Thursday, October 30, 2008

Wheels on the bus



I am not so sure why this video is so messed up looking but hopefully you can still see how much Emily likes her dance class. They got to dress in their halloween costumes this week. She did so good. In case you can't tell Emily is the bee, the one in the yellow and black.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wellford Halloween Festival







Tonight Emily got to wear her costume to Wellford Baptist Church's festival. She was so excited to get candy. That scares me! Her costume was made by Chrissy at http://www.dottiestripelayne.etsy.com/ and her trick or treat bag was made by Anna at http://www.brownbagboutique.etsy.com/. I know she is so spoiled! Here are a few pictures.

Monday, October 27, 2008

An amazing day

I must confess, I love taking pictures! It is always hard to find really great places around here to take pictures, that is Spartanburg! Finally I have found somewhere I love, Glassy Mountain. I had never been up on Glassy Mountain but I got the chance to yesterday. It is beautiful on top and from below.


I went up there with Rhianon Pittman. She wanted me to take some pictures for her Bridal portrait, only I didn't know the beauty that would be surrounding us. Rhianon looked amazing and the background just added to her beauty. I am posting just a few of the 443 pictures I took yesterday. I loved every minute of it, Rhianon should be a model she was great, she has such a natural beauty. This is the first time I have ever done a bridal portrait session. We took pictures for 3 and 1/2 hours. I couldn't stop. I was so lucky, I had a great model and a great location!







Sunday, October 26, 2008

Billy Bob

I have had this thing about naming bucks that I see when I am hunting and I saw one yesterday that I call Billy Bob. Let me tell you a little about Billy Bob.

Two years ago I hunted this one stand (hunters don't tell where the good ones are) that afternoon I saw a deer I call Fred and another one I use to say was Fred's dad. I now call him Billy Bob. I couldn't get a shot at Billy Bob 2 years ago because he stepped out right at dark and for a split second. No one else really hunted this stand for 2 years at least those that did, didn't see Fred nor Billy Bob. Yesterday morning I decided to go back there. At about dawn out stepped Fred. I know it was him. I couldn't believe it. However, I didn't shoot him. One it was really early and shooting one that early would make others not come out at all, besides, it was Fred. I was just happy to see him. Fred is a tall deer, even his rack is really tall, not wide just tall. I like deer with wide racks so I kind of wasn't after Fred. After another hour of sitting there out of the corner of my eye about 100+ yards away I saw a wide rack...Billy Bob. I know from the looks of the rack this was the same deer I saw with Fred 2 years ago. You ask how I really know? Well I just do. They are in the same territory the were two years ago, they have the same amount of points and their racks are the same size as 2 years ago. Not really size but the same structure.

Anyway, of course Billy Bob was really sneaky and out for only a second, so I didn't shoot. I wanted to go back yesterday night and see if I saw him again. I was in the stand about 45 minutes when out stepped 4 does and a few minutes later down the road to my right was a big deer standing in the middle of the road. The sun was setting behind him. The sun was in my scope so I couldn't see him to shoot but he stood there like I have never seen. He didn't move for over 10 minutes. I looked back at the deer to my left, the does, and back in the lower field behind them was Fred. He ran up to within 30 yards from the stand and started eating. Most bucks if you know don't just come out so easily but I was lucky. I looked back and Billy Bob was still there. That was actually the time I named him Billy Bob ( I don't know why that name, just came to me) Billy Bob was looking right at Fred and Fred at him. I figure they were going to start to fight but at the same time they were so far apart I didn't know where they would run so I had to make my move. It was about then that the sun went behind a cloud and as Billy Bob took a step I shot. Fred ran off but the does that were within 30 yards of me behind me stayed there eating. Billy Bob ran off. I was so afraid I missed. I was shaking so bad. I called my husband in the stand (go Verizon) I wanted him to stop his hunt and come and help me find Billy Bob but about that time I heard a shot. He had shot too.

Long story short, my does stayed there until I got out of the stand, even after I stood up in the stand and yelled at them. My husband and I went to look for his deer, we found it, and 8 point with a 22 inch spread, with a small body. It was too dark to really look for Billy Bob. We didn't find any blood so I figured I missed, but deep down I know I didn't. We came home and I was really upset. I was mad too that we looked for his deer and found it and didn't look for mine. He promised that he would go look for it and today he and my dad did. It was luck they found it. Actually a good friend of my dad's found it (thanks God for him). Billy Bob was laying down in the woods almost behind the stand. He was a 9 point with a 18 1/2 inch spread and a big body. He had scares on him from all the fighting he had been doing. Billy Bob is the second Buck I have ever killed and the biggest. I thank God for Billy Bob!

Here he is. If you don't like this kind of thing, don't look any further!






Monday, October 20, 2008

Are animals really different then humans?

As most of you know I deer hunt. I have hunted with my dad since high school and now I hunt with him and my husband. No we don't shoot everything we see and yes we do eat the meet! Yesterday my husband and I went to site my gun in. After we sited it in we were driving around in my husbands LOUD PICK-UP TRUCK...as we turned a corner he saw a doe (female deer) she saw us and ran off but a few yards behind her in the middle of the road were two bucks fighting! I have never in all my years seen such, more have many people. We were actually able to DRIVE close to them, get out of the truck and WALK within 30 yards of them. I had my gun of course just in case. No I didn't shoot one! They were young deer for one and I was really way too amazed by the actual event. These deer were young and small body but really big racks. They were both 8 points and outside the ears. The biggest look to have a 22 inch spread (WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.

We watched them fight and get their antlers hung together and then unhung. The biggest one would push the other deer up and down the hill, and then stuck his antlers into the side of his neck. It was amazing, there is no telling how long they were fighting before we got there. Not only is it rare to see this, it is even more rare to be standing on ground level within 30 yards from this happening. It was a once in a life time event. Of course the big deer won!

If you are wondering why they were fighting, the were fighting over the doe. MEN right:) It is kind of like a high school thing. There is a good looking girl just minding her business and this boy comes along to try to get his way with her, she says no but he still follows her and talks to her...trying his best, then another boy hears this and goes to check out what is going on. Once he gets there he looks at the first boy the wrong way and BANG.....the fight starts. The girl....stands there for a minute and leaves while the two boys have it out. By the time they got done fighting she was far away, (she ran off this time because we scared her once she saw us but normally the will leave the scene) These two males had one thing on their mind...sex...and they didn't want anyone to get in the way of it so they fought over the female to prove who was the best and to whom she belonged. She showed them....she left. The female wasn't really wanting sex right now...she wasn't in heat just yet but the men were. Go figure!

It is so funny how nature works. It is so hard to see a big buck anytime, because they seem to be somewhat more cautious then the female. The usually come out alone and usually come out right at or after dark or when no one is really hunting and that is if they come out where you can see them. That is part of the Hunt. However, when the boys smell that the women are going to be coming into heat, they get dumb, as did these two deer. The rut (spelling) is when the breeding takes place and once the cold weather starts the deer actually start. In a few days or another week the women will actually stand for the bucks but until then the bucks will drive them crazy and continue to get even more DUMB.

I guess animals are more like humans then most people think!

Of course I didn't have my camera with me so I have no pictures of this for you to see but here are some Emily and I did today! IT IS FINALLY FALL. I LOVE IT






Thursday, October 9, 2008

Dancing a new dance











We finally found a dance class. It is a mommy and me class and we love the instructor, Mrs. Jennifer. Emily actually started the class last week, but I didn't want to walk in with a camera the first day! However, I couldn't wait long! This week she wore the tutu that was given to her by Alivia her friend from http://www.dottiestripelayne.etsy.com/. Everyone loved her new tutu.