Summer – Page 2 – tim mcmurdo

the part with the amber waves

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Tim McMurdo

This morning, I woke early, packed the car full of camera gear and headed out for farm country. If that sounds like hours of driving, I need to be honest and tell you that it was only 15 minutes before I was deep in the farms.

The day was with me. The clouds were interesting, the sun was just coming up, and the grain was indeed amber. I hope you appreciate that I rise very early so that you can see sights that normal sane people don’t get up early enough to see. I’m good that way. You can thank me the next time you see me.

Tim

sunset on the farm

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Tim McMurdo

late summer color

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

As the summer crawls to a close and we approach the fall, most of the beautiful blooms have already passed and we are left with just a few flowers to admire. Yellow seems to be the predominant color and that is not such a bad color to have lingering in my memory. Brilliant, vivis yellow. I think it is a color that leaves a happy impression on almost everybody.

morning walk

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Saturday morning, I woke to a foggy morning and decided to go for a walk before the sun burned off the cool mist. Walking in the fog is one of my favorite experiences. I love the muted colors and the way the fog shrouds the lights.

I love the lack of echo. The moist air seems to absorb the sounds and even the noise of the gravel crunching under my feet doesn't go far.

I love the cool air. Even when the day has plans to become hot, the morning fog provides a cool damp blanket.

The fog is full of surprises and even familiar paths give you opportunities to pause and experience something new. I think this is because the fog focuses your sight to the object close to you.

I can't wait till Saturday morning. I am planning a nice morning walk. Maybe I will tell you all about it.

barn dance!

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Saturday nights are made for getting out and having a great time. For me, this Saturday meant the fall dance in the barn at the farm. I'm not much of a dancer. I do like to dance but, most of my dancing occurs at home with the stereo blasting. I can dance however I want and the only one laughing is my wife. Unless you are dancing at a wedding or you are a square dancer, old men should pretty much only dance behind closed doors. The rest of the world does not want to see us wiggling our sagging old man bottoms. It's just a fact. I can live with it.

All this is to say that because I have no idea how to square dance, I didn't dance on Saturday night. Square dancing intimidates me. Any dancing that requires a traffic cop calling out instructions must be too complicated for my little pea head. I'd rather watch the other people dancing in their complicated patterns while I sit back and tap my toes to the music. Besides, I am always too busy with my camera.

And afterall, isn't that better for everybody? You get to look at the pictures and I get to avoid injury. Sounds like a win-win situation for everybody involved.

see jane. see jane run

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Jane is one of the percherons at Carriage Hill Farm & I have been trying to warm up to her lately. Imagine my delight when I walked up to the fence yesterday evening and she came running…. right past me and into the corral where there was fresh hay to eat. Man, was my ego deflated. She wasn't excited to see me, she was looking for a meal.

Sometimes, that is the way life goes. I made the most of the moment and took this picture as she ran towards me… um, I mean the food. Having a full grown percheron thunder by you is one of those events that makes the ground shake. You can feel the impact of her hooves crashing into the ground as she flys over the ground.

Exposure	0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture	f/6.3
Focal Length	55 mm
ISO Speed	1600

Note the high ISO, slow shutter speed and large aperture required to take this shot of Jane as she ran in the low evening light.

evidently, queen anne liked lace but not babies

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus Carota) is a pretty common wild flower here in Ohio. The waist high flowers seem to spring up everywhere. Vacant lots, road sides, and fallow fields have all been declared fair game. Once established, the flower spreads rapidly, creating fields of gorgeous white blooms. Just as the last of the lillies spells the height of summer, to me, Queen Anne's lace heralds the end of summer.

There is a story behind the plant's name. In the center of each mature bloom is a dark red flower that is used to attract insects. This small bloom is said to be a drop of blood that fell from Queen Anne's hand as she pricked herself with a needle while was weaving the lace.

While researching the plant for this post, I discovered that as early as the 5th century, the seeds of the flower were collected in the fall and used as an effective contraceptive. Moderns studies have verified the results. Evidently those ancient peoples knew a thing or two about not having babies. That might explain why all those ancient women liked it when their man brought home flowers to her. Good boys!

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.

The flavor of the festival is in the crowd

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

The girls danced this festival last summer for the first time and I distinctly remember the crowd being much rowdier. From crazy loudmouths to rather laid back hippies. The flavor of the new audience was much improved over all. Instead of howling and hooting at the girls, this crowd applauded, cheered and danced along with them.

There was still plenty of smoking and drinking of all kinds, but the audience was far more family friendly.

Did I mention the Hula-hoops? Because, there were a lot of Hula-hoops and somebody forgot to tell me that they had come back. Combined with the hippie kids, you could be forgiven for having flashbacks to the sixties especially if you are around my age.

I have to tell you, when your wife it going to belly dance infront of a huge audience at a music festival, hula-hoops kind of sets your mind at ease. Hula-hoops and young kids are definitely a good sign.