Just having some fun

Another busy week for the Skinners!

Ian submitted his Eagle Scout project, and is waiting for approval from the sponsor before he starts working it up through the Boy Scouts. Leah has been keeping up with her Girl Scout stuff and singing with the church choir - though honestly, this church doesn't have anything near as robust has our former church.

Work has been keeping me late most nights, lately. And Catherine has been picking up some part time work.

I brewed a batch of beer this weekend, and after everything was washed and put away, I figured I'd take some photos of the kids.

Going for the moody/pensive look on this one.

Have a great week!

Marc

Super Blood Wolf Moon - Lunar Eclipse January 2019

By popular demand, I am posting this photo of last night's super blood wolf moon. I got up at midnight and braved the 12*F weather - with high winds - to take this photo.

The moon is a touch blurry, but that is because this is a 5 second exposure and the blur is due to the moon moving.

Have a great day!

Marc

Fun with Luna

I wanted to get couple of photos with the kids...and they wanted Luna in their photos.

Ian was first - I missed the focus, and had to do some computer magic to get both Luna and Leah in focus (Ian had already moved on, I missed my opportunity).

And here is Leah with Luna

Have a great day - we'll be trying to stay warm!

Marc

Another Snow Day!!!

School and work were both cancelled today from yesterday's storm! It was a beautiful winter wonderland out there.

We shoveled snow, did a bit of nordic skiing, and relaxed for the rest of the day. Which means, I wanted to get my camera out and take some photos.

There is something about the darker, moodier portrait stuff that I like. Today Catherine even joined in on the fun!

It took a bit of convincing to get Leah to break away from chatting with her friends, but she did eventually stand in front of the camera for me.

Have a great day!

Marc

Snow Day!!!

We had our first big snow in a couple of years. It started about 4pm Saturday and didn't let up all night. We had about 2-3 inches in the morning, and maybe 4-5 by noon.

We shoveled the driveway (thank you neighbor with the riding snowblower!!!), and then came back inside. We watched it snow the rest of the day, but nothing was really accumulating, until the storm picked up steam around dinner.

We have about 8 inches right now, and it is supposed to keep snowing for another 3 hours. The kids already have the day off for school...here's hoping work closes too!

Cheers,

Marc

Hiking before the snowstorm

Ian had a school assignment for his PE class, and we chose hiking to complete that requirement. I found a place nearby where I was going to run in the morning, but decided I'd take the kids there before the snow hit.

Leah wasn't super excited to go, but once we got there and started hiking, she had a nice time. Fairly early in the hike, we came across this bench. For whatever reason, she wanted to stand on it rather than sit on it.

I got a nice photo of Ian for his assignment.

And further along the trail (maybe 2.5 miles total), we came across this pathway. We all thought it made for a nice photo spot - so voila!

The kids loved the irony of the sign proclaiming the incredibly distinct trail as not a trail! I'm sure some one has an excellent reason for why that trail is not a trail...

And on our way, Leah wanted to stop by this iced-over puddle-pond. I thought I'd snap a photo.

Have a great day!

Marc

Leah's Birthday

Happy birthday Leah!

We went out and took some photos while the light was nice yesterday.

Our girl turns 13 today - can't believe we have a house full of teenagers!

Leah actually took a couple photos of me, but unfortunately, I was not in focus.

Have a great day!

Marc

Happy New Year!

Happy new year everybody!  In traditional fashion, we turned in a bit before midnight...way past my bed time!

I decided to grab my camera today to snap some photos of Ian and Leah.

Leah was first, and Luna decided to photobomb us.

From the living room, we went back to my office/studio and took some photos there.

I brought Ian down, and the excitement was palpable...

I must have deleted about 3000 photos where his eyes were closed or mostly closed, but I did finally manage to get a decent photo of him.

Not our best work, but not too shabby, either.

Best wishes for a happy and blessed 2019!

Marc