practicing with my D80

nacho was overly generous and gave me a Nikon D80 for my birthday this past March. thanks nacho! well, it's taken some time for me to get brave enough to play around with it. but thanks largely to Joe, i'm really starting to get into the swing of it. so Joe taught me the White Balance button this past weekend and here's some pics i took last night for practice. i really like where this is going! oh, and these were taken about 10p last night in complete darkness. you wouldn't know it!

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this thing is getting out of control

okay, this started as a VERY belated gift to me, but the chaise is gettting the kind of attention i never intended.

glad everyone likes it so much. i've had lots of questions about where i got it from. the story goes......2 years ago i found the matress on sale through PotteryBarn. i think it went for $200 originally but i got it for $90. stupid me, at the time, thought that was the price for the matress and the frame. didn't see the $700 tag for the frame. when only the matress arrived, i decided to check their site again and, sure enough, it was just the matress. fine. it only took 2 years for Nacho & Co. to build the frame. but can i say? it's been well worth the wait! i've gotten my 2 years worth out of this thing in just the past 2 weekends. now i'm on recon for 2 more people to find this same matress so they can build one. geesh! if i knew this thing was gonna generate work......

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i can almost taste it....

well the boys made significant progress on the deck this weekend. we now have something that i can see taking shape. this thing is gonna be huge. and it's gonna be awesome!!! the boxers are a little confused since their normal entry/exit has been moved, but i think they'll adjust. check out the progress of NachoDeck

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somewhat finished product

i guess i forgot to take a picture of the somewhat finished chaise. we will need to redo the reclining support. the guys were in such a rush to beat the deadline that we didn't really think this part through. and korby and i decided that we need the pivoting casters on all 4 corners instead of just 2, so we'll fix that too. but it works and very well at that! thanks again guys!!!

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a Southern tradition

the only thing i've been wanting for longer than the chaise are these crepe myrtles. crepe myrtles ARE the South. i grew up in the South but moved away in 1993. all that time and i miss 3 things (in no particular order): my family, the beach, crepe myrtles. thanks to my husband, we live on the water in Illinois so i kinda have my "beach". and i talk to my family often enough that it suffices. but the crepe myrtles have eluded me until this year.
a new nursery in my town advertised they have winter hardy myrtles. we'll see about that this year. but so far so good. i bought 2 of them with the intent that i'll move them to large planters eventually and be able to keep them outside. for now, their temporary home are these 2 plastic containers. but they have done great - thanks i'm sure to the fabulous, nutrient-rich Illinois river water. one is in full bloom and the other is on it's way.

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my chariot - aka the double chaise

i have asked nacho for 2 years for this. i found the cushion on Super Sale through Pottery Barn and couldn't pass up the amazing price. i remembered thinking "how hard could it be to build the frame? it's just a fancy pallet." apparently it is more than a fancy pallet.

after 2 years of hearing me complain, nacho finally started it yesterday (July1). and tonight they have pretty much finished it - well, i'm giving nacho some slack cuz they worked so late tonight. a little sprucing up the support and some wheels and the thing is done!

thanks nacho, korby, tucker, and bob. and everyone else for listening to me bitch about this.

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