A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

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!

Photo Blogging Challenge (August 2022): Pooch

OK, you all knew a theme like this would be coming.

And then I realized… how the hell am I supposed to make this only five photos. And to make it even crazier? Every photo for me this month is not Harper!

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Still, I tried to tell a bit of a story this month. Hopefully as you peek through my photos, you’ll see said story.

What I’m actually excited about is to see what others came up with for this theme. It’s actually a pretty open theme, so it could be pretty fun and I hope you all had some enjoyment with it.

One thing I finally did this month was get away from only using my iPhone. Yes, there are some from that. But some are also from my main camera. I like it in certain situations, and I’m still learning the new camera I got a few months back (none of these are from that). It’s nice to be able to dive in a bit more when shooting though.

It’s crazy to think September is here. I hope you are all doing well and keep snapping!

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

1. Shake it

Harper lives a good life. She is with me most of the time I can have her with me, and she gets to go on adventures, explore and have a lot of fun. One thing she’s enjoyed doing is swimming and dock diving. She’s not quite into it enough to do competitions (though I kind of hope I can do one or two with her next year), but goodness does she have fun. I usually have to go in the pool (this summer — not a bad thing!) as she will jump to me, but not always away from me. I also love action photos — and this is her shaking off the water after getting out of the pool. The look on that face!

2. Adventures!

I feel lucky that people I hang out with like Harper, and she also likes them. So it’s nice to be able to go on hikes or adventures and bring her along. This is while we were out on a geocaching day. This stick, funny enough, was one of the ones covering the cache, but Harper claimed it as her own. Yes, another stick was found for covering the cache!

3. Newlyweds

My niece got married in August. It was a small family ceremony and we got lucky that the rain held off until after the ceremony and photos. We sure did need the rain, though. Anyway, they had asked me if I could do photos for them. This is one photo that had to wait until the rain ended (which is too bad as Ryan had changed out of his shirt, and I think that would have been great for this photo). These are their two dogs with their custom bandanas.

4. Lazy

Harper plays hard. And Harper lazes hard. This was a night after being out all day. She took over the couch and just lounged. It’s funny, when Harper first was learning, the goal was to keep her off the furniture. We eventually gave up. A friend made a good point though — to have a dog and not want to snuggle up, what’s the point? I know not everybody wants animals on their furniture and that is totally fine. But I’m glad this fight was lost as I truly believe Harper knows she’s a massive part of the family. And, to be fair, while she still goes on the furniture, it’s not as often as it was when she was first allowed.

5. So haps!

The journey with Harper has had its ups and downs. Most days are awesome. Sometimes, not so much. But, we keep working, learning, and getting better at everything. Sometimes, when she allows it, I like to get some up close photos of her when outside. I loved that I captured this one (yes, a little over processed!) as it’s almost like she knows she’s in a spot where she will always be, with the humans she knows are hers. She’s so content and happy here!

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 July. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! What shall we do? It’s the end of the summer… fall will be here. Maybe you are getting out and going some where? Maybe you want to explore? See something new? September’s theme is … Road trip. Maybe it’s a long trip. Maybe it’s an afternoon. Or maybe it’s totally something different? 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: August 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 (July 2022): Get low

Everybody get low!

Low is fine as it can be interpreted in a bunch of ways, including a point of view. Which, I’m sure is the way many may have gone.

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And that’s always fun, pending the subject!

Though this one could have been all Harper, I’ve *tried* to mix it up a bit. I’m trying to take photos of other things, though it’s hard when I am with Harper most of the time!

Hopefully low is a good thing for your posts this month. I know this theme could also take on a negative context, depending on how life is going for somebody.

I hope everybody’s summer (or another season, if you are in other parts of the world) is going well and you are enjoying life. It’s a short one, so try to make the best of it!

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

1. Harper

Harper loves chilling. And I have to be honest, Iove getting low with photos. Of course a lot of times, she just turns away. I’m glad she did with this photo… it’s such a cool profile of her!

2. Colorful

To get the best views of flowers, you really need to go low!

3. Harper’s ball

It’s fun to watch Harper with this soccer ball. She can’t destroy it. And she grabs and runs with it. This was a fun shot as she was clenched on the ball when I took it.

4. Too early!

I always like getting low for leaves in the fall … it’s way too early to see leaves like this on the ground!

5. Geocoins

Working on a full blog post about these geocoins, but i needed to get somewhat low to take a photo like this. I’ve wanted a personal geocoin for years, but to invest the kind of money it takes, I needed to have something I was truly passionate about — enter Harper. I am so thrilled with how they came out and I’ll look forward to trading with other coin collectors and hopefully growing my personal coin collection!

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 July. Make sure you drop your link there.

I’m sorry for doing this to all of you, but I must! August is National Dog Month, so … the theme for August is … Pooch. I’m hoping because I use that word, maybe it opens up more interpretation than just “dog.” Remember to come back on September 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: July 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!

Back to the blog

Several years ago, I set out to have a blog post each day. 

I went a little deeper than a year, but it burned me out. Ever since then, it hasn’t been the same blogging. I continually try and get back into the blogging world, but outside of the monthly photo challenge, sometimes I’m just not into it. 

There are a variety of reasons for this. 

The first, of course, is time. It takes time to write blog posts and make sure they are where you want them to be. Sometimes I don’t have the desire to do all of this. 

Second is the changing of the blogging world. When I first started blogging, it was a lot more interactive. Even for me. I used to love visiting and reading blogs – especially personal ones. And it was nice when people returned the favor. Alas, my blog has never been anything big where there were a lot of comments and interaction. Even if I respond to comments, it often ends with just that. 

Over time, it becomes normal not to blog. Though I feel I have plenty of topics, it’s tough to carve that time that I feel I need to give. You can’t just write and leave it out there. You have to have that interaction part. You need to visit other blogs, read and comment. It’s how small blogs survive. 

But, the blog world changes. 

A few months ago, I went looking for some blogs. A lot of the blogs I found are lifestyle or “mommy” blogs. A lot of the themes and topics weren’t of interest to me. That doesn’t necessarily mean I shouldn’t blog. Part of blogging is a mental release of things. It helps you see and appreciate things you do. 

Finally, a lot of it is time. With Harper and such, sometimes when I am home and on a computer, I like random surfing and such because it’s a way to let my mind wander. It might be YouTube or something else. But it’s often things I don’t need to think too deeply about. 

There are things, however, I like doing that can be made into decent posts. I’m still working on understanding and learning woodworking. I’m in the process of buying a house. I’m still navigating dog ownership. I really still want to do more videos (which could also become blog posts). I still geocache and go to a few baseball games in the summer. There’s a lot for me to do if I can start focusing and putting, so to speak, pen to paper.

So, let’s try this again. 

Over the weekend, I went through my blogging folder on my Google Drive. It turns out I had written up a bunch of posts. Some of them are ones where I need to polish them a bit or change some things around. Heck, I have a few that are kind of outdated (car things), but I plan to still use them. 

I miss aspects of blogging, so I am going to, once again, try and get back into it, though likely slower and a bit more simple. The reality is that blogging helps with my mental well being. Some posts eventually might take a “real” turn. By this I mean kind of going inside my head and seeing where I am with things. Life isn’t always cupcakes and candy, afterall. 

We shall see how this goes. But, hopefully, I’ll at least have a couple of posts per week, starting with cleaning up and posting ones I’ve already written!

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 (June 2022): Water

So. I promise that every challenge won’t just be about Harper. And I had a few ideas of other things I wanted to do with this theme.

Alas, it’s way too hard to get away from photos of Harper when water is involved.

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Really hard.

And in the end, I also wanted to make sure it wasn’t just photos of dock diving, so I worked to at least figure that part out.

Harper definitely likes water.

One interesting story about her with water — drinking it. A few months ago, I didn’t think she was drinking enough of it, and of course I was getting way worried. Who wouldn’t when it comes to a dog drinking, right?

So I reached out to my trainer and asked her — and she mentioned something about village water and chlorine etc. So we started with spring/bottled water with her and she totally drinks way more, so that’s a good thing.

Anyway .. I hope you all had a great month. It’s been crazy busy for me and I’ve been working on understanding self care and trying to take care of myself. I’ve always been way too married to a job and such and I have finally started to realize that life is short. I need to make sure I’m in a good place so I can enjoy life and with Harper!

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

1. Dock diving

Harper is into dock diving. Sort of. I don’t know if she will ever compete, but we have fun. Most of the time, I have to be in the pool for her to jump to me. I don’t mind, usually, though. And it also allows me to take photos from inside the pool (yes, I’m careful!) Where she dives, there are three levels. The ramp, the lower dock and the higher dock. This was her first time jumping off the high dock! Her trainer is watching on!

2. Get the toy

Once in the pool, she needs to get her toy and then swim back to the ramp and go back up. Here she is getting the toy.

3. Waiting

Before dock diving lessons, I always try and walk her around so she can go. And after, we sit back so she can see others diving, but not be trying to get closer. Most of the time, she sits like this, watches, and waits.

4. Water(melon)

Harper loves watermelon!

5. In the creek

Harper loves to explore, and that includes creeks and rivers. A park opened in town and it has an easy access to the creek, so we went exploring one day.. so much fun!

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 May. Make sure you drop your link there. The theme for July is Get low. Remember to come back on August 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: June 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!