I can’t think of anything more KANSAS than a cornfield.
Cornfield Impressions
Lost in Kansas
A couple weeks ago, we spent the weekend in Wamego, Kansas visiting with Lonnie’s beloved stepmother, Laura, who at age 92 is in poor health. The two full days we were there, we spent time in the mornings and early evenings with Laura and her daughter, Sue, caregiver extraordinaire, but in the afternoons we went out on some adventures. We drove to Manchester to visit the family graves and the site of the old burnt out family home, as we always do, but this time we decided to add an additional cemetery to the itinerary. Lonnie’s great-grandmother Carrie Funk Wolfe, who died when his grandmother, Irene, was only twelve years old, was buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Vine Creek, only 7 Miles from Manchester. I don’t remember how long it took to get there (an hour? 2 hours?), but what were listed as roads on Google maps, turned out to be narrow rutted dirt roads. Despite us having been raised in Kansas (Lonnie) and small-town Chico (me) and living in Arizona, which is full of dirt roads, we felt like city slickers in this area. The closer we got to Vine Creek, the more confused we became, but we got there! However, we chose to go a different way back (why?), and the directions on Google took us to a road not really there and a road ending in a gate. We basically followed our noses and eventually found a main (dirt) road that was familiar and took us straight to Manchester and the highway back to Wamego, only a half hour late.
I love the scene above which shows the beauty of Kansas farmlands. I took it to my weekly photo group and talked about converting it to a black and white, which everyone agreed would not work. Because I have been working with black and white film recently (details eventually in another post), I have been experimenting with converting more photos to black and white, as well as editing my film photos- so here is my moody version:
I think I like it better in some ways than the color version, although the color image is certainly more true to the scene.
Tern in the Rain
When we were in Alaska, we managed to get out as often as we could despite the rainy weather. We strolled along the wooden walkways at Potter Marsh and were thrilled to see this Arctic Tern perched above the water. From time to time it would fly down to fish, but was mostly hunkered down on this stump, as the rain grew more intense. I had only seen one in the air, never on land, so it was a thrill to be able to get a photo, even this far away. I was also amazed that you can see the rain in this shot; the rain was intense!
Whether the Weather
Another intentional camera movement image from our rainy day drive along the Turnagain Arm in Alaska- Alaska is beautiful in rain, sunshine, and snow!
Cloudfall
Here is yet another ICM image from the Turnagain Arm in Alaska captured on our visit a couple weeks ago.
Prairie Castle
We will be heading to Kansas soon, which sent me back to images I have created in the past. I have a slight obsession with grain elevators and silos, and fantasize about taking a road trip through the midwest and Canada to see some of the old historic relics that are still standing. Sometimes referred to as Prairie Castles, these huge structures are visible for miles over the flat prairie. The image above started as a working grain elevator operation in Kansas, but with multiple exposure and the magic of Photoshop, I have reimagined it.
Turnagain . . . again
Another ICM image from our rainy drive along Alaska’s Turnagain Arm. Oh how I love to wave my camera around!
Everyday
Just a random everyday scene at the beach. . .
Rainy Day on the Turnagain Arm
We have just returned from a trip to Alaska to visit our daughter’s beautiful family. Like on our first trip eight years ago, it rained most of the time. My husband and I love the views of the Turnagain Arm along the Seward highway, so did not let the rains stop us from driving on the beautiful stretch of highway between Anchorage and Girdwood. We stopped at Beluga Point and Bird Point as usual, but the rain started getting more intense and it became more and more difficult to get good photos and keep my camera dry. I ended up using the Slow Shutter app on my iPhone to capture a series of ICM images through the car window as we drove along. The raindrops on the window added interesting patterns, and I ended up being very happy with the resulting impressionistic images. This one is one of the least abstract and is one of my favorites.
Fortress
I had some fun with an image of some hotels in Phoenix layered with part of a rusty fence- and then some Photoshop brushwork. Playing with images is definitely my favorite form of escape and relaxation.
Ashes of the Past
When we visited Kansas, we drove out to the tiny farming community where my husband’s father grew up and where my husband spent large chunks of his childhood. His grandparents had died forty years before, and we had heard that the town had fallen on hard times and was no longer the same. What we discovered as we drove by was that the family farmhouse had burned to the ground and all that was left was the detached garage. I was thinking about this recently and ended up creating this composite of the garage and a photo of my father-in-law as a young teenager- with the 1940 census layered over. Just a few years later my father-in-law was off to the Navy and World War II.
In Dreams
I haven’t had a beach day for almost two years- just in dreams.
What’s Going On Here?
This is a shot taken from our patio to the upper level of our side yard. It’s not a great shot and it’s hard to figure out what is happening here. My version of the story is that the bunny was up there munching on grass- and along came the quail (there are two in the photo). The bunny froze in place as bunnies tend to do (if I don’t move, you can’t see me!). The bunny was immobile for as long as I watched, and the quail moved on. Backyard drama for us retired folks…
Not Just Visiting
Our backyard seems to have some new inhabitants! They hide in the ground cover on our hill and then pop out to eat bird seed and run around our patio. Very cute!
Fragments Exhibition
I realized that I have not yet posted a link to the Fragments Exhibition from Find Your Voice! Above is “That Morning”- the image they selected from the three I submitted. We were told that they would not be choosing our “best” or “strongest” image, but one that would fit with others in a grouping on the virtual walls.
I guarantee you will be blown away by this virtual show! Abstract or expressionist art tends to evoke reactions from the viewers- ranging from “I don’t get” it to “That’s beautiful” to “I would/wouldn’t hang that in my living room” to just pure admiration! There are so many that inspire me- I hope you feel the same!
Here is the link. After you enter, just click on arrows to move around and click on the art pieces to view more information. Enjoy!
