1/125 f/4.5 85mm, ISO 3200. Lens: The Usual, Camera: The Usual. No flash (so not to upset the Beauties...)

Today we went to the Alpaca show at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont. We've been to this show before, and have always enjoyed petting the alpacas and talking to owners and merchants about this fascinating cottage industry.

Alpacas just make you want to touch and hug them. So soft!

Gotta touch!

I couldn't resist these colors.

Yes! The sign says it all!

1/160 f/4.5 85mm ISO 3200. Lens: The Usual, Camera : The Usual

Finally the photo I've been meaning to take. This is using the natural light from the window. I switched off the light so that I didn't have to diddle with white balance.

1/40 f/4.5 66mm ISO 2500. Lens: The usual, Camera: The Usual.

We are really enjoying watching the Winter Olympics. We have been using Tivo. The first Olympics Kevin and I watched together made us go out and spend money on running shoes. Our running together lasted 2 weeks. We managed to avoid taking up anything too active after the Beijing games. Who knows what influence these winter games will have on this Sofa Radish? (And I don't think it will be curling!) Here we are watching the beginning of the four man bobsled.

1/200 f/6.3 85mm ISO 800 Bounce +0.Lens: The Usual. Camera: The Usual.

I have been suffering from a flu bug that has been going round (not the nauseous kind, but rather the achy achy, don't touch my skin kind). I just haven't been able to do the POD Challenge. So today (boo hoo) I made it to work. But ended up going home early after a conference call at 2pm. When I feel really low there is nothing like Hot Chocolate to make you feel better (and I nice warm cat!) Here I am using the SwissMiss 60 calorie instant Hot Chocolate. 

1/500 f/8.0 55mm ISO 250. Lens: The Usual, Camera: The usual

Today I managed to get out towards the end of the day. After a weekend of snowfall the campus was transformed. I really like the way the snow outlines the trees. As a wind blows it sends snow falling down from the trees. Here I am near the oval looking at snow being blown from the trees.

1/125 f/4.5 125mm ISO 1000. Lens: AF-S Nikkor 70-300 mm 1:4.5-5.6G VR used Nikon Close-Up N0.5T

Camera: Nikon D700.

I decided to set up a shot using natural light. So on a table by a window I put down some white fabric, and took a couple of mini red rose buds from flowers Kevin had given me for V-Day. Maddie is as always terribly curious when you start fiddling with a set up.

Here she is looking very princess like, before her natural inclinations took over, and she ended up swotting the roses, and putting them in her mouth!

Organ donation is such a personal decision. When we were gathered together at the hospital trying to make sense of "unable to resuscitate" and all those words. Overcome with grief sounds like a cliche, but in all that you have to make decisions.

What about organ & tissue donation? Would we the family allow for Andy to be used for organ and tissue donation? We had to make the decision. The hospital folks were professional, and sensitive to the moment. But life does go on. 

So we tried to think what Andy would have wanted. And we all felt that he would've wanted to help someone else. So we said yes, and the paperwork was completed and forgotten.

Recently Mom received news that Andy's corneas were used in a transplant. I had no idea what that meant.
A corneal transplant is a surgical procedure where a damaged cornea is replaced with a new one from a recently deceased person. For more info about the procedure check out the Wiki entry here.

For more information about Organ and Tissue Donation check out the following resources:

Donate Life America

Donate Life Colorado

For more information about Cornea donations and transplants:

Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank

1/125 f/4.5 85mm ISO 400. Lens: the usual, camera: the usual.

It has been cloudy and snowing lightly on and off the whole weekend. Yesterday (2/20) I peeked out of our front door and took this photo through the railings of some plants in our front flower bed.

1/1250 f/7.1 85mm ISO 400. Lens: the usual, Camera: The Usual.

Yesterday (Friday) I worked from home. At about lunch time I looked out the window at Kevin clearing our sidewalk. Here he is in action. The trick is to have a really good snow shovel. Most towns and cities have ordinances that make it the responsibility of the home owner to keep the sidewalk clear of snow.

1/125, f/4.5 70mm, ISO 800. Lens: the usual, Camera: the usual.

A storm moved through Colorado today. In Fort Collins snow started falling in the afternoon. I didn't want to get caught waiting too late - because I was afraid it would ice over. Quite heavy snow and rain (very odd) made for slow going just to get out of Ft Collins. I-25 south bound to Erie was slow. The roads were wet, but not (yet) icy. There were spots - near Loveland that the visibility was crap, and couldn't really see the lanes. This is what is known as white knuckle driving. Got home and grabbed this grab shot of the snow on my side mirror. The snow was wet and sticky, and driven by the wind (did I mention there was wind?) this shot shows how the snow starts to accumulate and stick to odd places - side mirrors, front fenders, and in odd place in my wind shield wipers. Snow has continued to fall. I am hoping it will clear up in time for tomorrow's commute. Even if it doesn't it is going to be a slow and icy commute in.