Road Trips

Into the Unknown

Haiku #5

Enigmatic Path,

Shadows and light intertwine,

Past and present merge.

I found several old road trip photographs while (still) sifting through my archives. I believe this one was taken in Utah. My boyfriend (at the time) wasn’t one to make pit stops, so my head was hanging out of the window most of the time—taking pictures—when we traveled together.

I thought this was a good candidate for the Which Way photo challenge today. The fact that you can’t see where we’re going; only where we are and where we’ve been was the inspiration for the Haiku. Maybe road trips really ARE a bit like life. And relationships.

The rain did, indeed, arrive today and we had some exciting lightning and thunder earlier this afternoon. That being said, I’ve put off my errands for now, and hope to get to some of the word challenges soon.

Which Way Photo Challenge: January 31

Art In the Dark

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. – T.S. Eliot

In contrast to the black and white image of Cadillac Ranch that I did awhile back, I wanted to do something with color, but something unique. It reminds me of the moon for some reason. Cars on the moon… wouldn’t that be weird!

I’ve been thinking that it’s been a long time since I wrote, or blogged about anything meaningful here, but I thought I would say that it’s really just a matter of my mind being at rest these days. And believe it or not, I’ve been reading a lot about the brain lately.

I read the most entertaining book on psychology recently… Opening Skinner’s Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century, by Lauren Slater. What an excellent read! If you find psychology interesting… I would highly recommend it. I’ll get into more about all of that later. It’s after midnight now, and I am calling it a night.

Peace and Love!

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. – Carl Jung

Southern Shores

I thought I would re-do an image I posted many moons ago. This is also from the 2011 road trip, and was taken in Surfside Beach, Texas. We saw many awesome sunsets in this place!

The last time I showed this I used the deep, vibrant colors that I so frequently use, so I wanted to try the hazy look again. This looks much more natural than the prior image.

I like that you can see hints of the dark orange reflection on the water, through the misty looking air.

That’s about all for now. Still working on my new series ideas… it’s much harder than I thought!! 😉

Enjoy your day everyone!!

Some days you just gotta put on your cowboy boots and do the two step anyways. 

Shady Dreams

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. -John Barrymore

I found this quote not long after I wrote my bit about TIME. It sure makes sense! It doesn’t exactly fit with the featured image here, but considering I’m still dreaming of cooler places, the dream theme kind of works for now.

I’ve posted images of this location before. I finally googled it tonight and found out it’s Deerwood Arboretum and Nature Area in Brentwood, Tennessee. From the 2011 road trip. Boy, it’s time for another trip so I can get a new stockpile of images!

Anyway, I did a light paint effect, and added a lens flare just for the heck of it. The way the sun was shining on the water made me think of that little addition. I thought this place was lovely. I think this image kind of looks like a jungle!

I’ve worked on several photographs for my new series, but so far I haven’t like any of the results…

But, I’m working on it.

I hope you are all doing well! Blessings, Peace and Love!! ♥♥♥

Late Afternoon Stroll

I haven’t given up on my new series, but I really wanted to do something today to chill out. I finished the second of my three weekly graphic design quizzes, and those tests really stress me out!

This is Bricktown, Oklahoma City again. A little darker and more dramatic than the last photograph I shared of this town. The heat here in the valley today makes me feel like I’m melting, so it’s been nice to imagine myself here, sitting on that bench in the picture.

It looks so shady and cool!!

Hope you are having (or had) a beautiful, blessed Sunday!

Life is good, and God is GREAT!

All Aboard!

If your train of thought is going nowhere, switch tracks.

This is the next image in my series featuring dual effects with windows, doors, reflections or views.

I’m happy with how this turned out. I shot the image some years ago while on the Georgetown Loop Railroad, one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. I like the fact that the whole image has a slightly antique look, since this railroad was constructed in the 1800’s—back when a few people had incorrect thoughts about trains…

What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches? The Quarterly Review, March, 1825.

 

The Facade

Don’t trade in  your authenticity for approval.

The photography book that I’ve been browsing through is really inspiring me. I’ve said before that I prefer black and whites, and that was actually the only thing I would hang on the walls of my old place, but I rarely finish and/or post one here.

So… I thought I would try one today. It was a struggle to go through with it, because the original photograph had some awesome color! But, I stuck to my guns. My goal here was to create contrast. I think I did pretty good lightening the sky, but the bushes and mountains in the background still leave some clutter that I’m not crazy about. I think I like it though!

This photograph was taken in Jerome, Arizona- the old 1800’s mining town I talked about before. I love old places!

I liked the idea of a “facade” for this post, because I was thinking about authenticity last night. I’m SUPER excited about being in a classroom full of people come August, but I have to admit that the introvert in me is kind of nervous. I work hard at not letting fear and insecurity get the best of me, and sometimes things go so smoothly that I wonder if I’m really even an introvert at all!

Once I’m comfortable with my surroundings, I don’t even think about it- but that first step into something new can be a little stressful! Especially if I think too much, and anticipate the anxiety. I definitely need to stop those kinds of thoughts.

This all went through my mind last night because I met some new friends for coffee yesterday. I can clearly see that it has a lot to do with my state of mind. I was in hermit mode all day, and spent a lot of time reading and on the computer. While driving to the coffee house, it felt similar to coming out of a dark movie theater- into the blinding light of day… it requires some adjustment!

Everything went fine, of course, but when I got home I felt my muscles relax and thought “boy, it’s good to be home again.” Does everyone feel like that at times? That’s what was going through my head last night.

After pondering it awhile, I decided that authenticity means just being me. And if being me means being a little anxious at times, maybe that’s OK. I accept that. I guess I’d be phony if I said I never get nervous! As long as I keep going and don’t let fear stop me from doing the things I want to do, there’s nothing to worry about!

As my pastor said the other night…

“It’s always too soon to quit.”

I like that!

Anyway, I thought these thoughts were worth sharing today. I guess the moral of the story is just be you, and don’t let fear win.

Have a beautiful day everyone!! Life is good and God is GREAT!

Joy Gets Sketchy

Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow. Helen Keller

This is actually a shop in Jerome, Arizona—an old 1800’s mining town that I visited. It was a wild place back in the day, but it’s now a tourist attraction; full of coffee shops, restaurants, and cool art galleries. This particular building was used as a brothel in the early 1900’s, and it’s now a boutique.

Keeping it Simple

I have a plethora of things to write about lately. My mind has been spinning in all kinds of wonderful directions! But, I’m not going to write today.

This image was taken when I was on my way to Denver (I was the passenger, so no danger there). I didn’t notice the sign until I got home. Perfect for the Holiday coming up.

Don’t be a turkey

Back at the Ranch

I took this photograph on the way to Tennessee; at Cadillac Ranch. I found the place on google when I was searching for things to do on the long ride across the country. It’s worth seeing—if you happen to be passing through Texas and haven’t been there before.

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What’s funny is that I really wanted to do a travel blog when we took that trip, but I never did it. I didn’t feel like spending time on the computer after doing all of the driving and having so little time to visit the sights.

Anyway, I had some fun with this one in both color and black and white.