Coming Home for Homecoming

You may recall that the girl-child went to live with her mom in Denton. On Halloween night, she came back to Rockwall for the Homecoming dance. She got all gussied up. Seemed like a photo op. This shot is my favorite...




Isn't she pretty?!

Call To Prayer

Please join me in praying for President Obama according to Psalm 109:8.

(Click here to read the verse.)

If you would like to encourage others to do the same, feel free to use this button.

God bless America!

f-stop Friday - Swallowtail

Although it's still 77 degrees today, Fall is beginning to arrive in Texas and we won't be seeing these much longer. I took this photo in Round Top on October 25th when Mindy and I were down there for a combination trailer maintenance and geocaching trip. Goodbye, Summer!

Saying Goodbye to Jazz

On Monday night, I had to have Jazz put to sleep. As I prepared to take him to the emergency pet hospital, I was pretty sure he wouldn't be coming back home. I laid him on my bed while I got dressed and he fell asleep. I decided to take this one last picture of him. Mostly because my daughter, Alissa, couldn't be there. I wanted her to have something to mark his passing. She was the one who wanted a kitty all those years ago and the reason that Jazz came into our lives.

At the hospital, the x-rays confirmed what we suspected, congestive heart failure. The prognosis was grim and I made the decision not to let him suffer. He passed away quietly and peacefully as I rubbed his face and chin. He always liked that.

He was a great cat. He'll be greatly missed.

Other posts starring Jazz:
How to Give a Cat a Haircut
How to Give a Cat a Haircut - The Sequel

I also want to share with you a sweet card that Mindy's mom made for me. I don't know whether she wrote the poem herself or found it somewhere, but it was...
PUR-fect!

He will not go quietly,
the cat who shared your life.
In subtle ways he lets you know
his spirit still survives.
Your feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And sometimes coming home at night,
you miss him terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in your heart
belongs to him...
and always will.

Boo!

Photo by Donna Harkins (mom).

No, I wasn't scared either. Have a great weekend!

f-stop Friday - Forehand

I don't do much sports photography. For one thing, it's HARD! Last night, my daughter played in a high school tennis match and I wanted to capture some of the action. Sound easy? She was on one of the center courts of four and I wasn't allowed inside the chain link fence. So the best I could do was to shoot through an open gate when a coach wasn't standing in it. I took a lot of shots, hoping for at least one good one. Sometimes you just take what you can get.

On a side note, this is a sad day for me. Alissa has decided to go live with her mom. There's nothing wrong between us; she says she just misses her mom. She will transfer today to the high school in the city where her mom lives. I do understand that a 16 year old girl needs the emotional support that only a mom can give. But I'm still a sad dad today.

Zapp Through My Lens

Just grab her leg and hold on tight!



Clicking the photo above will start a slide show of 80 photos. It's the best way to view my Zapp photos in large size, but may not be dial-up friendly. Alternatively, you can view the set here. Either way be sure to enlarge the window to full size.

And if you were at Zapp, you'd better look at all the photos because YOU could be in there!

Hope you enjoy!