Too much pressure on the quarterback resulted in a Panthers fumble.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
While walking the National Mall, the Girl and I passed the Washington Monument on our way to the war memorials. I really liked the sun in the background, so I paused my people-watching to find just the right spot to make the capture.
The image made, the Girl and I turned west and walked on toward the WWII Memorial. It was a good day.
I stopped in Rigby, Idaho on my way east. That would be a few weeks ago, now. The Girl needed an outing and I don’t really like to stay in a motel room all the time, so we got out and wandered over to the city park. While we were there, I noticed this old gun. My guess is that it was once mounted on a warship, perhaps from WWII or the Korean War. In any event, it now resides in a city park — a reminder of our veterans and the machines they used to do the job.
After a little research, I found this article on the Bofors 40mm Gun. If you have an interest in such things, be sure to look through the archive of images. I love historical images and there are some great captures in this archive.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to be one of crew members operating this gun. I know that the crew hand fed the magazines using stripper clips of cartridges. That must have been crazy, with all the racket going on, not just of this weapon, but all the others adding to the noise and confusion.
There’s a nice video here: FPS Russia [YouTube]. The video is a fun watch.
I had so much fun with the gun, that I made a second image. I’m still amazed by this machine… no, I’m in awe of it, especially after watching the video.
While on my way from Nevada to Pennsylvania, I passed a museum of retired aerial tankers used for firefighting. The museum was next to a rest stop along the highway. The Girl and I both needed a break. But, the real reason is that when I come across something interesting, I stop. I have no idea if I will ever pass this place again. I have no idea whether I’ll even be alive in a day, a week, a month, or a year. Life is to be lived and if I don’t satisfy my curiosity, then what’s the use?
So, without ruminating on that too much, I pulled into the parking lot and stopped. I put the Girl’s vest on her to make her official. Too many “pet” owners have ruined access for our furry family members because they refuse to police up their animal’s feces and their animals are poorly behaved. So, those of us who take care of such things are penalized by the actions of those individuals.
Bah! Enough with the ranting/ruminating/whatever! We stopped, she dressed, and we took advantage of the facilities. Then we crossed the fence to the museum facility and entered.
Inside was a plethora of aerial firefighting memorabilia. They were running a video presentation of the machines and techniques used to fight fires from the air. There were lots and lots of pictures and a few books. There was a donation bin to support the facility and the aircraft on display. I made a donation, then we walked outside to check out the aircraft.
Of course, I got lots of questions about the Girl. I always do. I always take time to answer.
One of the ships was opened to permit a look at the inside. I loved this view of the office, so I made the capture. I’m glad I stopped. It was a unique experience and a fun view of these aircraft.
