...Is Another Man's Dog

See http://monixkap.wix.com/mkaplerphotography for my portrait website

This old ball of fur turned 12 on April 6th.

I was 12 when we got him, which means he's been around here for half of my entire life. It feels like I've had him for half my life, because I remember the years of childhood angst spent begging for a dog but since I've had him it's like it's always been that way.

 

He's an old dog now but he's just as cute as the day we got him.

 

The year Bandit turned 1 we were very excited kids so my mom baked an angel food cake to celebrate and we took pictures with the four of us holding Bandit at the table and then proceeded to eat cake in front of him. (He got a taste, of course)

 

This tradition has continued long past our childhoods.

(Probably because it's a great excuse to eat cake.)

 

And because how many dogs are well-behaved enough to pose in front of a piece of cake while wearing a party hat?

(The fact that the cake is on fire probably somewhat deters him.)

 

He's my buddy.

He's a great dog and he just gets more endearing with age.

The number 12 is a little punch in the gut though, knowing his natural life expectancy is about 15. Then last weekend during some spring cleaning we decided to throw out his old homemade agility equipment because he's really gotten too old to use it.

Ouch.

We've been enjoying agility together for half of my entire life now.

 

The truth is that when you've had a dog for 12 years he becomes a fixture in your home, in your life, a member of the family. 

Sometimes he smells like an old rug.

But he's my favorite old rug.

 

-Monica

 

Clearwater, Florida

See http://monixkap.wix.com/mkaplerphotography for my portrait website

 

 

 

I spent my spring break in the tropical paradise of Clearwater, Florida with my mom, aunt, and cousin. There were limitless photographic opportunities there. I especially enjoyed all the color since Minnesota in the middle of March tends to be mostly dead and brown. We stayed in a hotel on the beach which was very fun!

 

These pelicans were so amazing. The ones around the pier were very used to humans, so I was able to get very close to them. They also hung around by fishermen waiting for handouts!

A sunny portrait of my cousin

Fishing birds on the marina. It was cool to get some shots of the two below fighting.

 

One day we took a ferry out to Caladesi Island. It's a state park so it's kept very clean and there were only a few people around. It was beautiful and peaceful, and there were cool birds everywhere and tons of shells washed ashore.

My cousin was writing "Hello" but it looks like she's writing "Help" and her outstretched arm adds to the drama.

This shell reminded me of an angel's wings.

This cluster of little willets was so cute!

Hidden lizard

My cousin and I had fun taking portraits with this umbrella.

One day we sat out on Clearwater beach and watched the sunset.

I really enjoyed taking candid shots of this group of girls.

Their outfits were so beautiful and they were all laughing and having a good time.

My brother and his girlfriend (who were in Orlando while we were in Clearwater) drove down one day to see us. The day they came there was thick sea fog which made for some really cool shots.

 

 

Thanks for visiting!!

- Monica



The Hungry Mind

See http://monixkap.wix.com/mkaplerphotography for my portrait website

 

 

 

I keep a Bucket List. Things I want to do, places I want to go, experiences I want to experience before I kick the bucket. Some examples are to visit every state in the USA (16 down!), visit every country in the world (4 down, a few hundred to go. Go big or stay home, right?), and bowl a perfect game (current record 155).

 

There are several restaurants on the bucket list as well. I will shamelessly admit that most of them are on there because they have a funny name. Until recently, one of them was The Hungry Mind located in Mason City, Iowa.

 

I also shamelessly documented the experience through photography.

 Patrons of the Hungry Mind must arrive with an appetite for...
 



 Enlightenment!!

 

My wonderful sister and cousin accompanied me on this noteworthy outing, bless them.

 

Elena ponders the big questions over lunch.

Is she simply consuming a glass of Mountain Dew...or in the end will the Mountain Dew consume her...?

 

The food here was actually very good as was the service. Even beyond that, the atmosphere was enjoyable. Our server and the gentleman at the counter both took the time to converse with us and it felt friendly and cozy. Not an uncommon experience in the more rural parts of Iowa, but a welcome experience nonetheless. If you find yourself in the Mason City area in need of a meal, I highly recommend the Hungry Mind.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon quite elated by the fact that I was able to check off another item on my bucket list! Got to get crackin' on those countries, though...

 

Thanks for visiting!

- Monica

From Image to Art

See http://monixkap.wix.com/mkaplerphotography for my portrait website

 

 

 

 

I took this picture of my brother several months ago on a family trip to Duluth, MN and was playing with it today in Photoshop. I came up with two very different looks that I liked for it and gave them names (so they're real art now *winks*).

 

The original image looks very different from either one of these but really what I did was choose one element of the original image to create a piece of art around that clearly communicates just a single idea.