It's all about seeing...

I finally picked up my new glasses today. Bifocals none the less.

Now, I don't have anything against those that wear glasses. It's just that I have never had to. And it's a little odd getting used to the new feeling. When I went in today to pick them up, the "stylist" at the office said that now that I have bifocals, I am officially an adult. That made me laugh! I might be losing some of my sight due to age, but my perception of what I see is nowhere near "adult". Even at 44, I still feel like I see the world as a child. I discover new things to see and experience every day. It's what keeps me motivated during these trying times.

Just for fun, I thought I would use this opportunity to make a first ever self-portrait.



Speaking of still feeling like a child, what new thing did you see today? If you saw nothing, then I encourage you to take a step back and rethink your vision.

My glasses won't change the way that I explore the world.

Gary

What a week!

First, there were the snow storms. We got hit here pretty hard, but not nearly as much snow fell in Bend as did in areas such as Spokane. While I’ve got less than a foot outside my door, friends in Spokane report 40”. Amazing! A 20-year storm all across the NW. From Seattle to Portland, lives have been crippled by the massive amounts of snow and ice.

My son and I spent the week together. We had a great time, in spite of the sour weather. Every once in a while the sun did show itself…


We were a little unprepared, so we planned out a photo journey for the next day. The weather didn’t cooperate, but we still saw some sights that we hadn’t seen before…


Determined to get out, we were graciously given another blue sky so out we went. We still had a bit of shopping to do, so we headed to the Old Mill…


And ended up kicking our heels instead…


Then the weather turned sour again, so we stayed inside and decided to have some fun with the camera. Together we made this Christmas image…


I hope all of you had a week like I had.

Merry Christmas.

Gary

WOW!

There was snow. Not big time snow, but snow anyway.

I had to be in Redmond Friday night so that I could drop off my son at his 4H practice. He would be there for an hour and a half. I wanted to photograph the evening, but he thought that I should probably find something else to do. Well then, what should I do?

I decided to head to Smith Rock and see what was going on.

It was dark and snowing, but more than that it was blowing. I almost turned around due to the fact that I could barely see past the hood of the car. I trudged on, and due to my familiarity with the area, I found a spot that I believed to be a good viewpoint.

Magically, the snow stopped as soon as I got there.

I set the tripod out rather low (due to the wind), and got the camera ready to make an image of the scene in front of me that might include the cool clouds that were blowing over. After the first shot, I realized that the full moon had risen and was periodically making its appearance between the swift moving clouds. I waited a bit and captured this image:



I soon found that my viewpoint, although fine, wasn’t optimal. But, I didn’t have the time to move to where I really needed to be. So, while the shutter was open (and I was freezing), I found myself saying “WOW!” The canyon was being lit up by a moon that was covered with moving clouds. The light would hit one end of the exposed rocks, and then move around quickly.

WOW!

When I went back to pick up my son, I had a few moments to try and make an image of the snow that was again literally falling sideways. I didn’t set up the tripod, so it’s kind of blurry, but you get the picture.



I post this as a reminder to those with a camera and some spare time. Even though it might be dark, you can still have fun making images.

Gary

It’s Gonna Snow!

Finally!

As a made my way to the local grocery store this evening, I noticed the tell-tale color in the sky. Regardless of what the weather forecast might be, I can tell by the color that it’s going to snow. I think it’s gonna snow big time.

With the G6 as my witness, I offer this drive by sample...



I’m looking forward to it.

Gary

I Dislike Garage Sales, I think…

My parents are garage sale maniacs. I understand that you can get some great deals, but I just can’t plan my day around this type of journey. They were over a few weeks ago and, since my son (he loves this stuff) was with us, I ended up getting involved in visiting a local driveway. We ended up at a sale that I would call “professional”. That’s ok. There’s a lot of stuff there. I thought I would get out of the car and go ahead and check it out.

There was the typical junk mixed with a lot of somewhat odd handmade jewelery. Even though I was resistant to the whole idea, I ended up finding a rather worn example of old fly fishing paraphernalia that I have actually wished that I had, mostly for use as a prop in some of the images that I make, but also just to have something “cool”. My find might not register to many of you, but it’s kind of like finding that needle in whatever haystack you are looking in.



I post this thread in order to try and get each and every one of us to try and break out of the norm. Take chances. Go where you haven't been.

I didn't want to go to a garage sale, but I did. What if you took a moment to do something that you thought you might not like?

What might you find?

Please feel free to share your adventures.

Gary

Awe Inspiring

The last few days have given us the opportunity to look up to the early evening sky with awe. Even more awe than usual.

A glamorous crescent moon has been dancing with the unusually close proximity of Jupiter and Venus on a nightly basis. Sunday was great; Monday was probably optimal, except for the clouds. I was finally able to make an image this evening. Not what I had hoped for, but it was still a sight to see.


I am gifted to be able to live in an area where we get to see a lot of stars. If I would have had the time I could have travelled a short distance east to get an even better view.

We should all look up (or down for that matter) every once in a while for a different, often inspiring view.