You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut. Dr. Suess
Yes, I’m a morning person. But, I have three children and four grandchildren who are not. Their loss.
Early Morning Shadows
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Early Morning Shadows -
A Feeling of Spring
Sunrise at the Oval A few patches of snow remain on any shaded area where the sun cannot reach. Students are walking on campus and riding the bus with t-shirts and shorts. The blue sky seems bluer. There is only a small patch of ice remaining on the pond. The days are getting longer. This warmer weather this past week is causing a bit of excitement within me. There is a feeling of Spring.
“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” ― Ernest Hemingway
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Use of Solitude
St. Josephs Steeple “In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ― Rollo May
While on a walk last week I ventured into St. Josephs Catholic Church. It was the time of day I like to visit when there few people. There was one man praying the Stations of the Cross, otherwise I had it to myslef. Churches are still a place in our city where I can find a place of quiet. Very little external noise finds it’s way in. I then use these places to sit and journal or meditate or read or all of them. Before going into the church I looked up and noticed the steeple against the sky. That’s one image.
Baptismal Font at St. Josephs Catholic Church Solitude has become an important part of my life. I enjoy it and need it. My condo is a place of solitude, a sanctuary, a way to distance myself from the busyness of the world. Please don’t think I’m a hermit because I need community, to have people actively in my life. I find community with family, friends, coffeehouses, bookstores and libraries and in nature.
I think many people attend church for weekend services and avoid weekdays. I am the opposite. I do not attend a church but spend time in church when most people are working. I go to churches for the quiet and solitude. And, I admit I am also seeking photo opportunities during these times, stirring my creativity and being open to a scene that can appear before me. I noticed the baptismal font and have a second image.
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Sunset Schoolhouse
Sunset Schoolhouse The roots of my family, after immigrating to the the states, is in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle. I still have family farming and ranching in the area. I visited a year and a half ago for a family reunion and was able to see and hear a bit more of the areas history. While down there last weekend for a funeral my cousin Daryle took my sister and I on a heritage tour of the Darrouzett, Texas area. This small community is located along State Highway 15 in northern Lipscomb County. It is at the junction of Plummer and Kiowa creeks. Upon completion of the rail line in 1919–20, settlers and businesses moved south from the Sunset community in Oklahoma to be near the railroad. By 1920, when it was incorporated, Darrouzett had various businesses, two churches, a school, a post office, and a population of 425. In 1984 Darrouzett reported twelve businesses and a population of 444. In 1990 its population was 343, and in 2000 it was 303.
There was mass migration to this area after the Civil War. This area held promises of rich grass, rich soil and a place for new life: Texas Panhandle. Bound by a lawless area to the north known as “No Man’s Land,” what was to become known as Lipscomb County must have appeared both beautiful and formidable at the same time.
The early settlers in this part of Texas found everything needed to establish a home, running water, tall grass, wild turkey, prairie chickens, wild plums and grapes and the bountiful buffalo sod for building. This future Lipscomb County was bisected by Wolf Creek and laced with its tributaries and offered many pleasant groves of cottonwood and willows as a relief to the vast expanses of buffalo grass. This area where Plummer and Kiowa creeks merged, was to soon become a favorite picnic area for the settlers in outlying areas and some years later, the site of Darrouzett.
My mother’s early childhood was in the Sunset community. She attended this one room schoolhouse as did her three siblings. She later moved to Laverne, Oklahoma, where she graduated. My dad was raised 13 miles east of here in another small community called Follett, Texas.
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Early Departure
Morning Shadows in my Window My sister and I head for the Texas Panhandle for a funeral this morning. My mothers youngest sister suffered a series of seizures, causing her to take a fall and add bodily injuries. As usual things like this do bring families together, share hugs and our loss. We will also, make promises to see each other more often. If only we would. So, I will not be on line for a while.
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The Kitchen
The Kitchen Images will appear before us all the time and sometimes unexpectedly. The task is to be there with a camera and observe. We don’t want to miss an opportunity. And, make sure the kitchen is clean! 🙂
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Windy Morning
Windy Morning sunrise with Venus in the upper right corner I have several images of this farm at sunrise. It is a place I enjoy going to and is not that far from home. Here is a link to one of my favorite images of it.
I decided last night to drive out there in the morning and prepared everything before going to bed. I woke before the alarm to the sound of blowing wind. Discovered later those winds were gusting up to 30 mph. I made a mocha latte, put it in my mug and headed out.
Needless to say, way too many images were not usable as it was difficult to keep the camera and tripod steady. For the image of fence below I parked the car on the west side of me as a wind block and then placed my tripod low to the ground to reduce as much shake as possible. I’m down low in the snow, in a bar ditch where most landscape photographers hang out.
Drifting Snow and Fence Even with nylon wind pants, the wind found ways to penetrate and, as usual, it did not take long for my hands to get cold. I shot everything prior to sunrise and then headed home to warm up, shower and download images. These are the two images I think best represented the morning.
I also seem to have a rather large dust spot on my Fujifilm 18-55mm lens. It’s not a drastic spot and is almost impossible to see it. Only noticeable on light open skies and when you look for it. It has shown up that last few times I’ve used it and gone through the process of cleaning it. This morning I spent more time trying to make sure I have it cleaned. If not I may have to take it in. Stay warm and hang on to your hat.
