farm animals in the news

My smiling goats made it to the front page of the Cape Cod Time's weekly reader photo gallery. I also got this handsome sheep to pose for me. Who could ask for better models?

Oh, and let's not forget these sweet faces.


And this stately fellow.

long lost cousins

I have been corresponding with a newly found third cousin, Merryfield Laimbeer Petersen from Pennsylvania. We both descend from the Abbot side of the family, and branch off at our great-grandparent's line. Here are the genealogical details (non-family can skip this bit and go straight to the photos, below). Forgive me in advance if I get any of it wrong.

We are both descended from:

Abiel Abbot m. Phebe Ballard (G-g-g-g-g grandparents)

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Benjamin Abbot m. Joanna Holmes (G-g-g-g grandparents)
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Francis Holmes Abbot m. Mary Wade (G-g-g grandparents)
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Thomas Wade Abbot m. Helen Tracey Adams (G-g grandparents)

Thomas and Helen had two sons -- my great grandfather Edgar Wade Abbot (who married my great-grandmother, Isabel Esther McCormick) , and Merry's great-grandfather Frank Prentice Abbot. Both brothers were involved with the GDA (Gerard, Dufraisseix & Abbot) Haviland Limoges porcelain company.

OK -- now our lines branch off, and here is Merry's branch:

Frank Prentice Abbot m Mary Augusta Laimbeer (Her great grandparents)
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Kate (Kitty) Laimbeer Abbot m Francis Effingham Laimbeer (Just to make things really confusing, her grandparents were 1st cousins once removed. Her grandfather's grandfather was her grandmother's great-grandfather. Ouch. My head hurts.) They had a daughter named Dorothea, also known as "Daphrie" and a son:
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William Laimbeer m Helen Hope Nixon (Her parents)
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Merryfield Laimbeer m James Lawrence Petersen (Herself)
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David, Susan, Pamela, Elizabeth (Her kids)
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10 grandchildren

Merry remembers visiting Grandama and Grandpa Loomis with her Aunt Daphrie in Ruxton, and has notes from them in her family papers. How neat. Oh, and Merry has a cousin, Frank Laimbeer. And now we're all facebook friends. How funny is that?

I discovered that in Great Grandma Isabel's guestbook from her house in Washington, Connecticut, there are dozens of signatures, notes, and photos of the Abbot/Laimbeer family, dating from 1911 to the mid-1920s. Here are some images and words from the past.

Click on the images to see them larger.

My Abbot side:
Helen Abbot Lapham (great aunt) - Isabel Esther McCormick Abbot (great grandma)
Dorothy Abbot Loomis (grandma) and Edgar Wade Abbot (great grandpa)

Cousin Theodora (before she married Mr. DuBois),
Elizabeth Ruth Abbot (Grandma Loo had a doll named Elizabeth Ruth, remember?)
and Kate Abbot Laimbeer

The photo above is from Isabel's guestbook, and the same photo, below, is from Merry's collection.

A poem by Cousin Theodora -- apparently the furnace went out in October. Cold!
Cousin Theodora went on to write a number of historical novels and children's books.
Click here to read about her life.

In addition to the signature of Kate Abbot Laimbeer,
at the top of the page there is a note that D.A. (Dorothy Abbot) went to Texas.
I wonder if she went with C.D.L. to visit Loomis Ranch?

There is a note, written by Helene, tucked in the guestbook noting that the Lapham children
referred to the Laimbeers as the Lame-Deers. Sorry, cousins!

The Laimbeers Garden City, New York, 1919 (and how they're related to Merry)

Frank (Uncle) - Jack (Uncle)
Francis & Kate (grandparents) - Bill (Father)
Dick (Uncle) - Daphrie (Aunt)

Frank (uncle) - Kate (grandmother)
Jack (uncle) - Bill (father)
Aunt Bessie (?) - Esther (?)
(Merry isn't sure who the elderly woman and baby are --
Aunt Bessie is Elizabeth Ruth Abbot, who never married.
According to Helene, she lived with IEA and EWA -- and never left her room.
She must be Frank and Edgar's sister.
I think the baby looks like Aunt Esther, don't you?
I wonder if Grandma Loo was visiting and took this photo?)
Dick (Uncle) - Daphrie (Aunt) - Francis (grandfather)
Garden City, NY circa 1920s

So -- hello to our newly discovered cousins! And welcome to the family!

eggxperimenting with eggs

I'm participating in C&C Photography's Spring Photo workshop, and the assignment this week was to photograph the humble egg. I was supposed to start with a white egg, but I live in the land where "brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh," and I had a fridge-full. So I improvised and used a brown egg and a robin's egg that we found in the yard a few years back. So here are my egg shots, indoors and out, in lamplight, early morning light, and gray outdoor light.








Just when I had finished up, along came Phoebe-the-cat and brushed her tail against the little robin's egg, and it broke into pieces. The wind scattered the pieces into the woods, and it was gone. And then there was only one.
These were all taken with my 50mm f1.8 lens. So it would be fun to try some shots with my other lenses. Also, I'll put white eggs on my next grocery list and try the white balance exercise, too.

ghosts in the hollow

Ghosts in the Hollow from Jim Lo Scalzo on Vimeo.

If I could spend all my time exploring and capturing images like this of places like this, I would be content. I get that this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it alights my wanderlust.

inspired by bronte

Here are some images inspired by reading and watching Jane Eyre, as mentioned in my last post about Bronte-Along. These are photo collages I created using photos and textures gleaned from creative commons. A wonderful resource for finding the tools to get inspired!