Photos from the "country".

For want of anything very interesting to say, I thought I'd share some pictures I took on Sunday. I suggested my husband and step-dad go on a drive with me while I looked for some fun shots to take with my digital camera. I still don't quite have the hang of digital - like changing to the manual setting, etc. but I really like the editing part of the software. It's pretty basic really, but fun to experiment with. On the 365 photo project I've done 88 pictures already and it's getting addictive. The drive was designed to spark some new creative ideas, since after 88 pictures everything gets to look the same. I imagine by 200 it might get very repetitive. They say that during any day a human thinks mostly thoughts they have thought before, and it may be the same with one's surroundings, seeing the same thing day in and day out. This online project at least has me looking at things in a new way.

This first shot is a humorous one. It's a metal sculpture of a coal-miner that is in front of a bank. I think it's funny because it's symbolic of the way inflation felt, such as having to bring cash in a big cart because it doesn't go far enough anymore. I don't think that is the message the bank was trying to make with the sculpture, but every time I go to the bank it makes me smile - and how often does one do that at a bank anymore? It's nice to have a bank with a sense of humor...



I love this picture because it is so peaceful, green and cool. In the distance is the flat top of a mesa, which are common in our area. They are fun to climb to the top of, or so my son has told me, but never in a thunder storm since lightning likes to hit flat mesas and anything on top of them.



This next photo was taken nearby, but tweaked a bit with my editing software, making everything look darkly mysterious. I kept yelling to my husband to 'stop the car' every few minutes if I saw something good that warranted a further look...for some reason hubby and dad didn't seem to have much fun on this road trip - I can't imagine why...


As we followed our country road down to a small valley, we found a pretty creek and cows getting cool under the bushes. This is one cow that wasn't afraid of me and my camera. He looks darkly mysterious too, doesn't he? No editing needed here. I was glad there was a fence between us.


This next snap is an old barn - check out those creative, cloistery windows! This barn is on land that used to be a bison farm. It looks like they couldn't make it work, as barn and paddocks looked abandoned.Perhaps the dark cow above is really a bison that escaped, or maybe the bison farm hasn't closed down, but all the animals decided to spend a beautiful Sunday down at the watering hole?


Nearing the end of our drive we approached a hamlet tucked into the hills. Quaint and peaceful, this is one town that wants to stay in the past!


Coming full circle, we see that miner is still trying to make his deposit at the bank. Better come back later when interest rates go up!


That was our Sunday drive.

365 photo project

It was a great day today. Very springlike. We did not even need our coats! Of course we still have snow on our grass, but the driveway is finally clear.

We took Dad to do his banking, and stopped at the Grocery store where I got a bunch of photos for submitting to this web-site I recently joined: it's been a fun photography project and is helping me learn to operate my digital camera - which had me a bit nervous until now. The site is called www.365project.org. What the assignment is, is to take one photo every day, submit it and it gets put with a collection one can browse through, and that's it. There are special projects that are proposed which one can do if one chooses, or else you just take any old photo. Some of the people participating are excellent photographers, some, like me are not. Each photo you add is put into a calendar that we should be able to print up at the end of the year. The comradory is great and it is all free.

A project that is set to start tomorrow is called the ROYBGIV project - the colors of the rainbow. Tomorrow is the day for RED. I guess I'm breaking the rules a bit, but I started searching for colors today. The grocery store was a great place to start, especially the produce department, as the fruits and vegetables are so colorful and displayed so attractively. I asked the produce man if it was okay if I took some shots and he seemed pleased as punch - he even offered to tie up some radishes for a better shot. I got great photos of red radishes, oranges, and on the way home, a great shot of a violet Volkswagen bug(!), and an old tractor (not in a color for the project, so I submitted it for today.) Anyway, check it out if you're in need of a creative project! I think everyone votes for their favorites so there is a bit of competition but nothing to get all freaked out about. Someday I plan to get out really early and get sunrise on the mountain.

My hubby made a special dinner for tonight, which he likes to do on the weekends. It's so nice, cause I grow tired of coming up with meal ideas all the time, tho Dad will eat anything that's not moving, my man is more picky. Then for the next few days I'm working on washing the dishes, which would make an amazing photo rivaling those of the leaning tower of Pisa. He's a cute amateur chef, and I am very grateful.