Friday, February 20, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Winterlude 2015
Lucas got his first report card of 2015 last week. Overall, we were very pleased. In the behavioral section, he had one 'Satisfactory' and the rest were 'Good.' It's always nice to see a report card devoid of 'Needs Improvement.' In the section related to school subjects, he had all As and Bs, even getting a couple of A+s (one in drama, of all things).
In more recent school news, Lucas got into a scrap with another kid during his before school care yesterday. The kid that he was fighting with is a well-known troublemaker and has picked on kids on both the bus and at school. So on the one hand, it's disappointing to see Lucas get into fights at school. On the other hand--and I can't really tell him this but I can say it here--I'm kind of happy to see him standing up for himself and/or others. Based on what I know of the other kid, I'd like to see Lucas lay him out. :)
Picture time! A few weeks ago, my mom and Kevin came up to visit, and while they were here, we went to Winterlude in downtown Ottawa. It was a cold-as-hell day, but we had a good time. This marked the first outing of the new Nikon to a non-hockey related event, and I'm very happy with the pictures, especially since I just used auto mode. Check em' out.
Lucas chilling out in front of one of the wood stoves.
Marilu warming her buns.
I'm not really sure what this thing was, but it was interesting so I took a picture. I'm assuming it's just there for Winterlude and isn't part of the park year round.
Strike a pose!
I feel like this next picture should be matched with the second one above as part of a "Spot the Differences" challenge. :)
One of the highlights of Winterlude are the amazing ice sculptures created by artists from around the world. In past years, we've tended to go during the later weekends of the fest and the sculptures are melting or falling apart. This year, we were there at the beginning so we got to see them being made.
This is about half of the main ice sculpture pavilion plus there were a few smaller ones. It gives you an idea as to just how many there were. Note all the different flags flying, representing the various artists.
Nothing says Winterlude like Beaver Tails!
This was my favorite photo of the day. Great expressions on everyone's faces!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag so they had an ice display up for that.
We then walked over to the canal to check out the skaters. Here are views of both directions.
And we'll wrap this one up with a picture of Lucas and Marilu posing on the ice. (yes, I did try to get a little artsy with the bridge arch in the background)
In more recent school news, Lucas got into a scrap with another kid during his before school care yesterday. The kid that he was fighting with is a well-known troublemaker and has picked on kids on both the bus and at school. So on the one hand, it's disappointing to see Lucas get into fights at school. On the other hand--and I can't really tell him this but I can say it here--I'm kind of happy to see him standing up for himself and/or others. Based on what I know of the other kid, I'd like to see Lucas lay him out. :)
Picture time! A few weeks ago, my mom and Kevin came up to visit, and while they were here, we went to Winterlude in downtown Ottawa. It was a cold-as-hell day, but we had a good time. This marked the first outing of the new Nikon to a non-hockey related event, and I'm very happy with the pictures, especially since I just used auto mode. Check em' out.
Lucas chilling out in front of one of the wood stoves.
Marilu warming her buns.
I'm not really sure what this thing was, but it was interesting so I took a picture. I'm assuming it's just there for Winterlude and isn't part of the park year round.
Strike a pose!
I feel like this next picture should be matched with the second one above as part of a "Spot the Differences" challenge. :)
One of the highlights of Winterlude are the amazing ice sculptures created by artists from around the world. In past years, we've tended to go during the later weekends of the fest and the sculptures are melting or falling apart. This year, we were there at the beginning so we got to see them being made.
This is about half of the main ice sculpture pavilion plus there were a few smaller ones. It gives you an idea as to just how many there were. Note all the different flags flying, representing the various artists.
Nothing says Winterlude like Beaver Tails!
This was my favorite photo of the day. Great expressions on everyone's faces!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag so they had an ice display up for that.
We then walked over to the canal to check out the skaters. Here are views of both directions.
And we'll wrap this one up with a picture of Lucas and Marilu posing on the ice. (yes, I did try to get a little artsy with the bridge arch in the background)
Monday, February 9, 2015
Fooling Around
In case you were keeping score, Lucas's team lost the next 2 games in this past weekend's tournament. Friday night was an 8-0 loss against one of the teams from Osgoode, the town hosting the tournament. It was a ridiculous matchup as the other team was heads and shoulders better, both literally and figuratively. These mismatches seem to be a fact of life at the tournaments though so as much as I want to rant and rave about how the ranking system is messed up, I'm going to have to grin and bear it, I guess. Saturday's game, against another Osgoode team, was much more competitive and more enjoyable to watch. There were a couple of kids on their team who should probably have been at the A level, but the rest of their teammates weren't so good. As a result, we only lost 4-2, with the 4th goal being an empty netter.
Back in August, I let Lucas use my iPhone while we were driving somewhere. Unbeknownst to me, he decided to take a few pictures of himself. What follows are the results.
He's an odd duck.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Osgoode Hockey Tournament
I thought you might like this photo taken at the first game in Lucas's hockey tournament earlier today. A few second after this photo was taken, Daniel (#16 on the left) took the shot, it rebounded off the goalie, and then Lucas (#15) buried it in the net. That's his 2nd goal of the season and 1st ever tournament goal. Game 2 is tonight at 7:30.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Hockey Test Shots
I've decided to post some of the pictures I took this past Saturday at Lucas's hockey practice in order to give an idea of the increase in quality from our point-and-shoot camera. Now keep in mind, I have not even begun to use any of the features of the camera so these are basically on auto. I should also point out that this is probably the worst arena to take pictures at since there is a netting running around the entire rink so sometimes the camera focused on that, which you'll see below. All that notwithstanding, I was very pleased with the results.
In the first photo (and several of the other ones), you can see the cross-hatched netting in the foreground.
Not sure how I avoided it here, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth. (Incidentally, Marilu had never heard that phrase until a week or two ago and had no idea what I was talking about. What are they teaching people in Labrador?)
Running into his goalie during a drill. :)
I was happy to see there was no motion blur during the action shots.
Here's a picture of the netting. Although it's not what I wanted, this extreme zoom should make for some interesting pictures down the line, when I'm trying to focus on something that close.
What impressed me about this photo is the fact that it is still detailed even though the group was on the opposite side of the ice. I could never have gotten it that clear with the iPhone or our other camera.
My favorite photo of the bunch. The fact that I now have a camera that can see the detail of his face is great. I could also zoom this one in via Photoshop (or a similar program) and it stays detailed for quite a few more levels of zoom.
Lucas has a hockey tournament this weekend so hopefully I can get plenty more good shots from that. Next update will likely be from our trip to Winterlude in downtown Ottawa this past weekend.
In the first photo (and several of the other ones), you can see the cross-hatched netting in the foreground.
Not sure how I avoided it here, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth. (Incidentally, Marilu had never heard that phrase until a week or two ago and had no idea what I was talking about. What are they teaching people in Labrador?)
Running into his goalie during a drill. :)
I was happy to see there was no motion blur during the action shots.
Here's a picture of the netting. Although it's not what I wanted, this extreme zoom should make for some interesting pictures down the line, when I'm trying to focus on something that close.
What impressed me about this photo is the fact that it is still detailed even though the group was on the opposite side of the ice. I could never have gotten it that clear with the iPhone or our other camera.
My favorite photo of the bunch. The fact that I now have a camera that can see the detail of his face is great. I could also zoom this one in via Photoshop (or a similar program) and it stays detailed for quite a few more levels of zoom.
Lucas has a hockey tournament this weekend so hopefully I can get plenty more good shots from that. Next update will likely be from our trip to Winterlude in downtown Ottawa this past weekend.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Super Bowl 2015
My mom and Kevin came up to visit us last week, and as luck would have it, the two teams in the Super Bowl also happened to be the teams we were rooting for. Lucas is a huge Seattle fan (as you've probably gathered from previous posts on this blog), and the rest of us cheer for New England.
The more important news to you blog readers is that my mom brought us a new camera, a Nikon D3200 DSLR. While it's considered an entry-level DSLR camera, it's light years better than the point-and-shoot we've been using for the last decade. I haven't even read through the manual yet, and I'm getting much better shots. Just imagine once I know how to really use the thing! A big thanks go to both my mom and dad since they got it for us as an early anniversary present.
For the inaugural post in the brave, new world of the Nikon D3200, let's take a look at some photos from our Super Bowl party on Sunday night. First up, Lucas shows off his Seahawks duds.
My mom and Kevin were wearing "Showdown in the Desert" shirts, but there was nothing neutral about them. They were completely behind New England.
Marilu shows off her sexy Patriots pants.
Check out the food spread. It's amazing just how many football-themed dishes we have.
About halfway through the game, they surprised me with a birthday cake since my birthday is tomorrow (Feb 4). As has been the case for over half of my birthdays, it was a Coca-Cola cake, by far my favorite style. Ironic, in a sense, considering that I rarely drink soda.
Lucas obviously enjoyed the cake too.
It was a hell of a game, as evidenced by the intensity on their faces.
Even though his beloved Seahawks lost, Lucas proved he wasn't a bandwagoner and still wore his Seahawks hat the next morning. He also put on a Brady jersey since he likes the Patriots too (just not as much as Seattle).
Many more pictures to come! The new camera has rejuvenated our desire for taking photographs, and because it makes it a lot easier to zoom in at hockey, expect a bunch of those very soon.
The more important news to you blog readers is that my mom brought us a new camera, a Nikon D3200 DSLR. While it's considered an entry-level DSLR camera, it's light years better than the point-and-shoot we've been using for the last decade. I haven't even read through the manual yet, and I'm getting much better shots. Just imagine once I know how to really use the thing! A big thanks go to both my mom and dad since they got it for us as an early anniversary present.
For the inaugural post in the brave, new world of the Nikon D3200, let's take a look at some photos from our Super Bowl party on Sunday night. First up, Lucas shows off his Seahawks duds.
My mom and Kevin were wearing "Showdown in the Desert" shirts, but there was nothing neutral about them. They were completely behind New England.
Marilu shows off her sexy Patriots pants.
Check out the food spread. It's amazing just how many football-themed dishes we have.
About halfway through the game, they surprised me with a birthday cake since my birthday is tomorrow (Feb 4). As has been the case for over half of my birthdays, it was a Coca-Cola cake, by far my favorite style. Ironic, in a sense, considering that I rarely drink soda.
Lucas obviously enjoyed the cake too.
It was a hell of a game, as evidenced by the intensity on their faces.
Even though his beloved Seahawks lost, Lucas proved he wasn't a bandwagoner and still wore his Seahawks hat the next morning. He also put on a Brady jersey since he likes the Patriots too (just not as much as Seattle).
Many more pictures to come! The new camera has rejuvenated our desire for taking photographs, and because it makes it a lot easier to zoom in at hockey, expect a bunch of those very soon.
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