This was one of the photos I thought about entering into Corel’s Matter of Time contest. Over the next day or so I will post others I took and thought about entering.

 

Do you like showing off your photos? I do but I hate entering contests were the photo is judged on this-or-that criteria but also by people. Yep people have a tendency to be biased as a species and even if a photo is good it, well we are the mercy of someone likes and prejudices. So entering contests is not with in my comfort zone. I will glad display my stuff but to be judge ? Makes me shiver… So with that out of the way here are the two I entered in Corel’s Matter of Time contest. I decided to be literal and photograph watched I own.

The first I titled ” Then and Now”. The watch on the left is my work watch, well was before I broke it, and the other I believe was my grandfather’s watch.

The second I used what I believe to be my grandfather’s watch. I found it among my Pop’s stuff after he past so I will never truly know. I set it at 4:26 and titled it “4:26 Forever” as 4:26PM was my Pop’s approximate time of death. It is my way of honoring them both. I thought B&W was the best medium for both as well. I will keep you updated on contest results as I can.

Cats, Children & Wind are the three things I can not catch…….this is Lil’ Bit to me or Julie to My Bride but no matter what her name she is a cat all the way through.

Gray and cold days are not my friend. As the winds of changes cold tendrils grasps my being so does my desire to enjoy every opportunity to capture the world through the lens. Time here on this Blue Marble, for me and you, is limited so I am trying to come up with creative ways to do what I love. You see I love nature and for three seasons the colors and the green and blooming things can be found. The Winter is  indifferent to my desire to capture beautiful things so I have started a fun, so far at least, project I am calling The Red Roses Project. It is quite simple: I take these faux Red Roses and use them to add color to things in the gray days till Spring. The Roses I believe have been used three times in recent posts, so I am now putting a name to what has been running around in my pointed little head. Here is my latest sampling.

This is an unedited photo I took with my Sony A37 in Bardstown, Kentucky this past weekend. I was using a old manual focus only Minolta 50mm 1:2f lens with an adapter.

There are a few things I am a little crazy for: One is wrist watches/pocket watches. The other is old film cameras. The former I have a nice size collection of but of the later, well let just say it is quite small. Over the next week I will be taking photos of some of my watches for a photo contest Corel PaintShop Pro is putting on. The title is called Matter of Time and I have chosen to interpret the subject literally not abstractly. So here is my first attempt: I used my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and tweaked it a bit. Let me know what you think.

My gut tells me it is time to wrap up this series of photos and essays. The last post enticed a comment from Judy @ lifelessons-a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown. She stated basically that is was a waste to see something once beautiful come to a sad and wasted end. Judy also mentioned surely someone could put to use the furniture, doors and such. I know some of the furniture did get donated/stolen(who knows for sure) because I saw a truck with a trailer hauling chairs and free standing dressers away sometime back. As far as the doors, the frames are probably not the same size nor use the same lock sets set forth by  today’s construction codes.

This last set of pictures depict the brokenness of this place and are  a reminder of why I do not like it at all. It all began about six years ago when my wife and I with some friends tried helping those in need in our community. We soon found out small towns do not have programs of any substance when it comes to helping those way on the other side of the margins. To do so would be an admission that there are homeless and starving people within our city gates. This place was one of three that people were “housed” in until a state or county agency would take up the case. All three formed a triangle of hopelessness as two set side beside one another with this one right across the street. People were left with other broken people in care of people who at best were indifferent to anything other than making a dollar. At least this place will no longer be a haven for hopelessness and with it being torn down maybe those still around the area can be released from the cold -grip that period may have on their lives.

This used to be the maids laundry room and was a place of honor and pride to a job that made or broke a many of hotels: Immaculate rooms.

The glass spread across the ground like a many of broken dreams and failed promises.

 

No walls: Hopefully now it will release those who have been a prisoner to them.

Author’s Note:The main reason I started down this rabbit trail is the same reason I am ending it: I feel a tug at the very center of my being to start writing again. In that vein I did this series of musings and I have signed up for an online creative non-fiction writing course. I will still post my photos and also a few of my digital renders of my stuff.