The Blackest Crow - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (2/06 <--> 2/12).  This one is from my 365project. 

This is just one of those moments...  I was headed out someplace, and saw this bird hanging out.  He (she?) was kind enough to wait for me to capture the moment.

The title is from a Tim O'Brien song:

The blackest crow that ever flew
would surely turn to white
If ever I prove false to you
bright day will turn to night

Moonrise, Clearing Storms

Sometimes it pays to look back.  This photo was taken as the sun was setting, but looking East, not West.  It had rained most of the day, with some pretty strong storms.  As the day wound down, the skies were clearing.  The tail end of the storm clouds was being illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, and a nearly full moon was rising above.

I really liked the smooth transitions from dark to light orange, then light to darker blue.  Contrasted with the clear and crisp moon… 

Full disclosure, this was taken 7-8 weeks ago, just after the Winter solstice (and just before Christmas).  But it was unseasonable warm, with a high of 64 degrees.  Originally posted at 365project.

Old Ways

Full size at 365Project

I've never been particularly good at documenting my workflow.  I have a tendency to poke and tweak, try something, add something else, undo/redo....  Eventually I (sometimes) end up with something I like.  This is one of those cases.  I especially like this, and it has continued to grow on me as I've lived with it over a few days.

Here's the problem:  The only saved version of this file is the one linked here.  That's a 1024 pixel wide version.  I'd really like to take the image (minus the wrap/wall effect) and get a print made....  But my existing file will only support a 5x7 print.  I'd kind of like to see it at an 8x10 or 11x14, maybe even a gallery wrap.  My only option to go larger is to go back to the start, and try to replicate what I did.  Well, as sung by Robert Plant:  "No no nobody's fault but mine"....

Meanwhile, The post title is from the old Neil Young song, from his 1985 "country" album of the same name:

"Lately I've been finding out, I'm set in my ways, Old ways, can be your ball and chain" - Neil Young

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle....

Found on Talkbass....     I laughed.

Vintage Vinyl - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (1/30 <--> 2/05).  This one is from my 365project.  

A small portion of my record collection, from a few decades ago.  I still pull them out from time tpo time.  This covers the middle of the "J"s through the the late "R"s...  How many can you recognize?

Good Times, Bad Times - January 2016

So...  I lied.  Last week, I posted the 12th monthly summary of my 2015 365project experience.  I declared it last in the series.  But I've decided to continue it into 2016.  Hope you're not too offended....

So, here's January:

An interesting month.  On the 5th, I finished my 1st full-year.  I spent the rest of the month in various levels of hangover.  Several days I didn't take any images.  And others, I took images, but didn't post them (until later).  But I did (eventually) have a photo for every day, and I'm largely on track.  But I'll probably cut myself a bit more slack through 2016.

So, what was good?

 

On The Thin Ice Of A New Day

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If you go down in the flood

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Sunset and Frozen Fields

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And what was not-so-good:

Abstract #42,391

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Icicles

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Dancing On Black Ice

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Kinsella Log Cabin - One More Time!

Kinsella Log Cabin has appeared here a few times, but not in a while.I rather like this version....

Here's a few others I've taken through the years:

Kinsella Family Homestead - 2009

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Kinsella Log Cabin, From Behind - 2012

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Kinsella Cabin Revisted -2014

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Sound Chaser - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (1/23 <--> 1/29).  This one is from my 365project. 

My wife's acoustic guitar, a 70's vintage Yamaha.  Nothing fancy, but she's had it since high school (well before she met me).

This Month In Music - January 1966

Regular readers may have noticed a recent post "This Month In Music - January 1986"...  My first such post in a long time, since I lost access to my reference.  But this week, I found another online reference, so I'm back in business.  Hope you like it....


So....  1966 was a whopping 50 years ago.  I started 1st grade in 1966, so I wasn't going to concerts or anything.  My earliest "time tagged" memories of music start in 1967, but I'm sure I was aware....  And I own a large percentage of these songs.  As usual, my posts will focus on the Top 40

The charts were Five Saturdays in January 1966, so the Billboard charts were publish 5 Times.  Over those 5 weeks, there were 64 songs that appeared in the Top 40.  But only 2 songs made it to #1, The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" (3 weeks) and Simon And Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence" (2 weeks).

Based on the average chart position over the 5 weeks of January 1966, here are the Top 40 songs:

• Name - Artist - Average Position
• We Can Work It Out - The Beatles  - 1.4
• The Sound Of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel  - 3.6
• She's Just My Style - Gary Lewis And The Playboys  - 5.6
• Five O'Clock World - The Vogues  - 6.4
• Day Tripper - The Beatles  - 10.4
• No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) - The T-Bones  - 11.0
• Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers  - 12.0
• A Must To Avoid - Herman's Hermits  - 13.8
• Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers  - 14.0
• You Didn't Have To Be So Nice - The Lovin' Spoonful  - 15.2
• As Tears Go By - The Rolling Stones  - 17.2
• Over And Over - The Dave Clark Five  - 17.2
• The Duck - Jackie Lee  - 17.4
• Just Like Me - Paul Revere & The Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay  - 17.8
• Spanish Eyes - Al Martino  - 19.0
• I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown And The Famous Flames - 20.0
• The Men In My Little Girl's Life - Mike Douglas  - 20.6
• Attack - The Toys  - 24.0
• Jenny Take A Ride! - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels  - 24.4
• Satin Pillows - Bobby Vinton  - 26.0
• Lies - The Knickerbockers  - 28.6
• Thunderball - Tom Jones  - 30.6
• A Well Respected Man - The Kinks  - 31.8
• Sandy - Ronny And The Daytonas  - 33.2
• Crying Time - Ray Charles  - 34.2
• My Love - Petula Clark  - 35.2
• A Sweet Woman Like You - Joe Tex  - 36.2
• Look Through Any Window - The Hollies  - 37.2
• Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys  - 37.4
• It Was A Very Good Year - Frank Sinatra  - 40.2
• Under Your Spell Again - Johnny Rivers  - 42.8
• Second Hand Rose - Barbra Streisand  - 44.2
• Zorba The Greek - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass  - 44.6
• Fever - The McCoys  - 44.8
• Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) - The Byrds  - 45.0
• Are You There (With Another Girl) - Dionne Warwick  - 45.4
• Let's Hang On! - The 4 Seasons Featuring the Sound of Frankie Valli - 45.4
• Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder  - 45.6
• Going To A Go-Go - The Miracles  - 45.6
• Lightnin' Strikes - Lou Christie  - 50.0

No a bad month at all....  Some really outstanding songs

Good Times, Bad Times - September 2015

Last post in the ongoing series:

   The good part of a 365Project is that it keeps photography in the front of the mind, and leads to pushing boundaries.  The bad side is that sometimes you post less that perfect images, just to keep up...  SO:  I decided to take the "favorites from the month" concept, and include "unfavorites from the month". 

For my recently completed year, we've looked at January,  February, March, April , May,  June, July, August, October (good and bad), November and December. 
 
       Today we'll finish up (finally) with September:

365 Project - September 2015

 The Good:

 

Day's End

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Randomness #20,167

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Uncomplicated

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The Bad:

 

Late Afternoon At The Watershed

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Harvest Time

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Sunset At The Watershed

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Sunset On Snowy Fields

Just a little something from over the weekend.  A companion to Saturday's post on 365project.  On the outskirts of Auburn, IL (population 4,445).   We were taking the back road (Rt. 4) back from a quick trip to Springfield IL...

This Month In Music, January 1986

1986...  30 years ago.  What were we listening to?

Two songs topped the charts in Jaunary, 1986.  Say You, Say Me (Title Song From White Nights) by Lionel Richie and That's What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick.  I don't remember either, even after checking them out on youtube.  And who can forget Eddie Murphy's smash Party All The Time, which peaked at #2.

But there were some songs that rocked.  Some better than others, but rocked....

In the Top 10:
Small Town - John Mellencamp (highest rank in January = #6)
Walk Of Life - Dire Straits (HRIJ = #7)

Top 20:

It s Only Love - Bryan Adams / Tina Turner (HRIJ = #15)

Sleeping Bag - ZZ Top (HRIJ = #16)

Top 40:

Never - Heart (#25)

We Built This City - Starship (HRIJ = #34)

On The Charts:

The Big Money - Rush (#45)

Go - Asia (#46)

One Vision - Queen (#61)

I Knew The Bride (When She Use To Rock N Roll) - Nick Lowe (#77)

Note that this is not intended to be comprehensive, but merely songs that struck my fancy.  There were 121 songs that appeared on the Hot 100 in the 4 weeks of January, 

Note:  The ranks here is just for teh month of January and may not represent a song's peak position.

Winter Walk - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015..   Originally from my 365project.  From the Schon Park / Greenspace North area in Glen Carbon.  I really liked this one when I shot it, my feelings have mellowed to something more like "fondness".  But that's OK, too.

Washington DC Blizard!

A throwback to Feb 1983....  This was actually Silver Srping MD, where I lived at the time.  Just north of the beltway.  Proof that major snowstorms are not unheard of in Washington DC...  and that folk will (probably) survive...

On The Hunt

Seems like I've been doing a LOT of B&W lately.  Is it because of the barren nature of winter?  My historical basis in B&W film?  Or the new Photoshop plug-in I received for Christmas? 

Regardless, hope you don't mind too much.