Because Dad Asked For It

A Backyard Panorama

as seen on facebook

Cats: Who cares?
Soundtrack: Bob The Builder

On Vacation

Lazy I Am

Pretty pleased with the captions on this series of James Malone photos. It is a part of a larger set of 4th of July party photos, but adding them all to Kodak Gallery will take a lifetime.


Cat: Being fed by Nick, hopefully
Soundtrack: Aquariums and Air Condtioning

On Vacation

What does travel mean?

I'm going to try to post from the road, but we'll see what happens. Lots of catching up to do.



Cat: Far, far away
Soundtrack: Beatles - Rock n Roll Music

All Out Of Order

James Madison Park

hula

hula

Sam shot an engagement session Wodensday night. They started off at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, then drove to Monona Terrace, and finished by catching the sunset at James Madison Park. Despite bug swarms the size of our car, I decided to stay to shoot a few pictures of my own. I traded Sam, Ben for the camera, and ran back to the edge of the lake. A girl started messing around with a hula hoop. She didn't really seem to have a plan for it, but a random dude with a camera is enough to make anyone tentative to perform. The blue and orange lake was a perfect background. The rest of the pictures are here.




Cat: Hiding from Ben
Soundtrack: The Ocean Is Home To Her (Ponyo)

Happy Father's Day

Even If It Is Trendy

Dad kicked Ben's ass once. Ben Vining. And literally. He did an excited little dance across the room and kicked Ben right in the butt. Ben had a piece of paper taped to his back, with the name of a celebrity on it, from a game he played with his church's youth group, but Dad just assumed it said Kick Me. Because really, how often does anyone have a piece of paper taped to their back that says anything other than Kick Me? Dad saw an opportunity and seized it. And it was awesome. It became a trump card of story telling for a while. Has your dad kicked Ben in the ass? No? Then clearly he is not as cool as mine.

I remember being crushed when Dad was disappointed in me for not keeping up with Tai Chi. Which was weird, because my typical response to disapproval is to say Fuck 'em. If you don't like what I do, as I do, bugger off. It's an attitude that may have something to do with me now alternating between apologizing to my parents for just about anything I've ever said, and disclaiming responsibility for anything that ever happened before I became Sam's problem. I went into the computer room, and Dad had two Tai Chi swords. Actually there were four or five, but only two were not made from old pipes. But I thought he only had one, and I said as much. He said "I bought that for you back when I thought you'd keep practicing with me." And I was just devastated. No idea where my defiance was then, but it sure wasn't there to prop me up. I thought about it for weeks. Still don't know why that one got me. I was a brat about chores, fucked up my college education, and I suck at being employed. I guess I had come to terms with all that? Shoulda kept up with Tai Chi though.

He did trick me into eating those dog crackers. And I got him back, getting him to knock back a handful of Pop Rocks without knowing what they were. But if he's looking at the ceiling when I walk into the room, I pretty much fall for it every time.

And there's a smile I have, for enjoying people being ridiculous. Aaron calls it my cheese-dick smile, but he mostly see it when I catch his hypocrisy, and he knows I've caught him; He's naturally not a fan. I remember a version of it. Dad has a smile that says "Ok. I'll let that slide. But you'll figure it out eventually. And I could say I told you, or See, that's what I meant, but I won't have to, because you'll figure that out too." You see that smile, and you know you're missing part of a joke. It's not bad, because the jokes not on you so much as it is you. And what can you do? You'll get it eventually. Mine's not that complex. I haven't been a dad long enough to have a paragraph smile. But I think I've gotten up to "Oh yeah?" Baby steps are still steps in the right direction.

Shopping for him is impossible, along with the related fields of recommending books, music, or movies. But I can tell him the latest thing it's taken me 28 years to learn, and at least get a smile for it.



Cat: Pretending to sleep on the back of the couch
Soundtrack: Carolina Chocolate Drops - Hit 'em Style

New Shelves

The Livingroom Edition
yea homonyms

before

after

with stuff

Yea! New shelves! Sam beat me to the punch, and already posted these on FB. I took the pictures; She edited them.



Cat: Upstairs, seeing what the ruckus is about
Soundtrack: Link Wray - Jack the Ripper

Three for Three

In Which Friends Visit

susan

planning ahead

enjoying some delicious water

ruggedly handsome

I didn't take any of these, but I wanted to update my blog for a third time, and maybe even record a little of Neal and Susan's visit.



Cat: Complaining next to me
Soundtrack: Loney, Dear - I Am John

Playing With Lenses That Don't Fit

Photo Toys In Action

bzzz bzzz bzzz

bzzz bzzz bzzz

Pretty sharp for just holding an old close up attachment to the front of my lens. This bumblebee was just hanging out on our railing. One of our clients gave us a Pentax and some screw-on close-up lenses. So I just held the Pentax attachment to the front of my lens. It made for a very narrow depth of field, but I was able to get much closer to the bee.



Cat: Avoiding Ben
Soundtrack: Kiki's Delivery Service

We'll See What Happens

The Cats And Weedwhackers Edition

a satisfyingly aggressive way of weedwhacking

So, my awesome parents gave us some yard tools. Which is good, because there is an unending amount of landscaping and upkeep. I've been trying to get done what I can with Ben around, and so I wanted tools that are safe-ish. I bought a rotary mower and my parents gave me a golf club style weedwhacker. Ed and Heidi, our neighbors to the southwest, think I am crazy, and point it out every time they see me working on the yard. They keep encouraging me to buy some powered tools. Ah well.

our back steps, top soil, flower pots, and a ball

the southwest vine

Our shared fence has a grape vine on it. Ed said last year it took over the whole fence, and so he trimmed it back last fall. It seems to be doing really well. And at the south end of that fence, Ed's brother Jim planted some sugar snaps, and we've already munched on some of those.

look at that face

looking a little absent minded

doin' a dance

high fives

The cats desperately want to be outside. Too damn bad. The two times we've let them out, they've thrown up for the next twelve hours. File that under Shit I Don't Need. So that's Tommy trying to convince me he deserves another chance.



Cat: Passed out on the back of the couch
Soundtrack: Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

My friends, are awesome

The Roll Away Bride

kb flees james in front of the jade monkey

A collaborative idea and effort. Here's the set.



Soundtrack: Kiki's Delivery Service
Cat: Being Bad Somewhere

Jumping Back On Is A Lot Like Not Getting Anything Done

A Family Picture

family

So, I planted some sunflowers and installed a curved shower curtain rod. I also measured out the areas we're going to need topsoil for. Things are getting done. Slowly.



Cat: Stinking up something, no doubt.
Soundtrack: Sesame Street

Gotta Jump Back On: Theme of the month... year... maybe longer...

Gotta Jump Back On

sam's mothers' day creamer

it's like a tiny teapot

So, 365 sort of fell apart. But we bought a house, moved into it (mostly), and have started making it ours. Dutcher Photography LLC was founded at the beginning of the year, and business has been picking up. We're purchasing new equipment with company funds, and trying new techniques. So we'll see. I'm going to try to get back on the blogging horse, and the weight loss horse, and the home improvement horse, and the kodama making horse, and staying in touch with friends and family horse. We'll see though. That's a lot of horses.




Cat(s): Curled up next to me, snoring
Soundtrack: Kate Nash - Skeleton Song

One Ten

A Family Kitchen

the family

The Malones got us this awesome set of us-like kitchens tools as a house warming present. I think I bought them a screwdriver set or something.



Soundtrack: Ben In The Next Room
Cat: Causing Trouble, Bothering Katie

365 - 256

Achievement Unlocked

my laundry

I dried my laundry on a clothesline. Tah dah!



Soundtrack: Cold And Silent Basement
Cat: ?

365 - 257

Things Left For Us

bear on a horse chime

key on a fence

dead spot and two stepping stones

plant in a hole

picnic table

Some random stuff was left around the property for us. I thought it should be documented for it's oddity.



Soundtrack: Silence
Cat: Wandering About

365 - 258

Apple Flower

a snack for ben

Almost caught up. Up next, stuff the previous owners left for us.



Soundtrack: Carolina Chocolate Drops - Po' Lazarus
Cat: Following Katie Upstairs

365 - 259

Tommy Rebels Against The Move

cat

a nose under a book

tommy in his book shelf cave

I should go to bed, but it seems a shame to stop being productive.



Soundtrack: Toadies - Pressed Against The Sky
Cat: On The Desk

365 - 260

Tommy Reads A Book

tommy reading the pirates in an adventure with communists

looking up from his book

offended that i interrupted his reading

On the rocky road to Dublin
one two three four five
Hunt the hare and turn her
down the rock road
and all the ways to Dublin.
whack fol lol de ra



Soundtrack: The Tossers - The Rocky Road To Dublin
Cat: Spreading His Evil Ways

365 - 261

FAIL

not taken on day 104

King Louis was the king of France
Before the revolution…
Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!
But then he got his head cut off
Which spoiled his constitution…
Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!



Soundtrack: Dublin Guild - Haul Away, Joe
Cat: Definitely Being Bad

365 - 262

FAIL

not taken on day 103

I have a home now
that is also my new house
and it eats my time.



Soundtrack: The Action Design - Connect Disconnect
Cat: Probably Being Bad

365 - 263

Delicious

sam enjoying a snack

I don't really remember what was going on, but I'm trying to catch back up.



Soundtrack: The Young Dubliners - The Foggy Dew
Cat: Eating At The Top Of The Stairs

365 - 264

Warming Up

nap time

kodama base stock

Ben fell asleep after an exhausting softball practice, and we walked thru the garage past my exciting new lumber stock. I didn't even steal these.



Soundtrack: Sesame Street
Cat: Futon

365 - 265

The Glowing Softball

bo'

Ben with one of the softballs we bought so Sam could practice.



Soundtrack: Sesame Street - Put Down The Ducky
Cat: On The Futon

Ninety Nine

The Case Of The Well Lit Wife

sam

Sam keeping an eye on Ben.



Soundtrack: Sesame Street - Sing Yourself Silly
Cat: Laying On The Futon With His Ears Back

Ninety Six

A Gift, Posted Late

clearly sam's mug

A cup from Young's Dairy, Yellow Springs, Ohio.



Soundtrack: Birds, Sam, And The Monitor
Cat: Bein' Lazy

Ninety Eight

Tommy The Cat, Lounging

tommy

alarmed

a good desktop wallpaper

Tommy.



Soundtrack: Birds, Sam, And The Monitor
Cat: Outside?

Ninety Seven

Holy Artistic Commission, Batman!

my latest (first?) commission

chillin' like a villain

Exciting development in artistic development. I don't know how long it will last, but for the first time I feel like I want to be a professional sculptor.



Soundtrack: Elmo's Musical Adventures - Baby Bear's Whiny Voice
Cat: Avoiding Ben's Destructive Path