final answer

Closing a chapter in my book.

shadows

I have decided (lol, I am rarely that set-in-stone... there is always an escape clause!) to do a photographic challenge for October of shadows. The sun, lowering itself into winter, will hopefully give me inspiration and if not, I will create my own shadows.

"To think of shadows is a serious thing." ~ Victor Hugo

Here it comes...

Autumn is creeping in... the mornings are cooler and the days not quite as hot. The leaves haven't started to turn yet, but soon.

5 year old cantaloupe

Taken Sept 17, 2003... I have always liked this type of photo - commonplace things viewed so that they become abstract. I still like this photo and wondered what I would do differently today. What have I learned in five years? I don't think that my technical skills have improved as much as I would have hoped - sad to say. My equipment inventory has increased - lighting mostly. This was shot with a Fuji S2 and I now shoot with a Nikon D300, but I don't think any of that would make much of a difference.

Same 2003 image file, processed in CS3 and Lightroom 2 today:

Fall Ball

Brandon is playing baseball this Fall, recruited for an elite team made up of players from high schools all over our area. The level of play is very high and college recruiters are often in attendance. The first game was last night and it was a perfect late summer evening. We won 9-3, Brandon was the closing pitcher.

these days

we go to waste like wine

that's turned to turpentine

going

Summer really is slipping away...

have I?

Have I already done a "what was I thinking" post?

Probably.

Here it is again - "what was I thinking???"

anyway

Say-Rah, this is for you! Sue me!

just clouds

Clouds... obscuring the blue view.

I'm trying not to think about/talk about the absurd choices in the election that is too fast approaching; that we could have a president who has no plan or a VP without clue... who wrinkles her nose so often that I expect a genie to pop out of the bottle any moment. The few areas where we do know where she stands - are completely out of alignment with my views. No, I cannot go to that hellish place. Back to the guy with no plan... is there a "The Presidency for Dummies" book?

the homecoming

We arrived in the Florida panhandle just as the last rain bands of hurricane Gustav passed through. For the rest of the week, we couldn't have wished for better weather.

It's interesting to be in a typical summer vacation spot after the season... after school has started and most beachgoers have long gone. No crowds - the beach was ours to roam, with just a few locals on their daily walk/run/bike ride.

It was good.