Questions answered

And perhaps leading to more questions… ?

Why did you move from Life in the Bogs?

Excellent question.  I was running out of media space at Life in the Bogs.  I am not too cheap to buy extra space for my images, but I’ve been wanting to do something new for a while and decided now is the time to leap. “Now” being relative, of course, and that being the case, “now” might have been some time ago.  It all depends on when you are reading this, doesn’t it?

At the time I wrote that first paragraph, I wasn’t able to tell all.  As many of you now know, another reason for the blog switch (from Life in the Bogs to Breezes at Dawn) was The Big Move.  M (that would be my husband) and I moved from the Bogs of Ohio (Northeast Ohio) to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in May of 2013.  We bought a house and property, which I named the Wabi-Sabi Ranch, that need a lot of work, and both the work and the adjustment to the move are taking time (and in some cases, hard work).

Why was your previous blog called Life in the Bogs?

My husband and I like to hike. When we moved to the area which we used to call home, I noticed that no matter where we hiked, it was always a little boggy. Even when we hiked to the top of a hill — where one might it expect it to be dry — there would be wet, muddy, boggy spots. When I first started blogging/journaling online, I would refer to the place where we live as The Bogs and it stuck.

There are, in fact, a couple of official bogs not far from our previous home.  The house is on 8 acres of property called Breezy Acres, aptly named as there is almost always a breeze blowing.  Part of the property includes a 1.5 acre pond which we haven’t named yet although we have discussed the possibility of christening it “Hell” because it amuses us to think about Hell freezing over every winter.  Breezy Acres and our former home are now being rented by M the Younger (our youngest son) and his lovely wife so it is still available to us for visits from time to time.

Oh, and the pond does freeze.  It is in the secondary snow-belt of northeast Ohio where they get plenty of cold, ice, and snow during the winter months.  We had over 100 inches of snow our first winter here.  100 inches or more of snow is not unusual.

Why is your new blog called breezes at dawn?

A partial answer can be found here.  As for the rest of the answer, there are several reasons above and beyond the partial answer, one of which is that I enjoy the early morning hours just before the sun rises, when it seems like the world is peacefully asleep.

I also wanted a blog name that didn’t necessarily reflect where I live; however, the dawn hours have gained in significance here on the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.  The large windows in the master bedroom face east, and the lightening of the sky wakes us gently each morning.

Who or what is MaidinSun Photography?

The short answer:  That’s me.  For a more in depth answer, see this post:  What’s in a name?  It explains it all.  Well, not all as in everything, but it does explain the name.

Who are the cast of characters?

First off, let me say that I’m dreadful at giving people nicknames so I’ve been very unimaginative when it comes to the pseudo-anonymous Name-Your-Family-And-Friends internet thing.

M the Elder is my husband. I sometimes refer to him as the LM or Lovely Man. M the Younger is our youngest son. The M&M’s refers to the dynamic duo of M the Elder and M the Younger.  M the Younger married the lovely Merdi in June of 2009.  At the time I first wrote this FAQ, M the Younger was still living at home.  He is now in Colorado with Merdi.  They may be moving back this way sometime in 2011.  Update:  As it turns out, they did move back this way.  After a year of unemployment, M the Younger and Merdi finally found jobs in Pittsburgh and have moved to that area.  Bo the Dog is, of course, their dog.

C is our oldest son. His lovely wife is B. Emma is their daughter (and our exquisite, wonderful, lovely, cute, brilliant granddaughter). Maddy (or the Magnificent Maddy, also wonderful, lovely, cute, and brilliant) is our youngest granddaughter, sister to the Exquisite Emma.  Jill, who doesn’t need to remain anonymous for any reason, is their dog.

Izzy and Bella are a couple of calico cats who deign to live with us.  They are frequently amusing and always entertaining.

I’m going to work on being more creative when naming friends and other family members. Otherwise my blog is going to end up looking like alphabet soup.  Update:  I have not solved this naming deficiency problem I have and so, it’s still alphabet soup.

How is it you live in both Sabbaticalville and the Bogs?

I left this question because it’s part of my history of blogging, and for those who might have delved into the archives at my Life in the Bogs blog.

Well, if you’ve been reading the blog, you should know the answer to this. M the Elder is, as of this writing (June 2007), on a sabbatical (leave) from his job. We’re temporarily living in Sabbaticalville (in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area), from December 1, 2006 until August 5, 2007.

Update:  July 2008.  We’re home (and have been since last August).  We occasionally travel back to Sabbaticalville for business, pleasure, and to visit family.

What kind of camera do you use?

From December of 2005 until April of 2010 I used a Kodak Easyshare Z740 which has been discontinued. That’s too bad because it really is a good little mid-range camera that allowed me to point and click on a variety of settings as well as set it manually.

In August of 2009 while climbing around the Rocky Mountains in Colorado I somehow acquired a minute speck of dust on the sensor of the camera.  This resulted in what I called “the blob” showing up in the skies of my photos.  The cost of getting it cleaned wasn’t worth it so I got creative in my picture taking for a while, either cropping out the blob or fixing the focal point to avoid the blob’s obvious presence.

Finally, in April 0f 2010, I bought a new camera.  (Much rejoicing!)  After doing a lot of research and a lot of thinking about what I want, I decided on another Kodak (the Kodak EasyShare Z981).  I was not ready to jump into the DSLR pool because of 1) the expense; 2) I didn’t want to take myself too seriously and become one of those camera snobs that are so prevalent on the internet; and 3) I didn’t want to have to worry about theft or the loss of an expensive piece of equipment.  Worrying would have taken all of the fun of photography, something I enjoy immensely and never want to take too seriously.

Update:  When I win the lottery, I will gladly purchase a DSLR.  I have spent a lot of time learning how to shoot in manual mode and I am ready for it now.

BIG UPDATE:  I have finally graduated to a “big girl” camera.  I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, and as of this writing (22 January 2014), I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m sure having fun with it.

Do you sell prints of your photos?

I’m glad you asked. Yes, I do. Email me at: maidinsun@gmail.com if you’re interested in purchasing a print. There a link to my RedBubble gallery in the sidebar.  —->  See it?  No?  Okay.  Here’s a link.  (I used to have a self-hosted website called MaidinSun Photography.  I will be taking it down in April or May of 2013.  Contact me (maidinsun@gmail.com) if you wish more information.)

If you are a regular visitor to Life in the Bogs who comments once in a while, I’ll be glad to give you a deep discount on prints ordered through RedBubble.  Let me know which one you want and I’ll price it accordingly.  (I’ve even been known to give one away on occasion.)

I enjoy your blog so much I want to send you a gift as a thank you. What’s your address?

Nice try. I don’t give out my address online, you silly goose.

Who are those people in your header?

Chances are pretty good that if my header includes people, I have no idea who they are. It’s a photo I took while out and about. I rarely (if ever) post photos of myself, friends, or family members unless they’ve either asked me to post them or I somehow obtained their permission.

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