The extended farm family was enjoying the threshermen’s meal under the giant catawba tree when the sky’s opened up. The solution was obvious and near. The big side porch fit everyone with room to spare.
Enjoy your Saturday, folks.
Accidental Images
There are times when you take all of your years of experience and your equipment, and you put them to work creating a stunning image. You work hard, walking around the subject, trying different angles, and different light conditions. Finally, you take the perfect image and…well, it’s really not that interesting, the focus is off just a hair and you wish you had widened the depth of field a bit.
There are other times when you are fiddling around in the dark, trying to set your camera, struggling with the low light, and your gear’s poor ISO performance. You take a test shot and move on, not giving the image a second thought…and that one accidental shot, fired off almost thoughtlessly is the one that you come back to and think, “not bad for pure dumb luck”.
Maybe spontaneity has it’s place.
Imagined Conversation
It is, I suppose, my nature to imagine conversations between people that I can see, but can’t hear. And so…
Miss Susan: I want the musicians over here, near the hay. I also want the benches around the walls. You will also need to move the corn grinder out behind the barn.
Mr. Carr: Yes’m.
Miss Susan: And Mr. Carr, I hold you personally responsible to see that the fiddle player has no liquor tonight. I will not have him dancing a jig in his union suit as we did last month.
Mr. Carr: Yes’m!
Miss Susan: Not a single drop, Mr. Carr. If I smell any liquor on that man, you won’t see a single pie the rest of the summer.
Mr. Carr: But…
Miss Susan: Not a drop!
Mr. Carr: Yes’m.
Reach
There are times when you should reach for the sky. Go for it. Pursue your dreams. Reach. Stretch. You can almost feel the moment when you accomplish everything you’ve been working towards. Then you realize you are a light pole and that you are anchored to the ground. Not only that, your bulbs are all burned out and you can’t even offer illumination to those that gather to watch your effort.
Other times, everything works out just fine. Mission accomplished. Piece of cake. What’s next? You just never know. So, reach and stretch. This just might be the time you succeed and make a difference. It could happen.
The Joy of Simplicity
The best moments are the simple, quiet moments. Coffee or tea alone in the morning. Watching your child sleep. A shared moment of laughter between friends. Uncomplicated, serene moments. They are ephemeral in nature and perhaps that is why we value them so.
A Chicken Runs Through It
There are so many chickens running around the farm that it’s not difficult to capture one in a photo. Sometimes, like this one, I intentionally use them as part of the composition. Sometimes they just decide that they want to photobomb. The chickens and the people are the top two reasons that I love the farm.
Mounted
Tracked.
Hunted.
Killed.
Gutted.
Mounted.
Forgotten.
The One with the Horns
Play me a song, she said.
Something happy.
I want to dance.
Daddy’s not here,
so let’s hear some jazz.
You know what I like.
The one with the horns.
oh dear, its deer!
My parents have an enchanted back yard. Every couple of nights, the deer show up for a meal during the late evening. How cool is that?
Have a great evening folks.
my own personal giant
My father isn't particularly tall. He's just a bit shorter than me and we both weigh in the same neighborhood. However, in spite of his normal stature, he has been for many decades now, a towering figure in my life.
There is nothing he can't make fix, repair, or destroy as he deems necessary. He gives great advice…sometimes you don't even need to ask. He can be all macho man and ten minutes later, you will see him talking to the cat or loving on a baby.
At almost eighty, he still loves a good adventure, likes paddling his kayak, and can work all day. On the other hand, he really loves a good nap…especially when he has a cat snuggled up with him.
Well Dad, Pop, Grand Pa, PaPa, Father, Pop Pop….which ever name you choose…you are a giant in my world.
tim mcmurdo 