Lulu finally got "fixed" and is on some medication, a mild sedative, that calms her down a bit and also makes her look sad.

It is that time of year when we all get together with friends old and new to reflect on the year, laugh, and cry in some cases.  Happy Holidays!

I travel pass this bus stop all the time and never give it a second thought.  I happened to park behind it one day and realized that it would make a good subject for a black and white image.  Armed with my X100T that is almost always with me, I snapped several images, with and without traffic.  This is my favorite by far.

Sue often reminds me to schedule a haircut for Jonah and I often forget.  I snapped this photo on the deck and instantly realized an appointment needed scheduled.  The mop on his head has been trimmed to an acceptable level.

After Jonah's birthday party he was running around handing out some bracelets to his guests before they left.  I think Dylan liked his based on his reaction.

I have had my eye on the 56mm f/1.2 since it came out some time ago. When the new version was announced last month, I decided to take advantage of deals that were to be had on the internet. The lens is amazing and I now understand why so many people rave about its capabilities.

I have been pushing for a family dog for over a year now, and the stumbling block is our daughter Harper. She is extremely afraid of animals of all shapes and sizes, mainly because she is not exposed to them on a regular basis. Now your saying to yourself, but you have a cat. We do have a cat and that cat is afraid of kids, so she never sees the cat.

Well, this weekend we were at a friends house and they just added a puppy to the family. This is significant because their daughter Alice was also afraid of dogs. I stress the word "was" since Alice and her new puppy are the best of friends now. It took about a week of exposure to get over the fear and it has been smooth sailing since.

I think we are getting a dog, I just don't know when.

During this summer I had a day off during the week, and I was able to escape the normal day to day. With me I had my bicycle and my Fujifilm X100S. I headed to the the start of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) in downtown Pittsburgh and started my journey. In this case my journey was a short 50 mile round trip. After taking this short trip and stopping from time to time to make an image or two, I realized that I need to plan a trip for the entire trail from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.

The X100S is truly the perfect camera for many situations and this is definitely true for bicycle trips. Below are a few of my favorite images from my day trip in July, and I am already mentally planning my trip for the entire trail. I am sure the X100S will make the trip or possibly the X100T.

It is that time of year.  The parents have smiles and the kids have frowns.  Jonah's first day of 2nd grade, a bitter sweet day for him.  He wants to see his friends, but isn't looking forward to learning.

This is my second year participating in the annual "man-camp" camping trip.  Like last year the group camped in the Allegheny National Forest in the Kinzua Dam area, which happens to be the headwaters of the Allegheny River.  The weather was great this year, with just a little rain as we slept in our tents that last night.  The activities of the days and nights include eating, drinking, boating, wake-boarding, fishing, hacky sack, and drinking.

Last year I took my Canon DSLR and several lenses.  This year I traveled light taking only my Fujifilm X-E2, a 35mm, and 14mm lenses.  I was able to enjoy myself without worrying about lugging heavy hear everywhere, and my entire kit fit in my backpack that traveled with me everywhere we went.

The first image below is my weekly entry and the remaining are a few of my favorites, including a bonus image of me thanks to Jim when he was checking out my camera.  Overall the trip was excellent, went way to fast, and produced many great stories that I am sure will be retold over and over again.

There was very little wind on the sailing excursion this year.  Therefore, it became a floating excursion instead, with the hopes of better wind another day.

I have made many photographs of this church over the last several years.  However, this is the first from a head on angle.  St. Michael's by the Lake sits on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie and is part of the Sheldon Calvary Camp campus.

So when I did my 365 Project the kids started getting sick of constantly being the subject of my photography.  Well, just a little over half way in on the 52 Project and I am starting to get a little attitude from them.

Last week the family went for a bike ride in Moraine State Park and along the way I made a couple stops to take some photographs.  This is a marsh area along the path that happens to be my favorite image from our ride.

This year Jonah was on a Manager Pitch team and he loved every minute of it.  The team was full of great kids, parents, and a wonderful group of managers that made learning and playing the game fun.  His team finished as regular season champs and second place in the playoffs.  He is already looking forward to next season.  Great job A's!

We went to the Memorial Day parade last weekend and I was able to capture a little boy and his dad checking out the fire trucks.  A typical scene I am sure in many small towns that day.

It was so nice out over the weekend that the whole family went for a bike ride.  Jonah wanted to ride over the river so we took the North Shore Trail, crossed the river, and landed at Point State Park.  The Block House was open so the kids went inside to check it out and listen to the local historian explain its significance.  While Sue and I were outside waiting, I noticed the Daughters of the American Revolution  (D.A.R.) emblem above the entrance and had Harper pose for a photo.

If Harper should decide to apply when she is old enough she could be a member of D.A.R.  My post here (http://www.theyellowbelt.com/2013/03/genealogy-surprises.html) highlights briefly how Harper is a family name.