Off to the beach we go...

I guess it's not an object, but rather a place that helps define who I have become...the beach. You see, the girls and Chris have a blast when we're out there, and we try to be there very often. As soon as the weather is right (warm enough), we're off to the beach. Sometimes as often as 3 weekends in a row. Warm weather is good, but in the beach is even better.

We all love the beach. Love it. I love the smell of salt water, sunblock, meat being grilled, and I love getting to SPI and eating sandy sandwiches and doritos. Weird, I know. But you know what, something weirder is that even though I love going to the beach, I do not like getting in the water. Now, I do get in the water for the shots (of course) and it's not like I don't get wet, it's just that I prefer to watch everything from a distance and just cool off by the shallow area (plus I can't swim anyway).

So what do I do while the kids are playing? Well, I just take pictures, lay down, talk to dh, read, and just enjoy the sun. So here's to another warm spring hoping that it gets here a bit faster (though we're averaging in the high 80's everyday).

TFL!

Am I Mexican?

Last Thursday Lorely asked:

Lorely: Mom, am I Mexican?

Without skipping a beat I answered: Si m'hija, of course you are.

Lorely: Then why can't I speak in Spanish like Grandma does?

Me: Hmmm, good question. I guess because we never speak in Spanish to you.

Lorely: Why not?

Me: I don't know m'hija, I guess we just thought you knew it, but don't worry I'll teach you.

And with that, I felt very, very small. How could I have overseen something so obvious? How could I assume that my kids would know the language and heritage just because everyone else around us does? Yep, indeed, I'm Mexican; and this past weekend, our city celebrated the camaraderie between the border towns of Brownsville (USA) and Matamoros (Mexico).

Every year we celebrate Charro Days (3 day holiday) towards the end of February. We have parades that run from Brownsville to Matamoros (International Parade) and we have lots of fun in places like "Sombrero Festival" and the "Fiesta Internacional" where people eat, drink, dance, and basically have a good old time. There's a 5-K race, outdoor concerts, gala dinners, and a special guest from Mexico is invited (usually a TV/Movie Star) and they call the special guest "Mr. Amigo." Everyone wears traditional Mexican costumes and it's a very colorful event (to say the least). My girls had an opportunity to dress up (and they did) and Christopher ran the 5K race on Saturday morning (no convincing him to dress up). Having felt bad , I took the opportunity to explain a bit of our heritage to Lorely. Hopefully, I can do better next time she asks ...with a bit of luck, maybe next Charro Days she'll be fluent in Spanish...all I can do is hope...

Geometry

Hello all!

Here's my first (and possibly only) attempt at this week's theme of 1-in-5. I really looked forward to doing this series because in my field (High School Math) this is something we actually have the kids do while taking Geometry. Somehow, our kids have the darnest time trying to see the different faces/perspectives of orthographic drawings (side view, top view, right & left view and orthogonal view). We ask them to draw the different plane perspectives (left, right front and top) and then ask them to do the orthogonal view using orthographic paper. Everything is OK until they get to the orthogonal views. Man, you'd think we ask them for the moon...I wonder if kids all over the States have the same problems as our students down here???... Anyhow, this is how we help them. We hand them actual 1-inch cubes and have them model the problems (yup, manipulatives even in high school) and then (hopefully) they are able to better see/draw the views. For some kids it works, for others, it's a lost cause.

So there you have it. One of my favorite lessons.

SPECS: All pictures except top view shot in - Manual Mode, ISO 800, f/11, SS 1/4 (on tripod), pop-up flash with Exposure Compensation of -1.

Top view shot in AV @ 2.5, SS 1/80.

PP - Cropped and resized for web. Indie's Subtle color pop. Curves adjustment.

ps-I know something is wrong with my WB but I still don't get the hang of metering using that 18% gray thingy that I have :(

HHCC Always welcomed and appreciated!!!!

Parent's Night

PICTURE SPECS: 85mm lens, AV Mode at 1.8, 2.5 and 2.8, Various SS, ISO 1600, AWB, no flash HHCC welcomed.

I know we were supposed to do botanicals this past week but the "topic" was just not cutting it for me (plus I was extremely busy "helping" Christopher with his HOSA project). Anyway, since we were finally off Friday afternoon so we went ahead and attended the JV game where I shot a few pics of the team. Then today, Quique (my brother), called me to ask if I could make a DVD for AnaMaria's Quinceanera (15th Birthday Party). I said hmmm...I dunno. I do have Pro-Show Gold since Mar (from MB) had suggested it, but I hadn't really done anything with it since I bought it... So guess who ended up being my first subject (more like guinea pig)? Yup, the JV team. And there you have it. My first video CD using Pro-Show Gold. Click on the link video above to see it if you'd like. I'm giving the coach a copy of the original...Hopefully he'll like it. And since I know this "element" of my blog is in the way of my posts, I'll only keep it up there for a few days ... :) TFL!

-BTW- The actual Video CD is really much better than the upload...trust me, but photobucket can only do so much with my files...I wonder which host can provide a better resolution video?????

No sports today :(

well....i didn't go to the soccer game last night...it was freezing (about 45 degrees) and i wasn't about to take my butt out there, nor my girls...of course dh, being the soccer fanatic that he is went...it figures...having the top 2 soccer teams in the state competing vs each other (5A level) does make for an interesting game...in the end, our high school (rivera) won 3-2 (including a penalty kick).. go raiders!

my attempt at a portrait with my new 50mm lens. not too thrilled with it though (the lens). it searches waaaay too much as compared to the 85mm. i should've waited and used that money for the 1.4. once again, live and learn...(the good thing is that it wasn't so much $$$ spent on this lens).

SPECS: 50mm 1.8 lens, AV Mode @ f/2.8, ISO 100,

PP: Resized (12x12 @ 250 dpi). Nothing else...the color pop i used wasn't working ...arghhh, i need to play with them some more. i did try b&w but didn't like it either.

HHCC PLEEEEAASE!

Sports related

The Special Olympics Team

On Wednesday, we had a pep-rally at our school. People usually hold pep-rallies for the football team, but ours wasn't. It was for the "other" sports going on at school. We had the usual things, the cheerleaders, the dance squad, the band, the games, but I thought it was pretty cool when they announced our "Special Olympics" team. The students cheered them on and you could tell that our kids were just beaming. We are truly, a special place here at Rivera High School!

The Boys and Girls Basketball Teams

SPECS: Manual Mode, 85mm 1.8 lens, AV 2.8, SS 1/250, ISO 1600.
PP- RAW Mode, Glambur action and cropped at 5x7@ 250ppi.

Oh! I almost forgot that Michelle tagged me...so

6 weird things about me (and I'm sure there's more but that's all I'm sharing)

1. I tend to forget what I'm talking about from 1 second to the next...pretty often too :(
2. I read things just to know about it, not because I have to...that's including manuals, instructions, medicine's side effects, tools, etc, etc.
3. I have a problem with silence. I have to sleep with the TV on, keep a conversation going, or do something to avoid being in silence.
4. I hate for my husband to fall asleep before me. I wake him up if he does.
5. I set my clock 30 minutes ahead and when the alarm goes off, I press the snoozer button for the next 40 minutes...always.
6. I love going to the beach (South Padre Island) but I hate getting in the water. I just like to sit by the sand and read, take pictures, and eat...and I'm always hungry by the time we get there anyway...