Yes, that’s a lady ice-skating down the road. She was also skating in the grassy common area behind our house with just as much ease and speed.

My buddy Ramon up in Fort Wayne even wrote a song about “Snowmageddon 2011″ (audio is out of sync, he said he should have a new one to upload soon).

Have you been hit by the snow or ice? What’s it look like where you’re at?
By the way, I should tell you that if you’re sitting on a beach somewhere or living somewhere where it’s 75 degrees and sunny, don’t bother commenting!

This was the card we created and gave to every firefighter along with the meal we served them (if you’re interested in doing something like this, leave a comment below and I’ll email you the graphics for this card so you can print them off).

After one of our luncheons, the firefighters asked us if we wanted a ride in a firetruck. Uhh, of course!!

It was pretty sweet rolling through our neighborhood in a huge ladder truck. I found an extra helmet to put on to add to the “cool factor.”

The kids loved hanging out with the firefighters and learning all about their job and equipment.

All in all we were able to connect personally with and serve meals to all 50 men and women in all the shifts of our Westfield Fire Department over 3 days. These guys are the real deal. It was so much fun hanging out with them and thanking them for everything they do to keep our community safe.

Have you had a chance to participate in any kind of outreach to the civil servants in your community? What did you do?

On Saturday we drove out to Turkey Run for a family Fall Hike. The weather could not have been nicer! Here are a few pics we took along the way:

Have you ever done a family staycation? What did you do?

Camera+ ($1.99)

Out of all the photography apps out there, the Camera+ app from TapTapTap is one of my favorites because of its ease of use and great photo effects.  Who would have thought you could achieve photos like this with an iPhone?

Camera+ allows you to take photos right from within the apps interface or import them for processing from your camera roll. After you have the image you want to work with the real fun begins. You can apply beautiful post-processing effects like Magic Hour, Redscale, Grunge, So Emo, Hipster and many more. It even does a rather impressive job of HDR depending on the source image. The user interface was very intuitively designed and easy to use.

Out of all my photo apps on my iPhone, this one gets used at least 80% of the time. Even with the great photo quality of the iPhone 4 untouched, I can’t resist the urge to apply a little post-processing magic. This app is a must-own for all iPhone owners who want to take their photos from drab to fab.

Note: Camera+ got pulled from the app store (full story here). Keep an eye open for when it re-appears.

Hipstamatic ($1.99 + Lens/Film)

The tagline on the Hipstamatic web site says it all: “Digital Photography Never Looked So Analog.” The Hipstamatic app is by far the artsiest photography app out there (and also #2 on the top Photography apps) with the ability to achieve gorgeous vintage effects that will leave people exclaiming, “That was shot on your iPhone!?!?”

The Hipstamatic app comes with a couple of virtual “lenses,” flashes and film with the ability to purchase more for $.99 each (once you start playing around you’ll want to buy all four). You can mix and match different lens with film or flash to achieve an amazing variety of beautiful vintage and lo-fi looks. I love using this app to capture unique photographs. The only qualm I have with Hipstamatic is that it’s pretty slow, especially when you’re shooting at the best quality. The onboard processing time to achieve the different looks can take between 10-25 seconds per picture so this isn’t the app you’ll want to use to snap quick shots of the kids. The user interface, while pretty to look at, is a bit slow and clunky as well requiring you to make multiple taps and swipes just to perform simple tasks. That being said, I still love this app and highly recommend you check it out.

view this app in iTunes

Pro HDR ($1.99)

This app more of a novelty app that I’ve only used a couple of times. It takes High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos the real way by shooting 3 photos at different exposure and then merging them. The on-board HDR processing engine gives you some control over the final image similar to what you would see if you were editing a HDR photo on your computer.

Since the app takes 3 separate images and then merges them together, you’ll achieve the best final shot if you have some type of stable surface to shoot from or, if you’re lucky, an actual iPhone tripod.

This app isn’t for everyone but it’s worth a look for those photographer iPhone owners who just love tinkering with images on their phone.

view this app in iTunes

Photoshop Express (Free)

I’ve used Photoshop on my Mac since 1995 so when I heard that Adobe was making a mobile version of Photoshop for the iPhone I was as excited as a nerd at Comic-Con. What Adobe released however, fell far short of my expectations. You would think the geniuses over at Adobe would be able to whip up an app that does more than basic image adjustments and cropping.

I still recommend and use it on some of my pics (heck, you can’t beat free) but I’m really hoping that this app is just a teaser to hold us over while they work on the real thing. Perhaps they might adopt the “freemium” model of having a free app and a premium paid app available with more higher end features. *fingers crossed*

That being said, it’s free and it’s a quick and easy way to make some fine-tune color adjustments when the lighting or saturation needs a little more work.

view this app in iTunes

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Here is a sampling of some of the photos I’ve taken on my iPhone over the last month or so:

“Sunset” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Morning Retreat” taken with Camera+ using the HDR and Miniturize setting

“Traveling Easy” taken with Hipstamatic using the “John S” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Condos In Sunset” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Garden Fresh” taken with Hipstamatic using the “John S” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Going Fishin” taken with Hipstamatic using “John S” lens and “Alfred Infared” film

“Painting In The Clouds” taken with Hipstamatic using the “Lucifer VI” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Ready for School” taken with Camera+ using the Hipster setting and Polariod border

“Colts Fans” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Riding my bike” taken with Camera+ using the Redscale filter and the Vintage border

Have you tried any of these apps? Which photography apps do you use on your phone?

Here are some photos I took of the concert. I had fun playing with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens I rented from Roberts. Click on an image to view it full-size or click here to view the set on Flickr.

Superchick put on a great show and sounded every bit as good live as they do on their album. I’ve always been comfortable encouraging my girl’s love of Superchick’s music. Their positive lyrics and upbeat songs are a rare breath of fresh air in the midst of the typical pre-teen/teen pop garbage. Be sure to check out Superchick’s newest release Reinvention, a remix of some of their most popular hits.

I’d love to know what you think of the photos (us creative types are gluttons for praise…even if we have to ask for it)

Click on any image to view it full-size. These photos were taken on  my Nikon D90 using a Nikon 55-200mm lens with the exception of the sunrise pics that I took with my Nikon 35mm f1.8 lens. You can view the complete set of 100+ photos in this set on Flickr.

Fun trip. I’m so glad I have the pictures to remember it by. I’d love to hear what you think.

Here’s a few photos from the Safari that I was able to capture. Click the image to view it full-size. Most of these images were taken with my Nikon D90 using a Nikon 55-200mm lens. You can also view the complete set of 100+ photos in this set on Flickr.

I was pretty happy with the way these pics turned out. What do you think? Do I have a future with National Geographic?

D90 + 35mm f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 1250 @ f/13

D90 + 35mm f/1.8, 1/320, ISO 1250 @ f/13

D90 + 35mm f/1.8, 1/250, ISO 1250 @ f/13

Nothing like a good thunderstorm in the Spring. I captured these images in RAW on my D90 and used Photomatix to create a HDR (High Dynamic Range) image using the techniques described here.

Here are some of my favorite photos we’ve taken of the children we’ve met this week (photos by myself, Keely Scott, Ryan Detzel, Kristen Welch & Jennifer McKinney). Let these images capture your heart…

Each of these photos represent a child who is sponsored by a Compassion sponsor. Each face represents the hope that Compassion gives. Don’t wait…click here to find children who are still waiting to be sponsored.

CHUCK

Thanks to Hulu, I don’t watch most TV shows on the night they actually air. So we just got around to watching Monday’s episode of Chuck. I’m sure the show’s writers took pleasure in further torturing Chuck+Sarah fans by pairing them both up with someone else (I laughed at this LA Times post: “New Chuck Romances Destroy Television, Life Itself“). For those of you looking for resolve, you’re gonna have to wait three weeks because of something called the Winter Olympics…go figure.

LOST

Ok, this show just keeps getting more and more confusing. Locke is the smoke monster? Sayid has an evil darkness growing inside of him? And that same darkness once grew inside of Jack’s sister? And, oh yeah, Jack’s sister is Claire in case you forgot (who also returns in this episode looking like someone from a Pantene shampoo commercial). I’m not holding out high hopes for the conclusion of this show but I’m already along for the ride.

MY NEW CAMERA

My new D90 arrived in the mail on Tuesday and I have been taking pictures of everything while I learn how to use it, and I do mean everything. Even with just a few hours and some basic knowledge it’s amazing the kind of pictures I’ve been able to capture. Here’s a few: Emily’s “Don’t Mess With Me” pose, Sisters, Flashdance, Chloe, Emily, “Peace Out”

KENYA TRIP

I can’t believe this trip is just a little over two weeks away already! I’ve been getting everything in order with my Visa application and stuff. I even downloaded a Swahili language app so I can learn some basic phrases before I go so now I know that “Sielewi” means “I don’t understand” (I’ll probably be saying that a lot).

LISA’S BIRTHDAY

Last but certainly not least…today is Lisa’s birthday!! I’m taking her out for a birthday lunch (don’t tell her…it’s a surprise) and then later tonight I’ll be telling her about my special surprise gift! I can’t tell you what it is but I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it on the blog in the coming months. Muha ha ha ha!!

As my favorite pig used to say, Ba de ba de ba de, that’s all folks! (can anyone actually remember Bugs Bunny Porky Pig* saying that on cartoons growing up?) *Thanks to Curtis for catching the mix-up…I guess it’s been long since I’ve seen Loony Toons!