I may chat about my books, what I'm writing or reading, or just general thoughts. You may read posts about my cats or just my crazy life in general. Comments are welcome, if anyone wants to interact with me. Maybe we can share war stories, whether it's writing related or just about life in general.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

I’m not cut out to take pics of fireworks



Getting a good fireworks photo is harder than it looks.  I had a quiet day at home with the cats on the fourth and I was determined to try again to get a good pic of the fireworks I can see from my patio. 

I made sure my camera battery was charged and drug out my camera manual to see how to set it for fireworks.  I was almost ready to give it a whirl when one of my sisters called.  As we were talking, some older neighbor kids climbed the high bluff in the desert behind my house and began shooting off bottle rockets.  There are snakes back there, not to mention the brush is dry and there’s a lot of it.  Luckily, nothing went up in flames.  Kids do this every July 4 and New Years Eve. 

When we lived in California, we went to a friend’s house once for a cookout on the fourth.  This grown man decided to hike down the hill to set off fireworks he bought from the stand in town.  He lived on a bluff behind a shopping center.  Well you guessed it, he started a brush fire, which set all of us in motion rushing down the hill with buckets and a garden hose, which wasn’t quite long enough.  People never think things like this will happen to them.


This is pitiful, but better than nothing

I did go out on my patio later and stayed out there an hour experimenting and taking lots of pictures.  It was a balmy summer evening, but no mosquitoes here like in humid climates.  That’s one thing to feel blessed about when it comes to desert living. 

When I downloaded my photos the next day, it was no surprise to find most of them were duds and I only got two halfway okay pics out of the deal.  I think this takes practice, but where do you practice a thing like this when you only get one shot at it every six months?  It’s all in the timing of each shot because I had no idea what I was pointing the camera at, or when to snap the picture.  The viewfinder was pitch black.  I guess under the circumstances I did well.

One thing I did learn was that there is much more to using my camera than I usually use.  It’s a Canon point-and-shoot and I love it, but I’m always glad to learn new things.  It only took me about six or seven years to discover all this new info because I really don’t have the time to read the camera book. 



 This one isn't much better, but I tried
 
Since my husband’s been gone, I’ve been multitasking and doing some of this stuff while I eat a salad for dinner.  I may as well try to accomplish something while I stuff my face and it doesn’t matter if it takes me two hours to finish my meal.

He’s been gone a week already and that sure did fly by.  Today’s his birthday so he met up with some childhood friends and they had breakfast.  He’s overwhelmed with all the stuff on his “to do” list, but is making his way through it.

The water situation here is under control for now.  I keep my eye on it though.  The plumber said it’s possible the water heater could be cracked on the inside liner, but he recommended we wait, get a pressure gauge to put on it, and observe the situation for anything unusual.  So far, everything is fine, which is good because water heaters aren’t cheap.  He thinks the water heater got a burst of pressure and the emergency valve blew and flooded the mechanical room.  He can’t explain why water got into the closet because there’s a room between the two and that room was dry as a bone.  One of life’s mysteries yet unsolved.

I’ve been up to other things too and will save that for another post.

8 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to your husband! There is a lot to wrap up when a loved one passes. It took us four years (LOL but ours was a horror story). I think you did well trying with the fireworks :)

    betty

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  2. Thank you, Betty. I wish the pics were better, but they are when considering my previous attempts.

    Yeah, my husband has a huge task ahead because there is no one to help except his step-mother. They have to clear out a 3300 square foot house so it can be sold and then get a smaller place for her. I imagine it'll take a while.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    Sunni

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  3. Had a little giggle at your fireworks pix! They are quite artistic in their own way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PL,

      You can tell I'm not great at taking shots like that. I wish I were, but maybe someday.

      Thanks for reading. Glad I could make you smile.

      Sunni

      Delete
  4. I used to be in charge of videoing for the 4th. My brother would let me use his camera, so I have no idea how well the videos came out. It's hard to capture, that's for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz, they are very hard to capture. I would think a video would be a might easier. With a camera you're out of luck if you don't snap at the right time.

      Thanks for stopping by.
      Sunni

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  5. The pictures were pretty good. I never read the camera book..hubby does that! Happy Birthday to your Hubby!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lisa,

    Thanks. The fireworks pics could be better but I'm working on it. My husband spent his BD with his family in OR this year. He's there for his dad's funeral.

    Thanks for reading.

    Sunni

    ReplyDelete

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Sunni