Capstone Opening

I recently produced a series of photographs that will be exhibited in the NHTI spring senior Capstone Exhibition. Every Visual Arts student has the opportunity to produce their own body of work to be displayed in an open art show during their senior semester, and this semester was my turn! Details:



I produced a series of eight photographs, that were matted and framed to 20" x 24," which depicts the aging process from beginning to end. The entire project was a great experience, giving me the opportunity to see it through from conception to hanging it in the gallery.

So, if you're looking for something to do on Thursday night....swing through Concord and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

The Three Musketeers

These are my buddies. They're watching Reading Rainbow on my laptop. How cute is that???



With the school semester beginning to wrap up and the work responsibilities piling up, I'm not going to be seeing these three together as much as I have been.

Change is good sometimes.

Change is sad sometimes.

How's that for some deep philosophical thinking for ya???

IT came!

IT came...the thing I have been waiting on for weeks. May even my entire life. Okay, so the last one there was a little over dramatic, but hey, I'm excited.

Several years ago (give or take) my mom attended this fine institution of higher learning:


Now, I also visited this same institution of higher learning when I was getting ready to graduate high school and remember saying the words, "I don't EVER want to go here." Well, good thing I wasn't exactly serious, well I was, but...excuse me as I grab my shovel in attempt to dig myself out of the hole that I just created.

About six months ago I was compiling a list of colleges that I wanted to apply to transfer to. UMaine, Savannah Institute of Art and Design, and (drum roll please) UNH made the cut. Around the first of the year it became pretty clear that not only was UNH on my transfer list, it was my top choice.

After weeks of scouring the mailbox and surrounding snow banks for any envelope with a Durham, NH return address, the end came last Friday. In their own words, UNH is "pleased to accept you into our Dairy Management program in our College of Life Science and Agriculture."

I'm pretty sure I did a little dance. I'm also pretty sure no one was watching.

Yesterday's weather was unbelievable warm! I did not have to wear a sweatshirt to the farm, and the little kiddos that I nanny for were still playing outside when I got there at 5:30 last night.

With my school and work schedule I haven't been over to see all three of the kiddos since around Christmas time, so it was a long overdue visit! I can't believe how much all three of them have grown since then!

I love these girls:





It is like "Where's Waldo," except we renamed it "Where's Cartwright?"



The mud boots are out, spring must have sprung!

Has Spring Really Sprung?

A nice afternoon walk through local Wboro revealed these scenes that are suggesting that spring just may have arrived early this year.

Check out all of the water running through the dam:



Running water is a common sign of spring around here:



Water levels are also pretty elevated this time of year with all of the melting snow, case in point:



Gorgeous spring day...(Ahem, notice: NO SNOW!!!)

Promised Post

Here are a couple of the promised "more to come" photos of Ava.

Check out those BIG eyes:



And that smile :)



"Um, wait a minute while I position the camera, uh, hold on, oops..." :)



There we go. I love us.

Hooray for Spring Break!

I'm out in Iowa enjoying a little vacation during my spring break. It is lovely. Simply lovely. No work. No class. Nothing. I could get used to this.

I am out here to visit two good friends of mine you were married last year and had a baby last October. I hadn't met the little one yet, and hadn't seen these good friends since they came out to visit me last spring, so it has been a long overdue visit!


Meet Ava Grace. She's 5ish months old. She is Scott and Hannah's baby. She is 50% Hannah and 50% Scott. She has her mommy's beautiful eyes and her daddy's quirky sense of humor. She has her daddy's blond hair and her mommy's cute button nose.

I am so glad for the opportunity to visit such good friends and meet this precious new addition to their small, but growing family.

Stay tuned for more photos in the next couple of days!

The Man in the Fuzzy Pink Slippers

These are the items in question:


Pink, fuzzy, bunny slippers. Pretty cute, eh?

These small treasures were found in the bottom of a bag that had been filled with clothes for Rosy, but Micah laid claim to these long before Rosy will be able to grow into them. He wears around the house constantly...as in non stop. He even wears them over his footsie pajamas, silly boy! This most recent escapade is my favorite. He kid had nothing on but his diaper and a kid-sized Home Depot apron tied around his waist, and of course, his pink, fuzzy, bunny slippers. Seriously. You think I'm making this up? I don't think you could pay me to fabricate stories like this!


He's our resident ham. Or turkey. Whatever floats your boat.

Fashion aside, Micah really does love his slippers. It is a good thing he is cute, he can pull it off!

Guessing Game

I have some newsworthy news...but I'm going to make you work for it! We are going to play a little guessing game, you ready?

Hint #1: My news has to do with this place:



Hint #2: And these things:



Hint #3: It means more of this:



Hint #4: And spending more time here:



Do you have an idea yet? All right, out with it!

I applied for a year round position at Remick that gives me the title of Assistant Farm Manager. I negotiated for full time hours when I am not in school and part time hours for the rest of the year.

The job itself is not very different from what I have been doing for the last year and a half, but there is more responsibility involved. The idea is that the assistant farm manager will replace the current farm manager in two years when he is ready to retire.

If nothing else, this is certainly a new adventure! If you hang around you never know what might happen around here...

Keepin' It Real

This is my life these days and probably will be for the next month and a half before things dry out around here. Gotta love mud season in NH!

Now, where did I put those gaiters???

Time Honored Photographic Truths

A few photographic truths that have been proved throughout history...all attributed to Ted Orland.

I'm sure all of you camera buffs out there can sympathize with the fact that:

1) It is part of Post Office training to be able to recognize all envelopes containing photographs so that they can fold them in half.
2) No matter how old your camera strap is, it will never break when your camera is above a soft surface.
3) Edward Steichen owned a three legged dog that he called "Tripod".
4) The best scenic photographic opportunities are clearly marked by highway signs that say "No Stopping Anytime".
5) Lens caps and shutter cables can become invisible at will.
6) No two light meters will read the same.
7) Spotone bottles are designed to tip over as soon as the cap is removed. (If you don't know what "Spotone" is, then you need to take a darkroom class).
8) HDR is not a toy.
9) Financial success in photography is directly related to subject matter. falling airplanes, exploding volcanoes, and certain Presidential motorcades work the best.
10) Selective coloring is the work of the devil.
11) Except for right now, the word "Daguerreotype" cannot be spelled properly.
12) When your friends and family finally realize that you are a true artist, committed to making sensitive and meaningful images, they will ask you to photograph their wedding.
13) Photographers do it in the dark, but they have to stop every 30 seconds for agitation.
14) On all tripods, only two legs will work properly.
15) Dust spots are attracted to sky areas.
16) Viewing a slideshow of someones vacation cures insomnia.
17) Ansel Adams has three secret zones that only he knows about.
18) Fast films compensate for slow photographers.
19) Owning more than one lens assures that you will always have the wrong lens on the camera for any given situation.
20) Mounting a photograph is still a misdemeanor in 14 states.
21) A camera store will charge $75 to repair a camera that has been adjusted with a butter knife.
22) Photoshop is a noun, not a verb.
23) Falling lenses are attracted to rocks and concrete.
24) Buying a camera does not make you a photographer, it makes you a camera owner.
25) Into every life, a little grain must fall.
26) Ignorance of the rules is no excuse.
27) You can dip an onion in chocolate, but it's still an onion.

All About the Light!

Calving Season Is Here!

Spring may just be my favorite season! Spring means lots of new babies on the farm. Calves usually make their appearance first, followed by the goats and sheep.


Newest arrival on the Madison homestead. He's a cutie, huh?

He was born last weekend...and is quite the spunky little guy!

He's the first of three, so there are more to come.

Then there is this little devil...she decided to come early!


She's about three weeks old now and has already made it quite clear who is in charge of the hay feeder. She's young...what can I say?

My CS3 Addiction

It is official. I'm addicted...to Photoshop. But, hey...there could be worse things, right?