Snikles Seekers

Went Geo Caching with the Family today!!  We printed out a bunch of local caches and went out as a family.  The five of use were super excited and found three caches!  We would have kept going but we ran out of sunlight. 
 The first cache was the hardest to find.  The small container was hanging in a tree.  We had two GPS units and we noticed the the coordinates on each were a little off.  Having more than one device really helped us narrow down the location.  The next two were a little easier.  One was hidden in a fake rock and the final was hidden in a guard rail right off of the road.
I think that the best part of the experience was making memories about places that I mindlessly drive by every day.  Now when I drive by that stretch of guard rail I will giggle at the thought of my mother's frustration when my father found the cache before her.
I look forward to coming up with an activity in the future to do with my students.  Great experience.

Our Team Name:
Snikles Seekers.
Snikle is my last name spelled backwards.  We added the S to stand for me, Sarah

Trying Something New

 My friend Steph and I were feeling adventurous and decided to try making candy apples.  I love to bake but have never worked with candy.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.  The apples turned out amazing and the color of the candy was brilliant.  Super fun!  What should we try next?

Changing Directions

There is a trail near my house that I love to take Bishop to.  The main part of the trail looks like a figure eight.  Through the trail their are connections that allow you to connect to other parts of the outer most trail.  Whenever Bishop and I set out to the trail we tend to take the outer most trail and head clockwise.  This maximizes the amount of time he is on the trail, roughly 30 min for one loop.  Yesterday I took one of the shortcuts back because I was anxious about getting other things done.  We got back to the car and it was clear Bishop still had a good amount of energy.  I headed back to the trail and this time took the right hand trail to take the loop counter clockwise.  For Bishop it was like a whole new trail.  He ran about sniffing everything as though we had not explored these woods dozens of times before.  After laughing at him, I started actually looking around.  The trail looked sooo different from this perspective.  Before I realized it we had completed the loop and were back at the car.  This gave me an idea.  Next week I am going to try to "change directions" more often.  Little things that would not really impact my day other then I just "normally" do not go that way.  I am going to walk by different classrooms in the morning on the way to my mailbox.  I am going to take a different road home.  I am going to try to break my routines and see what else is going on outside of my bubble.

Family

Growing up as a Navy Brat, I got used to not seeing extended family during the holidays.  And although my father has been retired for 12 years, I guess I got used to sticking close to home during the holidays.  This Thanksgiving we decided to break the pattern and go to Tennessee for Thanksgiving.  My mom’s sister, her husband and two kids live in Gallatin TN, about thirty minutes from Nashville.  Although I would not recommend driving to Tennessee, getting to see family was amazing.  We played games, took walks and took lots of family pictures.  I am very thankful for those four days and the years worth memories we made.

These pictures were taken at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.      The first is of my family, the second of my Aunt and her family and the third of me and my cousins. 

To Edit or Not to Edit

This Thanksgiving I am in Tennessee visiting family.  While taking a walk to appreciate the sunset I got the image of this tree.  Unlike in NH, seeing a lone tree in TN is normal.  This lone tree makes a great subject when trying to catch the colors of a sunset.   When I try to get sunset images in NH, it is often just a splash of color above the tree line.  It is pretty, but hard to get the gradient look of the blue slowly turning.

Unless I am printing my work for art purposes, I try to limit the editing I do to my images.  Other than cropping, I try to leave the color and sharpness alone.  I often crop images to adjust the composition of my photos.  I want my images to reflect what I saw rather than what my computer can do.   While watching me work this week my Uncle decided to share a program with me, Dfx Essentials.  The program allows you to edit the image by adding filters and color washes.  Although it has changed the original emotion of the photograph, the results are awesome.

 

Teens 4 Jeans

Last year, I sponsored a used Jean drive to improve the climate of my classroom.  The clothing drive was a huge success, both in the number of jeans collected and positive atmosphere of my classroom.  This photo was taken last year.  The original photo actually contained two students and more jeans.  I edited the image to remove the students and added the text to start spreading the word out this years drive.  My students used this image and some jeans to create a informative display for parent teacher conferences. Check out this link to DoSomething.org to get more info.  I have already collected Jeans from families that turned over their fall wardrobes and wanted to get rid of their jeans now.  Last year we collected 701 pairs.  This year my goal is 3000 pairs!!

Planting Wine Bottles

One of my favorite things about spring is flowers.  This Fall I have put a lot of work into a new garden.  A couple of weeks ago I filled the new area with several types of bulbs.  I wanted to create a unique border for my new garden but I had to stay within my “teacher budget”.  I decided to combine two of my passions, gardening and recycling.  One of my favorite wines comes in a beautiful blue glass bottle.   On a whim one day I decided to “plant” a couple of bottles.  Viola! A beautiful border made of recycled glass.  I asked a couple of my friends to start saving me their green and blue wine bottles.  I have planted about thirty and need another hundred or so to complete the border.  It’s a good thing I know so many people that love wine!  

Zoe's Nook

Zoe has this amazing ability to squeeze herself into places.  As I was unloading groceries I left the bags on the floor.  When I finished I turned to pick up all the bags and found Zoe curled up in one of the tipped over bags.  She looked so content I felt guilty moving her.  I left the bag on the floor for a couple of days and it was “her” place.  Dominic, my other cat, did not go near it and Bishop, my dog, would cautiously step over it.  When I picked it up I was not concerned because I knew she would soon find a new niche; Empty shoe box? On top of my laptop?  In the sink?

Amber Waves of Fall

The trail is a glow with fallen leaves.
Apricot, Crimson, Auburn, Amber
The wind whips through pulling a ribbon of color across my path.

Above, a lone leaf catches my eye
The lonely autumn flag grasps
to the naked branch reluctant to be free.

Crisp cool air tickles my face my eyes water as my smile increases. I feel alive as my senses are noticeably attentive
to the changes that envelope me.

A rustle in the brush catches my attention.  An excited chipmunk dashes to and fro collecting bits of acorns and twigs.

Reluctant to leave this expressive world, I turn towards the head of the trail.
Taking in every moment as I know tomorrow it will not be the same.
This thought ushers no sadness but excitement for what tomorrow may bring.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Bishop, my English Mastiff, has the most expressive eyes.  I captured this photo this afternoon.  When I came home from the math conference I tried taking Bishop out to play.  He grabbed his favorite football and bounded out the door.  He ran across the porch, ready to play after his long lonely day inside.  He made it to the driveway and then halted, as tho he suddenly realized that it was still raining.  He lost the spring in his step as he continued onto the grass to do his business.  After completing his business he sullenly walked back up to the house.  I offered to still play in the rain but Bishop was not interested.  I let him back in and he immediately returned to his bed.  I feel like you can see the disappointment in his eyes.

Sunsets

 

Sunsets are the capstones of amazing days.  Capturing the sun just as it disappears feels like such like an amazing accomplishment. Just looking at this picture, I can feel the cool autumn air envelope me just as the warmth of the sun slowly disappears.  The evening I caught this sunset I was actually driving home from dinner with friends.  The sky was glowing and had to grab the shot.  Of course I always have my camera, the only thing I needed to do was find the perfect angle.  I have a couple of shots where the sun is still visible but it is almost overwhelming.  This moment, just as the sun sunk below the horizon, lasted for only a minute.  It did not take long for the orange glow to dim and the cool breeze to erase all memory of the warm inviting sun.

For tips on how to capture the perfect sunset visit NYIP.