Holiday photos: family, golf, critters

Got back from visiting my family in north Louisiana, and thought I would share a few pics. All photos taken with my Nikon D70s (D80 on order!!).

We'll start off with a shot of my kids (and my son's wife on the right). Not the best background, but as usual the 50mm makes the people look good:




The next group of photos are from a golf outing I had with my dad and my younger brother. Most of the country thinks of winter as the "off season" for golf, but in the south it's the best time to play. Weather was wonderful, but very bright sun made for challenging photos. Plus my dad and brother both decided to wear white shirts, which didn't help. All the golf shots were taken using my Sigma 100-300mm f/4 lens.

This is at the Squire Creek golf club in Choudrant, LA, just a few miles from the parents' house. It's an awesome course, but oh man, is the club Republican! My dad said I shouldn't take my car, with the "No W" and "Dem" stickers on it. All the TV's inside the clubhouse were set to Fox News. And I saw an announcement that "Doro" Bush, Dubya's sister, was coming for a talk in a few weeks. I know the elder Bush and Barbara have been there, too. Anyway, on to the photos.

Dad, eyeing his tee shot:


My brother, Jerry:


Beautiful course, even in the dead of winter. A good example of the many huge bunkers there:


A long putt. Greens were PGA-level fast.


Jerry again, looking serious:


And me, out from behind the camera for once. This is what golfing form looks like when you only play twice a year:



My mom always has things decorated around the house. This time I noticed she had a number of animal figures outside. Sounds like it could be tacky, but she always manages to make them look good:





And here's a real critter scampering around the front yard. I know squirrels are common, but it took me a long time of sitting very still to get this mediocre shot. Wildlife photography is hard!

of the golf course. I don't play golf, but that looks like a bitch to play.

David Toms, PGA pro, came and played and I think scored around a 68. That's 4-under, but he's very good, so I think that's a pretty typical score for PGA-level courses. I guess I should find out what the "slope" rating is, that would tell me how tough it's considered to be.

For a very occasional golfer like myself, it's a killer. I made 2 pars. The other holes I scored much higher.

thanks for sharing your trip with those of us who didn't get to travel anywhere.:)