Okay peeps, I have a confession. There are, on very rare occasions, days in which I actually sort of, sometimes, maybe, kind of, might have fun at my "other job". I know, I know. I can't believe I stated it either. Let's just keep this on the down low, capeesh?

Like I said, these days are few and far between; however, a week or so ago one of these rare days perked me up. I had the opportunity to photograph a Raku class and the whole process utterly fascinated me.

I enjoyed watching the students work.

Glazing.

Waiting for fired pieces to come out of the kiln.

I would love to explain the whole process for you here, but I'm pretty sure I would get it all wrong, so let's look at hot pictures of fire.

I loved how the different glazes shimmered in the sunlight.

Finished!

The day was so inspiring, I even composed a haiku about the experience, which is on my temporarily missing flash drive somewhere. I tried to recreate it for you today, but it's not coming to me. Apparently it wasn't that profound, so we'll just save that for another day, OR you can finish it for me! I'll start:

Spinning clay takes form
...

Have fun filling in the rest :)

... but that didn't stop me from enjoying "America's favorite pastime" with the Troy boys the other night.

They were up 7-1 when I left with a full camera card, so I hope it's not incorrect to say "Congratulations and good game!" I couldn't find the final score online, so I'm crossing my fingers and leaving this note with a positive attitude.

I cannot wait! Getting ready for giveaways at the prom tonight. Il est libre!

I'm also testing the mobile version of my blog uploader, so if this post looks odd...

Goodbye April, hello May. Happy National Photography Month!

So, where have I been lately? I've been hangin' out at the Hop, chillin' down at the softball field (actually, I lied, that was a really hot day... no chill at all), runnin' around with the track team, and ... let me pause here a moment and catch my breath... most recently, pokin' around the grounds of the Pocono Manor to chase my brothers around an obstacle course with my camera at the Tough Mudder.

What's the Tough Mudder? I'll sum it up for you. It's an obstacle course that's really tough. And also muddy. Pictures speak louder than words, so let's jump right in...

Here we have some muddy water.

"Look out for me, oh muddy water. Your mysteries are deep and wide. And I got a need for goin' someplace..."

Sorry, sometimes I spontaneously break out into show tunes. You can ignore me as my family has learned to do over the years. Kudos and two points, though, for anyone who can name that musical!

My brother decided a simple step off the plank was a little too tame for him. He leaped off in style!

Getting hauled up "Mt. Everest".

Really, really cold and uncomfortable at this point...

Half the fun was reading all the T-shirts and viewing all the crazy costumes. People wore anything and everything (and sometimes close to nothing!).

Thirteen-plus miles later... they survived!

In all seriousness, though, the Tough Mudder is a really great cause that raises money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Team Top Geer turned in a check for over $1,000 this year. Thank you to everyone who helped make this donation possible.