The Day's Walk

I managed to get out for a short walk this afternoon. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the fresh air was great. I took my camera just in case I would see something to photograph. The first thing I noticed was this lone cornstalk in a field that had been "mowed" down, if that's what they call it. This happens pretty regularly, and it always makes me chuckle--that the big harvest machines can manage to miss just one stalk...

Turning around I saw the rest of the corn field.

Then there's the farm at the end of the cornfield.

Well, there's no meaning behind the photos, it's just what I saw today. I guess I'm just too tired to dig deep for relevance. I basically just did the "assignment".

Nathan and Jacque

Leah and I attended a wedding today. It was held in Ballston Spa and the reception was outdoors on a friend's property. Yes, the weather was just a little chilly, but there was a huge tent and they even had heat, so it wasn't too cold inside. It was a beautiful, sunny day and for some of the early afternoon, it wasn't even too uncomfortable outside.

There were a lot of nice little touches of decoration at the reception, and I found myself taking photo after photo of just about everything. I even got excited about taking photos with the disposable point-and-shoot camera that was on the table. (once I figured out how to use it, that is).

So the photos aren't too profound and I don't have anything philosophical to say about the wedding or anything else, except, based on the number of images I deleted because they were just plain bad, or out of focus, it's a darned good thing I'm not shooting weddings anymore.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I spent practically the entire day today on the computer. I had to finalize the monthly newsletter for my photo club, and since this is only my second issue, it was pretty tricky. By the end of the day I was very sick of sitting at the computer, but also confounded as to what I was going to do about a photo to post.

I got pretty excited about doing the dishes because I'd have the chance to stand for a while (oh my gosh, is my life pathetic or what?). As the drainboard piled up with clean dishes, my imagination kicked in and I decided that I'd photograph clean dishes. Especially since I was actually excited to be washing them.

So, hand-holding the camera on a slow shutter speed, I played a little and had a blast. As I was taking the photos, I remembered a plaque that my mother had hanging in our kitchen while I was growing up. I don't remember the entire saying, but the first line said, "Thank God for dirty dishes...." Basically it was praising dirty dishes because that meant that we had enough food to create the dirty dishes. So, even though I've never owned a dishwasher, I don't complain much about washing the dishes by hand. Thank God for dirty dishes....

Memories...

Well, just when you think that everything is going along as usual and that the word "surprise" has been eliminated from your vocabulary and your existence, God hands you a package tied in a beautiful bow... and proves that He is the God of surprises and blessings.

As I was sitting in my photo club meeting last night, my cell phone rang--well, actually it buzzed. Now, everyone knows I go to this meeting every Wed. night and that I probably turn off my phone, and no one even tries to call me. (Not too long ago, I finally learned how to put my phone on vibrate, so I've been doing that lately.) So as I realized that I was getting a call, I got up out of my seat, not too subtly I might add since I was sitting up front in the second row, and left the room to answer the call. I didn't recognize the number, but I said, "hello????" anyway.

Well, it was a friend of mine from college, and even though he was a senior when I was a freshman, (that means I'm 4 years younger than he is) he's not old enough to be dead and neither am I--so no wise cracks from any of you. About 16 years ago we connected, and then lost touch again. So his call last night came out of the blue and was such a treat.

So on the way home, I started thinking about college and those great years and decided that I'd get out my yearbooks and see if I could find his photo. This is his senior photo and the next one is obviously him in one of the annual plays put on by the college.

Then I thought, "well, I could include my senior picture" (four years later, Rich), so here it is.

Even though I feel that my life is completely blessed, I still often wonder what it would be like if I had done things differently when I was younger. That can't happen, it's all a done deal, but I so regret not having been a little wiser. One of my favorite poems is by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. My experience was that I always took the road most traveled, and now I wish I had taken the one less traveled.

Speaking of Robert Frost, my absolute favorite poem by him is The Telephone. You'll have to read the entire thing, I don't want to make you wade through it when I've already written so much, but the end is:

I listened and I thought I caught the word--
What was it? Did you call me by my name?
Or did you say---
Someone said 'Come'---I heard it as I bowed."

"I may have thought as much, but not aloud."

"Well, so I came."

That just stops me dead. How wonderful to be that in-tune with another human being.

Anyway, I hope that even though I didn't actually take photos for today, that this can count as a legitimate post.

Wednesday Nights at Morette's

We meet at Morette's for dinner before our weekly Wed. night photo meetings. The group changes week by week, but it's always interesting and lively. A good chance to catch up with each other's lives.
(I goofed and didn't manage to get this slide show in the same post as Leah's Home, so check out the next post too)

Leah's Home

At 10:15 on 10/15 Leah's plane arrived at Albany airport. It was really good to see her, and she looked glad to be home. It will be a whirlwind 3 weeks while she's home--I'm sure the time will fly by way too quickly, and then she'll be off to Kenya with the Peace Corps. But we'll enjoy her while she's here.

Yesterday and Today

I went to the boat launch yesterday afternoon. I'm usually not at all inspired there, and I don't know why I keep going back. I guess I thought that there might be something there in the late afternoon light. I was right. I wasn't inspired but the light was pretty, and I did manage to get these two shots. Not great, but...

Even though the light was really beautiful, this scene had a melancholy feel to it. Summer's over, the leaves have changed color and are falling, no one's at the picnic tables, the geese are migrating and winter is on the way.

On my way to town this morning, the fog was super-thick and I couldn't resist stopping to take this image on the way.

Then on my way home this afternoon, I couldn't resist stopping to take a shot of the congestion at the gas station....

the congestion that was due to the price!!! Even if it doesn't last too long, it's a nice respite.

On the road home, I stopped here initially to capture the house (it's behind the red truck) with the beautiful trees in the background, but that wasn't working too well, so I decided to try and get the tail light trails.

I was hand holding the camera for this last shot. It was a very slow shutter speed, so there's camera shake, but I really like it.

An Interesting Blog

No photo right now, just a heads-up on an interesting blog. I found it accidentally, but it highlights the new memorial created in honor of the 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Check it out. www.archidose.blogspot.com

Bittersweet Memories

I'm getting ready to put together a slide show highlighting my daughter's life. I need this to be ready by Nov. 1 when we have a bon voyage gathering at church to celebrate her joining the Peace Corps and going off to Kenya for the next 2 years.

Ever since she was very little, I've been saving mementos in a box. I was going through the box the other day and I came across this paper that I had forgotten about. In 1987 I traced my hand, my daughter's hand and my newborn son's hand. How was I so clever? I'm not usually so creative, but thank God I did this. It's so special. I should probably have it laminated too.

I spent a lot of years being a mommy, and I'm really glad to be done now, but when I see something like this that reminds me of the really good times, I get sad and miss those days. The thing I miss most is reading to them at bedtime. It was a ritual, one that we all loved. When I said, "okay, it's time to read", they couldn't get up the stairs fast enough--that's when we cuddled on the bed and bonded.

Although we read lots of different books, my favorite, and theirs too it seemed, as they got older, was the Shel Silverstein series. Every time I read one of those books, it was me who would say, "wait, just one more story" and it could be 1/2 hour or more past bedtime before I would force myself to put the book down. They loved it as much as I did.

So as my daughter returns from Hawaii in a few days, and we spend some time together before she leaves for Kenya, this paper will remind me that, just as I held her hand in mine when she was little, she'll be in my heart while she's away, now that she's grown.

Ho Hummmm

Okay, I'm caught up with posting now, but what a dull post. "Here's the thing", as Monk would say. I went to an antique shop this afternoon, but once I got there decided not to buy what I went there for. I spent some time looking around though, and then I spied a basket of randomly shaped, sized and colored bottles. I thought of the images that have been posted lately, and bam! the flash-bulb, or rather light bulb (as Trish would say) went off in my tired brain.

Probably all of you will groan, but...I bought this bottle with the hopes that we could do a challenge with it, oh no, not another one, you say. Well, yes, I think we can do this. Each of us will have the bottle for a predetermined length of time (one, two weeks for example) and spend that time trying to be as creative as possible (unlike the images seen here). Then, after everyone has had a chance to "own" the bottle, we can all post one or two of our images on a predetermined day (I like that "predetermined" stuff).

This idea bears some thought and conversation.

Hebrews 10:24---And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

Check it Out!

Check out the second image in the previous post. This one is the same image, but cropped as per suggestion from Steve. I like it better. Thanks, Steve.

The Battle

Yesterday (Fri) morning, a friend and I headed out to Christman Sanctuary, near Duanesburg, NY. It was a beautiful day. A series of small waterfalls greeted us as we completed a short walk into the forest. We spent several hours photographing them, practicing with different compositions and shutter speeds. Most of my images from there have already been deleted, but a few survived.

On our way home, we stopped for lunch, then I had some errands to run. During that time, about mid-afternoon, I began having an arguement with a headache. Unfortunately, the headache won the battle and by the time I got home I was in no shape, whatsoever, to care about posting on my blog, or doing anything else for that matter.

So, that's my excuse, and I'm stickin' to it, as the old country song goes. Here are a few of the images I decided to keep. I may just post again tonight in order to "catch up".

Copycat!!!

My images today are of a hay rake. hmmmm, didn't someone just post photos of a hay rake a few days ago? I think so! But you have to understand, we all live in the same area (farm country) and see the same things (farms, equipment, country roads, animals, etc) on a regular basis.

On my way home late this afternoon, I came up the back way. It was with a sense of urgency that I was thinking "what am I going to photograph for today's post? What, in my house, would be interesting enough?", when as I turned a corner I noticed how the sun was casting its awesome golden color on everything, and then all of a sudden, there it was! This great hay rake bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. Couldn't resist it.

However, while I was in the field taking photos, my daughter, who is in Hawaii called, and I couldn't not take the call. So there I stood, talking with her, while the precious golden light faded second by second. (I still haven't managed the skill of cradling a tiny, thin cell phone between ear and shoulder to allow both hands to be free). So by the time the call was over, so was the light show.

But I wasn't ready to leave, so I got a few more shots, this one of the setting sun and the next one of a detail which didn't need spectacular light, although it would have helped.

I love this next one with the farm off in the distance. The farm house is a little too out-of-focus, but I still like the concept.

Today I was put in touch with a site that you might like to check out. The address is www.threeblondesandacamera.com

It's the site of three friends who are photographers, they do great work, but what I want you to see is the photos of Kenya and the children. One of the girls had the blessing of being able to go to Kenya with another of her friends who was adopting a child from there. She had the awesome opportunity to do photography of the situation, and her images are amazing!! When you get to the site you can click on "skip the intro", and then scroll down (unless you want to look at all the wedding photos)about 2/3 of the way. I hope you enjoy the images as much as I did through my tears.

An Apple a Day...

A friend and I went to an apple orchard today. She knows the owner and makes a yearly pilgrimage to see him and get her apple fix. It was a great ride to Valatie.The weather was beautiful, we had a great time together and I came home with some apple orchard treasures.

We were treated to a look "behind the scenes" and even though it wasn't exactly a guided tour, it was interesting to see how the apples were packaged.

Of course, you can't photograph an orchard or apple stand without getting shots of the pumpkins.

Oatmeal Brain Teaser:
How much water does a camel's hump hold?

None! The hump stores fat that the camel uses for energy when food is scarce.

And on that note, good night!

Can Somebody Tell Me Where the Switch Is??

Driving home this afternoon, my mind was spinning with thoughts that rambled and tumbled all over each other. The thoughts were random. No logic, no order, so no wonder my night time dreams are so quirky. "Where is the Off switch?", I wondered. I would so love to feel like I was in control of what's going on in my brain.

For example, on the drive home, "I'm so tired of this long drive just to get home, wish I lived closer to town, but then I wouldn't be able to see this beautiful countryside every day, oh look at the light from the sun, it sure is gorgeous, too bad the sun will be setting sooner each day, oh dear, the clocks will be going back pretty soon, wonder how the trip to the apple orchard will go tomorrow, boy look at the sun on the grass, wow, that field was just mowed and get that smell, new mown grass is the best smell in the world, no maybe it's fresh hay, whoops I think it's puppy breath, (I remember when I said that to someone and they said ick), wonder what scents my friends like best, maybe I should post that question on my blog and on and on and on.

So......... that's my question, what is your favorite one, two, three or more favorite scents?

Okay, I had to go out again after dinner and I managed to get a shot of this barn about three minutes before the sun went below the tree line. I love this scene and the light is wonderful.

While waiting for someone in town, I looked across the street and saw this great fence, with a big old brick house off in the distance. All the rest of the fence was in good shape, but I love the disorder of this small section. It's a little soft because I had it on a high iso and it was pretty dim and I had to hand hold the camera.

My Attempt at a Social Commentary

This was a shopping day. I hate to shop!! I avoid it until it becomes an absolute necessity. About a year ago, one of my dogs chewed up the heels of the only pair of dress shoes I owned. It wasn't a big deal because I wore them anyway, in spite of how they looked and how loose they were. (as an aside, I only wear dress shoes once a week to church). Then when I left for Hawaii, I left the shoes here at the house. Obviously I didn't need them all summer after I came back to NY since I wore sandals all the time. During the summer I decided I'd never wear those shoes again so I chucked them--good riddance! (In addition to hating to shop, I hate shoes. So shopping for shoes is doubly objectionable to me, and something I avoid with a passion).

Well!!! This October caught me by surprise. Who knew it would be 39 degrees this past Sunday morning (Oct 5)? So I wore my sandals and went bare-legged too, I might add. It was a little brisk. My objective today was to shop for shoes--argh! and not come home till I found some. Within 10 minutes of looking in the first place I stopped, I found a pair. Eureka!!! Now that's my idea of shopping.

Pretty cute huh? At least now I won't have to wear sneakers with my skirts when I go to church.

So then I had to stop at the supermarket, well, Walmart and then the supermarket. By now I was beat and just wanted to get home. But on the way to the store, I started thinking "green". Now, I'm not a fanatic, I don't hug trees, I don't compost, I'm in favor of drilling for oil in our own country, but I use scrap paper to write notes on more than once, I don't let the water run while I brush my teeth, I turn lights off when I leave the room, I recycle wrapping paper and I try to do what I can to be conservative in other ways. One of my efforts is using tote bags when I go to the grocery store. I wondered, "why, when the bags are sooooo cheap, sooooo sturdy and soooo accessible, do more people not use them?

I answered myself, in my not too tactful way, that people are either too lazy, too spoiled or too unconscious. Remember, this was just in my mind. Face to face I would encourage you all (in a hopefully nice tone of voice) to purchase these totes from the supermarket or department store where you shop and use them regularly. It's a small, small thing, but it saves a huge amount of plastic.

When I got home from my shopping spree, I walked into a warm house. My husband had spent the day getting the wood furnace ready to go. God bless him!! A good end to a good day.

Albert Einstein wisdom: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

3rd Place!!

I'm actually starting this post from the end. I had a little while till I had to be at church this afternoon, so I went to Pizza Hut to get a Personal Pan Pizza (I love Pizza Hut pizza but I can never get anyone to go there with me). When I pulled into the parking spot, I noticed these flowers growing along the edge of the parking lot. While waiting for my order to be done, I went and took a bunch of shots of the flowers--sometimes it was windy, other times I zoomed. I only really like a couple, but that's the advantage of digital--I took many experimental shots, and even though, in my opinion, there are only a couple successful ones, nothing was lost (no film).

Okay, now backing up to earlier in the afternoon. This weekend was the annual Hagaman Art Show, and Sunday is the day that the work has to be removed. I went over there around 3:30 to see what was going on. The show was over at 5. So while I was waiting, I took some shots of the visitors looking at the artwork.

And here is my 3rd place image! Very exciting, since I haven't placed at this show in quite a while.

So it was a pretty good day. I placed 3rd in photography at the art show, and I got my Pizza Hut Pizza.

Picnic At Johnson's

The layout for this post is having a pms moment. The first section is fine, but then the second section won't let me space in single spaces. Anyway, this is my tribute to Fall. The leaves are beginning to change color, although they're nowhere near peak yet. I found this little "sapling" and thought it was cute. In the past week or so I've also heard geese. Au revoir summer...

Today some of us from church went to Johnson's
camp for a picnic. The invitation we received several
weeks ago mentioned that we should bring our lawn
chairs, extra warm clothes and our bathing suits.
Okay!!! Well, it was a tad chilly today and I don't think
a single one of us brought our suits "just in case".

Anyway, we had a good time. We took a nice long walk

around the area--stopped to look at the lake, checked out some

homes for sale, and then went back to camp to roast hot dogs.

Lori's birthday was last Thursday, so we had a small

celebration for her today. It was a nice day, Thank you

Marilyn and Sandy for planning it and inviting us.

"F" For Today

Well, no photo today. I spent the entire day on the phone. Too complicated to explain, but by the end of the day it seemed like the phone was attached to my ear.

Early in the day I took a photo of some homemade waffles and bacon, but it's really a bad image and looks too much like the m and m photo from yesterday, only with a waffle and bacon.(same dish, same table, same light). So I'm passing on posting an image and I'll take the "F" for the day.

Trivia Question # hmmm, maybe 8

Are m and ms as much fun to photograph as they are to eat? ANS: definitely, especially since you can eat them after you photograph them.

This was a slow shutter speed keeping the lens still, hand held.

This was zoomed at a slow shutter speed.

This was a slow shutter speed moving lens randomly.

Slow shutter speed and arching the lens.

Slow shutter and moving lens in circular motion.

All hand-held with natural light.

The Worst Picture Ever!

Okay, this is the first day of my group's Photo a Day Challenge--just think, you get to see at least one photo a day for the next 364 days. If they're all this bad, I feel sorry for you.

I was really busy early in the day, and as time went by I started getting ready to leave to run some errands and then attend my weekly photo club meeting--knowing I wouldn't get home until 10 pm or later. Feeling the time crunch, I didn't know what to photograph, so I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

Now...look closely at the photo and you'll see a green and red Christmas Tree stand, with what is left of our Christmas tree from last December. Yup, that's right, it's still standing proudly right outside our front door.

I left for Hawaii on Jan. 9, and God (along with Scott and Frank) alone knows how long it stayed up in the house. By the time I got home in early April, it had been moved outside. Needless to say, I didn't ask when it was taken out.

Maybe it's a good thing it's right outside. When we need it in December, we'll know exactly where it is and won't have to go on a search-and-rescue mission this year. Hopefully it won't be buried under two feet of snow. As I've said before, if you look hard enough, you can find the silver lining behind every mistake/dumb action.

So--that's my post for the day--God willing, they'll get better.

Freaky Fact: Tigers are the only striped wildcat. And...not only is their fur striped, so is their skin! (found on a package of instant oatmeal--remember--one of my goals is to eat oatmeal every day--Yuk!)