There's Just A Little Hippie In Her...

This evening our neighbor Faith had a treat for us. We had to go for a drive though, to get it. "Not far", she said. So we loaded up and took off. Faith teaches in one of the many rural schools around this part of the state and so she's blessed with a beautiful scenic drive through the countryside every morning on her way to work. Not far was right and after about 20 minutes we arrived at a huge field of sunflowers. What a beautiful sight it was too! Now I'm sure that in other parts of the country a field of sunflowers isn't such a find as this one was but around here it's a rare sight to see. This great big blanket of yellow definitely set itself apart from the rest of the countryside.
Every now and then Faith wants to be a little ornery with me and she'll call me something to the effect of a hippie.( I assume that it has something to do with the length of my hair.) Now I know that a lot of people consider hippies as a dirty unkempt lot. But for the most part, my memories of hippies have always been more of the peace, love, why-can't-we-all-get-along types and that's the way I prefer to remember them so don't try to go and change my mind with any 30-35 year old Time Magazine articles that might point to the contrary.
Anyway my point after all of this is to say that I think maybe Faith may have just a little hippie in herself (whether she likes it or not) because anyone that sees the majesty of a field of sunflowers so much so that feels the need to share it is, well, just a really good soul. Thanks Faith, for the surprise.

Over and Over...

Whew! Last night I woke up around 3:00A.M. and could not go back to sleep. Sometimes when I lay there at night I start to go over things that I need to do, or I'm in the middle of doing or I'm planning on doing or any one of what seems like a hundred things I should be doing and they all just roll over and over in my mind. I guess that's a side effect of the busy life style we lead. I've not been able to get out and enjoy a good hike as much as I was able to last summer. I got spoiled, to say the least. I know the therapeutic value of getting out and relaxing against a tree in the woods while a cool breeze whispers past and clears my head and I know that that is exactly what I need. Maybe soon- the temperatures are down, just right for that cool breeze...
Anyway, I finally got to sleep- shortly before it was time to get up for work. And then came that really weird dream...

Peace...

Just wanted to say that I hope you're having a nice relaxing Sunday. Usually I'm filtering through different photos trying to see what I want to post and how I can relate my thoughts relevantly. But today has been an unusually relaxing day so I seized the opportunity to get something posted early and not be at it up into the night.
So, no deep thoughts today except maybe this one- peace be with you and yours...

Molly Hatchet

A little while back the fair was in town and as always (other than the photo exhibits) my first interest is who's playing the concerts. Believe me, I've seen my fair share of concerts. As a matter of fact, I've seen so many concerts I occasionally forget seeing someone that "I think I'd like to see." Springfield still gets quite a few concerts but it seems that the venues have changed to smaller places- some with very limited seating. It's just not the same but then nothing is, I guess. Maybe I work harder than I used to so I don't like to stand for too long at a time, maybe I can't stand being crowded as much as I used to or maybe-maybe I'm just getting older. So when a band comes to play somewhere that I can sit semi comfortably and still have a good view and it's someone that rocks, I'm all about it! This someone was Molly Hatchet and yes, they rocked! Southern style.
I know that most of my favorites qualify for the oldies stations these days but I've gotten used to that. I still like a lot of the bands that are hitting the charts now. I've probably said before that I like anything from smooth jazz- Dave Koz, Boney James, Euge Groove to metal -Five Finger Death Punch or Mudvayne but I'll always have a spot for the music that I grew up with. That's the stuff that takes you back and the older I get, the more I like to go back.

Night Clouds...

We live on the north side of town so therefore any night shots I take to the south will reflect the lights of town. On this particular night the clouds from the south kept forming and breaking up all the while taking on an eerie glow from the city lights. I took this shot as the moon was trying to peek out from behind the clouds casting it's light into the dark night sky as it seemed to be the catalyst that caused the clouds to melt before my eyes.

League Champions!!

Back last spring, knowing that school would soon be out and Brendon would have the whole summer to "get bored " Brenda and I began to try and figure out what he could do to pass time and keep busy. His best friend would be gone for the summer (at least most of it) and his options being the only child left at home didn't exactly excite him. There would be the occasional swim day and other odds and ends of things to do but no real plan for the summer.
For the last two or three years I've tried to talk him into joining the ball team that some of his other school friends play on but never got too far.I've always known that Brendon could play baseball because of the time he and I put into pitching, hitting and just playing catch. So this year was his year! I guess he was a little nervous being it was his first attempt at organized ball but he took to it like a fly to honey.
I have to be careful here or I'll go into details about the time he stole that extra base and barely avoided the tag. Or how he grinned from ear to ear when he got his first hit. Or how his good eye ( that's always what everyone yells-good eye!) got him walked more than any other batter.
But to make a long story not quite as long, his team, the Bulldogs, went 11-0 and won the league championship in a very close 1-0 championship game!
I'm a very proud dad to say the least!

Some Sort of Understanding...

I was digging around my pictures tonight for a little project I'm doing and I came across this. I believe that it's an Angelwing Begonia but I'm not in the mood to research it tonight. That's not important anyway. It was the photo itself that caught my eye. To be more specific the depth of the photo. I may not be using the correct terminology but that's what I'm calling it-depth.
This was taken several years ago with my Nikon FG 35mm film camera. I swore, as I'm sure many of us have, to continue to use the film camera once I got my digital but it seems that that has been an empty promise to myself. I miss the qualities of the film camera but honestly, I've been able to teach myself what I've learned so far by the trial and error method ease of the digital. I've amassed over 16,000 pictures in the last couple of years and and I just could not afford that in film. Much less the hassle of all of the over/under exposed pictures.
This photo grabs me and makes me look at it every time I pass it in it's folder and I'm always happy to stop and study it's subtle differences from the digital photos I now spend so much time on.
I think though, that I'll get out some of that film that's just sitting in the camera bag and grab the Nikon and see if I can transfer some of what I think I now know about photography and maybe, just maybe I'll fall in love with the film camera again and see if there can't be some sort of understanding between the three of us where we can all get along together.

Sabatia Angularis

Otherwise known as Rosepink. I don't really think that that name needs any explanation. I mean, just look at it. You know, I've been asked more than once how I manage to get the pictures that I do (and yes, I do take that question as a compliment!). Really to me it seems easy.When I'm walking through the woods I don't necessarily look for subjects - I let them look for me. And when they do find me some will let me know by the slightest of movement that might catch a ray of sunlight. Some subjects may embrace a wind that momentarily bends and molds it into something that it might not ever be again. And some subjects like this Rosepink make it very easy just by being there. A flash of color! All of these things catch my eye and make me look at them.
So the next time you're in the woods just let the woods speak to you. It will introduce itself to you and when it does , you'll definitely be glad you met...

There Was That One Time...

Alright, I know that the date says Monday and I've often stated that I post on Wednesdays and Sundays but just so you know, I started this on Sunday- so cut me some slack.
The reason I made a point of this is to let you all know how important this blog is to me and that I feel that I owe it to those of you especially that follow my blog. I really appreciate you and your comments so I just feel that I should do my best to be here when I say that I'll be here.
All that being said, kind of a neat old truck, huh? Do you ever look at an old rusted out vehicle and wonder what kind of stories it could tell? This particular truck wasn't in a junk yard per se but it was keeping company with some other ol' boys that I'm sure had their fair share of stories from days past. Probably one or two of them were pretty fast in their time I'd bet. And I'd bet too that it's a good possibility that Mom and Dad never really appreciated that fact as much as Junior did! But I'm thinking that this old truck here was more than likely just a good hard working farm truck that never really got out and cut loose. And I would imagine that that was just the way he liked it. Probably lived a good long life that way. But on the other hand there was that one time that Grandpa let Junior borrow it - just that once when he had that extra special date with that extra special girl...