Rays Of Light (212/365)

 
“Though the circular round-and-round of routine be the bulk of life's affairs, make an occasional jutting diversion - of fun, love, or something that will outlast you - so the shape and motion of your life shall resemble the round life-giving sun with bright rays shining forth from all directions.”

Terri Guillemets (U.S. quotation anthologist, creator of The Quote Garden)

TIME:  7:15 PM
PLACE:  Red Bud, IL off Highway 159
SUBJECT:  Sun rays

HH and I went out to dinner with my friend Denise and her husband Rob at Robert Scott’s Grill.  After we ate, we drove down to Red Bud to find some Michelob Golden Draft Light that is apparently being test marketed in some of the smaller towns near us.  We found and purchased said brew.  On the way out of town, driving back home, the sun was making these rays as it went down behind the clouds.  Beautiful.

A Night At The Races (211/365)

 
"The only decent people I ever saw at the racecourse were horses."

James Joyce (Irish novelist, 1882-1941)

TIME:  10:17 PM
PLACE:  Fairmount Park Racetrack
SUBJECT: Race 7 start (One mile on the dirt)

My cousin’s (and BFF’s) birthday is tomorrow (the 31st) and we celebrated tonight by going to the horse races.  It poured down rain prior to the 1st post time and rained during the first couple of races.  The track conditions were sloppy.  I didn’t place any bets, I’m not a big gambler and the horse I *really* wanted to bet on, “Greattobeabeaver,” was scratched in the 7th race.  (Because you have the mind of a 12-year-old boy, you giggled when you read that, …admit it). 

On Tuesday afternoons, they have a 1:00pm post time and “Horse Hooky Specials”: $1.50 admission, 75 cent soft drinks, $1.00 hotdogs and $1.50 draft beer.  Hmmmm, maybe I should take the munchkins.  I really think they’d like to see the horses run. 

Wormy (210/365)

“June 15:  My older sister thinks she’s so pretty.  I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end.
Spider thought that was really funny.
Mom did not.”

Cronin, Doreen. *Diary Of A Worm*. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2004. 

TIME:  6:21 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Worm

The swimming pool is officially kaput.  It had developed an air leak in the upper ring about a month ago and the last time we filled it, it also started to leak water.  Try as HandsomeHusband and I might, we couldn’t find exactly where either leak was located.  So, the pool made its acquaintance with the trash container this evening.  When I pulled up the tarp covering the ground underneath the pool, I spied an extremely long worm.  I quickly ran inside to get StellaDella, who I knew would appreciate the length of this non-arthropod invertebrate.  She did.

Butterscotched (209/365)

 
Willy Wonka: Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.

Stuart, Mel. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Perf. Gene Wilder. David L. Wolper Productions. 1971.

TIME:  8:08 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Butterscotch morsel package & mixing bowl

The kids wanted me to make cookies this evening.  I told them that the only way I would do it would be if they cleaned off the supper table.  MonkeyBoy got right on it and promptly slopped a whole bunch of bacon drippings - we had BLTs for dinner - on the floor from the microwave bacon cooker while trying to clear the counter.  *Sigh*  God love him, he was trying.  I directed him on how to clean up the mess and helped with spraying degreaser on the affected area while he sopped it up with paper towels.  Soon all was well with the world.  Then I made butterscotch oatmeal cookies. 
And ate three of them.

July Tree (208/365)

 
"The Summer looks out from her brazen tower,
Through the flashing bars of July."

Francis Thompson, *A Corymbus for Autumn*  

TIME:  4:26 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Red Sunset Maple Tree

Thunder was rumbling in the sky as I took this photo, but we didn’t receive any rain.

Thread Orts (207/365)

 
“Snip snap, good luck trap."

Great-Grandmother Neal (Work Of My Hands LiveJournal)

TIME:  8:24 PM
PLACE:  Desk
SUBJECT:  Embroidery thread snippets

Just as I did last summer, I am doing some counted cross-stitching to sooth my nerves from the children being home all day.  I am catching all of my left over thread snippets in this Ball jar.  I didn’t want to title my post “Left-Over-Thread-Snippets-In-A-Ball-Jar” <== ‘twas a bit long winded for my taste.  Then I remembered that I had seen these before on some stitching blogs.  After a Google search which took me to Flickr, Dictionary.com, Wikipedia, blogs about Java thread dumps(?) and beyond, I finally found a blog that described my jar of snippets.  Work Of My Hands wrote a lovely post describing how and why her Appalachian Great-Grandmother collected her left over sewing and embroidery threads.  Now that I know the saying, I will be uttering that verse every time I drop an ort in my jar.

Night Clouds (206/365)

 
“Clouds now and again
give a soul some respite from
moon-gazing—behold.”

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), Japanese poet. (untitled haiku), Trans. by Bernard Lionel Einbond, in Cicada I, No. 4 (Winter 1977).

TIME:  9:21 PM
PLACE:  Outside
SUBJECT:  Night clouds and moon

I feel like I wasted this day.  I messed around with the mountains of photos on my notebook, trying to get them in some semblance of order with Picasa.  I was able to delete several duplicate folders – over 2 gigs worth – more hard drive space for me!  I also gathered papers together for reimbursement from our medical savings account and I washed, dried and folded several loads of laundry; so I guess that I did get a little bit accomplished.  I still feel like I should have gotten more done.  Funny, I didn’t have much enthusiasm for doing anything during the day, but now that it is late at night, I am ready to get something done.  I need to adjust my biorhythms.

Listen To The Mockingbird (205/365)

“No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?”

Bertrand Russell (English Logician and Philosopher 1872-1970)

TIME:  10:19 AM
PLACE:  Back yard
SUBJECT:  Mockingbird

I took Oreo out this morning and lordy, was it hot again.  I stood in the shade of the nut tree that my dad planted for me.  While I stood there, I heard a mockingbird and looked around to see if I could spot him.  There he was, at the tippy top of our pine tree.  The pine is taller than our 2-story house, so he was waaay up there.  He was singing beautifully and lucky for me, stayed there while I ran back inside and grabbed my little camera.  He even sang a bit while I took pictures.

The Ants Go Marching (204/365)

 
“The ants go marching one by one. Hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one. Hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down,
to the ground,
to get out,
of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.”

“The Ants Go Marching,” Unknown.

TIME:  8:02 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Ant

Hot.  Humid.  Headache.  Uninspired.  Tired.

Entre Vous (203/365)

 
“Every exit is an entrance somewhere else”

Tom Stoppard (British Playwright, b.1937)

TIME:  11:18 AM
PLACE:  Drive-in
SUBJECT:  Entrance sign

I picked up DQ from her final art class and stopped at the grocery store to pick up bacon and a tomato for the BLTs I planned for dinner tonight.  The grocery store is right by the drive-in movie theater and I pass this sign when I exit the parking lot.  Yes, I exit where it says “ENTRANCE”…I’m such a rebel.

Groucho Impression (202/365)

 
“I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.”

Groucho Marx (American, comedian, 1890–1977)

TIME:  6:37 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Me

HH was out of town at a meeting so for supper tonight, I did the lazy mom thing and purchased fast food for the munchkins.  Arby’s for DQ and MB and Wendy’s for SD.  SD had a cheeseburger kid’s meal – the theme of the meal was “Unleash Your Family’s Talents”.  The toy she received inside was these funny face glasses and some joke cards.  Here’s an example of one of the jokes ~
”Knock, knock. 
Who’s there? 
Isabelle. 
Isabelle who? 
Isabelle broken?…I had to knock.”
*rimshot*  Thank you, thank you!  I’ll be here all week.

Dyson (201/365)

 
Homer Simpson: [at a police seized-property auction] Wow, sweetheart, look at all this seized booty. We could find the drug boat of our dreams!
Marge Simpson: I don't want a drug boat.
Homer Simpson: Well, I bet there's drug dresses and drug vacuum cleaners too.

"Reality Bites." The Simpsons. Perf. Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner. 1997. Television.

TIME:  9:07 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  My Dyson and the reason I own one

My Dyson seemed to have lost its suckage, especially in the wand.  I called the 800 number on Thursday afternoon and the representative walked me through troubleshooting my vacuum.  We determined that it didn’t have a blockage and needed to be sent to a repair shop.  They located one near me and faxed over paperwork so I could call (they gave me the number as well) and make an appointment.  Lucky me, the out-of-town shop had a satellite office in my city.  I dropped the unit off on Saturday afternoon and today I received a phone call that it was fixed and ready to go.  It needed a new cyclone assembly and was fixed under warranty – Hooray!  Man does it really suck now.  I love my Dyson.

She Lost It (200/365)

 
“Wish on everything. Pink cars are good, especially old ones. And stars of course, first stars and shooting stars. Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars. Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground. Birthday candles. Baby teeth.”

Francesca Lia Block (American, Author, b1962)

TIME:  7:15 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s tooth

This tooth (officially her bottom, front, right one) had been loose for quite some time now.  Her adult tooth had been growing in behind and grew in so much that she was starting to look like a shark with two rows of chompers.  It fell out today…finally!  I hope the tooth fairy actually remembers to come by our house this evening and has money in her wallet ~ she’s been known to be flaky about these things in the past.  I mean if *I* was the tooth fairy *bats eyes and looks around Innocently*, I would never forget something as important as that. 

Chicken Shadow (199/365)

 
“People who count their chickens before they are hatched, act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately”

Oscar Wilde quotes (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900

TIME:  7:38 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  Iron chicken tea light holder

Sunday morning, rain was falling.  In the afternoon, the sun was shining.  I was a bit lazy today.  I picked up DramaQueen from my brother’s house where she spent the night after attending the Lady GaGa concert with her cousin.  Later, I went to the fabric store to do some browsing, then to the grocery store for a few things to complete the supper menu.  HH made a couple of Mojitos to sip after we ate.  Right now, the dishes are still on the table and pans are on the stove; all waiting for me to clean them up.  I guess I better go do it.

Wormholes (198/365)

 
“'Tis no sinister nor awkward claim
Picked from the wormholes of long-vanished days,
Nor from the dust of old oblivion raked.”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), British dramatist, poet. Exeter, in Henry V, act 2, sc. 4, l. 87. On Henry's claim to France; "sinister" means erroneous or underhanded.

TIME:  6:37 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  Barnwood shelf edge.

Dana and I went to the local flea market this morning before she headed home.  I’ve been searching for a certain something to place on my front porch to hide the 2nd entrance door ~ Our home was a duplex until we expanded and made it single housing and we don’t use the 2nd door at all ~ I wasn’t sure what I would put there, but I figured I would know it when I saw it.  One vendor had a two piece hutch made with weathered wood from an old barn.  Bingo.  I talked to the dealer who said she could take $35 off the price.  Tempting, but I didn’t commit right then.  I did take a picture with my cell phone to show HH later.  I showed him the photo and Dana, the enabler, *wink* agreed that it would look good on my porch.  So, dear Dana, due the the pressure that you put on me *ahem*, I caved.  After you left, I went back and purchased the hutch.  It fits the spot perfectly and I love it.  See, you can be a good influence!

Ginormous Turtle (197/365)

 
“Turtle Goddess
she of the hard shell
soft underneath
awaits enormously
in a dark grotto
the young Heroes....”
 
Denise Levertov (b. 1923), Anglo-U.S. poet. "The Film."

TIME:  7:34 PM
PLACE:  Turtle playground in Forest Park
SUBJECT:  Soft shelled turtle sculpture

We have a friend visiting this weekend.  Dana from “Dana Does Digital” arrived last night and is staying with us until Saturday.  Unfortunately for Dana, my children were comfortable enough with her to feel that they did not have to be on their best behavior.  They acted normally and whined and bickered amongst themselves as if they had known her all their lives.  We try to make sure that when you’re here, you’re family, and get to see us warts and all at Casa Sujomi.  Today, she suffered through a day of sight seeing with me and the kids.  Our grand tour included a trip up in the Arch, a stop at the Old Courthouse, eating lunch at the Lafayette Fire Co. No. 1, shopping for a bit and then heading back to the abode for a short rest.  When HH finished work, we then went back to St. Louis for some tasty sushi and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard on Old Route 66 for some dessert.  On our way to Ted Drewes, HH drove a meandering scenic route to make sure that Dana had plenty of photo ops while she was here.  One of the places we stopped at was this Turtle playground in Forest Park.

Furniture Polish (196/365)

“We labor to make a house a home, then every time we're expecting visitors, we rush to turn it back into a house.”

Robert Brault (American, freelance writer).

TIME:  8:28 PM
PLACE:  Dining room table
SUBJECT: Pledge & Endust furniture polish

Sometimes it seems as if the only time my house gets cleaned is when we have guests.  I guess we need to have guests more often!

Dishes (195/365)

“Everybody wants to eat at the government's table, but nobody wants to do the dishes.”

Werner Finck (German comedian, actor, 1902-1978)

TIME:  11:58 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Clean dishes in dishwasher

I thank God for my dishwasher everyday.  One of the best. inventions. ever.  But I think I might have to stick a decision chart on the front of it for my family.  Is your dish dirty?  Yes.  Open door to dishwasher.  Are the dishes inside dirty?  Yes.  Can your dish be placed inside?  Yes.  Place dish in dishwasher and close door.  Is dishwasher now full of dirty dishes?  Yes.  Add dishwashing powder and turn on.  Are the dishes clean?  Yes.  Take clean dishes out and place in proper places in the cabinets and drawers, then place your dirty dishes inside the dishwasher.  Close door.  Excellent job!  Now your mom/wife is a happy person. 

Roof (194/365)

“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.”

Irish Blessing

TIME:  5:59 PM
PLACE:  Back yard
SUBJECT:  Playhouse roof

HH and I built this playhouse for the kids back in 2003 based upon plans from the Family Fun website.  The instructions called for an outdoor, weather resistant fabric or canvas for the roof.  Last year, it really started to show wear; the colors had faded, it had a large rip in the canvas and I could see other holes beginning to emerge.  I guess, after 7 years, It was time for a replacement.  I decided to stick with a stripe pattern like we had before, but chose orange to replace the original green color.  I hemmed up the sides this afternoon and HH helped me reattach it to the structure.  It looks much better now.

Tim-ber! (193/365)

“When gravity calls, something falls.”

J. L. W. Brooks

TIME:  8:14 PM
PLACE:  HH’s closet
SUBJECT:  Fallen clothing

Late last night/early this morning, we were awaken by a loud crash.  HH got up to investigate but didn’t see anything.  “It must have been the cats.” he said.  Right.  I found out what made the noise when I went to hang up his clean laundry in his closet this morning.  The supports holding his clothing rod had broken and down it went.  After work, I made a trip to The Home Depot for replacement hangers and I installed them this evening.  Most of the clothing was still on the hangers and the hangers were still on the rod.  It took both HH and I to lift and place the rod back on the supports.  We can see why it fell – that sucker was heavy!

The Life Of Riley (192/365)

“I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.”

Rita Rudner (American Writer and Comedian, b.1955 Miami, Florida, USA)

TIME:  6:48 PM
PLACE:  Denise’s house
SUBJECT:  Riley

I was able to get a nap in before we attended our final birthday party this weekend.  I didn’t want to get up, but they were feeding us supper and I can’t pass up not having to cook.  My friend Denise has three children, two girls and a boy, and their birthday’s are in June, July and August.  She throws one joint party for the crew – smart woman!  This is Riley, their labradoodle.  It was very difficult to capture Riley on film; she was very active, mainly trying to snag some of the supper we were being served.

Bluebird (191/365)

  
“Early in life, I was visited by the bluebird of anxiety”

Woody Allen (American Actor, Author, Screenwriter and Film Director, b.1935)

TIME:  8:34 PM
PLACE:  My brother’s house
SUBJECT:  Bluebird

This is a weekend about baby showers, birthday parties and me driving from town to town.  DQ, SD and I went to a baby shower this afternoon in a town about 16 miles west of us.  Then at 4:30, I had to deliver DQ to a birthday party/sleepover at her friend Lola’s house.  Lola lives in a town 8 miles south of us.  Came back home, then HH, MB, SD and I left for my nephew’s birthday get together at my brother’s house.  My brother lives in another town, about 7 miles southwest from our house.  Tomorrow afternoon, we have another birthday shindig to attend.  I think we are going to overload on cake this weekend.  ~  My brother has a bluebird house in his backyard.  I took this picture from his back deck, but I’m not really excited with it.  I had the camera shakes this evening and should have gotten the tripod out.

Scout Camp (190/365)

 
“A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp.”

Raymond Duncan

TIME:  5:18 & 6:13 PM
PLACE:  Boy Scout Camp
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy at his tent and the Lake

Well, he survived the week.  And it wasn’t until Thursday night that he was homesick enough to have to borrow a leader’s cell phone and call home.  Tonight was Family Night ~ I ended up going by myself and was able to spend some time alone with my boy.  He said he had a good time while at camp ~ he swam, canoed, did archery, rifle shooting, kayaking and earned several merit badges.  We had the option of taking our camper home this evening.  To avoid driving back tomorrow (and due to the number of things we have going on Saturday morning), MB ended up coming home with me tonight after the ceremonial campfire ended ~ around 9:45pm.  He was so tired.  He told me that he didn’t sleep well all week; he kept waking up at night because he wasn’t in his bed and missed me and HH.  He quickly fell asleep in the car, but woke up when I pulled into Mickey D’s for some ice cream.  After eating said dairy dessert, he went back to sleep and slept until we arrived home.  He stumbled out of the Jeep, retrieved his pillow from the back and went straight upstairs to his bed.  Unpacking will have to wait until tomorrow.

Brain Games (189/365)

  
“Do I rue a life wasted doing crosswords?  Yes, but I do know the three-letter-word for regret.” 

Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

TIME:  9:30 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Newspaper

Sometimes you just gotta exercise your brain.  And it’s a nice change of pace from doing the laundry.

Summer Candles (188/365)

 
“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.”

George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

TIME:  9:47 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Candle decoration

I have a round glass tray that I use for seasonal candle displays.  In the summer I use this blue mosaic holder, rocks and shells along with other candles for a summer beach theme.  I lit them tonight because there was a strong wet dog odor in my house ~ not my favorite smell.   We had summer showers late this afternoon and early evening and Oreo got soaked when she went outside to do her business.  Poor doggie, I know she can’t help that she stinks.

Tiger In The Grass (187/365)

 
“Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, he is still only a whisker away from the wilds.”

Jean Burden (American poet, essayist, and author, 1914–2008)

TIME:  8:10 PM
PLACE:  The backyard
SUBJECT:  Tessa

Our two cats for the most part, are indoor cats.  Our male cat, Jack, shows no interest in venturing outside, while our female cat, Tessa, is the great escape artist.  Usually when I enter the house, I crack open the screen door and shoosh her away from the threshold with my foot.  But she’s crafty and she knows that if one of the kids enters, or leaves, especially StellaDella, they often keep the door open longer and she will make her move.  She ended up getting out late this afternoon.  I went outside this evening to find something to photograph…I was going for a photo of the central air conditioning unit, but HH pointed out Miss Tessa lying in the grass.

Winged Mascot (186/365)

 
“They swayed about upon a rocking horse, And thought it Pegasus.”

Keats,John. 'Sleep and Poetry', l.186^7.

TIME:  6:31 AM
PLACE:  Centreville Ave.
SUBJECT:  Mobil Pegasus neon sign

Yes, I really was up this early.  I rolled out of bed a little after 6am, put in my contacts, got dressed and hopped on my bicycle for an early morning ride with my dad.  On my way to the bike trail I always pass this old Mobil Oil mascot hanging above the entrance to an auto repair business.   I don’t think that the sign is in working condition – I’ve never seen it lit – but I still think it’s pretty cool.

Fourth Of July (185/365)

 
“My God!  How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!”

Thomas Jefferson (American, third President of the United States (1801–1809), and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence-1776, 1743–1826)

TIME:  9:24 PM
PLACE:  East St. Louis Riverfront
SUBJECT:  Fireworks over the Arch

MonkeyBoy left for Boy Scout Camp this afternoon.  He will be there a week – his first time away from home for more than one night.  I’m sure he will do O.K.  

As we have done for the past several years, we drove down to the Mississippi River to watch the fireworks over the Arch.  My sister, her husband and kids joined us this year.

Flower Fireworks (184/365)

 
“Flowers construct the most charming geometries: circles like the sun, ovals, cones, curlicues and a variety of triangular eccentricities, which when viewed with the eye of a magnifying glass seem a Lilliputian frieze of psychedelic silhouettes.”

Duane Michals, *The Vanishing Act*

TIME:  7:43 AM
PLACE:  Along the bike trail
SUBJECT:  Queen Anne’s Lace

MonkeyBoy and I woke up early this morning and rode the bike trail.  We counted the animals we saw while riding: 13 rabbits, 11 squirrels, 1 cat and one cardinal.  There were many Queen Anne’s Lace flowers along the trail.  I made MB stop so I could take a photo of them.  I said that some of them look like snowflakes; he said that they reminded him of fireworks.  Being that tomorrow is the Fourth of July, I think that his observation is more appropriate.

A Barrel Of Flags (183/365)

 
“Freedom's natal day is here.
Fire the guns and shout for freedom,
See the flag above unfurled!
Hail the stars and stripes forever,
Dearest flag in all the world.”

“Song of Freedom”, written by Florence A. Jones.

TIME:  6:42 PM
PLACE:  Main Street, Downtown
SUBJECT:  American Flags

MonkeyBoy’s Boy Scout Troop put up flags along 6 blocks of Main Street and around the public square this evening for the Fourth of July.  HandsomeHusband usually accompanies him, but this evening, he stayed home and  I went along for the event.  The flag holders are on the light poles about 10 feet in the air.  The troop has a specially made tool that helps them place the flags into the holders; they don’t need to drag ladders down the street and it makes the job go quickly.  I thought it was pretty ingenious.

Catch Of The Day (182/365)

 
“everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.”
 
Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979), U.S. poet. The Fish (l. 74-76). . . The Complete Poems, 1927-1979 [Elizabeth Bishop]. (1983) Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

TIME:  8:40 PM
PLACE:  S. 11th Street
SUBJECT:  Large mouth bass

MonkeyBoy’s baseball team had a team party this evening hosted by one of the boy’s parents at their house.  They had a trampoline, a pool and a lake for the boys and their siblings to jump on, swim in and fish.  StellaDella took advantage of all three.  I helped her fish and even did a little fishing myself.  We tight lined, using a rubber worm on a hook and a small weight.  After about 15 minutes of casting, I ended up hooking this bass.  SD was originally holding it by the pole for a photo, but it broke the line and I had to scrambled to grab him before he flopped off the dock.  After re-catching him, I quickly held him out with my left hand and snapped the photo with my right; then SD helped me release him back into the lake.