This doe ("do, a dear; a female dear") wasn't very fa ("a long, long way to run") from me. It was late in the day but there were a few rays shining through the trees ("re, a drop of golden sun"). Stop it! I'm already having visions of Julie Andrews (as Mary Poppins) coming out from behind a tree. And that's not a sign of good mental health.Anyway, I like the look this dear is giving me. She is trying to decide if I pose a threat or if I have more cracked corn to feed her. Neither was the case, but I did shoot her with a camera.By the way, I called this "Curiosity 2" because it reminds me a bit of another photo I posted several months ago called "Curiosity".
Squall Line
Chip
An Evil Flower?
in Nature
Not only is this a "weed," but it is a "noxious weed" - aka a "thistle." But it is also a flower and when I was taking pictures of this intriguing plant, I was wondering what makes some flowers (roses and lillies, for example) "flowers" and what makes others (Canadian thistle and dandelions) "weeds?" I have my theories, but I'm playing coy today. I'll let you ponder this deep and profound mystery.
Bambi Twins
in Animal, Black Hills, Nature, South Dakota
It's easy to shoot wildlife photos when the wildlife wanders into your front yard. In this case the front yard is at our cabin in the Black HIlls. They were lured there by the cracked corn that had been thrown on the grass.If you study the spots on the fawns, incidentally, you will discover that the deer are not identical twins, though I'm guessing that human twins wouldn't necessarily have the exact same skin blemishes, would they? Maybe it's the same for deer.
Mom & Dad
My dad died 10 years ago today and while I have posted a couple photos of my mom on this blog, I have yet to do so with Dad.I think that this is the last photo I took of my Mom and Dad together and it was taken a few years before my dad died. It is probably just me, but I think my mother is almost radiant in this photo. Later in her life, it was very difficult to get a decent photo of her because she came to dislike the camera. I don't know why.On the day that my dad died, I was sailing in a good wind on a hot day on Lake Oahe. When a boat motored close to me and the owner of the place where I kept my boat yelled to me that I needed to call home, I knew it was about my dad. He passed away comfortably sitting in his favorite chair at the age of 83.I miss them both very much right now.
The Evil Eye
in Travel
The circular object with concentric circles of blue and white is known as the evil eye. If you look closely in this photo, you will also noticed bracelets with much smaller versions of the same symbol. This photo was taken in Istanbul, Turkey, but I have seen this bracelet in Greece and other places in Eastern Europe.The belief is that is that if you wear one of these amulets, bad things won't happen to you. I'm not sure if there is any science to back this up. The vendor's missing foot and toes make me wonder about its efficacy.Incidentally, the sign that we sometimes use to mean "OK" in western culture is the "evil eye" sign in eastern Europe. So don't flash the "OK" sign in Istanbul - it may cause a fight.
Variations On A Theme
Once, a while back when I thought that I should try to make some money from my photography, I started to make a set of photo greeting cards. This was one of them. I may have posted this aspen grove before but not with the Photoshop filters. Frankly, I use very little "effects" in my photography. I suppose I still think like I'm shooting film and I try to create the effects with the camera.My "card project" is dormant. The aspen grove is flourishing.
A Hint of Things To Come
in Nature, Seasons, South Dakota
Summer comes, and, some time in late July or early August, so does exceptionally warm weather. And we complain. But soon fall and winter come. And we complain. Thus, I have concluded, the weather we experience in South Dakota gives us something to talk about all year.Imagine living in Kona, Hawaii, where it gets into the 80s every day and slips into the high sixties almost every night. What do they talk about? Vog? Tsunamis? Coffee?
Taxi!
I have already posted one photo of a London icon that I took on a rainy evening in London. So here's another: the London Taxi.The traditional London cab is black. But it was obvious to Deb and me that that they are toying with that tradition since we saw several taxis that were customized with interesting paint jobs, such as this one. We've even heard rumors that there is one painted with a Wall Drug sign.Canon 5DII 1/8s f/9.0 ISO250 58mm
The Underside of Life
in Nature
Who looks at the back sides of lilly leaves? I do. Once again, I am photographing Stargazer lilies - but this time I was trying to see what I hadn't seen before.Incidentally, here's a photo I posted almost a year ago that also gives a slightly different view of this flower.
London, Paris & Rome - 1999
I came across this photo by accident this morning and decided to post it on the off chance that someone pictured looks at this blog from time to time. I suspect that a photo like this has very little meaning to anyone other than me and those pictured, though it may be interesting to study the people and their various reactions to the fact that I was taking yet another "group photo."This photo was taken in Florence, Italy, not too far from the Duomo. The trip took us to London, Paris and Italy. I have fond memories of our travels, in part because of the young people I traveled with (including my son, Brian) but also because my friend Scott P. joined us.I haven't traveled with students in several years and I miss it. Even though bus rides and tight itineraries are not my style of travel these days, I always enjoyed being surrounded by the un-jaded enthusiasm of young people learning about and then embracing the virtues of foreign culture and history.I also think it is safe to say that there isn't person in this photo that wasn't changed in some profound and positive way by the experience. And, of course, I was always happy to be part of that.Incidentally, the people pictured (in no particular order) are: Brady Warrick, Karl Ehresmann, Chris Bartelt, Christine Harte, Sarah Berg, Leah Reichling, Leah Bergan, Meagan Schmidt, Erin Strickerz, Heather Beck, Theresa Steichen, Nicole Berg, Brian Shephard, Micah Likness, Jason Jungers, Amber Gregersen, Cathy Barkley, Sandi Hagen, Anne Madison, Lori Reichling.If you know any of these folks, please forward the link to them. If you are one of these people, I'd love to hear from you - especially impressions that you might have about your experiences in Europe in 1999.