Diagnosis: Moment in Maine

It was an October morning, on the coast of Maine in 1975, when I first noticed the symptoms. Two weeks later, the symptoms returned.  Over the next thirty years there were moments that came and went and I continued to ignore the symptoms until 2005. By then, it was a full blown disease.  I live with it every day, now. I can still recall that fateful morning sitting on a cliff before sunrise in the mist and fog hearing lobster boats put,put,put as they went about their daily trips of putting out lobster traps. The sun's glow began to light the morning sky before  that beautiful ring  of nuclear  fire crested in that rainbow-like arch and I could feel the heat on my face.I know now that it was then, that the disease had entered my bloodstream.

In 2005, the time had come to acknowledge the disease. It was a difficult thing to do. But someone had already made the statement that I was feeling. Although it was an Anonymous statement, it said exactly what I already knew about that Moment in Maine. So I can use that Anonymous statement :

"Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease." --Anonymous

Yes, the disease is photography and I work at it daily to keep my eyes sharp. With that said, I will begin to post on the side bar a column from some of the best photographers that have this disease, also. It is to be hoped that you will enjoy reading their quotes.

A Man Takes Time on a Hot Roof to Smile for the Camera

Under the Pink Umbrella--Life is Good.

A New Adventure

The Great Trinity Forest by sam6372
Check out these Fabrics at Zazzle
Here's hoping that this will grow.

Neckties and bolts of cotton material for quilting. For now, at least.

The neckties came out really well.

A Little Rough Around the Edges

Yes, sometimes beauty can be found even though the beauty is  surrounded by a little roughness along some edges. That's what art really is--when  beauty outshines its surroundings. Two examples are found here.

Church  Windows in a Bar

Colorful roof tiles on an old deteriorating building

After the Floods----

the water is finally beginning to go down, nearly a week after the last rain drops stopped falling.  That kind of indicates how much like a sponge the earth really was with 24 of 31 days of rain. Still, there are areas where acres of standing water exist, but the lakes are being opened to anxious boaters and their wakes will not rush water into someones living room like before. There was plenty of that as it was.

With so much rain, it has given me plenty of time to play with camera settings and  the mastery of what I have learned is paying off. Every thing in life is a trade off, however. Officially, Texas is out of a five year drought in less than four weeks, but now, with the rediscovered sunshine, temperatures are filling the next seven days with low 90 degree readings. It is June already for sure. Temperatures in the low 90s happen this time of year down here. Here's hoping that the evaporation, which does cool the air, will keep the temperatures out of the triple digits during July and August! 

Who would think that a cactus could be so pretty.

This is a beautiful bud just ready to open.

The blooms are awesome!

So, since I have worked so hard to refine the macro of shooting, I did fine some subjects that were a test  and some came out well, others came out alright. I'll show you the alright ones here.

Make sure you click on one of the images to get the HD version.

No Rain Today!

Cathay Pacific's 747 rescheduled to San Francisco now, then on the Anchorage.

The weathermen have been all over the fact that it rained 24 of the last 31 days. So that is how we got the Trinity River to 42 feet when flood stage is 30 feet. Or: so that is how we got the lakes full  when they have been negative 24 feet or negative 18 feet and so on and so on! The old adage has always been, "it takes a flood to get out of a drought".  At any rate, it was just nice to be out in the sunshine and have the humidity below 40 percent, well, at least 53 percent.

Looking back and forward:

The Mighty Trinity River. 2000 feet of water from bank to bank. So much for the new Toll Road the politicians are trying to shove down the voters throats.

The new Sylvan Avenue Bridge will not open to Trammel Crow Park until the water goes down from the exit ramp!

Drought Buster

Downtown with water from east levee to west levee, about 2000 feet.

Over the past three years, I've heard people laugh when the saw the Mighty Trinity for the first time. Least we all forget that the past five years have been drought years--albeit severe drought conditions for a large part of those five years.

Here are a few images from this afternoon.

The old Sylvan Ave. bridge below the new Sylvan Ave. Bridge

The new Margaret McDermott Bridge over the Trinity on I-30

A Time To Remember

Veteran's Section in a local Cemetery

This time of year--especially, this time of year-- I think about my dad telling of his experiences during the war when I was growing up. My grandmother called Memorial Day, Decoration Day. It was the one time each year when families went to the cemetery, cut grass, pulled weeds, planted flowers and put decorations on the markers. Over the years, each Memorial Day I usually attend a memorial service at one of the large cemeteries. Sometimes I stay for the full service. Sometimes, I wander the cemetery reading marker epitaphs. Most of the markers carry the Private or PFC inscription.

Both my dad and his brother served in World War II. Dad was part of the liberation of Paris. I can still see the old crinkled cut images of him in Paris with his buddy. After leaving the cemetery my uncle always got on the old upright piano in my grandmother's living room and played, "Under The Double Eagle". He played it in the USO facilities where ever he could find one. People liked to hear it played in those days.

Dad has his place of honor at the National Cemetery in Little Rock. As I see all the volunteers placing the American flags one foot in front of the headstones, I know that dad would be proud.
The Greater Dallas Veteran's Council do an excellent job in remembering and paying tribute to American Heroes as does all the volunteers in all the National Cemeteries. It really hits you when you see 4x4x4 parts baskets and/or containers filled with those American flags.

More than 6,800 American flags representing lives lost in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.