Kids and summer...

There's something about watermelon, bugs, and dirt during the summer that makes kids happy.

At a recent house warming party for one of our relatives the gaggle of children were gathered around the lone tree in the backyard. Every so often one would squeal trumphantly and hold up a worm or a cicada shell. They were on the hunt!

That is, until the watermelon appeared on the tables!

From there it was a mix of watermelon juice, dirt and bugs that kept these tikes entertained!

Testing the macro skilz again...

A few weekends ago Mark and I headed to Asheville, NC for some much needed relaxation. However, as per all of our trips, there was little relaxation to be had (we just dont know how I guess). Instead we decided to take in more of the great out doors. At the start of this hike - to the top of Looking Glass Rock, we saw three or four butterflys having a snack on a large thissel plant.

So, of course I had to break out the macro lens. As I approached most of the butterflys scattered save this one - the bright yellow one.

It was actually comfortable enough to let me stick my finger in there and pick her up! She wouldn't sit long on my finger but she was not at all bothered by my presence. As I stood there snapping shots we had another visitor. I love the color on the wing tips.

And then the bee showed up! It was really difficult to focus on these guys, I only had a few seconds to snap a few so a tripod was luxury I couldn't afford.