tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32174276749169389452024-02-18T20:04:52.245-08:00Creative Approach PhotographyJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-62930088386974220942009-04-01T11:09:00.000-07:002009-04-01T11:28:01.241-07:00Cruisin'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6JTR5hS55MvX4-i0dtZUBCf1jAvM1crfvr0ny0fVum_8Jr__NMxD8ZsXCDkmACJ1k3GTFoXiH07XvAx6TFhCoogUA6P7x7ihAbf1ruzqrxfA0erQGEeyLPJzuPHL5Gk_lG8ry3DnYzE/s1600-h/_IGP2332.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319789511108845810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6JTR5hS55MvX4-i0dtZUBCf1jAvM1crfvr0ny0fVum_8Jr__NMxD8ZsXCDkmACJ1k3GTFoXiH07XvAx6TFhCoogUA6P7x7ihAbf1ruzqrxfA0erQGEeyLPJzuPHL5Gk_lG8ry3DnYzE/s400/_IGP2332.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULYjbbyxZxhg7WSSTNBLnBPvRZ4ilqv3QhYLnG_QjNaxDVnh2PrvHXiikPJwSjJGZoGgBbh_HhZTEu852CdtNKYiKssx97PMFlmVFv_kEdklFnX1j_zPiC8vL41Zcmsq0W3C8i8xJ23M/s1600-h/_IGP2170.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319789506458221010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULYjbbyxZxhg7WSSTNBLnBPvRZ4ilqv3QhYLnG_QjNaxDVnh2PrvHXiikPJwSjJGZoGgBbh_HhZTEu852CdtNKYiKssx97PMFlmVFv_kEdklFnX1j_zPiC8vL41Zcmsq0W3C8i8xJ23M/s400/_IGP2170.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHO2KH1Vo-AsubNZOF3M8DWYXdVNdrRdklwybx2-vcoYYDmGJ0RiAUoaR_Z2GLxsxRp3Z01-aICXoCzbU4C_PNIJF4M4jBvta-ikImWSJyjPm6TwPxmjijXJ6LGbsY2gtBLF1gvNHgv0/s1600-h/_IGP1941.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319789502012459266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHO2KH1Vo-AsubNZOF3M8DWYXdVNdrRdklwybx2-vcoYYDmGJ0RiAUoaR_Z2GLxsxRp3Z01-aICXoCzbU4C_PNIJF4M4jBvta-ikImWSJyjPm6TwPxmjijXJ6LGbsY2gtBLF1gvNHgv0/s400/_IGP1941.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCzGYv7f3xVi8XSiKm6kk0FDUChYH8Envd6B50C0Rev1H0qzLrx_0FGvJQSzzsDB_FfAOEQ1FHsGXeOV0miDuwRnfutygMnempvrSCcpGhKNRpj1aLGQqB5fu2WEKsOoBLFP-7Sjca1g/s1600-h/_IGP2212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319789498088365554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCzGYv7f3xVi8XSiKm6kk0FDUChYH8Envd6B50C0Rev1H0qzLrx_0FGvJQSzzsDB_FfAOEQ1FHsGXeOV0miDuwRnfutygMnempvrSCcpGhKNRpj1aLGQqB5fu2WEKsOoBLFP-7Sjca1g/s400/_IGP2212.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfcCl8lGdJgvcKLfaeJbGBy-KYMT5UEUQ1BpRBvrCwoypXfGbIOijeVWqoWg9wwMafCrEhVHf0SyuiOMVcnEHclitZtcEkYuno92D0vppUPajMLnMf_KXH7ENEDISOemurUj9Y1dWIxk/s1600-h/_IGP2340.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319789491118640002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfcCl8lGdJgvcKLfaeJbGBy-KYMT5UEUQ1BpRBvrCwoypXfGbIOijeVWqoWg9wwMafCrEhVHf0SyuiOMVcnEHclitZtcEkYuno92D0vppUPajMLnMf_KXH7ENEDISOemurUj9Y1dWIxk/s400/_IGP2340.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Here are some of the images from this week. There are many more that I will be uploading when I return home. The weather is great. The water is Blue. Nothing quite like this at home in Toledo. It is frustrating dealing with all of the salt water and sand blowing around. Before you realize it, the lens has spots on it an hour after you cleaned it. Filters are nice, once they get dirty, remove them, and then you can take clean shots again. We passed Cuba and Guantanamo Bay today. Another 350 miles to go until we get to the Cayman Islands so we will be on the ship the rest of day today and all night tonight. Oh yeah, I wish I would have taken before and after pictures of myself. I looked like a ghost when I got on the ship, and now I look like a cooked crab, no joke. I might try and upload a few more before the end of the trip. Cheers.<br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-90552064864489119522009-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:002009-03-21T20:39:39.409-07:00TSHL<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyb6f3f0kd2N0Su0482SRa_18_Z8-DIKmjpNQRWYEeFw4XInahgmPZYKi3L2WDRGaq3JscFakRhrbpufJgyG3kA1n32d3zsaJTnRlpedmnpveiRhu_ynLVAl1L8SU85qhjOhiLFhQS5s/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyb6f3f0kd2N0Su0482SRa_18_Z8-DIKmjpNQRWYEeFw4XInahgmPZYKi3L2WDRGaq3JscFakRhrbpufJgyG3kA1n32d3zsaJTnRlpedmnpveiRhu_ynLVAl1L8SU85qhjOhiLFhQS5s/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315851667536709362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RS5zLEdmcY5Lmfy0-CFV1o_V-ynR1YXeuILsT6d8J_mmt8ThngsOAFXLv_fEU-9BGLWnILB8TWCAp9X1HbPvPRjR9XKB1Er2MbNgsmeKWvKTqFADqxjXthENg0vX5-lc6pGi86jgMPg/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJdMQc-vbK_sUAMGDIs-qah4lVIMta6lh0_LmcEffyvRWFGe6oqkfemVsfS0t1vrLOv3rP9zCkIvWV9z3HqHE-t0_W-N5KREqzBE7LFlyse0k1Eln8z1QwEe8KB6Y9G7uIFJB1bjRSkw/s400/_IGP0045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315849044713836402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHw5UGhC7XxAKCa0dyNIHHUcriImhkJnrttI_irWzoNyJjUgIsrld4YHjVZPZLXimpJLi2Nm417wLmqDoa6HdCMP_CP7KBnTV09Txt0hdXaIjtEMGMG8ZlKpyvJa6a8dmJA7ZiNsDcIw/s1600-h/_IGP0065.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHw5UGhC7XxAKCa0dyNIHHUcriImhkJnrttI_irWzoNyJjUgIsrld4YHjVZPZLXimpJLi2Nm417wLmqDoa6HdCMP_CP7KBnTV09Txt0hdXaIjtEMGMG8ZlKpyvJa6a8dmJA7ZiNsDcIw/s400/_IGP0065.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315849042349105282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgTT46Kc_pWJHFXwjNjouAItgaVAJmCjVYgrUqD5olP2WtWHbe1N8FirgfYg6v1RSVyodIWxaFN-_LRXKZjWdQYlO2SkeSjxCCuatjMjQlJcYfpkHCCyFGzTw4bKK31x3-T0DeoVm6o4/s1600-h/_IGP1172.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgTT46Kc_pWJHFXwjNjouAItgaVAJmCjVYgrUqD5olP2WtWHbe1N8FirgfYg6v1RSVyodIWxaFN-_LRXKZjWdQYlO2SkeSjxCCuatjMjQlJcYfpkHCCyFGzTw4bKK31x3-T0DeoVm6o4/s400/_IGP1172.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315849038511410898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XsgJMtelbIVDZxK9A4OcfLtzzqtZI_wv-qyfg934ojEjgNv5RH9MbAJf_ROSpjeYnxRnrOMXj11xSXELvXk_nryx9pJHpBBFMhSNc96pdAde1KTGIv5SoxsaGI_pNnfkvM-VQ6IU4mE/s1600-h/_IGP0047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XsgJMtelbIVDZxK9A4OcfLtzzqtZI_wv-qyfg934ojEjgNv5RH9MbAJf_ROSpjeYnxRnrOMXj11xSXELvXk_nryx9pJHpBBFMhSNc96pdAde1KTGIv5SoxsaGI_pNnfkvM-VQ6IU4mE/s400/_IGP0047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315849037076367666" border="0" /></a><br />Last year I joined the Toledo Street Hockey League. It is a non-profit league for people of all ages in Toledo. Not only does Tom run his own body shop, the rest of his time is spent volunteering for the league. T<a id="publishButton" class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['stuffform'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}" target=""><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner">Publish Post</div></div></div></a>he rest of the labor involved organizing the league is by volunteers as well. You can feel the positive attitude everyone brings to the table when we meet. The coordination of efforts among the volunteers has allowed the league to continue successfully. We have generated several league sponsors to help support the league(we're always looking for more if you want to help ;-). The whole project is funded through the sponsors, league dues(only $30), and Tom(whatever extra after paying bills). It is the only inline hockey league that I am even aware of in Toledo. It started with Tom Robertson last year when he realized people needed an organized league to play street hockey in Toledo. He took it upon himself to create that league with the help of several individuals. I joined in the second season of the first year. It was nothing major by any means. We played on a run down tennis court with cracks everywhere. The conditions of the place were not great. Tom did not let that discourage him and he was able to get close to 200 hundred people involved between last year and now. The league has been featured in the local newspaper and on several news channels. Even the mayor of Toledo came out to watch our games. This year, we requested that we move to a new park, and the city approved the switch. The new location needs some work, so a few of us on the league committee have been working on getting the new site prepped for the upcoming season. With a much larger resurfaced playing area, the competition is going to get much better for those who know how to play well. It is a no contact league and a ball is used so that anyone can play with a relatively low chance of getting hurt. Being a huge fan of hockey, I was immediately interested in the operations of the league. I approached Tom and was greeted with a warm welcome and smile. After letting him know I would help him in any way possible, he put me on the Rules and Competition Committee. We had a couple meetings to decide how to structure this years season. With more people and teams playing, the league needed a new structure and new facilities in a desperate way. After some discussion, the committee agreed on some new changes and progress was made. Now that the weather has broken, so was the ground on the assembly of the new rink. With limited funds, it will take time before it is a masterpiece, but with some TLC is will be a great place to have some real fun. To extend my helping hand, I offered to be the leagues photographer. During a recent tournament, I skated inside the rink while the players were playing to take pictures. I also am documenting the progression of the league from its beginning stages to as far as I can go. It offers me the opportunity to learn sports photography, and gives the league a more legitimate ground in the eyes of Toledo. The new rink is at Ravine II park in Toledo. It sits just below the new suspension bridge and offers a great backdrop to the fun. Tom has put a lot of time and effort into the league along with several other members. He is a good guy that many of us consider a great friend now as well.<br /><br />BTW-- Tom is the guy in the blue shirt using a grinder in the pictures.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-40177205798597806902009-03-19T18:05:00.001-07:002009-03-19T18:22:05.212-07:00Back to the park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdmYTKfXGLkFBpZ0v3Q3F9DrV_sl73Ar3sY3LSRgZJFJtTpPu6K9RCGvUX-ULXt7k7NYTu94_YZccaz1ilCzUCW5Nnl0rdsfGDRTVDe2dcd3ZBPqmMmPqwONEaZ-324W1wOiSVcq9Ubw/s1600-h/bridge2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdmYTKfXGLkFBpZ0v3Q3F9DrV_sl73Ar3sY3LSRgZJFJtTpPu6K9RCGvUX-ULXt7k7NYTu94_YZccaz1ilCzUCW5Nnl0rdsfGDRTVDe2dcd3ZBPqmMmPqwONEaZ-324W1wOiSVcq9Ubw/s400/bridge2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315074011054448354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFp9Wlran2P2rmVd4PaJFu8JKS0iqZIV76zjWbO5bcawPNGNirbVKOWRYISY-4gsymW9OGQzV5F0XHAjp1cIH1mNOGfkHOtaf3zd4ThVoZnXY8R_VURJDw0TwkJwBW6Yw2QrtHhgS2S8/s1600-h/bridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWXzOLqZM0nMviJvx7g3G8tIF216d_vvNqA63OU9yy02QuuShSL4KY_94slE4Zxa4XwF_2HAvCklahLWDTKOZ8EjmU5I5NngrSQLTgXl1G-FFq2pl9v8BRzk0VF9LnpL1SPMXNwbbAw8/s400/_IGP0735.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315073664299768338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DohrHMCEFPB2qLoKsu6tuReAc-CCH0QNPHBrcwPpgCMxOSL75RvhnsIX293l7B0I5SE_9O3hr7EDTLSLyTACjXnt2ViE458_WLZvGoGhsxwEKRAZmdfgcmSsggf1YxXHsvoh9AigSJ0/s1600-h/_IGP0730.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DohrHMCEFPB2qLoKsu6tuReAc-CCH0QNPHBrcwPpgCMxOSL75RvhnsIX293l7B0I5SE_9O3hr7EDTLSLyTACjXnt2ViE458_WLZvGoGhsxwEKRAZmdfgcmSsggf1YxXHsvoh9AigSJ0/s400/_IGP0730.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315073661661734434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign8lOKcOZ6sb3ZuF74zyhy4qrO16aDAoym17bDb5wWG29P2D-zka7agVM5Q_oc5XVDTQRMhb-BE1XJFhT9KWS3DcPE0tyJzihZy7EGhYWutSHHZ8phQy2lcVz7D3a44lDyvX5lVRhZY0/s1600-h/_IGP0727.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign8lOKcOZ6sb3ZuF74zyhy4qrO16aDAoym17bDb5wWG29P2D-zka7agVM5Q_oc5XVDTQRMhb-BE1XJFhT9KWS3DcPE0tyJzihZy7EGhYWutSHHZ8phQy2lcVz7D3a44lDyvX5lVRhZY0/s400/_IGP0727.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315073658432364370" border="0" /></a><br />It was a fairly nice day outside today. With all the funds dried up, and running low on gas, I couldn't venture too far so I went to the park with the dog again. As I pulled in, the frogs and their singing was almost ear piercing. It was the only thing you noticed. It was my goal to get a picture of one of these guys while singing. These are not your standard bullfrog, or leopard frog, these are tiny little things. Maybe an inch or two at most. The woods are still pretty inundated with water, but its no more than 2 feet deep in most spots. I put on my boots so I could walk through most parts of the park. It is easy to find where the frogs are. Impossible to not know where they are at, but actually pinpointing them is another story. If you walk into a group of them singing, they all stop. They are so small, that unless you have an idea of where to look, your chances are better at winning the lottery. Finding a dry log out of the water, I sat on it for nearly 45 minutes just waiting. About 15 minutes after sitting down, they started up again. Seemingly only several feet away, I scanned the area with my camera lens with no luck finding them. Any noise made by myself, the dog, or an overhead bird made the frogs quiet down. Even after talking to a park ranger, who also got his feet wet trying to help, the goal for the day was not reached. In an ironic twist, I took more pictures in the last 30 minutes of the 5 total hours I was there. They weren't even really nature pictures, instead pictures of a rusted bridge and a playground. The pictures from today were good, but I did not reach my goal. Its ok, those frogs aren't going anywhere for a while and there will always be another day.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-25880524064987618302009-03-17T17:38:00.000-07:002009-03-17T17:51:58.157-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJwsHJ1tqDZ6hy1_e7cEp1pPJ_0iIad3PbOp7gFar49CUBsgurcJP1pxfCOE9YpDekkd5yvpxxQwRfkPP2taMkjjpZ9cIbd4NIFRIRb7YbNPIwMQAMvlZP6Ykv8vR_3iXUk1ieW4HtNI/s1600-h/inthebag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJwsHJ1tqDZ6hy1_e7cEp1pPJ_0iIad3PbOp7gFar49CUBsgurcJP1pxfCOE9YpDekkd5yvpxxQwRfkPP2taMkjjpZ9cIbd4NIFRIRb7YbNPIwMQAMvlZP6Ykv8vR_3iXUk1ieW4HtNI/s400/inthebag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314324122591292930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqVD2bIgdKbNbCFBwLOzv-bLp4odoJOP0AKr6CAND9XFSA5AbYVO-BWopFmYo0OGe9kaEMWa_EXDI73rgST7y2O1TbUrIs2dR5KAlV11ZNDjS6-F3yn87ot-_deBYAvqkgSl-S9Gtwo8/s1600-h/_IGP9827.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35FJFP6omPQU_NGT-Kgo_tBDnuwIuCA7AiSQ5voLgu4_S6iq9OeaM70xJliF-4S91ptmIqQwYTmu9ydTUCOqf8RGNptY1-RVGJxfPkwqAlkDhn4POVy9AwdkhOQOCljj-qNtHHbPsKvs/s400/_IGP9860.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314323438985584130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNn5u51v-n-sqUWpW4OvNWpYAtmocpX9j49XAgvpROPqvgOMzz7SKC8oF1j6mEApb0RyYwAcdyF_MIC9OTFQj3P83bhI1DQh88m10CHXyQIg26KAN37CfIFG3R5Y7L1TFrYvRcHQcvI8o/s1600-h/fihsing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNn5u51v-n-sqUWpW4OvNWpYAtmocpX9j49XAgvpROPqvgOMzz7SKC8oF1j6mEApb0RyYwAcdyF_MIC9OTFQj3P83bhI1DQh88m10CHXyQIg26KAN37CfIFG3R5Y7L1TFrYvRcHQcvI8o/s400/fihsing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314323436741880418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeoiq8ZCCMR6BrYNNRkkgZyDto6622AzNO2wMIOR9WjRd-uhjO1Mu1iTVzHbYKPxHJM7pDbd0ZMUMnZAKCzUTFCUZC4fmAfszL6tOKzlyNiMyLLk1OqjHdfYHl3NBNAz7EMjnNSVkcvI/s1600-h/busy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeoiq8ZCCMR6BrYNNRkkgZyDto6622AzNO2wMIOR9WjRd-uhjO1Mu1iTVzHbYKPxHJM7pDbd0ZMUMnZAKCzUTFCUZC4fmAfszL6tOKzlyNiMyLLk1OqjHdfYHl3NBNAz7EMjnNSVkcvI/s400/busy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314323429423474002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR60bD3lxhp7jUEQfehNiHb9YrQU9swwoQ4hYieHRc_uaCqODxBFCnEp8whSwL2b_Jmd3KU_6toAePAKRLRfVlUL6TLhzAB2JXQHpLbMIAnGuriLkPWWdtxPv-nIDehFCADMJLFLoezmM/s1600-h/_IGP9804.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR60bD3lxhp7jUEQfehNiHb9YrQU9swwoQ4hYieHRc_uaCqODxBFCnEp8whSwL2b_Jmd3KU_6toAePAKRLRfVlUL6TLhzAB2JXQHpLbMIAnGuriLkPWWdtxPv-nIDehFCADMJLFLoezmM/s400/_IGP9804.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314323426210753730" border="0" /></a><br />Today was a perfect day. With a high of about 70F, it was a little windy to begin with but settled down for much of the day. At first I was going to walk through the park with my dog, but those places are starting to get old. As spring comes around, its time to start fishing again. It is perhaps the most enjoyable thing I can imagine doing. With the Walleye run ready to kick off once the river levels drop some more, I thought I would scope out my target areas while walking my dog. After going to Sidecut Metropark, I made my way over to Fort Meigs. There were a few people there trying to get first crack at things, but it wasnt anything exciting. Afterwards, I made my way to New Orleans Park. WOW! That place was teaming with people. You would have thought the season was well underway there. After walking down to the river, there were several hundred people in the river fishing. On both sides, people were catching fish and reaching their limit within 2 hours. It was a great site, except I am without a fishing license. I couldn't even push my luck because my equipment is at home. At any given second, you could find someone with a fish on their line. Millions upon millions walleye enter into the river to spawn, and at times you can feel them swim between your legs. The only way to legally keep a fish, is to catch it in the mouth. After spending the day down there talking with the locals and other depressed fishermen who left their gear at home, the realization that spring is here showed itself in the form of an apple red face. Seeing everyone bring in fish so quick brought back some good memories. There is nothing in the world like the feeling of having large fish on the line, wondering if it will still be there when your done reeling your line in. Oh, then dinner is tres bien!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-55316467346963963932009-03-13T13:01:00.001-07:002009-03-13T13:26:01.668-07:00Stormy Weather<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMqhK7RFV7kU_GxmlbJWImd-BwF5NVBpJk_u8Fi9tnoRLUjjr3bALFa5_SvHgWcRTtMxr6GWFTxC4yDjQYMYukWbqrZtYKVBuegj5seI6PbYoD3jWxXhdUe0vL87meM3MF8OVp0kfL7A/s1600-h/_IGP9321.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMqhK7RFV7kU_GxmlbJWImd-BwF5NVBpJk_u8Fi9tnoRLUjjr3bALFa5_SvHgWcRTtMxr6GWFTxC4yDjQYMYukWbqrZtYKVBuegj5seI6PbYoD3jWxXhdUe0vL87meM3MF8OVp0kfL7A/s400/_IGP9321.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312771280889964626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3OLYRPGL1-Cq0kbHEV0mxHDFRGs1HQbAXIKkCCPGWk8EM79nBb1X1cJ6dgU3JGUz0AgeTrxj2S0WgsLo0tPLuvrVKgGgpjZTUuiPwxXmKKfZ4Xb1CxFlkVlS5FC79rXAPYvybqktAxo/s1600-h/nowhere.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mLdDjbEHYv1Bb0JzsjjAxRlQu8slAiL5eBzFVshQlkRgOK1lSLsoXMzso3-IODjoY3m1jONhjwhzZkgFxOxtYPxOf767c95MELld4JCn6xVMq0l6r0IGl3O-VUMiprYCzpqVpLuI6aE/s400/_IGP9144.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312770682835579746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5lkSz65wO0QVi-B3E8MXK6etO_MbD6UxGpP3rcjwJC4cQP6mNYvhJYAt7px-ucbu_9aNooOsMmB0ip02FbsnwIOuO27jCTK5Bx5z__I4NIq8jqm_FxP54aCaE6dXjRhpVHShMCoElhg/s1600-h/sunset1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5lkSz65wO0QVi-B3E8MXK6etO_MbD6UxGpP3rcjwJC4cQP6mNYvhJYAt7px-ucbu_9aNooOsMmB0ip02FbsnwIOuO27jCTK5Bx5z__I4NIq8jqm_FxP54aCaE6dXjRhpVHShMCoElhg/s400/sunset1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312770674163522002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GbocdPBi2T87hdThQsTf3D8dlrNUKmRowDsyJ1pSwLyvxs2mfy_C01UVvRAIcwzeAS8LPZVGVsN-m0IlKLEuobVT2kzUeFrib9Z9xuCTZRXVrbp5BZdvOC5M8ncM6rkKO6GfNywyyj0/s1600-h/sunset2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GbocdPBi2T87hdThQsTf3D8dlrNUKmRowDsyJ1pSwLyvxs2mfy_C01UVvRAIcwzeAS8LPZVGVsN-m0IlKLEuobVT2kzUeFrib9Z9xuCTZRXVrbp5BZdvOC5M8ncM6rkKO6GfNywyyj0/s400/sunset2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312770670433919074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59cv9Wezl4iiYp5gWR4wVgEJBlB6CWh1Kl5Z2HdzLMNoHDwbzSUVozlIde7VtiYBj7CUzI099NEV2mwDDArT6tvL2VBAHETTuehG8VDmCG9f6ouBqPpyfxwq0Ec8EQJzrMtxVFUZikis/s1600-h/_IGP8614.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59cv9Wezl4iiYp5gWR4wVgEJBlB6CWh1Kl5Z2HdzLMNoHDwbzSUVozlIde7VtiYBj7CUzI099NEV2mwDDArT6tvL2VBAHETTuehG8VDmCG9f6ouBqPpyfxwq0Ec8EQJzrMtxVFUZikis/s400/_IGP8614.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312770662569521442" border="0" /></a><br />Being asked to leave, I went to a friends house to play some Madden '09. I won the first two games, and was interrupted during the third to a tornado warning in the county. In standard fashion, I left and drove out to Maumee Bay to try and get a glimpse of the weather from atop the big hill. The terrain here is completely flat, so the big hill is really the only place to get a good idea of where the weather is at, or by looking at the storms over the lake. By the time I got on the hill, the storms had taken a twist and split around me leaving me hopeless for another storm shot. Instead of just wasting time driving back, I stuck around for the sunset. Sunsets after storms always tend to be great ones. With subtle tendencies in the air, and great expansive clouds breaking up the clear blue skies, the calm after the storm is as nice as the storm itself. With the new warm air around, the moisture on the ground started turning into a light mist/fog. It was getting dark out so it was hard to capture. Speaking tales of past, a lone winter tree was getting ready for the spring. The following day, heavy rains followed leading to the highest water levels in years. Nearly 10ft higher than its normal levels this time of year, the Maumee River spilled over its banks and shut down many roads. Great planning on the part of NW Ohio only left road closures as the main problem. Houses are kept well out of floodplain areas and out of harms way. Knowing the areas around town would be inundated with water, it was another great time to get out. Making my way down to the rivers edge, the 'muddy' Maumee, crested over river road making it impassible. Park Rangers, local authorities, and sheriff's were at road entrances just blocking people from venturing too far. Parking my car at next to theirs, I talked with a couple of the officers and kept taking pictures of the area.<br />I went to the Ohio's oldest golf course, located not even a mile away from the University of Toledo. It was built right on the Ottawa River and its floodplain. My last semester I studied this exact point in the river from a qualitative view. No more than six inches deep at the time, it was fairly easy to study. Going back, I could not even see where I stood before. More than 10ft below the surface of the water, the entire golf course itself was invisible. I have not seen the water so high before in my life. It certainly reaches into the 25 year floodplain of the area, if not 50. Last years winter was fairly dry. Contrast that to this years winter, if spring follows the plan, it should make for an exciting storm season and many more pictures. The spring storms have already showed their face, now it just needs to bring the heat.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-41007824809885914602009-03-13T12:49:00.000-07:002009-03-13T13:00:42.721-07:00Laid to Rest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT5LBxVV6fJPyv6ga917jdVev8icuAXHZ3q908yl_6BAxjtXKyLwriu_vT141AuCZdzHIpe5Wx7PUJEWnwPqMvA6-DuGnA__Umy5HUab4qOa1mYzCTvu3s07zhKRaIdYdWzMIbQX7FpI/s1600-h/welcome.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT5LBxVV6fJPyv6ga917jdVev8icuAXHZ3q908yl_6BAxjtXKyLwriu_vT141AuCZdzHIpe5Wx7PUJEWnwPqMvA6-DuGnA__Umy5HUab4qOa1mYzCTvu3s07zhKRaIdYdWzMIbQX7FpI/s400/welcome.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764693567042994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VTvBP10tzxkhqwM7oV93Q752jjCKwDNo23vDb3iHCwN96LF3PQdExL45Pvty0_MfELlZtB0TX0prd30s8EDN7qt2ySx0hMmOVsOhT99WP9LuqxH86Msq3IewYVlVe_x_WDe9-4eD-g4/s1600-h/_IGP8608.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VTvBP10tzxkhqwM7oV93Q752jjCKwDNo23vDb3iHCwN96LF3PQdExL45Pvty0_MfELlZtB0TX0prd30s8EDN7qt2ySx0hMmOVsOhT99WP9LuqxH86Msq3IewYVlVe_x_WDe9-4eD-g4/s400/_IGP8608.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764691682020146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5G40sJ4IC37BGlzC2FEn71ISn94MrmsDo84gVIbAb42_lJ1bO31X0j59pWIhdu6o-tHI2RfvQhF1oQ3K4KeZUpkoHjjJ_XqGxNzHARXw3iIHbgA9JJySe7h56HmtA9ZZ27MEIaBH91k/s1600-h/_IGP8604.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5G40sJ4IC37BGlzC2FEn71ISn94MrmsDo84gVIbAb42_lJ1bO31X0j59pWIhdu6o-tHI2RfvQhF1oQ3K4KeZUpkoHjjJ_XqGxNzHARXw3iIHbgA9JJySe7h56HmtA9ZZ27MEIaBH91k/s400/_IGP8604.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764492483507058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBYiGK6b9-feFGIaMd30WjlqLH0KnI-LcpWuXOk6cDeocgiJeaCQj8Hz-srRBCyrBTYZEAe5DKCJlQnWn3AMXtYCFfV2ncaefIL937Z3s-BKWcqwAVcxqp4bzhx2ESAzzvHmkIFJbAKc/s1600-h/_IGP8598.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBYiGK6b9-feFGIaMd30WjlqLH0KnI-LcpWuXOk6cDeocgiJeaCQj8Hz-srRBCyrBTYZEAe5DKCJlQnWn3AMXtYCFfV2ncaefIL937Z3s-BKWcqwAVcxqp4bzhx2ESAzzvHmkIFJbAKc/s400/_IGP8598.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764494191560546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hCVeYsy3Zn0Vg85ZR5c1FyhAs4W-dNBL1Ld3LOH-Qh3hM6IQZevnbJIYQ0D0URrcvtHfULaQ1FU1HqKOIsPSCTAfvgPDXesujmUzdAQaAIEz3CnCby-Iurcgp6GEyD7pMV_2ZrV3fPo/s1600-h/_IGP8594.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hCVeYsy3Zn0Vg85ZR5c1FyhAs4W-dNBL1Ld3LOH-Qh3hM6IQZevnbJIYQ0D0URrcvtHfULaQ1FU1HqKOIsPSCTAfvgPDXesujmUzdAQaAIEz3CnCby-Iurcgp6GEyD7pMV_2ZrV3fPo/s400/_IGP8594.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764490904544338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A-n8F6SuVxY5hiSx9raCjHj1fSMtI9wbmessIjN41TcejkC0hqxusKjCYI6I05OZDLX30GIOrTdUA79J-DC-rAUnHp8kbG_gTcnzy4PHjJo4CX1HhEwtLu_TLLLa8DqteI5cSd1xq3Y/s1600-h/_IGP8593.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A-n8F6SuVxY5hiSx9raCjHj1fSMtI9wbmessIjN41TcejkC0hqxusKjCYI6I05OZDLX30GIOrTdUA79J-DC-rAUnHp8kbG_gTcnzy4PHjJo4CX1HhEwtLu_TLLLa8DqteI5cSd1xq3Y/s400/_IGP8593.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764489443451602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00xJAtMku2rZixQfRx7PdSTdwDMQezaZ6XojNwPmA64dc3lr2y9eQ4GQT0qlGmhSb9sLogsV8ouhoS-YRKh5cly6pj0jRtAnbeFyASg8YEO50VmJYtaNL9bIROy93LmLIlF2-4YWhb_s/s1600-h/_IGP8591.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00xJAtMku2rZixQfRx7PdSTdwDMQezaZ6XojNwPmA64dc3lr2y9eQ4GQT0qlGmhSb9sLogsV8ouhoS-YRKh5cly6pj0jRtAnbeFyASg8YEO50VmJYtaNL9bIROy93LmLIlF2-4YWhb_s/s400/_IGP8591.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312764484573110978" border="0" /></a><br />Sorry about the wait, it's been a while. Its been pretty exciting here since Ive last posted. I am going to share the last images of the abandoned house. I returned earlier this week to return where I left off. I did not get all the images I was planning on. I was stopped by local law enforcement officers due to a phone call by a 'concerned' citizen. Taken completely off guard by their arrival, my time was cut short when they asked me to leave. It was disheartening realizing it will probably be the last time anyone will look at the house in such regard. Fortunately, I was able to capture everything that really caught my eye. While I was there talking with the officers, they suggested I come back with the owners permission. They thought the house was nice as well, but just needed to follow up with the call. They noticed there was not a number on the house so finding the address for permission will be tough. After they looked at some of the images they laughed and just asked me to leave until I get permission. Maybe some other time, but for now, I think the house wants a break. I think I have given that house more action in the last month than it has seen in decades.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-40323839306134857892009-03-03T09:50:00.001-08:002009-03-03T10:21:05.423-08:00Toledo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eNZLCSXZ7aqWRuc3feIRInNoIzjD6KZ46fV36tLisYLRkhtHRupfosoRZmnvsvtKUI4f3Gw-P21u1dxZWglTIInSZDnRI99jpBtm3SzRALyfVp-XzHOtXsaxeEk9faUzMknXI6sdysQ/s1600-h/toledoohio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eNZLCSXZ7aqWRuc3feIRInNoIzjD6KZ46fV36tLisYLRkhtHRupfosoRZmnvsvtKUI4f3Gw-P21u1dxZWglTIInSZDnRI99jpBtm3SzRALyfVp-XzHOtXsaxeEk9faUzMknXI6sdysQ/s400/toledoohio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309028224982315682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIewU_0zG2XduhK1stNlW9PG6SIpogbINwQJjYMti5-YD-CRUNFbptvcyB8GhSJM6dFthJkyhu-3pmSCFsYmeKYpz-Blpp0T6zUsPG34UagT_YdiUUZf1M_XRXSxiB_r6sbcLcx2VDXI/s1600-h/toledo3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0ZKpmPqmJRVL9nF-6PMdvWqUXPc3RIjCZFsszL-a-udEaP2XMoQcheLVZtIwQcuXwKPFoNAhYSSumxxmNPcx2fGFW7rFgEKCyFntEYshe-aRsWKJUj6dgDYkHlyG_8S74OVysgTbAwY/s400/pair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309027405642079570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUals9fruvtfRzeW6rv47OR-dvQHxqBdaep1bOKxVHNJ_v4_nIYfuuuILQGue_C962e6l9H-Il3QjtkLthDmIOwH4h7ZYtqmwBxpuP3m6ZVKhAlPn2BpPC1vLJOZZoHW1w8MfIUG9wU9k/s1600-h/oldhouse1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUals9fruvtfRzeW6rv47OR-dvQHxqBdaep1bOKxVHNJ_v4_nIYfuuuILQGue_C962e6l9H-Il3QjtkLthDmIOwH4h7ZYtqmwBxpuP3m6ZVKhAlPn2BpPC1vLJOZZoHW1w8MfIUG9wU9k/s400/oldhouse1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309027404923951618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiL26k-Mzsbh1RkKqTZgWc_wNR9YaveR1FbCsbTVJj4_8sK_n_ee5ZOOt_JA9YzY9cHwzA1e-CmP8Taa8YMYzpAQdz_-kHe480OLF6QscRUMu0QJSUligk3t2bIYjQW3fdBTZxzcjBN7E/s1600-h/_DSC3872.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiL26k-Mzsbh1RkKqTZgWc_wNR9YaveR1FbCsbTVJj4_8sK_n_ee5ZOOt_JA9YzY9cHwzA1e-CmP8Taa8YMYzpAQdz_-kHe480OLF6QscRUMu0QJSUligk3t2bIYjQW3fdBTZxzcjBN7E/s400/_DSC3872.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309027401954115266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyJAdTu02KtOT7fpEsAzar1ZjJjGy0cltE2Qxc-ds7coTpYJc4L-OjP20fGviONZ-4ZPMUXOEXmstckLe5oyA7CVOpP9RAE_MBVUZF09deqS6qsKHoy6RlKk-6oLUiEj0zO02gcxiz1k/s1600-h/_DSC3866.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyJAdTu02KtOT7fpEsAzar1ZjJjGy0cltE2Qxc-ds7coTpYJc4L-OjP20fGviONZ-4ZPMUXOEXmstckLe5oyA7CVOpP9RAE_MBVUZF09deqS6qsKHoy6RlKk-6oLUiEj0zO02gcxiz1k/s400/_DSC3866.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309027398097183010" border="0" /></a><br />Its been a few days since Ive written on here. Sorry about that. Ive been going into downtown Toledo to walk around and take pictures of the city. The city is an awesome place to be. Although it wouldn't be my first choice of places to live, it would be great under the right conditions. Unfortunately, the conditions do not exist here in Toledo. Remember that as a photographer, we take pictures of things that we SEE. We merely explain feelings, experiences, and attitudes through images. The lack of maintenance is clearly visible in the the commercial area. Infrastructure of the downtown area has clearly not seen the money it takes to maintain the buildings. As a result, it has deteriorated, requiring even more money to renovate. This in turn keeps people away longer, and the buildings get even worse. Architecture speaks pages and chapters about the era's they have made it through. If renovated in a reasonable fashion, many of the buildings could still be used. Many are still used as warehouses, but usually on the first floor, while the upper levels are all vacant and rotting away. Toledo is an older city. Founded in the early 1800's. It is known as the Glass City, Holy Toledo, and the home of the University of Toledo, Tony Packo's Cafe(only chili to make it into space) and Jaime Farr(star of M.A.S.H.) and the Jeep Wrangler Assembly Plant. Making solar panels for all sorts of purposes, First Solar is located just outside of the city and Toledo does not get to see any revenue from that. With so much to pride itself on, most of the residents of Toledo have moved away to the suburbs. There are now campaigns to "Take Back Toledo" but campaigns like this are usually all talk and once put on the scale, measure up to be just words with little weight behind them. In the end, Toledo is still my hometown. It has many memories with many individuals. To let a city fall apart to the condition that Toledo has is a shame. Like the market, cities go through cycles. Toledo might be at a low point right now, in time it will come back to life promising new memories. As of now, the renovations have been by individuals looking for a personal gain. What it really needs is a push from individuals who truly believe in Toledo. Individuals who think Toledo is a great place to be.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-91740585566241014282009-02-25T22:19:00.000-08:002009-02-25T23:12:21.970-08:00Northwest Ohio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_jU2Yimwu57m3Broqetp8Tbp5MWqPgB33ejWA-EOFBafBJAEeKBmM48VvIwvpivFdTSnZ5TwtjSyj4HZzFpwYq6DEyvRQXlNInlBtAASp9Q3L0GPwkXxEtMjrBygUZGxbYLhyaxNrw/s1600-h/waiting+to+pass+by1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_jU2Yimwu57m3Broqetp8Tbp5MWqPgB33ejWA-EOFBafBJAEeKBmM48VvIwvpivFdTSnZ5TwtjSyj4HZzFpwYq6DEyvRQXlNInlBtAASp9Q3L0GPwkXxEtMjrBygUZGxbYLhyaxNrw/s400/waiting+to+pass+by1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307000451841549810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMQwTWHANvh578rYbRZhHoqTk-XPphCW6es1_PpqSONQF9xdrVHf55WJppXHm-1OM_gQFp-GfVB46lvfjmQAwS4wnbUni1ne-9kaX350Sn5DiSAypQ9fMCd7OqBpWzuB0LOuhudopTKY/s1600-h/swamp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ixi2SzqFdUyJhpgPpgBgVuxWr8YU7DqZtKoqkJmLKwgI4Ox-DyxjSgNHr0M99O1QNSHwN5-q764HZ_a-jcmKxHC328UjNkxoAOiav2jSxNkQnkRPUMUDf3eS8hSEet0c5FG2vctB3u0/s400/63.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306998515854161074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLF5Id25528ZNphE2_WBbTN9-2VNH9JLy7wfvu7hDWZD85MlzkEKo3bEZ_NzCJrQzi_dRd04BC2zV2kBN8JgqPXjWZUcznooEEeTow2Kzm2MbZH9pKqQONSpYvO5bunoAVNdt9BgEuok/s1600-h/52.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLF5Id25528ZNphE2_WBbTN9-2VNH9JLy7wfvu7hDWZD85MlzkEKo3bEZ_NzCJrQzi_dRd04BC2zV2kBN8JgqPXjWZUcznooEEeTow2Kzm2MbZH9pKqQONSpYvO5bunoAVNdt9BgEuok/s400/52.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306998515595860690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_-t_5mvERVRfe75MppFqH5utFjpTbmw-9k_jzclMrYPq_RiFRFWwhZkTWzVJTgXzXBn-FM-h-tv1U9QJNwFdY_TCGzzm3lJAwx4FVuKZyc7VGHya0hcTnc6MVsetsC3Req60gtizE_o/s1600-h/_IGP6642.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_-t_5mvERVRfe75MppFqH5utFjpTbmw-9k_jzclMrYPq_RiFRFWwhZkTWzVJTgXzXBn-FM-h-tv1U9QJNwFdY_TCGzzm3lJAwx4FVuKZyc7VGHya0hcTnc6MVsetsC3Req60gtizE_o/s400/_IGP6642.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306998512757133298" border="0" /></a><br />Well killing a couple birds with one stone, this blog is going to be a little off pace. Here in Ohio, we are a part of the Black Swamp area, also home to the Oak Openings region. During settling, a massive plague ravaged the area and nearly 2/3rds of everyone died. In this region, there are more rare species of plants and animals anywhere else in Ohio. We have lost the caribou, wolf, cougar, black bear, and a whole slew of other species. Originally, Lucas County was a giant swamp. It was drained for the use of its rich soils and converted to farmland, which now serves as the end of America's cornbelt. There is little in the way of elevation change here, and the mosquitos are outrageous. The area is still a giant swamp in the spring with standing water everywhere. The water never goes away and the mosquitos breed are out except for a few months during the winter. Parks here offer a great opportunity for people to experience what the environment used to be prior to the areas settling. Oak trees stand mightily above all the other trees, squirrels bicker with each other while the hawks wait for them to make a mistake and expose themselves. Without much elevation change, your eyes tend to start focusing on what makes up the environment. Species that have learned how to deal with the pressure we have put on them are extremely resiliant. Even with very little of the original habitat left, the continue to thrive, and we actually consider them to be over-populated. People generally run or walk their dogs in the parks within the city limits. The parks outside the city get less traffic, but the people living around the parks still visit to run or walk their dogs down the designated paths. Leaving the path is pretty hard. The vegetation is extremely dense. Thankfully I'm not allergic to poison ivy as it grows everywhere. Bugs come in all shapes and sizes, from a tiny little mite, up to a large 10 inch praying mantis. They all live together in these parts were it is always a race against time to build the best nest, find enough food, and get ready for the winter. Spring, summer and fall always are full of life. Even in winter when things settle down, there are still animals that call this place home. This environment is also where I call home. I would not have it any other way. Spring brings loads of water and nourishment and great fishing. The abundant supply of water is a wonderful to be around in the summer heat, and the oak trees keep you cool when you get out. Sounds and colors of fall signal a flurry of activity as the weather cools as old man winter heads in. As fall ends the activity starts to end and the animals begin to settle down for the ensuing months. With the harsh winter chill set in place, humans and animals alike stop going outside. Staying warm in the comfort of their homes, the beauty of the winter is often overlooked. Like a white wedding dress, without the snow, the link between the seasons would not be happily married. These seasonal changes keep so many people, but learning to find the harmony in them will never let you leave.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-30630217109706038242009-02-24T20:37:00.001-08:002009-02-24T21:35:01.216-08:00Final trip of the summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdIEfPT_2oH3O6YSDxpJlnA2smKaK2TsAxYyuI5nf0oIbvlEfEkeJmsaKJ7usRaqBJHVd6lc9djmche_f-2_eD224pjW3W-LHmxmnX73V-0pXdRcl3il4zFf4G4QdNFFRh_zMfEFQvcY/s1600-h/83.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdIEfPT_2oH3O6YSDxpJlnA2smKaK2TsAxYyuI5nf0oIbvlEfEkeJmsaKJ7usRaqBJHVd6lc9djmche_f-2_eD224pjW3W-LHmxmnX73V-0pXdRcl3il4zFf4G4QdNFFRh_zMfEFQvcY/s400/83.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306604307676633346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSgSxZvObeDDo0_rLKhOXSiIzNRelxaUaNi3Pss4ICM76YzY0HpJcCFwya7gjt5UyuSdo9NeLlOBdHBms4l8vFvKrWPQBxQ5GMvGKfRnXjxrhSIhyphenhyphenujY7qC4bJBAD9NmWtuTiTSer8pg/s1600-h/_IGP4510.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTC8ynjkWFx4SS0zHb6ye_fxOX9zctZ55hO4k9N2VyDGtQzptHJ9V55K-vfQ5RNyPKkoO6-mPyiG6VPK3iqNilj7TEHFbEvwYUKryW1t9P3DOZ8kt2nXaekHDywb99xD-oDphfe7MFyk/s400/120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306603427138405826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71oAK1jGyYgse99MViZhBnkIPDZIGBUIkua5iq_1EzMrBCaw9Ta44jDUW_eObeARtdU5Tvf9syQaQSuXETNB1jYSUsj0KnKDLKmilItAQp06yd2NJPfYo7G4ZMVyOuK7CbA0bbrtWzvk/s1600-h/80.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71oAK1jGyYgse99MViZhBnkIPDZIGBUIkua5iq_1EzMrBCaw9Ta44jDUW_eObeARtdU5Tvf9syQaQSuXETNB1jYSUsj0KnKDLKmilItAQp06yd2NJPfYo7G4ZMVyOuK7CbA0bbrtWzvk/s400/80.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306603423087801682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBFdmUzltPznImGUTHw79oRKrVHeDuaZ-bkE0n1MM9mJhhuxMwMS3d9WdopuAJIr5L2vKEJoJyzDpWKCVV_c54EhoUrv-eHFPDjwhICKI90el6KTZmfYqmP7Vg7q3t5r-YRA6abElRd8/s1600-h/47.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBFdmUzltPznImGUTHw79oRKrVHeDuaZ-bkE0n1MM9mJhhuxMwMS3d9WdopuAJIr5L2vKEJoJyzDpWKCVV_c54EhoUrv-eHFPDjwhICKI90el6KTZmfYqmP7Vg7q3t5r-YRA6abElRd8/s400/47.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306603421840635874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0CbIdGPd25P8S9xqsU__HldWgJ-PDiO-7gMd-aItO4CNZcATKpbR7ZYN6FshK3aFS6Gq9dm0p2UBA7xoyN9n-Wio5p_IKO1pGWp4xfJYVt7gQlw_VdQXjoY749KsRy_1bvS8LQoCnS8/s1600-h/87.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0CbIdGPd25P8S9xqsU__HldWgJ-PDiO-7gMd-aItO4CNZcATKpbR7ZYN6FshK3aFS6Gq9dm0p2UBA7xoyN9n-Wio5p_IKO1pGWp4xfJYVt7gQlw_VdQXjoY749KsRy_1bvS8LQoCnS8/s400/87.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306603421981003938" border="0" /></a><br />In the dog days of summer, the weekend weather shaped up to make for a good weekend trip. Without much money on hand, I couldn't go too far. Grand Rapids was the initial destination. About 45 minutes from home, the sites were directly next to the water. In the same location where the picture of the dam was taken, it was 17 dollars a night for primitive camping(my style). As I pulled in, the camp was completely full. This was the last chance for the year I would get for camping, there was no way I was going to give up. The campground was located on the Maumee River and has several islands located on it. While driving back, I was contemplating where I could park my car, and then hike across the river to the islands for a couple nights. With the kayak on top of my car, it was turning out to be a difficult decision. On top of my gear, the kayak would also have to be included in the plans. Driving along the river, there were many parks, but none permitting camping. After making it back into town, the next campground I was aware of was another 45 minutes away, without a place for my kayak. It occurred to me as I turned to go home there was one place where I remember campsites. It site about 100 yards off the river and offers only a dozen primitive sites. It proved worth the time to check it out. Turning out to be the only one there I set up camp and started a campfire. Once it was started, the weekend started off in a great way, a skunk walked no more than 15 feet from me. Fortunately, experiences have taught me to just be aware of the animal and make no attempt to take pictures or pick this one up. About 20 minutes later a feral cat ran by. As the sun went down, the cicadas started to sing. With the fire crackling, cicada's singing and the moon out in full force, it was nice to be the only soul around. Feeling adventurous, I made my way down to the river for a late night walk. With my flashlight in hand and large knife in the other pocket, it was quite eerie. Walking down an overflow riverbed with 15 foot banks on either side, you could only see straight ahead of you. Every noise was distinctly loud and unnerving. Feeling brave, the river came sooner than I thought. It was great to sit on the Great Maumee River by my lonesome and listen to the water move over the rocks. The main goal of the weekend was the same as any other, hang out around the water, go fishing and take some pictures. The next morning I woke up bright and early. Walking back to the overflow path, there were several deer making their way towards me. One looked up noticing my movement, and I immediately fell to the ground. Recognizing their intentions to move down the river towards me, I stayed there until one was about 30 feet from me. I took several pictures while they were walking up, but the lighting was terrible. With a small fawn in her presence the mother noticed me and started snorting and stomping her feet. Steam started pouring out of her nose as she exhaled because of the cool morning air. As her fawn stayed back with the others, she took an aggressive posture and took a step toward me. Not wanting to take my eyes off of her, the camera stayed down as we looked each other in the eye. Still down on my knees, she took another step directly toward me. Wanting to avoid any conflict with a protective mother, I stood up promptly. She immediatly started running back to the pack. Minutes later, they ran out to the main river where I did not get to see them again. With kayak in hand, once the deer were gone, I began my portaging trek to the river where I could spend the morning relaxing. Once out onto the river, loads of waterfowl, shoreline birds and birds of prey began their daily routines. First I spotted a juvenile bald eagle chasing another bird of prey that had a fish in its talons. I tried getting the picture but they were just moving way too fast for me. The scuffle was entertaining, but there was much more to see. As I paddled down stream, the fish started jumping out of the water, and the birds on the shorline started moving as I grew closer. Several were close enough that I could get a decent shot on them. As afternoon drew near, I took a nap in the kayak while on the river. Waking up to a dreadful burning sensation, the sun turned me into a new crayon color. Paddling back to camp was anything but pleasant. Feeling your skin stretching with every movement, I got out of the kayak and swam back with it until I could start walking. Back at camp, and a few stroke strokes of the knife later, a stick on the ground turned into a cooking utensil and the fire roasted hot dogs had a hint of oak flavor to them. The delicious meal was the energy I needed to get back out and finish up with a day of fishing. Fishing was not great, but fighting any smallmouth bass on 4lb test fishing line is fun. Eventually, the second night had set in, and it was time to finish the weekend with another fire. Having a terrible sunburn and smelling like a dirty river, the sleep was far from enjoyable. The overall experience was great, and I will surely go back, even if it is for one night only. It turned out to be only a 15 minute drive from home. If there is ever a need to get away without really leaving, I found the spot.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-89719870380220744682009-02-24T17:47:00.000-08:002009-02-24T18:37:05.385-08:00Back to the basics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRX4zK-GaTWnfQwYn3OtvBO_Tb7qv6nNzySAqxEakykVHr8AG6QdBVFhjdCjSPww8-kV6asBtG9XhLaUKWppPJQ5UvBTH8Kdxyr_wc3dz9Tx2LeOPXf0gs4iKUoUvoi783U8mZYcmzaA/s1600-h/105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRX4zK-GaTWnfQwYn3OtvBO_Tb7qv6nNzySAqxEakykVHr8AG6QdBVFhjdCjSPww8-kV6asBtG9XhLaUKWppPJQ5UvBTH8Kdxyr_wc3dz9Tx2LeOPXf0gs4iKUoUvoi783U8mZYcmzaA/s400/105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306558422012034066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPLaiOCYI0TaQa6yyYzSkCRjZ7LuKZ2niGpYLxeYm2ZV0sYgQ-PZtHZw0BTzGLX2jjdS7cko7oO9XhPky9ZzCNhBpRba2c1WpipDgUxYV7Pj0oP4RxoLI5iIbu3z-U6-d3UGN4BgFN1E/s1600-h/108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvkUqRX2xBNGl6dCuR5oovghGq4QVvAlOJobE6pGLTNjBi1EqAUZIgAgQqKSYHJ4hZue1Tp9gBfA6cbq3-to6KDPL41dFlnDRTULHNscBPxC0HokYf7eDXFWXublRuLZWIIDkZO2xiUM/s400/57.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306557941439437778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAr4u7J0uTPtSE_TfOyt6XWJLrGd3rl9nmjT9XGCZzxTmYrZuksjetxu6cZ_imv2CZ6rohEXtI10Gt9ldOvucWskLi4g4GUGdDOJM_uu3olBEYVpP2OKJeuk_MV3K4e_E8xZbX9WYkmuc/s1600-h/_IGP8443.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAr4u7J0uTPtSE_TfOyt6XWJLrGd3rl9nmjT9XGCZzxTmYrZuksjetxu6cZ_imv2CZ6rohEXtI10Gt9ldOvucWskLi4g4GUGdDOJM_uu3olBEYVpP2OKJeuk_MV3K4e_E8xZbX9WYkmuc/s400/_IGP8443.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306557942247765970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKe0_Yd4DwS4CE6TEmLcJbbAvo9NR7YknvODgq69FNbJdBwTK249XK4T09AyXrwMSsGLRPDfecvSnd0K4m6bKwcvRkQwms07mkUyFZKSKOUfVBMUal0sM705Yww0uDJJn7vOBKFrpEVM/s1600-h/_IGP8440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKe0_Yd4DwS4CE6TEmLcJbbAvo9NR7YknvODgq69FNbJdBwTK249XK4T09AyXrwMSsGLRPDfecvSnd0K4m6bKwcvRkQwms07mkUyFZKSKOUfVBMUal0sM705Yww0uDJJn7vOBKFrpEVM/s400/_IGP8440.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306557944469416402" border="0" /></a><br />During the summer I frequently go camping. Most of the time is spent fishing, hanging out in a kayak, or sitting by the fire. When the previously mentioned actions aren't taking place, I am probably out hiking with my camera. Without much money it is hard to go to any place real exciting. W.J. Hayes State Park in Michigan is a one an ideal place to visit when I do go out. There is a small lake only accessable to resident campers, it is a no wake lake with great largemouth bass fishing and a couple of LARGE swans. The edges of the lake are overgrown with lillypads and bullrush and anything with a motor cannot get to the banks. With half of the park closed to cars, it is only accessable from the lake, if you can get there, and having a kayak to get to the banks lets you do just that. If you want to have a little more fun, then you go through a small and short channel to get to an all-sport lake with a beach. The latest visit was the past summer and I spent almost a half day just wandering around the lake taking pictures. First up on the list was a small turtle who so politely found my presence no harm. Like any other occasion, it is impossible for me to find a snake, frog, turtle, fish, or anything else without picking it up. As I picked the turtle up he did not pull his head inside like most, he actually seemed to smile at me! haha. Setting him down I noticed a small frog resting on the shoreline. He jumped in before I could get my hands on him, but not until after I could take his picture. Walking through the woods again, something made a noise in the leaves. Calmly staying in place waiting for the creature to make a move again, the leaves in front of me moved, but there was no wind blowing. Closer inspection revealed a juvenile garter snake trying to get away from me. Since that will never happen, I took his picture a few times and then.............................picked him up...........so I could take his picture again. The water was fairly close, and if he went in, the camera was not going to follow. Deciding to leave him alone, the water called my name again. In some places of the lake, you can walk out nearly 50 yards before the water reaches your waste. Being able to walk around the bullrushes, and lillypads is fun, with a camera or a fishing pole. The water is relatively clear for these parts, and you can see almost 10 feet down. Once the dirt settles, you can see the fish swimming around your feet. The little bluegills are even brave enough to nip at your toes. After the evening started to set in, the air started to grow chilly and I made my way back to the site. My eyes grew tired from trying to figure out exactly what "fire" was and the batteries to the camera died trying to get a picture of it. Without getting a picture of the fire, it slowly burned out during the night while I layed zipped up in a sleeping bag.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-25878543441514977402009-02-22T16:37:00.000-08:002009-02-22T17:17:33.393-08:00All Alone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz9KEdfPDovnTUIG5BtmlnWyWCaWvQA1yrdhiO6ucC-ztCSLjhiIJzJI1XY44y9qLc4JkqNigqzhLjIX11UfLak6TL6vOXRkuTctMDLJLcMIYwRQaQyWLs_PEWOTKAoy_RyRhMN5g5fg/s1600-h/room4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz9KEdfPDovnTUIG5BtmlnWyWCaWvQA1yrdhiO6ucC-ztCSLjhiIJzJI1XY44y9qLc4JkqNigqzhLjIX11UfLak6TL6vOXRkuTctMDLJLcMIYwRQaQyWLs_PEWOTKAoy_RyRhMN5g5fg/s400/room4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795725224264482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqx9dKBDB4koDeNf91ioUO2UK5VpMD1xcG0CwQih_53kQxdSRemY8J_JR1nQdpAl0OKNUNtt0Ms4p2mdCBIvqaZ62gOIQ9wkhrv_Vtw8X7SG1nVLtClW6CPHOy-mJQdTQQezIvXoHKaM/s1600-h/kitchen2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqx9dKBDB4koDeNf91ioUO2UK5VpMD1xcG0CwQih_53kQxdSRemY8J_JR1nQdpAl0OKNUNtt0Ms4p2mdCBIvqaZ62gOIQ9wkhrv_Vtw8X7SG1nVLtClW6CPHOy-mJQdTQQezIvXoHKaM/s400/kitchen2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795724392689442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmftk5fn9-lLgS_yhTgtDt42uyAtA5mD91biBOoPOvbakWJWhW8_-aX7NOcZwyK2aihdOLvuY1uTbmPF01a5rn_G_NQ_IZBoRY0Vu4gUJgQ4f3UP2jDSpoaeWDheKtZIaTArcP-ePb8qA/s1600-h/Kitchen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmftk5fn9-lLgS_yhTgtDt42uyAtA5mD91biBOoPOvbakWJWhW8_-aX7NOcZwyK2aihdOLvuY1uTbmPF01a5rn_G_NQ_IZBoRY0Vu4gUJgQ4f3UP2jDSpoaeWDheKtZIaTArcP-ePb8qA/s400/Kitchen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795709574246882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K8nXABYkjM6TMGPd8fg06iuq59Si016i_10RgRw8QyZaSpA00xX34sxkgu72yqE6hLaj5-OXbOeziPDPxpSjPjVJdjVpt2T8hAfrdVaFz28p0EJkNyj1y4619fCCsF8UDIb3Ic6B69I/s1600-h/Inside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K8nXABYkjM6TMGPd8fg06iuq59Si016i_10RgRw8QyZaSpA00xX34sxkgu72yqE6hLaj5-OXbOeziPDPxpSjPjVJdjVpt2T8hAfrdVaFz28p0EJkNyj1y4619fCCsF8UDIb3Ic6B69I/s400/Inside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795712957830818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKc1d1foHBt60GMLCo3vu4gEbaIO1v-37UsX00dlBr8XJzVecblvpkEEzRnNiPB4rCMg2DmhQeKzrroXUszmejJm4RNSm8eMuM4g-s0gWpcr8hOVD7Se3MiPW-JXs2winH0iJgZbjd4yE/s1600-h/holy-roof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKc1d1foHBt60GMLCo3vu4gEbaIO1v-37UsX00dlBr8XJzVecblvpkEEzRnNiPB4rCMg2DmhQeKzrroXUszmejJm4RNSm8eMuM4g-s0gWpcr8hOVD7Se3MiPW-JXs2winH0iJgZbjd4yE/s400/holy-roof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795706452338370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUxuf34dGZO7ZiH1GwA1w0wQBVko5c9Q7ZyDaneOzKkSqHo-hOLo9AmE1GfCyRQsOAERLvxjMXRDGpeMwdDHLv86XcVjfGF4ND7o6A7L7IrAV1NsMu2Gs5LxiX1oQ5hdAlbh3R9jy7Fo/s1600-h/handle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUxuf34dGZO7ZiH1GwA1w0wQBVko5c9Q7ZyDaneOzKkSqHo-hOLo9AmE1GfCyRQsOAERLvxjMXRDGpeMwdDHLv86XcVjfGF4ND7o6A7L7IrAV1NsMu2Gs5LxiX1oQ5hdAlbh3R9jy7Fo/s400/handle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795429781995218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4GkJAglTap3DRF_7xBaASkGXSM0dGQ0BCeapo9I8LSuR9AWpPn2ewVRYQNrZt9Tn98aEQvXTe81Z7QvmyZqL66nz8I4Etmu1HCNzvcARDh74PE7U6LYBNCg5ZMoASdaT88LA8DQMYtU/s1600-h/fallingover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4GkJAglTap3DRF_7xBaASkGXSM0dGQ0BCeapo9I8LSuR9AWpPn2ewVRYQNrZt9Tn98aEQvXTe81Z7QvmyZqL66nz8I4Etmu1HCNzvcARDh74PE7U6LYBNCg5ZMoASdaT88LA8DQMYtU/s400/fallingover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795429052354018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoRuFqqJqzO4RZEccqTmeeXreiWB8_xh6lUBMUEI6TaHNYTo89sd12FxkNYO_zSpa0ax1iJKWzOD4JNZK9MrF8AUy1TJmHi4d-BM4hLysMLU4VMNdJbLz4dHYFh-G-EJdQSfkBbrP6Tc/s1600-h/brokenwindow2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoRuFqqJqzO4RZEccqTmeeXreiWB8_xh6lUBMUEI6TaHNYTo89sd12FxkNYO_zSpa0ax1iJKWzOD4JNZK9MrF8AUy1TJmHi4d-BM4hLysMLU4VMNdJbLz4dHYFh-G-EJdQSfkBbrP6Tc/s400/brokenwindow2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795422162251266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P2H-J8Ypleuq1mAMa3eLo5gpYo1A17Y-qYcafF_YyWRDOyu5Nlg1p-8YMYIR-X6MQF9t-d1pYgbYDI-aos-z6qW7Yv34kQCSWwZWtADk9xD2C87fYl1h4Vqwywo1L79k86epFRlzw74/s1600-h/bathroom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P2H-J8Ypleuq1mAMa3eLo5gpYo1A17Y-qYcafF_YyWRDOyu5Nlg1p-8YMYIR-X6MQF9t-d1pYgbYDI-aos-z6qW7Yv34kQCSWwZWtADk9xD2C87fYl1h4Vqwywo1L79k86epFRlzw74/s400/bathroom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795424492537426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqyGJ1V5E5lSZjPEGQtZ1vNPOw5SKRsL5zBIRxd7os3ARKJBJAoSTLVcMQeC4PQjlWO6f406Yu7GrIj-x_GIl2nyljDVb5jDDfTx5VtNmt30VwOpEOH0WCRQkULtJ51EJoBWc_isQ5Zw/s1600-h/Abandoned-House.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqyGJ1V5E5lSZjPEGQtZ1vNPOw5SKRsL5zBIRxd7os3ARKJBJAoSTLVcMQeC4PQjlWO6f406Yu7GrIj-x_GIl2nyljDVb5jDDfTx5VtNmt30VwOpEOH0WCRQkULtJ51EJoBWc_isQ5Zw/s400/Abandoned-House.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305795420021931890" border="0" /></a><br />Making to the present day, there have been many experiences to get the pictures I have. Some have been for the wrong and right reasons, but in the end, it was a reason and it has given me a perspective on things which many people will never understand. Because thoughts have started getting to complex to explain, using photography is a great way for people to understand what I have experienced and want to say. Even as thoughts are sometimes too complex and need to be aided by images, images can be the same way and sometimes need words to aid in the understanding. One afternoon a couple days ago I was going to the park to get my car in a wooded setting for some pictures. Its a Jeep so it looks and feels better when its in a rural setting. On a road that I find myself on quite frequently, I noticed this house sitting back off the road. Having looked for abandoned houses for some time, there had been one right under my nose. It was sitting back off the road a hundred yards or so but tucked inside some heavy trees. Immediately coming to a halt on the side of the road, I turned around and hid my car in the trees. Here in the states, there are laws against trespassing that I did not want to find out about. The house offered some great images that could not be passed on. With the grass really tall, many alive and well pine trees, my Jeep is green as well and blended right in with the surroundings making it the perfect vehicle for the job. The ground was wet and muddy the first time and the second time there was a few inches of snow on the ground. Only a 4wd would have made it in and out. Going the first time, yielded great results. The second time(yesterday) was even better. Knowing what I had taken before and how they could be improved, there are many more opportunities there. It probably not get visited until spring when all the plants and trees have grown in making it even more appealing. Right now the house feels desolate. You can feel the memories people have had in there. Curtains are left on the window, toiletries in the bathroom, but the place is a wreck. Clearly, people have been through the place to destroy it, but it adds to the character. All the windows are gone. The roof caved in the back and holes in the front. Raccoon fecies and hair everywhere. During the summer I can imagine it will have a feeling of reclamation. Plants will grow on the walls and roof, as mother nature takes what was once taken from her. You can hear the couple talking in the living room and smell the food in the kitchen. The back porch is now a pile of wood and the master bedroom now only has one wall and is exposed to the elements. Although it seems dead, the house is alive and doing well. Birds nests are built on walls and lighting fixtures. Animals feed inside indicated by the animal remains scattered around the house. There is a lonely feeling about it. The front door is left wide open, just asking for a heartbeat to come inside so it can feel alive. With a collapsed roof and missing back door, any heartbeat that comes through the front door quickly leaves out of the back. Once a happy fortress protecting its family, after losing its purpose has become sad and lonely just waiting for someone to give it a purpose again. The broken windows speak of terrible tales of individuals taking advantage of its dream. Now being stripped of all hope, it now sits, waiting, for mother nature to finish her work.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-40235844653742496672009-02-22T15:58:00.000-08:002009-02-22T16:30:59.079-08:00Getting involved<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1lXbpvogUi6Uyrx5-8e-z1V6KSwrWWmtcGuiOyQphqj1eTggFASdDqvmG_8Y7yzueTjFAwZCEd6oxDkAQoDKBVfl6kW8Rr9uoj78-vLzkowGHLPW6IYUSS7O4eRXNgmlB4yl0uFz5-M/s1600-h/Prism-of-Light.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1lXbpvogUi6Uyrx5-8e-z1V6KSwrWWmtcGuiOyQphqj1eTggFASdDqvmG_8Y7yzueTjFAwZCEd6oxDkAQoDKBVfl6kW8Rr9uoj78-vLzkowGHLPW6IYUSS7O4eRXNgmlB4yl0uFz5-M/s400/Prism-of-Light.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305783053696535218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NvdlKCVTG55dlmP0JdpY1n_17m32Sl9i_2IFRNf7WI75riGBS22ihLK_TmdVfLjJCMFh6sBR6TYU9F0aqmfzAh0KlstCKoqKMOe6QrbINL4n2d8Jvu3vD1CGfJRaROh8aY14KNwu-XY/s1600-h/DSC01737.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NvdlKCVTG55dlmP0JdpY1n_17m32Sl9i_2IFRNf7WI75riGBS22ihLK_TmdVfLjJCMFh6sBR6TYU9F0aqmfzAh0KlstCKoqKMOe6QrbINL4n2d8Jvu3vD1CGfJRaROh8aY14KNwu-XY/s400/DSC01737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305783050554518786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHFCMoYaxaOUTwFphMvj4G3Goa6bhfQs7PJrYjMmSxDsqW6uqMit8uW9TgwgLn4xOGO0DHFQDBp19nho_KSacVr8_HWk8DXlWsVS4LyOiHbBY-m19__0BJ7DPOa2CMrSSBxLJmzh8cCw/s1600-h/31.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHFCMoYaxaOUTwFphMvj4G3Goa6bhfQs7PJrYjMmSxDsqW6uqMit8uW9TgwgLn4xOGO0DHFQDBp19nho_KSacVr8_HWk8DXlWsVS4LyOiHbBY-m19__0BJ7DPOa2CMrSSBxLJmzh8cCw/s400/31.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305783051381473458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBImgF45S0E_79b2wIxbLYxYIzQPY6XulBtSQF7OyYqY7Te3Qe2hsHava8c9x6suBgqNN-dInt105A15VR0-aNRMNUufv4Is9R9nFLiReIrv-JK1awp4oWoYNSMT03rsdla9i5_JB05s/s1600-h/Made-with-love.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBImgF45S0E_79b2wIxbLYxYIzQPY6XulBtSQF7OyYqY7Te3Qe2hsHava8c9x6suBgqNN-dInt105A15VR0-aNRMNUufv4Is9R9nFLiReIrv-JK1awp4oWoYNSMT03rsdla9i5_JB05s/s400/Made-with-love.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305782731304143794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCMlL8xvVPgkF3dadPJjKEVASwURYZ7ia44m-yjBNBfHaNKR2VamyXiuuBTHBK1MVY8K_-rrPoB0QwjyQCghqol_YM61trlfJTPejFzA2wjgHhRwUdzM495RhdPqVDNNGDm_P3njxrdQ/s1600-h/Macro-Star.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCMlL8xvVPgkF3dadPJjKEVASwURYZ7ia44m-yjBNBfHaNKR2VamyXiuuBTHBK1MVY8K_-rrPoB0QwjyQCghqol_YM61trlfJTPejFzA2wjgHhRwUdzM495RhdPqVDNNGDm_P3njxrdQ/s400/Macro-Star.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305782732092304530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkC2GXkvZfYeK7Re6-pCES5CzHgj_uYrK_bseKpQzDOq0Z1NPwTwL8K3khPOvpfAbbQkn3rJzl47i7poudTKGlrT65AleeuEXXNRh1gkbH8vfeINccEO-oMUZOk_qtPb0HnpG6TDiBHg/s1600-h/shootiing-stars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkC2GXkvZfYeK7Re6-pCES5CzHgj_uYrK_bseKpQzDOq0Z1NPwTwL8K3khPOvpfAbbQkn3rJzl47i7poudTKGlrT65AleeuEXXNRh1gkbH8vfeINccEO-oMUZOk_qtPb0HnpG6TDiBHg/s400/shootiing-stars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305782725639597490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After the interior decorating opportunities, it made me rethink some of the images of glass I had taken in the years prior. The direction of the track lighting inside the houses illuminated different features of the house in a pleasing aesthetic fashion. It led me to rethink several images of glass I had taken in the previous years. Instead of taking a picture of what you already have seen, take what you have seen and manipulate it into something else. I built a makeshift light box out of an old box from a vacuum cleaner. After cutting holes into the sides and top for different lighting and camera angles, the results started amazing me. Initially the quality of them were nothing extraordinary, but with some practice they turned into something straight out of the imagination. Wish I could talk about these some more but I cant. With a vocabulary too small to describe the glass, its better to quit early and avoid rambling.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-78558458999530856512009-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:002009-02-19T20:00:38.016-08:00Killing Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWwuv-PO0vdHRp0b1sJujgtdAPwGZM9FdvsTfajTuodfNndVPub2hezIA49mYhAXEJpxp5-3sDF5ReSS_x0ftc0Pm1Bx1qbHjyvrU8K48Rh2P-le0Cl7oHmAiit_ETf0vhN2vhPNlBLQ/s1600-h/lonely-chair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWwuv-PO0vdHRp0b1sJujgtdAPwGZM9FdvsTfajTuodfNndVPub2hezIA49mYhAXEJpxp5-3sDF5ReSS_x0ftc0Pm1Bx1qbHjyvrU8K48Rh2P-le0Cl7oHmAiit_ETf0vhN2vhPNlBLQ/s400/lonely-chair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304724457561256258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO02JoIPBs5XNjjcNuobbUOJLAliBEuRF1-MJrlET6JEBpwpYwMl1pNKrnvvzxyiXjvAhHAT-ECnNlKpo8xnBB5j6jTTi7LAjGUsyi38P6tY0D8QPLvVfGZL-9KD2z_yrAeETlPW9GGJA/s1600-h/wall-flowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO02JoIPBs5XNjjcNuobbUOJLAliBEuRF1-MJrlET6JEBpwpYwMl1pNKrnvvzxyiXjvAhHAT-ECnNlKpo8xnBB5j6jTTi7LAjGUsyi38P6tY0D8QPLvVfGZL-9KD2z_yrAeETlPW9GGJA/s400/wall-flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304724457565416802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgiloJ_9uqDzeRN9tl9CjKEh2YtEBWESJEMZaZcmo5Eb_zrythYR30zMltlzmDRNrvQY3sal0mok64Wxjvm6rrRBii021Fbefl0jNJSlrn2hONY29H-Pw9ZK8I0ygmTbPPFMOX50_sgY/s1600-h/line-of-doors.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgiloJ_9uqDzeRN9tl9CjKEh2YtEBWESJEMZaZcmo5Eb_zrythYR30zMltlzmDRNrvQY3sal0mok64Wxjvm6rrRBii021Fbefl0jNJSlrn2hONY29H-Pw9ZK8I0ygmTbPPFMOX50_sgY/s400/line-of-doors.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304724450322024738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7AUa1niB76CfdyvV9Zc32nTMLXpObOQVZ92DC2grdR3RRZpS4q7PTYLycKbPnKbuXiZYOH-K-0UWlQjs1JpAVjiihtRdAP_fJCxQ3NZcY_a0zwcy7GO0ziTRZ2Qsk6w9EqVoRHNALOE/s1600-h/rulers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7AUa1niB76CfdyvV9Zc32nTMLXpObOQVZ92DC2grdR3RRZpS4q7PTYLycKbPnKbuXiZYOH-K-0UWlQjs1JpAVjiihtRdAP_fJCxQ3NZcY_a0zwcy7GO0ziTRZ2Qsk6w9EqVoRHNALOE/s400/rulers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304724451169086514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmN82Vr5gP_85M7ELFZe3cicjtnSYL61vHivpS_QbI_oisOaQJHsSIXSx6C-S5RsGrBqf5J7a4eAs-Rl6eQVt8tzuAShrU_pMIYi-YHLfS2yZLnQz6iow7HKZjvwGFKUEjg2GznfW0Ho/s1600-h/coffee-mugs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmN82Vr5gP_85M7ELFZe3cicjtnSYL61vHivpS_QbI_oisOaQJHsSIXSx6C-S5RsGrBqf5J7a4eAs-Rl6eQVt8tzuAShrU_pMIYi-YHLfS2yZLnQz6iow7HKZjvwGFKUEjg2GznfW0Ho/s400/coffee-mugs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304724446815954658" border="0" /></a><br />Having stepped into some major time killing mode, the camera became much more attached to me than ever before. A few weeks ago, some of my best friends decided to drive to a model home center about 30 minutes away. Asking me if I wanted to ride along and tour the houses with them, I obliged. Thinking it would be a great opportunity to practice some interior design photography, it turned out to be the opposite. Once again, nothing went as planned. Seems to be that way from my experiences so far with photography outings. We toured 3 houses and we discussed the practicality of the layouts. Which ones were good for a family, and which ones were good for those without children. Would you willingly walk down a flight of stairs and then up a flight of stairs, through the living room and then through the sitting room, and then back to unload your groceries? Things of that nature. After some analytical thoughts about the houses, the met with a representative for the homes and started discussing details, what color the house should be, carpeting color and type or maybe wood floors, how about wall color, lighting fixtures, door knobs, countertops, sink fixtures, window blind styles and colors. Needless to say, my input was not totally necessary or welcomed by a 4 month pregnant lady, hahaha. They felt bad about bringing me along not realizing it would take so long. With my camera by my side, I could have cared less. Since the meeting went way past the offices hours, the showroom was wide open with excellent lighting and samples of things from shudders, flooring, doors, and whatever else goes inside a house. Everything was arranged in an aesthically pleasing fashion, meaning the composition for great photographs is there if you can SEE it. With the place to myself, I had a great time wandering around taking pictures. They kept checking on me to make sure I wasn't getting bored, HA! With so much to photograph I knew there was know way to get it all in. Instead of trying to get as many shots as possible, it was better to make sure the shots counted. After a couple hours, their meeting came to an end and the lights were turned off. With a house and new floor plans picked out, they now had a few images to ready to get put up on the wall.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-9704881556704006482009-02-18T19:02:00.001-08:002009-02-18T19:36:17.352-08:00Still Snowing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzDfeYRgBrAyLufTscUtTIc4C1-b8KOQRG9IJdGnydgKcLVc-6q1Av-G-6dM2hXcejYfsws-uY13F56OwvLZ2_qFpWzHTsLxWgLQQzn_tWNGTGj29j_L8wke4noE4VU8iflWZ4r_fmgs/s1600-h/_IGP6070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzDfeYRgBrAyLufTscUtTIc4C1-b8KOQRG9IJdGnydgKcLVc-6q1Av-G-6dM2hXcejYfsws-uY13F56OwvLZ2_qFpWzHTsLxWgLQQzn_tWNGTGj29j_L8wke4noE4VU8iflWZ4r_fmgs/s400/_IGP6070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304347177246561202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKDBg04LYtaxXvLJUp9AzR-YpNWCxiSY6Cs8EXty7lgTEhPF-S6Llgk23i_KmkSvZqgq0EU3sGuMaSCt2lJA_uPjqMjMGkOZStv8M8HLRAmaAPzLH7ztfslpP7OVcjrbPGCy0NUWsTQ/s1600-h/_IGP6066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKDBg04LYtaxXvLJUp9AzR-YpNWCxiSY6Cs8EXty7lgTEhPF-S6Llgk23i_KmkSvZqgq0EU3sGuMaSCt2lJA_uPjqMjMGkOZStv8M8HLRAmaAPzLH7ztfslpP7OVcjrbPGCy0NUWsTQ/s400/_IGP6066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304347177588211666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mLwiAUnVaWAEsTY3sw0v3oPocABrhxDFiFDqVwPfPg9K6Gx4Qe9ZFwMobwq94eJkBq99hySNi_SRzu4vlFm6qoeRpagp2QroiDOZjZd9sc1TL9tg2gv_kjo6CvH_jbsb6ybi3ysvdG4/s1600-h/Snow-covered-woods.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mLwiAUnVaWAEsTY3sw0v3oPocABrhxDFiFDqVwPfPg9K6Gx4Qe9ZFwMobwq94eJkBq99hySNi_SRzu4vlFm6qoeRpagp2QroiDOZjZd9sc1TL9tg2gv_kjo6CvH_jbsb6ybi3ysvdG4/s400/Snow-covered-woods.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304347175362653858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvs3ZdtDvigaBzK4BXMvN8L0-BJwjwkQoHwV-kqTdxdfGwOJaBwwf-cMzMMIBKsd0nt6uk9_-Xe3XyU3glAt6z2vvF71g6BB3KtcsXA2-r-Xv5J3R42_jB9ZqsusnG-5ybGEyJD80j8E/s1600-h/Accumulation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvs3ZdtDvigaBzK4BXMvN8L0-BJwjwkQoHwV-kqTdxdfGwOJaBwwf-cMzMMIBKsd0nt6uk9_-Xe3XyU3glAt6z2vvF71g6BB3KtcsXA2-r-Xv5J3R42_jB9ZqsusnG-5ybGEyJD80j8E/s400/Accumulation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304347171362542546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR7tGgSoZOovsd2sYNeEgH4hGbgaGJQGwcVKbS8iIIboRtb2zKemhrT5SEgQKg7GFQFp7Zp1F-IA88zYTw_t8uUrF9ukx_KllL3pR1JoKee0_5veheMMRox_zT0KNzPsSd-OMePpAQ1A/s1600-h/Lake-Erie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR7tGgSoZOovsd2sYNeEgH4hGbgaGJQGwcVKbS8iIIboRtb2zKemhrT5SEgQKg7GFQFp7Zp1F-IA88zYTw_t8uUrF9ukx_KllL3pR1JoKee0_5veheMMRox_zT0KNzPsSd-OMePpAQ1A/s400/Lake-Erie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304347171986492642" border="0" /></a><br />While it continues to snow, I continue to take pictures. A few days later, my family and I went out to Maumee Bay for the weekend. With Maumee Bay sitting right on the edge of Lake Erie, it is one of the best places to be during weather events. With my room on the second floor with a balcony over looking the lake. It was a terrible view, but great at the same time. The family decided to go for a walk on the boardwall. My dad recently had surgery and with all the snow decided to hang back. Not wanting to leave him by himself, my brother had stayed back as well leaving just my mother and I. It was the most snow we've had in 8 years. Without snowshoes, walking in the snow was harder than we thought it would be, but it was so nice out it was impossible not to continue. We walked to the furthest point of the boardwalk only to reach a couple of deer that were waiting for the storm to pass. After we walked back, it turned into a relaxing night. After a family dinner, we played a little pool. Once my parents went to bed, my brother and I stayed up a little longer hoping we would make some new friends. It never happened. After spending some time in the sauna and in the hot tub, we turned on the movie channel and went to our separate beds. Goodnight!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-22962124212408432152009-02-18T18:25:00.000-08:002009-02-18T19:01:44.025-08:00Still Driving<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmcTbk_aq4FAIyd7eJMYE-w1yU3oh4gcFAQW5oCSxFdBmCnEwJABn_vHLzB-awQ0oxCAuJNpVwb36_keSkTZV7VMxPfNuw6q4RQCQPXn7U0SEIiECE-SKDfc2HyL34CHlvO4xy-BvoEo/s1600-h/snowy-pine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmcTbk_aq4FAIyd7eJMYE-w1yU3oh4gcFAQW5oCSxFdBmCnEwJABn_vHLzB-awQ0oxCAuJNpVwb36_keSkTZV7VMxPfNuw6q4RQCQPXn7U0SEIiECE-SKDfc2HyL34CHlvO4xy-BvoEo/s400/snowy-pine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304338244665997634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgSA-LqPMlmPsQRkuZB67M_jnd9BjrD-L7DRlWtAN_V2nxaHTe4jDasrJB2F678OR97q19VhQB0u4fSDizBJCd_oiqlNkro0jx9OeTZ57R14yhwl5kEyNCXODLB12HG2FdJbmUmarP3k/s1600-h/Fresh-Snow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgSA-LqPMlmPsQRkuZB67M_jnd9BjrD-L7DRlWtAN_V2nxaHTe4jDasrJB2F678OR97q19VhQB0u4fSDizBJCd_oiqlNkro0jx9OeTZ57R14yhwl5kEyNCXODLB12HG2FdJbmUmarP3k/s400/Fresh-Snow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304338245461468306" border="0" /></a><br />Since the camera kept working, so did the weather. Spring and summer eventually turned into fall and then to winter. In the winter, driving around in storms is a little different. Usually, driving while trying to chase a storm is not exactly a safe thing to do. During winter, it is quite the opposite if you go during the right time. When the snow piles up here, it forces people inside and off the road. Clearly the majority of people are in bed and off the road after midnight. With heavy snowfall, this is exaggerated grossly and the city turns into a ghost town. Generally, with 8 inches of snow, the city is put into a level 3 snow emergency. Only emergency vehicles and snow trucks are allowed on the road. Law enforcement stays off the road because their cars are rear wheel drive and are useless in the snow. Left with only snow plows and noone else on the road(unless there is an emergency), the roads are wide open 6+ inches of untouched snow. With the heat turned out and the windows slightly cracked, the tires cut through the snow and throw it into the undercarriage sounding like your tapping your hands on a really soft bed comforter. The snow absorbs all the sound so you wonder if your car is even running. With so much cloud cover and snow in the air, it may seem like there is a lot of light when there is actually very little. Everything is lit against a white background and seems much brighter than it really is. After driving around in a few snowstorms, it was more for enjoyment and practice in different driving conditions. The best drivers come are the ones that have practiced and prepared for every condition and it only comes from experience, just like anything else. With everything so peaceful and serene, it is hard to describe, even with a picture. Like driving, taking a decent picture takes time and practice in these conditions.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-21856491199266823812009-02-18T08:15:00.000-08:002009-02-18T08:48:46.086-08:00The Aftermath<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgNcOC-Prf8NNgDmTDGhyphenhyphen_YIKHGQiq3FWlQXnphyJKtg4BbIaLvkh66E6_8JUIut1-KZHY3E5bk0vBYZijaOX1LN3CIMEdChyqK2mYzXVGgM5njHv_QdBWvvqItUCxSmJ1R2SGOVPJH4/s1600-h/197.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgNcOC-Prf8NNgDmTDGhyphenhyphen_YIKHGQiq3FWlQXnphyJKtg4BbIaLvkh66E6_8JUIut1-KZHY3E5bk0vBYZijaOX1LN3CIMEdChyqK2mYzXVGgM5njHv_QdBWvvqItUCxSmJ1R2SGOVPJH4/s400/197.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304180208812880290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGuig6gIoG1NNLJGxTJfzTe_8jG39_8YfjpdppuaSqgoyxCU_PTYICGsUCIid9uiVObCY5IvpjiymYK3fcbRWDZLCPT2i7B1w4UkzrBWMDUrzhds8Rr4-uzCxvjhZYkmixg32uPBHRhE/s1600-h/195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGuig6gIoG1NNLJGxTJfzTe_8jG39_8YfjpdppuaSqgoyxCU_PTYICGsUCIid9uiVObCY5IvpjiymYK3fcbRWDZLCPT2i7B1w4UkzrBWMDUrzhds8Rr4-uzCxvjhZYkmixg32uPBHRhE/s400/195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304180209467080914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQdLiinSYJ_-Hq6BlhLmETHGUDmMvJc6hgrrnAsy-ij2zjeBefuvziO-CyTSAf-5rcdKJY1N9tyw_NfEs0Ipwvku2LJnc8XUNzE5Z2BXQ-ErtvRK_7VHDKagSGeTBfNWM3XanU8E7-h4/s1600-h/194.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQdLiinSYJ_-Hq6BlhLmETHGUDmMvJc6hgrrnAsy-ij2zjeBefuvziO-CyTSAf-5rcdKJY1N9tyw_NfEs0Ipwvku2LJnc8XUNzE5Z2BXQ-ErtvRK_7VHDKagSGeTBfNWM3XanU8E7-h4/s400/194.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304180207637362962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLde2M-G037mG1Ynus8M5OEE_t6q7G3DBYJyYsCoiMq92n00OnPjoVb3MbjPm3aHzXD_OiOFifNLZ6rPGMFscU4AOtgD_xf-UfqXK6m8ALn50_XBaE3HBad1Tg7MPGeIyWHxwdiSZbeVA/s1600-h/196.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLde2M-G037mG1Ynus8M5OEE_t6q7G3DBYJyYsCoiMq92n00OnPjoVb3MbjPm3aHzXD_OiOFifNLZ6rPGMFscU4AOtgD_xf-UfqXK6m8ALn50_XBaE3HBad1Tg7MPGeIyWHxwdiSZbeVA/s400/196.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304180204833848210" border="0" /></a><br />Moving away from wildlife photography was a success. Since this was never meant to be a business and has always been a hobby first, the only person to please was myself. The images that were being taken now were doing just that and provided the fuel for me to continue down this path. With the promising hopes of the lightning and then the university, the next goal was to combine the two and take a picture of the University Tower getting struck by lightning. This has proved to be harder than I thought but I'm still working on it. It is one of the tallest structures in the area, so it gets hit more than the rest of the buildings. Life will tell you differently, that when you really are looking for something the most, you will never find it. It is when you are not expecting anything that you find everything. Another storm eventually came through. The sky had a really good feeling about it. The sky became really black, and the wind settled down. Hoping for the best, I made my way over to the parking garage to get set up and the sky opened up. Lightning, heavy wind, rain all but where I needed it to be, on top of the tower. A few lightning strikes occurred all around me, and as the storm passed, I grew increasingly disappointed. As I looked to the south, there was a large black plume of smoke rising from the ground. Figuring my chances for the shot were over, I made my way over to the smoke. As I approached, traffic was backed up and I saw the top of the flames rising from a shopping center. Not more than a mile from where I was parked, flames erupted from this building. As I pulled up to the intersection, I was first in line. With my camera all ready to go, I aimed it through the windshield and took a couple pictures. After turning around the corner, there was a mass of firetrucks on the scene. With the Jeep being 'trail rated' haha, the curb was no longer an obstacle and I made it into a grassy area where no one else was. Having never seen the Toledo firefighters use a ladder truck before, it turned into a frenzy for me. I started taking pictures of everything about the trucks. With no experience in journalism, only a couple of them turned out but did they ever. After getting home my mom called me to tell me that storm produced a tornado about 20 miles away at the marina where we keep our boat. Thankfully, neither the boat or the camper was there. The following day I drove out there to see the damage. Since it was in the middle of the country there was not too much lost. Once entering into the marina, a few of the campers were moved, and a dry docked boats were pushed over. If I hadnt been so busy taking pictures of this fire I might have made it to the tornado, but my life is still here. I questioned my sanity later, when we had a tornado come through about 5 miles from our house. I thought I might get a picture of something when I drove up to Michigan at a point about 2 miles from our house. Standing up on an hill crest where a quarry was beginning to get blasted out the table was turnee and I got blasted with a wall of debris and winds that knocked my camera and tripod over. The sky changed into colors and shapes I didnt think existed so needless to say, the offroad capabilities of my jeep meant nothing now. It was all about speed. I think I broke every speed record on the streets and ran through every stop sign and light trying to get home. I was literally the only guy on the road. Once I got home the storm slipped just North of us, about where I was standing. I would have stayed longer, but due to the trees I could only see about a mile or two. It was a good adventure and a learning experience. I would hate to get into a situation like that again without some sort of practice. Yep, Ill probably do it again.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-36540798313714875222009-02-18T08:10:00.001-08:002009-02-18T08:11:18.723-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmZSgPmYektZCl6KIH54AfdcBHSptjroCTel-2dhS4jHz2QGo4MdzKNua2UiEy3HWPzEPc-OubKbtmyBgQSd00za9pxoBmZVSZ53qjSX3DxV9LyJD0XgpkWocvj2NFPKPiyGGoqAAo8E/s1600-h/157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmZSgPmYektZCl6KIH54AfdcBHSptjroCTel-2dhS4jHz2QGo4MdzKNua2UiEy3HWPzEPc-OubKbtmyBgQSd00za9pxoBmZVSZ53qjSX3DxV9LyJD0XgpkWocvj2NFPKPiyGGoqAAo8E/s400/157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304170641789266386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXa_C32TwRUTIJGSi_2ZYoifNzjsWCG7mP_TmUF0yiVY5r15uZvbzc6rH11ZbDaBXzr-dlcY1AatQGBy99MJyzH1XH7VqOVJkwAG_LtwDzVm_0jMTLwLUL9r2_1P0l7o1XtjerjtQN3aI/s1600-h/50yd-line.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXa_C32TwRUTIJGSi_2ZYoifNzjsWCG7mP_TmUF0yiVY5r15uZvbzc6rH11ZbDaBXzr-dlcY1AatQGBy99MJyzH1XH7VqOVJkwAG_LtwDzVm_0jMTLwLUL9r2_1P0l7o1XtjerjtQN3aI/s400/50yd-line.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304170642992391906" border="0" /></a><br />After driving around town searching for some ideal opportunities to take some photographs, the driving became less aimless. It was still left open ended in case other opportunities presented themselves but there were ideal targets now. With the next target identified as the college I received my diploma from, The <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234973397_0">University of Toledo</span> was a commonly photographed place. Every photographer in town has a picture of the tower, so how could I be different? Fortunately, taking pictures at night is one of my favorite things to do. Not only do many people not take advantage of it, but when you add that to places people are scared to go at night, it makes it even better. Making my way onto the roof of the parking garage, I was overlooking the staff parking lot and onto the main campus. The tower was well lit and so was the parking lot. Shooting away, the resulting image became a 24x36 print framed and given to my Grandma as a gift for sending me to college. It has been the only one printed and will probably remain that way.<br />After leaving the roof of the parking garage I moved over to the <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234973397_1">football stadium</span>. Realizing the gate to the stadium was open, I slipped in and it was quite eerie. Being the only one in the stadium built for 30000, there was no choice but to take advantage of the situation. After doing things that could not have been done with people in the stadium, the camera began some short lived work. With the batteries dying, shots became extremely selective. Once the batteries died, and not having anything decent to leave with, the losing walk to the locker room started. I ended up making it onto the field where I couldn't help but notice the famous 50 yard line. STOP! With a set of dead batteries in the camera, and a set of dead batteries in my pocket, desperation turned into utility. After being in my pocket, the batteries warmed up enough to get a couple more shots off. Turned out to be a win in overtime!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-16941275424102872092009-02-17T21:34:00.000-08:002009-02-17T22:11:23.503-08:00Aimless Driving<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiCxyD4o928z5qCCPpUa5kZY7SjpOL2yC9f0jEZr5CcSwX_QrHdcRX_tYsj-msC1Lqp-o1ejGkbr9Js4gJPDNVz4AKWvC08GbWFYECSEwYvSodcddzFjAXE1s6Zvf8xfH2TdJyuk0I8Q/s1600-h/198.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiCxyD4o928z5qCCPpUa5kZY7SjpOL2yC9f0jEZr5CcSwX_QrHdcRX_tYsj-msC1Lqp-o1ejGkbr9Js4gJPDNVz4AKWvC08GbWFYECSEwYvSodcddzFjAXE1s6Zvf8xfH2TdJyuk0I8Q/s400/198.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304016061326738466" border="0" /></a><br />Since the concern for my dog stemmed from the intensity levels of the adventures, you would think it would only get more intense now that she was staying at home. WRONG! The complete opposite happened. Trying to move away from all of that nature jazz, I moved back into my car. Inside the car has always been my favorite place, especially behind the driver seat. Something about it lets me clear my mind of whats going on and lets me think without any interruptions. Driving around, just to drive around has lead me to find many 'holes' in the city where few people tend to go. With a Jeep, where the pavement ends, the fun begins. It does not get jumped, but it does drive over gravel, uncut grass, mud, water, DEEP snow, and a through storms! Caution.... Driving offroad does take some research and proper technique before execution in order to maintain the vehicle properly. Since the walking adventures died down, the driving adventures became more frequent. This worked quite well since I wanted to move away from nature photography. First on the list was to catch a storm. Everytime a heavy storm would roll through town, the immediate response was to grab the keys, fill up the car with gas, grab the camera, tripod, and extra batteries. After several months and a several hundred miles later, it all came togther one night. I had gone to my Alma Mater/University of Toledo to take some pictures. knowing the heavy cloud cover would ruin any chance I had at getting the buildings, I still went. While sitting on top of the parking garage, the radio called for heavy thunderstorms about 10 miles West of where I was. About 30 seconds passed and I was already out of the parking garage and headed towards the storm. Not wanting to get into the middle of the storm, I raced to make sure I would be in front of the storm to where the 'head' of all the lightning would be. The lighting was unbelievable for Northwest Ohio and I finally found a spot to rest. I set the tripod and camera outside the car while I stayed 'safely' inside, it was focused on a barn several hundred yards away lit by several street lights. Then at an instant the shutter was depressed, the lighting struck. The image took 3rd in a photo contest for the University and I made myself happy.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-40141091765392169612009-02-17T14:27:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:55:58.312-08:00Golden Weiner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3I8MaV8s038b2XSfD1YJsw__VNfvxlGTCulywQD2yh7-HY2epFuY3-PuvL2pj7Ga4NiY4v2BOtZYDQDntIr6qo9_2jLZ48hLKzFKXvUebW9v84nqbl9wkcuy_HnbhTfn5jypcD8jNEw/s1600-h/IMGP2282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3I8MaV8s038b2XSfD1YJsw__VNfvxlGTCulywQD2yh7-HY2epFuY3-PuvL2pj7Ga4NiY4v2BOtZYDQDntIr6qo9_2jLZ48hLKzFKXvUebW9v84nqbl9wkcuy_HnbhTfn5jypcD8jNEw/s400/IMGP2282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303903832300918850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCKDcM_VLMqi6atDPIimcEZGGIxlaOGobUG-IIz8K8JkUYAIZDZFNunOsE3MEQJa_kpzouInwAEx54h8jSPLa5EXuGl4rqi8x-AaWcNJr_CmnopXGWNd6C90_PFZ2tjkclC2-vngULmc/s1600-h/_IGP7556.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCKDcM_VLMqi6atDPIimcEZGGIxlaOGobUG-IIz8K8JkUYAIZDZFNunOsE3MEQJa_kpzouInwAEx54h8jSPLa5EXuGl4rqi8x-AaWcNJr_CmnopXGWNd6C90_PFZ2tjkclC2-vngULmc/s400/_IGP7556.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303903829977244370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4JNpZFmeuLZeROHA_camkCJO1BZB3Bm_Yj3WV-RnCaNZ21vtiJEbkYCskIMoEtE92nQO2pXdiQHEoJNNWmc871K33yo2LJ6d580AHdomMo0jlf7jcP6E_emDfyD18nMgIEL_8DVtMf8/s1600-h/224.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4JNpZFmeuLZeROHA_camkCJO1BZB3Bm_Yj3WV-RnCaNZ21vtiJEbkYCskIMoEtE92nQO2pXdiQHEoJNNWmc871K33yo2LJ6d580AHdomMo0jlf7jcP6E_emDfyD18nMgIEL_8DVtMf8/s400/224.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303903825105238482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrEUdrKu2Vq-0E2CrcYtSzWfpf3uHZq-2d_jXvMRnMDyHUP5-0RyW4XIjBMG4Ebi6mWAZFIISVF5bNVIlOFITtAdBgNZQliXljndgO_pS-u46V1MODxHkQQehTWfF7tw3mf7b4uk_M7s/s1600-h/_IGP4788.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrEUdrKu2Vq-0E2CrcYtSzWfpf3uHZq-2d_jXvMRnMDyHUP5-0RyW4XIjBMG4Ebi6mWAZFIISVF5bNVIlOFITtAdBgNZQliXljndgO_pS-u46V1MODxHkQQehTWfF7tw3mf7b4uk_M7s/s400/_IGP4788.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303903826412665266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDBnpbKIcZfT6xYcoJPDa71Vq01ae47EqliOt8djy-P-t15-709ZhWByFSht-2rKlUu8PZUT_HGn1QTqZtOnpT0I0Y0WTulV-ACVi3ZL42UcTYFCwJG9GItnO5XiWJbwEBzTUI581e1c/s1600-h/_IGP4000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDBnpbKIcZfT6xYcoJPDa71Vq01ae47EqliOt8djy-P-t15-709ZhWByFSht-2rKlUu8PZUT_HGn1QTqZtOnpT0I0Y0WTulV-ACVi3ZL42UcTYFCwJG9GItnO5XiWJbwEBzTUI581e1c/s400/_IGP4000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303903826587101634" border="0" /></a><br />It would have been awesome to stick to the statement that landscape and wildlife photography took the passenger seat, but that turned out to be false. Possessing the skills to move past this, I was forced to continue to go to the parks, rivers, lakes etc. Instead of forcing the pictures, my dog became the entertainment. She is an extremely loyal dog willing to go to any lengths to follow me wherever I go. As the frustration mounted from forcing pictures that really were nothing more than really good snapshots, puppy was a good release. Pushing myself to into situations that would normally be impossible, the rivers started being crossed, and the trees started looking like ladders. As I crossed a river, she could not find one wide or fast enough. As I found a tree, she could not find one high enough. The deeper the snow got, the more she wagged her tail. It was pure entertainment. It took my eye off the surroundings for long enough. My camera was always ready to take a picture of something else, but she was the best subject I could find. She continued to amaze me with her audacity. One day I found downed tree leaning on another tree. It made for a good climb, but she followed me. It was not quite straight up, but just enough to shimmy up. After I made it up, she thought she could do it. SHE DID! With a low center of gravity and abnormally long body, she made it up without a problem. It was quite scary and after telling her to get down she did, but not until after some observing. That was too much. Officially ending her tree climbing at that moment, I have used quite a bit of caution when out with her. She has nabbed squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, moles, chipmunks and HATES cats. You have never seen an animal foam at the mouth until you see her on the fresh trail of a cat. Depending on how adventurous I would be, it determined whether or not she would stay home. Concerned for her safety, it would only be a matter of time if she continued this behavior. It was a good thing, because it took my focus off her and placed it back into the camera.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-9308856544180652742009-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:002009-02-16T21:06:27.714-08:00Moving on<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkQbqtbR3P47Kqe8kFa6r_gqroVgnVpIH8AnDlMAIGtbHh4HF-yie13y2PSIjqpA3e9pvIX2SNBt_A41Vz2XbIxL500jVjo1QuO-wfrHPLHXMOuX5mbz4w7nmLhnGK3ORbOkhYLZ0ZwQ/s1600-h/18.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkQbqtbR3P47Kqe8kFa6r_gqroVgnVpIH8AnDlMAIGtbHh4HF-yie13y2PSIjqpA3e9pvIX2SNBt_A41Vz2XbIxL500jVjo1QuO-wfrHPLHXMOuX5mbz4w7nmLhnGK3ORbOkhYLZ0ZwQ/s400/18.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303626809883393106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GbQZxLspSXdmGVI9NhSTa9o0kFq7EbxbITjLhDSZX-EJFDYc9B8xU6n0FtP8mcxFyWG9n-eUEI42-hiYBe3uWe6NkJxU2aFf5vRS7MjuYDj4I2KRkA4e927a9aijpgfFMcRjCfxcKoI/s1600-h/38.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GbQZxLspSXdmGVI9NhSTa9o0kFq7EbxbITjLhDSZX-EJFDYc9B8xU6n0FtP8mcxFyWG9n-eUEI42-hiYBe3uWe6NkJxU2aFf5vRS7MjuYDj4I2KRkA4e927a9aijpgfFMcRjCfxcKoI/s400/38.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303616480009384562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyG-nCFAlG6KDezFdyonLlYVPXAq9PoyHd__PyJjhyL_52lZT7mwPJCrJvKSFr-2fhizjsou5mrm_oDfjvSqolqTVlCM5ceru4xwYo0cl8dW0kR2yMpn2AwTsliTVUBZu7rbZh0TPtEo/s1600-h/15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyG-nCFAlG6KDezFdyonLlYVPXAq9PoyHd__PyJjhyL_52lZT7mwPJCrJvKSFr-2fhizjsou5mrm_oDfjvSqolqTVlCM5ceru4xwYo0cl8dW0kR2yMpn2AwTsliTVUBZu7rbZh0TPtEo/s400/15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303616479455210322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrLnI0KwM3CYJeJzSOJ8mpfjGSxIfCE-pBeDbAMQRygWT4UwbniYkv3v3v_CiZ9yo9Cys1fEw1uCjX5dHZH43ce0uwmT6fyYJNp0la6Fh8xZexUFXHlln7xcGZLxdW0wSW3FHhL3E0RY/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrLnI0KwM3CYJeJzSOJ8mpfjGSxIfCE-pBeDbAMQRygWT4UwbniYkv3v3v_CiZ9yo9Cys1fEw1uCjX5dHZH43ce0uwmT6fyYJNp0la6Fh8xZexUFXHlln7xcGZLxdW0wSW3FHhL3E0RY/s400/11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303616476262013282" border="0" /></a><br />Now were finally back to the photography timeline. After spending some time outdoors taking photographs, I had compiled hundreds of images I thought were good, but something about them just did not impress me. As anyone that has looked at images for any serious amount of time, there are images you will personally like, and images you think are great. The difference between a personal great and a great image is sometimes hard to distinguish, but it is relatively easy. The images that you can look at and say thats a good image, are generally personal favorites. Then the images that you look at and stumble for a few seconds, only to say the same thing are the great images. It is that pause that leaves you thinking...................................................... but there aren't really words to describe it, that makes it great. If that pause leads to an indecision, then its a personal favorite. If that pause still cannot come up with anything, its because pictures can say what a thousands words cannot. No matter what you think about the image you are enjoying, there is more than one way to describe it, so you will try and find the best word to describe it, other than just, "thats good" or "thats nice" After having taken so many pictures, nothing really had given that feeling until these were taken. Some pictures taken earlier were great pictures, especially of the fog, but nothing that pushed the creative envelope. After some harsh self-criticism, the effort moved away from the standard deer and landscape pictures. The initial push came during the winter when I found some ice surrounding a plant outside. I took a picture of it, and thought it was amazing. Abstract, and large enough to fill the frame, it sparked a new thought of what could be done. Since I am completely self taught, instead of the rule of thirds, it was fun to break that rule and fill the frame with a design, lines, textures, and color. Once the picture was taken, it set a goal and a precedent. If nothing was initially as exciting as that, the image was just deleted. A few weeks later, getting frustrated not being able to duplicate a picture of that nature, the patio behind the house became the new subject. Following the lines of the shadows, a leaf and some water started screaming at me. It was loud, and became a classic that is one for the ages(started my shadow obsession). Summer came around and I was back outside. Camping next to a dam on the Maumee River and recognizing the potential for opportunity, I sat next to the dam just trying to figure out how to explain it through an image. After an hour or so just sitting there, it came to me and I started pressing the shutter button. It finally happened. It was extremely pleasing and knew that instant I had something great. Then that next spring I enrolled in a recreational photography class. It turned out that it was for beginners, with NO experience. I stayed in the class where I made friends with the instructor and helped with the class. I did not "learn" much from the class, but helped with instructing. By helping the instructor, it forced me to recognize what I had been teaching myself. It allowed me to verbally explain what I had been seeing and experiencing. Being self taught, the lingo and explanation for my actions had restricted my ability to expand. Finally, being able to communicate my thoughts and actions to others, I could jump the puddle in front of me. As a class we went on a field trip to take pictures at a local park. Fortunately, the field trip was at Secor Park in Lucas County Ohio, which is also the National Center for Nature Photograpy. The center has a gallery that frequently has works from all over the country and is run by Art Weber. After having been at the park probably a hundred times, I figured I would not get anything, how wrong could I have been. There were some spring flowers out front where I took the image of the giant leaf. We shared the images we took in class and my instructor loved the image. It was bothering that he criticized the shadow I loved so much, but then realized that you can never call an image perfect. Realizing that perfection is not achievable, practice will only make picture better. With perfection not being obtainable, then getting better was now the main goal. Taking baby steps, making sure it could be taken the best it could have been through my experience, everything reinvented itself. Although it was still in the car, wildlife took the passenger seat.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-88675335162175273392009-02-14T19:31:00.001-08:002009-02-14T20:00:27.514-08:00Valentines Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u0HzB0Rj0wkhXKcBG1E32YIGxt9_KkuJgnsnKGpxeq6uHG3H25dEOjcUVmlYcAIiD5ycPAx3QmTTx2KABoEEEIei02RZhDSS4UQ518KL-4hTVUnmHSjwueP3jzrxgkjLLrS-UgBn1_c/s1600-h/morenos3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u0HzB0Rj0wkhXKcBG1E32YIGxt9_KkuJgnsnKGpxeq6uHG3H25dEOjcUVmlYcAIiD5ycPAx3QmTTx2KABoEEEIei02RZhDSS4UQ518KL-4hTVUnmHSjwueP3jzrxgkjLLrS-UgBn1_c/s400/morenos3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302869054860395282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwEAfXG_Er7wO6hGQDHyhpZlqCb5IzVSnqvR5wPf-fyKsZvQCLZzAIe2tuJeTYODOytpmk8XlhJFjQntEQog8Jfp2upZQeIuaaaA36Pae32r9tSqPAsRvk1ZtzjU4vfW_cTDZfwHfHho/s1600-h/morenos2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwEAfXG_Er7wO6hGQDHyhpZlqCb5IzVSnqvR5wPf-fyKsZvQCLZzAIe2tuJeTYODOytpmk8XlhJFjQntEQog8Jfp2upZQeIuaaaA36Pae32r9tSqPAsRvk1ZtzjU4vfW_cTDZfwHfHho/s400/morenos2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302869053653411906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-TfpmJ6kwmugneW2yYfgwQi06xsmG_0jO3QXj9sn6EPKDiuc3OhqyGpCIzNW55idQeuldi5kCGKRvy4w3eWawQckBIMC8jO80KmEqgE9yWvBc1iT13D14p3NGeMB0u2e_Ehgreax9To/s1600-h/morenos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-TfpmJ6kwmugneW2yYfgwQi06xsmG_0jO3QXj9sn6EPKDiuc3OhqyGpCIzNW55idQeuldi5kCGKRvy4w3eWawQckBIMC8jO80KmEqgE9yWvBc1iT13D14p3NGeMB0u2e_Ehgreax9To/s400/morenos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302869045575342018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEOLJpvZG-974pUiBJ80iKDvDjoU2muxGH6tcMv5R33ifI5jUIUsqfYkVvyUxpr8qG0v_xRHhS3-VIyJHh1N-iVHTZd-BV_FD9PI_H2VXEKvO7iMVRxjERxrnKMfzjjBhN93bMI4zEoo/s1600-h/tableflowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEOLJpvZG-974pUiBJ80iKDvDjoU2muxGH6tcMv5R33ifI5jUIUsqfYkVvyUxpr8qG0v_xRHhS3-VIyJHh1N-iVHTZd-BV_FD9PI_H2VXEKvO7iMVRxjERxrnKMfzjjBhN93bMI4zEoo/s400/tableflowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302869046380451794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALC7l3r8RpnHaA4w69i2rNAHsj3JLCuo7EAYIhdokX0o7oIrZiGwUJnTBRRYWfJg1ramFaK2aceIWGydKnj3WF7f9io9Y9092nRNXh1Hqs60eeELyeTg5L16qjfxvdsRD7WOPO0FZutk/s1600-h/menu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALC7l3r8RpnHaA4w69i2rNAHsj3JLCuo7EAYIhdokX0o7oIrZiGwUJnTBRRYWfJg1ramFaK2aceIWGydKnj3WF7f9io9Y9092nRNXh1Hqs60eeELyeTg5L16qjfxvdsRD7WOPO0FZutk/s400/menu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302869043643663378" border="0" /></a><br />Today was Valentines Day so we are going to break off the course of this blog for 24hrs. Funny how you remember certain days of the year and forget others. I forgot about today when I woke up. Even though a reminder came last night, for some reason it still did not register. Since Circuit City is going out of business, ma mere wanted to go and see if there was anything left. I noticed an 8gb pro SD card for my camera and since there was not a price labeled on it, I went to ask how much it was. As a photographer, you tend to see a lot of little things you would not normally see. Waiting in line, I glanced up and noticed a camera lens sitting on a shelf in the middle of a few other boxes. I immediately had a moment of excitement. There was a little orange dot on it which meant it was a Sony lens. YEAH! Being a 75-300, it was something needed for the new camera. Since the Pentax I have has one, it is definitely sub-par and an OEM lens would be a great thing to have. Completely forgetting about the memory card, they told me the price of the lens was $70 which was pretty good considering it is $230 online. Unfortunately, my wallet was not with me, and even so, without a real don't have the money for it. Begging my mother to get it under the idea she would get the money back, she said yes but needed to go home and grab the cash for it. I called my cousin on the way home to try and pawn one of my guns off on him. He was quick to say yes since it would complete the collection he has been wanting and my smile. His smile because my smile, and we were in business. I was getting a new lens for my camera, but losing it at a cost of another dear possession. We got home and I got online to make sure it was worth the $70. While I was on the computer, my dad sat on the couch with the dog and my mom approached me with a smile. I asked her if she was ready to go and she said yeah, hold on one minute though. Every minute that passed was another minute this lens had a chance to leave the store without my hands on it. While looking at the computer again, she grabbed a small bag under the couch and put it on my dads lap. They both looked and had a mischevious grin on their face, said, you have to hook our new speakers up first, but Happy Valentines Day. Putting a new Sony 75-300mm in my lap, it was a glorious feeling. A brand new lens, HA! What a way to start the day. Pretty exceptional. After hooking up the speakers, the lens lens took a spin on the camera. Once the speakers were hooked up, I watched John Hancock on the new surround sound. We drove down to Carey, OH to listen to my brother at Moreno's. The food was half decent, but quite pricey. The new guys my brother was playing with were disappointed but he was laughing at their inexperience. Being from a somewhat urban area, Carey, OH down home place where I could get some good pictures of the exterior. It turned out to be a good Valentines Day. Thanks Mom! Happy Valentines Day!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-66884290509534227382009-02-13T21:19:00.000-08:002009-02-13T21:24:00.237-08:00Rule of thirds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXd2RTaZtlJ1vUHbuc9yVOrjIXp9Hyj6-G9-UFHOxv8teBbHCZRW7_AdZYWipgeeEqZji8hbGs0jKoPxAFtVrb8tfEuPUPd4rDidxEpLHOetSrNsu-c3ZZ6mygNGj7yQCBD3sSLETSAlw/s1600-h/frames.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXd2RTaZtlJ1vUHbuc9yVOrjIXp9Hyj6-G9-UFHOxv8teBbHCZRW7_AdZYWipgeeEqZji8hbGs0jKoPxAFtVrb8tfEuPUPd4rDidxEpLHOetSrNsu-c3ZZ6mygNGj7yQCBD3sSLETSAlw/s400/frames.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302519346435866610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrFEOXHzv2dDv_OfaL75Bo5wUbCOJXOCCJfawoIT3X5TD1k-h-CihKA0iiQZ4dHDyXWSiFQ-Gzh4cO4txVAlbEST5bj2VrhFQoggQGfKoI8yL1KVc8itWEiYjQVVPfrTISTQOIXG7tP0/s1600-h/reflections.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrFEOXHzv2dDv_OfaL75Bo5wUbCOJXOCCJfawoIT3X5TD1k-h-CihKA0iiQZ4dHDyXWSiFQ-Gzh4cO4txVAlbEST5bj2VrhFQoggQGfKoI8yL1KVc8itWEiYjQVVPfrTISTQOIXG7tP0/s400/reflections.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302519348377293506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> For those beginners out there, one of the most important rules you need to learn first is the rule of thirds. This is the one thing in photography that is used the most. When taking a photograph, it is easy place the subject of the photograph directly in the center of the image. Try as hard as you can to break yourself of this habit. Although it is not always applicable, it is 90% of the time.<br /><br />When taking an image, it is necessary to imagine these lines. After imagining the lines, place your subject on one of the lines. Our eyes naturally look away from the center of a photograph, by placing your subject on one of these lines, the viewers eyes will naturally gravitate towards your subject making for a more captivating image. When looking at the second image, the focus point is directly in the center of the photograph. However, your eyes do not recognize this. They recognize the white frame(rule of thirds) because it confuses your eyes about the subject of the photograph. Now look at the first photograph, the white frame is now in focus. Your eyes are no longer confused because what your eyes perceive as the subject really are the subject. Again, this is one of the most important tips in all of photography. Remember it, force it into your head. After a while it will come naturally, until then, remember, RULE OF THIRDS! This will help you to take better pictures no matter what kind of camera you have. This will help anyone take better pictures, and better pictures mean better memories, and better memories mean you had a better time!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-86639867305700443272009-02-13T16:21:00.001-08:002009-02-13T16:22:19.682-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb5oeURmr0jsmQ-5KxbyYxmVxcox93fFf-rFMtqIuvF5o84bxedxU4kIInc_c7xk9SQTQskKfJyKlkpSEwH-jUhHUFG4-0cNp5d6Iet2F0EE3hIEjkMD8DBvIx2u7ocZNe3pCCRnuDDY/s1600-h/shattered-dreams.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb5oeURmr0jsmQ-5KxbyYxmVxcox93fFf-rFMtqIuvF5o84bxedxU4kIInc_c7xk9SQTQskKfJyKlkpSEwH-jUhHUFG4-0cNp5d6Iet2F0EE3hIEjkMD8DBvIx2u7ocZNe3pCCRnuDDY/s400/shattered-dreams.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302441770133697474" border="0" /></a><br />While working at an electronics store, there was a gentleman who frequented the place. He had a very strange demeanor and his actions were as well. He would just walk, and stop and look around. Pick random things off the ground and put them in his pocket. I am known as a nice guy willing to listen to anyone. He clearly picked me out for that reason and he had given me his opinions on life and money. I wish I had a tape recorder for the conversation because it was one of the most interesting conversations I have ever had. He spent more time talking about the secrets of money and the secret meanings that money had. The subtle meanings built into the format of the currency and the subtle meanings it had in life. People in the store made fun of him and gave him a hard time for his behavior but I just talked with him and listened. He seemed to take to me quite well, and when the conversation was over he said thank you for it and began to walk away. After taking a step towards the door he stopped and pulled out a few dollars from his wallet and ripped them apart right there on the counter. He told me to keep them, give them to my kids, keep them as a lesson, or throw them away. I kept them along with my coin collection wondering what I would do with it, until last night.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-64449012825022960842009-02-13T15:04:00.000-08:002009-02-13T15:27:56.070-08:00Time passing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvS7XRNMCCB-bt7MmLtf6MEzTxk67XDcGp7YLHkEiqx5cQx1qMV477PytytLSlhF8-ghS4p7QN4pJL2-2EDFTkPKhLL3CNd4SjuQGvVQg8QxPSbPJw1Fi3AwDz-6-X14aPunntvIs2SE/s1600-h/Mother-and-Fawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvS7XRNMCCB-bt7MmLtf6MEzTxk67XDcGp7YLHkEiqx5cQx1qMV477PytytLSlhF8-ghS4p7QN4pJL2-2EDFTkPKhLL3CNd4SjuQGvVQg8QxPSbPJw1Fi3AwDz-6-X14aPunntvIs2SE/s400/Mother-and-Fawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302427740553934770" border="0" /></a><br />Since the fishing trips were over and summer was not, I stayed outside the rest of the summer. I ended up getting a dirt cheap 300mm lens. I think I might have spent a $130 for it. Totally unaware of anything really photography related, I couldn't wait to use this thing. Made by Promaster, it was something out of a book. It was big, heavy, and had a large piece of glass on the front. After using it for about a day or two, I realized why it was so cheap. It was not an autofocus lens, and it was a push/pull zoom. Using it taught me an extremely valuable lesson, find out what you are getting into before jumping in. It took some time to get used to it, and eventually I did. Even though it eventually got destroyed and tossed in the garbage, it was a well spent $130. I only got one decent picture out of it. It is still a personal favorite of mine today. I went out to Maumee Bay State Park to walk around on the boardwalk. About half way through it, there is a place where at the time was a blind. It was a public blind that you could wait for birds and deer to walk through. There were inscriptions on the benches inside, on the walls, it was an obvious place for many couples. As I walked about half way down the path, I heard something behind me. When I turned around I could not believe what I saw. There was this mother deer and her little fawn. Just laying there and completely careless about my presence. With this cheap lens and fairly new camera, I crept as close as I could without getting them too nervous. I zoomed all the way in and started shooting in burst mode. There were probably 50 pictures of these two by the time it was over with. Now this is the only one that remains. The quality of it is greatly deteriorated now. It never was good in the first place, but it still remains one of those things you can't forget. Since learning what lenses are good for situations like this, the lens was finally replaced and more pictures of deer were taken out there. People like deer. They find them natural and intriguing, and tasty. Pictures of deer are something people will always look at and find amazement in. For that reason, I will probably always take pictures of deer. Not because I find them so amazing, but because they do make for good subjects which ultimately entertain the audience. More deer are in the future on this site, but not for a while. Many more things happened before I got that new lens.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217427674916938945.post-86999756861409224942009-02-12T22:13:00.000-08:002009-02-12T22:52:35.065-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQh3AepRhk_GfxCkQOBwZIe3aOfSPNuNyS329IpEtcDHH5hDAYQAbT1Blslxkrkh1Lr6b8OZQrIkoIJcxSeTvxi93pIMvJ2q7SHrGlfgYhF0TMpWZ-gnwHeGpJVpwdXjXF0AKdPF40xs/s1600-h/176.2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQh3AepRhk_GfxCkQOBwZIe3aOfSPNuNyS329IpEtcDHH5hDAYQAbT1Blslxkrkh1Lr6b8OZQrIkoIJcxSeTvxi93pIMvJ2q7SHrGlfgYhF0TMpWZ-gnwHeGpJVpwdXjXF0AKdPF40xs/s400/176.2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302171264675563922" border="0" /></a><br />After the trip to Alabama, we followed it up with a trip to Canada to go fishing for Northern Pike. The drive this time was a bit longer, almost double. One way took around 20 hours. From Toledo, OH, we trekked around Chicago, then up to Wisconsin. Once crossing into Canada, we drove a little more than an hour to reach our destination. It was a few hours north of International Falls, I only remember this because I took a picture of the signs. It was in the middle of nowhere too. At least a half hours drive to the nearest gas station, and that's around 60 mph. This trip was much more expensive than the other one, but the fishing was a LOT better. During the course of the week we probably caught more than 200 pike between the two of us and we didn't count the smallmouth bass or walleye. In the morning we went out, caught our limit in a few hours. Instead of making the 45 minute boat ride back into camp, we just fileted the fish on the shoreline(shorline firepit) and ate them. Fish do not taste any better than that. Most of them were caught within an hour of eating them. We went with some family friends and always had our fill and then some. The lake was absolutely gorgeous, day and night. Hundreds of miles from anything resembling a city, the stars were always out in full force, and the air was crisp and clean. Witnessing bald eagles catch fish out of the water, 60lb beavers slap their tails on the water, loons nesting and making their ritual calls at night and staring at you with red eyes during the day, pelicans by the hundreds, deer, BIG FISH, and bears, it was definitly something out of a book. A giant rock stood out in a bay area that I had to climb up to get a picture on. Knowing there were bears in the area I did it anyways. Like a squirrel in his favorite tree, I made it up the rock efforlessly. Just like in Alabama with the alligator, my dad had the worst possible thoughts in his mind. He thought for sure I would get stalked by a bear, but they are like any other animal and would rather run before fighting, plus it was only a 60 foot jump or so and I would land safely in the water, right? There is nothing like that around our "Great" Lake Erie. At night we had a few beers, told some fish stories, then repeated the day, for a whole week. Everynight was like the first night. The air just seemed so pure that just the thought of returning home to a city would make you dirty. Quickly coming to an end, it was time to pack up and leave. Fishing like that is a dream, and an experience most will never get to have. As always the camera turned into a visual diary, and will be able to tell the stories much better than words ever will. Still in the beginning stages of photography, the pictures were nothing too special. Some good ones and many more that could have been taken with a point and shoot. With scenery as captivating as it was, I probably would have caught more fish if I put the camera down. Thats life, better it happened that way anyways. It seems as if it will probably be one of the last trips I will get to have like that so at least I can look at the pictures of the trip, now you can too..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad6TibuEp_duY5rpSmNSLJ7SVMr7zBsYUGOhUHpCxEerLpT7PnrZrkfnznVClArSW2l8S6NicaiTHWnWapQ37nVM9MV_-pMJnqCaMKSi1aAMRtdPs9_s0YZPhSaVL-u_VtpqYabbLSPQ/s1600-h/91.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad6TibuEp_duY5rpSmNSLJ7SVMr7zBsYUGOhUHpCxEerLpT7PnrZrkfnznVClArSW2l8S6NicaiTHWnWapQ37nVM9MV_-pMJnqCaMKSi1aAMRtdPs9_s0YZPhSaVL-u_VtpqYabbLSPQ/s400/91.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302171022529168754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRe8sX-u-UEA7bL9IsuEcrrYzDqgV9mqxjD_x-QMcoLxj9sObPmmnzlQxTxMwX2zm9Mve_Np87hf0hTUSHUvw0-H5n1KV6kIrYcXUX7ZpbS5z4YR9K4NsrCopt_G_Xr-y0wrQi3Y1qhk/s1600-h/100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRe8sX-u-UEA7bL9IsuEcrrYzDqgV9mqxjD_x-QMcoLxj9sObPmmnzlQxTxMwX2zm9Mve_Np87hf0hTUSHUvw0-H5n1KV6kIrYcXUX7ZpbS5z4YR9K4NsrCopt_G_Xr-y0wrQi3Y1qhk/s400/100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302171022705184194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXabQGtbKJ2aLFiRG03xSGtGKnjsCKW2gkaC3MTzqI3T-smw5buVzDEftYfbWraOiMPSgKwK0exRlitHEoFpyrXmFyPPqe69fVynfsUzTRGGo3JGiqQOwHc34B8_7I683BUqJvmkiD3DQ/s1600-h/85.2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXabQGtbKJ2aLFiRG03xSGtGKnjsCKW2gkaC3MTzqI3T-smw5buVzDEftYfbWraOiMPSgKwK0exRlitHEoFpyrXmFyPPqe69fVynfsUzTRGGo3JGiqQOwHc34B8_7I683BUqJvmkiD3DQ/s400/85.2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302171017869496978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NyoTQK7mzLlwAwQQbhUQ4CHlxHHrOs4zjc1XOieLbiinU0b9BGsKqk5tapYKdVZbbUO3Iuxbl7LYSqWez7ED8dz0ETlLX24rxdm4M3TYClyrWzwJS-9pUqEfF6ysc8izWnx7CW-JJj4/s1600-h/IMGP3161.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NyoTQK7mzLlwAwQQbhUQ4CHlxHHrOs4zjc1XOieLbiinU0b9BGsKqk5tapYKdVZbbUO3Iuxbl7LYSqWez7ED8dz0ETlLX24rxdm4M3TYClyrWzwJS-9pUqEfF6ysc8izWnx7CW-JJj4/s400/IMGP3161.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302171016996739874" border="0" /></a>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14063576111880905833noreply@blogger.com2