DSLR Newbie

Until early last week my photography extended only as far as camera phones and some fairly fancy point-and-shoots (Sony or Panasonic) would allow.  That all changed Tuesday when a small package awaited my arrival on the back steps.  My first DSLR and lens sat inside.  Within an hour everything was charged, put together, ready to go.  The remainder of my evening was spent enjoying the gorgeous weather and park wildlife with my new baby (the camera, not an actual infant).

Duck - Hermann Park (Houston)

Museum District (Houston)

Nutria - Hermann Park (Houston)

Sunny Samaritan

Houston has been drenched by an almost constant downpour of rain everyday for almost a week.  Today’s no different.

It’s been a big downer, literally and figuratively.  This afternoon, however, I was quite surprised to get a little ray of sunshine as the felines and canines poured to the ground from above.

My ray came in the form of a well-dressed older woman walking into Barnes & Noble as I walked out. The set-up began thirty minutes earlier when I made the decision to leave my umbrella, jacket, and rain-boots behind as I made a quick stop to browse the shelves and grab some coffee.  The rain picked up significantly on the way out, and I hesitated with whether or not to step into the storm with my new boots on.  I looked at my car, turned back to the store, back to the car, and regretted my unpreparedness with each glance.  I knew it was forecasted to be stormin’-norman all afternoon and night but thought I’d get out in time.  Unfortunately, I heavily underestimated how long my “quick” stop would take.  The lady noticed my dilemma and offered me her umbrella.

I declined and explained to her that my car was pretty close.

“Are you sure?”, she asked.  “You could take it and then drive back up to hand it back.”

“Oh, no.  That’s okay, really.  My car is pretty close.  Thank you though.”

I grabbed the loose fabric of my dress, clutched my caramel macchiato, and ran 5 seconds until I reached the shelter of my car.  Once inside the Kia and out of the storm I smiled at how nice her offer was.  She was willing to hand over her umbrella to a complete stranger and wait outside just to save me (and my “Fancy-Friday”-outfit) from getting drenched.  Sometimes I lose faith in the goodness of people and lack of courtesy that happens so often in crowded cities, but not today.  Thank you to her, to her offer, but most of all, thank you for being a kind, considerate, and lovely Houstonian.

Automotive Candy and Fun for the Eyeballs

My official vacation road-trip ended Friday night around 10 pm in time to catch the Houston news.  From the news I learned that the Art Car Parade/Show would be Saturday at 1 pm.  Last year’s parade was great, so I opted to forgo getting some rest and headed to the show around 11 the next morning.  This year ended up being more enjoyable than the last due to learning from things that could have made my previous experience even better, such as:  arriving early enough to get good parking (having an SUV made this much easier), instead of driving past the field using it as a parking lot, sitting on the opposite side of the street to get a better view, and arriving early, getting there early, coming early.  Check, check, check, and check.

Characters of all sorts come to see the cars, actually build the cars, or are hoping to sell something.  This guy was pitching love and hugs.  I was a little too freaked out to buy what he was selling, but he did pique my interest and a smile.

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