Odin on the Move

 

  

 

Soul's Window

Nature's Art

One foggy morning, early, before the sun came all the way up, I caught this wonder. Compliments of the fog, this very fine web was outlined in tiny droplets of water that brought out all the details. Isn't the architecture amazing?

An Athlete in Action

 

 

These two photos are part of a series I had taken during a reining horse training clinic given for the members of a local show club. I found it amazing that an older gentleman could do so much with a young horse. He taught well on a good horse. Since a horse can run as fast as 45 mph, and the sliding stop is such a physically demanding maneuver, I had only two chances to get a shot. The second photo wasn't the best photo of the two, but showed the best of the horse in action.

Ed and Ethel

 

I got the biggest kick out of these two birds. I took a series of shots of them sitting high above on the wire, and their postures seemed so communicative that I laughed and laughed. The one on the left is Ethel, though I have no idea the gender of either bird. Ed is the one on the right. Ed had flown off for a few minutes after a C130 flew over, just like he had played the gallant knight off to slay a dragon. When he came back, it looked like he boasted and bragged about how brave he had been. Then, when Ethel had enough, she gave him a piece of her mind, which caused Ed to recoil a bit.

Photographing the birds meant zooming in as far as I could and waiting for the wind to stop long enough to leave the birds still in one spot. I couldn't ask for a better pair of actors for the job!

Come On Now

He had some place to be, and the dog didn't get the chance to satisfy his curiosity. Strange duo, but I like the photo.

Red Vine

Along side of the Little Red River, on both ends, the vines and trees and brush are already threatening to spill onto the bridge itself. I saw flowers too far out of camera range like these that were open, and they looked alien with bright yellow centers with red rimming. They grow on a vine that climbs the trees.

Upriver

This photo is looking up the Little Red River at Judsonia, Arkansas. It was so calm and green there, and totally relaxing after a long day at work.

Wine and Stone

These flowers were so bright that I could see them half a mile down the road. I stopped, pulled up along side them and shot away. The loud color didn't hide the details. Click on the photo to view it in 800 x 600 size and see for yourself.

Love and Habit

Earlier today, while trying to articulate thoughts about addiction for a post on A Bumpy Path, I took a series of still photos of the above arrangement of my habits, fixations of sorts, and passions. Minus the music and the horse and dogs, it's all there! Indoors shots are not something I do a lot of, so I feel they leave much to be desired both in photo quality and composition. But, this one came out better than I expected. It certainly says a lot about me.

Reflection

When I got this photo onto the computer, I was thrilled. The reflection in the water came out enough to give an added sense of depth to the photo. Odin's copper color and the blue of the sky gave the winter scene the life I so needed to help me through a nasty bout of cabin fever. This is one of my favorites.

It Comes in Small Packages

If I recall, my first successful photo was of wild daisies. I took this shot today, amazed again by the simple perfection of this tiny flower.

The Lurker Among Us

I'm a barefoot country girl by nature. I kick off my shoes at every opportunity, and when I'm home, it takes more than a bit to remember to put shoes on. Today, I headed out with a pair of clogs on and went tramping through the field looking for interesting things to photograph. I found this ...fellow... crawling around in the high stuff. He actually moved quick enough to throw off the camera's ability to auto focus, and a slight breeze added to the difficulty. Finally, I caught this shot. I'm amazed at the incredible detail of this lurking, miniature monster.

Arkansas State Capitol Building

This is a photo of the back side of the Arkansas State Capitol building. I learned a few things today while trying to get good shots. First - I ain't as young as I used to be! Second - I need a good wide angle lens. Third - I've got a good ways to go to develop an eye for interesting shots of buildings. All in time, all in time.

He Ain't Heavy...

That huge, lonely tree was, without a doubt, strong enough to carry the weight of the moon. This was taken from the top of a mountain with one of those panoramic views that was awesome in that it looked like this all the way around. The vast empanse plus the clear sky gave the camera a bit of a challenge to capture, in one frame, something interesting; yet the colors, though muted, speak volumes.

The Light Has It

This is my son Tim, who absolutely hates to have his picture taken. So, while we were outside, me with my camera and him sitting on the roof of the cab of my pickup, I snuck a shot of him. I had to do it fast, before he could catch me, and as a result, the camera sensors didn't have a chance to set the white balance. As blown out as this photo is, I really like it. It gives him a sort of mystical look that is in direct contrast with the look on his face.

Strength

I was parked next to the base of this flagpole and shot up for the flag. While the wind was wringing that flag, it tossed and turned as though in a clothes dryer; something this particular flag must've seen a lot of since its end was quite tattered. The sunlight made the colors stand out against the cloudy sky, and that struck me as proof of the strength of the US flag as a symbol for all of us.

A Break in the Storm Front

I took this photo last night while waiting for the time to pass and the meeting I was covering to begin. Listening to the radio, I heard about the approaching storm and hoped I would be home before it hit. Then, the clouds opened up and let the sun shine through for a few moments. I bet the people hit by the tornado in Mena, Arkansas wished they saw the same sunset. Instead, this same storm front produced a tornado that took 3 lives and damaged hundreds of homes.

Buttercups

I'm going to go ahead and call these buttercups, though they're not like any buttercup I've ever seen before. These flowers are tiny, about the size of half my pinky fingernail. There was quite a breeze tonight too, which made focusing a bit difficult. But, patience paid off and I managed to catch this shot. The tight depth of field caused foreground and background to be blurred, and with water in the background reflecting the sky, a deep blue was the result. I found the combination interesting.

The Whiskers Have It

I was sitting on the ground taking some close-up shots when Odin went past me and proceeded to pose. The distortions from the strange angle is the position of the eye on the head - it looks quite a bit higher than it really is, and the length of his neck - which is longer in real life..Yet, that is exactly what your eye really sees looking up at that angle. The late afternoon sunlight made his color really stand out against the blue sky.

Drips

Bridge to the Past

This old bridge built in the late 1800's connects two halves of a very small town in Arkansas. It was built to pivot from a center point to make way for large cargo ships traveling down the Little Red River, and it is as solid as ever. However, it is no longer open to vehicular travel, shut down with the latest round of safety standards. Supposedly, it needs one more support beam underneath to bring it up to standard. The town's mayor is beating on every door he can think of to raise the funding for the needed upgrade.

Photographing the bridge took a lot of observation and inching this way and that to get the lines horizontal and vertical. That wasn't easy to do since the builders weren't as obsessed with straight lines as I was when taking photos!

An Important Message

This crowd of high school teenagers were gathered near a football field to watch the progression of a car accident (below) involving classmates and alcohol. It was a major production, an enactment that would take the entire day. Local police, rescue and ambulance, fire department and a medflight helicopter brought the experience so alive that one girl that acted the part of back-seat passenger (on the gurney)  burst into tears while being cut from the car with the Jaws of Life. While everyone knew that it was a staged enactment, the message hit home, if the looks on their faces are any indication.