The Year Without Bluebonnets

We have a tradition. It’s a pretty common tradition around these parts. Each spring, we take pictures of the girls (and sometimes the whole family) sitting among bluebonnets. This started with our first daughter’s first spring in 1998, though I don’t have digital versions of those pictures (I made a deal with that same daughter to scan the photos, but she hasn’t gotten started yet). Likewise, I don’t have digital images from 1999 since we didn’t get a digital camera until that summer. I have a feeling that we may not have taken any that year. I haven’t gone through the old photos, but our second daughter was born that spring, too late for bluebonnets, so it’s quite possible that we didn’t get around to it.

This year, we didn’t take any bluebonnet photos. A poor bluebonnet showing (due to a dry season) and a busy schedule were the major causes, but it must be said that the girls and I went dress shopping (successfully) one Saturday with the intent to take some photos afterward. But it was getting a bit late and I decided to postpone. Oops.

In absence of a bluebonnet photo for 2011, I’ve decided to post a photo from each of the past 11 years (plus an extra from one year where I couldn’t choose just one).

In addition to observing the huge changes in the girls over the years, I also note the changes in both my photography style (which may not be as evident in these favorites I selected as it was in the full sets when I was reviewing them) and my cameras. These photos represent the five different digital cameras I’ve owned. The resolutions increase over time, naturally, and the file size (at full resolution) of the largest of these is 10 times that of the first image.