posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:26 am
It never mattered if I was in a bad mood. All I had to do was walk Gregory to school, crossing the street, then walk back, crossing the street again. Without fail, as long as Bob was our crossing guard that day, I came home smiling.
It’s the Bob Effect.
Even last year, when Gregory went to a school on the other side of town, Bob was always smiling and waving as I drove by in my car.
I don’t know what it is about Bob that makes him such a smiley guy.
I mean, standing in the busy road holding up a stop sign and praying the cars will actually stop doesn’t seem like the sort of job that would guarantee unconditional smiling. Rain, freezing cold, thunderstorms, unbearable heat, it never seems to bother Bob. His beautiful smile has a light to it that seems to shine, soul to soul, and it stays with you for quite some time.
I’m not the only one affected by Bob’s happy demeanor. On the last day of school, I saw many parents walking by, giving Bob gifts and hugs and thanking him for being there for us.
In fact there are only two times I’ve ever seen Bob not smiling. There will, for example, be a stern look and possibly a shout whenever a car is not slowing down quickly enough at the sight of his stop sign. And once or twice, when a child was not particularly listening to his instructions to wait until the traffic was clearly stopped, Bob would assume the holding position, hand extended in a “don’t step into the crosswalk until I give the ok” stance, saying sternly, yet lovingly, “Wait. WAIT!”
Bob takes his job very seriously.
I think the reason Bob is so smiley is because he knows that he can have an impact on all the people, young and old, who cross his path, insuring their safety and brightening their day.
As for me, when I walk by people on the street now, I smile a big bright smile (most of the time — I’m trying really hard, Bob!) and I say “have a great day!” and whether or not I get a response, I feel like a lighter person deep to my core. It’s an inner smile that lifts me and can easily turn a disastrous morning — you know, a whacky-hair, cat-ate-my-homework, can’t-find-my-shoes, socks-don’t-match kind of day — into a contagiously happy morning.
That’s the Bob Effect.
I see Bob. He smiles. I smile back. I see you. I smile at you. You smile back.
So Bob, if you happen to be reading this, I want you to know how you’ve changed my life. Your outward smile, so beautiful by the way, has without question, made me a happier person. Thank you for being my crossing guard. May God bless you and bring you all the happiness that you give to others with your gorgeous smile.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 1:31 pm
I was going to just put up a few pictures from the last day of school, but Mike said it would be cool to pull out various pictures from the whole year for a “Highlights of First Grade” show. So click the picture, or click here! We love you, Gregory!
HUGE thanks to Mike for taking pictures of Gregory and me walking to school one day. That was my birthday present and I LOVE IT!!
Check back soon for a tribute to Bob, our beloved crossing guard!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:04 am
(Photo by Daniel Snow.)
From Julie’s Web site: “Julie Steiskal will be remembered for her passion for photography and love for those around her.”
Julie, an active member of my photography forum, died yesterday while on a mission trip with her church. She had such helpful, experienced advice — always laced with a great sense of humor — for those of us who photograph children and families. Her love for God and her love for her family and friends was evident in everything she did. I extend my deepest sympathies to the Steiskal and Evans families, and all the people who knew and loved them.
To Julie’s family in particular, I have a feeling that you know how deeply Julie touched her clients and friends through the images she captured with her camera. Her love for photography was evident! But her passion went so much deeper than that in her willingness to teach and share with thousands of photographers all over the world who participate in our community. She will be missed.
(News links and memorial information here.)
From Julie’s “about” page on her Web site: “We need a renaissance of wonder. We need to renew, in our hearts and in our souls, the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, the perennial sense that life is miracle and magic.” — E. Merrill Root
Click here for a beautiful and touching slide show.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:51 pm
Click the picture, or click here, for a bittersweet slide show from some of the pictures I’ve been taking this week.
The picture above is from the First Grade Author’s Tea. This annual event is usually held on the lawn but just as the children were filing out to meet their audience, rain began to fall and the reading was moved into the gym.
This is my G-rex, the Destroyer, (regular blog readers know him as Gregory) and his best friend, Hurricane Shane. This was Hurricane’s last week in our close-knit little community. Just hours after the last day of school yesterday, he and his family moved to another state. We will miss you, Hurricane! I chose the music — “As If We Never Said Goodbye” — because I really can’t stand that they’re leaving so I’m just going to go into intentional denial about that fact.
(Check back tomorrow for pictures from our last-day lunch.)
I also included a few pictures in the slide show of kindergarten graduation. I still remember Bradley’s graduation from kindergarten. He got sunscreen in his eyes and was up on the stage BAWLING until I finally went up there and took him off the stage. It was awful! But Gregory’s graduation last year was absolutely wonderful. I still love that slide show more than just about any one I’ve ever made. It still makes me cry. If you want to see it, send me a message or post a comment and I’ll send you the link in e-mail.
Ooooh! And check back next year in late June for a massive slide show project of eighth grade graduation. I’ve got BIG PLANS! Bradley’s class better be ready to be seeing a lot of me next year!
COMING SOON: A TRIBUTE TO BOB, the best crossing guard in the universe! Keep your eye on the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:23 am
Some friends of mine are looking for a caring home for their two cats.
Archie says, “They are mother and daughter: the mother is a beautiful long-hair Maine Coon and loves snuggling with you on the sofa. The daughter is a sleek, short-hair tabby who is playful, inquisitive and occasionally politically active. They have had their shots and have been spayed.”
If you’re interested, email me at julie@juliewaltonshaver.com, or leave a comment and I’ll hook you up with Archie’s number. He’s heartbroken to have to find them a new home, but trust me, there’s a really good reason that has nothing to do with the kitties.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 5:58 am
This was the last picture from Father’s Day. Isn’t that a sweet picture of Gregory, Mike and Bradley? It was a very long time in the making! Took me ALL DAY to get this shot!
This was the first one of the day, in Mike’s favorite (salad and breadsticks) restaurant, Olive Garden. Gregory was an unwilling participant in the pictures, saying, “I don’t know how to smile.” Yeah right. I have no problem getting natural smiles out of YOUR child, but mine, well, that’s another story.
He doesn’t know how to smile at my camera, the true child of a mamarazzi.
We were working on new headshots for Mike. Isn’t he cute!?
Here’s an outtake. (I’m a dead person for posting this.)
I love this one!
Here’s another outtake. Love it!!! (Lips tend to get dry during an intensive photoshoot, so occasionally I might say something like, “wet your lips.” But to my own husband, it might come out more like, “your lips look flat.” Hence, a really cute pucker and a major tummy smile from behind the camera!
Bradley was my photo assistant. His job was to hold the reflector. He did not enjoy this job at all. I think he was jealous of the fact that somebody else was the center of my camera attention, so when I turned the camera on him (after an hour or so of shooting his dad), he actually gave me a half-smile! Yay!
By the end of the shoot, Bradley was beat.
But being the mamarazzi that I am, I couldn’t resist trying to get a nice shot of all three of my men. Unfortunately, Gregory was not cooperating, and Bradley was too tired. (Reflectors are so heavy, you know.)
Mike was trying to get Gregory to smile. Meanwhile, Bradley was getting more and more bored.
Come ON, Gregory! If we get this done we can all go home!
Nope. (Focus, Bradley, just a minute longer…)
Nope. I love Bradley’s sequence of expressions in these — SO typical of his personality. But, as I said under the first picture, I did finally get the shot of my dreams, soon to be displayed on a desk near me! Yay!
Here’s Mike’s headshot. Thanks for your help Bradley, and for your patience, Gregory!
Here’s the second headshot. Always a good idea to have a couple of options. Isn’t he so handsome?
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 3:35 pm
This is my desk at The Times. I have lots of pictures of my family on my desk, but as you can see, there isn’t a lot of space. Today, I have 3 new mounted prints I want to add to my collection.
Probably the single most common question I am asked is, “What is a mounted print?” Simple! It’s a regular print that is permanently attached to a flat surface, usually mat board.
This is a 5×7 print of one of my latest pictures of Gregory. I love the picture, so I want to put it on my desk. It would fit in any 5×7 frame, but I don’t want to take up any more space on my desk, so I’m just going to prop the print up on a makeshift easel.
This is my easel, a standard paperclip.
All I have to do is bend the paperclip…
…get a piece of tape…
tape the paperclip to the back…
…stand it up…
…Voila! A durable photograph displayed with no hassle and virtually no expense except what it cost me to purchase the mounted print. I get prints in various sizes for variety on my desk. 5×5, 4×6, 5×7, and sometimes I put up 7×10’s. That’s the other cool thing about the paperclip stand — I don’t have to worry about finding odd-size frames!
I love looking at pictures of my boys having fun!
Oooh! Little tip: be sure to write the date on the back of the print so you don’t forget when it was taken!
Even though all my prints are coated, I keep prints that aren’t covered with UV-coated glass away from direct sunlight. When they get dusty, I gently swish the dust away using a lint-free cloth.
With a little caution against bumping, paperclip prints should last for decades!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:11 am
We got a new bubble making thing the other day at the street fair.
As long as bubbles are flying in the air, my sons will chase them. I love bubbles.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 4:15 pm
The other day, Mike spotted this deer standing in our neighbor’s front yard. I subsequently followed the deer, along with a police cruiser who was trying to entice the deer into the woods or back towards the direction of the swamps. I know it’s common for people to spot deer in suburban New Jersey, but it’s not something you see everyday here on Main Street. He eventually disappeared into the woods.
This little robin is living in a nest in my arborvitae with two other little robins right outside my front door! They’re so close to the door that you can watch the mommy robin feed her babies. It’s TOO CUTE! (Coincidentally, deer LOVE to eat arborvitae trees. Arbs are like candy to them. Fortunately, the deer in my neighbor’s yard didn’t make it anywhere near our little nest.)
There’s momma!
She won’t fly up to feed them if I’m standing outside, so this was taken from inside the door, hence the bad contrast. Plus, she literally drops the worm into the baby’s mouth, then flies away. It all takes a split second, then she’s off to search for more worms. It’s kind of intoxicating to be so close to a little family right in my front yard. Next project: find the bunnys’ nest.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:34 am
