IN THE FIELD: A MONTH APART ll

So far this year this country has seen the whole gamut of weather. Good and bad. Some areas have had a relatively normal spring and summer. 

Other areas not so much. There have been forest fires, tornados, rain, flooding, hurricanes, and in much higher elevations some snow.

Where I live we have seen more good than bad. Although, we did at times have an over abundance of rain and when the rains finally cleared out, we received a fair amount of sunshine. So most farmers crops grew like weeds.

Back in late spring and early summer I had taken a few photos of a nearby farm. I posted them a few entries ago. The first photo showed the fields ready for planting and the second photo showed that corn and soybean crops had been planted and were growing nicely. The photos in this post were taken in mid August and then again in mid September. In the second photo the corn, which is about seven feet tall, is ready to be harvested and the soybeans which are the green plants in the foreground will be ready to harvest any day now. 

I wonder what comes next…fallow fields or maybe winter wheat. And then snow. Time will tell.

 

 

 

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IN THE FIELD: Uh Oh

 

Summer storms. 

A few days ago a strong line of storms were predicted to blow through the area. As the day progressed, huge cloud formations began to build. And sure enough, my phone and iPad started going nuts with audible weather alerts and messages of impending doom. I.E. Heavy rain, lightning, flash flooding, possible hail, and strong winds which could lead to mesocyclone winds and even tornados. 

I looked out the front windows and judging by how the trees were now bending over from the increasing winds, and the skies were really darkening, a nasty storm was brewing. And it wasn’t far away. Then a quick peek out the back window revealed what was really in store. I literally said out loud…“uh oh”.  

Not knowing how much time I had before the skies let loose, I quickly grabbed the camera and went outback to get a few shots of the stormy clouds. It was really windy so I figured by going out back I would be sheltered from the wind and all the debris that was flying around. Well at least somewhat sheltered.

It was quite easy to see the rotation of the clouds…right above me. I mean the clouds were really spinning. That’s probably why the last alert I heard and read before going outside was a tornado warning.

I was only outside long enough to get a few shots. As much as I enjoy inclement weather, that was long enough. The experience was pretty exciting and rather scary at the same time!

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Inspiration And Assignments: ARCHIVED IMAGES

Every couple of months I will review my archived images. Sometimes I will just pick a random category and really scrutinize the images. Other times I will review several categories and just look at them to bring back memories of the time and place. I have found it to be an inspiring and rewarding activity.

My latest foray into the depths of one of my hard drives was looking through images in my  Weather folder. Some of those photos brought back memories of a very stormy evening which started out as a beautiful sunny late summer day.

Then Mother Nature decided it was time for a change. It was after all, early evening, and there is no better time for change than early evening. Dark ominous clouds moved in, the winds picked up and it started to rain. Well, really it was more like a monsoon. The weather app on my phone started alerting me that severe weather was on its way. Really severe weather. Mesocylclones were all over the map. These are large air masses associated with tornados. And these air masses were very close. Like a mile away close. It really is best to stay inside in these situations. Besides I was still at work so I had no choice. But in reality I wanted to photograph what was happening outside. So I made the best of the situation and took cover under the front porch of the store where I work. At least the roof offered some protection from the rain. The wind…not so much. I kept a vigilant eye on the radar but none of the rotating clouds formed into actual tornados.

Following the mantra of photographer friend of mine Ed Heaton, “Learning to capture light will make extraordinary images from ordinary subjects” I looked for a light source that would make for an interesting image. I wasn’t able to capture lightning strikes so I had to look elsewhere.

The headlights from a customer’s truck were shining at the perfect angle to highlight the raindrops striking the parking lot. And after the storm passed through the area, the sun highlighted the remaining cloud cover with fantastic light and color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE FIELD: Memories

A few months ago we moved into our new home and have been periodically unpacking the few remaining boxes of stuff we have accumulated over the years. I was storing my countless boxes of slides from long ago and came across several that were tagged Maine photos. Well…I just had to take a quick peek. I found shots of boats, gardens, scenics, and probably my all-time favorite photo from that time in my life. It’s not the best photo I have taken, but it sure brings back a flood of wonderful memories.

Here is the story behind the photo in this post. My wife and I were camping for a few weeks on Mount Desert Island in Maine. We spent most of our time exploring the area on foot and by car.

Backtracking a bit…before we left on our trip I asked my Mom where the lobster pound she and my father had taken our family to for dinner one night when we were just little kids. And from what my Mom could remember, it may have been in Bernard Maine, Southwest Harbor, or maybe even Bass Harbor. Or somewhere in that general vicinity. The lobster pound was a place named “Black’s”.

Now, back to the camping trip. One evening we took a break from cooking over a campfire and went on a quest to find the lobster pound named “Black’s”. Rather than looking in a local phone book for the address like most folks would have done…yes back then there where phone books in roadside phone booths… we aimlessly drove around the countryside looking for this dining establishment named Black’s.

As we came around a bend in the road, we saw the gentleman in the photo standing near one of the many docks in the area. I pulled over and we got out of the car to ask him if he knew where Black’s was located. I mentioned I had been there as a young boy and wanted to take my wife there to experience a fresh out of the water lobster meal.

Well, much to our dismay, the man told us Black’s was closed for the season. Slumped shoulders ensued. Then he said, “if you’re looking for lobsters, mine are coming in on that boat right now. You are welcome to come over to my place and my wife and I will fix you dinner.”

That was an offer we just couldn’t refuse. We followed him over to his restaurant/diner/cafe/one room eating establishment. As he turned up the fire on the big steamer that was outside, we headed inside to place our order. We were greeted by the man’s wife and after some chit-chat she made some recommendations for our meal. We decided on the same meal for each of us. One lobster, along with an ear of fresh steamed corn, one dozen mussels and one dozen clams. Plus two cold beers each. After hiking all day we figured all that should fill us up. The lady then suggested to us to have the best seat in the house. The picnic table out on the front porch. So that’s where we headed.

We sat down at the table and our host brought out a cold beer for each of us. Shortly after that she brought out the feast. After a few minutes of splurging on fresh seafood dipped in warm butter, the man and his wife, along with their cat sat down to join us. We shared many stories, laughed a lot…it’s good for the digestion…and just had a grand time together. We may not have found “Blacks” that day, but we sure did find a gem!

IN THE FIELD: Another Glimpse Of Summer

I find it rather inspiring how some folks can turn a tiny space into an inviting garden.

I shot this photo in the first week of September when the summer season was winding down.

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IN THE FIELD: Last Blast Of Summer

A few weeks ago I took this photo of a Rose Of Sharon blossom on one of the last absolutely perfect summer days. It was mid morning, the sun was shining, the air was cool, and the sky was blue with puffy white clouds scattered about.

I will have to remember to go back to the archives and view this image in February when the temperatures are in the 20’s and the wind chills are in the single digits.

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IN THE FIELD: Exotics Close to Home

A few weeks ago, on a hot sultry morning, we were walking the pups at a very leisurely pace through our neighborhood. We headed down a street we don’t normally frequent, but our canine companions insisted. Sometimes it’s best not to argue with a terrier.

The short street is lined with tidy homes surrounding a cul-de-sac. As we waited for the doggies to finish smelling whatever it was that had their total focus, I noticed these tropical beauties growing in a front garden of one of the homes. I didn’t have my camera with me on this muggy morning,

After we returned home with the dogs and they were settled, I grabbed my gear and headed back to the house where I had seen these hibiscus plants. I asked the homeowner it I could photograph the exotic flowers growing in the garden. She was happy to oblige my wishes, and in return I presented her a print of the photo.

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IN THE FIELD: Farm Fresh Sculpture

This past weekend we took a leisurely drive out in unexplored farm country. The rolling hills and pastures were covered in green grass and stands of corn waiting to be harvested.

As we drove along a winding road, we came across several fields of recently harvested hay which was formed into huge bales. Curiously, the hay bales were stacked three to a stack and seemed to be placed randomly throughout the fields.

My wife and I have been around farming communities most of our lives, but have never seen hay bales standing like sentinels in a field before.

These stacks of hay reminded us of the sculptures on Easter Island. Perhaps the farmer was in a creative mood the day of harvesting and was thinking the same thing.

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IN THE FIELD: Late Bloomers

A few weeks ago I was walking up an embankment by a creek’s edge heading for the shade provided by a stand of maple trees. It was cool by the creek, but once I got away from the water I needed relief from the hot sun. In the shade of the old trees was a rather sizable grouping of Hosta plants. I have no idea which variety they are, but the leaves were some of the largest Hosta leaves I have ever seen. Not only was it nice and cool under the trees, but it sure was a pleasant surprise to see these plants blooming this late in the summer.

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IN THE FIELD: Purple Proliferates

My Mom has a small garden just off her patio filled with flowers of many varieties. Some of the flowers are her favorite perennials that return every year. To fill in the spaces and nooks and crannies, she will plant annuals in and among the plants waiting to bloom so there is always a flush of color.

Last spring a year ago, she planted several annual ageratum plants in the front corner of the flower bed. She felt it would add a nice splash of color next to her collection of small rocks. The plants flourished in the tiny rock garden. Later that year as part of the autumn cleanup, she pulled the plants along with all the other annuals that were finished blooming since they are not cold hardy. Apparently the seeds of ageratum plants are.

This spring, long before my Mom had planted any other annuals, little mounds of green leaves and purple flowers began to pop up everywhere. Yes, everywhere. Somehow they have spread throughout the whole flower garden creating a carpet of purple and green. It really is quite lovely, but it isn’t exactly what she had planned. They even hopped over the gravel path and took up residence in the raised bed vegetable garden I built for her.

I don’t think I’m going to tease her anymore with having two green thumbs and somehow always managing to create bionic growing conditions.

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