Harry & the oak

Harry McCauley is 71, a Marine Corp Vietnam War Vet, lives in Switzerland County and climbs trees like a twelve year old boy.  Roping his way up three stories in one of my Pin Oaks, he skips along branches, pulling down "hangers" (dead wood) so that he can cut thigh sized logs with one hand.  Did I mention that he's 71...

hay, second cutting

And all that's left, Queen Anne's Lace.

lensbaby angst

When I bought the two lens Lensbaby kit I assumed that I would use the 35mm & 80mm equally.  Not so.  I found that the 80 yielded a very smooth out of focus area and that the 35 gave me a zoom effect - not a look I like.  I also believed that the 35 just wasn't very sharp.  But after a nice email discussion with a member of the "Lensbaby Customer Happiness Team" (I know) and some more testing I have made peace with the 35.  Not that it will find a permanent place in my Domke, but it won't be exiled to the back of the camera closet either.

 

Amanda's wedding

The best part of being a teacher or coach is seeing the "rest of the story."  After they leave the classroom or field of play, your former students continue to grow and learn.  I got a chance to see two of mine last night as Amanda Davidson was married at the Cincinnati Nature Center on a beautiful summer evening, attended by bridesmaid/buddy Desirae Jones.  Both NKU photo grads (Amanda in journalism), both founding members of nkfoto (a wedding photography co-op) and now, both successful working photographers.  Amanda is an award winning photojournalist at the Cincinnati Enquirer & Des runs her own business specializing in children's photography.  No longer students, they are now my peers.

the sentinel

In the middle of every old farm stands a tree.  Sometimes oak, maybe ash and on rare occasions, chestnut.  Usually from old growth timber, this lone survivor was left to provide shade for the working farmer or as a dividing marker between fields or crops. The reasons are lost to history, but not yet all of the trees.

the show goes on

There is a three week window when all is in bloom.  And right now, we're at day seven...

mirror, mirror

The question is almost silly.  But, every summer when they start to bloom, I ask it.  Which one is the ONE?  The most beautiful.  THE MOST BEAUTIFUL.  Like I said, it's a silly question.

first round

The older ones are the first to go - off to market or auction.  Although a regular occurrence, this sale has a different feel - an air of finality.  The next group will be the majority of the milking stock, sold to another dairyman, in another part of the state.  But, any sadness over the coming days is quickly pushed aside by thoughts of the future.