Fun and Games – Page 4

gotta scratch!

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Betty! Sometimes I say her name with love and sometimes with frustration. Betty rarely stands still for a photo. Here I wanted to capture a picture with the focus on her paw and her, looking at the camera, in the back ground. She would have none of it and fussed and fidgeted until she finally just started scratching behind her ears. I finally gave up and took the shot as it was.

The entire affair wore Betty out and she decided that she needed to take a nap. She has it so bad. I almost feel sorry for her.

dale chihuly

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

When it comes to non-photographic art, I generally find myself drawn to watercolors and, dutch masters, and the impressionists. I can name only a handful of current artists beyond the few that I am personally acquainted with. Dale Chihuly is among those few well known artists whose work is instantly recognizable to me.

His name comes so easily to mind because of the beautiful glass medium that he works within and the organic shapes that he creates. His peaces are easily recognizable.

Franklin Park Conservatory, located just east of downtown Columbus, Ohio has a large permanent collection of Chihuly glass sculptures that warrant a visit if you are ever in the area. Installed within the indoor gardens, the sculptures mingle with the gorgeous plants and flowers and can be visited year round without needing to worry about the weather. As an added bonus, many of the pieces are located within the tropical butterfly house.

Lovely art, beautiful flowers, and butterflies. How can you go wrong with a combination like that?

my welcome aboard party

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Friday marked the end of my third full week at my new company. I've ;earned a lot in those short three weeks. The company is staffed with fantastic dedicated people that are focused on the job of helping others. That kind of attitude is spread throughout the organization and is embedded deeply within their culture. A prime example is the big party they threw for me. The entire office was invited, all 150 of them.
Sure they called the event the company cookout, but that is just because they knew I would be embarrassed if too much focus was placed on me. See how caring and thoughtful these people are? I feel really lucky to have landed among such gracious folks.

I was part of the grilling team, a dedicated group of people with mad cooking skills. These people wanted me to be comfortable and ensured that I was the tallest person in the group. Isn't that nice? Being just over 5'9", I felt like I was a towering giant.

There were speeches, dancing ladies, ice cream, singing, and prizes. Yes sir, that was quite a party. I sure like working with these folks a lot. What a great welcome aboard… oops.. I mean, what a great company cook out. I can't wait till next year. They are so thoughtful that they will probably through an anniversary party around the same time of year!

grilling time

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

If you have ever lived in the US for an extened period of time, you probably know that labor Day weekend is the official close of the summer grilling season. That is not to say that we won't fire up the grill a few more times before winter sets in. Any back yard BBQ from here on out is considered post season play.

I didn't grill anything over the holiday weekend, but my Friend Jim and I did run into another kind of grill and I thought you might enjoy a few shots.

Enjoy your Thursday Folks. The weekend is only a day away.

private reverie

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

I am a big fan of people. I really like them in all of their infinite variations. I like watching them and I love listening to their stories. If they have a talent that I envy, then I am even more impressed. What I don't like are crowds. I don't like the feeling of being pressed in by people.

When I saw this woman playing the fiddle at the Faire at New Boston, I noticed that she always closed her eyes while she was playing. Was that to escape the press of on lookers? Did she need to run from the crowds?

My first thought was that she was like me and by closing her eyes, she could pretend that the crowds were not there. However, the more I watched and listened, the more that I realized that she was caught up in her music.

More than just listening, she was experiencing the music in a very personal way that could not be shared with the rest of us. I imagine that she could feel the notes as they vibrated loose from the instrument and rose into the air. Hers was a private reverie. A oneness with the music, not an escape.

When I am editing a photo on my computer, I sometimes have a similar experience. I can become enmeshed in the image. If I am working on a landscape, I let my mind wander within the scenery. If the image is a portrait, I can sometimes lose myself in the person's eyes. To go even further, I can relish the brilliant colors in a photo, letting my eyes absorb them and process them. Tones, contrast, and saturation become like the individual notes in the fiddler's tune. Like the woman lost in her music, I can become lost in the beauty of an image.

my birthday hafla

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Sometimes you live in a waking dream. A dream so wonderful that you hardly believe it is real. So was my birthday. We celebrated my birthday at a halfla. Not familiar with the term? Hafla translates from Arabic as "party" and is a private event at which belly dancers dance for each other and not for the public. Family and friends tag along but the focus is on the girls showing off for each other.

Although my wife has been belly dancing for years, I have never been able to attend a hafla. I've been invited a few times, but always thought it was really for the girls. This time, Jodi insisted.

All evening, I enjoyed watching the girls dance. As different groups of girls showed their skills, they were cheered on by the other girls.

Some danced in gropus and others danced individually. There were many troupes fromt eh area in attendance. Almost all of the women you see in the images and at least one of the men are dancers.

As much as I enjoyed watching the girls dance, the highlight was when they called me oput ot the center and danced around me with theior veils. Talk about turning red! That is what I call a birthday celebration! Thanks all of you wonderful ladies, I had the best birthday of my life.

Oh and in the last image, my wife is the pretty one dancing on the right of the image. My life is full of suffering.

thursday packards

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Dayton is lucky enough to play host to America's Packard Museum. I had been to the venue once before as part of a corporate event and always wanted to return during the day, when I could put my camera to good use.

The museum is located in an old Packard dealership and by matching the period cars with the proper building, the museum has hit a home run. When you walk in, you are immediately immersed in the experience. Walking from the show room to the old maintenance area, you get the feel of both the front end and the back end of the dealership.

The cars range from the turn of the twentieth century to the mid fifties, when the Packard went out of production. During this era, cars were bathed in design details that you can't see on modern automobiles.

This was my first time shooting cars and I struggled to find a good way to shoot the wonderful lines I found, given the poor lighting in the museum. Still, I had a fantastic time trying.

With a spare afternoon to spend in Dayton, most people automatically think about visiting the incredible U.S. Air Force Museum. I don't blame them, the AF museum is incredible. However, If you prefer cars over planes and missiles or if you have already seen the jets, the Packard museum provides an outstanding alternative.

From early race cars and dump trucks to vehicles owned by MacArthur and Al Capone, the museum's collection is really impressive. Go and see it, you really won't be disappointed.

A quick note: While going back and researching facts for this post, I noticed that I was only charged $5 to enter the museum, the senior rate. This was the day before my fiftieth birthday. Do I really look like a senior already? Don't you have to be retired to be considered a senior?Maybe I should just relax and enjoy the discount.

you can take a cross town bus… zoo part two

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Earlier this week, I posted about the wonderful birds that I found at the Columbus Zoo. Located in, of all places, Columbus, Ohio the zoo is a popular destination for folks living in the area. Today, I wanted to finish up our trip to the zoo by showing some of the animals and also by giving you my overall impressions. To start off, here are some of the animals that I saw:

My wife doesn't like zoos at all. She thinks that the animals must be sad to be locked up in cages and enclosures. After visiting some questionable zoos like the Cincinnati zoo or the Atlanta zoo of the seventies, I can understand where her feelings come from. I like zoos. I enjoy the opportunity to see exotic animals from foreign lands. I don't want to see any animals living in poor conditions. However, I think that zoos have a role to play when it comes to education and conservation and as long as the animals are well cared for physically and mentally, Bring em on. I want to see some animals!

The Columbus zoo is a world class zoo. The animals are sheltered in habitats that closely match their natural environments. From Brown bears to apes, I saw animals with plenty of room, ways to entertain themselves, and safe. The zoo has done a remarkable job of balancing the publics desire to see the animals with the animals need for a healthy home.

That last two images might be part of the zoo's success. The animals are placed in environments that are engaging. Activities are built into the animals daily lives. The zoo is used to train researchers. I saw the student's throughout the site, making notes and recording video. I think we can thank Jack Hanna for the way the zoo sees its mission. His vision of a modern zoos role in education and conservation has produced seed changes in the way modern zoos are run.

Thanks Jack. You've done well.

back to the music

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

I have not forgotten about the Miami Valley Music Fest 2011. Before we leave the topic behind us, I wanted to share a little bit of one of the bands that we were lucky enough to catch while we were there. They go by the name of Blue Moon Soup and they played a fantastic bluegrass fusion. MIxing music like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and traditional bluegrass tunes, I have never heard anything like them.

The guitar, bass, fiddle, and mandolin players were outstanding and all were comfortable on the mic.

If you like blue grass and are in the mood for something new, check out Blue Moon Soup, I think you will enjoy what you hear. Seriously… go check them out before I have to reach for a big stick. Go on, get going!

did i say there was dancing?

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

There was dancing in the grass. Jodi and the rest of the girls were there to entertain the crowds between bands. To get close to the audience, the girls danced on the grass, at times interacting with the crowd.

All of the girls performed together, in pairs, trios, and individually for about an hour before their set was finished. Talk about worn out. They were exhausted when they were done. The good news is that the crowd loved them and cheered them on all along.

Not a bad way to spend a Friday evening on a fine summer day. The weather was gorgeous, the heat was gone and the cool temperatures had everybody in a happy frame of mind.