photography

The Rewards of Spontaniety

/ Janna Hill / 3 Comments

Last week my husband phoned form work at 7:30 A.M and said “start packing.” I didn’t question him I just threw a few suits of clothing into a suitcase along with the laptop and camera, gathered up the dog’s bare essentials and waited. He had been talking about heading south when October’s first cold front came through to do a little fishing but his work schedule did not look agreeable. Apparently something changed and he seized the moment.

“Carpe diem!” I said. “I don’t care for Carp – I’m after a Redfish.” He replied with a wink.

I think know he dreams of catching a trophy Red.

Within thirty minutes he has his 16 foot 1957 aluminum boat hooked up and ready to roll. We have a skiff but he likes that old dinghy. Anyway seven hours later we are standing in the salty breeze assessing the conditions. The tide, the wind, the weeds and the water temperature. Fishing is very serious business, that’s why I usually leave it to him. Thank goodness a cousin showed up to keep him company on the water while I undertook the tasks of reading and snapping pictures. All in the name of research of course.

Taking off on a whim is something we haven’t done in a very long time and you know what? I loved it!

These are the rewards of spontaneity

Hopefully he laughed himself to death
No, those are not Redfish but they will do.
The “cold front” brought some awesome clouds
I’d like to think they never knew what hit `em.
Trophy? No but by golly they are Redfish!
The birds gather as the tide goes out. I was so excited to catch a few shots of these elusive pink birds.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy

/ Janna Hill / 10 Comments

This weeks photo challenge is Happy.

What makes me happy? This gallery could go on forever with an endless list of small things that bring the greatest joy. It is probably a good thing that I am away from home right now, saving you from a trillion gigabytes of what makes me smile. I’ve narrowed it down to five from my hard drive.

An over-sized chair in a remote location…
Easy people and anticipation…
Bright flowers and blue skies…
Contented tiredness and toothless smiles….
Family and Food and the faces they make…

Weekly Photo Challenge (Mine)

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Nestled in the woods there is tiny space of refuge. A place of respite and reflection and it is mine. At least that’s what the sign says.

[For the weekly photo challenge titled Mine]

When I look up at the sign that says it is mine I pause and thank The Creator.

Weekly Photo Challenge (Solitary)

/ Janna Hill / 3 Comments

This week’s photo challenge is titled Solitary. Though solitary is defined as: solitude, alone, secluded, singular or without companions the word itself conjures a multitude of images.

I immediately imagine a one man game of cards, confinement, loneliness, punishment and isolation. Well those things along with an old song ‘Countin’ Flowers on the Wall’ overlapping the imageries

Yet what I chose to submit is an empty chair. Now I sit alone pondering what that means (if anything) while I scroll through the other intriguing submissions and wonder what solitary means to so many others.

Alone in the Woods

Here is an excerpt from the lyrics of Countin’ Flowers on the wall.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don’t bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don’t tell me I’ve nothing to do

P.S.  A personal tidbit. Dour Number IIII was inspired by these very woods. Just beyond the barn in the background another world exists.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Everday Life

/ Janna Hill / 13 Comments

This weeks photo challenge is titled Everyday Life

Why did I choose this photo depicting dusty dirt roads? #1 Because these roads are part of my every day life and #2 it reminds me that every day we are presented with at least two choices. How we choose decides the direction our lives will take.

Every Day Life and (at least) Two Choices

Weekly Photo Challenge: Near and Far

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

I took this photo last week while at Magnolia beach in Indianola Texas. The birdwalk here appears to be abandoned with vegetation creeping up the planks. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has been, vegetation takes over in a hurry in this area. In case you’ve never heard of a birdwalk it’s like a  boardwalk designated to bird watching. I enjoy watching birds but I barely know a laughing gull from a brown pelican.

Anyway this is my submission for the weekly photo challenge  Near and Far.

Abandoned Birdwalk

Pace by Numbers

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I am not a numerology freak by any means but I do find the theory fascinating at times. Coincidental? Maybe. Wishful thinking or superstition? Idk. When it’s good news I [like anyone else] want to believe it. When it is doom and gloom I tend to say ah phooey! Today the numbers 1 and 2 have occurred repeatedly, the digits of the day so to speak.

Bad thing (ah phooey) I got a speeding ticket at 11:12 am heading home from the gulf coast.The officer’s ID was 12xx

Good thing for a new indie in my opinion (yee-haw)  according to my August stats sales for Amazon USA 222 copies of Between the Rage and Grace had sold.

Sunrise over South Texas as we began our journey northward home.

I know many other numbers flashed before my eyes as we made our way home but oddly it was the numbers 1 and 2 that caught my eye.

If it means anything at all … maybe it is the Yin and Yang.

Maybe the moral of this story is slow down, pace yourself, it’s gonna be okay.

I made enough money to pay for my speeding ticket and life is still good 🙂

 

Weekly Photo Challange: Urban

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Talking Trash
Busy Brick Streets
Old Men & Overalls
Breaking for a Burger

These urban snapshots are from the 2011 Bluebird Festival which is an annual celebration held in Wills Point Texas. It is a pretty big event for a population of less than four thousand. Every April for nearly twenty years now the town center is corridored off so that visitors can mosey along the red brick streets without having to watch for cars, unless they’re looking for the antique car show. Colorful tents line the boulevards with out of town/out of state vendors displaying their wares. Music bounces through the air mixing with the carnival screams one block over and every so often the church bell across town chimes in. The chattering ranges from friendly banter to crops and gossip until a hideous horn warns the crowd to hold that thought. For a moment all that can be heard is a rhythmic clanking of metal against metal. Soon the sound fades and the merriment resumes. The sweet smell of cotton candy sends small eyes searching for its origin while others seek out the delicious fatty flavors of what is considered real food. It’s a people watcher’s paradise and a lemonade stand is never far away.

Wills Point is the official Bluebird Capital of Texas and the proclaimed Gateway to Lake Tawakoni. It is located in Van Zandt County which is the bona fide Gateway to East Texas. We like gateways and wear those titles proudly.