Today's photo 1 31 10

Posted on 7:02 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

 

I was driving home for visiting friends and I stopped to photograph this white horse. 

Taken with an iPhone and post processed with the Bext Camera app. 

Today's Photo:

Posted on 6:24 PM by jr cline | 0 comments


"I'm full of fears and I do my best to avoid difficulties and any kind of complications. 
I like everything around me to be clear as crystal and completely calm."
~ Alfred Hitchcock

A Walk in the Park

Posted on 8:32 AM by jr cline | 0 comments

It goes by several names: Wood Spirit, Wild Man, Savage Man, Woodwose.   Whatever you call it, the next time you are strolling through the woods, keep an eye out for one of these elusive creatures.
Most often glimpsed as a green man with leaves for his beard and hair, the Wood Spirit is said to be Lord of the Forest and Natural Things.  Seeing one is said to be quite a lucky thing, and European villagers used to go out on regular hunts, hoping to find a Wood Spirit to foretell the future of their village.


They are extremely strong. Wood Spirits can tear an opponent limb from limb and can tame any wild animal, including ferocious dragons and skittish unicorns. At the same time, they are gentle with the maidens, children, and men of good heart.

It is said that the forest will stand for as long as the Wood Spirit remains to keep order.   And if you're lucky enough to see one, health happiness, and good fortune will be yours.   However, that does not happen often.   Wood Spirits would rather see than be seen.   Most sightings are by children or by the pure of heart.


Wood Spirits have a delightful sense of humor. 
~ Author Unknown
http://www.piffe.com/thinkery/woodspirit.php

Of course, you really don’t want to run into the dreaded Stone Mummy lurking in the rocks!



Taken at Hurricane Creek Park with an Alpha 700.
Post processed with CS3 and MS Office Picture Manager

Today's photo - waiting to check out

Posted on 7:43 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

Hurricane Creek Park

Posted on 4:17 AM by jr cline | 4 comments

After my post on trees,  it was really nice to spend 5 hours in the woods on Saturday with the Birmingham Photo Group at Hurricane Creek Park.     Each month the group schedules a photowalk at a wide variety of locations.

This park is the



William “Buddy” Rogers  was the founder and creator of Hurricane Creek Park.  It is a multipurpose park providing hiking, primitive camping, a picnic area, rock climbing, and mountain bike trails.



There is a nice shop filled with rock climbing and biking supplies.  They also have some cute bird houses and other gift type items for sale.



Seven of us hiked down a steep, curvy, sometimes rocky, sometimes slippery, path to the bottom of the canyon where the trail followed Hurricane Creek.


 
Around a bend the trail passed under a huge outcropping of rocks.



This will give you some idea of the size.



It was easily an 75 to 100 foot outcropping above our heads.
The waterfall flowed right in front of us.  
This is a shot of what clung to the rock and rolled back under the overhang. 



After taking a lot of photos around the waterfall, I continued along the path.  At the fork in the trial I elected to go down to this two foot wide bridge over Hurricane Creek.



I was concerned that this narrow crossing would be unsteady, but it wasn’t at all.



I felt quite safe standing in the middle taking this up stream photograph.



I continued to the other side of the foot bridge.



From this side of the creek, I could see some rock climbers.



They were being assisted on their first climbs by one of the park employees.
I passed another group of rock climbers later in the day.



There were lots of other interesting thing to see and I’ll post some of those in another photo blog.  This is long enough.



Photos were taken with an iPhone or an Alpha 700.
Post processing was done with Chase Jarvis' Best Camera app or CS3.

Today's Photo: Professor Toucan

Posted on 8:52 PM by jr cline | 2 comments


Today's Photo:

Posted on 6:35 PM by jr cline | 0 comments



This Christmas decoration is hanging on a stand sitting atop where my father kept a lot of his clothes. 
I have no idea why it is there and I haven't the heart to move it.
I know I'll have to though.

Distortions

Posted on 4:36 AM by jr cline | 0 comments

'Distortions' are lens defects which tend to bend the image out of shape (but don't blur it). All lenses have distortions of some sort, though high quality lenses have distortions which are not as severe. (Jan 26, 2010)
~ MarkRaymondMason.com

Our perception is the lens through which we see the world around us. We can reduce the amount of distortion in our image of the world by developing a high quality lens.  The tools we use to refine our lens will vary for each of us and will differ at different times in our lives.   Regardless, keep polishing those lenses. 

Like Miyagi said, "Wax on, wax off".

Today's photo:

Posted on 7:11 PM by jr cline | 2 comments





I stopped on the way to my house to enjoy and photograph this view.



Once I got back to the house, I walked around some before going inside.



Today's photo:

Posted on 8:30 PM by jr cline | 0 comments



It is unsettling to live with a question mark in your mind.
It is unsettling to not know what is going to happen next.
It is crazy to live without a question mark in your mind
and even crazier to think you know what is going to happen next.
Lived correctly, life is a surprise.
Don’t believe me? Ask a child.

Today's Photo:

Posted on 7:19 PM by jr cline | 3 comments




Today I went with the Birmingham Photography Group on the monthly photowalk. We met at Hurricane Creek Park near Gadsden, Alabama. It is a beautiful, mountainous location with great views, wonderful hiking, and several waterfalls.

Today's photo:

Posted on 9:02 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

I spent the afternoon and evening visiting with Christy, Jeremy, and my Godson Jesse. 



Fun times, good food, and a strangely intriguing movie.

Taken with an iPhone and post processed with Chase Jarvis' Best Camera app.



Nursing Graduation

Posted on 8:36 PM by jr cline | 1 comments







Weapons in school

Posted on 8:03 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

Student Who Brought Camping Utensil to School Has Suspension Lifted

New York Eagle Scout Suspended From School for 20 Days for Keeping Pocketknife in Car




OK, so most of us have heard of the 'no knives' in school rules.
Guess where I found this?
In a teacher desk in a classroom. roflmao

Much to my dismay

Posted on 5:56 PM by jr cline | 4 comments

I ended up at the oil change place after work on Wednesday with some truck woes.  Fortunately, it isn’t my truck.



There were a couple of people there when I went in the office area, but when I went in the shop area no one was to be found.



I looked down in the pit.



No one there either.  hmmm
I’m glad I didn’t fall in.  rofl   I wonder where they disappeared to.
After finding them all around the corner with the compressor repair man, I finally got someone to look under the hood at the broken fan belt.  I wish it had been a worn out wiper blade though.



That would have been a lot less expensive.
While the men labored for 30 or 40 minutes to install the fan belt



I went back in the waiting area in search of coffee.



There wasn’t any coffee.
Watching them through the window I could see 3 of them holding the old fan belt up to the one they ordered.  The new one was obviously too short.  Lots of talking and measuring and remeasuring occurs.
At long last, the manager came in and told me they had ordered the wrong size fan belt and had to return it and get one the correct size. 

After two hours of being entertained by the employee’s antics, I paid almost $200 and drove away.

Good times.

Note to self:  don't go there with a serious car problem.

Today's photo:

Posted on 7:07 PM by jr cline | 0 comments



The drive to work this morning was beautiful. 

Today's photo

Posted on 6:35 PM by jr cline | 0 comments



It was a lovely, warm, sunny day and I tried to go on a photowalk.  I was tired from not getting enough sleep last night so I stopped in this coffee shop for a latte.

A Tree My Mom Loved

Posted on 5:34 PM by jr cline | 2 comments




Back in December, I posted a blog about trees.  Trees have been on my mind off and on ever since that post.
There have been many trees in my life, forests and individual trees.    They have provided shelter, fun, friendship, wisdom, counsel, and solace over the years.  

This is mostly about individual trees I’ve known over the years.

The first tree I remember was a giant fig tree in my grandfather’s back yard.   I’m sure it wasn’t as big as my memory of it is.  I was very small when I played in that tree and it taught me to love figs.

About the same time in my life I came to love the black walnut grove at my other grandfather’s home.  His trees were full of friendly squirrels he had rescued as babies from logging operations, hand raised, and released into the safety of his property.  They would eat out of your hand.   I played and worked around those trees and squirrels until my grandfather died.  He kept saving and releasing squirrels until the end of his life.  I learned so much about being in tune with nature there. 

I played in many forests as a child.  My parents moved often and every few years there were new discoveries to be made, new trees to befriend.   There was this mimosa tree with the lovely pink flowers and the grove of young pine trees where I used to lay and look at the clouds floating by, painting their stories on my imagination. 

The next single tree I remember was a giant oak in Smith’s Station, Alabama.   High up in its strong sheltering limbs we built a tree house.  Most of the tree house was a wooden boat we kids rescued from the local dump.   I spent several years playing in and communing with that mighty oak.   My secret sitting place was there with my friend the tree.

The next tree I loved was another fig tree.   Outside the second story window of my first apartment this wonderful tree provided its delicious fruit.   I would crank open the window, reach out, and find my breakfast.
There have been so many trees in my life: the bay tree where Bay, the horse, knocked me off her back.  She stood there under the tree limbs laughing, waiting for me to remount; the giant fir almost on the top of the ridge overlooking the valley that provided a nesting site for the Golden Eagles each year.  Then there was the Redwood grove where I felt I was in a holy place.   I camped there many times always reverently amazed in their awesome presence.

At my last home there were many old, magnificent, and powerful trees, trees that had seen so much more life than I had.  There was one I hugged all the time.  I would sit on the edge of the porch and talk with it.  If you can conceive of a tree being your friend then you know my relationship with that tree.   I remember its face so well. 

For the last 6 or 7 years there has been a shortage of trees in my life.  I think that says more about my state of mind than it does about trees.  They are still around, living, loving, and learning, while I am lost in my own thoughts.  It is time to go play with the trees again.

Pairs

Posted on 7:42 PM by jr cline | 4 comments

Posted for Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #72: Pairs

Two pair



Beat one zucchini



Even in black and white



 

My Life, December 2009

Posted on 6:05 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

My Life, December 2009 from jr cline on Vimeo.

Today's photo

Posted on 10:09 PM by jr cline | 0 comments

01 14 10 on 365 Project

Inner Glow

Posted on 7:14 PM by jr cline | 1 comments


Inner Glow, originally uploaded by jr cline.
I'm really looking forward to shooting at the Atlanta Botanical Garden during Orchid Daze again this year.
Orchid Daze

The Power of Love

Posted on 4:45 PM by jr cline | 0 comments


The Power of Love, originally uploaded by jr cline.

Today's photo - icicle:

Posted on 6:35 PM by jr cline | 0 comments



This 12" icicle has been under my truck for three days.

Weather

Posted on 1:36 PM by jr cline | 7 comments

I did this for Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #71: Weather.

The weather where I live:

Monday was a gray day.




Tuesday started out really cold


but was a bright sunny day.


Wednesday was much colder.


Snow was predicted for Thursday afternoon and evening. 
There was the usual rush at the grocery store.


It did get colder, rained, sleeted, and snowed. 
I don’t  think you can see the snow in the next  shot, but it is there.


Friday morning there was a little snow

and ice.



It is bitterly cold for Alabama.
There were still icicles on Saturday afternoon.


These photos where taken either with an Alpha 700 or an iPhone.