...That They May Move Forward

 Well here I am, back at it on a Monday night. So sorry that I've missed a couple of  posts but I've actually been pretty busy with photo shoots and of course the editing process that accompanys  these events. I did the engagement photo shoot of Ashley and Jacob that I mentioned last ...uh, time(was that last week?) and yesterday I did a shoot for a promo pic for my friend Eddie's band which, by the way, is called Last Days. They are a Christian/ blues trio and I believe that they're on their way.
 I've got two weddings coming up in a couple of weeks so I'm starting to feel somewhat like a professional these days.
 All that aside, I've been watching the news on the tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri which is, for those of you that aren't familiar with the area, about an hour west of us here in Springfield. These clouds are what I believe to be the remnants of the storm as it moved east into our area. I won't ramble on any further. I'll just ask for you to pray for the victims and the city as a whole so that they may move forward and get this behind them.

Where It Needs To Be...

 To be honest, I had reservations as to whether or not I should post anything (even remotely) relative to rain, storms, clouds or any kind of precipitation but these clouds were too magnificent to pass up.
  We've just had torrential downpours all across the U.S. and if that weren't enough there have been record numbers of tornadoes that have resulted in hundreds of deaths.
 The weather systems are changing . I think probably for good. This seems to have been the norm for the past two or three years and actually it seems to be getting worse each year. I fully expect it to happen again next year and the next after that and the next after that. I would like to be wrong on this but I just don't feel wrong. I can only hope that we can somehow get better prepared.
 There are those that are quick to say that we are in the End Times and maybe we are- I sure don't know nor do I pretend to know. I've read that the prophesies of the Bible have been showing themselves for hundreds of years and for hundreds of years people have cried out that the end is near. That's a debate that I don't care to get into. I am a Christian and I follow the Christian belief as best I can but I won't try to predict the end, I'll only prepare myself for ever life brings by having my heart where it needs to be...

Whew!

I, for one, am glad this weekend is over. I always enjoy Christmas and most of the hustle and bustle but there seemed to be a lot more hustle than bustle this year. Christmas Eve after running around all day we went to the children's mass at St. Agnes Cathedral with my mother and then out to dinner. On Christmas morning we had family over for breakfast and then went to my sister's for dinner later in the day. Saturday my oldest son and the grandkids came to stay for a couple of days and we had another Christmas with them. As if all of that didn't keep me busy enough I had to replace a busted water pipe Saturday afternoon that ended up blowing out twice more and therefore needed to be babysat for most of the night to make sure it was good. (and yes - if I'd have done it right the first time ...)
I'm tired. I hope you like the winter sunset over Truman Lake- I did...

Winter Dramas

The sunsets always seem to be more , I don't know, dramatic in the winter months. The colors are more brilliant, the clouds are more turbulent and the sky changes so quickly that every shot is a whole different scene. There's something about standing out in the field (or on top of my house as in this case)with the wind whipping around you and the cold slapping your face that just getting the picture is an adventure in itself.

Rocket Man

"Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone"
Elton John
- I used to think that I was a rocket man. As a matter of fact it took me way too many years to find out that I wasn't nor did I really want to be. What a waste of spirit... Anyway, I'm pretty happy right here on God's green(red, brown, yellow, blue...) earth these days. Whether it's two feet squarely on the ground or flat on my back watching the skys there's no place I'd rather be and no other way I'd rather be living it!

Ah, Sunset...