Tag Archives: Photography

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Vacation!

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You all understand the thrill of vacation.  The planning and preparation are over and the travel is about to begin!  I’ll be heading out to the Chesapeake Bay and then Bethany Beach, DE (by truck) and then back home to switch vehicles and head out on the bike to Kentucky.  Needless to say, I am excited!

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This photo is from my annual gathering with the GOAs.  We’ll be returning to this same island and I cannot wait to get to the Bay and bring out the camera.

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Gwynn Island is quite remote and I’m not even sure there is cell coverage. I do that know there is no internet, which means that I’ll be missing out on all of your gorgeous photos, captivating stories, and interesting updates.  Please let me know of any particularly important ones that I’ll miss while gone.

See ya soon!!

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Blog Tour: Partial Failure

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What a whirlwind week it has been, one filled with many big and small things!

The biggest and most important thing was undergoing my 15th procedure since the wreck and to finally have my smile restored!  I’ve not devoted much blog space to the events of the past 9 months, and the only reason I’m doing so today is because this important event kept me from fulfilling an obligation that I committed myself to.

I’d been asked by 3 different bloggers to participate in a Blog Tour. I appreciated the invitations but knowing that I was a bit over extended and had a big case pending, I initially declined. Eventually I did agree to participate because it seemed fun, and a nice way to meet other bloggers.

The rules are simple.  The invited participant composes a one-time post. 4 questions are answered and then 4 other bloggers are invited to create a post, answering those same questions.

I dutifully made a calendar note to create a post, but then … I forgot to invite others to participate!

I must apologize to Emilio for only partially fulfilling my role as participant.  Please check out his post about the Virtual Blog Tour.

 And since we’re talking Tours, why don’t you visit a Displaced Beachbum.  She’s traveled the world and is currently touring Scotland.

Jo the Tart Queen is another blogger whose posts share delicious sounding recipes and beautiful photos from her travels.

So … the Answers to the 4 Questions in brief:

What am I currently working on?  I’m continuing my growth as an amateur photographer and am so happy to have been included as one of the photographers in a new B&W Photography Blog called Monochromia.  Please visit the blog and check out the great work of the participating photographers.

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How does my work differ from others of its genre? I have no specific goal other than to improve and no specific subject other than what draws and attracts my eye.  I do like to travel as much as I can and many of my posts are about the things I see from the road … short, local trips and longer, more adventurous ones.

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Why do I write/create what I do?  Simply put: It’s all about the joy, the fun, and the opportunity to be creative in a life filled with work and structure.

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How does your writing/creating process work?  Oh gosh … let’s see.  Something draws my attention. I pull over, crawl around on the ground, climb a ladder, fence, or bed of the truck, or slide down a riverbank, and shoot and shoot and shoot.  Once I get home, I just pray that something worked!  I do edit but not extensively.

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Thanks Emilio for inviting me to be a part of this tour!

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No Deer Here!

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So, why is it that my dentist can grow fields of Day Lillies, yet not one bud makes it to flower in my yard?

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No kidding! The deer have eaten Every. Single. Solitary. Bud.

In 15 years, I’ve only seen ONE bud make it to bloom.

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Yet on Friday, I pulled into my dentist’s office parking lot, and all I saw were thousands of lillies.  Seriously! Thousands!

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Absolutely gorgeous!

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Makes the whole process of dental work easier 🙂

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Light and Shadow

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Have you visited Monochromia yet? Check it out and you’ll see some of your favorite bloggers posting some incredible B&W images!

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My WordPress journey began as a chronicle of my life and travels on the bike.  The bigger, planned trips, and the smaller, more spontaneous ones.  As I ride along, I never know when something is going to catch my eye, and inspire me to pull over.

Sometimes I work hard to capture what I see and sometimes I get lucky and the first shot just works.  Other than conversion to B&W, this image is exactly as it was when it came out of the camera.

Let me know what you think and come visit me sometime at Life on The Bike.

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After the Storm

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Once the thunder, lightning, wind, and rain are gone, there is a calmness on the lake that lures me back outside.  Within minutes, my feet are in the water and the camera is in my hand.

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I loved the larger view of this image because of the movement, color, and designs on the water, but I just had to crop the photo a bit so the raindrops floating along in the curve of this leaf were more visible.

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300 Miles for A Cold One

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The text came in on Saturday night. “Meeting at 9am for a ride to Devils Backbone Brewery.  It’ll be an all dayer”

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It was indeed an all dayer, with enough stops along the way to see the big perspective …

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… and the small.

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While the ride is the reason, this day’s destination was pretty great.

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Devils Backbone Brewery, established in 2008, is an award winning craft brewpub in Virginia.  There’s nothing like pulling up, all hot and dusty, knowing that inside awaits a cold beer and a delicious plate of Fish and Chips.

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Quite simply, a wonderful day … on and off the bike!

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If you’re in the area, be sure to stop in.  Joe, that means you, too! It’s well worth the visit.

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The 4th

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You were expecting Fireworks? The Stars and Stripes?  Burgers and Potato Salad?  While I did enjoy all of the traditions of the 4th of July, for some reason, I wasn’t moved to photograph them.

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Instead, it was the simple things, on a clear, almost cloudless day, that drew my attention.

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It was a day of friendship, laughter, sunshine, and celebration.

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What a wonderful way to celebrate the 4th of July.

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Happy Summer Everyone!

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Living on the River

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You’ve heard me praise the New River in previous posts, and I’ve commented about how lucky I am to live just minutes from it.  Whether floating in a kayak or tube, or riding or sitting alongside, there’s nothing like a river to sooth the spirit.

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 Lately, I’ve been trying to imitate the work of some of the photographers that I follow.  If you’ve visited Ron Scubadiver‘s blog, you’ve seen his beautiful reflections.  Now, rest assured, I’m not comparing myself to him, but I thought of his work when I took these.

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Colorful reflections on the river are lovely, but the image might have more depth in Black & White.  If you are a lover of B&W, I welcome you to visit our new blog Monochromia.  The blog will feature images in B&W, and is the brainchild of  Joe at The Visual Chronicle, who says “We are a collaborative group of photographers, fanatics, artists and photo nuts”.

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Somehow I got to be a part of this talented group of individuals.  They are the pros; I’m, as you might guess, just along for the ride!!

Elina – Capturing Little Moments – http://capturinglittlemoments.wordpress.com
Robyn – Robyn Graham Photography – http://robyngrahamphotography.com
Patti – Nylon Daze – http://nylondaze.wordpress.com
Emilio – Photos By Emilio – http://emiliopasquale.wordpress.com
Joerg – The Things They Are In Pictures – http://joergthamer.wordpress.com
Joe – The Visual Chronicle – http://joeinfocus.wordpress.com
Meho – Le Mehograph – http://lemehograph.com (occasional posts)

Check out the blog and in the meantime for those of you in North America, Happy 4th and Canada Day (just a bit late).

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I Want to Shoot Like Liana!

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Have you visited Liana’s blog?  Her work inspires mine.

No, I am not the poet / writer that she is but if I can gain even a measure of her skill with the camera, I’ll be satisfied.

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Many of the photographers that I follow inspire me, and I plan to highlight some of them over the next months.  When one of my images aspires to the style of someone I admire, I’m going to post mine, referencing the photographer at the same time.

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Life on the Bike!

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Those of you who are new to my blog may wonder where the bike of Life on the Bike is.  Rest assurred that the original reason for the blog is back and after being sidelined for 8 months, so are my days riding!  I’ve had the bike just 3 weeks and I’ve ridden as many miles as I can squeeze into my schedule.  My first ride was with my friend Juli who took me to the dealership to pick up my beautiful new bike.

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My second ride was with my friends Dave and Michael, the two guys who taught me most of what I know about riding.  I wrote about them here almost 2 years ago.

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The other night, seeing that a storm was brewing, and thinking that the evening light might make for great photos, I headed out on the bike.  It felt great to feel the wind in my face (even with my new full face helmet).

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 I took off down a dirt road, near the train tracks, and proceeded to happily shoot the surrounding farmland.

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I couldn’t decide which of these I preferred.  What do you think?

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It was a lovely evening and the storm held off long enough for me to play a little longer.

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Even the structure of the new bridge appealed to me that evening.

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More riding photos soon!!!