Help me solve a mystery?

So as I assist my mother in clearing out old dressers and desks and in general disposing of things that she can no longer care for. We occassionally find a treasure. I will share some pictures and what little information I have and maybe one of my followers have a living family member that can assist in identifying what I have.

This is a palm sized purse that I believe was probably purchased in San Diego, California in 1937. It appears to be hand beaded with a small tag that says "made in chechoslevakia" in side. I believe my maternal grandmother purchased this while attending her brother's wedding. Grandma has been gone now for about 2 years so I can't take it back to the source. The treasure found is this delightful purse tucked away in a drawer. The treasure lost is that I have no idea why my grandmother kept it for all of these years. It should have a grand story, but the story is lost.
     The beaded purse was not alone... inside I found this.

 It appears to be a metal (no plastic) compact case that might have once held pressed powder. There is a little catch to release a silver disk so that you can get to the pressed scottie dog. Maybe a secret place to hide something that is most precious.
So check with the most elder member of your family and see if you can find a story about these items. I would really love some history. And never fear, by the time I pass these on to my own children they will have a significant story. I'm thinking maybe I could invent a story of my grandmother being a foreign spy and she used the little hiding place for microfiche, it was before the 2nd world war and she was visiting a Naval Base.  The best discovery was this....

Inside the little tube at the top is "ancient" lip color. I always thought my grandmother fancied bright, bordering on obnoxious corals and reds. It appears she started that habit at a very young age. And maybe my grandmother only kept this as a memento of the last time she was young and single, because she married my grandfather in 1938 and began the serious business of raising a family.

Because I think you should know...

There has been a fair amount of drama in my life of late revolving on my mother's terminal diagnosis of salivary gland cancer. To that end, in between shepherding my mother to her multitude of appointments I was strongly encouraged, nay more likely arm wrestled to make a mammogram appointment. Now it's not that I'm opposed to preventative health care. In fact, it's just the opposite but years ago (apparently eight) I was told that my breasts were dense and thus it made mammogram screening less than likely to find anything. Dense? really? I mean they went to school and everything. They may not be good at reading or math, but that shouldn't be held against them. So spoiler alert, we are about to enter the "too much information" portion of this blog. So I hang my head in shame that my breasts are not talented enough to be of the tassel twirling species but more like the roll them up from your waistband and secure with duct tape variety. In fact if you make one minor  word substitution in "do your ears hang low?" you can fully understand the functionality of my mammary glands. Especially the "can you throw them over your shoulder."
     Now even though Dave Barry and Mark Saal both columnist have written paragraphs to prepare us for the colonoscopy neither has approached the subject of preparing for your mammogram. Neither are quite qualified on this subject. Thus I will fill in this "hole" in modern medically learning so that you can be prepared.
    First gather three or four of your closest friends or family members. It is best to select the ones that you have something to hold over on as they are going to see you up close and personal. When you are called back to have a mammogram you will be offered the opportunity to only have a top "cover-up". You are so thrilled that you can keep your own pants on and not expose your backside in those "one size fits no one" gowns, you fall on this choice like a tick on a hound dog. This may be your first error. Without closely checking out said garment you will remove all the stuff you wear on top and place this garment over your head. At that precise moment you will realize this is really a doll size wrap around skirt with no sleeves that you are wearing around your neck. Even small movements may have you feeling "breezy" in places that are usually warm. This is just the precursor of things to come.
   To stimulate the next steps at home you must first chill 2 dinner plates overnight in your  sub zero freezer. Order a backhoe and sponsor a party at your local McDonald's play land to remove all small children from your neighbor hood. Now standing bare footed with your doll size skirt around your neck have your "friend/neighbor" place the first dinner plate on her shoulder, she should be at least 6 inches taller than you. Place a towel between her shoulder and the plate so she doesn't get freezer burn. Now without standing on your tip toes, get one of the "girls" up on that plate. Have another much stronger friend bear down on you from above with the second plate until said "girl" is approximately 1 inch thick. Now the next step can either be done under cover of darkness or while on the kids are at McDonald's depending on the rental fee for the backhoe. Lay down in the street on one side. ( the side that has the smooshed breast) Take a deep breath, and as the backhoe drives up over your plates twisting them 90 degrees, know this only happens three times on each breast. This experience is actually by far more relaxing than the actual mammogram because you are laying down.
    There you have it, my public service is now complete. As I am relatively close to 50 years old you may tune in back her and also find helpful hints on preparing for a colonoscopy. Hope this has been fun for you and that you too will rush out and have a preventative health screening soon. Feel free to leave a comment, but if you are inappropriate, know I will have to delete it. After all the only one that can be inappropriate here should be me.

Baby it's cold outside....

I'm pretty much an outdoor photographer. I've taken my share of "snow" shots, some intentional, others unfortunate. I've tried to work around dripping noses and reddened ears and fingers so numb they can barely press the button.
So Saturday I joined "Photowalking Utah" and went to an indoor photo shoot. It was crazy fun and good diversion from my current worries. Inside a church in Draper all of the trappings had been removed to set up a number of photoshoots complete with models to demonstrate natural light, strobes, wizards, backdrops, props etc.
 Me and my newest 200 best friends clamored for the chance to use equipment I can only salivate over and give direction to real models. They gave us the recipe for how to best use the lighting equipment at each station. It was open to all comers even if you only carry a point and shout camera. Here are some of the results...

 This is the "piano man", no strobes but I did have to tweak my manual settings and avoid the glare of the hot lights.

 Yes, he was waving real swords and I used the telephoto dimension of my lens to stay far enough away.

I'm standing right next to this huge light, only good for head shots, but if that's what you mostly do, then rock on.

This simulated stage, theatrical. A lot of back lighting to work around.

This was one of my favorite models. She stayed in character even when we adjusted her "jungle".

Loved shooting for detail. Check out those eyelashes.

Strobes are a lot of fun to work with. She's standing on white paper but not even a smudge of shadow shows up.

Totally retro, but representing the glamour that photography can be. So I think photowalk in Utah will be in my dayplanner more often. They try to schedule something each month and all you have to do to participate is show up. In pursuing my plan to "Live the life well-lived" I'm trying to "show up" more often in my own life instead of just going through the motions.

"One minute everything is good."

My all time favorite movie is "While you were sleeping" starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. The story centers around a CTA worker who has no family to speak of so she works on Christmas day. That very day, her secret crush, "Peter" whom she has never met is robbed at the station and falls to the train tracks below. "Lucy" heroically leaps on the tracks and rolls his dead weight to safety while thinking it appropriate to comment on how good he smells. When she gets to the emergency room a misspoken comment is taken for truth and she becomes "Peter's" fiance. Before she can clear up the misunderstanding she is welcomed into "Peter's" family in a fashion reminiscent of a tidal wave flattening a beach front resort. For seven days while Peter lays in a coma, she gets to know his brother, "Jack" and all the other Callahan's. "Ox" the father figure is quick to point out, "We are in the estate furniture business, we buy furniture from dead people." In one poignant scene, following "Peter's" recovery from the coma, where he has selective amnesia because he can't remember Lucy, go figure, Ox is sharing Dunkin' Doughnuts with Jack and their conversation goes something like this..."Life is a pain. You work hard, try to provide for the family. Then for one minute everything is good. Everyone is well. Everyone is happy. In that one minute you have peace." Ox says. Jack responds,"Pop, this isn't that minute."

Lucy's next to the last line of the film is, "Life doesn't always turn out the way you plan." So my one minute when everything was good happened in Missouri as represented by the photo from the St. Louis zoo. It was a cold blustery day outside but inside it was a tropical rain forest. The next day I would fly home and learn that my mother was not a surgical candidate for tumor removal in Ogden and we would need to seek medical expertise at the Huntsman Cancer Center. More doctor's visits and more tests later, the cancer is too extensive and invasive for anything other than pallitive radiation and chemotherapy. So it is with a very heavy heart that I challenge you to be kinder than you think you need to be because Life doesn't always turn out the way you plan. Make a "special" minute today and hug someone you love.

Happy "do-over" day!!!

So we celebrate Ground Hog's day today. It's that magical day when we take our meteorologist advice from a ground hog. Ground Hog's day was made famous in cinema as the day that is repeated over and over and over and over until you get it right. Some "do-overs" are much needed. Like second chances to be kinder, more cooperative and pleasant. Some days are best not to be relived. The only thing I know for "certain" is that life is very "uncertain". The miracle in everyday is to try to do more good than bad and to leave people feeling better than how you found them. Best advice I can offer today? Hug someone you love and be nicer than you have to be.

By the way, I know this isn't a ground hog, it's just the best shot of any vermin I have. Have a good day.

Identify what you really, really want....

I recently attended a workshop for utilizing the law of attraction. The prequel work was to get clear, really clear on what you really wanted. This was hard for me. I have a pretty awesome life already.
When push came to shove here are the things that I wanted more in my life.....

Like everyone else, my goals for this year included losing some weight. You can see that I picked the magic number of 25 lbs. Not so much that I can't rock the body I have, but I do want to be healthier and I think that means slimmer too. I also wanted to take some amazing pictures this year, more brides, love to catch some bears and other wildlife, you get the picture.
Ever since this house has been built, I've wanted to change my kitchen. My children begged me not to get an island bar like our previous home. I gave in and guess what?!? Those dang children grew up, moved away and none of them live here anymore and I'm stuck with their kitchen.
I want to be successful in my "other" business with Send Out Cards so it's represented as well. And I want to travel a little bit, all in the sake of taking great pictures of course. After getting clear with what I really want... an opportunity presented itself. A chance to travel to China. Crazy huh?
Due to other changes in my family, I may not make it to China until 2013, but anticipation is half the fun of traveling. My challenge to you... get clear on what you really, really want and see how quickly it is delivered.

Make more mistakes....

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker that wanted some tips on photography. She got a new digital camera over the holidays. The best advice I can give is if you want to be a good photographer, take pictures. (that means practice) If you want to be a great photographer, take lots of pictures. (In other words, practice alot.) Not too long ago I visited Hardware Ranch in Hyrum, Ut. There wintering elk come to be fed, and for a small fee you can take a horse drawn wagon ride out into the middle of them. As long as you remain on the wagon the elk, though nervous, don't perceive you as threat. And you can take pictures up close and personal.

 With good editing you can produce some fairly good images of wildlife. At hardware ranch I had the same difficulty that I have at the zoo. Most of the animals aren't aware that they should be posing, so instead of National Geographic, it looks more like a picture book of jokes.

Keep in mind that the wagon is moving, so I am counting on the focus feature of my dslr. The above picture blurred out the grass in front of the elk, so there is a slight blur running up the center. This is because the depth of field was limited to the elk, so most things in front and behind are less sharp and clear. So why did I start the post with "make more mistakes"? Because the things that go wrong often make the best memories. My favorite shot of the day won't win any prizes and has little significant value, other than the memory.

This is a young bull elk. Most of the elk that winter at Hardware Ranch are pregnant females and their still suckling less than year old calves. The mother elk are basically eating for three so they find an easy meal in the meadow and teach their children to do the same. As the males mature, they don't frequent the meadow as often. They are big enough to forage in the deep snows. This bull elk seemed embarrassed to be seen at the meadow and had it's head buried in the straw. The shot I took is not perfect because I bumped along in the wagon I focused on the straw (in focus)  instead of the elk (less focused), but right or wrong, I captured the memory.
So if you are not making mistakes you are not trying hard enough. Be far enough outside your comfort zone that you can't perform perfectly. Flawed may not be perfect, but it is more interesting.

The "END" of course.