Snow Diamonds

by Linda Hoopes   

Watching the scenery flash by the car window on that cold January morning, I wondered if we would make it to the hospital in time. My husband, Bill, our 12 year old daughter, Lynn and I had hastened into the car only 10 hours earlier. And now pressing on my mind was the question, “Would Dad still be alive when I arrived?” It had been almost 12 hours since the dreaded call came. Those words continued to ring in my mind, “Dad’s in the hospital, you must come now!” We lived in Southeastern Indiana where Bill was an associate pastor. My childhood home, Norfolk, Virginia was almost 12 hours drive. Those twelve hours slipping in out of a fog of sleep intermingled with memories and fear, were torturous.

I remember vividly the call we received 12 hours earlier. The expression on Bill’s face as he handed me the phone revealed the message, “bad news.”

Five years earlier Dad fought and won the battle with liver cancer; something unheard of in the early 80’s. An experimental procedure was tried and Dad had been the first to survive the surgery. Recovery was long and hard and at times disappointing and frustrating with many setbacks. Dad had gone almost 5 years with no trace of the cancer. Odds were in his favor that he was cancer free. But November of 1987 Dad called to say a routine checkup had revealed spots on his lungs. With that news, I decided Bill, Lynn and I had to celebrate Christmas with Dad and Mom. Unspoken thoughts were that this most likely would be the last time we would all be together.

Now in this urgent trip to make it by my father’s side, I gazed out the car window and realized it had indeed been the last Christmas together. September 1987 I attended a retreat. That experience had changed my life. It renewed the Holy Spirit within me and made Christ come alive in my life. From that experience I renewed my commitment to Christ and strove to “walk in His steps.”
Additionally, I received strength to face the impending crisis in my family. I was very close to my father. He had been the one who educated me in my Christian faith. Because of our closeness, the family expected that I would not handle his death very well.

Looking back over the past year, I was thankful for having written a Valentine’s Day letter to Dad. In the letter I expressed deep feelings for Dad never shared before. My family was not a “touchy, hugging” family that expressed feelings openly. And with the wry sense of humor that grew rampant in the family, it was fruitless trying to be serious long enough to share those feelings.

And so, the letter…   A Love Letter to Dad:
I thought it best to write down how I feel about you. There have been so many times that I have wanted to tell you this, but I have difficulty putting feelings into words; a trait that I inherited from you. Do you remember the time that we were sitting down to dinner with the next door neighbors? I mentioned that all the education that schools and colleges had to offer could not measure up to the “OJT” that you had given me while we were converting the garage into a family room.

That was just the tip of the iceberg of how thankful I was for your hand in raising me. Dad, you have made a tremendous impact on my life. What you did was much like what we did as a team to that ol’ shell of a garage. You took an immature child and helped build her into an adult. You took a hollow shell and insulated it with love to hold in the warmth much like the insulation placed in the garage walls. Like straightening the beams, you helped me straighten and direct my thoughts on who I was and what I wanted to be. Much like the intricate wiring that went into that shell, you threaded your knowledge, experience, caring and love into me that is now entwined in my soul and tightly wrapped around my heart. The detailed finishing touches made the garage into a beautiful, warm family room; the detail that you gave and the care that you showed in raising me were the finishing touches needed to make me a warm and caring person. And the last thing installed in the garage that brought warmth and made the room livable was the heater. But with me, you did not need to add the heat; it was already there.

Combining all that you gave to me freely, the warmth was a radiation of the unconditional love you showed. In many things that I do… I see you. It fills my heart with joy. I have wanted so much to be like you. These traits that are a combination of both you and Mom I hold deep within my heart where my most precious treasures are stored. To lift back that vale covering these memories has been very difficult. Your broad smile, your “half-cocked” smile, your dark complexion, your short gray hair, your quick wit, your love of a good joke, your love of a “bad” joke, your laugh, your “kidding” laugh, your strengths, your weaknesses, your caring, your loving, your sharing, your wisdom… these all and more add up to MY DADDY. Happy Valentines Day, From the deepest part of my heart  

And now, the man that took so much interest in raising me… MY DADDY… was in a hospital bed struggling with lung cancer. Two hours from Norfolk we stopped for breakfast. We had been traveling all night to get by his side in time. While Lynn and I hurriedly ate, Bill placed a call to the hospital to find out how Dad was doing. He came back to the table and said “Dad was holding his own… but let’s get back on the road.” About 20 miles down the road I looked at my watch; it was 8:15 a.m. A deep sadness and feeling of loss came over me. We were in the midst of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia.

I looked up to the top of a nearby snow-capped mountain through tearing eyes. Just at that moment a gust of wind swept across the mountain gathering up powdered snow and casting it high into the air. With the rising sun behind it, the snow looked like a million diamonds flashing across the sky. And it was in that moment I knew… I knew Dad had passed on. And this was his way of saying “good-bye.” My Dad taught me to love and respect nature. I guess that was the New York Seneca blood in him. What better way to “wave” good-bye then in a glory of “snow diamonds…” one of nature’s glorious creations.

Solar Emergency Lights--What a Thought!

Thank God for friends! Some of the thoughts and ideas I share on this blog would be nice to take credit for because they are so clever, but God did not gift me with the wisdom of Solomon; however, He did gift me with droves of friends. One such friend recently shared an idea she used which came to her through the internet. She and her family were on vacation when a storm knocked out power service to the area where they were staying. Most times when on vacation we don’t think of preparing for emergencies and this was just such a time for my friend and her family. It was dead of night and pitch black dark. I’ll let her tell you the rest of the story…

“Due to a thunderstorm, we lost power for about 5 hours one night. We were scrambling around in the darkness, looking for matches, candles, and flashlights. Then we looked outside and noticed our Solar Lights shining brightly all around the patio, stairs & dock. We walked outside and brought several of the solar lights inside. We stuck the Solar Light pipes into plastic drink bottles and they made the nicest, brightest, safest, lighting you could imagine. We put one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen and in the living room.

There are many types of Solar Lights available. We bought quite a few and put them all around our yard. They look nice and do not attract flying bugs like the outdoor lights around our doorway. The lights we have fit into 20-oz. water bottles and also fit into most larger 2 liter bottles. If you need a weight in the plastic bottle to keep them from tipping over, put in a few of the colorful flat marbles they put in aquariums and vases. You can also use sand, aquarium gravel, or whatever you have available. These would be great for camping trips too.”

What a novel idea! The little solar lights used for decorative purposes to mark driveway entrances, walkways and beautify patios and other outdoor landscaping can become emergency lighting source when the lights go out… all year round. The little lights recharge the power source during the day and turn on during the evening for a few hours. I even have a couple of solar lights that look like bamboo torches and flicker as though there were candles in the globe.

So the little solar lights can do much more than beautify landscape, bring them in for party lighting besides using them in an emergency.

Thanks Larraine for the helpful information and thoughtful decorative tip!

NEW BOOK PUBLISHED!

Linda has a new book out and you can preview it by clicking on the thumbnail photo below.  "God whispers" is your book; that is, you become the author because it is meant for you to record thoughts, reflections, stories, prayers and ideas. However, Linda has written a number of thoughts along with her photographs to help "kick-start" your own writing/journaling process. This is a self discovery book, not a self-help book. Use this book to peal away the cocoon you've become entrapped in your lifes journey. You will find it so helpful, you will want to buy a second copy to give to someone you know who needs that boost or "kick-start" in their own lifes journey.

God whispers: ...

By Linda Hoopes

Book Preview

Reported Sighting of the "Thought-to-be-Extinct" IPS

Many of my faithful readers know I have been working on a book for several years. The book will be photographs I’ve taken of squirrels over the years. The title of the book has already been decided, Squirrels: Adventures and Shenanigans of Wild Squirrels. I have already written and laid out over 18 pages of the book. I have an outline with the titles of each chapter and content. And, most importantly of all, the cover has been designed and put in place in the publishing software with the printers. But the most awesome thing of all about this book is that it is taking on a life of its own. What I mean is, as I have shared this project with others, they have shared their photographs of squirrels with me. As I have viewed another’s photos I’ve learned the character of that person. Anyone who watches squirrels going to and fro in their yard, picking up nuts, carrying them here and there and burying them not once or twice but as many as three times… IS AS NUTS AS I AM ABOUT SQUIRRELS!

“That is an amazing photo you attached. I need your help on a couple of things in your photo… The white squirrel is closest to the camera, is that correct? Is it a shadow or does it have a brown head?” That’s how the reply e-mail started with a friend who sent me an attached photo of a squirrel yesterday. She told me about the squirrel several weeks ago and invited me over to take a photograph of the white squirrel. Now if you know anything about squirrels, when you want them to do something, they won’t; and when you don’t want them to do something, they will. I could only imagine how it would appear to onlookers if they saw me trying to explain to the police that I was not a “Peeping Tom” but rather someone trying to take photos of a white squirrel at the request of a neighbor. And I would probably be caught crouched down on all fours under a bush of the “Neighborhood Watch” captain’s front yard…

The e-mail continued, “The second squirrel in the photo, does that also have some white on it, or does it appear white because the sun is shining through its tail? If you don’t mind, I would like to venture a guess of what you have in residence in your yard. It is quite rare and if the community or more specific, the National Wildlife Federation were aware of your squirrel in resident you would have news media all over the neighborhood. Sandy (name changed to protect the innocent), you have what is called the ‘Inverted Palomino Squirrel.’ Once thought to be extinct, you may have proof they are, in fact, still in existence! And the squirrel behind the IPS (Inverted Palomino Squirrel) would be the ‘Inverted Inverted Palomino Squirrel which has never been proven to be in existence. And I can assure you that if you call the National Wildlife Federation, local news media or any friends or neighbors and tell them about the IPS or IIPS you will be called “Nuts,” or known as the ‘squirrelly lady down the street’ for the rest of your life.”

Continuing to spread it on thick, “Sorry, Sandy, I just couldn’t resist this opportunity to give you a good laugh. And actually, this would make for a good story to put on my blog and squirrelly book, except the names would be changed. You are such a sweet person and I admire you (I just had to say that in hopes of salvaging our friendship). I hope you enjoyed this ‘funny’ e-mail… Now back to the serious part… “

‘Sandy’s’ photo is an amazing squirrel picture and you can see a snippet of it below. However, to see the fullsize photo you will just have to wait for the publishing of the book to see that. Another thing, Sandy will be given credit for photographing the IPS and IIPS if she is truly brave to do so… I have had other people send me amazing squirrel photos and have decided the focus of the book is not to display my photos but rather to reveal the amazing antics of squirrels; considering that as the focus of the book, if someone has an amazing picture of squirrels I should use their photo rather than try and duplicate it myself. Of course, if someone else’s photo is used, it would be with their permission and they would be given credit as the photographer.

Fill your plate, fill your glass, fill your gas tank, fill your suitcase, but not the Frame!

Fill the frame, fill the frame, fill the frame... another one of those articles on photography "How to" rules escaped from under the rug and was beaten over our heads again today.

I have seen some "near beautiful" photographs which missed the mark because the subject was so far away and the photographer had to point it out on the photo. But I can't tell you the number of photos I've taken up close and "filled the frame" with the subject only to be burned by following that rule. One time I spent a whole afternoon taking those family treasured photos of the children sitting on Santa's lap smiling and showing their dimples and the gap between their front teeth. The pictures were sharp and the colors were vivid, but when I went to crop them to fit into the little sleeves to give to the customer, part of the photo was going to be chopped off. I had gotten up close and personal to the point of spoiling the photos. I was able to salvage them with an old photographer's trick. But then, I did it again with another portrait assignment. Yup, I wanted to be a very good photographer and follow all the rules; but by stuffing my subject(s) between the four confining "walls" of a photo plane I almost pinched myself out of a job... Ouch!

Forget being up close and personal as much as the "expert" photographers are telling you, because they are not telling you the whole story. The "expert" may be able to have a custom matt and frame made for a unique size photo because they are generating income through writing those "How to" articles and publishing "How to" books that help support a very expensive hobby (someone told me it is a hobby because you just can't make a living off being a photographer, but you can make a living off being a writer writing "How to" books and articles on photography.) Unless the photograph I've taken is contest material specifically chosen for competition my pocketbook leads me to the standard 8" x 10" size.

Now I am not saying back off from your subject too much. You still want to see the whites of their eyes. The trick here is to learn what your camera's photo plane picture size is. When you look through the view finder or the LCD screen what will that photograph look like cropped for a picture size of  8 x 10 or 11 x 14. Even a 5 x 7 cropping of the picture will have a different appearance. Contents on the edges of an 8 x 10 may crop out of a 5 x 7 whereas the total photograph will be visible in a 4 x 6 cropping of the same image. But what I am saying is besides learning your camera's photo plane size also keep in mind when you are taking a photograph of your subject "full frame" to be careful about giving yourself a little extra room on all the sides of your subject as insurance so what you want to keep in the photo before you crop, stays in the photo, after you've cropped. Don't forget to take the lens cover off.

Make Graduation Day A Memorable Day In Photos

The day is almost here. All those years of buried faces in a book squinting to see the fine print; all those times in class just before a test praying that you wish you knew how to pray; all that’s behind you now. You are graduating; you’ve picked up your gown, checked your list to make sure invitations went out. Grocery bags of party food are on the table and the fridge is packed with more food. Canned drinks are all iced up in a half dozen coolers. Everything’s ready in great anticipation of a grand celebration. But is everything ready… are you really prepared? What about the camera, have you given any thought to that? Has anyone been designated as the family photographer?


Graduation is a very special time in one’s life; and it is not just a historical event for the graduate, it’s a milestone in a family’s history. To make sure your photos turn out on such an eventful day, it wouldn’t hurt to have backup, that is, have a number of friends and family taking photographs of the event. That is just one tip of many; here are some more tips to consider while taking those memorable photos on such an important day…

Be Prepared: Well, if it worked for the scouts, why not let it work for you… be matriculate, I mean meticulous in making sure your camera is working. Here are some things for your check list: 1) Batteries-Have new ones in the chamber and spares in your pocket; if they are rechargeable, this is a good time to top them off in the charger and have at least another set all charged up; it wouldn’t hurt to purchase another new set and charge that up as well (this ceremony cannot be repeated.) Make sure your memory card is clear and formatted for the day. It might even be a good idea to have a second memory card on hand. The price of cards has dropped substantially and now is the time to get one or two extras. If there are any photos on the card, it would be wise to download them onto a computer and then format the card so it is clear and ready. If you have more than one camera that uses the same card type, don’t switch the same card between different cameras, that is when you may have error messages or a card “failure.” All that said about batteries, cards and oh, oh, one thing most everyone forgets and regrets later when grandma licks her finger and smears it on the lens (like when she would wipe dirt off your cheek)… clean the lens. If you can, take a lens cloth and cleaning liquid or the prepackaged lens cleaning paper. You will find this especially valuable if it is raining… “where did those freckles come from?” And the best time to do this is the day before so you don’t find yourself running around the morning of or worse yet, on your way to the ceremony. Nerves are frayed enough without adding fear about parking places and seat availability.

Get close up and personal… with the stage. It wouldn’t hurt to rehearse before the ceremony begins. When the moment comes where they are presenting the diploma/degree… you really want to be in the right place and not competing for a spot. I don’t know why people fight for a spot because their graduate gets the award once and then they are moved across the stage in a “hug and kiss” line with former professors and counselors. It should come natural to take your shot and step away from the “coveted” spot for the next excited parent to get their treasured photo. That is what worked quite smoothly at my friend’s graduation from Duke Divinity School. “Photographers” were so cooperative they helped one another move forward to the right spot when their child/student came up to the moment. In some situations you may be limited to where you can stand and how close you can get to the stage. Barriers may be present, but still go ahead and ask if you can get closer. The worst to happen would be told you are standing as close as allowed. Another thing to consider is look into getting another camera with a longer zoom range. There are good brand cameras with amazing super-zoom lenses at a price that will also amaze you. A Nikon Coolpix P510 compact camera has a built in zoom from 24mm to 1000mm with a price that will knock your socks off (around $400.) I’ll be glad to review the camera, Nikon just need send me a unit to test and I will review and report on it. But from the reviews I’ve already read, it’s a really nice piece of equipment and the 16.1 megapixels sweeten the deal for many, not to mention the built in GPS, 99 point autofocus, shoots 7 fps, slow-mo video and 3D shooting mode. That would be a beauty to carry and easily be approved by any stadium security including the Olympics in London this Summer.

Don’t “Stage” everything: Though the graduate will be up on the stage; get the family in pictures on this momentous day. There will be those very important photos with all family members who attended this special day’s event. It will be so important to record the historical moment for the photo albums and slideshows and also to post on Facebook. You want everyone to see Grandma and Grandpa’s smiling faces. But the candid shots are precious treasures and hilarious moments that can turn a photo album into a “Best Seller” and a slideshow into an “Oscar winner.” Best friend graduates hugging, the graduate running with their graduation robe wide open and flying high create special moments preceding and following a graduation ceremony. Big brother cramming his grad hat on little brother with everyone laughing brings back precious moments. Keep the camera clicking at these special moments. Don’t chimp at this point. You can look at the photos on the LCD screen later and then, only then, delete the “bad” photos. I can’t tell you how many great photos have been missed because someone was chimping when they should have been photographing the moment. And don’t forget to “turn the tables (camera)” on you; that is, make sure you include yourself in the photo shooting. There will be a time when someone will be looking at the beautiful pictures and say, “Well, where is ol’ what’s his name?” You don’t have to be the designated photographer… don’t get “drunk (obsessed)” on taking all the pictures. Make sure there are pictures to prove you were there; a finger blocking one side of a photo does not count.

Watch the light and dark: One hard part in taking photographs is light. But there will be no photograph if there is no light. With digital photography a new element of light has been introduced, “White Balance.” Besides worrying about having the right amount of light, not too much (so Aunt Matilda doesn’t look like a ghost) or too little (“where was Moses when the lights went out”) with the introduction of white balance the right “temperature” has to be set so the photo isn’t greenish-blue or orange-amber. Most cameras have white balance set to automatic eliminating the worry of “temperature” color unless your photo has a strange hue present that isn’t there “in the present.” And there is another element of the lighting source; what direction is the light/sun coming from. You don’t want light in everyone’s eyes (causing squinting); and worse yet, if the sun is behind everyone all you have is a silhouette “glob” of forms.

Sometimes using flash, even in bright sunlight, will save the day. If everyone is enjoying the great outdoors but the time is high-noon and unless you get in the shade of the “old oak tree” in the middle of campus, everyone is going to be squinting, then by all means go for the “old oak tree” and use flash under the tree. That should work just fine. And lastly,

You “auto” be in pictures: before the snowflakes fall; that is, make sure the graduation photos taken get circulated before summer is over. Don’t let the memories gather pixels in the camera even one week past the eventful day. Make sure you take possession of the camera and cards before the graduate leaves the party or the photos could get lost before seeing the light of day. To do this tactfully, fire up a family digital picture frame and put the card in it or slip it into the card reader and download the photos and copy onto CDs as a gift for family and friends to take home. There is a program called “Windows Movie Maker” that comes on all Windows PCs. You just point it to the subdirectory that has the graduation photos and it makes a video in minutes including music. Then you can play the video during the party. Once again don’t let the memories gather pixels in the camera, there is no excuse for that to happen in this day and age.

Have a good time and don’t forget to take the lens cover off!

This information provided courtesy of Linda Hoopes Photo-Art, http://lindahoopesphoto-art.smugmug.com

The B-I-G Project

So you have finally decided to tackle THE BIG PROJECT... the one lurking in the back of the closet protecting all those dust bunnies for you. You know the one... It's been there for years and every time you get ready to go on vacation you think about it and get enthusiastic about it; and then you come back from vacation with more of them to collect dust bunnies, maybe...
You have decided to get all, yes, all your photographs in order... even those old photographs that are not D-I-G-I-T-A-L-L-Y captured! That's right the ones that are backed up is on a negative... oh my... what a negative thing to say!!!
The motivation will be from friends and family who ask, "When are we going to see the pictures from your trip?" And your response, "Go and look on Facebook." Oh really now... do you want to be anti-social and send people away to another digital place to view digital images in a "cloud?"
This is an opportunity to meet, greet and eat! It is also a time to show off your photo skills too. You may have a masterpiece lurking among the dust bunnies and didn't know it.
Your first question is... "Where do I start?' Don't start with the closet first... first start with that which will build your courage, enthusiasm and confidence... begin with the last vacation or last set of photos taken. Was it a birthday you just celebrated or maybe you've not touched the camera since Christmas... that's a start... so what are you waiting for... Christmas.
As you get into the project you may find some interesting photos that "weren't there before." Oh, how time helps us make new and exciting discoveries. Let the creative juices flow and think how to show off these most recent photos…

You have many avenues to display your photos:
1 Post your photos on Facebook
2 Print (or have one of the “1 Hour” photo drop-offs print your photos) and pass around photos at gatherings
3 Put photos in a scrapbook… OK SCRAPBOOKERS here’s your chance
4 Make a video of your photos and post on YouTube
5 Purchase the large frame with multi-opening matting where you can display many photos in one from… a “themed” frame
6 Write a book… that’s right… write a book

Hold that thought for the next blog posting… in the meantime… gather your photos you want in that one “display.”

And don’t forget to take the lens cap off…