We drove to Southern Illinois for a fish fry and music by the lake yesterday. There was a nice breeze and in the shade the 97 degree temperature did not feel hot at all.
I took the camera but was not in the mood to take pictures. We relaxed and listened to some great music. Watched children swimming and playing around the old wooden dock.
We were sort of outsiders but welcomed. It was nice to watch folks familiar with each other making the rounds visiting and talking. Even the kids got their chance to go to the stage and sing. I hope the picnics or fish fry’s you have this weekend are as relaxing. The images today are leftovers. Sometimes leftovers taste great. I hope you enjoy these.
How can a person live without a confirmed belief system in place? What does a person do to develop said beliefs? If it comes down to it an observer would be the only concept I follow faithfully. Is it enough to spend a lifetime just being? Without any defined path to an afterlife?
As an observer I have seen the instant of birth and the instant of death. At these times I was not looking for answers. Those times did affect me spiritually. The joys and the losses never supplying any surprises. They appeared to me to be natural. The way it is supposed to be.
Every human is reared differently. The input that makes up their beliefs derived from the varied background they have experienced. Being an avid reader it behooves me to gather as much information about all aspects of life I can garner.
Walking each day I see the myriad of life forms that exist in my little world. The interaction of which is fascinating to observe. My compulsion to capture and share it is not fanatical or obsessive. I could stop and do something else without pain or conflict. Writing about the detections, examinations, research, of the images I capture does lead to scrutiny.
At the present time all I can do is appreciate the diversity. Give thanks for the opportunity. For me that is enough.
The haze of my existence an evolutionary religion that makes me I.
On the second Memorial Day after the “Little Woman” and I got married I got a phone call from my father-in-law. Tommy got killed he said. Tommy {my brother-in-law} was pulling an old mattress spring with his brother on it. The mattress spring got hung on a stump flipping the tractor over on himself.
We never know why horrible things like this happen. Fun can turn to tragedy in an instant. I don’t recall any Memorial days before that one. With the ten thousand dollars my in-laws received they helped us purchase a farm in Kentucky. Bringing there daughter, our son and I back to my wife’s home. I can’t imagine the loss of a child.
We do what we can to protect our children. We must also allow them the freedom to live out their own lives. Observing nature I see that mothers will put themselves in harms way to protect their young. These Wood Ducks are on the pond where I saw the coyote yesterday.
For many years after that we camped along the shores of Kentucky Lake on Memorial Day weekends. Fishing, exploring, appreciating the joys of time spent with family. It was primitive camping, picking a spot where it would be just us. With the changing of the times and more restrictions, we would probably get run off from camping on that TVA land today.
On this holiday weekend I am thankful that I got to raise a few kids. That they turned out fine. I hope the memories they have of time spent in nature with their parents are pleasant ones.
No matter where you land this holiday weekend I ask you to be safe.
Reach out and grab on to those you love. Appreciate the time you have together.
If you have young it is all to soon that they leave the nest. Leaving you with Memories.
My focus was not on photography yesterday. I was immersed in the reading of a good book. The book a memoir about a Knuckleball throwing pitcher. Printed this year written by a ballplayer (R.A.Dickey of the New York Mets) still playing the game. Wayne Coffee assisted in the writing of the book. A life story of a man’s quest for truth, authenticity, and the perfect knuckleball. As if there is such a thing as a perfect knuckleball.
I find the quest for the perfect picture similar to throwing the perfect knuckleball. You do everything possible to be in the right position with the right settings, light, lens, angle, prior to letting fly with the shutter. The resulting shot or pitch affected by factors uncontrollable. I found it interesting that the titles I chose for the last couple posts ended up with the authors using the same words in the book when I read the next few chapters. It is odd to be in sync with a book I am reading.
Prior to reading this book I knew nothing about the ballplayer. I had heard the name. I avoid following professional baseball. Baseball a passion I let go of a very long time ago. I recommend this book to anyone interested not only in baseball but the human condition. Perseverance, faith, turmoil, along with the ups and downs of life’s journey are written within the covers of this book. Better yet it leaves the reader in a place where one can pickup and follow the baseball journey of this player of life. Enjoy and pull for his success as I continue my own journey to “Wherever I Wind Up”.
Being in the moment is important. You know that sweet spot. A baseball bat has one that when you make contact there you can even hear the result. Why then is it so difficult?
In the fast paced world of today the chance to be in the moment is vaporous. A time when information and multi-tasking are at the forefront of everything we do. If you are not on the fast track folks wonder what is wrong with you. I fight this rush to accomplish every day taking pictures. When I should be relaxing and allowing that magical instant to arrive.
Preparation to be where you are supposed to be in the best light will come my way I know it. It takes a certain amount of acceptance and faith.
Most of all for me it takes a positive attitude. If it only came natural. Thank goodness it does not. That is what makes being in the moment so special when it happens.
