A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Photo Blogging Challenge (December 2022): Happy Holidays

December has come and gone.

That means a mere 350+ shopping days until Christmas!

I hope everybody who takes part in this challenge had a safe and fun holiday season. No matter what you celebrate, hopefully it was spent with family and friends and you had the chance to relax and enjoy the season.

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I enjoyed the season overall, though it was odd. I got really behind on a lot of things and then a couple of days before Christmas, I came down this this chest cold crud that seems to be going around. I’m still coughing from it. So my shopping was a little later than I had hoped and things like that. Alas, I think I got everything done and set in time!

We did have a white Christmas here, which is nice. The past few years we haven’t had that, and it stinks. Though it seemed like it was going to do what it’s been doing — snow and then rain before Christmas and give us green. It did that this year — but then some more snow came and it was white. I was happy about that! Harper was as well as she got to run, and also play with some friends in the snow.

Welcome to 2023! Here’s hoping everybody has a great year ahead!

Here are my five for the month! Let’s see what you all have!

1. Santa Paws is coming to town

Santa Paws was coming! And Harper was ready. Check to the end of this post for a bonus photo looking at the cookie setup. And yes, Harper snaked one!

2. Happy birthday!

Cam’s birthday is in December, so this was a celebration!

3. Helping Santa!

Harper had to help Santa get back to the North Pole!

4. All of us

Me, my brothers, and my mother on Christmas day.

5. Opening presents

Harper may have been spoiled. Here she is opening one of her presents.

BONUS!

This is the Santa tray from the above photo.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for September. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! I know this month can be crazy, so … January’s theme is … Nice, new, and looking ahead. Remember to come back on February 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: December 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Photo Blogging Challenge (November 2022): InstaSnap

As I peeked over my phone photos for the past month, I’ll bet you can guess what the bulk of the photos I’ve taken are of.

Harper, of course.

But this is a cool theme, I think. It shows how we do things in a different realm. No SLR or main camera. It’s using the phone/mobile device and showing what you do with said photos.

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There are a few things I do when using my phone, which is an iPhone 13 Pro. As much as I like using my main camera — and I am doing so more now — the ability to take great images with a phone really makes it hard to carry around equipment.

With each of the photos this month, I’m going to explain what I did when taking the photo, and what I did — if anything — after. What I’ve realized, too, is I need to make sure I start posting a lot more photos. I have so many on my phone that I just haven’t done anything with. And considering Harper has her own Instagram, I need to get those photos there!

I had a few I would have liked to have used, but I did finally get it down to five photos!

Here are my five for the month! Let’s see what you all have!

1. Hipstamatic

I love Hipstamatic. It’s one of those apps I don’t use enough of. This photo is a camera I created within Hipstamatic giving the look of a color pinhole lens. If you don’t have Hipstamatic, it’s really cool because of all the different films and lenses you can use.

2. Portrait

I love the portrait mode on the iPhone, but sometimes it goes wrong with what it gives you. BUT, sometimes that result turns out cool. In early November, the weather was great and we took Harper for some ice cream. She loves it, of course, and gets it all over her snout. The portrait mode was one and it really blurred everything out, which I thought was pretty cool.

3. Snapseed

Snapseed is my go-to editing app on the iPhone. I also use lightroom, but Snapseed does everything you need on the fly. I can adjust everything needed and make the photo really pop within moments. This is one I took using portrait mode, and then editing with Snapseed.

4. Closeup

The really nice thing about the iPhone is how crisp things get, even when you are really close. This one was done doing that, and then a quick wash through Snapseed.

5. Pals

This photo is one where you are just glad you can take good photos on your phone. Harper had a playdate with two of the neighbor’s dogs and, somehow, I got them to sit lined up. A few snaps later, and then a run through Snapseed and here’s what we have!

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for September. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! I know this month can be crazy, so … December’s theme is … Happy Holidays. Remember to come back on January 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: November 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Harper and Me: a geocoin journey

When I first started geocaching in 2008, one of the first caches I found had a geocoin in it. It was a diabetes awareness one and it looked beautiful. Being a type-2 diabetic, I was enamored by it. We grabbed it to move along. I held it for a few days before understanding trackables and eventually releasing it back into the wild. 

But I was hooked. 

Geocoins were gorgeous. These items were detailed and so nice to hold. While travel bugs are nice, geocoins are amazing. Sometimes they were hard to find, though. People stole them or held onto them for way too long. 

My personal collection grew through events or purchasing etc. I even finally was able to buy one of those diabetes awareness coins when they were made available for the public to purchase. In mid-2010, our local geocaching group decided to make a coin. Group members had the chance to purchase them and then we placed an order of about 150, give or take. The coins came out wonderful, but it was a simple design. I didn’t have to design on that one – we gave the company (Oak Coins) the rough design and they brought it to life.

softball29 personal geocoin
The front of my personal geocoin.

I always knew I wanted a personal geocoin. For years, though, I wrestled with the costs and knowing if I was going to invest in one, it had to be a design I loved and something I believed in. I didn’t just want a coin for the sake of having a coin. To me, a coin is much like a tattoo. With the investment being so high, it had to be something where there was passion. 

Did I want a softball and some bats, because my geocaching name was softball29? Did I want something just to have it? Nah. That’s what pathtags are for. They are much cheaper, and I have plenty of different pathtags (many still available for trade …)

So, I kept on plodding along. I’ve seen some wonderful personal geocoins. So many have things that make you want that coin. There’s a personal touch, a story or something completely else. 

Then Harper came along. Harper is my first dog and it took nearly two years for me to settle on a breed (golden retriever) and to be able to find a puppy. I looked at rescues and shelters as well, but nobody seemed to have a golden or one that “fit”. And with the pandemic, I’m sure if they were out there, they went fast. 

I accidentally came across the breeder that had Harper and I’m glad I did. Though highly frustrating at times, she’s been such an important piece to my world over the last year and a half. For my physical and mental health, I can’t even speak to the importance of having her. I’ve also learned a lot from her and have had the chance to meet people because of different dog interests. To say that she’s become my best friend is an understatement. 

Back of personal geocoin.
The back of my personal gocoin.

Once she grew some, we started exploring a ton. She geocached with me and with friends. She loves being outside. Sometimes it can be a chore to get her in the car to travel to these spots, but once we get somewhere she loves it. She’s been on major trips (including this summer’s 2,600-mile, 11-state trip), short trips, and anything in between. 

So there’s my passion. 

The more I started thinking about it, the more I realized I finally had my geocoin idea. It was Harper and me. It meant something to me. It was my passion. It was something worth spending that kind of money on but how would I pull it off? What would I do with the design? 

Who would design the coin was never in question. Chris Mackey is one of the most well-known and respected coin designers out there. I’ve known him, obviously through geocaching, for more than a decade. He’s designed the bulk of my Pathtags as well. But just having the designer picked doesn’t mean the idea is set. 

Again, it had to mean something. 

When I started geocaching, my name came because of my love of playing softball and my uniform number. Looking back, I probably could have come up with something better, alas, it was a moniker I used in different places already, But other hobbies include photography and board games and writing/blogging etc. So how would I turn this into an idea that made sense?

Then it just happens. 

My original plan was simple – to take a photo of me and Harper on one side of the coin, and one of just Harper on the back side of the coin and frame it like a Polaroid. Then have a saying on one side and our names on the other – with her Instagram handle (you can follow at @harper_dublin). 

The blueprint of the front side of the geocoin.

Sometimes miscommunication works out best though. 

I likely didn’t explain this well enough. So as I was talking the idea out with Chris, this coin just developed into its final version. It started to be more about the whole idea, not just something small. For those of you who are old enough to remember traditional Polaroids, or for those who may use them now, one of the things to do was use a marker and write on the white part … it could be signatures or dates or whatever. But we all did it. 

That’s what this coin developed into. 

I knew from the beginning I wanted the part with me and Harper to be how I sign us on a geocaching log. And on the opposite side – my original idea was a much longer quote, but it just came down to “Adventure Awaits.” 

Back of blueprint of coin
The blueprint for the back of the geocoin.

As for the photos? 

I am not the best selfie taking person, but I’m getting better, especially with Harper. I had one I took at the end of the winter of me and her on a trail. The sky was blue behind us and it was just one of those photos I really liked. It’s rare for me to like photos with me in them! 

The back took a little work as it was a photo I took in Banff National Park on a trip a few years ago and Chris worked his magic to put Harper into the scene. It’s crazy to see the ability of somebody work with several photos and turn it into what the coin became. 

It’s not a small one, either. 

The coin is 2.5 inches, which is awesome. It has a thickness of 3mm, so it feels truly solid. The colors, too, pop. There are a total of 150 coins that were minted, so I hope to trade over time. All of them have geocaching trackable numbers. Alas, just 100 are part of the trade batch. 

And this is the first time I’m mentioning this, but there are three versions. They are all black nickel finish etc., but there are three looks. 

The first is the one, which is open to trades, you can see in photos here. Two others are numbered limited editions. One is numbered to 35 (limited edition) and the second is numbered to 15 (extra limited edition). I have yet to decide the plan on what I will use the special ones for. They are not going to be easy to obtain and it will likely take me a while to decide. I can say that I’ve already stashed away a few full sets that will be off limits for a good long time. So that XLE is really going to be tough to get – but it is super cool, I will say that. 

The journey getting to this point and having my own coin has been enjoyable. I have ideas for another coin in the future, but I’m going to wait a bit before jumping back into this process. But it definitely will have Harper on it!

If you have personal coins etc., and are interested in trading, drop a line in the comments or find me via geocaching.com. Would love to see your coin and see if we can make a deal!

I may also, eventually, do a giveaway or two on the blog and/or social media at some point in the future. But I’m enjoying the trade aspect for now!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail me at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also find me on Instagram @hoohaa29. Harper is also on Instagram @harper_dublin.

Photo Blogging Challenge (October 2022): Potpourri

Some months are better than others when it comes to me getting this post up on time.

This, obviously, was not one of them!

Alas, here is the post, finally done, for your perusal and linking up!

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This month’s theme was to be one where you had a high rate of interpretation. The annoying part, to me, is I had plenty of photos to choose from — and I’m still late!

I’ve also been *trying* to not make every post about Harper. But goodness, that is hard! She is in a lot of my photos and, to be honest, she’s going to be for hopefully many years to come. I’ve been slowly working on a few posts about my first one-plus years with her and they will eventually make their way to the blog.

I had a hard time trimming down to five this month. There is a bonus image, though. I could have easily made it 10 or 15 photos. It was a good month, between doing some woodworking, again going to the beach, and just getting out and about.

The world is a funny place. There’s so much to see, but you truly do get to see things a little different when you have a dog with you most of the time!

The fall here has been shockingly beautiful. Colors are rich and really pop. Alas, most are now bare, or close to it, and with daylight savings this weekend (at least in the States), winter is soon upon us.

Here are my five for the month! Let’s see what you all have!

1. Free (not really)

I couldn’t resist this. I saw this on a walk with Harper and got her to somehow pose next to it. Her look sells this. I then posted it to my Facebook page and it’s rather humorous how many people (either via comments or text messages) thought I was serious. (Side note: the bottom of the post on FB explained it was a joke!)

2. Digging

I think it’s safe to say Harper is a beach dog. We were back in early October and she had a blast. And she liked digging, that’s for sure. Look how focused she is!

3. Sunrise

The three days we spent at the beach were great. Family time as well as just being able to be out and about time. Of the three mornings, there were two amazing sunrises. This is one of them. What I love about this shot is it is almost like Harper is trying to run and get the sun.

4. Tired

The second day at the beach turned out to be an amazing weather day. At one point, Harper and I spent probably two hours on the beach. She chased the ball, went in the water, dug some, and then we’d just chill. She looks a little tired here!

5. Fall fun

I think she likes leaves just as much as other things. She runs and jumps around, but I got her to be still for a few as well!

BONUS!

OK, I had to do one non-Harper photo. I had some of sunrises and all, but the photo above with Harper gives that. I also had a couple of the woodworking I had planned to use, but they are rather boring. I’ll have to figure out how to make them more interesting. So, here’s a fall show. Leaves on the ground after a rain shower. So peaceful.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for September. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! Life is fast and hectic, sometimes setting up photo shoots isn’t easy. What do we do? November’s theme is … InstaSnap. Try to use a phone or mobile app for your photos; or at least process through them. Sometimes people can really over process, and others will keep it as close to nomal as possible. Which way do you go? Remember to come back on November 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: October 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Photo Blogging Challenge (September 2022): Road trip

I can’t lie — this theme was in my mind for a couple of months because I knew I was taking a road trip.

And what a trip it was!

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I’m still working on a couple of posts specifically about the trip, and offering up things I learned. And I have to say — I learned a lot. About me. About Harper. About life.

So yeah, it’s safe to say the trip was highly good for my self care quest.

It’s funny, too. I have been trying to make sure I take photos maybe without Harper in every one. I want my personal Instagram to have a better mix (she has her own Instagram after all), but it’s hard at times. She’s so damn photogenic! But I keep working for it. I’m also starting to carry around my mirrorless camera as it’s smaller, lighter, and more compact. I’m in a quest to find a good side case, though, to be able to carry it and some of the Canon M lenses I have for it.

Fall has arrived though, at least in my neck of the woods. Trees are turning color and I anticipate with the dry summer we had, it may be a quick turn this year. If it’s the same near you, make sure you get out and enjoy it. And if it’s not the same, well get outside anyway!

Here are my five for the month! Let’s see what you all have!

1. Sunrise

I’m going backward for some of these. This photo came on the final day of the trip. We were on the Jersey Shore and held a geocaching event at 6:45 a.m. to catch the sunrise. Nobody but the two of us traveling, and Harper made it to the event. That’s too bad, too, because it was an amazing sunrise. And I actually got Harper to pose for a few moments, which was shocking. (Side note, this photo is now a 24×36 canvas print on the wall in the living room).

2. Shenandoah National Park

We had the opportunity to drive through part of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park during the trip. The goal originally was to go from top to bottom, but it was extremely foggy and we only got this type of a view a few times. Also, it was more time consuming than they say, so we knew if we were to get to our stop that day, we needed to find a place to drop off. And, I’m going to be honest, as amazing as it is, seeing the same sort of views each stop got a bit monotonous. If we were finding different hikes etc., I could understand. But we picked the right time to hop off.

3. Geocaching

This trip, of course, covered some geocaching. And why wouldn’t it? We found a little more than 100 geocaches over the eight days, if I remember right, and it was nice to see such a difference. It’s also nice to find the ammo cans in the wild. If memory serves me right, this one was at a welcome center for Georgia and was a major travel bug spot. Harper, of course, found a stick to gnaw on as we did the other parts of geocaching!

4. Rock in the wild

I love finding the painted rocks when traveling. Sometimes I keep them. Sometimes I leave them. Sometimes I move them. This one I kept. It was too nice not to add it to my collection. We found it in Shen NP … and it was really nice to have something like this as a keepsake of this trip. From what this trip did for my self care, this rock is truly right.

5. Ferry ride

On the second to last day, we were heading from just below Washington DC (in Virginia) to the Jersey Shore. For where we were ending up, the fastest way included the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. We opted to give it a go when I researched and saw the ferry was dog friendly and I didn’t have to leave Harper in the car. She loved the ride. We walked the decks and people seemed happy to see her and some interacted with her and enjoyed petting etc. Harper also enjoyed the ride, the sights, sniffs and everything else. A success I’d say! I had to show two images here, so I combined them into one.

This trip was truly full of experiences for all of us. I learned a lot about myself and I hope I can put my fingers to the keyboard and have some good posts about the trip.

For now, there’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for September. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! It’s such a good month to get outside. Or sit inside with a cup of tea/coffee. There’s many things often going on in October. And, of course, on the last day. So let’s step back and make it a bit easier for the month. October’s theme is … Potpourri. Interpret as you see fit! Remember to come back on October 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: September 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!