May Photos of the Day

May 1

A crawfish pleads for mercy. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Today was our subdivision’s annual crawfish boil. It’s always guaranteed fun for everyone . . . except the poor crawfish. Personally, I would only eat them if I was starving, but most of our neighbors gobbled them down and declared them to be delicious. I was glad that corn (but oh was it spicy!) and potatoes were available! Thanks to our gracious hosts, T-bird and Lance!

May 2

My shadow captures a pic of a big turtle. (iPhone 3GS)

While walking four miles on our neighborhood bike path, I spied a large turtle that had crawled up from the bayou. Fortunately, I had my iPhone 3GS with me so I could snap a pic. When I looked at it in Photoshop, I was intrigued by my shadow. Looks like my shadow is the photographer!

May 3

Chase helps his “little brother.” (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

When his older brother isn’t available or doesn’t explain properly, my #2 son calls on my “third son,” Chase, for help. Usually, his other “older brother” scooters to the rescue. #2 is lucky that Chase is a math whiz who also is excellent at tutoring, something he does with our high school’s math honor society. What will my #2 son do without Chase when he’s at Rice University in the fall? They might have to communicate via phone!

May 4

Exciting new growth appears in our front bed! (Nikon D700; Nikon 105mm lens)

The flora in our front bed is a source of excitement. While our petunias continue to bloom, our knockout roses are starting to run their course. And now there are new buds emerging from other plants (whose names I can’t possibly know), ready to burst forth with blossoms in a few days. I can’t wait to take photos of them!

May 5

My #1 son drives off. (Nikon D700; Nikon 105mm lens)

My #1 son needed to give his friend Brandon, who had acted in his video, a ride home. So he and his younger brother decided that after they dropped Brandon off, they would go to Wings ’n Things (one of their favorite restaurants) for dinner. Even though I was prepared to whip them up something edible, I love when they do things together. In a matter of months, my #2 son will be missing his collegiate older brother. So it wasn’t hard for me to remind #1 to drive carefully, tell them that I love them, and then watch them drive away. It’s one of those moments that makes me smile while I have tears in my eyes.

May 6

Mom has been put on “ignore!” (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

I’ve been concerned that there are more pix of my #2 son in my photos of the day than of his older brother. But when I voiced that worry to my #1 son, he told me that he didn’t care.

Me: Don’t you want to be today’s photo of the day?

#1 son: No, I do not.

And  then he proceeded to ignore me. Of course, I still snapped the photo. Look at his beautiful blue eyes! I can never get enough of them.

May 7

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas! (iPhone 3GS)

When I looked in my cart while shopping at Target, I started to laugh. Apples and bananas! Of course, then the song started playing in my head (the Barney version), and I had to endure that throughout the entire store. By the way, Target always has the best-quality apples usually at a great price. These are Pink Ladies.

May 8

Turn off that cellphone! (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Even though it was just a school board election, I wanted my #1 son, who turned 18 in February, to exercise his right to vote . . . for the very first time! Of course, you can’t take a photo inside the polling place (as the sign indicates), but I just had to have a photo commemorating the occasion. Note that he’s carrying a book, just in case he’s bored for, oh, 30 seconds.

May 9

The poor dvd remote! (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Saturday night we had a catastrophe. Didn’t you hear it on the news? We couldn’t find the dvd remote! Without it, we couldn’t watch episodes of “The Office” (we’re on season 3). The boys (aka the search party) were instructed to check under the couch cushions and all around the family room to try to find it. But to no avail. So we were stuck watching the dvd on our smaller (40-inch) HD TV that’s in our master bedroom. Just not very roomy.

Today for some reason the Mister decided to take the cushions totally off both couches to see what he could excavate. Not only was there dirt, food, 40 cents in coins, and a myriad of pencils, there also was the dvd remote. Calmly sitting amid the muck and mire. Of course, the boys pointed fingers at each other and finally concluded that the remote had grown legs and walked under the cushions after they had been checked. As if!

May 10

A wrinkle in time (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Note to self: Next time my #2 son needs to wear his khakis, make sure they’re not wrinkled! This is how #2 looked as we left for his high school’s spring sports banquet. Not a proud domestic diva moment.

May 11

The senior legacy project is ready to go to school. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

My #1 son and I were both relieved that he was taking his senior legacy project to his English IV class on time this morning. It was something that consumed both of us (because I had to help with photos) for a couple weeks. #1 was less than enthralled with writing how he felt about his four years in high school; fortunately, his teacher only required a minimum of a half page of writing for each essay. Guess who mostly did the minimum?

May 12

There are so many varieties of ice cream for my #1 son to look at. (iPhone 3GS)

When my #1 son told me that he didn’t like what I was making him for school lunches anymore, I invited him to come shop with me at Wal-Mart. We had a good time talking about school, and he made some decisions about his future lunches. Then he saw the loooong ice cream aisle! He seemed fascinated by the myriad varieties, finally choosing a new flavor, Dreyer’s Slow-Churned Taste the Cake. Which he likes!

May 13

J-E-L-L-O . . . chocolate pudding! (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

My #2 son goes in phases when it comes to eating pudding. He’ll crave it for months and then eschew the creamy stuff for years. I’ve learned the hard way not to stock up on any, just in case he suddenly tires of it. These days he’s back on the stuff. His preference? JELL–O chocolate. Have you tried shopping for pudding lately? So much of it is sugar-free or fat-free. The #2 likes his JELL-O pudding fully loaded!

May 14

My #1 son’s “Survivor” finale predictions (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

This is what my #1 son apparently does in class. He broke down how he thinks the voting will go depending on which players will be in the final three on “Survivor.” Can you tell it’s the end of the school year?

May 15

A “fun” baby shower party game? (Olympus Stylus Tough 6000)

The Mister and I attended his niece Melissa’s baby shower. We couldn’t stay long, which meant that we missed out on the chance to play this “fun” game: Pin the sperm on the egg. Darn it! Not really. Times have changed since I attended baby showers for my #1 son 18 years ago!

May 16

My #1 son, #2, and #2’s friend George watch the “Survivor” finale. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Watching “Survivor” is our family tradition. As usual, this season’s “Heroes vs. Villains” intrigued and entertained us. For the finale, my #2 son’s friend George joined our viewing circle. None of us agreed with the jury’s decision to crown Sandra Diaz-Twine as the winner. #1 and #2 were rooting for Russell Hantz, while the Mister and I thought Parvati Shallow should’ve been the sole Survivor. George didn’t care—this was the first episode he had seen this season!

May 17

My #2 son gets his teeth cleaned. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

One thing that my mother always insisted on when I was younger was good dental care. So, of course, I do the same with my sons. We love our dentist and make sure to get regular checkups and teeth cleaning. This time it was my #2 son’s turn to polish up his smile!

May 18

The shadow knows! (Nikon D700; Nikon 105mm lens)

Looks like I’m enthralled with my shadow this month! I snapped this while I was at the Southwest Handicap Mini disc golf tournament at Imperial Park. Not as exciting as the moths and butterflies, though!

May 19

Chase stares intently at our iMac’s monitor. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Our “third son,” Chase, almost has lived at our house this week, as he’s edited and produced the senior video for our high school’s band banquet. He prefers the older version of iMovie, which we have but he doesn’t, and our iMac’s monitor is better than the one he uses with his Mac Mini. Tonight he stayed until 3 a.m. at our house working on the video; the rest of us went to sleep!

May 20

My office chair waits for me. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

I started feeling punk yesterday, and it continued today. Mainly I just wanted to sleep, which I did. A lot. I hardly was at my desk. Could have been caused by staying up with Chase until 1 a.m. Tuesday night trying to troubleshoot a video problem.

May 21

My #1 son’s cellphone has seen better days. (iPhone 3GS)

My #1 son’s cellphone is about to give up the ghost. The texting works (whew!), but the phone doesn’t. Good thing kids these days don’t actually use a cellphone as a phone! We visited our local AT&T store to see what his options were. The representative said it probably can’t be fixed and that he’s due for an upgrade. Which we’re saving for the new iPhone when it comes out. #1 didn’t want to settle for the iPhone 3GS (my model, which I love), and that’s really smart. The new iPhone will be the same price as the current one, so it makes sense to wait. Until then, don’t call him!

May 22

Victory is my #2 son’s! (Nikon D700; Nikon 105mm lens)

Two years ago, one of the top disc golfers in our area, Neal, bet my #2 son that he would pay him $300 if he beat him before he turns 18 in 2013. Guess what #2 did today in an 18-hole tournament?!? I’m uncomfortable with the amount of money Neal will pay #2 (wish it had been $30 instead), but he seems okay with it. #2 is glad he won the bet, but he’s very sad that every penny is going into his 529 account for college. He wanted to buy more discs!

May 23

A Lostie’s sentiments are shown during “Lost’s” retrospective. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Ah, an end to an era! “Lost” broadcast its final episode, and it was a great finale. We also thoroughly enjoyed the two-hour retrospective shown before the finale, especially the so-called “Lost Transmissions” (aka, fan messages) that were cleverly spliced into old scenes during the look back.

May 24

My #1 son shakes hands with an assistant principal. (Nikon D700; Nikon 85mm lens)

This was my #1 son’s final high school awards ceremony—he snagged a plaque for four years of perfect attendance. Yes, #1 is a paradox: He disliked school yet he never missed a day. Hope he keeps up that great attendance in college. As a side note, last year they totally butchered his name when they introduced him; this time they misspelled his oh-so-easy-to-spell last name on his introduction slide. Gotta love that consistency!

May 25

My wild-haired #2 son naps on the couch. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Someone is badly in need of a haircut! When my #2 son naps, his hair goes every which way. But he looks cute no matter how wild is hair is.

May 26

Is it time to review or watch TV? (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

Finals start Friday for my #2 son. While his first exam, keyboarding, is easy, his pre-AP World Geography final Tuesday definitely is not. That’s his review on the ottoman . . . and that’s him on the couch watching “Mythbusters” instead of studying. Hope he gets around to working through the review sooner than later!

May 27

Mmmm, mmmm good! (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

I’m lactose-intolerant, so regular ice cream should be off-limits for me. I don’t miss it very much, but every now and then it’s nice to eat something cold and creamy. When non-dairy frozen desserts go on sale, I sometimes buy them and get my ice cream fix. How good was this pint of cookie dough? Purely decadent!

May 28

Buzz Lightyear has seen better days. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

I’ve been in a decluttering mode lately in an attempt to simplify our house. Sometimes I feel stymied, though, when I’m torn between keeping something and letting it leave our premises. Such was the case with good, old Buzz Lightyear, which was such a favorite of my #1 son that poor Buzz is collecting disability checks now. We like to call him “Lefty.” I know that my former next-door neighbor, JJ the organizational whiz, would tell me to take a photo of Buzz and then toss him. As you can see, I’ve taken said photo. But have I bid Buzz a fond farewell yet?

Not exactly! I look at lovingly battered Buzz, and I remember my almost-four-year-old son carrying him around everywhere he went. When that now 18-year-old son is about to graduate high school, you can’t help but hold on to these pieces of childhood. It might seem irrational, but I’m just not ready to see Buzz go. Check back with me when the summer’s over.

May 29

A large spider web awaits victims. (iPhone 3GS)

I saw this large spider web during my four-mile walk along our community’s bike path. Glad I had my handy, dandy iPhone 3GS, so I could snap a pic!

May 30

My #1 son and the guys play the Wii. (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

My #1 son didn’t want to have a traditional graduation party. Rather, he just wanted some guy friends to come over and play Wii games. In the background is his BFF Chase, John, Josh, and his younger brother. Also there but not pictured is his future college roommate, Ben.

May 31

It’s an odd way to study for a Spanish 2 final! (Nikon D700; Nikon 50mm lens)

My #2 son went into my bedroom for peace and quiet while he was studying for Wednesday’s Spanish 2 final. After awhile, it seemed it was too quiet, so I went to check on him. This is what I found. Hope he’s at least dreaming in Spanish!