Blessings on this Day of Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving, and I have a lot for which to be thankful.

It was a different kind of Thanksgiving for us today.  We didn't end up at a more usual family dinner.  We just took it easy today.  A nice change was helping out at the soup kitchen (Loaves and Fishes) sponsored at First Saints Community Church this morning.  The church helped out over 50 folks today with a meal and some groceries.  It was good, but I would admit I need to learn how to be more social.  Everyone was so busy serving, that there wasn't a good chance to sit down and share a meal with our neighbors.  It's something to think about.

You all have come to know that outdoor photography has become a staple of this blog.  Today is no different, with perhaps one significant detail.  It's not the subject of the photos.  We returned to a very familiar setting - the Patuxent River shoreline.  The detail is in the equipment I now have.  A new camera and lens!

I am the proud new owner of a Canon Digital SLR with an accompanying zoom lens.  Today was a trial run.  I am so excited about the new possiblities.  I learned today about the low f stop capability of my new lens.  For those not big into photography, the very low stop setting allows the most light in, and at the same time has a much smaller range of focus.  For example, when you look at many of the photos below, you'll notice there is a very small area that is in sharp focus, with the rest of the photo becoming "blurry."  This new lens allows me a very small focus area, and I need to learn how to best use the capability!  You, of course, don't have to set a low f stop, but that's what I largely played with today.

So here are a few of the shots that turned out okay.

 The photos on the left of the grasses on the shore, is a really small section cropped from a larger photo. I liked the few larger stalks standing up in the frame.  The sun was behind the dune grasses and they sparkled beautifully.


Deb never lets me get a shot of her, so I had to take what I could from a shot when I was laying on the ground.  She's really not defying gravity!

I liked the little wave crashing to the shore, followed by the chaos of the impact in the next shot.

 The driftwood was an experiment with the small f stop.  The second shot has a very strange feel to it.

 The pic of the red leaves was one of the first taken when we got to the beach house.   I was amused by the other two sights captured - the seaweed growing on the branch.  The bright green stood out boldly against nearly everything else on the beach.  Then there is the tangle of branches with the very washed out black and whites.

 We came home and had a great, though nontraditional, meal of Filet Mignon, steamed asparagus, sweet potatoes and garlic bread.  All while watching an episode of Lie to Me.  Sara Smith is cooking our pumpkin pie while I type.  A great night all around.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone,
Brian