07 County Fair

For the "Plant" category I submitted this one. I had no expectation it would get any recognition by the judges. After all, it's late summer and there where lots of flower pictures (all very good by the way) and since this is a "county" fair you know they are looking for things that reflect county life. But I love this picture. I found this dead leaf in my driveway one evening and just couldn't resist the gold on the asphalt. I had this one printed this one 16" x 14" too. Unfortunately the photo shop cropped it such the stem bottom stem goes off the picture. Another one of thosse shor tcommings when you order via the internet.

06 County Fair

I made a mistake choosing this picture for the fair. Some days, I pay too much attention to the noise around me. I should have use the one I’m showing at the end of this entry. The category is "People at Work". This shot is fine but the points of interest are spread too widely apart and the balance is not good. The one at the bottom has some humor going for it and I really should have gone with my gut feelings. When will I ever learn to stop paying attention to the noise?

The competition was today and just for the record, my barn photo I posted in 01 County Fair won best in its category and Best of Show. Life is full of surprises ain’t it?

05 County Fair

Today is the day for submitting one’s photos for the Creative Living Exhibit for the Lincoln County Fair. I found out that only one enter can be made per category. That hurts a bit. So out of the 13 I had hoped to get on display, I’ll only have about six. Such is life. LOL

This photo is for the Animal Category. I had a Deer picture and my formally shown Snail picture in mind, but popular consensus was that the Snake would get the biggest reaction. In fact it did get one while I was tagging it at registration. A Mom, who was very proud of her son’s pictures, ask us (Emily and I) which category should his picture of a lion carved in a stone wall go? It was a nice picture and I didn’t have a clue since about the only category that came close was “Still Life” but it was caveat with “pictures you positioned things in.” While I was thinking, her son saw this Snake picture and said “Wow, you must have some really good camera gear to have taken that.” When the Mom saw it, she freaked a bit saying, “OMG, I would never get close enough to a poisonous snake like that to take a picture.”
I let her overly protective comment drop and suggested they check with the folks at the registration desk for help in categorizing their photos. But, her reaction is one I hope to see happen again and again while it is on display. BTW it is a copperhead and I do have some “really good camera gear” to include a telephoto lens, thank you. LOL

County Fair 04

Fourth Posting for this week. Tomorrow is a busy day for me so I’m going to get a head start by posting this early but I'm letting the program hold it until after midnight. Isn't technology wonderful?

This is a photo that speaks volumes to me. I’ve always liked it but I should have framed it better when I took it. Cropping it to my liking has plagued me for a long time. Getting the photo shop to print it to my liking has also been a hassle. I don’t fault them. I should have been better at conveying my desires when I sent it to them. None the less, I still like this shot. Not colorful and not really balanced like I would want it to be (this time the rules would have worked in my favor). Yet the idea of this lonely critter crossing an ocean of asphalt on a hot day leaving a little of itself in it’s path just sings to me.

County Fair 03

Third Posting for this week. I was walking down town one afternoon when this particular view caught my attention. I've been down this street many times and looked at the cannons and the statue of a confederate soldier from many different angles. Never could satisfy myself with the surroundings. This time the evening colors of the sun and the odd choice of colors on the building struck me as interesting.

There are not a lot of categories to put one's pictures in this year and this one will probably end up in the non-competitive historical category. I should give that idea some thought and do a series of photos on this town that fit a historical theme. An old friend of mine ,who lives in a quiet little Canadian village (that sounds so quaint), took a picture of every store on every street of her little town. It doesn't seem all that interesting now to many people, but in a generation, when there are only a few old timers left, there will be renewed interest. It will be a combination of nostalgia from the residents and a sense of a lost era that we all have when we think things are going to hell in a hand basket and life use to be so much simpler in the "old day."

County Fair 02

Second Posting for this week. This is my second favorite barn photo. Yes, some of you will say it is better than the other. In some respects it is. Thus I’m approaching these choices on my preferences rather than an industry standard that I keep hearing about. It seems to me that if one is going for “art” then following the rules is self defeating. I’m not saying rules are not important, but if the rules don’t allow me to say what I want to say then they have to be put aside. Hmmm, that sounds a bit arrogant, doesn’t it. LOL

County Fair 01

It is so unlike me to openly compete but I’m doing it. I guess one could say that since I’m entering several photographs into this years county fair. I don’t care if they win, but for this area, it is a great place to get exposure. Everyone for miles around to include surrounding counties will come to the fair and take a look. If I get a positive response, I’ll consider other avenues of exposure. I have 12 to 13 pictures I’m going to submit. Half will be of local interest, a quarter will be category topics and a quarter will be those that speak to me. So for the next few days I will post a few of them here. Let me know if you like what you see.

Today's choice is my favorite barn picture and I'm submitting in a 16x14 size print. It is the biggest print I've made. You can't really see the detail here but this large picture has clarity all over it as well as color.

My Son and I have a “Facebook” site and we occasionally communicate through it. But mostly I go to see any new pictures he’s posted from his life in Leeds’s, England. It is interesting having an offspring studying overseas. It is a point of pride, true, but more interesting is he was raised to not be afraid of searching out his hearts desire. The same can be said of my Daughter who is attending Auburn University. It is even more so since as a male of my species I have a built in protection response that tends to be overly protective of the females in my charge. LOL Now that’s a laugh. Missy is anything but under my “Charge”.

Here is a picture of them taken this month when Missy went over to England to visit her brother. (Now how cool is that!?!) All I can say is I love these kids and I love the way they explore life.

Morning Thoughts

This morning is one of those “hard to get moving” mornings which I’ve been having a lot of lately. When I got to work I took a moment to check out my Google Reader service and stumbled onto a photograph of a person holding buttercups titled “Likes Butter”. I got to thinking I really never paid that much attention to butter. The color or the texture or the smell are not all that familiar to me. Could it be that a lifetime exposed to butter want-a-be’s in the form of margarine have hidden real butter from my experiences? Has the chemically altered state of normal foods dulled my senses to good old wholesome foods? I’ve long healed a believe that chemistry as wonderful a tool as it is has been misused by the commercial world and is the underlining cause of many of today’s illnesses. If you want to challenge me on this then I recommend you look at the tremendous increase of lead in our air which can be clearly linked to 1923 when it was added to gasoline to make cars run smoother. Note when you check that out that the nature of such lead is to hang around a long time so that even though we have outlawed it in gasoline the parts per million in our air is still unnaturally high. The consequences of our indulgences are long lasting and will effect generations to come.

Another thought that hit me this morning while riding the elevator up to the third floor (I said I was dragging this morning), is how sad it seemed to me for people who work in the big cities who work in buildings that are so tall they need two or more elevator changes to get to their place of employment. If they are happy so be it. I’m not passing judgment on their choices, but I would find that sad if I found myself in that situation. Of course this comes with the whole city life style of commuting, crowds, noise and smells. I know there is lots to offer people in that life style but I guess it is not for me. Especially as I age. Reminds me of the Simon and Garfunkle song “Old Friends”.

Such are my thoughts today.

Photographer??? Me????

I've been putting a lot of effort into my photography lately. I think it is about time I start my own photo site and stop using the free sites I've played with over the last decade. At the same time, I want to express my views on photography as an art form as well as a historical tool for institutions and individuals alike. I might even want to look at its use in marketing seeing as I'm an old advertising major from YSU.

Since I surf the web looking at works of other photographers, I'm thinking of having a section showing my favorites and giving the creator full credit and exposure.

So to you few viewers I have, I solicite your opinion on this proposed venture. What ya think?

A Camping We Will Go, A Camping We Will Go, High, Ho the Dairy O . . .

I’m finally going to buy myself a camper. I’ve wanted one for a long time. I’ve camped with tents and vans and pup-ups myself and my Mom and Dad made it all the way up to an Air Stream. The 1999 Mallard I’m buying is a training vehicle for Emily and if she should find it not to her liking (and believe me, you want her to like something if you are going to get her to do it with you) then I’ll not have invested too much into it.

I’m looking forward to spending some time this Fall and maybe even a Winter weekend at Cade’s Cove as well as attending the many local festivals we have through out the year here in Middle Tennessee. I’m thinking of checking out the Naches Trace from top to bottom and there are enough State Parks here and in Northern Alabama to keep us busy for a couple of years.

Of course this plays into my photographic interest extremely well. This will end a lot of excuses use to not head out on picture taking ventures. It also will allow me the time to take pictures at the right time of day for the location. I can’t wait to get up at the crack of dawn and shoot, shoot, shoot then nap during the heat of the day then head out to shoot some more. The smell of bacon in the crisp morning air and the crackling of a fire after dark, all just make my spirit dance with anticipation.

I MUST HAVE TAKEN TOO MUCH THYROID MEDICINE

I have been accused of being bi-polar (that's a laugh), having a head with too many ideas bouncing around in it (that's factual) and being so disorganized that I walk myself silly and as such, wasting a lot of time and energy (that from an "OC" personality who accepts no other solution but her own).

I like harmony in my life and drama in other's for its entertainment value. Hey, just being honest. I'm a far better audience than an artist. You need someone out there to appreciate your efforts, as crazy as you are. So I though of a few ideas for you creative types to work on.

Ideas for you creative folks.

A shelf made from a tree branch
a) should hold books or boxes
b) hangers can be hung from it
c) must have three points of contact that make it steady and secure.

Pipes that function but do not just go from point A to B in a straight line or only make standard angles.
a) pipes that look like tied knots
b) pipes that make walls decorative and have energy functions
c) pipes that function and make musical tones.

Door knobs (this includes cabinet doors) that full fill all needed functions but suit any appendage that is used to use them.

Trash cans that actually look attractive while functioning well.
a) they should seal to keep stink in and varmints out, but don't demand a Gold's Gym regular to open and close.
b) they should be able to be pulled to the street easily no matter how tall or short the puller is and no matter how much the trash we stuff into them weighs .
c) color and shape must not be gaudy unless of course that suits the home it will be sitting out side of.

More to come latter.

Consumer Confidence Rightfully Low

U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly sharply in June, sinking to the fifth-lowest level ever. In addition, consumers' expectations hit an all-time low as home prices tumbled while gasoline and food prices rose. A separate index of home prices saw the largest drop since its inception in 2000.

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 50.4 this month, down from 58.1 in May. The reading is far lower than economists expected; the consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR was 56.5.

Why is this such a surprise? Are the economist totally oblivious to what rising transportation cost and falling home investment does to the psyche of the everyday worker? Do they not think we feel every penny of increase caused by oil prices increases to every commodity we depend on? Do they think we could care less about the tax increases by state and local governments to help offset their needs for balanced budgets?

It doesn’t help that the current administration does nothing to help and can be blamed for sleeping at the wheel when it comes to the banking industries’ blind eye to home loans. Nor does it help that congress is trying to blame speculators for rising energy cost totally ignoring the laws of supply and demand as well as the demand increase to that formula caused by rising needs in China and India.

The economist think our economy “remains stuck in low gear." Duh!!! And we don’t have the power to get going to shift up either bozos. Have you not read that demand for corn for fuel is now creating a world food shortage?

This problem has been foreseen for at least a decade now, but surprise, surprise it’s happening as predicted. What are we going to do? Clearly those in power now, by their own admission, haven’t a clue.

May I suggest that we look to real investments in education and alternative energy sources that don’t tax the food supply. How about ditching trickle down economics once and for all and realize that it’s the work and spending of the middle class that makes this nation great. Having lots of money may seem like a great way to obtain power but if all you did was lie, cheat and dodge responsibilities to get there, are you really an answer? I think you are as much of the problem as anything else.

Unemployment rate jumps to 5.5 percent in May

Anyone seeing a repeat of history here? Daddy Bush left office with the economy in ruins and it looks like Jr. is too. At least Daddy won his war with a real coalition.

Publically Stupid Comment Takes The Cake

I heard the most stupid statement on the radio (NPR) today. Some person (gender not important) said, “With the recent Barack Obama and his church problems, I complete went from a liberal Democrat to a Conservative Republican and I’m very proud to say I’m going to vote for John McCain this year.”

Can anyone give me a reason why such a drastic change of political point of view should occur from such an occurrence? Are we all to be haunted by the actions of those we once associated with?