Digging out Stumps

My parents are having their entire backyard dug out and then landscaped. My father took the week off to make sure that everything is done as he wants and also to resolve any problems that may rise up. This has left my father in a conundrum. What is a workaholic supposed to do with a week off and a ton of people working on the backyard? That answer is simple...work on the front yard!

So, for the past couple of days Dad and I have been doing our best professional landscaper impressions. We brought out all of the typical tools of the trade: axes, shovels, rakes, picks, and even a chainsaw. Between the might of our sinew and the sharp edges of our tools we vanquished both stumps. There was much rejoicing. At least until Dad finds his next project.

Digging out the stump

Axing the roots

The Stump

The dirt pile

Dad in the stump hole

Ben in the stump hole

Filling in the hole

Ladies Night to Cook

Sundays are reserved for family dinners. Our two families have been great about arranging things so rotating weeks work well. A couple of weeks ago the Stuart family dinner ran into a couple small issues for Sunday dinner.

1. The patriarch and matriarch of the family were out of town.
2. The oven at the family home was out of commission; making it slightly more difficult to cook meals.

Fortunately Wendy and I have an oven that works (the stove is a bit finicky but usually works).  With the reduced size of the family dinner we had our Sunday dinner at mine and Wendy's home.

There is a slight problem with having home-made meals made here; the kitchen is tiny. The meal was fairly complicated so multiple people needed to help prepare. It got a bit crowded in the kitchen so I channeled my inner masculine slacker and hid in the family room while the ladies cooked dinner. Despite small twinges of guilt I enjoyed the meal the ladies prepared.

Ladies cooking

Time to eat

Photography Class

We've bought a membership at the local community fitness centers. Several weeks ago when walking in to go swimming we saw a photography class being advertised. We both have intentions of becoming decent photographers so we thought we'd sign up. We learned a fair bit about the use of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. I learned enough that I've started shooting in manual mode. Wendy is still figuring out the various settings.

One of the more interesting techniques the teacher demonstrated was the use of reflectors. I've seen white and gray reflectors used before. This teacher actually recommended using patterned reflective fabrics that include purples and reds because they give more color to the portrait subject.

Teacher demonstrating how to set up a reflector

Wendy while having light reflected onto her