It finally looks and feels like springtime around here! Trees have leafed out, flowers are being planted, and the barbecue is going- it’s wonderful time of year!
Springtime
More on Main Street
This is downtown Manchester, Kansas- Main Street. Although there are some small farms and homes within walking distance of these old buildings, the tiny downtown is becoming a ghost town. My husband remembers the building on the left as a hardware store and the telephone company on the right. Out of the frame is what remains of a building his grandfather owned- all that is left is the crumpled metal awning lying amidst the rubble.
My husband’s grandparents died in 1982, and I had only driven through the town once since then. In searching for photos of what Manchester used to look like, I came across a wonderful website- https://www.lostamericana.com/
The website is run by photojournalist Vincent Johnson who is documenting the abandoning of rural America. There is a photo of Manchester’s Main Street on the home page- taken maybe ten years ago. The buildings in my photo can be seen as well as Lonnie’s grandfather’s building next door. You can explore Vincent’s excellent photographs of America’s abandoned towns state by state on the website. My genealogist heart loves this project, although it makes me sad.
Last Pears
I *think* these are my last pears for awhile. This was actually the first setup in the still life shoot back in January when I was planning ahead for February’s cataract surgeries. SO. . . here they are! My eyes are FINALLY better (fingers crossed), so it might be time for me to do some new still life photos.
Main Street USA
Here is another image from our trip to my husband’s grandparents’ farm community in rural Kansas.
Kansas Memories
We have just returned from Kansas, where we took some time to visit the remains of the very small farm community where my husband’s grandparents lived and his father was raised. My husband’s family drove to this little town every week for Sunday dinner, and Lonnie spent weeks there during summer vacations. He knew almost every inch of town- and most of its inhabitants.
The grandparents both passed away in the early 1980’s, and since then much of the town has seen a terrible decline. The last time we drove by, we noted that their front porch was sagging and was coming away from the house. This time, we saw that the old farmhouse had burned to the ground, and only the garage remained. The downtown buildings are either gone or falling apart. Yet, in some parts of town you can see that people are still living- like on this road where there seems to be enough traffic to warrant a lopsided stop sign.
Playing With Pears
I had fun playing with pears!
I enjoy creating abstract images in Photoshop (and even on my mobile phone) as much as I do creating a still life. Actually, in some ways, I enjoy it more, because I can create varying images combining some of the same photos or photos created at the same time. These were all edited in Photoshop by layering multiple photos and then having fun with them.
Three and a Half Pears
This image is from a little photo shoot I did at the end of January with some pears.
Sheltering
The floofy little sparrows took shelter among the snow covered branches last week as the snow continued to come down last week. And now the snow has melted, and I’m thinking spring is just around the corner!
Keeping Warm
It’s this winter’s first (and last?) real snow day here in Prescott, and I’m enjoying creating portraits of our backyard birds. Notice how floofed up this little sparrow is as he sits on a branch waiting his turn at the feeder! I jazzed up this image a bit with textures, just because I can! I am a veteran of two cataract surgeries, both taking place in the last 3 weeks, and am getting to the point where I can actually see- with the help of reading glasses. The white balance of my vision is cooler now- an unexpected effect. With new eyes and the possibility of Covid numbers going down. I may be getting out soon to do more photography!
Winter Memory
I’m still remembering Winter today with this scene from Willow Lake.
A Glimpse of Winter
Here is another glimpse of the Winter of 2018.
This was Winter. . .
Yes, this was winter- but not THIS winter. This was taken in 2018, which, as I remember, was a pretty average winter here. There were several significant snowfalls, which provided lots of opportunities for photographing snow against the red rocks. We are still waiting for winter this year; we’ve had several dustings but nothing to write home about- or blog about. I’m already thinking about spring!
Pear Shaped
We watch a LOT of British TV, and one of my favorite British sayings goes something like “…and then it all went pear shaped…”
So I bought some pears and created a few still lifes a week or so ago. This is one of them.
Peony Pale
Our photo club had a wonderful presentation on high key photography last week- what it is, how to shoot, and how to edit a high key photo. Although I didn’t follow directions exactly, I enjoyed creating this peony image with a high key look.
Morning Fog
Fog is so unusual here in Prescott that I had to document it!
melinda anderson photography 