Scott Fillmer » scott

The View from Estes Park Colorado in September

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:19:27 +0000

Our view from the cabin in Estes Park looks out over Longs Peak, which just got a dusting of snow over the last night or two. The temps are above freezing at around 8,000 feet where we are, barely, but it’s cold enough. I don’t get a chance to do self-portraits very often but I did this one below this morning as Deborah and I spent some nice quiet time, me reading and Deb knitting. These two shots pretty much show what we like to do when we are not scheduled to be somewhere doing something. It’s great because our location can change but we can pretty much take a few things with us and enjoy spending the day together on the beach, or in the mountains, or at home in the living room for that matter.

This self portrait was pretty neat to me since I was able to combine the two things I’m passionate about in one moment, studying God’s word and photography (meta data here). Self portraits are really much more difficult than one might think, it just isn’t as easy as pushing the button and your done, to me it’s about telling a story as always. I love looking at different ways to do self portraits since it tells so much about the photographer and the person. One of my favorite is this one my grandfather did, which I posted a few years ago.

Only one day left of our mountain view and it’s back to the heat and humidity. Something I’m actually looking forward to since it’s a whole lot easier to breathe in Alabama than it is in Colorado. Tomorrow we have the baby Luke photo shoot and I’m wishing I had all the cute little baby hats, baskets, and cups that Heather Carson in Auburn uses but we do have several Deborah knitting originals to use.

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The Four Fillmer Boys as We Welcome Luke into the World

Scott Fillmer — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 03:15:05 +0000

Well one down and one to go. Today we welcomed baby Luke into the world today at 10:07am in Longmont Colorado. Luke weighed in at 8 pounds and measured 21 inches and seemed to be totally at peace with his own existence within a few minutes, hardly even cried except when various nurses jolted him here and there. The photo above, today’s photo of the day, is the first ever shot of the four Fillmer boys, and also the four people who contributed and helped the very least in bringing baby Luke into the world today. It would be really cool to add the other two Fillmer boys (Larry and Les) to this photo some day, but one is in Germany right now and the other in Alabama.

I think I took about 1200 photos of the baby and all the various participants and visitors from today’s glorious event. There were many great shots of mom and baby but those will come later. Deborah and I were so happy today to be witness to the birth of our second grandson (and we were told our last), can’t wait to share a few more photos down the road so to speak. Next up is my sister who should deliver within a week or so, hopefully she will wait until we get back to Alabama so we can get the first photos of our newest niece.

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Scott in the 1971 Volkswagen Camper Van :: Throwback Thursday

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:08:44 +0000

Yes, it is Throwback-Thursday and yes, this is me in the family Volkswagen Camper Van, a shot taken in May of 1971 when we were apparently on a trip to Colorado Springs. There are many other shots of me years later when I wanted to drive (like in 1972) where I am sitting on the drivers seat, but this should be good enough for this week. My grandmother seems to have written on the back of every single photo ever taken and the caption on the back reads

Scott has his own picnic at Pike National Forest Colorado Springs May ’71

My sister hadn’t come along at this point yet so I was the star of the show. I love the classic look of this van, especially the license plate. Don’t remember exactly but I am pretty sure this van was very new at this point. Worth about 500 times today what they paid for it back then. Wonder if the “Roy Bridges” car dealership is still in business?

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Man’s Best Friend Helps a Self Portrait

Tumble — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:23:51 +0000

I hardly ever do the classic self-portrait but I just happen to need one today. They always seem so bland to me, (I really like something like Brian or Rob I shot a while back, those were two of my favorites). So what else can you do to spice up a portrait if you aren’t a musician like those guys? Add the small furry friend of course.

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Getting Sick is a Waste of Time, Or is It?

Scott Fillmer — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:27:19 +0000

I would say I hate getting sick, but so does everyone. I haven’t been sick to the point where I felt like I needed to stay home from work (or refrain from work, these days you can work from anywhere) for years. I say years because I really can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel well enough to go to work, until yesterday. It really only lasted a few hours in the morning and then the rest of the day was semi-productive but it got me thinking about what a waste of time it is to be sick, or is it God’s way of forcing us to slow down.

Being sick always seemed like a waste of time to me. All of a sudden you are sitting at home with time (which seems to be manufactured from some where, because if you weren’t sick you wouldn’t have the time) to do just about anything, except you can’t or don’t do anything because… you are sick.

Time to stop and smell the flowers so to speak. In a few weeks this part of the country will be in full bloom of Spring. The photo above is one of our very early bloomers in the front yard, and a reminder that one of the most beautiful times of year in the south is on its way, if we stop and take the time to look.

10 Things That Being Sick Brings to Mind

we are not in charge
those of us in generally good health often take it for granted, until we get sick
we have time, we just don’t make time
you take pleasure in little things, like silence
a cloudy rainy day is a great time to be sick
no one wants to be around you
your spouse is the greatest person ever
nothing tastes good
daytime programing hasn’t changed and the news is still annoying
the work you did’t get done, probably didn’t need to be done that day anyway

Of course this comes from being sick where I couldn’t move or do anything for about half a day. If I was laid up for several days in a row I am not sure what in the world I would do with myself.

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How is Your Simple Christmas Going :: Friday Feet

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:25:04 +0000

Our church has been going through a series called Simple Christmas and it was going well until this week. This week has been so incredibly crazy for me I haven’t even had time to do a blog post. Part of it is the photo in my Friday Feet post today. You can see a better description of this new entry into our house here.

I have a huge list of blog entries and all kinds of new posts to do here, hopefully I can get to them over the weekend. Have a nice weekend everyone.

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And the Winner of the Dell Desktop Giveaway is…

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:01:36 +0000

Wow this month went by fast. Yes, today is the day we are giving away the Dell Desktop that we originally posted on November 1st (see I am Giving Away a Free Dell Dimension Computer and 17″ Flat Panel in 29 Days) and we waited all the way until 12:01am on November 29th to announce the winner. All in all we had about 100 responses on the blog directly, with approximately 5-10 of those being qualified entries. I really appreciate all the people who have contacted me directly and I wish I had enough spare computers laying around to give one to everyone, but I only have one.

The Winner is Lisa Pierce with Alabama Rural Ministries (ARM)

Alabama Rural Ministries has a great program and their post (seen here Not Thinking of Myself Today!) is the winning entry. The mission work for ARM is shown on their website as:

Our Mission

We believe Christ’s love must be expressed in action to people in need. ARM is a hands on ministry, responding to people through Christian love with an emphasis in housing repair and children’s ministry.

Alabama Rural Ministry coordinates home repair efforts and children’s day camps in rural parts of Alabama. We are interdenominational but are connected to the United Methodist Church. All denominations are welcome to come and serve!

For the service that you give is not only supplying the needs of everyone but is an expression of many thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11-12

ARM has focused its efforts in sharing God’s love in two primary areas:

Home Repair – The ARM staff assists teams coming to do home repair by purchasing materials, introducing teams to their families, and serving as technical assistants. Typical ARM projects include repairing and/or replacing roofs, ceilings, floors and walls. We also build steps and wheelchair ramps for elderly or disabled individuals. We match our projects with the skills of our volunteers, maximizing the services we are able to provide. Our service extends to plumbing and electrical work when our volunteers are able to do such work. If you are involved in a group with any of these skills, please consider a trip to ARM to help the elderly and disabled families of rural Alabama.

Day Camps – Teams working with the day camp work with the ARM day camp staff to plan Bible studies, songs, recreation activities and much more! Day camps are run similarly to Vacation Bible Schools and other day camp programs. Our volunteers are able to enhance the children’s experiences through interaction, whether it be fellowship, playing games, going on field trips, or presenting Bible stories and devotions. The children of the Sonshine Day Camp are truly remarkable in their ability to show love to so many volunteers that come in and out of their lives each summer. We invite anyone with a love for children to join us for this amazing experience this summer.

Volunteer teams come from all over the country to do either home repair and/or work with day camps for area children. At select sites, groups may choose to do both types of ministries at the same time!

If anyone has a desire to get involved with them I am sure they would love to receive as much help as they can get, and it is a very worth ministry.

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I am Giving Away a Free Dell Dimension Computer and 17" Flat Panel in 29 Days

Scott Fillmer — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:31:08 +0000

Something just a little bit different for my blog today. Today is November 1st, 29 days away from my birthday, and this year, on my birthday I am going to give away this Dell desktop computer plus 17″ flat panel monitor (and a bunch of extras) for free! You don’t even have to pay the shipping.

It is a free computer, monitor, keyboard, wireless mouse, speakers, and an HP printer, to be given away on November 29th. Yep, that’s right football fans, my birthday is on the same day as the Auburn vs Alabama game this year (if anyone wants to send a pair of UA vs AU tickets my way for my birthday that would be cool too), so this giveaway date should be easy to remember if you are the slightest bit familiar with Alabama football.

Every year when your birthday rolls around someone will always ask you what you want for your birthday, and I always liked to do something different instead of opening presents. I like how Brad Ruggles celebrated his birthday yesterday by asking for his readers to donate to Compassion, a fantastic international children’s charity. I may do the same thing, but I am also giving away this Dell desktop computer.

Details About the Dell Computer

The setup will consist of the following:

Dell Dimension E510 Desktop Computer
Windows XP, Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office 2003 (Excel, Word, Powerpoint and all that)
It has a 3.00 GHz Intel Processor, 500mb of RAM
17″ Flat Panel Monitor
HP All-in-one Printer, Scanner, Fax PSC 1210v
Speakers
Keyboard
Microsoft Wireless Mouse
cables, wires, and plugs needed

This does not include any software discs as I can not find them at this point, but everything is up to date and works fine. It is not a brand new computer of course, but it is a good working system for someone who needs a computer.

To Enter to Win the Dell Computer Contest Giveaway

In order to be eligible to win the contest, you will need to do the following simple steps below. Preferably I would like to find someone or some organization that is in need of a computer but can’t afford to buy one. Anyone can enter, but it would be nice to find a home that is in great need of a computer and I will only ship this computer within the CONUS, I am sure you can understand that.

To enter, you will need to do a blog post on your blog that links back to this blog post. Somewhere in the post you just need to use the link to this post, here, and then come back here and leave a comment to let us know where to find your blog post. That’s it, but, don’t expect to win by spamming my blog or leaving comment spam, you will need to write a blog post linking back here to be eligible to win.

If you know someone who doesn’t have a blog and is in need of a computer and would like to enter for them, just do a blog post saying so. The blog post can be very simple and short but it would be nice to read what you need the computer for or how it will help, or who you would like to give it to if you win. I would ask that if you win, and you do not need the printer to let me know so I can save a little bit on shipping.

So there you have it. Simple.

Write a blog post linking back to this blog post right here
Come back here and leave a comment so I know where to go find your post
Tell your friends so they can enter too

If you don’t have a blog, find someone who does and just ask them to enter for you. Any questions at all please feel free to contact me, you have 29 days and counting. The winner will be announced here on my blog on November 29th so you might want to subscribe to my blog or make sure you visit again in 29 days. Good luck.

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My Love of Baseball and Music Come Together :: Throwback Thursday

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:37:10 +0000

This is my latest installment for Throwback Thrusday from Vagabondrunn (see Throwback Thursday (7)). Yes, I finally was able to get some images of me. This one of course is me showing off my two passions at the time, baseball and music.

Actually, not much has changed, except now I am the one taking the photos. I still love baseball and music (although I no longer play the clarinet). This photo was taken in March 1981 by my mother of course. So there you have it, me at age 11.

Have you posted your throwback Thursday photo? Leave a comment below and let me know where to find it.

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National Polka Festival in Ennis Texas 2008

Scott Fillmer — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:08:16 +0000

We are getting ready now for a nice weekend in Ennis at the National Polka Festival. Here is me and the little dude, William hanging before the festival begins. I have been able to take many photos of William each time we visit but this has to be one of my favorites. You can see the reflection in my glasses as I hold the camera way out in front of both of us, while William is trying to figure out what in the world I am doing.

The Polka Festival is something we have tried to go to each year for the last few years, but this year Deborah is competing in the Polka competition with her dad. This is nothing new to Deborah. She has been going to the Ennis National Polka Festival since she was about 5 years old, but this will be the first year to join in on the Polka dance competition. The Ennis Journal interviewed Deborah for the festival, see Polka Royalty Bid, which was a very nice article about her and the festival in general. Sorry the full text is only available when you log into their site but we will try to get a copy of it to be posted here or on her blog.

The main part of the festival starts tonight at 7pm and goes through Sunday at 3pm. It will be a long and very tiring weekend but a lot of fun as well. Our son and his family (including our 2 year old grandson) have driven down from Colorado to be here as well. We have already taken some photos of him in his new vest, he didn’t know quite what to make of it. We were able to get into town and get a few photos before everything got started. I love the expressions here on their faces. Especially when you know William has to be pulling Bryan’s hair. The vests were all made by Deborah over the previous year for this weekend.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.