We're Back

I have taken a break from my blog. A nearly three month break, and I'm back.  I took some extra time to invest in other areas like photography, reading, and organizing my home for a once-every-five-years type of garage sale that was successful. 

Here are a few images that capture just a handful of moments during the past three months.

Unseasonable warm weather during March was a gift for our family of need-to-go-outside-all-the-time boys (and mom).  We went fishing.

 

I went on a Spring Break trip to serve in DesMoines with our youth group. Brian stayed home with the kids.

 

I photographed a very precious girl turning one.

 

We picked wild daffodils with cousins on an abandoned farm in the woods.

 

We helped organize the seed shed with Grandpa in the warm March weather, and asked a thousand times when it would be warm enough to swim in the farm pond.

 

I photographed a little man who had stunning red hair under this pilot hat.

 

Took pictures on Easter morning on the church lawn.

I purchased a new lens for Real Estate photography, and practiced on one of my favorite worship spaces in Pella.  I hope to photograph worship spaces more, and create a collection of images of church architecture over the next years.  The course I most enjoyed in seminary was called, Music and the Arts in Christian Worship, where we studied how space speaks our theology, and understanding of God.

Then photographed the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Sioux City, IA for my first professional Real Estate photography session.  This hotel is beautiful. For more images of this hotel, see the "IOWA REAL ESTATE" section of my website at www.beckyochsnerphotography.com 

Real Estate photography is especially useful when space needs to sell, for hospitality venues, selling homes, and commercial properties as well.  I've always enjoyed architecture, and have done a lot of reading and research about photographing space.

We did some off-roading.

Photographed my niece, who was three months old. 

 Ended a lot of church programming, like coffee break, 412 youth group, and home builders, opening up a little more free family time.  This is our end of the year party with homebuilders. 

 Took pictures of the tulips in Pella while they were nice.  Zach is checking out the Molengraght.

And we survived my husband's back going out a few weeks ago.  I didn't take any pictures of it.  But you can imagine it wasn't fun at all.  We were glad to see the wheel chair go.  Though I think the boys would have enjoyed it becoming a ride on toy for the church drive way.  We gave it back.

And so, just a handful of things that have been happening.  I did turn 29 years old a few weeks ago.  And Elliot reminded me that even though it was my birthday, HIS birthday was next! 

Butterfly Movement

Yesterday our family was able to harvest our bean crop of a little under 40 acres in 5 different small river bottom and hilltop fields.  The harvest process is a little high maintenance, and requires taking the bean head off the combine to move to each field.  The wooded areas surrounding the fields were full of insects collecting pollen.  There were monarch butterflies and bees all over.  At one point I was giving Ezra and Elliot a ride on the four wheeler, and dropped them off with Brian to ride in the grain cart while I took a few photos of the insects on the outside of the fields.  I wanted to catch the movement of a monarch butterfly, and this was the result!

Southern Missouri Vacation, Part 3

It is a hot, hot day across the midwest.  I'm finishing up some preparation for an open house tomorrow here at the parsonage, and looking at vacation photos of swimming makes me want to go back.  And so does this food...

Cooking in cast iron works so well.  I use cast iron at home for most of my cooking, except frying eggs.  Then I use a non-stick skillet.

Uncle Mike holding Zachary, helping me out so I can take some photos.

Dumping out the water so that the bike can restart.  This happened a few times, but amazingly they restarted every time.

My nephew Elijah played so nicely by the water.  It isn't really sand like Michigan sand (the best there is), it is more like Rock Sand, but it still scooped well for little boys.

My nephew Anton grinning at me.  Likely about his daddy restarting the motorcycle.

The water looks so nice today, doesn't it?  The bigger kids took off their life jackets some, since they have had swimming lessons. 

Ezra mimics his daddy by throwing a rock in the water.  These brain-looking rocks could be found along the bottom of the river.  They also look a lot like morel mushrooms.

And a few more water and ATV pictures.  I was really thankful to have purchase a pelican case which is waterproof, for my camera.  It is hard to fully protect gear in this much water activity, but it did the trick. 

My nephew Cody and Brother Mike poppin' a wheely across the bridge.  After vacation, Ezra and Elliot are now always poppin' wheeleys on their ride on toys.

Now, I think it is about time to go swimming again!

Southern Missouri Vacation, Part 2

Our second day of vacation was even hotter - 109 on the bank sign in Lesterville, MO. At one point the heat index was 114! We stayed close to the water as much as possible.  Here the kids are having the crawdads they found fight.

Elijah finds rocks to throw in the river.  There are a lot of rocks in MO, and the river bottoms are completely rock-bottom - no muddy feet swimming like in Iowa, just sore feet if you don't have water shoes.

This picture is for Kurt.  A lot of people drive right on to the rivers, and we found some groups of people parked and swimming with families.

My brother Mike tested the water next.

Cody exits the scene to jump in his dad's truck and yells, "See you at Camp!"  Gideon's glass is full of their new friends - crawdads, who they also brought back to camp.

Elliot complained that his feet hurt.  This isn't because of the rocks, but but because of the heat of the cement.  I had to be careful to have shoes on the kids at all times, otherwise the cement burned their little feet.  Here he decided to borrow my sandals.

Ezra biked by the cabins (airconditioned, thankfully) a lot.  He is getting to an age that I can let him play away from me for longer periods of time and know that he is safe.  This is a nice stage to get to.

Somebody found a box turtle, who was super fun to check out.  I think the best part of being outdoors is discovering God's creation, and seeing children enjoy all it's creativity.  Zach has no fear, just all excitement.

John shows off his new buddy.

At the end of the second day Dad and I drove to this little shack, which looks to me to be a very old church - by the white cross on top.  There are two outhouses on the left of the photo (one behind the stove pipe coming out of the side of the building) and a horse stable on the right, where they would have parked their horses. 

I think the double opening front doors are unique.  It is also interesting that there is electricity running to it with the lighting below the cross on the top, and the light by the outhouses.  I am thankful for a church with airconditioning and running water, though I would love to have had the expierience of worship in this building.

Southern Missouri Vacation, Part I

We have returned from an extended family vacation with Becky's side of the family from Southern Missouri, where we stayed in Saint Louis, MO at a hotel one night, and then traveled on to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.

Our first full day, we visited the St. Louis Zoo, a free exhibit for our families, but a hot, hot day.  We had to walk a ways to the entrance.  I loved the zoo, and would love to go back with Brian and I's family again someday.  St. Louis is a beautiful city with lots of history, architecture, and family activities.  Brian would have liked to attended a Cardinals game, but hopefully someday we can go back again.

Brian was a trooper, carrying hot little boys through the exhibits.  The penguin exhibit, at 45 degrees, was the best.

Ezra has an obsession with navigation, needing to know where we are at at all times.  He held onto the map a good part of the time.  I'm not really sure it made any sense to him, so I'm puzzled as to why he needed it.

It didn't take long for the kids to lose the shirts.  It was HOT.

Here he is trying to convince John about our location.  John would rather look at the elephants.

Ezra tries to be more convincing.  Cousin John is thinking about how itchy his poison ivy is in this heat.

Ezra doesn't get the hint.  John itches his nose.

John leaves to see the animals.  Ezra contemplates his location in the zoo.

An orange IOWA water hydrant, usually seen on farm yards, but here disguised with green paint and a twisted rope, used to water animals at the zoo. 

I didn't know bamboo would grow in the midwest!  It was nearly 25-30 foot tall, and planted all the way around the zoo as a wall.  Cool!

After St. Louis we made our way, 2.5 more hours south and found our campground.  Pulling in, we probably looked like trouble from the get go.

The first evening we visited the Shut-ins park, rock bottom rivers, to cool off.  We walked to this spot, kind of thinking it was rather normal looking to be so advertised....

Then we traveled further down the river and found the unique rock formations that Shut-Ins is known for.

It felt really dangerous at first, with the slippery rocks, and little kids everywhere, but after the first night we got used to it.  I'll have more pictures of the rocks later, when we went back!

To be continued...