Day 179

June 28, 2011

    Happy birthday mother. You'll always be beautiful.

Day 218

August 6, 2011

     Today I went to the fair and rodeo! And what fun it is! I got so many good pictures! How I wish I could share the entire fair with you. I think I watched the people in the stands more than the people on the cows.

     Here's to the spirit of the rodeo.

Day 249

   Bald Cypress Tree.

Day 244

Day 241

     I couldn't sleep tonight. So I decided to experiment with a flashlight and my most available and willing model.

Day 240

Day 192

Day 191

Day 189

     Zoo time! The zoo is always so much fun, but it wears me out in a real hurry. The Grizzlies there were puny. But that doesn't take anything away from how beautiful they are.
     There are so many zoo pictures I want to share, but I will not.

Day 168

     I did it. I broke the Rule. The Rule I've always had and always heard and always kept. I broke the "Let Nature Follow It's Course" Rule. It's the fatal mistake. And sometimes it actually is fatal. But I couldn't stop myself. I told myself that I needed to break It.
     Today it rained harder than I had ever seen it before. Plants were being shredded and some branches broken. I instantly thought of the poor mother Dove, sitting on her eggs, trying through the terrible storm to give them life. And then it started hailing. Big, round balls of ice rocketing from the sky. I couldn't help it. If you don't know, I have a pet dove, but due to all the remodel work, I haven't been permitted to keep her at home, so she's staying at a friends. Discovering this mother and nest was like discovering a little link to her.
     I ran over with a giant umbrella to see the mother, and though it was an image of distress, it warmed my heart. I found her on the nest, eyes plastered shut, head thrown back in determination, all concentration on keeping the two little bundles warm and every feather on her body soaked useless. I broke the Rule and stood under that tree in the slanting rain, with the umbrella angled to protect her from impact. After a few minutes she opened her eyes, curious as to why she could no longer feel the hail or rain. She cocked her head and looked directly into my eyes, a little shocked but perhaps a little thankful. That should have been my cue to go. I should have left the umbrella hanging in the tree and backed away, looking away from her. But I stayed there with her, staring into her beautiful blue-framed eye and seeing her drenched feathers. And for a few minutes it worked. But then she realized what I was, and flew away off in the storm, leaving those eggs subject to the drafty wind. In that situation, those eggs could die in minutes. And my learning was strong enough to know I couldn't take the eggs. But if they were left there, they would die due to my foolishness. I decided to leave the umbrella in the tree and watch from inside. And I waited, waited, waited, but she didn't come back. As the worst of the storm was over, I took the umbrella, and was incredibly concerned, believing there was no way those eggs would ever hatch. But soon after the rain stopped, I heard the familiar whistling of dove wings and saw a disturbance in the leaves. She miraculously returned. I do not know if those eggs stand a chance, but at least she's trying.

Day 159

     Having celebrated my camera's birthday recently, I thought it would be fun to take baby pictures of my camera. Or at least my first lens.

     And yes, newborn photographers, I am taking a mild stab at you. And your love of baskets.

Day 147

     Today we did a lot of cleaning out of the house. And thinking about cleaning out the garage. Which brought me back to over a year ago, when exploring my backyard, I found an entire Mule Deer skeleton. It was just so cool, and with my parents permission, I brought home the head with antlers still attached! It is a strange looking thing, but it is just so beautiful. My parents want me to get rid of it, but I insist on keeping it.

Day 142

Day 139

     Kind of wanted to get an old film feel on this one. These are my most trusty binoculars, that are actually from way back when. Again, working with the makeshift bounce card!

Day 138

     Today was a day of epiphany. If you use a bounce card on a speedlight, you should be able to use it with on-camera flash! Right? Right! Of course, I do not own a bounce card, but can easily craft one, using a hand or a sheet of cardstock and tape. For now. And of course, it worked wonderfully. And I enjoyed the transparency it created in my hand in my test shots.

Day 129

     Some roses left over from Mother's Day. I think they are more beautiful today than yesterday. Mom, I love you more than you can know.
      A nice thing about being home is being able to use some of my mom's camera equipment! I had beautiful light, but my telephoto lens just wasn't fast enough. So instead of having to raise the ISO, I got to use a wonderful tripod! What a huge help.

Day 128

Day 122

Day 118

     Today was the one day that we did not hike on this trip. Instead we meet with some people holding our future jobs, and talked about our futures. Every time we have one of these meetings, I get so excited for the rest of my life. It's going to be the best one I could ever have! I am so very blessed in every single respect! Every time that I open my eyes, I see something beautiful.
     And so our boots got some rest. And I love this lens.

Day 117

    Today we hiked a few slot canyons. They were so extraordinary, and so fun to be in. What an incredible world we live in! I definitely believe that there is beauty everywhere we go.