thread for middle age to older Christian women.
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Happy Birthday Nancy! We're praying that it is a blessed one and a year full of blessings!
Chris, my nurse friend and I went to a Navigator conference at Glen Eyrie in the 90's and loved it. So glad that you could enjoy it.
Teka, I love that little bunny!
Love, Wheatfields
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Nancy, Happy Birthday. May you enjoy this special day.
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Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Teka I love your pretty banner. It doesn't take much to make me happy. On the way home from church there is a forest preserve along most of this route I take. I could see in the distance what looked like a little puppy running out of the preserve. When I got closer it was a tiny little fawn. That made my day!!!! Of course I am blessed to have all of you as my friends. I received Happy Birthday cards and texts and emails so I do feel special today with all of the love. I had planned on visiting "my" swans last night but I took too long to fertilize all of my flowers. I remember when I got the winning shot of them several years ago it was at the end of the day in August coincidentally. I am hoping to try again later today. This area is in a corporate office complex so I like to go on weekends. I have not seen the swans this year other than driving by to my doctor apts. I don't know if they have babies or not but I am hoping they do and will be out in the pond instead of the little island they have to go to at night.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Chris, you need to let us know how the Castle was. Wheatfields, I am glad you got to visit there too.
Love,
Nancy
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Happy Birthday, Nancy! May your day be full of sweet blessings!
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Thank you Hershey. I ended my birthday by visiting the swan family that I hadn't seen in a few years up close. I wasn't sure if they had babies but they did. I will share some pics later of them.
I am going to share the last a couple of my orchids. The one I bought for my friend is entering it's new phase of losing blooms and regrowth. I have not seen her yet to give it to her. I was waiting on her to tell me when she was ready for a visit but I need to ask her now if it is okay to visit. She lives pretty far out of town now. I think I will buy her another orchid that is still in bloom along with this one even though there are some blooms still there.
This orchid's blooms have lasted for a long time. This is one that I bought right before my knee surgery last year. It is a very hardy orchid so far. I think my first bloom was in April this year.
This is Adair's orchid I bought for her back in April. This is when it was in full bloom. I did send her a picture of it. It is about done blooming for this season. I have found that my turntable is a great place to take pictures of plants. Adair is the neighbor that I asked you all to pray for. She is the one that fell down her stairs and broke her neck after just coming home from rehab that she had been in for months from a previous fall. The did discover that the problems stemmed from her heart. Now that she has a pacemaker I believe that has solved the problem.
I hope you are all doing well. Our heat is starting to come back again starting tomorrow.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, Thank you for the beautiful pictures and I'm glad to hear that Adair is doing well!
I have a prayer request, my nurse friend and I were at the PCP again about her not sleeping well at night and having to get up and go too often during the night. They did some labs and she was dehydrated so they gave her some fluids. That didn't surprise me a whole lot because she does limit drinking water in hopes that she won't have to get up so often. The doctor also ordered a CT scan from the neck to the pelvis, and it came back with what they call subtle lesions on the bones, which could be (I was reading) low bone density or arthritis. But they want to rule out multiple mylenomoa and scheduled a bone biopsy on Monday at 9:00. We are going in to just visit with the PCP tomorrow morning and ask some questions. They are also going to do some more labs tomorrow morning.
Thank you all so much for your prayers!
Love, Wheatfields
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Wheatfields, I will add your friend to my prayer list and that her labs and the biopsy come out with good news.
Nancy, those are beautiful orchids and I await your swan pictures. How wonderful you saw them again!
The castle tea was marvelous. I had visited the castle several times but never had high tea there before. Although the two younger girls didn't eat much, the experience made it all worthwhile. Yesterday I officially met my new PCP and was very pleased. She is the first doctor I have ever had that showed she really cared and wants to listen. After going through all the medical stuff, she pulled her chair up closer and asked "Now, how are you really doing?" I think that is a rare quality in a doctor, especially a GP now with all of their pressures.
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Wheatfields, thank you. I am sure that you are very concerned for your friend with the CT results. I will definitely pray for her and hope that it is nothing serious. I pray for peace for both of you as she waits to have this bone biopsy on Monday. I hope you can have more peace after talking with her PCP tomorrow.
Chris, thank you. I took pictures of my flowers tonight for the first time this season and I will share some of those too. I have briefly gone through my swan pictures. I would like to go back and get some better pics. I was there alone for most of my pictures and then a noisy bunch came and that is the point the babies fled and I quickly left as well.
Your high tea at the castle sounded so interesting and fun. I am sure the younger girls will remember this as a very cool experience. I am so glad you felt up to doing this.
Chris, your new doctor sounds like a gem. I am so glad that she asked you how you are really doing? I hope you were honest with her. You have been through so much for so many years and you have been a miracle story but it has not been an easy journey by any means.
I will see my PCP tomorrow and I am debating whether I want to tell him that I have had horrible headaches for weeks. It feels like my head is in a vice and especially hurts in the back of my head. I don't want to go down another rabbit hole of therapy etc. I am doing some neck exercises which I hope will help and a lot of Tylenol. I guess I should take my own advice about being honest with your doctor but sometimes I would rather say nothing. I don't want the rest of my summer to be in therapy. It seems like the last several years I have had so much therapy that I am wanting to deal with this myself if I can. I have an apt with my new neurologist but that is not until Oct but he can order an MRI of the brain even though I just had one last summer but if these headaches persist I imagine he will want me to have one.
Have a good night dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, your orchids are gorgeous. It's very encouraging that Adair's pacemaker is making a positive impact in her recovery. I was unaware that you're suffering from recurrent headaches. I'm so sorry that you're having them. Does your PCP have any thoughts on pain relief? I do hope you feel better very soon.
Wheatfields, I will be praying that your nurse friend's biopsy procedure is pain free and the results reveal nothing of concern.
Chris, your new PCP sounds like a very devoted physician. I'm so glad that your appointment went well.
We are experiencing heat and air quality advisories this week. Smoke from the Utah and Colorado wildfires blankets the region. Spending time outside is unpleasant, and we limit errands or garden work to early mornings. The weather forecast calls for a break in the heat sometime next week. On a brighter note, our tomatoes are thriving in the heat. As long as they receive adequate water, they are happy plants.
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Hershey, thank you. I have enjoyed my orchids but they do take up a lot of my kitchen counter space.
We have had air quality alerts it seems for days. We just get through one covering a few days and then another is announced. For us it is partly due to Canandian wildfires. I am glad your tomatoes are thriving.
I had a very weird pcp visit today. First of all my doctor has wanted to see me every six months for bp check for years. I have had him for 6 or 7 yrs now I think and I really like him a lot. In May he said that the heads of the doctor network think that a certain population would be better served from having every three month visits. He went on to explain they offer extra services which I imagine was targeted for seniors. I never specifically asked him which group I fell into but I went along with it. Then he said you don't have to do this which made it all the more strange. So today was my three month checkup. I can't remember when he mentioned this if it was before or after he did an overall check of heart and lungs. When he sat down at his computer he said some very strange reasoning that they are now taping the conversations with the patients. He did ask me for my permission. I think I was so shocked at this I said okay. The whole conversation was strained on my part and I think on his as well. I have never got the impression he was trying to end our visit ever but today I did. I did mention my headaches and I told him I had been doing more neck exercises the last couple of days which were helping and when I woke up this morning I was much better. He didn't say much but later this evening the headache started up again. Many, many people are unhappy with this new company that took over our network. On Nextdoor when ever this network is mentioned everyone comes out of the woodwork to express their displeasure. A few people say they are fine and love their doctors. I would say that is where I have usually fallen with that group. However I think this every three month visit is a money grab because I do know this company is in finacial trouble. The more I thought about this taping tonight it just made me angry. I think it is putting undue pressure on the doctors to not waste time. Our vist started around one and I was in my car by 1:10. That is how short things were. I am curious what your thoughts are on this. Anyone else please feel free to express your thoughts. My doctor did mention that we could do video apts as well. I just told him I had already booked the Nov. apt and I didn't live that far away. I am thinking why in the world would I agree to a video apt when he wouldn't be able to check anything physically like my bp. I don't get it and I sure hope he doesn't leave the practice as he is really good. I think when it comes the Nov apt I will skip the three month and go back to the six month. My bp has been really good today and three months ago so I don't get the whole thing.
I hope you all have a good night.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, it does sound like every three months is a money grab situation unless you have a medical reason that needs close monitoring. I know I sometimes downplay my aches and pains but I have learned I don't have to live with headaches or stomach aches, etc. There is usually a reason and sometimes a simple solution. It might simply be allergies, dehydration or a chemical imbalance, but someone should care. I really think med offices are trying to find more ways to bill Medicare and I don't like it. My PCP did tape our visit but I naively assumed it was so she could post accurate notes…hmmm… I see my oncologist every six weeks but that is different.
I had my port accessed on Tuesday for a maintenance flush and it took the nurse two painful tries. Then yesterday the tech could not get it to work after a couple of tries either, (with excruciating pain so bad he almost cried with me!) so there is some sort of problem. I don't have a fever or redness, etc., but something is not right. So now I wait for a call for an appointment for the surgery team to look at it. Seems to always be something!
It is extra hot and smokey here in Colorado like everywhere else. Stay safe everyone!
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Chris, I sure hope you can get your painful port fixed asap. I will pray that will happen.
Teka and Chris, thank you for your input. After doing some research on my network of doctor owners there was apparently a big scandal that I was not aware of. It was because of misconduct of an in network ob/ gny. So this taping may be from the fact they see their reputation as tarnished and want to keep on top of things. I'm afraid that ship sailed quite some time ago. I am convinced my headaches are due to my stress in my neck. There are a couple of big things that have caused me great stress and of course you know about Cammie. Grief for a pet loss can exhibit in physical issues so I think that was some of it. Taking on stress from what some of my friends are going through is another part of it. Planning a vacation with all the TSA requirements is another big part especially since no photographer wants to check their photography equipment so that will be carry on which will take up space that I perhaps will need for personal items.
I just bought a new expensive lens for astrophotography so I am invested now. There is what is called a dark park two hours away from me dedicated to astrophotography and I want to go down there maybe in a couple of weeks and practice before I go to Bryce Canyon. Astrophotography is complicated compared to normal shooting. It has to be planned around the new moon phase and it has to be clear skies which for IL could be a challenge. I am tentatively postponing the Bryce Canyon trip until May because of lodging issues and the fact I am not ready physically or mentally plus I can't book anything until I have tha Real ID in my hand. My end goal is to get a beautiful picture of the Milky Way with the gorgeous foreground of Bryce Canyon. We'll see. Of course the main thing is getting beautiful day time pictures.
For me to be excited about something is a good thing. Moving on………………..
Take care dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, unless a patient has a disorder or disease requiring regular and routine monitoring, PCP appointments every 3 months seem excessive to me (especially for relatively healthy adults). My husband has a blood disorder and has standing orders for lab work and follow-up doctor visits every 6 months. Three month intervals would be overkill in his case.
Our primary care doctors are meticulous when it involves Medicare requirements. I wonder how your doctor and/or his accounting department codes and bills Medicare or your Advantage plan for the visits.
Medicare and health care in general are very stressed systems. It upsets me to think that someone or some group may be gaming the system for financial gain.
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I took a long time to respond to the last posts and I don't know what happened but it is gone. It is already midnight and I don't have time to redo it. I'll try again tomorrow.
Have a great weekend everyone. Nikki how are you doing?
Love,
Nancy
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Thank you for your input regarding this 3 month check up deal with my pcp. I think I was more disturbed by the taping but I don't want to lose this doctor. I feel convinced that he is not the one pushing this but his upper management.
I have been a bit under the weather with stomach and intestinal issues but still going forward. I am excited to take my first step in traveling solo. I have booked a hotel downstate which is close to this "dark" park that I want to go to to photograph the Milky Way. The hotels were booked and if not the going rate for Aug. was $400 - 600 when I had previously checked it was around $150. They had big conventions after doing some deep diving. So I booked for Sept. when prices came back down and because there is a small window of opporunity to catch the Milky Way at it's best and that is when there is a new moon where the sky is completely dark. If I can do this I might drive down in two weeks in Aug. to go to the park and shoot the Milky Way and then come back around 4 am. It would be a four hour round trip. If I had to I could take a nap in the park. There are camp grounds there. I bought a new lens just for astrophotography so I am anxious to use it.
Speaking of moons I took some pictures last night of the full moon and I will share those. I hope everyone has a fantastic week. Nikki, how are you doing?
Love,
Nancy
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Beautiful photos, Nancy. I especially like the second one. It puts me in the mood for autumn.
I hope your tummy troubles are over and you feel better today. Your trip to the "dark" park sounds fun and adventurous. I pray you will have clear skies and bright stars at night.
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Thank you Hershey. I always hate to see summer pass but I won't miss the humidity we have had most of the summer. I do love fall temps. I am still having some intestinal issues. I am not sure what is the cause but I imagine stress is involved. There seems to be plenty of that going on. I am making plans to go to this dark park hopefully very soon. The clear skies have to be in place before I would go. Right now we are in the midst of many thunder storms and a risk of flooding. I won't get a better idea of clear skies probably until seven days out. I am not sure if I mentioned this but my AI in my computer even gave me an itinerary for when to leave, what to pack, etc. It has been going back home at 2 am. for a two hour drive. I'll have to see how brave I am for that. I feel like these possible adventures are going to open up a whole chapter in my life. Hopefully some exciting things in that new chapter.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I am sorry you are still struggling but am excited that you are trying to be so adventurous. I know photography is your passion and it is good that you are living fully. BTW, I only see my PCP once a year but then I see my oncologist every six weeks so she is confident my onc will catch anything extra.
Every time I think I may do something extra I get struck back down. I was doing so well and thinking maybe my DH and I could take a little trip, but my port refuses to work now, so tomorrow I have to go into the hospital (outpatient) so they can check it and either fix it or remove it. This past week my body aches have increased: a side effect of the oral med I am on. So, we will take it as it comes. I did receive good news that my scan last week showed I am stable so I will accept the pain and see where this all goes. In the meantime, I don't do much anyways.
Blessings, Chris
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Chris, I am so sorry that they can't get your port to work, I hope that they can get your port to work so they don't have to remove it. I''m sorry you have to go to outpatient for them to figure this out. I hate to hear you are having more body aches. I wil really pray that your body will adjust so that this will go away.. I know I was so happy that you were feeling well enough to go to this castle. I know this must feel like an awful setback but I am so glad to hear that your scans show you are stable. I just wish it didn''t have to come at such a price. May the Lord give you strength and hope during this time of another trial.
I am going to post a pic you had asked me about. I hope this gives you a smile. The baby got tired and is trying to sleep.
Love,
Nancy
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Love the baby swan!
Well, my port is just fine. The nurse got it to work easily the first time with no pain at all. They took x-rays anyway and it all looks just fine and is in great condition. They did tell me a couple of things to tell the techs in the future who try to access it, and I had a nice chat with the radiologist about future issues, so I should be in good shape. They were so nice and did reinforce that I made the right decision to go in. Love that I finally got a win! My poor DD had to drive me in since my DH was home still struggling a bit after his biopsy. (He is okay and we are still waiting the results.) She dropped me off and parked in the parking structure out of the sun to get a couple of hours of sleep. Such is the life of a night nurse! I did buy her Starbucks this morning and lunch afterwards 😊
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Chris, I am SOOOOOOOO glad your port is just fine. I was really praying hard for that. Yes you did get a win!!!!
I will be praying for your DH's biopsy. I am glad your DD was able to help out. I am sure she knows how much her Mom and Dad have helped her out so it is a loving give and take.
I had a very long meeting tonight. This was the second meeting this week for the HOA. So I just finished doing some of that work.
Isn't the little baby swan adorable. I just want to scoop it up in my arms but I don't think it would like that very much.
Have a good night.
Love,
Nancy
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Teka, pretty flowers and an even prettier kitty! 🐈️
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Teka, love the flowers and the kitty. Good news on the dissolved blood clot. Enjoy your day.
Nancy, how are you feeling? Any better?
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Teka, that is great news regarding your blood clot. Teka is so beautiful in such a lovely setting with your pretty flowers. Yes, I am very aware of how agressive swans can be. They seem so regal and peaceful but they can surprise someone if not on guard. There are several signs around this pond to not get close to the swans.
Chris, I am doing better. I have had a very busy week with two extra meetings regarding HOA. I was in tears just now as Naperville had a missing woman for days and they just found her body in a forest preserve near me that I go to sometimes. I believe she has four children. It is just heartbreaking. No foul play is being said.
I am preparing to go to this dark park downstate next Saturday. I have been studying this app I bought which helps to locate the Milky Way. There is quite a learning curve. I am waiting for clear skies before I make the trip. So far it looks promising with some clouds but that can quickly change. I am still watching videos on Bryce Canyon. They have been very helpful. How are you doing? I have been praying for you and your DH. I haven't booked anything yet. I am tentatively planning on May. One of our board members has been there in April and they had snow and cold.
Hershey, I understand why you are looking forward to fall. This has been one summer for the books. I did get to enjoy my new Andirondack chair yesterday on my patio for the first time after doing quite a lot of yard work. My hummingbirds were a little skittish but finally realized I wasn't going to hurt them. I have this one little girl that hovers and looks at me through my patio door when I am inside. It makes me so happy when she does that.
Wheatfields, how are you doing? Is the nerve pain gone now? Your nurse friend?
Nikki, how are you doing? I pray that you are feeling more at peace with your treatment plans.
Have a great day dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I'm glad that you are feeling better. Your little hummingbird friend sounds delightful and so very curious. You are spot on about this summer being one for the record books. So far this month, our daily temperatures have been about 10 degrees above average. The next two weeks offer no relief. The Farmers Almanac recently released their 2025-2026 autumn and winter predictions, and my region can expect a warm, dry fall and a cold, wet winter. My husband is quite pleased. We've shoveled relatively little snow for years, and he can hardly wait to get the old snow blower out of the garage and tuned up in time for a blizzard or two.
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Nancy, thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures, and I'm praying that you are feeling better. The little humming bird sounds fun.
Chris, so glad your port turned out to be fine and we are praying that you continue feeling better each day and that your DH's biopsy turns out good.
Teka, so thankful the blood clot is dissolved and your kitty is beautiful along with your flowers.
My nurse friend had the bone marrow biopsy on Monday, but we have not heard any results yet but they said it may take a week. On the 7th she was at my place for lunch and started to feel a numbness in her left hand and arm and then the left side of her mouth, so we went to ER and they admitted her to the hospital and on the 8th ran more tests and concluded it was a TIA which was similar to the one 2 years ago. We were back in ER though on Saturday morning with what she was afraid was like a bowel obstruction from being so constipated. They gave her fluids, and an injection along with some instructions for medication. We did make it on Monday then for the biopsy, and it went well but we are still waiting for the report. Tuesday evening we went to convenient care because her eye swelled up all around it, but they felt it may just be the haze we've had in the air from the forest fires. So it's been a real wild week.
Continuing in prayer for all of you, also Hershey and Nikki. Thank you for your prayers.
Love, Wheatfields
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@wheatfields I will be praying for your nurse friend. It sounds like some scary stuff.
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Hershey, I was also looking at our forecast for fall and it did say above temps which might not be a bad thing. Maybe our fall will become the summer that we felt like we never had. I didn't look that far into winter but I had to smile at your husband being anxious for some snow so he can use the snow blower. LOL A little cooler weather about now would be great. I am a bit concerned about my practice shoot this coming Saturday to practice for my other practice shoot in Sept. I won't have any lodging for this first trip and it is to be pretty hot downstate when I need to be scouting out a place to shoot the Milky Way. I have already emailed the forest preserve and asked about bathroom facilities as there are NONE in the area I plan to be. They close the rest of the park around 8:30 pm so I didn't know how that was going to work as I will be shooting in the middle of the night. I guess this will all be part of my adventure!
Wheatfields, I am so sorry to hear about your friend having so many emergencies in one week. I know you must be terribly concerned for her and I imagine the stress she feels must be off the charts. I will definitely be praying for her and for you. I am glad you enjoyed my pictures. I was just going through more of the swan pics to maybe add more.
Have a good night everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Wheatfields, I am so sorry to read about your nurse friend's medical emergencies. It's a blessing that you were with her and took her to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. I will pray for your friend and for you too.
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Hi Teka, sorry I didn't have a chance to respond to your post asking if I had ever attended an astrophotography event. I was so busy ordering last minute things that I thought of was becoming a full time job along with me cramming lot a freshman year student prepping for their first big exam as I watched a ton of YouTube videos trying to remember all of the settings in my camera I needed for this very different kind of photography. Thankfully some of the last minute deliveries turned out to be the best for this adventure. I did leave yesterday, Aug. 23 with a planned arrival at 3 for my motel check in. My GPS was acting up and I started out with my Google printed directions until I thought I had made a wrong turn and then let the GPS take over. Oh my. I eventually got there but much more than a 2 hr drive.
Since things turned out later than expected everything was rushed as I wanted to take the 20 min drive to the Forest Preserve to stack out my shooting place. That took a long time as my GPS doesn't recognize these country roads which was basically everything around the forest preserve. Then when I finally got close to where I needed it started sprinkling. Rain had not been in the forecast at all. So I was able to quickly find a place I was comfortable with and not too far from my car. On the way back to my car to go back and change into my clothes prepped for shooting in the middle of the night there appeared a beautiful rainbow as I walked back to my car at the preserve. I felt like God telling me it is going to be okay.
There was no one there when I was scouting out my place. So the thought did occur that I might be out there all alone in the dark. That turned turned out the opposite. There was many people that were walking the trail and walking in front of my camera which they probably could not even see. So that was an obstacle I had not expected. All in all I think I did very well for my first shoot. At first I thought it might be a bust without going into all of the technical details but all the hours of prepping and watching You Tube videos really played a very important part in my first successful shoot. After being out for more than four hours I was getting very tired so I stopped shooting around midnight. On the way home the two lane country roads were so dark and I saw something our of the corner of my eye and before I knew it this deer raced right in front of my car. I thought it was a given that I was going to hit it. I slammed on my brakes and heard things flying to the floor and I swear that deer looked inches away from my car and it kept running and I missed it thank God. It really shook me up though so I drove very slowly for the rest of the ride back to the motel. There was a big farm show going on and this was in the heart of farm country for sure. One man told me he booked his room a year in advance and came from Michigan. That is why I was having so much trouble finding a place. I think I got the slim pickens of a room as this place was packed when I drove back after midnight after my big adventure. Earlier the parking lot was fairly empty. Let's just say this place was not the Ritz Carlton!!!!! It served it's purpose and was much better than trying to sleep in my car. However I did not sleep the whole night. I got up at 4 after not sleeping for few hours and had there free breakfast of little boxed cereal, not what I was expecting but got on the road and came home and napped off and on all day. I am wiped out but it was a good experience of dealing with nerves when I was sure my GPS was guiding me the wrong way.
My pictures of the Milky Way were shot in RAW format and not JPEG so it will probably be a while before I can share any of those pictures. I am going to photo stack them and will be getting some new software and without going into all the boring details it will be a while. I am very pleased with the initial going through the pictures tonight and I can truly testify that it was literally like shooting in the dark. I could not see the milky way in my camera at all when shooting and could not see with the naked eye either. With the help of an app I bought for planning that is really what helped me the most. It was very accurate so even though I couldn' t see what I was aiming at the Milky Way was right where I was shooting.
So if you have made it this far in reading all of this boring stuff to most people let's say it has opened up a new chapter of adventure for me.
I have a nicer hotel booked for Sept. to repeat the same adventure but this time I may choose a different location. We'll see. Too many headlights from cars disrupting the dark park and too many flashlights as well. I bought red flashlights and I had a headlamp of red lights so I wouldn't disturb other people's night vision. I didn't run into any other photographers but several young Indian guys came up and was very interested and wanted to see what I had been shooting. It was music to my ears when each of the guys said that is really beautiful. That made night right there. So all in all it was a great adventure and hopefully the beginning of many more.
As to your initial question, no I have never attended an astrophotgraphy event. I don't think I will get too seriously into it but my goal is to get a great shot at Bryce Canyon of the Milky Way with the famous hoodoos in the foreground.
Take care. I hope your leg continues to be fine. Give Teka a hug for me. I miss Cammie.
Love,
Nancy
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