Images of My World - 2007

Barbed Wire - June 8, 2007

2007-06-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

Both the saving grace and the scourge of the west, barbed wire in its many forms has become a tool and and a hindrance for the modern rancher and farmer.

Mule Deer Doe - June 7, 2007

2007-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

So called because of the big, BIG ears. As you can see, she uses them to get a handle on the world around her.

White Water - June 6, 2007

2007-06-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

As the snowmelt continues in the mountains, the water levels rise in the Arkansas River - a favorite time of year for the adventure-seeking rafters around here. Rafting is regulated - the numbers of rafts on the river at any given time is controlled, and rafting is not allowed when the water levels reach a certain depth or cubic feet per inch of force. It's just too dangerous when the river runs too high or too fast. We've already lost one rafter this year in the very rough waters through the Royal Gorge. This is a close up of the one of the not-so-spectacular rapids. I will go back to this spot later in the season (or maybe this weekend) and see if I can catch some rafts going over the spot. My daughter used to be a rafting guide and I was always afraid something would happen to her. It's probably a good thing she didn't tell me about every "adventure".

New Growth - June 5, 2007

2007-06-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still practicing with macros. This is a new aspen leaf backlit by evening sun.

Pine Cone Macro - June 4, 2007

2007-06-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting a little bit with macro. I'm not good at it yet, but was pleased with how this one turned out.

The Meadow - June 3, 2007

2007-06-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

These are some images of the meadow my daughter discovered and is considering as the site for her wedding next May. It's not far from her home and sits about 8,000 feet in altitude. While we were looking around, a cow elk and her calf popped out from the trees and trotted across the meadow before disappearing into another group of trees. It would be a beautiful site for a wedding.

Independence Pass - June 2, 2007

2007-06-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

We drove over Independence Pass (it's only been open a couple of weeks) to visit my daughter in Glenwood Springs. It's a beautiful view and it was interesting to see so much snow so late in the season. The road, however, was quite clear, and although narrow in places and quite twisty, it was a gorgeous drive. The pass goes over the mountains from Twin Lakes, above Buena Vista and drops down into Aspen. Aspen is truly a different world. It's been said that the millionaires are moving out of Aspen to Basalt and that the billionaires are moving into Aspen. It's pretty, but I'll take Glenwood Springs any day of the week.

Got Dirt? June 1, 2007

2007-06-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I posted, so it will be interesting to see if I remember how. This year has been quite a wild ride. As you know, I was ill early on and then my husband had a serious medical emergency. Since then we have had other challenges.... my youngest son's car was stolen and has not been recovered. I was worried sick about him, as he lives in Phoenix and was riding his bicycle to and from work - 4 miles at night - in a part of Phoenix which is known for gang activity and has endured quite a few murders in the last year or so. They think they have the serial killer who was targeting bicycle riders; however, that is small comfort for a mom who is 1000 miles away. He has another vehicle now, and I am resting easier. My older son graduated from colleges with his Master's degree a few weeks ago, and is now engaged in a full fledged search for employment, and my oldest daughter has had a serious cancer scare. The biopsy was thankfully negative, but we are still looking at some surgery for her.

So, my hair is grayer and my blood pressure is higher, but we are still all together and plugging along.

I thought you might like to see how Chaco has grown. She is still quite puppyish as she is not yet a year old, and she still likes to taste everything - including dirt. She was quite proud of her oh so gritty tongue. We are trying to get our garden going and she is "helping".

Senior Soccer Players - March 1, 2007

2007-03-02T07:59:00.001-07:00

Some of you already know that I have been ill and then my husband became critically ill, so I have been unable to keep up with publishing my blog on a daily basis. I have taken pictures and will go back and try to get caught up. I'll go into more details soon; however, if I don't get this image up and running right now, I won't make it.

The paper called and asked me to take some more pics and I am finally able to do so. These are the soccer seniors from a neighboring high school. What a fun group. It was as cold as one could imagine when taking the pictures, although the soccer players from yesterday were even colder.

Later.....

News - February 14, 2007

2007-02-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a day of good news and bad news. The bad news is that I got myself to the doctor's office today and found out that my "bug" has gone into pneumonia. I'm started on an antibiotic, but I'll probably be home for the rest of the week. I think of how much work is going to be piling up before I get back and it's scary, but I guess there's no way around it.

The good news is that my youngest daughter's boyfriend gave her a diamond ring and an "on his knees" proposal for Valentine's Day and she said "yes". She sounded so happy when she called us and I am so happy for her.

The picture I'm posting today is of her when she was a baby. She has always called this one "Daddy's little girl."

For Talj - February 13, 2007

2007-02-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm home today, although I having been trying to keep caught up on phone calls and have managed to participate in a couple of meetings by phone.

The photo today is an old one, but is one of my favorites. I got this bear for my youngest son before he was born, and once he got here, I realized he was actually smaller than the bear. It seemed only natural to take this picture of him on the bear's lap. His bear still watches over his room - even after all these years.

More Snow - February 12, 2007

2007-02-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

I'm home early today because I can't seem to shake this bug. The cough is getting worse and I feel awful. In between snoozes this afternoon, I've tried to comment on blogs and got this shot in between snow showers. My oldest son took his comprehensive exams for his Master's Degree today. I'm anxious to talk to him to see how he did.

Avocados - February 11, 2007

2007-02-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I was going to use this for the Fruits and Veggies challenge, but then I decided to go with something totally, entirely different. I don't do still life very well. I have a very difficult time getting the lighting the way I like it. This isn't what I wanted.... but....here it is.

I added a bit of a texture to this because I liked the way that looked.

Victory and Agony - February 10, 2007

2007-02-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

Coach consoling and teaching wrestler who has just lost match. He's telling him he wrestled with a lot of heart and that he's proud of him.

Bear hugs and congratulations. This wrestler finally made it! He is a senior and this has been his goal for two years. He just missed out last year and this was his last chance.

Coach knows how much this means to this young man, and he is very happy for him.

Consoling wrestler who just lost his berth at State Tournament. He tried his best. He actually did very well and he will have two more years to earn his spot.

Well, Regionals are over and our local team had two young men qualify to go on to State. To qualify, one has to rank in the top four of all the contestants. We had four who ranked in the top 4; however there is another rule which did us in for two contestants: if you are the 4th ranked person and have not wrestled the person who ranked 5th, the 5th ranked person can challenge you for a wrestle-back and if they win, they take your spot at State. Both our 112-pound and our 171- pound wrestler lost their places in wrestle-backs. It was heart-breaking. They worked so hard and struggled so hard to earn that berth. The 171-pound wrestler is a senior, so he will not have another chance to try it again.

The coach is an extremely emotive man, who genuinely feels their anguish when they lose and celebrates their joy when they win. There will be an end-of-season banquet in a few weeks during which the coach will award letters or numerals to the wrestlers and he will say very nice things about each and every wrestler. He will talk about their courage and about their character, and there will be smiles and tears because each one is very special in his own way.

I'm both glad and sad I won't be going to this year's banquet. I've been to eight now - four with each of my sons, and I remember the words even now, and they still can make me cry.

My oldest son struggled in wrestling. I had no clue why he chose to stay with this sport. He wasn't very good when he was younger, he had to cut a lot of weight, and he seemed to have little chance of making varsity during his younger years. What he did have was a desire to learn, and a drive to excel which he hadn't really shown in many other areas of his life. He got better and better. He made the varsity team his junior year. He wasn't the best on the team, but he never, ever gave up in a match. He beat a state ranked opponent (by pin) his junior year, and was one of only two or three matches that young man lost.

His senior year, he came into his own. He was wrestling very well, and won all of his matches before Christmas - most of them by pinfall and was charging forward toward his personal goal of placing at State. However, right after New Year's, he caught the flu and was sick. He wrestled a home match sick - against my wishes - and was being slammed around like a fish out of water. It was like he had no strength at all. I had a hard time watching. All of a sudden, he seemed to dig deep inside and he grabbed the other kid by the head and flipped him and pinned him. When the referee raised his arm to signal victory, his knees buckled and the ref and coach had to help him off the mat. He had literally given every ounce he had to give. How many people can say they have ever given everything for anything?

A few days later he was wrestling for the championship of the South Tournament and was picked up and slammed to the mat. We heard an indescribable sound from across the gym, and my husband turned to me and said, "I think he broke his arm." I couldn't believe it. It wasn't fair - not after he had overcome so much and was so close to achieving his goal.

We raced over to him and he was on his back cradling his arm and crying - not entirely from pain, but from frustration, and I can hear him still... "Tape it up coach, I can go back in. Tape it up, I'm fine. Don't forfeit. Tape it up!"

Of course we did not. The coach kept telling him he needed to go to the hospital. They helped us get him to the car and the coach, with tears in his eyes, kept promising him we'd do everything we could.

He had what is called a "nightstick" fracture of his left forearm. It's an impact fracture which fissures the bone in all directions. He was lucky because nothing was displaced, and they were able to cast it fairly quickly. His friends brought his medal to the hospital, and tried to be as reassuring as possible, but we knew that wrestling was probably over for him.

He did get the cast off just before Regionals and did wrestle because the coach said he had earned his place on the team; but he had very little strength in that arm and wasn't able to place. However, the determination he showed then still shows up today and he knows that he does have the power to go after what he wants.

He will graduate in May with a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, and his goal is to go on for his Doctorate. I think he will make that and I think the lessons he learned in wrestling will help him to get there.

(As you might guess, he's one of my heroes)

Regionals - February 9, 2007

2007-02-09T23:53:00.000-07:00

All the teams file into the arena at the beginning of the main round. I know this is a little blurry. I think I have some better ones, but haven't checked all the images. I wanted to give you an idea of how things were done.
Looking for a pin. The guy on the bottom is kicking hard to be free as our guy on top is holding on for dear life.

Almost pinned. He's got to get that shoulder a little closer to the mat. He did get it done.

VERY rough day... Things were, of course, extremely hectic at work. They always are when I'm a little under the weather. I guess that is a major component of Murphy's Laws. I spent my lunch hour picking up my press pass, making sure I had packed everything I needed in my camera bag, and putting air in my tires after noticing one tire on my car was a little low. That's another task I don't do so well when I'm not feeling good, so I ended up having to ask for a little help. I hate that!!

I got to the tournament in time for the quarter-finals and the first round consolations. We had some losses in the first round of matches, but, thankfully, the night finished with everyone still in the tournament and able to wrestle again tomorrow. There are 32 teams here, 16 each from 4a (larger) schools and 2a (smaller) schools. There are 14 weight categories for each team. All of the 4a schools have wrestlers in each weight category. The 2a schools sometimes have gaps because they are smaller and may not have enough people. I am guessing there are around 400 wrestlers here tonight - all with hopes and dreams of qualifying for the State Tournament next week at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (home to both the Denver Nuggets basketball team and the Colorado Avalanche hockey team) The atmosphere is quite intense.

I am quickly posting some of the images of the boys wrestling. I didn't stay for the entire round because I had to get back and get pictures downloaded and picked out and e-mailed to the paper for tomorrow morning's edition. I haven't even looked at the whole first card. Tomorrow or Sunday I will try to post others. The drive back was through thick, thick fog - fairly unusual for here. I tried to pick someone to follow since it was difficult to even see the road, but the last vehicle I was following turned off before I even left Pueblo. so I had to drive fairly slowly. It felt like I was driving in a dream. Fortunately it is only 30 miles, so I made it just fine, and got the pictures in. Here you go!

Foggy Day - February 8, 2007

2007-02-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

First, I must apologize for the lateness of this post. I've had some sort of little bug that has wrought havoc with my system. Was off work all day today and fear that if I cough any harder, my head will fall off and roll down the hallway....

The day started with a beautiful sunrise, but none of the promised "icy fog". However, by the time I was ready to start off on my trip to Colorado Springs, the fog (albeit not "icy") had descended. This is what it looked like. Not much to see on the way to my appointment. It cleared about the time I got to the Springs (they are a bit higher in altitude), and actually I had good news from my appointment and don't have to go back for six months, but the cough was really wearing on me so I went back home and stayed in bed all day -- highly unusual behavior for me. I'm drinking lots of hot tea and taking my Zycam, so am hoping to get over this quickly. I have to work tomorrow and then drive to Pueblo for the wrestling regionals and send pictures off to the newspaper before midnight. The tournament goes all day Saturday too, and I can't let those guys down, so I have to get it together here, and get better.

The Walk - February 7, 2007

2007-02-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

Helicopters.....

Big helicopter....

Muddy, muddy Chaco.....

Got the dogs out for a short walk. Bear went exploring and hid behind bushes. He blends in so well with the winter colors, that I sometimes lose track of him. I think he hides on purpose because when I call him, he pops out with a smile on his face, like "ha ha! made you worry!!". Chaco, on the other hand, either stays right with me or follows Bear as if she is somehow attached to him. It is muddy, and as you can see, Chaco thoroughly enjoyed getting as muddy as possible. A bath is certainly high on the priority list for this young lady's future.

We live very near to Ft. Carson, a large military training base, so we frequently see military helicopters or other aircraft out on maneuvers. Today there were three of them in a group, a large double-propeller one and two smaller ones flying fairly close to the ground. The noise they make is amazing. It's like a percussion instrument and produces a sound you can feel as well as hear. When the helicopters came over the hills, the dogs gathered in close. I couldn't quite tell if they intended to protect me, or wanted me to protect them. We stood there in a little group as the helicopters flew overhead and I tried to get a few pictures.

Tomorrow I have to drive to Colorado Springs for a doctor's visit. I was hoping for good weather, but the forecast is for "icy fog" in the morning. I think I'll maybe take my camera along and see if I can get some shots. The road to the Springs goes through a lovely canyon and if there is indeed some icy fog, the trees should be covered with a layer of ice (and hopefully not the roads). Anyway, it is usually very pretty when that happens. We will see....

Lady Tigers - February 6, 2007

2007-02-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

This was a tough game to cover. These young ladies played a very physical, hard fought game, but lost anyway. The score was 55-18. This is the second time they have faced the opposing team - called the "Mean Moose" from Alamosa. Alamosa is a very cold little town in the San Luis Valley of very southern Colorado - actually fairly close to the New Mexican border. Alamosa is usually the coldest, or nearly coldest place in Colorado in the winter. They are in the middle of an agricultural area, as are we, and they are home to a very nice college, Adam's State Teacher's College, and they are home to the Mean Moose, the nemesis of nearly all the local high school sports teams. The Mean Moose are imbued with nearly magical powers. The name is spoken in almost hushed tones - "Alamosa" - not quite "Voldemort", but very close. The San Luis Valley has a mystery all its own - some say it's one of the locations where the lines between this world and the next are not as distinct as elsewhere; some say the valley has been visited by UFO's for eons; some say.... well, maybe I better wait to discuss what some say at another time.....

Truth is, Alamosa produces some outstanding high school athletes and athletic teams. If they are a little cocky, they've earned that right. They always present a significant challenge. I mentioned this was the second time the ladies met this team this year. They have actually improved quite a bit. They lost the first game 88-14. An impressive gain when playing (shhhh)
Alamosa...

From My Heart to Yours - February 5, 2007

2007-02-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try some hearts today.... Found a little patch of snow left (yes, I seem obsessed lately) and a little metallic red heart.... oh, the possibilities....

What do you think? I will try some more later this week. Tomorrow I have another basketball game to shoot for the paper. Sadly, my earlier wrestling duals pictures were not published. The newspapers computers malfunctioned and they lost them. The editor says that the malfunction has been remedied. They may run them later (I am re-sending them); however, tomorrow is basketball and they are sending me to the regional tournament this weekend. It will be nice to see how the kids do. I hope at least some of them qualify for state.

Thaw - February 4, 2007

2007-02-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

The melting snow is leaving beautiful patterns around the plants.

The park was solid white after the last snowstorm, but most of the snow is melting in the warm sunshine. I really liked the clouds in this picture. This was once a landfill. The little trees are about five years old and were planted by a Boy Scout troup. My son helped plant them.

Water is running in the trough again. The water is for the horses people like to ride through the park and for the deer and elk (as well as other wildlife)

At last..... The temperature is above 50 degrees (F). It's like Springtime, especially considering the -10 degree temperatures and the windchills of -30. We have had Chinook winds, which create friction as they race down the mountainsides and produce warmers temperatures. The snow is melting. It's leaving mud and gunk all around, but that will dry off soon enough.

We took the puppies to Ecology Park to romp. The park is so named because a group of high school students wanted to reclaim the former city dump as a habitat for wildlife and people and so wrote grants and provided labor to do so. What was once an eyesore of garbage and cinders is now a thriving wildlife habitat with deer and elk, birds, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and foxes. The park also serves as a living laboratory for high school students today. What a legacy!!

Tiger Duals - February 3, 2007

2007-02-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

The kids were really up for this tournament. A "duals" tournament is a different format in that all of the members of one team wrestle members of another team just like a regular dual, except they wrestle one team after another - in this case three matches each. Four teams in all in the dual tournament. The local team won hands down. In the first match, all but one team member won - the vast majority by pins.

The season is almost over. This weekend is the huge Regional Tournament. Each wrestler must place in the top four (out of at least 16 teams) in order to advance to the State Tournament. It's a big deal to the kids. Since the local team is so young, I wonder how many will advance to State. As I hope I have conveyed here, they wrestle with great determination.

Basketball - February 2, 2007

2007-02-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Here we go - both girl's and boy's basketball. What a tight schedule. I haven't even looked at all the pictures I took because there wasn't time. I hope I made the paper's deadline o.k. It was rough!! Both teams fought hard, but I think the local team lost both games. I had to leave before the end of the boy's game. this is a fairly random sampling of pictures I took today.

Wrestling tomorrow. And hopefully, eventually, some sleep for me.

Frosty Morning - February 1, 2007

2007-02-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

It's really, really cold out this morning. Thought you might like some different kinds of photos. I did some post-processing on a couple of these and added some glow. It actually got down to minus ten degrees (F). I'm afraid I'm rather challenged when converting to centigrade. I took these as the sun was rising. The thermometer says zero degrees, but it's on our porch - which is a bit sheltered. We are feeding the birds, but they seem to empty the feeders almost immediately. I guess they need the extra nourishment in these times.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day and I am hoping for sunshine. Tomorrow I also have two basketball games to shoot for the paper. I hope I can do them justice.

Storm Coming In - January 31, 2007

2007-01-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

The forecast is for yet more snow. We are supposed to get another couple of inches today and tomorrow and seven to ten more inches Friday. I'm afraid the storm tomorrow may cancel some events like the two basketball games I am supposed to shoot for Friday night. We are also supposed to get high winds so there is a "snow and blowing snow" weather advisory and people are advised to stay home and out of the weather tonight and tomorrow night.

But for right now, it's peaceful. The snow flurries add to the ambiance and I find myself back at one of my favorite places. The red walls will be covered if there is as much blowing snow as they predict. I'd love to see it then, but I won't be able to return until Sunday at the earliest.

Hope all of you are staying happy and warm, and that all your dreams for this new year are coming true. One month is already over. Let's see what the next one will bring :)

Basketball - January 30, 2007

2007-01-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

The basketball game tonight was hard-fought and once again went into overtime. The outcome this time was different, however, and the local team lost by one point in the last 4 seconds. What a heart-breaker! I've been asked to cover both the girls and boys games on Friday and the wrestling tournament on Saturday. I'm enjoying this a lot. It's work and it takes me awhile to go through the pictures. I wish I was better at it. I talked to man tonight who says he just sets up the shots and can use about 80% of his shots. I'm not that good. However, I'm pleased with this shot and hope it's the one they use in the paper.

Monday Still Lifes - January 29, 2007

2007-01-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

It's a "blah" Monday. We desperately need some sunshine. I'm barely moving today. Was struggling with some nausea this morning and really didn't want to do much of anything. I did, however, manage to get to work and felt better as the day progressed.

I thought I'd let you see that the snow is still around and try to do something "artsy" with objects in the snow. Hmmmmmm.

Chaco at Red Canyon - January 28, 2007

2007-01-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

Chaco checks out a way up the sides of the canyon.

Today started as a cold and foggy day. The puppies were adamant about going for a W-A-L-K anyway, so we took them up to Red Canyon because it is close and because we figured the road would be open. It was something of an ordeal to get to our usual walking place. Even though it was cold, the road was muddy from previously melting snow, and so was fairly slick. We made it, however, and the pups had a wonderful time frolicking in the snow, climbing up the sides of the canyons and sliding down. Bear usually leads the way and Chaco follows closely behind, but today she struck out on her own a few times. She is 7 months old and still growing. Such fun!!

And Then There Was South - January 27, 2007

2007-01-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

It snowed off and on all day today. I covered my last game for the week this afternoon, which was the 5th event covered this week. The team was pumped up after back to back wins; however, South is ranked 3rd in the state and they pretty much steam-rollered the local team. There is a long-standing rivalry between the local high school and South in most every sport played at this level. Once it became apparent the local team was so far behind there was little chance to catch up, the coach rotated in his younger players. I thought that was a good move. It gave the older players a chance to rest and revitalize and gave the younger players excellent experience on the boards against a top-notch opponent. They will learn to be better players by playing against superior teams. The younger team members played with heart and inspiration. They took their opportunity and ran with it. They didn't win (according to the scoreboard); however, they never quit. They played as hard as they could until the final whistle blew. I think that showed a lot of character.

This picture (I hope) shows the intensity of their play.

Basketball - January 26, 2007

2007-01-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

Trying to get past the defender.

It was an amazing basketball game tonight. It was back and forth and back and forth and the local team finally won in overtime. They were ecstatic as they had back-to-back wins and they fought so hard! I had to scramble to get the pictures into the newspaper as I had only an hour to download the cards, pick the pictures and get them e-mailed into the editor. Not much time to clean them up or photoshop. I still am having issues with figuring out how the play is going to go and where to anticipate the shot. So I shoot a lot and know that i will "probably" get something useful from sheer volume. Not the best way to do things, I know.

Wrestling - January 25, 2007

2007-01-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Wrestler, all tied up, trying to get free.

Take down. Trying to kick free.

Near pin. A very tough match. One of the two the local team won.

The wrestling match was tough to photograph this evening. It was parent's night - the last home dual, and the night that the senior wrestlers honor their parents prior to their matches. The guys usually present their moms with flowers, and there are tears of pride and of a feeling of loss - because it is nearing the end of the season - these young men will soon graduate and most will leave home. It was hard for me too as it brought back memories of last year when it was my turn, for the last time, to receive those flowers from my youngest son, and to know it would soon be time to say good-bye to this part of my life. The team was wrestling for the league championship against a fairly new school's team. Only two wrestlers from the local team won their matches - and none of the seniors won. The team leaves for a big, very tough, tournament at 5 a.m.

I'll be taking pictures at a basketball game tonight.

Girl's Basketball - January 24, 2007

2007-01-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

Images from a girl's basketball game.. The local team played very hard, but the opposing team prevailed. The local team is very young, with many freshmen and sophomores and only a few seniors. They will improve significantly with experience. They are, however, very enthusiastic and I have never seen them give up.

Tomorrow I cover another wrestling match - this one for the league championship. Friday and Saturday I'm assigned to cover boy's basketball again - a different high school closer to home.

I'm glad to see so many young people participating in sports. They need to do all they can to keep healthy and strong. In our system, there is a strong emphasis on academics as well. Kids can't play unless they maintain a certain academic standing, and there is a competition for academic team champions as well as the regular athletic championships.

Boys Basketball - January 23, 2007

2007-01-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

It was a fast-paced, very physical game tonight.

I wish I had been able to get the ball in this picture too. It would have been a much more effective picture. They really are able to "get some air".

The main problem with this picture is that the guy in the air, about to make a basket, is from the opposing team.

Tonight I covered a boys basketball game for the newspaper at a high school near here. It was a real heart-breaker. The home team lost in the last 6 seconds of the game. Basketball is difficult to photograph because it is so fast, and most high school gyms are not so brightly lit. I don't like to use a really bright flash because I am always afraid of temporary blinding the young athlete during a game. It was an exciting game. I'm shooting sports at both high schools for the rest of the week, so hope you enjoy :)

Birds - January 22, 2007

2007-01-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

We have a big pack porch that extends across the entire length of our house. It has large screened in windows which we usually cover with plastic in the winter to conserve energy. This year we didn't manage to accomplish that task, and we find that all sorts of birds are finding their way into the porch. They seem to hop in through the "doggy door" and then fly around trying to find a way out. Chaco thinks they are some sort of amazing toy, so I have to monitor her constantly. We go out every morning and open doors to help the birds find their way out. I liked the way this one's feathers looked backlit by the sunshine. The second one was a cheeky little sparrow who chattered at me while I was trying to usher him through the door.

Sunset - January 21, 2007

2007-01-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

It was another cloudy, snowy, rather dreary Sunday. We cozied in, watched the playoff games on TV (and edited pictures). This evening, the sky cleared just enough to provide a beautiful sunset.

Wrestling - January 20, 2007

2007-01-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

I used to get upset at all the bloody noses. However, it is winter in Colorado and the air is dry and people get nosebleeds a lot more easily than when the air is more humid. The little guy on top is a freshman who has already made the varsity team. The little guy not on top is about to be pinned.
Another wrestler about to pin his opponent.
It's called a headlock for fairly obvious reasons. The young man in yellow came in 2nd in his weight class out of 14 teams.
The freshman wrestler again with his opponent all locked up. He got another pin here and came in 3rd in his weight class.

They say wrestling is the toughest 6 minutes in any sports competition. I have never actually participated, but I have watched more high school and middle school wrestling matches than I can count. Both my sons were varsity wrestlers in high school, and both competed with their hearts and souls. Wrestling is one of the only sports I have witnessed where two people can compete with every ounce of their beings on the mat and once the match is over, shake hands and discuss the match like they are best friends. Wrestling is allegedly a team sport, but in each match there is a winner and a loser and each competitor has only himself (and in a few rare cases, herself) to blame if he loses. I have seen so many kids exhibit tremendous courage - get backed into a corner and find some way to come out on top. If they don't, I have seen them be equally courageous in accepting responsibility and working harder and coming out the winner the next time. I think the lessons my own sons have learned from wrestling have helped them overcome adversities and to know they can count on themselves to do what they need to do to accomplish whatever they want. I attended a tournament today to take pictures for our local paper. It was strange to go and to not have one of my sons competing, but it was great to see the kids and see how they've grown up this past year. They are nice, polite, kind young men when off the mat; and when they are competing..... well, as their mascot name implies, they are Tigers!

Snow and More Snow - January 19, 2007

2007-01-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

I bet you are sick of snow pictures. I promise I'll do something different tomorrow. I'll try to post some wrestling pictures :)

This is the front walkway - even after shoveling. The wind keeps blowing more snow in. Isn't that the way of some things in life? You have to keep shoveling just to keep up. I guess that's lame, but I am totally exhausted tonight.

Digging Out - January 18, 2007

2007-01-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have to go to a doctor's appointment in Pueblo tomorrow, so we shoveled snow to see if we could get the Toyota out tonight. We finally freed it from the drift, but it was a struggle getting it up the hill. We decided that I will have to leave very early in the morning so that we can work together to get the car out. Once we get it onto the road, I think it will be o.k. I drove to Colorado Springs for a meeting today (in a car from work) and the main roads seem to be fine.

The dogs found the whole process greatly entertaining.

Dealing with Snow - January 17, 2007

2007-01-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

We're trying to dig out. The first picture is of my husband shoveling a path to the gate. We also got a shot of the snowplow finally coming down our road. The only problem with the plow is that the snow scraped off the road gets piled up at the top of the driveways. Our driveway was not very well planned as it is downhill from the road, so we have to go uphill to get out. I have a feeling it will be awhile before the Toyota moves :)

Basketball - January 16, 2007

2007-01-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting basketball game last night. Our team lost, but the kids never gave up. It was a close score and an aggressive, physical game. I took lots of shots and some came out better than I expected. I spent a lot of time sorting through and deciding which I'd send on the paper. These are some of the "out takes". The little boy was overcome by the music from the band and couldn't help dancing. The young ladies are members of the dance team and performed during the half time break. A gym isn't the best environment in which to take dance pictures, but here's an attempt. Actually, the basketball picture is one that I submitted, but I think they are probably going to print one of the others. I'll let you know. It's late and I'm exhausted, so much try to get some sleep. I have to go to work early tomorrow. :)

Red - January 15, 2007

2007-01-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

The snow has stopped, but it is very, very cold today. It was below zero (f) last night and the wind is blowing this morning, so the snow is drifting. It's too cold to be outside for very long and it is a holiday (Martin Luther King's birthday) so we are home from work. We have a big pot of soup cooking in the crock pot, and our intent is to cozy in today and just stay warm and comfy. The dogs would love to go for a walk, but they don't want to stay outside very long either.

I was looking for something bright and cheery to shoot today, and decided to try the poinsettia my daughter gave me at Thanksgiving. It is still bright red. I tried a number of different angles and some different lighting. I'm still not quite satisfied with this, but it IS bright!!

Tomorrow it's back to work. And basketball tomorrow evening. I'm leaving the polarizer at home!!

Basketball - January 14, 2007

2007-01-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Opponents talking smack.

Well, I could say the action was just so fast that it couldn't be captured, but that would be wrong. Stupid polarizer filter..... no stupid photographer :(

I do some freelance photography for the local newspaper. Usually I'm called when the regular photographer can't make it to one of the high school sports events, or if there are so many events going on at one time, that they don't have enough staff to cover. It helps me to step out of my comfort zone and hopefully help the kids out a little too. These are from the game last night. I'm so embarrassed. I was having a lot of trouble with the speed. I had my ISO set at 1600, and my aperature down to 3.5 and I was still having trouble with the light. Today I figured out why. Of all the stupid things to do, I left my polarizer filter on from the snow pictures. I think I got enough decent ones for the paper to use, but I should have had more. I should have figured it out last night. I decided to play around some of the ones I didn't use and see how they turned out. So these are my experiments.

Snow for Talj - January 13, 2007

2007-01-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

The cliffs at Sand Gulch. Rock climbers gather here to scale these walls during nice weather.

Pinon trees and cedars covered in snow.

We started losing the light on the way down from the hike but were rewarded with a lavender sunset.

I thought I'd post some "pretty snow" pictures for Talj - since she's missing snow. We got some sunshine today, so my husband and I took the dogs for a run. We went to Sand Gulch, which is a couple of miles from our house, and hiked the trail down to the creek bed and up to the other rim -- well my husband did. I stopped a little short of the other rim because it got so steep I was sliding a bit. The puppies had a great time plowing through the new snow. I hope you like these :)

Snowy Foggy Morning - January 12, 2007

2007-01-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

It was a dark, foggy morning. This was taken through the screen on our back porch. The temperature was around 8 degrees (F). The sun tried to come out, but failed. It snowed off and on all day, and the high was only 15. Right now it is close to 0 degrees and is still snowing. This is an unusual winter. Usually we have a few days like this, but most of the time our temperature is in the 50's and the sun is out almost every day. This winter the snowstorms are coming one after another after another. I shouldn't complain. This winter will probably help alleviate the drought problems we've had the last few years. Our power and internet are more stable today. (Knock on wood)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments. You guys are great!!

Bonzai Attacks - January 11, 2007

2007-01-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Couldn't get this uploaded last night. Bonzai finally decided to play with the dogs - and when he did, he went on the offensive. The dogs have found him interesting and contented themselves (mostly) to watching his antics. Tonight they went nose to nose and Bonzai decided to use Chaco for a climbing post. She took it very well and actually encouraged him to play some more. I had to intervene before Bonzai got too rough.

Snow Angel - January 10, 2007

2007-01-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm having trouble with my internet service kicking me out fairly consistently, so need to catch up with my uploads. This little snow angel appeared underneath a bush in my yard. I assume it was made by branches blowing in the wind, but I don't know for sure. One of life's little mysteries.....

Snow Patterns - January 9, 2007

2007-01-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Despite 50 degree temperatures yesterday, some snow is still here. I love the patterns the wind creates in the snow. It looks like tiny little sand dunes. They are forecasting another significant storm this weekend. That will be four in four weeks.

Snowy Roads - January 8, 2007

2007-01-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

I have to catch up. Our internet has been up and down - mostly down the last couple of days. It's been frustrating. I haven't figured out how to save as I go, so I've probably re-typed the main part of this entry five or six times. So this will be an abbreviated version.

This is our road after the blowing snow. It's a lot better than most around here. Some places have snowdrifts of ten feet or higher over even main roads. The ranchers east of here are using helicopters to drop bales of hay to their cattle (if they can find them) to help keep them alive. They are also very worried about them being able to find water. Cattle can lick the snow, but they need quantities of water to keep going. Our environment is actually very, very dry, so there is not much actual moisture in the snow. It's also calving time, so the cows need additional nutrition now to support their calves. All in all, it's a terrible situation for those ranchers, and means beef prices will probably go up.

Temperatures are supposed to increase today, so we should get some thawing before the next storm system comes in this weekend.

Snowy Walk - January 7, 2007

2007-01-08T03:28:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took the dogs for a walk this afternoon to help keep us occupied while waiting for news from my son. We like to walk in an area very close to our home called "Oilwell Flats". I don't know the history of the name. There are no oilwells, and as you can see, the area is far from being flat. Bear likes to scout the area ahead while we walk and he takes off to one side and then the other, forging ahead and then running back to us. Chaco usually follows closely behind him. This is efficient for us old folks because they run 3 or 4 times as far as we walk and we all get good exercise.

Today, the road up to the top of the hill was closed because of the snow, so we walked. (Trudged in my case). The snow was drifted and deep in places and I am not in the best of shape - although that is certainly one of my New Year's resolutions - to lose weight and get into better shape. The dogs didn't mind at all. They love the snow and had a great time running around and plowing through even the deepest drifts.

Here Bear is popping through the trees on the slope above us, making sure we aren't hiding from him. He eventually snowplowed down the slope, with Chaco in hot pursuit.

We finally heard from the boy. He made it home just fine - said it is sunny and warm in Phoenix. He's unpacked and ready to turn in the trailer and start back to school tomorrow. It's probably just another adventure to him. I wonder if he realizes how very well he did to manage that trip through such adverse conditions.

I've always thought I believed that when raising children, it's best to give them roots and give them wings. It's what I've always tried to do. Giving them roots was easy. Allowing them to fly away and live their own lives - way more difficult than I ever believed. I guess I would (selfishly) much prefer they would, like Bear, range a little bit away and then come right back.

But I also know that wouldn't be the best thing for them. They have to do what they must, and go where they must to be able to realize their full potential.

A Grueling Day - January 6, 2007

2007-01-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a day of tears. Their Christmas vacations are over. My oldest daughter and youngest son left this morning to go back to work and to school. Saying goodbye is always very hard for me, but especially so today because I know it will be several months before I see either of them again.

And then there is the weather. It snowed all day yesterday. According to the forecasts, it wasn't supposed to amount to much, but it dropped 4-5 inches of new snow, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees (F) and the roads around here are snowpacked and very icy. This is the first time my son has ever driven with a trailer. I know he's a good driver and I have all the confidence in the world in him, but I also know how rough it can be on icy roads. And so I worry.

They called from Penrose, a few miles from here (I'm so thankful for cell phones) and reported that the roads were clear. What a relief! However they called again from south of Pueblo and asked if I'd heard any reports, because the traffic on the interstate was stopped solid. We called and found out that there had been multiple traffic accidents ahead of them and cars were being let through one or two at a time. They have been held up at this point for over an hour and a half. I was very worried. Multiple accidents occur when people are driving too fast for conditions and it tells me the roads ahead are not good. And if the winds pick up, it will cause blizzard-like, white-out conditions. They still have to go over Raton Pass, and it is always better to go over the pass in the daylight. And daylight will be gone all too quickly.

My daughter calls to say they are moving again, but slowly. They have passed one of the accidents - semi trailer truck is rolled over. They pass a second one while we are talking - a car extremely crunched. My daughter says a news crew is there taking pictures. She suddenly does a little "ulp" and I say "what was that". She says "it's nothing", but I know they hit an icy spot and slid a little. I am glad they are past Walsenburg, but they still have a long way to go before they get to the Pass.

My daughter calls again. It is slow going. They are not yet to Trinidad, the wind is blowing, and it is starting to get dark. And they are getting tired. I have her talk to her Dad while I get on the computer and check the status of the roads. There is a high wind advisory for both Walsenburg and Trinidad. And they have closed the road from Walsenburg to Colorado City because of blowing snow and deteriorating road conditions. And the temperature is falling fast. I want them to stop wherever they can find shelter and wait it out. Who am I kidding, I want them to be here - safe in their beds and not out "there". Not in danger. Not my kids.

My son calls and talks to his Dad. They have stopped at a rest stop. He reports the roads are much better and the wind has died down. My daughter gets back on the phone and tells me that they can see the road again. It's not covered over with snow and ice and they're not just following tail-lights. They are going to try the Pass. I pray.

They call. They are over the Pass. They say the roads look clear on the New Mexico side. Of course I warn about black ice. And of course, they say "yes, Mom". I check the road reports for New Mexico for them. It looks like there will be few problems until they get to Santa Fe, but the storm has tracked south ahead of them. I don't see any reports of blowing snow along their route. They still have over 3 hours to go. As I'm backing out of the road reports, I see the update on the Colorado Roads. They have closed I-25 all the way from Colorado City to the state line, so they must have closed it right behind them.

After three and a half hours, I call them. They are close and the roads are o.k., but there is some blowing snow and they are going slow.

They have just called to say that they are at my daughter's house and safe. They are going to unload her stuff and go to bed. Tomorrow my son has to travel to Phoenix by himself. That is
usually an 8 to 9 hour drive and is usually the longest stint of the journey. The drive to Albuquerque is usually 5 1/2 to 6 hours, but today took nearly 12.

I will be happy when I hear he's safely back to school.

Chunky Monkey - January 5, 2007

2007-01-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is my oldest daughter's cat, Chunky Monkey. He seems to like to pose for the camera - at least he does today. Chunky is a little over 2 years old and is another of our Humane Society rescues. Whenever my daughter comes home for a visit, she insists we visit the Humane Society. (Nearly all our pets are Humane Society rescues). She was home for Thanksgiving when we found Chunky. He was a tiny little creature who tried to squeeze through the bars of the cage to join us. She was immediately enchanted and wouldn't leave without him. He is no longer tiny, having long ago lived up to the Chunky portion of his name, but he is still an amiable creature. He enjoys pretending he's a retriever and will chase and return a ball as long as you care to throw it for him. Chunky would make a good therapy cat because he loves everyone.

He's the only cat I know who will spend a lot of time just staring into your eyes as if he can read your thoughts. Who knows. Maybe he can.

Bonzai - January 4, 2007

2007-01-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I got hit with a bug that's going around and I didn't get this posted last night. I'm also behind on my comments, but I will be getting up and around a little better when this thing lets go of me.

Bonzai is the newest, tiniest member of our household. He was adopted from the Humane Society the day after Christmas and now rules. We were having a bit of a hard time naming him until his fearless nature and his belief that he can fly became apparent. I would love to get him to sit still and pose, but I think I have a long way to go before that happens. I'm not good at isolations, but am going to try to do more with this image. Any suggestions?

Scarf, Hat, and Gloves - January 3, 2007

2007-01-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

A portrait of my son with the scarf, hat, and gloves his sister gave him for Christmas. I took this more as snapshot and wish I used another light to his right. The crop may be a bit close. Portraits are not my strongest area and I do want to get better in this area.

Sheep - January 2, 2007

2007-01-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

This one is getting posted a little late today. This is Sheep. She started out to be a 4-H project some 10 years ago, but my daughter was so upset about selling her in the livestock sale, that we bought her back as a "buy-back". The plan at the time was to breed her and raise some lambs; however, that never happened. She has been the official weed-eater on our place for years and years. She grows amazing wool which we shear occasionally. Other than that, she is an old, old sheep with a tremendous ration of attitude. In this shot, she is complaining about not getting her hay soon enough to suit her. Actually, she complains about almost everything. In spite of that, I find her company comforting and I enjoy her little quirky behaviors.

I guess I've just grown accustomed to her face.

Working on Shelves - January 1, 2007

2007-01-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

My husband is working on a beautiful set of shadowbox shelves he built for our oldest daughter as part of her Christmas present. She's been asking for shelves for a couple of years, but really had no way to get them from our house to her home in New Mexico. This year, however, my son is taking her home and is renting a trailer to haul some of his furniture to his new apartment in Arizona. It's all working out really well although our house will seem even emptier than usual when they leave. I've had a hard time adjusting to my son being gone and now that his furniture will be gone too, it will be even more difficult. I'll need to re-furnish his room for when he comes home again. It won't be the same, but nothing is really the same now anyway.

Woodworking is a hobby for my husband and he is really good at it (as he is with virtually everything he does). He also loves photography and is my partner and competition in that endeavor. (Right now his Free Study entry for DPChallenge is blowing mine out of the water.) :)

The Snow is Better On the Other Side of the Fence - December 31, 2006

2007-01-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

My 6 month old puppy, Chaco, is exploring the universe (like all babies) with her mouth. She absolutely loves the snow. Our recent snowfall was a fairly heavy wet snow which left everything covered in white. Chaco made it her job to clear the fences and eat the snow in the process. She's fairly desperate for a job. Chaco's mother is a Great Pyrenese who runs with a herd as a livestock protection dog. Her father is a question mark. Her mother was bred to a Newfoundland. Chaco has the size and some characteristics of a Newfy/Pyr cross, but her color?? She almost looks like a giant red fox with drop ears. I suspect there was a fast-talking stranger in the mix somewhere.

This is the last post of 2006. I'm making plans for 2007 and will try to map out a theme for each month's efforts. I want to learn a lot of new techniques and to become more proficient in photoshop. I still feel like I'm fumbling around and have barely learned the basics.

Red Canyon Snowstorm

2006-12-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

It snowed all day yesterday, giant clumpy snowflakes that looked like feathers falling out of the sky. Even though I'm officially on vacation, I had to go into one of the facilities to participate in a fact-finding meeting. The wind wasn't blowing but the snow was accumulating rapidly. I barely made it up the hill from Arrowhead to the main road out of the complex. When I got home the power started fritzing - going off periodically for a minute or longer. I shut down the computer so I wouldn't lose any pictures. We had ten or more outages during the evening, so I never did get to upload a posting yesterday.

Today, the snow continued, although the flakes were much smaller. We decided to go for a walk in Red Canyon Park, a couple of miles north of my home. The roads into the park had not been plowed, but my husband decided we could make it through anyway and we did, of course. Red Canyon is a beautiful place any time of year but especially in the snow. We have had a foot or so, so far, with more expected tonight. The clouds were hanging very low today, so it was one of those leaden skies, snowy days that was not too cold and windy - perfect for walking in the snow. I took a couple of hundred pictures, but will only post a couple here and some more on various stock sites.

Chaco and Bear - December 27, 2006

2006-12-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Took the dogs out for a run this afternoon. It was fairly warm. Storms will be coming in tonight and could drop a lot of snow. Ugh. I have to go to a meeting tomorrow. We'll manage.

Practice with the Tripod - December 26, 2006

2006-12-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

I am home from work most of this week, and as a step in my "improving my photography" project, I decided to practice using the tripod. I was thrilled that I could make decent pictures at fairly long exposures. I even managed an entry into DPChallenge so am on my way to my goal of participating at least twice a week. My exposure on the first one was 1/6 second at f/1.8 and on the second one was 1 second at f8. ISO was 200 on both images. I can't decide which one I like better. I like the bokah on the first one, and the clarity on the 2nd. I also like that I can have these pictures of the ornament. I cast it and painted it ten years or so ago, and I'm always afraid it won't survive until the next Christmas. This entry is being posted a bit late as I am staying up waiting for my youngest son to get back home after a night out with the boys. He doesn't drink or anything like that, but I worry about other people on the road and just worry about him. I think it's a mom thing.

Starting Over

2006-12-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

o.k., so I have this blog and I am starting over from last year. It won't take much to do better than last year - looks like I only managed to upload 2 images. This new languages thingy makes me crazy, but I'm going to try. My goal is to try to upload a photo a day most days and to also work on a weekly theme that will make me work outside my comfort zone.

Today is Christmas 2006 and I was privileged to have all four of my children home for a little over 24 hours. It's a riot when the kids are home and I hardly ever stop laughing because they are just so much fun. They have grown into wonderful adults and I love them so much I feel my heart will just burst when we are all together. They don't particularly like to have their pictures taken and they particularly don't like to pose for pictures, so it is a real challenge to get my "all of us together" pictures at these special times. Always there is one "special" picture which expresses their true feelings about the process.

01/06/06 - Pin

2006-01-07T03:20:00.000-07:00

The first wrestling match after Christmas - Part II of the season. Tim is starting off well. He pinned this opponent and currently ranked 9th in the state. He was hoping for a higher ranking, but it's o.k. The team had its most difficult duals early on. The rest of the season before Regionals consists of fairly easy duals and harder tournaments - good preparation for the State tournament.

I'm nervous about the tournament tomorrow. My oldest son suffered a season (and career) ending injury his senior year at this tournament. My mind tells me that I should not expect the same thing to happen again, but my heart is just screaming. The primal motherbear need to protect constantly fights with the rational knowledge that I need to let him grow up. Usually the rational side wins, but I know that deep inside, I'm much better at giving my children roots than I am at giving them wings.

Thank goodness they have made their own wings.

Time of Change

2006-01-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

I'm really rusty at this sort of thing. I'm hoping this new year will be one of growth. I know it will be one of change. My youngest child will be graduating from high school and leaving for college out of state, and for the first time in over 25 years, my husband and I will be home alone.

Like this soccer play, life's little surprises sometimes just smack you in the face. We've dealt with health issues this past year, the loss of a beloved family member, and major changes in our jobs. The new year, although destined to be a year of adjustment, also seems to be a year of hope and renewal.

School starts again tomorrow for my son, and with it, wrestling practice and the usual end of semester activities. He is currently ranked in the top 10 in the state for his weight class, and is working hard to increase his ranking. We will see what tomorrow brings.