Well, after all the rain and flooding we had last week it's good to have a break.
Break in the rain

I had Jaryd yesterday and we went to meet Barb for lunch.  We grabbed a pizza and was on the way to the park to eat when I spied this old abandoned church.  It was boarded up and all the stained glass was removed.  There must be a story behind it but I don't know it.

Spirits Leaving

Unstained Glass

Last week I thought it would be funny to send a picture of me to all my kids to try and play on their sympathy before Father's day to try and maybe increase the gifts. Unfortunately, Barb came home early and caught me and now all of a sudden it's "not funny" anymore.  So, I didn't do it but which one do you think would have worked best?
Sad 1

Sad 2

 

OK, the last one I did was a little difficult and weird. It was a living thing. Let's try some inanimate stuff.

Someone will get #4 right off, I think. The other three may not be so easy. 

Macro_1

Macro_2  Ok, 1&2 have been solved, Here is the large view. Glasses 

Macro_3  This is the large one Key Chain hinge 

Macro_4  OK, I thought this would be very easy. It is a Key

 

 

 

 

Well... It's obvious that it is a living thing. I hope this meets with EF's challenge, though it might be obvious what it is, the challenge here is what kind is it.  Or: Of what is it a precursor. It is just starting...   IMG_3180

OK, here it is. I am not naming it yet. Someone should be able to recognize this tree: The branch  The tree 

  I just found this here in Connecticut this afternoon and it hit me that it might work for the challenge. 

No,  not the thumb.  

Hmmm, after reading Cory's comment I thought maybe I'd mention that it was photographed on the hood of my car with a 20mm macro tube. That might give you a sense of it's size. 

We had to come up north to care for some in the family that are ill and give some moral support to a friend that lost her mother. While the weather here has made us shrivel up and keep a supply of tissues for our runny noses because of the cold and all the pollen on top of it, the northern wild flowers are awesome. At least to me.

First though is a shot of what we down south have avoided all winter. It is still HERE!! left_over_in_May   That is Mt. Sunapee in case you want to know. 

But now here are a few of  The Wild Ones Most of these were taken in New Hampshire, around the Newport area.

 Here is the thumb, just for good measure. You may note that it hasn't really bloomed yet while the Connecticut ones have about gone by. lilac

 

 

 

 

 

 

looking for one thing, finding another.

barn_window_board

Well, the weathermen were wrong!  I got up expecting 6-9 inches of snow... more like 1-2 inches.  It was supposed to be partly sunny in the morning so I was expecting to get some sun behind the Bridgeton Covered Bridge(about a 30 mile drive for me) but it was gloomy and cloud covered.  But I had Jaryd, coffee, and some good sounds (Thanks to Pablo) so we waited and watched the water flow over the dam for awhile but the sun never peeked out till after we left there.  I would have gone back but we had moved on and also had to pick Barb up at work.  I didn't get the shot I came after but it was a blast to get back out and shoot something and the sun did eventually come out later.

Bridgeton Covered Bridge
Bridgeton Bridge and Mill
Big Raccoon Creek
Old Barn
Roseville Bridge
Sunrise
Yellow Barn and light
Washed out  Liked the scraggly clump of trees but was never satisfied with the actual shot so I kept increasing exposure to lighten snow... still didn't care for it so I just went overboard with the exposure and got this watercolor look.  Don't think I'd hang it on the wall but it's at least more interesting than the original.

These are a couple I uploaded the other day but didn't post.  They're just desktop setups I was playing with when I couldn't get out and about.
Dumbo
Star

p.s. Pablo, they got baptized on the backroads of Indiana and Jaryd gives his approval. Thanks.

I pass by this barn everytime I go into town.  It's on a little country road not more than 3 miles from my house.  Got bored on my off day last friday and I couldn't find anything around my house (besides my cats) to take pictures of.  I loaded my camera in the car with me, pulled on a scarf and some gloves and took a drive.  Here's the results.

red barn with less sky
red barn 3
red barn 4
red barn 5  

Comments, critiques, suggestions?

All I've got for you this week is barns and cats.  I didn't photograph anything from the time my last assignment was due up until Christmas and I finally got a chance last week to pick the camera up and I went with some available resources.  However, I did take the time to get creative twice last week, so next week look forward for some new and interesting stuff from me (and I'm not sure if you'll like it, but I'm gonna run it by ya anyway).

Now that that's been said, pictures of my barn!  I know, you're excited.  You shouldn't be.

Couldn't decide which composition I liked or whether I wanted it in b&w or color (really having a hard time with that... maybe I'm just really ready to be back in that darkroom).  So give me your two cents, if you don't mind.

winter barn
winter barn bw

winter barn 2
winter barn bw 2

   One advantage of the setting the clocks back is that Jaryd and I don't have to wait for the sun to come up.  We can take off on the roadtrips as soon as we drop Barb off at work.  These are all HDR images, I've been playing with that for a while when I have a subject that warrants it and occasionally just to see what it does for a more normal range image like the country road below.  I try to get an image that looks to me like the actual scene did but you can go way past that and get surreal images if that's your fancy.  These are all three image, aperture priority, +-2 stop, auto exposure bracketed shots generated in Photomatix Pro. Normally, they would also be from a tripod but since this was a road trip, no leaving the car, so propped on the side window was as close as I could get.  At this size, it's hard to see any alignment problems.  These were all taken Friday morning at different times.
White Barn
Brick Barn
Country Road

   I know I said my last post was the last of the zoo pics but I lied. Here are a few more.  These are not HDR.
Don't mess with me!
Even the king needs rest.
Can ya see me now?

  Comments and criticism are best served cold.  What's your thoughts on HDR, love it, hate it, don't care, don't know what it is?  I know the activity here drops off on the weekend but what are your thoughts?

Red Vine on Wood 2 Saw this on a barn near Story, IN and took several shots as close as I could get.  I really would have liked to have a ladder so I could climb up and take a close up shot.
Fallen Log in Woods I liked the play of light through the trees on this log.
Golden Leaves on Green Lake Another view of Strahl Lake from a different angle and through the trees.
Fancy Rhubarb 2 A close up shot of the sun shining on some fancy rhubarb leaves.
We had such a beautiful day again today for the end of October.  I was outside for noon hour recess and it was too warm to wear a jacket and also too bright to take pictures.

Had a grand gathering of our extended family last weekend at the Spring Ranch, just south of Mendocino. The ranch was established and the house cobbled together by a lumber baron in the 1860s, and both are now in the State Park system. The house is on Rte. 1, and the property runs west to the sea.
Southwest Corner, Morning
Stairwell
Porch Column
House Across the Road  
Oceanside Barn
Detail,
 Barn Roof
Northern Flicker
Our Artist
Mendocino Surf  
 
 

  I didn't have access to these sunrise shots yesterday or I would have posted them then.  Jaryd and I got out early cause I've been wanting to brush up on early morning stuff before we leave.  We dropped Barb off and picked up some donuts and coffee, the latter for me, on the way out to this barn which I knew I could get on the west side of without  getting out of the car. (roadtrip rule#1) We sat and had breakfast and waited till the sun came up. These were all taken with the 17-40mm handheld out the window of the truck.
First Shot of the day. IN b&w for the challenge, mostly black it was still early.
Same Barn Different Time. There is some wide angle distortion in the side of the barn in these but I liked how they seem to lean into the frame so I didn't remove it.
  Down the road a farmer was getting in some early harvesting trying to beat the rain that was forecast.  Didn't see the farmer just his handiwork.
Shine On, Harvest sun.  I didn't care for the little blip of tree behind the corn but it was the best I could do from the truck.

  As always, feel free to comment and criticize, I prefer constructive criticism not just "You Suck!" but whatever floats your boat.  If I disagree I'll be nice about it and if I agree I'll say so... either way I'll thank you for the trouble.  Well, I may not thank the "You Suck!" respondents.

  Jaryd and I had our weekly roadtrip yesterday.  It was very gray and threatening day but didn't rain... during the outing.  This view of the barn was taken later in the morning and I have some earlier ones with a sunrise that I may post tomorrow.
B&W Barn
  Let me know how it looks as I'm using my laptop to edit on so I can see if it's worthwhile to try and post during the vacation.
  Barb complained that we got the new truck all dusty driving the back roads and drove it to the car wash on her lunch hour.  Then it rained.

Barn Window Barn Door Windows Barn Door Windows Barn Door redux

Managed to capture both background sky reflection and window transparency in Barn_Window_02, i.e. the window within the window is actually a transparent view through the barn to the other side at its gable peak. I just love the old hand blown glass windows.

I was going through some old photos and found this picture that I took about four years ago...Tractor.  This tractor has been sitting in our field since it died where it sits.  While driving through the pasture this weekend, I took this picture.  Note how things have changed for both the tractor and the barn in the background.

Here's the tractor at a different angle1340.

I snuck a peek at the site on monday before I left Nevada and saw the new challenge.  I didn't have much time to take all the photos I could've, while in my home town, and the ones I did take aren't that good, most are drive by shooting.  But here goes.  

I was born in Orange, CA, but moved to Gardnerville, NV when I was 9.  Nevada will always be my home.  

I loved the house I lived most of my life in, DeanHouse (it was red when I lived in it) I even rented it from my dad when he got remarried and moved.  

I spent most of my time in the barn DeanBarn, which I helped my dad build.  It was full of great memories, times with my horses.  I loved the smell and the sounds, and would sit out there for hours.

I loved to hang out at Sharkey's Casino Sharkeys they had video games and great hot chocolate.

Bently's is where my mom worked for many years, and I ended up working there for 5 years before I moved here to IL.  I would probably still be there if I hadn't moved.

My favorite views are of the Carson Valley, this is from Kingsbury Grade coming down from Lake Tahoe, Carson Valley and there are scenes like this all around the valley, CarsonValleyScene  

This is home and will always be.  I would love to move back there someday, just not sure I can talk the rest of my family to go with me.  :o)

Thanks for the great memories!  Have a wonderful weekend!  :o)

All those old barns you folks have been posting got me going. I just have to pop a few in that I have come across in my travels.  

This one isn't too old, but I think it it fits OB S. Dakota

This one isn't too old either OB in Michigan

This was just to nice to pass OB end - Kentucky

I think this was in Kentucky as well OB on the road

This one had to be "repaired", there was too much clutter at the left side, could have done a better job but used an old program OB Wyoming falling

I have this as in Kentucky, but not sure. A little too saturated I'm afraid OB Kentucky

This is my new home in Kentucky Hanging on in Kentucky stop in and visit someday.

Ha! This isn't a barn, but I couldn't resist. It just came up on the road on a Strange tree in Michigan

Well, now I have gotten the "old barns" out of my system. I didn't take a lot of time dressing them, hope you barn lovers out there like them as much as I do.

  In a small community with very few forms of entertainment we found ways to amuse ourselves, and expend the energy of youth, that ranged from mild amusements to minor felonies.  Pig-riding fell somewhere in the middle.
  We had a small slaughterhouse on the river near where we lived, Valentine Packing was their name.  Almost every Sunday morning, weather permitting, we'd sneak along the riverbank and climb the fence into their stockyards for a little pig-riding.  Sundays they were closed and the guard only half-heartedly tried to run us off.  We were serious pig-riders though and half-hearted attempts wouldn't deter us for long.  One guy even brought a BB gun to shoot us with... I guess guards need their amusements too!
  The objective of pig-riding is to get on at the farthest (dry) end of the lot and hang on during the short, wild, furious, gallop to to the other (wet) end.  Getting off before the wet end near the barn, where the pigs lounge, is important.  Unless your one of those guys who hates company and likes to take more than one bath a day. Getting off was usually easy. The hard part was getting on and hanging on.  We think of pigs as fat but it's a hard fat...kinda like riding a rock.  They are rounded on top with no mane to hold onto, if you were lucky and could catch the ears it helped but that took the perfect mount.
  There were two techniques for getting on, depending on the number of riders.  Both involve herding the pigs to the dry end and bunching them for the mounting attempt.  It takes two, preferably three guys to herd the pigs.  With this small number of guys you had to bunch them, pick your pig, make a mad dash, leap for it's back, hold on for dear life if you make it, avoid trampling if you miss, and don't forget the wet end comes fast.  With a larger number of guys we'd take turns and the riders would climb the fence and the herders would herd them to where they could just drop on the pig's back from the fence.  This was the easiest, surest mount.  Now I don't pretend to understand pig herd dynamics but I do know it's hard, sometimes impossible, to get them to go where you want and when they decide where they want to go, they go there as fast and direct as possible.  I also know when a bunch of screaming guys jump on their backs they want to go to the barn (wet end) in a hurry.  You can effect a little, very little, steerage if you manage to get hold of the ears but I think any change in direction is more from confusion than compliance and it's tough to get the earhold anyway.
  The ride itself is short, intense, exciting, and loads of fun... and if someone doesn't get off before the wet end it's hilarious.  Now before you accuse me of animal cruelty, remember this was probably their last day on Earth and why not let them enjoy it running wild and free occasionally trampling one of their future consumers.  Their last chance to get even before they're bacon.  And since my Dad and Grandpa both bought meat here for their grocery stores we surely ate a few of our former mounts.
  Alas, the golden days of pig-riding are over, at least the urban pig-riding we enjoyed.  My kids never got to experience the thrill of the ride and Jaryd will never get to.  But as you can see from this snapshot, his look of glee and "no hands" technique show that he carries the pig-riding gene in his DNA.  My gift to him.

Snapshot of the New Pig Rider.
 

Hello..just got back home from Branson Missouri..thought I'd share a few pics..Had a few nice sunsets sunset branson2 ..Had a nice walk on a trail near Table Rock Lake bridge branson ,stairway branson , I love this tree roots branson. And the last 3 were taken from the car on the way home (hence the blur)..hay bails branson , saw several of these silo w/tree branson and of course I had to get a shot of a red barn red barn branson..hope everyone had a great weekend..thanks..=)

I have been taking pics for one of the  little league teams here in BG, and since CF didn't specify we had to use new images, I'm gonna submit some of the ball pics for the challenge.

1

2 (he was ok)

4 (he had to shake it off for a few minutes, but was all right)

This barn has been restored over the last few years.  Since this is a dying art, I felt compelled to include it in my barn collection.........
red

barn

Hope y'all enjoy!