Thoughts and Reflections – Page 4 – Daffodil Hill Photography

Custer Came To Visit

I was carrying my Powershot SX260HS with me tonight at a gathering of the towns folks @ a tavern in a garden. We were enjoying some live music, feel good food and a very pleasant and tempered August evening when the atmosphere turned temporal. There strolling through the garden was none other the General Custer. It seems the stories are true about his fondness towards this place and this town. Though his wife thought those of us who live here were backwards, Gen. Custer did seem to enjoy his walks about the place when was here. In that light I am pleased to have been able capture the time and place when Custer came to visit.

Hanging Tough

Every once in a while we all need to be reminded to care for not only what is ours but ourselves. Seems simple but life sure can get backasswards in a second even if we are paying attention. If you have or have had bouts with severe doubts, depression or suicide please seek help. I lost a friend over thirty years ago who did not seem to have a care in the world. We never suspected something was wrong but the evidence proved other wise. The cost was too damn high for me to try to find blame or to be consumed by self-doubt if I could have done more. So in the of light that past, yet very- here-in-now memory, and in the shadow of the very public death of one of my favorite comedians I cannot be silent. I don’t have a twelve, seven or three-step plan to help you but I will say this: Please stopping hanging tough and seek help.If you are reading this now and are thinking of ending your life or hurting yourself and/or others please call 1-800-273-8255 now! If you are a Solider or a Service Man or Women call 1-800-273-8255 then press 1 now! Know this :You do not have to go it alone . ~ Peace John

My Butterfly In The Light

As I walked about our place one evening this week trying to get some fresh shots, my outside cat Butterfly, followed me around as she does on many occasions. As I headed around back I spotted two very small but highly attentive Praying Mantis. As I kneeled down to take a few shots my beloved Butterfly keep hitting my arm. It is as you know a cats way of saying ” I am the center of the Universe, pay attention slave!”, or something a kin to that. So instead of getting upset I decided to try to learn something new and use the situation as a test to challenge me. I knew the Sun was low and to our backs and both of our front profiles were nothing but shadows. So I tried using my flash to take a close up of her as she was at my side. I was using my Canon Powershot SX10is that evening. Since I am very familiar with the setting I dialed back the flash output, lowered the ISO to 80, set it to macro mode and set the shooting controls to Aperture Priority for the next few shots in quick order. I did the latter because I do not have enough experience yet to use the manual mode fully for this type of shot. I used the Canon’s tilt screen as a guide to set up the shot (Author’s observation: Setting up a shot on a cat that is NOT asleep is like catching the wind and predicting what a two-year old is thinking…all at the same time). So here is an unedited shot of My Butterfly In The Light.

Ghosts Past and Present

I took several sets of photos of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall on Memorial day. Here is a merge from that day.

Watch’a Doing?

Well not taking pictures for one, nor mowing the yard for two…..so watch’s doing? Since the rains and the brake job that- will- never -end have taken a toll on my “time”, I am reminded of something I said long ago: I cannot wait till I grow up and can do whatever I want. Right ( spread this word out in your mind with a heavy dose of sarcasm)! This grown up gig really can stink sometimes but it can also be….oh shot man it stinks! Seriously. It does but what are going do, you know. You cannot turn back the hand of time but you can take a really cool picture of one……so Wathch’a doing?

I used The Brides Canon SD300 for this one. I used the manual setting adjust both the WB and exposure settings.

“Through Our Eyes”

I spent a little time yesterday at the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall and at the “Through our eyes” exhibition tent. Though I was very young at the time of the Vietnam war I do remember the body counts that were displayed on TV. I also remember the horrendous way the media and the public treated these young men on their return. Since then we have as a society learned to be more respectful of those who serve and have served us. The following set of pictures are pictures of pictures. The caption that goes with the photo corresponding photo is displayed first. I hope to show a little of the life in Nam “through our eyes” of the soldiers that were there.

Lest We Forget

I was able to attended, though only briefly, a bike show today and saw a ton of amazing rides. Yet out of all of them I knew immediately which one I would post first. On this Memorial Day weekend let us remember the cost of being free and show honor to those who have keeps us so. In that light be well and watch out for bikes, and opportunities to give thanks, because they are everywhere!

Unsafe At Any Speed

If this title made you think about the Ralph Nader and the Corvair then you are telling your age a bit. But I am not talking about in the title that but about the rollers skates I had as a child: The strap-on-metal wheels type. Of there was the more modern skates available at the time but we could not afford them so I got some similar to these. I used to strap them on and skate about like a little mad man. Oh we did not have helmets at the time. Nor elbow and knee pads. Looking back I am nostalgic about a lot of things but wonder how I survived my childhood!

Quiet, Lovely Little Fleabane

I took this shot July of 2012 with my Pop’s FujiFilm S5700 after visiting with he and my Mom. Most of my shots suffered greatly during most of 2012 due to many factors: My beloved Canon Powershot S3is died and I had to learn a new camera( minor issue), Pops had a heart-attack due to the stress of being Mom’s diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer, and the knowledge that I had just spent the last Mothers I ever would with my Mom. Oh, we also had a family member living with us who was suffering from severe depression. To say 2012 was a hot-mess of a year would be an understatement but I still had nature and photography as my solace. It was a place where I could go and listen to and for the quiet things. It allowed me the space to detect the whisper that is faith and to connect to hope. I found those thing through the lens and in the smallest of things like this quiet, lovely little Fleabane.

Leaves To Be

I took this yesterday evening, right after the apple blossoms I posted in an earlier post, and found myself drifting back in time. The little seeds that look like helicopter blades and hopefully grow up to be trees and sprout leaves were a sense of wonderment to me in my youth. We called them “whirly-gigs” or at least I did but everyone else called them whirlybirds. The ones that fell to the ground we would throw into the air and watch them descend back to earth. The best experience was if you were under a large Maple when a wind gust blew a large amount into the air at once! Cool stuff for a kid, and honestly I still love it to this day. So here is one from the past and to the future, here is some leaves to be!