Sundays with Mom and Dad (not to be confused with Tuesdays with Morrie)

On Monday when I started working for my dad's landscaping business I realized that I forgot my iPod. How would I survive a full day on the John Deere under the sweltering heat of the sun without succumbing to sticky thighs, sunburn and boredom? With the blades buzzing a monotonous tone below me, I knew I was in for a long 8 hours alone with my own thoughts. I'm not going to even describe what kinds of things roll around in there when left undisturbed. That's scary. So...try as I could, I was unable to carry a tune inside my head from the last song I heard on the radio in the truck, and I decided I would think about something that was important to me. I pushed off all thoughts of "what will I do when I graduate in (count them) 6 months" and instead turned to a topic that I found comfort in: photography.

At first it was hard to pinpoint exactly what to think about as I still had to allot a quarter of my focus for driving back and forth in straight lines and avoiding making "race car tracks," as the lovely residents of the nursing home like to call them, around the trees. But as I tried incredibly hard to bypass the neurons that were firing at me saying, "think about everything that went down in the last month of school so you can have that not-so-pleasant-stomach-rotting-feeling" or "who is going to be the pre-(Pirman)-approved photo teacher? Lord help us all" I realized that they weren't as sharp as they had been. Maybe it's because of time and distance, but I think it also had to do with the fact that just because some of us have graduated or moved away, I still feel as though we are going to be vitally important to each other in the months, maybe (hopefully) even years to come. Just because things have changed doesn't mean we can't make the best of it, right?

Anyway, what my thoughts finally swirled down to were:
#1. what am I going to shoot next?
#2. what am I going to shoot them with?

1. After showing my grandma the prints that I made and seeing her smile - maybe a bit out of courtesy as she seemed confused why I took a picture of a tomato, the back of her head, and her feet - I knew I had to continue on with my family project. It hit me that this summer could be my last living at home, which means possibly the last time I might also work for my dad, and I felt both nostalgic and exhilarated at the same time.

That's what led me to the title of this post: Sundays with Mom and Dad. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays I work for my dad's landscaping business, then try to fit some tennis in and time with friends at night, so I only see my mom and dad for about 5 minutes as I grab some breakfast. Even then my dad is often gone working at dawn and doesn't return until it's too dark to see anything anymore...and then some.

SPOILER ALERT: My dad is a workaholic....which isn't much of a spoiler because you will soon find this out. My mom on the other hand (I hope she never reads this) is the equivalent of a '50s housewife. She does all the chores and has meals ready for the brief passing my dad will make to the house to use the "can" and grab a bite to eat -- and she does so without complaint. I love them dearly, really I do, but sometimes I just don't understand how I am actually their kid -- and other days I shake my head and realize, oh yeah, that's why. Ahh...I'll just let the photos tell you the rest :P

Tuesdays and Thursdays are spent doing my internship in Milwaukee, so I'm really not home until late late late. That leaves Sundays -- the day of rest for some, but not so for my dad, although much of his work is done around our farm (washing mowers, sharpening blades, cleaning out trucks and sheds). So in a sense he is "around," as is my mom. And although it's been some time since I've sat in a pew with them, after they get back from church is when I could technically say that I get to "see" my parents. Which is why I am proclaiming Sunday my day to photograph them. I will post the photos and my experiences with them weekly (as best I can -- someone make me promise so that I actually stick with this, but I'm confident that I will).

Mom (Carol) and Dad (John a.k.a. JC)

2. So that leaves what am I going to shoot them with? Well the photograph above was taken a few years ago with my current camera, a 2005 Panasonic Lumix 12x zoom, 5 megapixel digital point-and-shoot. I think it's time for an upgrade, don't you agree? I could keep shooting with my (uncle's --keep forgetting its not mine) manual Canon that I used this semester, but film and developing are pricey, plus I don't have a kick-ass scanner to use. So I've decided to use my first paycheck from this past month to buy a new DIGITAL SLR!!! :)

But I need all of your help trying to decide what kind to get. I'm leaning toward Nikon. Under $1000 please-- as much as I wish my last semester will pay for itself, I have to be reasonable. Any thoughts? Good or bad. I really don't know my stuff when it comes to these babies. Basically what I'm looking for is a camera that can capture action, low-lighting situations, and macro very well. I probably want a wide-angel lens as well. Doesn't have to be fancy, but something that produces great shots and colors.

Let me know --I'd like to purchase within the next week so I can start my project the following Sunday (this Sunday I'm back up in De Pere to move into Gries and recruit the youngins to join the Times at the involvement fair thinger).

[ Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to Monica and Shane for keeping the blog going :) ]

Keep posting everybody!