Saturday...

This is the entrance to Scott Cameron Beach. It's a little washed out by Bill.

He also kicked up some nice surf.

Noah was truly enjoying himself.

So was Nate.

It was a little foggy so you couldn't see that there were about 4 breaks in a row. It was quite the sight.

Here he comes. This picture would have been really good if I hadn't cut off Noah's shadow. DANG IT! I'm still learning.

*************************

Earlier in the day I was helping my friend Nicki at this Family Fido Festival. People brought their dogs. It was frikking hot--but at least there was a nice strong breeze.

Oh look! It's our favorite drumming group Samba BOOM! (they are the ones who LOOOOOVE to keep playing and playing and playing). And they did! right in front of our tent. We were soooo "blessed".

This dog was a very good frisbee player.

My LOVELY kid!

I loved this painting.

So I drew it on a puzzle... but the wind took my puzzle away and dipped it into a water bowl.

And that's about it... what did you do?

Muscles Photo Contest

Submissions from the Hochstedler Hotel! (We have family up visiting this week).

Photo #1 Sambo Slick! (Getting a little help).

Photo #2 Johnny trying to force Sam's muscle bulk (HAHAHA)
Photo #3 BIG BAD JOHN (scary) He claims that he will break all five of your fingers on his face and YOU'LL be the one going to the hospital!
Photo #4 Anika's elongated muscle and Aubri's flexed. (The muscles are dinky but that butterfly bandage makes me a little scared).

Photo #5 Candace... and her skinny little twig.
Photo #6 Elizabeth with some definition.
Photo #6 Gary's packin' it!
Photo #7 Jane--layin' low with her amazing strength
Photo #8 Sarah, showing us that she KNOWS all about it!

Photo #9 My Pops... OK... this one cracks me up EVERY TIME!! And the muscle rocks!
Photo #10 and then MA--WOWZA is RIGHT!!!!
Photo #11 Luke... I'd say he's been working out!
Send in YOUR muscle photo to karenkool@optonline.net. There are no rules (except that you must be clothed--haha). I don't know if there will be a prize. I suck at prizes!!! Does anyone else have a prize for someone to win? Oh Wait!!! I have one. I have one.

There will be a trophy awarded to the winner--one that can be proudly displayed in his or her trophy case or on the mantle. So submit your photo, give it a title, and write your email and mailing address. Be creative. Be convincing. Be smart. Don't drink and drive!

Have your submission in by August 1st at noon eastern standard time! Good luck.

And Now... what you've all been waiting for

The Winner of this lovely, mint, U.S. $2 bill that I've had since I delivered newspapers at the fledgling age of 12... the job I hated the most, but was thoroughly intrigued when I recieved one of the earliest printed $2 bills as part of my meager earnings, in which I've held onto for all these 28 18 years... (good bye my faithful friend) [sniff sniff]

as well as the recipient of one of the most exciting DVDs, derived from one of the most incredible TV shows of ALL TIME... I give you BATMAN the movie, HOLY SPECIAL EDITION BATMAN!


And the FIRST and SECOND PLACE WINNER is....
Heather
from Whatever!
with the lovely, affectionately re-captioned "3rd child salute" (27 pts)and the amazing capture of Milo's quandry
"Oh dear God, this is who is responsible for my upbringing?" (19 pts)


THIRD PLACE goes to

Heidi Jo from Heidi Jo What Do You Know

with the fondly re-captioned "Human Canvas" (16 pts)

Honorable Mention goes to

Andrea from EnjoyNLife

with the thoughtfully re-captioned "Blue Beer DAZE" (8 pts)

I want to thank all the other contestants for their lively participation: Becstar, Ginger, Turtle (who must be in the gutter somewhere), Michelle F., Chelle, Adrienne, and Mitch . Mitch is here too.

Give them all a round of applause!!

And the Submissions Are...

Here's where you come in. Pick your top three choices: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and list them in the comment box. Don't forget to factor in how well the pictures communicate the idea of being put through the (w)ringer. (Give extra kudos for creativity).

OK--I gotta go. Enjoy!

Don't Forget...

like I did momentarily! Get your pictures in for the photo contest because TODAY is the deadline!!! I have about 15 submissions so far. I know a few of your are still wanting to enter {eHEM} SOHAILAH! So, let's get it into gear people. Good luck.

There's Still Time to Enter!!

Example:

" Ok... it is hotter than h*ll up here, and I don't think I can breath! Why, Mitch? Why'd you make me clean out my own attic? WHY???"

I have four entries so far. The competition can only get hotter!! Send in your "Put Through the Ringer" photo entries to karenkool@optonline.net by Wednesday 7/18. The judging will begin on Thursday 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (or sometime thereafter). Anyone can enter. See former post for rules and other info. Good luck to all!

It's CONTEST TIME again!!

I'm in the mood for another contest! WOOHOO!!! Is Michelle F. ready for a little competition??

Hmmm I wonder if any of you will want to enter this one. First, let me mention that I'm working on the prize. I am considering sending the winning contestant an authentic U.S. $2 bill AND a used DVD-- BATMAN: The Movie, Holy Special Edition. Both of these items could be worth some money one day!! Especially if I autograph them.

And it shall be named, A Kool Daze original: Put Through the Ringer Photo Contest!

This contest will be much like the self-portrait contest; related posts can be viewed by clicking here.

What to enter--a picture, preferably of yourself, or of someone you've personally caught on film, that depicts a "put through the ringer" appearance i.e. rising after a long night of non-sleep, an annoyed look that comes quite naturally upon screaming at kids for 24 hours straight, the surprise photo taken at the end of a 2000 mile trek in a car without stopping, the lovely after-camping pic, a photo after a long night at the bar, etc.

How to enter--email your photos (max of three) in jpeg format to karenkool@optonline.net Include your name, email address, and mailing address. And give each photo a caption or description.

More points gained--when the photo evokes an emotion from it's viewers; when the photo is actually of the contestant (makes it more personal to the community); when the caption or description is entertaining, witty, or revealing; with originality. Am I forgetting something? Oh yea...


Send photos in by--WEDNESDAY NIGHT 7/18 (I extended the date) Don't procrastinate this time, you slackers and thus miss your opportunity for fame and fortune! You know who you are!!

Editor's insert of a few examples:
They took away my shady yard and put in a frikkin pool! Did I mention that I'm not allowed to swim in it. Damn humans!

I can't take another episode of Bob the Builder! But I can't stop watching...

One more wise crack out of that kids and I'm gonna explode on someone!

You wanna do WHAT?! yea riiiight!

The Prize for the Photo Contest Winner

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

This beautiful 2' x 3' banner goes to the first (and second) place contestant, Michelle of Franzenfam... although she's trying to pawn it off on Debbie of Woolseyzoo, who recieved an Honorable Mention for her photo. I wonder how third place winner (Dad) feels about all of this. (Huh?)

The Results Are In...

But first... a list of the contestants and their brilliant entries:

Jen of the Cardines
~~27 weeks
~~taking a pic of me taking a pic

Aisha of Just Mom's Musings
~~blogging all night
~~mysterious
~~mysterious (artsy)
~~what is reality
~~just mom in bright lights
~~(the bribe)

Michelle of Franzenfam
~~cheers to karen's photo contest
~~i'm a pepper, you're a pepper

Mark of Miscellaneous Creativity
~~mark, mckenna and boat
~~big sun flare
~~bird caught in sun flare

Debbie of Woolseyzoo
~~goofy in rain
~~serious in rain

Russ, better known to me as Dad--yes, it's my dad!
~~how does this self-portrait stuff work?
~~yeah--there's something behind me!

Elaine, my dear friend up in Maine
~~the new ME in ME (maine, get it)

The points were counted up; 3 points for 1st choice, 2 points for 2nd choice, and 1 point for 3rd choice... courtesy points were only added as a "plus" and didn't change the final results.

AND THE WINNER IS
*FIRST PLACE* 23+ points is MICHELLE with "Cheers to Karen's Photo Contest"


*SECOND PLACE* 16+ points is MICHELLE with "I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper"


*THIRD PLACE* 12+ points is MY DAD with "How does this self-portrait stuff work?"



*HONORABLE MENTION* 9 points is DEBBIE with "Serious in Rain"

CONGRATULATIONS--wow Michelle! I hope your crossed fingers aren't damaged for life. (Please email your address to me--I have a lovely prize for you).

Everyone--thanks for joining in the fun. You all humor me to no end!!

Here Are the Photo Entries...

First of all, I want to thank everyone who submitted their unique and wonderful sel-portrait photos. Your ability to entertain knows no bounds. I decided a slide show was the best way to display the entries. For the best view click on the bottom right where it says view all images. Enjoy...

OK--Who wins?

You all are the judges! As you choose your favorites think about these things... originality, style, skill, whether a person can get Dr. Pepper in their country or not (ok maybe I was bribed), if Kool Daze is anywhere in view of the shot, artistry, humor, (and that would include one's bravery for entering at all)... am I forgetting something? If I am just go ahead and add it in.

There are too many pictures to assign points for each one. Just pick out your top 3 favorites, listing first, second and third choices in the comment box. EVERYONE should vote!!! Don't be shy. The winner will receive a lovely child-UNfriendly wall hang of the ABCs. We're gonna get that thing passed around, so everyone can have a turn with it.

I was surprised that no one sent any of their nudes... oh well.

Self-Portrait Photography

Back in my college daze, self-portrait photography was the bomb! That's when you, as the photographer, turn the camera around and take a picture of yourself. The kids over on myspace do it all the time to entertain friends and fill up their photo pages. And now with the new macbook... Fehgettaboutit!!! I, personally, wouldn't count macbook pictures as real self-portrait photography because you can see exactly what you're getting before you take the picture. Call me old-school. But this self-portrait trend was definitely my thing back in the day, especially when with friends. If anyone left their camera lying around, like at a party or something, what ever was left on the roll of film would most likely be used up with a bunch of self-portraits of me and anyone else I could get to join in with the prank. Hee! Ahhh good times.

I have lots of photo albums with examples of this brilliant photography, but the last thing I'm gonna do today--with my unexpected day off from homeschooling--is sit around scanning pictures for my blog post. I'm just not that committed. LOL.



Here! Here's an example. I took this just for you. Don't cha just love the digital camera?? You can snap away a hundred times, if need be, until you get just the right shot... and then you can edit that on the computer. Of course, I get the perfect picture in the first take. Someone outta pay me big buck for all my skills.

Well, this is what I want to do...

A SELF-PORTRAIT PHOTO CONTEST


Here are the rules (I'm making them up on the spot):

• The photo entry must be a portrait of oneself taken by oneself.
  
• The photo must not be cropped, but kept in it's original frame, although you can edit other aspects of the picture to increase the artistic value i.e. color, tint, shadows, effects, etc.
  
• You can enter photos that are humorous or amazing or just pretty darn good.
  
• You must email your entries to mailto:karenkool@optonline.net with your name (blog name or nick name is fine) and a title for each picture you enter. Please send the photos at a reasonable size for viewing.
  
• You can enter up to 5 photos.
  
• All enteries must be in by Sunday, March 11th, so get crackin. Don't be shy.
  
• (Editor's additional rule--NO NUDE SHOTS PLEASE!!! Oh God, please!)

Anika does this all the time. I thought this one was great! It was cropped though, so it can't be used in this contest. Be creative people. Good luck!

My Self-portrait Photography