You Capture - 2009 Favorites

It's so nice of Beth to give us a chance to include the pictures that we took and loved in 2009 but that didn't fit in the week's assignments.

One set that I was excited about included the sunset pictures taken at the beach while we waited for the fireworks in July.






Others that I loved included some nature shots that I took back when I used to walk religiously:



And finally some sunset pictures taken of a wild sky with a brilliant sun. We happened to be traveling West and the constantly changing sunset was incredible. I probably took almost 100 pictures of it. Choosing the ones to include was almost inpossible and I'm still not sure that Mr. Right and I got it right.





Oh and the zoo pictures! I can't believe I almost forgot them. Just a couple okay?



Oh and Garden of the Gods. I almost forgot Garden of the Gods. Just 2 - that's all then.


For more favorites of budding professional and dedicated amatuer photographers like myself, visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry and if you've got some favorites, this would be a great chance to join in.

It's Not All Fun And Games

So some people might think that I walk in the Dunes simply for pleasure and enjoyment. Or just to take pictures which I guess is also pleasure and enjoyment. Well, I'm here to say that right now I'm not having much enjoyment.

My head is still sore and so is my elbow. But my stomach and abdominal muscles feel like I've been working out for a week. My neck is so stiff I can hardly move it and my shoulders feel like they're carrying the weight of the world. My back muscles hurt and so does my left knee. All that from one little fall.

But there's more to walking in the Dunes than exercise, taking pictures, and falling. There's also education. Today I learned where baby picnic tables come from. Just look:




I also found out that there are some fun and games going on at the park that don't involve propagating the species OR taking pictures, exercising or falling. Look at this incriminating photograph.


I'm sorry these are kind of blurry but I was trying to be discreet and not get too close. Also, when I see a shot that I think won't last, I tend to rush it and I get some 'noise' in the picture if you get my drift.

I Fell......Again

I don't really want to talk about it but if I'm going to pretend that this blog is a journal then I have to. I need to record the major events in my life and my feelings and my musings about them.

No one would believe how much I don't want to admit that I fell again. Or how vehemently I would deny that it has anything, anything at all, to do with my age. But my fall record is dismal. And I know the main reason is bad judgment.

When I was working, I'd work too fast in difficult conditions in an effort to avoid criticism and for the satisfaction of doing a good job. Now, I guess I don't have the good judgment to stay in when conditions are not very safe. Or to at least walk in a safe area. Already, I'm checking the forecast for tomorrow to see when I can head out to the Dunes again knowing full well that the path will be just as slippery, the leaves will be just as wet, and the roots will be just as hidden. But I always think I can overcome little obstacles like these.

Today I got out much earlier. In fact I took my first picture at 3:31. The colors were beautiful but it was overcast and I didn't have as much light, especially at the end of the trail, as I would have liked.

There's a boardwalk in the middle of the trail that is almost a half mile long. It's not in real good repair but you just have to be careful...and I was. Here's an idea of what it looks like in places:


But mostly it looks more like this:

And I noticed very soon after stepping onto it that it was slippery so I was very careful. Therefore, the boardwalk, at least that boardwalk' was not the problem.

I tried to walk fairly fast between picture taking but the spaces in between pictures were pretty short. All of a sudden, my feet shot out from under me, my head slammed into something solid, and my glasses flew somewhere out of sight (which isn't all that far since my vision without them is pretty poor). I rolled over and struggled to my knees and tried to find my glasses. It took a long time and some fervent prayers but I found them. Thank God!

I had slipped on a very short wooden bridge hidden by wet, slippery leaves.

I got up and continued my walk but not as enthusiastically now. I took more pictures but when I got home and looked at them, I didn't remember taking most of them in fact hardly any of them.

And on the way home, I thought a lot about Natasha Richardson. Not the actress part..the death from a head injury part.

I know this sounds so disturbing but it was extremely traumatic for me. (The only other time when I've hit my head this hard before was when I was in about 2nd grade and a 3rd grader pushed me hard against a brick wall. I saw stars, blackness, and my feet slid out from under me. And no teacher or other kid even noticed. lol)

And to add insult to injury, ever since I slipped and fell in the goldfish pond, the hole in my left elbow which must have been much deeper than I thought has caused me a lot of discomfort. I just can't rest my head on my elbows now when I'm sitting at my desk. I do feel like it's starting to get better though.

So now I've hurt my right elbow. Sheeeeesh!

Mystery Solved - I Think

Last night I posted what I thought was a spooky picture. I had been walking in Dunes State Park and it got late before I got out. I took a few pictures when it was almost dark using my flash and in one of those pictures there were some tiny little points of light - two green, two red - in the trees. I didn't see them until I got home and downloaded my pictures. Unfortunately those strange, tiny points of color didn't show up in the blog picture I posted but maybe it was just as well. I think I have a defective lens. I cleaned it before I went out today but I still had them in the flash pictures that I took tonight. I'm pretty disappointed. I guess I was hoping for something more dramatic.

So since I didn't get started until 5:25 yesterday, I made sure to get an earlier start tonight. I started at 5:01 and I was determined to walk the entire circuit of 3 miles. That's not bad but I haven't done any walking to speak of for two months and then there was the camera in my hand and the leaves and paths that I can't resist photographing. Adding to that was the waning light. I definitely did not want a bunch of flash pictures where the paths disappear in darkness like this one:
And taking pictures without a flash in the waning light required a steady hand or something to brace against and a lot more time.

Now I did have three pictures with strange orbs floating in them. And in two of them the orbs were on the path in front of me - once when the path went off to the right and once when the path went off to the left so I don't really think it was a lens thing. Another one had the orb and it was taken of the scene above. The only difference was that it was taken with a flash so you might think it had something to do with that but the very next picture I took with a flash of the exact same scene didn't have it. Go figure. Remember I took over 200 pictures and only those three had those orbs. What are orbs anyway?

Oh and by the time I got out of the woods, it was 6:25. Too late again. But now I think we really ought to look into that orb mystery. Tomorrow night.

Anybody want to go with me?

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Well really I don't always feel that way. In fact, I hardly ever do. But today, or rather this evening, was another story.

I haven't been out for a walk in the Dunes for ages and ages. And I'm well aware that its getting dark earlier and earlier. I just didn't know it was like 10 minutes a day or something ridiculous like that.

I started my walk at 5:25. I thought that should give me plenty of time to do my 3-mile loop; however, I wasn't really factoring in the Fall colors and all the changes in the scenery that I would have to photograph. It's a compulsion sometimes and today was one of those times.

I encountered a man walking a dog and he said, "You're going to be out after dark." That gave me pause but I figured if it got to be 6 p.m. and I wasn't halfway, I'd turn back. At 5:55, I saw the bird outlook and thought I'd take a few pictures and just head back. But you know how easy it is to lose track of time when you're taking pictures right? I did. And I didn't start back until after 6:00.

And I was still shooting pictures and it was getting dark fast. So I quickened my pace and took fewer pictures. But I did take this one:

Not SO spooky right? Try double clicking on it and tell me if you see a couple of red glows and a couple of green ones. Do you?

What are they?

Number One Hundred

I can't believe it's here already! My 100th post. And, I'm amazed that I've found blogging so fun and rewarding. I love the comments, the friendships, and the chance to explore other blogs. But most of all, I love the journaling. I'm grateful for the chance to think through things that I might otherwise take for granted and to let people I care about know how I feel and I'm even grateful for the chance to vent, complain, whine and fret about the important and unimportant things in my life and then, I get to hear the opinions and thoughts of people I know and people I don't know. It just can't get much better than that.

So, for my 100th blog post, I'm going to have a giveaway. First of all, I have a $10 Wal-Mart gift card to give away and second of all, I have four 8X10 prints that the lucky winner can choose from in color or black and white. They all follow the path less taken theme and they were all shot in the Indiana Dunes State Park. Here are the choices:


To enter, just leave a comment. Sunday night at 10 p.m., I'll draw a winner.

Due to unpopular demand, I'm extending this giveaway until Monday night at 10 p.m.

Is It The Difference Between A Brother and A Husband?

I was walking on a trail in Dunes State Park the other day and I tripped on a root and bit the dust. Ouch! I'm sure glad nobody saw that! If nobody saw it, it's almost like it never really happened which reminds me of the age old question:

If a man talks in the woods where no woman can hear him, is he still wrong?

Anyway, back to my fall. It really was as if it didn't happen except that I have a big mouth and I shared the story. First I shared it with my brother who I love dearly. His reaction was predictable. "You sure fall a lot", he said. He looked kind of embarrassed for me and very incredulous like he just couldn't figure out what could be wrong with me. I explained that there are scads of hidden, semi-hidden, and obvious roots in the paths in Dunes State Park, especially on this path. Picture him still looking incredulous, embarrassed and bewildered. Oh well. I shouldn't have told him.

Just so YOU believe me, check out this picture I took of a path out there. Look especially at the foreground:


Later on I casually mentioned to Mr. Right that I had fallen in the Dunes that day. He didn't blink an eye, as he said, "That's what I don't like about you walking out there. All those roots".

It was enough to make me cry. He had such faith in me. He didn't assume I was a klutz or a freak or a scatterbrain. He assumed that I tripped on a hidden root.

And he was right.

Art or ?

Look what I photographed!

Did I do a good job? I'm almost thinking of having it printed and framing it for wall art. Or is it not so pretty?

You do know that you can double click on it to get the full effect right?

I'd love to have your opinion.

You Capture - Black and White

This week's You Capture sponsored by Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry had me excited from the beginning. I started carrying my camera last Friday on my daily walks, looking for that picture that would convert the best to black and white. I'm not sure I found it but here are a couple of my efforts:
See what happens when I start working on a project too early? I go overboard. You should see how many I eliminated!!!

Anyway for more black and white captures visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry and remember the real fun is in joining in.