!

Beside the still waters.

July 11: Grand Teton National Park

2010-09-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Western Beauty

Peace and Tranquility

You will see more from this state in the next post.

Farewell until part 2.

Isaac & Philip

Catchup Time!

2010-01-20T07:41:00.002-05:00

Good Morning,

Achoo! Wow, is it dusty in here! I have been getting so used to my new Wordpress photo blog that I almost forgot how blogger even works. :)

Well, anyway, I decided that now is a good opportunity to catch up on a few older events to make ready for my eventual post on the SoS conference. Believe it or not, I still do not have all my pictures, but I may just have to post without all of my pics if I don't get them in a few weeks.

Thanksgiving Day

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This year we had a smaller than usual Thanksgiving celebration due to Sarah & Nelson visiting his side of the family and Benjamin, of course, being in Texas. Our one consolation was the wonderful addition of having Monique with us for the first time as one of the family.

As always the food was unbeatable! Jon digs right in. :)

Dad fulfills his patriarchal duty of carving the turkey.

After Mom, his faithful helpmeet, lays out the traditional instruments.

Karen, eldest daughter at home.

Abigail, joyful sister.

Jonathan & Monique

I wonder what they are thanking God for on this Thanksgiving?

Isaac shares a good laugh.

Philip, what did Mom tell you about playing with fire?

Timothy, youngest son and up and coming photographer.

Esther, who is becoming quite the young lady.

No, I couldn't find any pictures of myself, photography has it's downsides!

"I... don't.... think... I can take another bite."

Cider

2010-01-20T07:39:00.002-05:00

After we finished eating dinner the Martin family came over to help us press apple cider.

First you put in the apples.

Then you grind them up while keeping a sharp eye to make sure none escape.

Finally, you press them for all you are worth.

If you aren't worth enough, just get a longer lever! :)

Once you are finished it is best to relax over a good game of Jenga.

And last of all, head over to this young lady's blog for some real coverage. As a bonus, you will even get to see yours truly teaching his younger brother how to use a sword.

Congratulations, you are now an expert at making apple cider!

Mega Monopoly

2010-01-20T07:38:00.003-05:00

After the Martins left, it was time to break out the Mega Monopoly and introduce Monique to the fun way of playing this classic game!

As soon as we figure out who goes first, that is!

Philip looks pleased, I wonder why?

Possibly because Jon is forking over his last dollar!

But wait? What has happened now?

The Red Hotel of Bankruptcy!

Skeet Shoot

2010-01-20T07:37:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately, I had to miss out on this skeet shooting expedition, but from the looks of the pictures they were having some serious fun!

"Throwers ready!"

"Pull!"

This is where the 40D's 6.5 FPS would have been handy...

Philip, the mighty hunter, slays yet another paper target.

Monique takes the concept of pistol packin' momma to a whole new level!

How romantic. :-D

Totally digging the shades, Jon!

Good art has to have a good subject, right? And what better subject than a stack of empty 30-30 shells after some serious shooting?

Fun in the Snow

2010-01-20T07:36:00.003-05:00

On December 24th I got off work at noon and went with the rest of the family to a hill at the local park to do some sledding. It would have been a shame not to make good use of the eight inches of snow that we had on the ground.

What's this? Cute little Aaron attacking his uncle with a snowball?

Sledding Art

Nelson built an impressive jump and then proceeded to show us all the proper way to go off it.

Philip takes it like a pro.

Serious Air

While the thrill seekers try the jump, some prefer a calmer ride.

Classic

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Ben tries his hand at snowboarding.

This, my friends, is a pure, classic, beginner snowboarding pose!

Aaron contemplates the fate of his uncles...

...and decides that a trip down the hill with his daddy is the best option!

Snowboarding

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I decide it is high time to conquer the slopes for myself.

Pure Skill

One of the great things about blogging is the fact that if I don't post any pictures of me crashing no one knows that I am not perfect. ;)

Isaac, unlike me, doesn't need any help from the camera to look good.

Timothy, the world famous skier, hurls a challenge to any and all who would dare compete with him.

He descends the slope at speeds that terrify even this hardened skier.

And he takes the jump as the crowds go wild!

Olympic material for sure!

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Abigail shows us all how it's done!

Concentrate: that's the key.

"Oh, yeah!"

Timothy, the world famous skier, decides to call it a day.

Isaac, the world famous snowboarder, decides to try one last jump before heading home.

Air!

The end of a good day.

Company Dinner

2010-01-20T07:32:00.005-05:00

The Denver Wholesale Foods Annual Company Dinner commences.

Good food and good fellowship was the order of the evening.

Ok, I have three salads and 2 shrimp cocktails, who are they for?

Beef kabobs coming up!

Somehow she managed to keep up with all of us having 3 dishes each with a few coffees and hot cocoas thrown into the mix!

The Faces of DWF

2010-01-20T07:31:00.006-05:00

Mose, Business Man, Preacher of the Gospel, and Generous Supporter of the Brethren.

Rhoda, his faithful wife

Gary, Skilled Manager, contemplates a bright future for DWF.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Martin!

Myron, Experienced Business Man & Savvy Buyer.

Mrs. Stoltzfus, loving wife and mother of seven.

Paul, Salesman Extraordinaire

I think his wife, Nancy, is ready to lecture someone on the proper way to serve a table. :)

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Derrick, the man who maintains the proper level of laughter in our office like only he can!

Sarah

A rare glimpse of of our fast moving salesman, Robert.

I am very sorry, Robert, but none of my pictures of you turned out very well.

Lois, without her there would be no paychecks, 'nuff said! :)

Bob, depending on who you are, is either the friendly voice of Denver Wholesale or the no nonsense bill collector.

Yours truly, hmm, what do I do anyways?

For those of you who want to know, I do product photography and all of the customer service calls that Derrick doesn't want. :)

Food!

2010-01-20T07:29:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are interested, here is what I ate for supper.

An appetizer bread roll dipped in seasoned oil.

Delicious, Peruvian Potato Salad

To clear the palate between the cold and hot courses, we were treated to mozzarella balls wrapped in ham that had been aged for 20 months. Quite good actually.

Spicy Beef Empanadas

Simply amazing Beef Kabobs with a Spicy Potato

I really wish I had more time to truly explore this place, the architecture and decoration was simply amazing!

I love my company. :)

~~~~~

God Bless,
Josiah

A New Year & A New Blog

2010-01-01T21:19:00.005-05:00

Good Evening,

I trust all of you had a blessed New Years celebration and are ready to push on into the new year with your 100 new resolutions! :)

As a way of aiding my own resolution to improve my photography I have started a Photo A Day Blog. Don't despair, I am not going to stop posting here, but if you want to see a daily (except for Sunday) new picture by me then please add me to your blog list!

I tried but I just couldn't post without giving you all at least one picture.

It is late, I was up late (or really early), so I shall wish you all a good night.

God Bless,
~Josiah

Rachael's Wedding

2009-12-23T07:30:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Folks,

I trust all of you in the northern part of this great country are enjoying your snow? I personally love the snow and even though it makes driving a pain I firmly believe it is completely worth it! For all of the southerners who are reading this all I can say is I am sorry. :)

This week I decided to break out of my typical mold again and post on the wedding we attended on Saturday. I am sure you all know that my family and I drove out to Ohio for the Sufficiency of Scripture conference, which, I am sure, raises the question, where are the pictures? Due to the fact that I am currently in possession of only part of my photos I decided to wait on a post until I have more selection. Why would that be, you may ask? Well, I must first of all inform you that one of the side effects of carrying a larger than average camera rig is people instantly assume you are a good photographer, and, as a result, requests to take pictures are fairly frequent. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it at all, it is just something to consider when purchasing equipment. This being the case, it was not long before I was asked by a friend of mine, who was taking pictures for the event, if I could lend my aid in the uphill battle to get great shots in the rather miserable lighting situation that existed. I, never one to turn down the request of a lady, consequently joined ranks with the elite photography team and proceeded to spend the rest of the conference running around the huge building taking pictures. The upshot of all of this is since I was dumping my cards as we went along, I ended up with only a few pictures on some of my cards. I also gave my card from the Creation Museum to someone else for a time, but that is another story. I had a blast shooting the conference but the side effect of that is that you all will have to wait for a post.

You can see some pictures from the event, including a few of mine, on the NCFIC Blog and Doug Phillips' posted a few on his blog.

All of that being said, the post this week will be on my wonderful cousin Rachael's wedding! Who really doesn't want to look at wedding pictures anyway?

A Snowy Wedding

2009-12-23T07:29:00.001-05:00

The day of the wedding dawned cold and gray with a few inches of snow on the ground and more coming down every minute. By the end of the day we had around five inches with a total of eight inches by Sunday morning.

Being the hardened northerners that we are a few inches of snow is small deterrent. In fact, this is what my Dad was looking at when he said to me: "You know, the roads are really pretty good today." :)

"Here Comes the Bride!"

"We are gathered together this day..."

The Groomsmen

The Bridesmaids

To God be the Glory!

I think the composition of this photo is one of my personal all time favorite wedding shots. I love the symmetrical power and unity of the image with the strong lines pulling us in and directing our eyes upward to the focus of the whole event. I could go on but I wouldn't want to bore you. :)

2009-12-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

"Do you, Dan, take Rachael to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Matron of Honor, Alyson Wimberley

"Do you have a ring?"

"May this ring, made of precious metals, be a constant reminder of your unending, precious love for your bride."

"This ring I give to you..."

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
(Gen 2:24)

Calling down God's blessing on this new union.

2009-12-23T07:27:00.002-05:00

"Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my Heart..."

It was not too long ago that these two were in this same building exchanging their vows, now they lift their song of praise to God, the Author of all things.

"I now pronounce you man and wife!"

"Dan, you may now kiss your bride."
For the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Dundore!

Joy!

"Now that went off quite well, didn't it?"

2009-12-23T07:26:00.001-05:00

Jacob and Caleb make sure that order is maintained.

"Hmm, is that guy trying to slip out before he is dismissed?"

Jacob, our joyful usher.

Debbie, an incredible pianist, gives the gift of music.

Now that the ceremony is complete it is time for a little art!

It looks like photographers think alike, which means we have great minds, right?

Interestingly enough, I think this is one of the first flower pictures I have taken with my 40D.

Light

2009-12-23T07:25:00.000-05:00

Cousins!

Pure Joy!

Comparing rings? I frankly am not sure what they were up to in this shot.

The bride and groom receive their pre-photoshoot lecture: "Really, the biggest thing that I ask of you is that you at least try to smile." :)

Wedding party!

Apologies to the wedding party members who got cut off in this picture, 70mm is hardly wide enough for shots like this.

The groom with his parents.

Simply shocking behavior!

2009-12-23T07:24:00.001-05:00

Joyful Mother of the Bride

With subjects like these it is hard to mess up!

The Lovely Bride

And her Bridesmaids:

Alyson

Priscilla

Katie

Sharon

And her first nephew:

Mischief (a.k.a. Titus)

Food, Fun, & Fellowship

2009-12-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

The Head Table

The Best Man delivers the customary speech.

The groomsmen have heard it all before...

...and simply find it enjoyable.

Tom, on the other hand, seems to be somewhat shocked by the doings of his new brother-in-law!

2009-12-23T07:22:00.001-05:00

Enough talking, time for some food!

Tom needs no encouragement to dig right in.

Philip, meanwhile, appears to be running into the problem of not being able to cut his food fast enough!

Abigail just laughs.

Titus is introduced to the wonder of a punch fountain that dispenses blue punch.

Indeed, it is so fascinating that despite his Aunt's urging to smile for a picture, the blue punch wins out over the big black hole of my camera. Another potential downside to 77mm lenses.

2009-12-23T07:21:00.000-05:00

Thankfully I can always count on my family for a great candid!

"Sparkling Cider, anyone?"

Caleb, Man of Many Talents

I can't help but laugh when I see how much trouble a simple bottle cap is giving this gentleman who is completely at home with his Canon 5D Mark II! :)

In his defense, the bottle caps were rather hard to get off.

Cool, refreshing, sparkling cider is poured into a plastic goblet by my brother Philip with a floral centerpiece in the background.

Now, is that really any better than just labeling it "art"?

Caleb performs two of his beautiful, original pieces.

His talented sister, Katie, provides accompaniment on the piano.

Believe me, folks, this cake's real beauty is not in its decoration, which is very nice, but rather is to be found only by those who are fortunate enough to taste any of Aunt Becky's masterpieces. No exaggeration, my Aunt Becky's cakes are hands down the best wedding cakes I have ever tasted, something I am sure that anyone who has sampled them will affirm.

Love

I must apologize for no cake cutting shots, all I can say is when you don't have the press badge you just don't get the good positions. :)

"Cake, anyone?"

Wedding Faces

2009-12-23T07:20:00.000-05:00

Titus

Brad & Aly keep a careful eye on their son.

Aaron

HannahGrace

I think these two have had a little too much sugar!

Luke

Jon

Sharon

Wyatt

Elizabeth

Nate

2009-12-23T07:18:00.001-05:00

College Roommates

Weddings are always a great time to catch up with old friends and family and this one was no exception.

Wait, doesn't everybody drive their snowmobile to the gas station?

~~~~~

Thank you for stopping by, God bless, and have great day!

~Josiah

A Quick Post...

2009-12-05T21:50:00.001-05:00

Good Evening,

Winter has arrived! As I write this the snow is softly falling outside, slowly adding to the 2" that has accumulated throughout the day. Since this is the first snow of the season and I am short on time I decided to just post some pictures from today. I know a lot of you are wanting to see pictures from some of the events you have been at but at this point I am just too busy. The only consolation I can offer is that you can head over to Carmen's blog and about halfway down the page you will find an excellent post on a trip we took to Cabelas. Yes, I will admit, in print, that Carmen is a much more faithful blogger then myself. What can I say? She posts at least twice to everyone of mine, hence, the reason why I am linking to her blog instead of actually posting myself. :)

That said, I will be attending the Sufficiency of Scripture conference with my family at the end of next week so no blog post. Oh, BTW, if you read this blog and are also attending the conference please leave me a comment and maybe we can meet up.

First Snow!!

2009-12-05T21:49:00.001-05:00

Winter has officially arrived!

And what does winter bring?

Why snowballs of course! I don't know, she looks a little guilty to me...

..and why is she smiling?... could it be because of the snow or it could be because...

...she is planning her attack!

What could be more classic?

"Hey, who is that guy taking pictures of us?"

"Down with all photographers!!"

Yes, we do actually burn trash when it is snowing, and no, those aren't sparks flying through the air.

A Successful Hunt

2009-12-05T21:48:00.001-05:00

What else does winter bring? Why Whitetail Deer season of course! Members of our family have faithfully headed out to the woods every deer season for the last 11 years and we have had our share of successes. This year, however, Isaac topped us all with this beautiful 8 point buck, taken 45 minutes after starting time on opening day.

For those of you who are interested:
The spread is 16" and the longest tine is 9" putting the score at 125 B/C points. The approximate live weight was 180 lbs., and we got 75 lbs. of meat off of this beast!

Jonathan with his first antlered buck, taken the same day, and his lovely wife of 4 months. It has been a big year for him!

Congratulations to both of my brothers!

~~~~~

God Bless,

~Josiah

Nephews & Nieces!

2009-11-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

Greetings Faithful Readers,

Due to the fact I have been quite sick the last few days I decided to do a simple post this week. Last Sunday we had dinner with my BIL Nelson and sister Sarah, and our friends Becky & Bill from TN. After we were done eating we went out to the back patio and since it was such a beautiful afternoon I couldn't help but take a ton of pictures of my youngest nephew and niece, Aaron and Dorothy.

I hope you enjoy the results!

2009-11-14T19:29:00.002-05:00

HannahGrace

Uh, I guess Nathanael must want his picture taken as well!

"Is this how you do a pushup, Uncle Jon?"

But then again, why bother learning how to do a pushup when you can just get Uncle Isaac to carry you around?

It always amazes me just how much little ones like being held (or in this case swung) upside down!

Yes, the watermark is correct, this picture was taken by Aaron. I was of course holding the camera but he adjusted the zoom to where he wanted it and he pushed the shutter button.

2009-11-14T19:28:00.000-05:00

Brother & Sister

Dorothy Contemplates Life

Aaron

"Ok, enough pictures, let's have some fun!"

While Aaron enjoys a properly wild ride which includes quite a few full speed collisions with the wall...

...Dorothy prefers to spend her time in the quieter pursuit of botanical studies.

Dorothy

Dorothy and the Cat

2009-11-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

After a long time of fruitless chasing, Dorothy finally manages to catch one of the cats.

Sadly the act of picking up such a heavy object upsets her delicate state of balance and cat and girl go rolling.

Dorothy stalks the cat again.

"Hmm, he looks safe enough..."

"Nice Kitty"

"Now if I can just get a good grip."

"Success!"

I will leave you with this picture of Aaron with two of his favorite things, hot chocolate (with a marshmallow of course) and a kitty cat.

~~~~~

God Bless,
~Josiah

The Noor Family's Move

2009-11-03T13:00:00.006-05:00

Greetings Loyal Blog Readers,

I realize it has been quite some time since I last posted, but frankly blogging is not my life...photography is! j/k

To tell the truth, I have not had a whole lot of pictures or events in the last month that I felt particularly compelled to post about, and of course the same old, same old, "I have been crazy busy this month" still applies. Well, the moment you have all been waiting for with bated breath has arrived, I have decided that I like all of you just enough to do another post and believe me, if you like pictures this is a post for you! Hmm, I just remembered that nobody even reads my captions anyway since they only come here for the pictures so I will just say that I hope this post's 77 pictures are enough for you!

One more thing, I just saw this on Doug's Blog and it reminded me so much of the way my Dad always read us stories, with added sound effects and accents, that I want to share it in honor of my father. My father is not only a great preacher and scholar of God's Word but is also a great Dad who always took the time to read us stories of faith and heroism in such a way that fired our imaginations and inspired us to do great deeds for our Heavenly Father.

So It Begins...

2009-11-03T12:59:00.004-05:00

Abigail brings her skill to bear in making sure the doormats are as clean as possible before they are loaded on the truck.

David and I take the last piece of furniture out.

Pack it in tight, there is much more to come!

"All right that's a wrap, on to the next location!"

Yes, there is another location, if there wasn't this would have been a very easy blog post instead of one of the hardest I have ever done! :)

2009-11-03T12:58:00.002-05:00

The weather was simply perfect, clear, sunny, and just warm enough to make working in the truck with t-shirts comfortable!

"Wait, you mean all of this has to go?"

"I am afraid so!"

"Well, let's get on with it!"

Philip gives a speech on why every young man should carry a good Leatherman with him at all times.

2009-11-03T12:57:00.004-05:00

Thankfully we had plenty of advisers in case anyone started to feel even slightly directionless. :)

"You see that brown shelf?"
"The kind of tan one?"
"No, didn't you hear me? I said the brown one!"

I think this picture speaks for itself. :)

The moving day equivalent of an armchair expert.
"You know guys, that table under everything in the front is actually wasting a few inches of space. Don't you think you should try to pack more efficiently?"

More timely direction is clearly being given, though one does wonder why everyone looks so confused.

Whatever may happen at least the day was recorded for posterity...

... from every angle.

2009-11-03T12:56:00.004-05:00

David and I demonstrate the contorted positions required when packing.

"Oh, wait, don't we still have to figure out where..."

"...the chairs go?!?!?"

If you have never packed a truck just trust me when I say that chairs are the hardest and most discouraging items to pack. They take up a large amount of room and still manage to leave all types of gaps that cannot be properly filled. On top of that, they tend to be fragile and need lots of padding.

Much discussion and thought is required when figuring out the best way to place these banes of packers everywhere.

Finally a solution is discovered and work can continue. No, we aren't packing anyone into the truck. ;)

My view for the day.

Portrait Time!

2009-11-03T12:55:00.002-05:00

No matter how busy you are, there is always time for a few portraits...

...until the photographer is told politely that their presence is not required, that is. :)

2009-11-03T12:54:00.003-05:00

Ok, enough photography, let's get back to work!

Yes, that "C-15" means something very important.

So how many people does it take to put one shelf into place?

Not a single space can be left, we are "packing" a truck after all.

Daniel explains why it took so many people to put the shelf in place to a rather dubious listener.

The Harp

2009-11-03T12:53:00.001-05:00

"Now what do we have to pack?"

"Don't worry, Josiah, it is just a full size harp."

Sandwich it in between two mattresses.

Put a cushion underneath.

Strap it to the side of the truck and we are good to go.

Nadia, with her precious harp safely packed, resumes her favorite task...

Photography!

2009-11-03T12:52:00.003-05:00

Yard tools anyone?

Sure, no problem!

Well, it wasn't a problem after we pulled the barrel back out, rearranged the toolboxes underneath, and lifted it back into place. :)

I search for that elusively "perfect" place for the lamp.

We are getting there, but this truck is nowhere near full.

2009-11-03T12:51:00.002-05:00

Exhaustion

Sadly, exhaustion or not, we had to move this soft couch right out from underneath him.

A consultation ensues over what is the best way to pack a couch, think about it, how many possible ways can one put a couch?

"Is this really supposed to go?"

It was a good lamp.

Doesn't this picture remind you of this IKEA commercial?

2009-11-03T12:50:00.003-05:00

"Really, Nawelle, do you need another picture of me?

"Please Mr. Rob, just one more?"

Philip's Art

Moving day is always a great time for fellowship!

2009-11-03T12:49:00.003-05:00

"Anyone need a large green tub?"

"Sorry, we have a nice blue one that will fit our space better right now."

"Fine, I see how it is, no one appreciates the work I did to bring this heavy thing all the way over here. Well, I will just sit here and you can do your own work for all I care."

"Better yet, Nawelle and I will just race office chairs!"

The predictable ending.

At least the reason she didn't get up right away is the fact she was laughing too hard to move!

"Now that was good!"

2009-11-03T12:48:00.002-05:00

"Uh oh, I think the blue tub is too small after all."

"See? If you had just let me bring you the green tub in the first place everything would have been just fine."

David and I contemplate the pile that is left, what can we fit and what do we have to leave?

"Ah forget it, we have simply tons of room up here, bring a bike!"

No worries, this bike will fit in there perfectly once we get the handlebar rotated.

What did I say about the contorted positions that are required when packing a truck?

It Is Finished!

2009-11-03T12:47:00.003-05:00

Well, we ran out of things to pack before we ran out of space so I guess we are done!

That's a wrap!

There is nothing like the pleasure of a job well done!

Unfortunately this young man appears to be too tired to fully share our elation.

Success!

The Crew

To be honest, this is really just the people who happened to be still there when we finished. There were many others who left once the bulk of the work was done.

Evening With The Karlbergs

2009-11-03T12:46:00.003-05:00

After we finished helping the Noors, the Karlberg family graciously invited us over to their home for a late lunch. Seeing that I was about to faint from hunger, the decision was not hard.

Oh, wait, let me rephrase that, we were pleased to accept their invitation purely from a desire to continue our fellowship with them. There, that sounds much better doesn't it? :)

Chelsea gives us the grand tour of their beautiful blueberry farm.

Good conversation was the order of the evening.

The Long Path

Which, sadly, ended in deep, black, New Jersey mud.

Well, that's all for this week folks! I hope you enjoyed this chance to view a day in my life as much as I enjoyed the day.

~~~

God Bless,
Josiah

Fair Art, Whitetail Deer, & Boating.

2009-10-06T22:03:00.005-04:00

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,

I realize at this point you are probably in shock that you can see another awesome perspective on life only two weeks after you were delighted by galloping horses, courageous warriors, and brave maidens, but I trust you will enjoy this latest installment of the continuing saga of our lives without undue damage. Believe it or not the bulk of these pictures are only three days old! Wait, was that a thud I just heard? See, this is why I have to wait two weeks to post pictures, I mean, look what happens to people when I get ahead of schedule? :)

Enjoy!

Fair Time!

2009-10-06T22:02:00.010-04:00

Ah, nothing says the end of summer better than the beginning of the local fairs. While our family normally does not go to the fairs for the usual things like rides, fair food, etc., we have consistently entered a large variety of items at Denver & Ephrata since we moved into the area. This year, though, was quite unique, not only did my older sisters and Philip volunteer at the fair (a first), but for the first time in eight years I did not enter anything. I did, however, decide to try some night photography at the Denver Fair, below are my results, such as they are.

Doesn't this remind you of a huge circular saw?

Come on guys, I was just taking a few pictures, no need to get all defensive!

What could be more classic?