“And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” Revelation 21:6 NLT
Alaska Ii - Flight /
Our flight over Glacier Bay National Park was one of the highlights of all the travel we have ever done. Just a magical late afternoon experience.
Alaska II - Success /
We were standing on a bridge about 10 miles from Haines, AK at the head of the Lutack Inlet. This is about as far as you can drive from Haines to the northeast. We were watching some fishermen behind us and there were two or three eagles in the tress in front of us.. I was trying to capture on and had my tripod set up when another one swooped out of the trees, did a circle sort of banking in front of us, just time to get the camera out of the tripod and then quckly he dropped into the tall grass, just about disappeared with just the tip of his head showing and then he leapt up with this prize in the talons.
Alaska II- Puffin Pair /
The Lulubell nosed into a sea cave and in the darkness we spotted scores of these Tufted Puffins.
Alaska II - Truck Garden /
This is from the Alaska Botanical Garden. They had an extensive section set up with crops grown from the 1930’s to present for sale in the various farmers’ markets and roadside stands that dot the countryside in the Palmer area particularly.
Alaska II - Who Is Number One ? /
These two grizzlies are - according to our pilot/guide, either 4 or five year olds and this is typical of that age. They tend to stay together a year or two after leaving mom and eventually they each choose their own path. Here the playful actions are also showing a bit of dominance and the one on the left was first to cross rivers, fish, walk near us etc.
Alaska II - a walk in the woods. /
There are a lot of photos I never got around to looking at carefully but I am in the process of doing so now. So, the next few days will be photos from our 2019 trip but not ones I posted before. Some are similar - taken close in time yet overlooked the first two times through. The first time is when I am on the road and doing a quick edit and post while traveling. The second time I was doing more careful work but sim;ply got lazy at some point or overwhelmed with thousands of photos. I am now a bit more careful shooting but still take too many in many cases. At any rate, I hope you like these from the trip in 19 - they sure bring some great memories back to me.
Passing /
This scene might be taken (with the exception of the reflectors on the buggy), anytime in the last nearly 300 years as the cemetery behind the wall dates from 1724. This was an early morning photo on the only day we had significant fog. It was a neat time to be out and the muffled sounds early in the morning made it even more interesting. I like the three layers to the photo with stone, corn and sky. Today’s scripture fits well with the photo.
“A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.” Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NLT)
Power /
Power comes in many forms on a farm: animals, machinery, water, muscles and wind. Harnessing the wind is an ancient practice and this neat windmill runs a pump that serves up water to several head of cattle. It is on a fram that primarily raises eggs for market but, like most of the Amish farms, has a very diverse operation.
Cindy and May /
We visited a deer farm, friends of Tom, about an hour West of Lancaster. I will share photos from there next week and tell the story but for today this is Cindy feeding the 2 month old May, a Piebald deer that is being raised on a bottle at the farm.
Comin' /
This is the same team as yesterday’s shot but obviously from the front as they approach the end of the field. This was a very efficient operation and the large field took about 2 hours start to finish. The wagon was unloaded three times I think. I was at the campground on the other side of the road and sitting on the ground behind a fence so I ha something to rest the long lens on as the tripod was in the car but I did not want to miss the approaching team and the next pass was higher in the field and the photo was not as direct. So I just waited. I am very pleased with this shot both from the composition - though it was rather straightforward and with the technical aspects of the shot, light, color, sharpness etc. Not something I usually think about the photos I take. I do wish I had left a tad more space on the left side of the photo but I was trying to get the light dust from the other side - oh well, next time:)
HAW! /
Haw is the traditional command for a team of horses to turn to the left, Gee is the verbal command to turn to the right. Here we see a portion of the team that consisted of four mules and two horses moving to the left. The young man driving the team added to the momentum as he leaned to the left with the team. Father and son are baling the newly mowed field of alfalfa. The young man was working hard but over his voice you would hear the command of the father ring out. I imagine the animals were more accustomed to his voice. The two horses were easier to control so they were positioned on the ends to assist the turning of the rig.
High Wheeling /
I have found a neat crossroads spot that has nice vistas and a lot of early evening activity but few cars. Spending an hour os so there has been productive from a photography standpoint but also just a nice relaxing spot to listen to the night sounds and the paced clops of the horse drawn carriages. And while they tend to favor the closed, square style buggies there are others on the road. This high wheel open wagon with the yellow accents was one of two with similar colors I saw on this trip. I do not recall ever seeing one before. It made a nice shot against the green of the field.
The FULL picture /
After I posted the crop shot of the corn and moon I studied the photo a bit more and decided I liked this one more. The purple of the sky comes across better and I like the extra corn stalks, just seems more expressive.
Light and Dark /
“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” Luke 11: 35, 36 NLT
Street Scene /
I really love all the colors in this photo. Doing across Lancaster, PA after viewing a covered bridge we saw this man hard at work in the hot sun scraping and painting the stripes on the pole indicating a barber shop. I place I personally am unsure what goes on there as I never visit one. My photo was taken from the front seat of the truck aiming over my shoulder. I was glad to get an image!
Foggy Markers /
This was shot early one morning as the fog began to lift. The cemetery is attached to a church and dates from 1724.
Hot Indeed /
It is just been so hot that sometimes you need a little ice. Last year this month in Alaska hiking on a glacier. What a contrast in 12 months.
Day's Work is Done...for these horses! /
I watched this young man under the direction of his father, bring the team into the yard, unhitch the wagon, water the horses and move the team into the barn. This occurred while I was waiting for the steam to train to pass by on Black Horse Lane.
For Sale (2 photos) /
the flower arrangements started at $4. Lovely.
