#1I thought I'd take a brief respite from politics and ponder something else tonight.
Today was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day in Minnesota. It was the kind of day I like to keep in mind when I am freezing here in mid-January, up to my knees in new snow and, although late for an appointment downtown, know that the commute will take at least an extra hour because of the weather. Today was a "because" day. When January comes and I ask myself why I continue to put up with the quasi-sanity of living in a metropolitan area that relies on enclosed skyways as a means of ensuring the survival of its population, the answer is "Because there are days like October 11, 2008".
I slept later than usual this morning, the result of working on a project until 4:00 a.m. When I awoke and looked outside, I decided to capture the day for future reference since I had managed to miss about four hours more of the morning than is normally the case on Meadow Breeze Farm.
My wife Deb and some friends were trail riding through the foliage and even ran into Wheelock Whitney and his wife, who were also out with friends enjoying the day on horseback. Mr. Whitney owns a significant amount of property in the area and, rather than develop it, has made the decision to keep it available for the local equestrian community. Deb and her friends were happy to have the opportunity to thank him for his generosity since they do not normally find the 82 year old benefactor personally on the trails.
I was on a mission to capture the magnificence of our neck of the woods this time of year. I had successfully pursued a similar photographic mission four years ago in one of my last film-based outings. However, this time I had the advantage of using digital equipment and the ease of working with the images on the computer. I made sure I had my polarizing filter and tri-pod and headed to one of the nearby parks. The four year hiatus between autumn shooting events resulted from a series of years where the area's colorful foliage fell victim to autumn rain and wind storms before it fully blossomed into the wonderful cacophany of colors that screamed today. There's rain in the forecast. I do not want to wait until next year.
Some of the results of today's photographic mission, which also included shooting landscapes on a friend's farm in Scandia, Minnesota, later in the afternoon, appear below. Click on them for larger images. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. The colors are even more vibrant in the originals; the blogspot.com postings lose something in the translation.
As a thank you to my readers, I will send an electronic version of any of the images requested by sending me an e-mail. Feel free to make any personal use of the images you choose. My transmitting e-mail will authorize that use so you can show your photo lab you have permission to use copyrighted work. All I ask in return is that you keep reading Prairie Pondering and leave comments to share your thoughts with me and others.
Today was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day in Minnesota. It was the kind of day I like to keep in mind when I am freezing here in mid-January, up to my knees in new snow and, although late for an appointment downtown, know that the commute will take at least an extra hour because of the weather. Today was a "because" day. When January comes and I ask myself why I continue to put up with the quasi-sanity of living in a metropolitan area that relies on enclosed skyways as a means of ensuring the survival of its population, the answer is "Because there are days like October 11, 2008".
I slept later than usual this morning, the result of working on a project until 4:00 a.m. When I awoke and looked outside, I decided to capture the day for future reference since I had managed to miss about four hours more of the morning than is normally the case on Meadow Breeze Farm.
My wife Deb and some friends were trail riding through the foliage and even ran into Wheelock Whitney and his wife, who were also out with friends enjoying the day on horseback. Mr. Whitney owns a significant amount of property in the area and, rather than develop it, has made the decision to keep it available for the local equestrian community. Deb and her friends were happy to have the opportunity to thank him for his generosity since they do not normally find the 82 year old benefactor personally on the trails.
I was on a mission to capture the magnificence of our neck of the woods this time of year. I had successfully pursued a similar photographic mission four years ago in one of my last film-based outings. However, this time I had the advantage of using digital equipment and the ease of working with the images on the computer. I made sure I had my polarizing filter and tri-pod and headed to one of the nearby parks. The four year hiatus between autumn shooting events resulted from a series of years where the area's colorful foliage fell victim to autumn rain and wind storms before it fully blossomed into the wonderful cacophany of colors that screamed today. There's rain in the forecast. I do not want to wait until next year.
Some of the results of today's photographic mission, which also included shooting landscapes on a friend's farm in Scandia, Minnesota, later in the afternoon, appear below. Click on them for larger images. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. The colors are even more vibrant in the originals; the blogspot.com postings lose something in the translation.
As a thank you to my readers, I will send an electronic version of any of the images requested by sending me an e-mail. Feel free to make any personal use of the images you choose. My transmitting e-mail will authorize that use so you can show your photo lab you have permission to use copyrighted work. All I ask in return is that you keep reading Prairie Pondering and leave comments to share your thoughts with me and others.
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2 comments:
Sam,
It was good to see you and Deb while I was home on leave. Iraq didn't change a bit while I was gone. It did get a little cooler.
I saved one of your fall pictures as my wallpaper on my laptop. The red barn and trees made me think of home and how much I love the fall. Thanks
Colleen
BEAUTIFUL pictures! I love the idea of a "Because" day--you're absolutely right.
This autumn has been perfect!
Kari
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