Blue Ripples

Slow day today. Best I could do were these blue ripples down by the lake. I know. Not very creative is it?

07-31-11

Heron in Flight

Okay.  This is actually the same day as the previous photo, but it is not the same bird! I spooked this one up and took some quick snaps of him. The wingspan on these birds is amazing.

07-30-11

Heron at Alum

I found this Heron strutting around the spillway at Alum Creek Dam. 

07-29-11

Helicopter

Yesterday at Alum Creek RC Aero Club they were flying airplanes. Today a guy was out there flying an RC Helicopter! This thing was FAST and it could do almost all of the maneuvers that I have been seeing the airplanes do. Pretty cool stuff!

07-28-11

RC Airplane

At Alum Creek State Park there is an RC Aero Club. I go by there every day and there's usually someone out on a pad flying an airplane of some kind. They are actually a lot of fun to watch!

07-27-11

Nicked-Up Ball

As most of you know, one of my favorite things to photograph is lost balls. I found this nicked-up tennis ball hiding in a grassy field at Alum Creek State Park. Perhaps a playful pooch forgot it.

07-26-11

An Old Barn

This is yet another photo from my Daily Creative Assignment that I do. Today's topic was "Falling Shadows". When I drove past this place, the thought came to my mind the those shadows are falling right along with the barn. I kind of played off the title I guess.

07-25-11

Do the Dew!

My beverage of Choice; Diet Mt. Dew.

07-24-11

White Picket Fence

We drove over to Amish country today, up past Sugarcreek, OH. It's very scenic and so many well kept farms. This is a white picket fence leading up to a farmer's home.

07-23-11

Old Goat Horns

This is pretty cool. These are a very old pair of goat horns nailed to the side post of slaughter rack. The rack is no longer in use.

07-22-11

A Summer Storm

When it's summer and the temps are in the nineties, summer storms come through in a hurry and are usually pretty fierce. This one came through Westerville, OH.

07-21-11

Farmer's Old Fence

This is a tight cropping of an old farmer's fence, photographed in black and white.

07-20-11

Now I Lay Me

This is another photo from my daily creative assignment project I am doing. Each night, a friend gives us a word or phrase and the next day we're to interpret it in any way that we feel led to; photography, painting, drawing, poetry, etc.

The assignment for today was "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep".

07-19-11

When Pigs Fly

At Heritage Park in Westerville, Ohio. Last thing I expected to see as a weathervane, but I guess it makes sense.

On a trivia note, in a Simpson's episode, Lisa pushes Homer's prize pig down a hill into a river, where it ends up getting shot through the air by a dam's spillway suction. In his office Mr. burns says to Smithers he would like to do something charitable with his wealth. When Smithers questions this, he answers "when pigs fly". The pig passes his window in flight, at which point he admits he would still like to keep his money.

07-18-11

The Haunting

First of all, I have to admit that I did not take this photo today. It was taken last fall. I have been playing around with some photo manipulation so I took this photo, which was in color, and tweaked a few things to try and give it an old-time, eerie, haunting feeling. I feel like I succeeded, especially if you look up at the side window. There, seemingly, is a face in the lower left pane looking down on the unsuspecting intruder.

Don't enlarge the photo too much or you'll see that the ghostly face is actually just reflections in the glass pane.  :-) 

07-17-11

Blueberry Picking

We went Blueberry Picking today!

Three Hours... Four Pails... 22 3/4 Pounds of berries.

It was beautiful out today!

07-16-11

Airplanes

Here are two photos from about 30 that I took today of some airplanes. These are Remote Control airplanes. I was amazed at how real they look to be in my photos. I think the awesome clouds and perfect sky had a lot to do with that.

07-15-11

Favorite Rings

Today's "Creative Assignment", which I am also using as my Project 365 photo, was entitled; Favorite Things. Well, I have many, many favorite things so I opted to just choose several pieces from one of them, which are my Southwest rings. Of course, I don't wear them this way nor all of them at the same time. This was just for a creative display photo.

07-14-11

Eargasm

Today's assignment on the other daily photo project that I am involved with is called "Daily Routines". Can you make a daily routine an interesting piece of art, something to look at, ponder, wonder, study and question? I think so. Art, regardless the medium used, is much more than pretty landscapes, flowers and birds. "Art" is simply the result of one's own effort and truly is subjective.

"Eargasm"; the tensing, squinting, feel good hurt that one gets as a Q-Tip probes and twists into the ear. Kind of an "Ahhhhhh" thing.

07-13-11

A New Old Ring

A year ago last June while Barbara and I were in New Mexico I met a Native American jeweler named Raymond Twinhorse. I really liked his work and particularly the sterling ring that is shown below. Unfortunately he didn't have one in my size, so when I returned to Ohio I placed an order for a custom ring, with a stone called "White Buffalo". They call it a turquoise even though it isn't. I believe it's really howlite. Anyway, the stone arrived with the White Buffalo stone and I loved it, but after a time the stone began to turn in color to a light brown and at that point I no longer loved it. I sent the ring back to Raymond Twinhorse and asked him to re-set the ring with a new stone, preferably with a blue turquoise.

This is what I just received from him, at no additional charge. I love it! The blue is intense and that little speck in the lower corner is a piece of pyrite, otherwise known as "fools gold" I really enjoy wearing this ring again!

07-12-11

A Bit About Me

This is kind of a still life of who I am. Well, parts of who I am. I have many other interests besides the 6 shown here. Can you pick them out? A couple are pretty subtle.

07-11-11

Under My Feet

This is a photo that I took and a poem that I wrote for another daily art project I am involved with. I'll add the poetry below in case you can't see it good enough in the photo to read. Hope you enjoy it.

weathered face and suntanned hide
wind blown hair pulled back and tied
sun glassed eyes and sleeveless shirts
tucked into jeans of grime and dirt
the roar of wind at sixty-five
the thunder beneath as miles ride by
the twist of throttle in leathered hands
clutch and shift through all the bands
it's iron and chrome that gives me breath
that rescues me from age and death
it's the miles I put beneath my seat
and my cause to live that's under my feet

07-10-11

Ivy Leaf

I found this lonely ivy leaf positioned in just the place to make an interesting photo.  It was taken at Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lasage, WV.

07-09-10

Piada for Supper!

We tried a new restaurant in the area. It's called something like "Piata Italian Restaurant", I think. Anyway, it's kind of fast food Italian and you pretty much go down the line telling the cooks what you want and what items you'd like.  This is a Piata. It's basically a wrap. Mine had noodles, steak, cooked veggies, a red sauce and some cheese.

Place was PACKED.. just like I am right now.  UGH!

07-08-11

Butterfly Sparkle

Was playing around with Photoshop Elements 6 for another daily photo thing that I do. Not happy with the background at all, but like the concept. Maybe I'll refine this photo later, as I get more accustomed to the software.

07-07-11

RUSTic Gold Pan

"RUSTic gold pan".  Get it?  Do ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?  ;-)

07-06-11

Alum Creek in Summer

This is a photo of Alum Creek, which runs on the backside of our property. Alum is pretty shallow along this part and we're often times wading across it to reach the woods on the other side.  Deer, Red Fox, Ducks & Geese, Hawks and of course Ground Hogs and Squirrels are plentiful in this suburban stretch of the creek.

07-05-11

Patriotic Display

Here's a small Patriotic display on the flea market grounds in Sunbury.

07-04-11

Colorful Wheat Field

I had a great afternoon driving the countryside with Barbara after dinner. She drove so I could look around for photo-ops. We found this awesome cut wheat field over near Pataskala, Ohio.

07-03-11

Yabo's Tacos Lizard

Had dinner at a mexican place in Westerville this evening called Yabo's Tacos. Really good food! This little critter was scaling the wall as we ate .  :-)

07-02-11

A New Beginning

Fellow photographer/artist/coworker Angie started a daily assignment for those of us who wanted to participate. Day one, which is today, was entitled "New Beginnings"

This is how I envisioned it; A New Day, A New Beginning.

07-01-11