Wife’s Birthday

2015/11/092015/11/09 ruminator2 Comments

I made this capture more than ten-years ago. Wife and I were on an outing to the Barnes & Noble in Lubbock — it was still in the strip mall where Circuit City and other stores were magnets — and having a great day. We were sitting near the big windows near the front of the store, looking at books or magazines or what-not. It doesn’t matter. We were together and we were enjoying the time out.

Of course, I had a camera on me. She caught me in the act of capturing her candid portrait. I have another capture from that morning of her entire face. But it was these eyes that captured my photographer’s vision. I also adored her eyes. I’m so glad I have this image in my collection.

Yesterday was her birthday. She would have been 63-years old, had lymphoma not taken her from us.

She died early on a Saturday morning. I know I write about this too often, but it is my reality and it’s my weblog. Saturdays will always be a little hard on me. While everyone else is looking forward to the beginning of their weekend, I have that little reminder in the back of my mind that pokes me now and again to remember that Saturday morning. No, it’s not morbid; it is, though, a reminder of my loss and a part of my history.

So, the weekend was a downer for me. I remember celebrating her birthday, if not with family and friends, then with each other. I used to tease her about being married to an older woman… or about robbing the cradle… or about being a cougar. Sometimes I teased her about all three. Then I’d catch a bit of Hell on my birthday when I “caught up” for a few months.

I am thankful for all those years we had. I wish we’d had more, at least a couple of them. Near the end, that’s all I wished for… a couple more years so we could celebrate life together for just a little longer.

I still weep a bit now and again. The memory of Wife remains close at hand. Some tell me that they’re proud of me for being strong, for doing what I need to do to continue moving forward. Perhaps… More likely I’m just surviving for the moment because I have no idea where the path goes. I don’t know if there is one path before me or a countably infinite number of them. Maybe that doesn’t matter either. Maybe my task is just to put one foot forward. Maybe clarity will come from that.

I don’t know.

What I do know, however, is that I miss Wife and that yesterday was her birthday. Happy Birthday Old Girl! I still miss ya!

Fumble!

2015/11/062015/11/06 ruminator

At Older Grandson’s game last Friday, the sun came peeking out just before sundown and provided some nice light for a few minutes. I took advantage of the light to shoot some action. Although I was too far away for the best view, the Panasonic DS40 has a lot of reach for a compact camera. That’s one reason I have the little camera — it has more reach than any of my current stable of lenses for the X-T1. The Fuji makes much nicer images, but without the reach much interest would be lost.

So, I take the compact camera to games and sometimes come away with a few nice captures.

Time here with my family is healing. It’s good to spend time with them, even if I’m just watching TV with them or watching them play video games.

A Mother’s Love

2015/11/042015/11/03 ruminator

Daughter and Youngest Grandson captured one morning.

Hrmmmm… I thought I posted this frame some time ago. Well, no matter.

A few weeks ago I wandered out of my room and noticed Daughter nurturing Youngest Grandson. It is her way of waking him most mornings and a part of their interaction. It was such a sweet, tender moment and screamed for a shot. Neither can be identified from the frame, so I feel safe in posting this.

What I see is A Mother’s Love, which is something that is deeply embedded in us. I can’t recall the number of times I watched Wife with the kids. Her relationship was not the same as Daughter’s is with her family, but yet it is. That means that their behaviors are different but the meaning is the same.

It is about two months and change since I arrived here. It has been good for me to be around Daughter and her family. The craziness of family life is nothing new to me. No, I have not forgotten what it was like. It might have been years ago, but the recollection is still close at hand.

My prayer is that my presence does not disturb their family. I worry that it might, but I am not yet ready to move on toward whatever it is that God has in mind for me. Perhaps that’s fear. I am not yet sure. But I am sure that I love being around this family — my family.

The Kicker

2015/10/212015/10/17 ruminator

A Pee Wee League kicker working out before the main practice

With the shortening days, the best light falls earlier and earlier each day. Before the main practice of Young Grandson’s began, three boys were working out on kicking at the extra point distance. There was still enough light for me to use the compact camera (which has the most reach of the cameras with me), so I got it out and made a few captures.

The Woodpile

2015/10/192015/10/15 ruminator

On our regular walk/run route there are a couple of woodpiles. I’m not certain why the fuel has not been picked up (I would certainly pick it up if I had a stove). The texture and pattern of wood fascinates me still. The texture of tree bark fascinates me. There is a combination of regular and random (or pseudo-random, or chaotic) nature to the texture that I find interesting.

We were walking one evening and the light was decent, if a bit flat. However, sometimes flat light brings out the texture in an interesting fashion.

Chickies Rock Climbers

2015/10/162015/10/15 ruminator

Rock Climbing Students on Chickies Rock, Lancaster, PA.

On our geocaching adventure last weekend, the Girl and I paused for a few images of the rock climbers on Chickies Rock before finishing our logging of the Chickies Rock Earthcache. When we returned later to visit with one of the guides, Katy, we learned that this was a group of students learning to climb.

International Earthcache Day

2015/10/122015/10/11 ruminator

Rock Climber on Chickies Rock near Lancaster, PA.

Yesterday, 11 October 2015, was International Earthcache Day. I decided to celebrate by traveling to a nearby park and finding at least one earthcache.

An earthcache is a particular kind of geocache that is peculiar in two ways — it does not have a container and it is focused on one of the earth sciences, usually geology. That means I love them because there is something to see and something to learn. I am still all about science and geology is one of my favorites.

So I was excited to get out, see if I could find and log at least one earthcache, and also to enjoy a beautiful fall day with my Girl. We headed east from Daughter’s about 1130 hours and drove east to Chickies Rock Park adjacent to the Susquehanna River. I parked the geocaching 4Runner in the area around the Breezy Overlook, got my gear, and let the Girl out. We hunted around for a virtual cache (Breezy View) near the parking lot, but I couldn’t find the answers to the questions so we headed down the trail.

The hike down to the Heritage Trail was pretty-darned steep (technical term), but we managed. The Girl has all-paw drive and a high strength-weight ratio so steep doesn’t bother her. This old man was happy to have his hikers on because there were slidies (another technical term) on the path. Regardless, we got down to the trail without issue. It was only a short distance down the trail to the Henry’s Clay Furnace earthcache. We greeted numerous other walkers/hikers along the way and paused at the site to read the description, collect the answers to the questions for the log, and explore. I came away with a couple of nice frames of the ruins and a fascinating glimpse into the local history.

Climbers on Chickies Rock, near Lancaster, PA.

We hiked on north to find the Chickies Rock earthcache. I wasn’t too surprised when we approached and there was a group of rock climbers working the rock, but it was a mildly surprising — and pleasing — event. I paused to collect a few images and begin collecting the answers for the questions posed in the description of the earthcache. We moved along a little farther north to visit more of the rock (and collect more answers). I sat on an old railroad tie and made a few notes to use later when I logged the find. Then we headed back south.

Katy and Ryan, the Rock Climbing Guides at Chickies Rock.

As we passed the group of climbers, a young woman made eye contact and greeted us. So, I stopped to chat. This is a big part of what makes life interesting to me — stopping and talking to people. I love hearing their stories, finding out what they do and what the love, and asking questions about those things. As it turns out, Katy was one of the guides for this group and is working on her degree in a field that I don’t remember the name for, but is about how our bodies and minds are connected and the impact of stress and similar pressures on our systems. She’s interested in how outdoor activities affect that system and how outdoor activities can be used as therapy.

After a few minutes, one of the other guides (the lead) came over to visit and give some direction on capturing some video of the climbers. So, I bid them farewell and the Girl and I headed back toward the trail up the hillside and back home. It wasn’t a long hike and the climb up wasn’t as steep as I thought. It was enough to get my pumping, but I wasn’t tired when I reached the top.

At the top, I was also able to find what I needed for the Breezy View virtual cache, so I collected my information and then we mounted up and headed home. The round trip (boots on ground) was shy of three miles, but it was still a good day.

Football Season

2015/10/092015/10/08 ruminator

The Bobcats beat the Wildcats in a close game. — The Bobcats beat the Cougars in a close game.

Both my grandsons are involved in football. It’s something one of them loves and the other loves more. It’s my pleasure to support them at practice and at games and at home.

Dad loved football. He played in high school many years ago and talked about it now and again. It was a tradition in my parents’ home that weekend football was something not to be missed. Dad would put on a big pot of soup or stew or beans (with ham) to cook in the morning. We watched the afternoon games (there was only Sunday all day and Monday night football then), cheering and laughing. Even Mom, who really didn’t care much for sports, would join in.

After we moved to Missouri, Wife (then Girlfriend or Fiance) would come up. The smell of simmering soup made us crazy. In between games (or at halftime), Dad would cook fried potatoes (in a cast iron skillet) and biscuits or cornbread. This added to the anticipation of the upcoming meal.

When all was finally ready, we’d grab big bowls of hot soup, sometimes just dumping the potatoes and/or cornbread into the soup — sometimes putting them on the side, and return to the living room to watch the afternoon games.

There was almost always a nap involved at some point. For me, that was often after the meal. I can remember Dad snoring in his recliner. We all laughed about it.

Now, here I am almost 50-years later. I’m enjoying Grandsons’ games. We’re watching football on Saturdays (college) and Sundays (professional). I’m laughing a lot with my family and we’re all disappointed with the Longhorns’ inability to execute. We eat together and this is good.

Grandsons’ games provide me some opportunity to shoot sports. It’s not something I usually do and my place in the stands requires me to use my compact camera (a Panasonic TS40) because it has the reach to make shots from the stands or the sidelines. I’d prefer to use my Fuji X-T1 (and wish I had my Nikons here), but I use what I can to get the job done. It’s fun and I have a few decent frames.

East Entrance, Yellowstone National Park

2015/09/282015/09/28 ruminator

A few weeks ago — naw, it’s a couple of months now — the Girl and I were headed east from Nevada on our way to Pennsylvania to see Daughter and her family. Yellowstone was on my list to visit for a very long time. I didn’t want to take the Interstate Highway System, although it’s faster. I wanted to travel at a slower pace so I could see the countryside I passed through.

So, I elected to stay on the U.S. Highway system, or the state highways, as much as possible. I also knew I’d be close enough to Yellowstone to at least drive through it.

So, I did. I have a few more captures from my passage that need to be sorted, culled, and processed. Then I can post a few of my grab shots here.

One thing I learned — I need to go back. That needs to be not during vacation season so that the wonders I want to see are available. Did I say I need to go back?

The White House

2015/09/262015/09/26 ruminator

No, this isn’t a political discussion. The White House serves as the home and working space for the President of the United States of America. Regardless of what I think of any sitting president, I will respect both the office and the residence.

While in DC a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to walk the National Mall. Both of us enjoyed that walk. We saw (and/or smelled) many things, interacted with interesting people, and I made a few images.

On the way back to the hotel, we passed the White House. It being an iconic representation of my beloved country, I paused to reflect a few minutes and to make this image. After I made this image, we approached the south gate to the area around the White House. A number of Secret Service agents were working there. It’s routine guard duty, except it seems nothing is routine any more. I sat on a bench next to the fountain and watched traffic come and go for a few minutes. The Girl found a grassy spot within a few feet of the bench and stretched out to cool herself in the cool, green grass.

Old Guys don't always look bad without a shirt... — Old Guys don’t always look bad without a shirt…

After a few minutes, we got up and headed north along the internal circle around the White House lawn. I noticed some activity on the lawn and there was a soccer game forming up (I think). These two “older” guys were warming up, shirtless of course. Thinking of my friend in Washington (state), I made this image and laughed about old guys not always looking so bad.

As we walked along the path, one of them started stunting a bit. He was kicking the ball (pretty well, it seemed to me), then did a header, then this back kick. My timing was just a bit off on the latter, but the blue ball is still in the frame.

I have no idea where the other ball came from. It appeared in my frame.

Random Ruminations

Author: ruminator