Sometimes photographs present themselves directly — a beautiful sunset reflected in a lake, or a lovely flower that opens its blossoms to reveal its textures and colors. And other times a photograph can be more subtle, calling out for attention many times before it’s actually received. I walked past this shed countless times, looking at it but not really noticing it. And then one morning the sunlight came in from an angle and illuminated the oars and paddle with a lovely glow. That’s when I saw it. The oars with their oar locks are weather beaten and old; they show their wear and tear proudly. The paddle lost its paint many years ago and is actually cracked at the bottom. The collection struck me as a homage to summer days, old boats, old resorts, and probably some big fishing tales.
Author: lindastaatsphoto
A road trip through wide open spaces
We took a road trip from Minnesota to Utah a few weeks ago — a journey filled with adventures, family, and changing scenery and weather. We went from the agriculture of southern Minnesota to the Black Hills of South Dakota, to the Sandhills of Nebraska, to the open ranches of Wyoming, to the snow capped mountains of Utah. The variety of landscapes always amazes me, especially when you condense the journey over a few days. Many of the areas were unusually green because of the higher amounts of rain that have fallen. Fields and hills were looking quite lush, except for those areas (especially in Nebraska) that are still trying to recover from flooding earlier this year. Surprisingly we encountered little rain during our trip, but we did endure 40-45 mph winds across Wyoming, and we slept a few times with the furnace on and a couple of times with the air conditioner on. A quick trip such as this makes me appreciate the beauty and diversity of our country; how fortunate to be able to take it all in!
Nebraska from a bicycle seat
We recently spent a week bicycling across Nebraska with the BRAN (Bicycle Ride across Nebraska). It was a wonderful adventure filled with amazing scenery, a diverse topography, the most genial and friendly people, and sunshine! We started in Chadron (west side of the state) and ended in Fremont (east side of the state). Our 400+ miles of travel took us through the Sandhills of Nebraska, fields of corn in the agricultural area, and the rolling hills of the eastern side as we were closer to the rivers. The flooding the state has dealt with this spring was evident as we saw washouts along the Elkhorn River and standing water in so many fields. We are appreciative of the people who welcomed us in their towns and were so generous with their Nebraskan hospitality. To me, a bicycle ride is the perfect way to see and appreciate the landscape, terrain, and people — it’s as upclose an experience as you can get on a journey along highways and biways.
Lupines and turtles and bears, oh my!
Spring has arrived in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Driving along a county road we saw (and avoided) many turtles in the road and beside it. We also saw the lupine blooming in certain areas. It’s low to the ground and the light needs to be from the right angle to see it’s lovely colors, otherwise it blends in with the grass, dirt and sand. We rounded a corner and I admired a large patch of lupines, noting that I needed to return to photograph it. As I was studying the flowers I looked beyond them and saw something looking back at me. On the edge of the woods, blending in with the shadows, was a black bear. He looked at me and then ambled back into the woods. Needless to say, when I returned the next day to photograph the lovely flowers I was very aware of my surroundings. A slight rustle in the woods and I stopped to see who or what it was. This time it wasn’t my friend the bear, but it was only a squirrel.
End of a spring day
It had been a windy and cloudy day, but as the evening wore on the wind began to die down. We were fishing as the air became still. Eagles were flying overhead and the crappies were biting. The dark clouds were still above but the sun moved below them lighting up the opposite shore. The leaves were full on some of the trees and yet others had only begun to leaf out, filtering the sunlight as it came through the trees. The low light and the calmness created a beautiful reflection of the end of a spring (finally!) day.
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