Springtime Indiana
You are starting to wake
And I am laden with the thoughts
Of everything I mean to say
I wish I could tell you,
But I just can’t find the words.
(from Springtime Indiana by Sandra McCracken)
I had a lovely Spring Break day last week at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and 100 Acres practicing manual mode on my camera (ok, I admit, I’ve been lazy and usually just shoot in aperture priority mode, but I’m working on that!) and capturing the beauty of spring in Indiana. Enjoy!
I had a great time doing my first official shoot with a six-month-old baby last week. It was great to meet Addison’s mom and we had a fun time trying out different outfits and poses to capture her cuteness at six-months-old. She is such a beautiful, curious, and pleasant baby… I had a lot of fun trying out my new camera and lens on such a great subject! It was a great bonus to be able to go outside in the middle of March, too. I hope you enjoy some of these highlights from our time together!
Last year when I went to New Orleans at this time for the TESOL International Convention (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), I remember being so excited to wear flip-flops and lose the winter coat. Hard to believe that this year we’re having such summery weather right now here in Indiana. Anyway, I had a fabulous time revisiting New Orleans and since my next big trip is still a few months away (I know, it’s a rough life I live!), I thought I’d reminisce and share some pics from NOLA in 2011.
Exploring the French Quarter
Heading toward St. Louis Cathedral
I love this one with the light post... I felt like I wasn't in the U.S. anymore.
I love hidden courtyards.
Such great street signs documenting the Spanish names of streets, parks, etc.
The Square by the Cathedral was a great place to walk around and check our art, street performers, etc.
Saw this gem of a wall on my walk back to the hotel.
I miss palm trees.
In the hotel
This was the night of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
St. Patrick's Day was a fun day for people watching...
Ok, so this might make me a little strange, but I found the cemeteries there SO interesting. This one is St. Louis Cemetery #1 on the north side of the French Quarter.
St. Louis Cemetery #1
St. Louis Cemetery #1
St. Louis Cemetery #1
One evening I took the free ferry across the river to Algiers Point and had this gorgeous view on the ride back.
Not a bad view for my last dinner of delicious Cajun food in New Orleans...
Couldn't post about New Orleans without a shout out to Cafe du Monde and one of the best breakfast foods ever, beignets.
And, believe it or not, I also found some time to learn about being a better ESL teacher during my time there. 🙂
Being on time for things has never been my forte…
A little over a month ago, things got very exciting here in Indianapolis when the Super Bowl came to town. Being a big fan of football, I loved joining in the fun and had a great time seeing the Super Bowl festivities. These pictures are nothing special photographically (am I using that word correctly?) due to my camera’s struggles with low-light, but I thought it would be fun to share these shots anyway to give you a taste of the fun that was had here.
They made 33 NFL Indy Cars. In true Mansell style, I tracked down the Steelers car and went to get pictures of it. It was the least I could do since Dad was too far away to do it himself. 🙂
My blog cameo... the car and me. 🙂
Everywhere you turned, there was something about the big game.
It's always fun to see what theme the IPL building comes up with for their lights.
Monument Circle was hoppin'!
I think Indy is a pretty great city.
There was so much to see...
They took the Hampton Inn and changed the name to the Bud Light Hotel... with some added light action on the side.
Roman numerals everywhere!
They took the Indians ballpark and built an insulated sand football field on it for a big party.
Where it all happened...
Capitol Avenue and the zipline (Sadly, I didn't get to ride on it.)
This decoration was pretty fitting for the hotel since it was pretty much built because of the big game.
and on the walk back to the car- my favorite walkway by the capitol building.
When I was home over Christmas break, I had a really great evening chatting with my Dad about his life and our family. I specifically asked him about my Great-Great-Aunt Jennie, for whom I was named. That led to a long chat about my great-grandfather’s family on my dad’s mom’s side. My parents told me to go get out the family Bible that belonged to my great-grandfather’s parents, a Bible I didn’t know they had. I had such a great time looking through that Bible, printed in the 1890’s. It was a great tool to spark conversation about all of my great-great aunts and uncles and I learned so much through our conversation. For example, I didn’t realize that my great-great aunt Jennie’s birthday was the day after mine, that my great-grandfather had 8 siblings, what deeds and wills looked like back then, etc. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse at history.
My great-grandfather's family's Bible from the mid 1890's
The list of my great-grandfather John and his siblings, including my great-great aunt Jennie (born the day after my birthday!)
A Temperance Pledge found in the middle of the Bible- a very interesting read.
Such an important verse
A land deed from 1829
A last will and testament from 1839
The end of a clever letter written to my great-great aunt Nellie in 1904
I'm so thankful for all that I learned about my family from this old Bible!
I had a great time meeting my friends’ four-month-old, Laney Grace, last week. It was really fun to get photos of their family. I loved her cute outfits (yay for leg-warmers!) and it was fun to incorporate the fitness theme into the shoot (very appropriate considering how fit her parents are!). Laney wasn’t always into that camera I kept shoving in her face, but she was a trooper and I think I captured a bit of her cuteness. 🙂 Enjoy this lovely family!
A smile!
Aren't these leg warmers awesome?!
They're a really great family. 🙂
Don't worry, she was fully supported in this pose. And yes, she will inevitably be a sporty girl. 🙂
She just might be a daddy's girl. 🙂
She's a cutie!
Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your family in photos. It was a joy!
Better late than never, right? The return to teaching proved to be a bit time-consuming this month, so I had to put photography to the side for a little while.
I had a lovely time at home in Pennsylvania for Christmas and New Year’s. I wasn’t really in “photography-mode” while I was home, but here are a few random photos from my time there.
got to love some Christmas light bokeh...
my adorable nephew ready for the road trip back to Indiana
I enjoyed a field trip to Pittsburgh and the chance to see all six of these beautiful Super Bowl trophies won by the Steelers. 🙂
Mom and I made these for her New Year's Eve party contribution. Aren't they cute?
My parents are getting an addition put on the back of the house. I liked this shot out the window of one of the men working on it.
I told you it would be a random assortment, right? 🙂
Here it is, my final reminiscent post on Australia. It’s been fun reliving the trip by sharing some of my favorite photos here. These were taken in July 2011. Thanks for indulging me!
A very unique view from Taronga Zoo
The view from the Bird Show at Taronga Zoo
The Three Sisters formation in The Blue Mountains west of Sydney
The Blue Mountains
The Sydney Harbour Bridge
I took this after attending the symphony in the opera house- it was a magical night!
A slightly blurry view of the Harbour Bridge
A flower in my sister's yard
Lovely flowers in a yard on the walk home from church
A view of Sydney from a lookout near Balmoral Beach
Another view of Sydney
The perfect spot for some fish and chips at Balmoral Beach
Balmoral Beach
Balmoral Beach
Taking the ferry past the Sydney Opera House (sadly, it was a cloudy day)
Another angle of the Sydney Opera House
So there will be more than my originally intentioned two part post on Australia, considering the fact that I spent four weeks there. 🙂 I apologize for the plethora of photos, but it was just so beautiful that I can’t resist sharing. Here is part 2, with pictures taken on my mom’s cousin’s farm near Toowoomba and the trip back to Sydney in June and July, 2011.
Evening in the Paddock
Evening on the Farm
My blurry attempt to capture The Southern Cross constellation and the brightest night sky I've ever seen. (Tilt head to the right to see the cross)
Pa's Swing
Morning on the Farm
One of my nephews ready for the road trip!
A slight double rainbow over Murrurundi
jenni mansell photography 