some macros from a while back

Happy 4th of July

[photos taken about 30 minutes ago from my deck]

Yes, I'm very glad for my freedom. My country isn't perfect by a long shot.
...but I still love her anyway. [if she were perfect then I'd hate her...because I'm not]
so...
if you're married to a soldier
kiss a soldier
if your related to a soldier
hug a soldier
if neither is true
thank a soldier
for keeping us free.

if you are a soldier viewing this
THANK YOU!!!

[...& pray for all the soldiers who are separated from their families. That they will be safely returned to their loved ones]

May His grace drip from your fingers,
B

More from Gettysburg

I really liked the lines & "frozen waves" that I could see in this frozen runoff.

more photos from my hike with friends @ Gettysburg. I'll post more as I get the chance, & gear up for 2 other hikes [a re-visit of Rickett's Glen, & The Old Pa turnpike]

May His grace drip from your fingers,
B

A photo walk with friends.

Wow, it's March & I haven't posted here since Nov. 2010. It's not because I haven't been talking pictures. So I'll try to post a few from last Sat.'s trip to Gettysburg. This Cross is my new profile pic on facebook now. I really like Celtic designs, & especially Celtic crosses. The weaving of lines or cords, over & through each other is very fascinating to me. This monument is for a group of confederate soldiers, & their dog. The dog was loyal, even going into battle with them. When they all died the dog refused to leave them, or eat. The union soldiers were so impressed by the dog that the sculpture of the dog is said to be a likeness of the actual dog. I was taken by the statue both for it's imagery & it's story. Sometimes my walk with God has been like that. Dark, not fun, yet somehow I cannot leave. It gives me a crazy thought. Some say how they want to sit near "so-n-so" at the feast in heaven, some talk of their mansion in heaven, some of their cabin in heaven. Me, irreverent as this may be, I'd like to be a dog in heaven. So I can curl up at his feet, & follow him around forever.


I love the natural artistry in water.
...and the resilience of trees. This one seems to have been "poured" into the rocks here.

Thanks Joe & Scott. Thanks Joe for asking me to go to Gettysburg with you. Thanks Scott for joining us.

More later,
May His grace drip from your fingers,
B

Psalm 119:105 [Veterans day]

I had photos for Veteran's Day. HAD being the key word. Tomorrow I will be thinking of 3 of my cousins who are "active duty". Wait... Julie might not be, She's pregnant again [congrats Julie!] Then there are the formerly served. My Father-in-Law is a Veitnam Vet [U.S. Marines], brother-in-law [U.S. Marine reserves], & my gal, my wife [U.S. Army reserves]. I'm thankful & proud of all of them.

The photo above is the only one I'll post here, for now. Tonight was an end to a wonderful day. Got to get caught up @ work. I was supposed to have a meeting, well, I think I was. I didn't end up having that meeting, which was a wonderful blessing. Because God & I meet at the Common Grounds Coffee Bar. Where I took pictures of an exibit I have come to call Psalm 119:105. [or "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet & a light unto my path."] I especially love looking at it at night. So, with help from Fred & Jay [friends from my Growth Group], I took pictures. Pastor Steve, Jay & Fred will tell you, I'm like a little kid on Christmas when I start taking pictures. I felt a bit embarrassed when Pastor Steve "caught" me. He understood, though. I just loved this exibit. It just really "made an empression". DeAnn wants copies of my photos. So, in case she wants to post any, I'm gonna let her post some first. I'll post some after a little. If she posts any I'll link to them, here.
If you get the chance, thank a Veteran tomorrow [especially if your related to one]. They have/ are protecting our country, our freedom, our world. They go into harms way for us. They are someone's parent, child, sibling, friend, co-worker. Our flag wouldn't fly, & it wouldn't mean anything, if they weren't there to protect it. What it stands for. And who stands behind/ beneath it.

[forgive me, I don't know them all. However, you can comment the ones I'm missing]
Semper Fi
"Fair Winds and following seas"

[a little humor I found for soldiers, thanks Tom Philo Photography blog]

When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.

If it's stupid but works, it isn't stupid.

Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate - - the bombs always hit the ground.

If the enemy is in range, so are you.

The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little while longer. - U.S. Navy Seabees

When in doubt empty the magazine.

If God had meant for us to be in the Army, we would have been born with green, baggy skin.

Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo.

"You, you, and you: Panic. The rest of you, come with me."

Odd objects attract fire - never lurk behind one.

Incoming fire has the right of way.

There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.

No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.

[the rest are here, just scroll down]

Thanks to all of our Veterans. Thanks to LW for the coffee bar, & for letting it be turned into an art gallery. Thanks to DeAnn for giving me the green light to photo this exibit. Thanks to Travis Thompson for building this. [you may have copies, just ask]. Pastor Steve, I hope I wasn't too intrusive.
Night all,
B
[p.s. if you can't wait look at DeAnn's here]

briefly...

I have created a new blog. It's sort of a "various threads" one. This will continue to be my photos, & bought as is will now be my poems [at least for now]
...& my surgery schedule has changed...
The new blog is: organic by design.

May His grace drip from your fingers,
B

reasons...

I still can't get over the fact we got daisies already. This is from the "first batch". And this is from the front of my house.
These began as three little flowers a few years ago...
This is from the walk from a ball field to John Rudy park... [& I'm to stupid to know what bird that is]
This is a wider view of where my friend Joe & I saw the bird.
.....& this kinda symbolizes where I am at the moment. 2 roads... 2 choices... I'm not going to be posting to awful much over the next few weeks/ months.
#1. 3 birthdays, 2 anniversaries, & Mick & I need to get away together.
#2. I need to take some time to see where God is leading me.
#3. I've not been getting very positive feedback as of late. Not to mention, I've seen "the ugly side of Christiandom" rear it's head lately. [which is why I re-blipped ONE by U2 on Blipfm.com]
Please don't comment on this last part too much [for too much has already been said]
Enjoy your summer....
B

Ricketts Glen [brief overview]

[above is one of my fav.'s]

[I loved the reflection here]

Ricketts Glen kind of goes hand in hand with going to the mountains. At least when I was a kid, at the cabin, we often took a day to go to Ricketts. Up above the hiking trails that trace the falls, you could even go swimming. There are also cabins there. This trip was mostly with my Growth Group, though others were invited as well. It had a bit of a photo field trip "feel" to it. As there were 3 of us photographers along. This created many moments of "I'm sorry. Am I in your shot?". We had a blast.

A "Weekly Symphony"

some interesting color reflections... I posted some of wrapping paper earlier. [I think I posted some here]



The "gift" I'm trying to give myself is a sacred rhythm. A "weekly symphony" to both get the normal adult work done [bills, budget, laundry, dishes, etc.] & to make time to enjoy creativity.
Which, for me, consists of: doodling, photography, writing [poetry], hiking [where I end up shooting most of my photos], & trying to pick up my guitar & "woodshed" back into shape [& memory]. Hopefully, this will explain my sporadic-ness in blogging, of late...

let it snow!!!

Yes, I love walking in the snow [even if it is above my knees!]. It is so nice to walk around in the snow. these are a taste of what I took...
Ive labeled them on my hard drive as the after & before the storm pictures as we are to get more snow on Tues. into Wed. Loved the channel 8 gals requesting a cancelation of this next one. ah, yes, mail order weather... we can dream, right? [I'm glad we can't order weather, I'd be ordering more snow, more often]

Blackwater falls

[images from Blackwater Falls, WV]

another mistake?

...or mistaken beauty? This was with my Sister-in-law's camera. I didn't realize that just because I pushed the button, does not necessarily mean it took the picture. So I moved the camera, only to see it flash as I did so. ...I kinda like it. [oh, setting in line waiting to get into the Rocky Ridge "light show" for Christmas. "are we there yet Uncle Brian?"]

I may post more pictures than anything. I'll be on Prednisone for 10 days. Hated it last time, so I may just let my photos do the talking for a while.

changing lenses

I've changed cameras... well, sorta.


This is the Nikon Coolpix 4500. [aka the old camera]


And this is my new one, the Coolpix L20. I went with this for several reasons.
#1. runs on AA's. So I don't have to bring a charger on vacation.
#2. it's a "point & shoot". So my fam. doesn't feel like it's from another planet. [I've got more to say on this, but these brief answers will do for now]
The first 2 pic's are from my new camera. Last Fri. I got out & "smelled the roses" as it were. Yeah, changed my blog. I'm re-thinking the title. ...actually I'm re-thinking whether or not I'm going to continue to blog at all. There are many reasons for my thoughts on this.

goodnight, enjoy the art before your eyes...

Snow storm pix

This is a close up of the little "snow islands" in the stream behind my house...
A shot of 1 of 3 bridges across the stream [took the first shot part way across this bridge]
I loved the multicolored "snow spots" created by the buried Christmas lights on Dad's bushes
Looking down the street I live on during "the thick of it".
I LOVE snow. I always have. I have to drive in it, play in it, & take photos of it. I am drawn to snow. Yesterday, New Years Eve, it snowed like someone shook York inside a snow globe. Big puffy flakes, parachuting down the wind to a random landing. Creating a fresh winter wonderland.
Happy New Year!
B

back online again...just can't believe I'm back online again

Here are some random photos.
I'm back online [the title is best appreciated if sung to the tune "on the road again"].
And, as I posted on my other blog, I lied. I'm posting & it's not the new year yet.
Happy new year,
B