One from the vault

I remember this song, from early 1970, when I was 9 years old! It peaked at #36, but I'm pretty sure I had the 45... Can't find it in print (or mp3) these days. I check every once in a while... I was pretty ecited to find it on YouTube. OK, so it's not quite as good as I remember, but still a fun blast from my past!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRa3Wpi7t84

Me, un-edited

My 7 y/o son snapped this photo of me, earlier this month. Not technically perfect, but I think it captures the spirit. After all, I do lean a bit to the right, and I tend to feel out-of-focus. And a lot of people probably wish I’d keep my eyes open…. He actually did a good job with the "rule of thirds" thing....

1970

A random collection of hits from 1970, found on YouTube... What a great year! I remember it like it was yesterday...

Vehicle - Ides Of March
Love Goes Where My Rosemary Goes - Edison Lighthouse
Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Indiana Wants Me - R. Dean Taylor
No Matter What - Badfinger
Ride Captain Ride - Blues Image
All Right Now - Free
Thank You (falettinme be mice elf) - Sly & Family Stone

Ah, I could go on and on, but I think I've made my point.

Failure

Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. This is one of those images that missed the mark. This is one. The bright blue flowers are washed out, AND out of focus. The “Keep Out” sign is partially blocked… Root cause?? Well, I could go on about bright sun vs shade, and depth of field, and such. But it's really just sloppy and hurried. Grrrr…

One Year Ago

One Year Ago…
Last year at this time we were on the road, headed out on Vacation. We did a swing through West Virginia, down the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a stop at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Thought I’d repost a few images from the New River Gorge area, as a reminder…

"Up The Gorge"

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"Under The Bridge"

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"River Rats"

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"Muddy Waters"

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"Misty Mountain Hop"

1960 - The year I was born

In 1960 (the year you were born)

Dwight Eisenhower is president of the US Sit-ins being after 4 black college students in North Carolina refuse to move from a deli counter when denied service A U-2 reconnaissance plane belonging to the US is shot down in the Soviet Union Hurricane "Donna" strikes the East Coast causing over 100 deaths in the US and the Antilles John F. Kennedy defeats Vice President Richard Nixon in the presidential race Cassius Clay (who later took the name Muhammad Ali) wins his first professional fight Michael Stipe, Tony Robbins, Bono, John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Jeffrey Dahmer are born Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL championship Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is the top grossing film To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is published The Beatles make their debut in Hamburg, Germany The Flintstones debut

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Today is official Bring A Friend to "What the Duck" Day.

Huh???
Yep, What The Duck. WTD is an on-line comic, with a photography theme. I read it every day, it is in my links list. Anyway, for all y'all friends out there in blogland: CHECK IT OUT!!

Towering

This is the grain tower that I featured Wednesday… Not likely to win any awards for esthetics in architecture, but I’m sure it performed it’s assigned tasks in it’s day. I’m not altogether satisfied with these images, but it’ll be easy enough to head back and try it again (and again, and again)….

click on image above for larger version...

Summer is here!

Happy summer! Just a couple of wildflowers I noticed near the parking lot along one of our bike trails.... I thought they were cool. I used a little of the Beautifier filter from RedPawMedia, as discovered over at My Viewfinder…. Thanks John!

"You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free"

Tom Petty - Wildflowers

Free Microstock Photos, 06/20/2007

Several of the microstock sites I belong to have "Free Photo" sections. Some are daily, others weekly. Here's a few recent freebies, check out the sites to get your own!

iStockphoto:

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Dreamstime:

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Fotolia:

Boarded Up and Overgrown

There’s an old grain tower next to one of the parking lots of our wonderful bike trail network. This concrete box has been around forever, although the associated rail line has been inactive for at least 18 years. This is a detail, rendered in B&W, with a touch of sepia tone…. I need to get some of those "border" effects like JohnR uses over at "My Viewfinder"... Click HERE for a larger view.

Old Barn, New Flowers

This old barn is maybe a mile from where I live, I drive past it quite frequently. Just one of those silly places that always catches my eye. The bright flowers were awesome this morning; and I pretty much failed to catch the glory.

Rough Housin'

I’ve pretty much given up on getting “portraits” of the puppies. They just can't stay still long enough for me to compose…. This is what they typically look like, rolling around the yard in seemingly mortal combat… They take turns being the agressor, though Chuck (on top here) is probably a little more dominant.

Shameless Self Promotion

Hey!! Do me a favor?
Click on the BLOG VILLAGE icon on the top-right, and vote for my blog!!

But only if you like it.....
Thanks!

Kentucky Bound

My younger daughter left this morning for her College Orientation. She’ll be a freshman at Murray State University in the fall. A major milestone, as another one gets ready to head out of “the nest”. These images are from a campus visit in February, when it was colder than it looked...

Blog Village

AFter seeing a recent post over at the most excellent My Viewfinder blog, I applied for, and was accepted to, Blog Village. As John R at My Viewfinder notes: "Blog Village is a list of family-friendly blogs which contain no sexual or suggestive pictures or content, and no content with profanity. In other words, blogs you could invite your Mom to look at." Well, I sure try to meet that standard, and I know family members chieck in here (at least sometimes)so I joined up! This is my first blog-list, but as I understand it, if you jump over there by clicking on the icon atthe top right (or here), I'll get a vote. So do me a favor, click on over and see what it's about!!!

The Sincerest Form of Flattery??

One of those funny little things: “I Won’t Tell You No Lies” by Roy Buchanan has the same distinctive melodic “hook” as Atlanta Rhythm Section’s mega hit “So Into You”. RB’s song is from his second album, released in 1973, 4 years ahead of ARS’s A Rock And Roll Alternative.... Now, I don't think it's a big deal, no great crime or anything. But I can't hear either song without thinking of the other....

Microstock Top Ten

I've been selling images through microstock sites for about 4 months now. I've submitted to 6 sites, but have settled into 3 that seem to be doing best: Shutterstock, iStock and Dreamstime. I won't be quitting my day job or anything, but it is fun, and brings in more pennies than the google ads here (hint, hint)... Here's my top 5 images so far, in terms of earnings:

A Boy and His Dog(s)

My son and the puppies, having a morning snuggle. We took them to our vet yesterday, to make sure they’re healthy. We got the word back today that one on ‘em has an intestinal parasite!! Doesn’t sound too bad, but he’ll have to take some pills for a few days. We’re going to go on and treat both of them, just to be certain. All part of it, ya know….

North to Alaska

I found this Alaskan photo in Dreamstime’s free section. It reminded me of the (business) trip I took to Alaska (Juneau & Ketchikan) back in March, 2002. Of course, I was using my super-humble Kodak DC210 back then, and had to keep it under my coat so it wouldn’t freeze up between shots! I'd love to go back and spend some time with my D70! Below is one of mine, not too bad for a snapshot!

In The Box....

We’re big believers in crate training, and our new puppies have taken right to it. Years ago, before I had a clue, I thought it was a horrible and cruel idea. Then I did some research, and tried it with Duke Dog, and have been sold ever since. Our new puppies were right at home, right away. We have also re-installed baby gates at the kitchen entrances, for when the pups need a bit more space, but still need to be confined.

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Meanwhile, the pups rarely slow down enough to pose, but here’s a couple of shots. First Stu, in the blue collar (Stu is Blue):

And in the green collar, Chuck:

Rollin'

Our area has a really great network of bike-trails, part of the rails-to-trails movement. We’ve been riding a good bit this summer, my wife and I, with our 7 y/o son. These shots are from a ~12 mile ride Friday evening, I tossed my Coolpix L2 in my bike bag…

Puppies!

Meet the newest additions to our family!! Stu and Chuckie, 9 week old puppies, that we adopted today. We’ve been without pets for about 5 years now, and it just seemed that now was the time. After some research of the local rescue agencies, we settled on these 2 little brothers. They came with the names, but we decided to leave 'em as found... This isn’t the best picture, but I suspect I’ll be taking some more!

Pomp and Circumstance

Above is my favorite image from last week’s high-school graduation. That's not my daughter, but I know she shares the sentiment. Below is mine, in the blue sash, getting her diploma. Shaking hands with her Kindergarten teacher, who is now Assistant Superintendent…

Crosstown Traffic....

I’ve been spending more time in the Chicago area these days. And that means traffic. Lots of traffic. This is heading towards the Indiana line on I-80, not too long ago. Taken from the “Oasis”…

In The Days Of My Youth.....

I came across a couple more images from my fall 1978 trip to Smoke Hole WV, which I posted about recently. Back in my backpacking days, a mere 30 years ago. Practically yesterday!! These are scans from 35mm slides, I’m sure there’s more around someplace!

Funky But Chic?

I spend a lot of time driving up and down I-55 in Illinois. And I often see signs for a town, Funk’s Grove. Now, Funk’s Grove is along the interstate, but between exits, hidden from view. After seeing the signs countless times, I decided for a short side trip recently. Remmebering that I-55 through Illinois replaced Route 66, I envisioned a Radiator Springs kind of thing, I suppose. Well, I didn’t find much, but what I found was pretty cool, from a photographic view, at least….

Free Microstock Photos, 06/04/2007

Several of the microstock sites I belong to have "Free Photo" sections. Some are daily, others weekly. Here's a few recent freebies, check out the sites to get your own!

iStockphoto:

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Dreamstime:

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Fotolia:

Hot Fun In The Summertime....

School’s out and summer is almost here. Time for a playlist to welcome the season. On the iTunes today:

All Summer Long – The Beach Boys
The Door Into Summer – The Monkees
In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry
Long Hot Summer Days – John Hartford
Summer’s Day – Tesla
Summer Breeze – Seals & Crofts
Summer In The City – Lovin’ Spoonful
Summertime’s Here – Steve Gaines
Summertime Blues – The Who
This Ain’t The Summer Of Love – Blue Oyster Cult

The Graduate!

My younger daughter graduates High School today! Quite a milestone, we’re obviously proud of her. My wife snapped this photo on her first day of school, just a few years ago….. Back in the days before digital photography, even!!