Musical memories!

I was at Abravenel Music Hall today taking photos of a person, and inside the hall there was a 5th grade symphony group!  All these kids dressed up like it was important - and it is.  I never played in a symphony but did play trumpet in high school band.
After my shoot was over I walked around the hall and saw these instruments on a table, looking like they were for sale.  I had to shoot through the glass but the photos came out half-way decent anyway, and brought back memories for me, including the time the band director threw his baton at me for being a jerk in class!  No surprise there!

Old friend

Murph and I visited the refuge last week and again yesterday.  Last week we drove slowly by a group of folks and said hello to them, and then realized one of them was a person whom I had worked with and was friends with over 20 years ago and had not seen since!  We spent quite a bit of time getting re-acquainted and then again yesterday.
He's a long-time photographer and has had work published in many places - National Geo, etc. - and was at the refuge getting eagle shots.  After talking for awhile, Murph and I wandered down to the end of the road and walked a bit.  The pied-bill grebes were there as usual and I got a neat photo of them. 
Another great day to be alive.

 My friend, John George!

They are all keeping a sharp eye on me!

Warm thoughts

Another 36+ inches of snow in the Wasatch mountains, with 6 to 8 or so around the yard today.  Warm - 32 - so it melted a bit and now it will freeze and make a mess :-)  Thoughts turn to warmer climes and here's some of my good memories.  The Moab workshop I did with John Paul Caponigro (link on the right side) yielded some fairly decent photos.  I remember one day when the wind was enormous and the dust was everywhere - adding its own mystery to the sky and the light.  Also grit to the lenses!
Here's a couple of photos from an early morning in Canyonlands! You will want to click on them for the best view.

From atop the ridge, we looked down into Canyonlands and into the rising sun and dust.

Do you think of the desert as soft? With the dense air, morning light and subdued colors, this was soft.

And the brilliance of the sandstone cliffs in the morning sun, complimented by the clouds.  What a way to start the day (even at 3:30am in the morning!!).

Murphy and the Mail Lady

Murphy and the mail lady have been good friends ever since she took over our route.  She is a dog lover and has her own dog, and carries treats with her as she goes around.  It did not take long for Murphy to learn that she had treats - and would give him some just for showing up!
He waits outside for her - hours at times - and when she comes he is rewarded for his wait!  I caught them in the act today!

Master Craftsman

As some of you know, I do some photo shoots for stories on artists, etc., for the Utah Artists e-mag, 15Bytes.

The photo above is from a shoot done at the Pioneer Craft House here in Salt Lake City.  It is an old center of arts and crafts in the valley, and is now undergoing a renovation program, both physically as well as in what it has to offer to the public.
Bill Hughes is the master craftsman who creates Native American flutes and teaches others how to do it. When Bill played his flutes, the feeling was one of being transported to another place and time! His love for what he does and the excellence of the flutes is unmistakeable.

Guess what I will be doing this year!!  Probably from the piece of oak sitting in the garage!

Another oldie

Here's a photo that I feel is one of my better ones, and thanks to a workshop in Moab with John Paul Caponigro, I see differently now, and this is a result.
Dead wood in Arches National Park highlighted by sun with yellow flowers to break the light and dark.  And yes, that is coyote scat on the right! :-)

Ramblin'

Diana has been emphasizing that I have a lot of good photos, and that what I have just taken is not always my best! So, as I rambled through a number of older photos, I came across this one - taken on a walk in Sedona. 
While definitely not an award winner, it brings a smile to my face every time I see it!

Say goodnight!

The sun bid farewell this evening with a wonderful show of light and color.  Here's one that appeals to me and made me think of the title for this entry.
I'm beginning to pay a bit more attention to showing up at places and times where things might be happening.  Always after a storm there is the possibility of unusual scenes and lighting.  Tonight wasn't as spectacular as some, but well worth the work to be there in time to capture it.

Rainy day visitor

An overcast rainy day but the scrubjays are out foraging for peanuts.  I'm not sure foraging is correct - they just fly to the feeder, take a minute or so to select the peanut they want, then fly away to hide it somewhere.  Foraging defined as  "The act of looking or searching for food or provisions"; these guys don't have to search or look very hard!!

The day after

Yesterday morning dawned bright and sunny, witness the back deck.  About 6+ inches of snow stayed on the ground, but the temperature was 30 and during the day much of it melted.
Late afternoon, I drove home from downtown and was witness to a full moonrise!  Now that made me think that if I had planned ahead, I could have had a wonderful companion to the moon as it rose so big and glorious.  But I have what I have and here it is.  B&W looked better than color to me.

Little light

It's snowing out right now, with lightning and thunder to accompany it.  A strong wind is blowing a good storm into us, so it should be interesting driving in the morning - or not!
I thought of a summer eve with a sliver of light coming through our fence highlighting this flower and stem.  It is like a hidden beauty exposed briefly by this little light!

Where is the little light in your life?

Home Beauty

Moments of beauty around the home are not hard to find.  Here's a couple of shots - flowers that Diana put in a small vase on the kitchen window; and the last light on in the living room before bed. Look around your house - they are there just waiting for you!

Simplicity

Sometimes the things that impact me the most are the simplest.  Sunday at the refuge Murphy and I took a long walk on the dikes.  Not looking for anything special, just getting exercise with my buddy and working on being aware to those things that stopped me and why they stopped me.  Here's a few of the ones that I saw that stopped me.

Bronzed shoes

I was digging around in an old box and found these - my baby shoes that my parents had bronzed! They were from my first two years (the plaque is dated with my second birthday) and I had worn holes in the big toe areas - a precursor to future shoe issues.
I wonder how many parents do this anymore? A quick Google search shows that there used to be kits sold (Popular Mechanics had one) that parents could buy and preserve their baby's shoes.
A very endearing find!

How much is that doggie in the window?

I've been thinking about that song since I saw two dogs in a window while driving to work. So I got a chance to catch Murphy in the truck window.  I could have titled it "My faithful traveling companion" also, as he sits up front a lot in the truck and looks like my copilot.
Leo wanted to be let out - so I made him look at me as payment for letting him out!
A sunny day here and warming up a bit - Fuzzy was out tearing around the backyard earlier, but stopped long enough to be captured in a photo!  I'm not sure if his facial expression means anything (other than the sun is in my eyes) but he looks like a judgemental parent to me!!

The Face in the Sand

About two years ago this time of year, I traveled to the coast of Oregon.  One of my first stops was in Bandon, Oregon, known for a lot of things but primarily dunes and golf courses. One of its features is Face Rock, viewed from a state park of the same name. 
The sun was just setting and a light wind off the ocean blew up a few whitecaps.  I had just come from 10 degree Salt Lake City, so it felt like heaven to me.

Old places newly

As I have been designing my new website - Moments of Beauty - I've reviewed quite a few pictures to see which ones I might want to include.  I found this one in our trip to Zion National Park, and immediately liked it.  I'm a sucker for light and shadows and a bit of mystery in the photo.

Shoreline Preserve Monitoring

A windy and cool day at the Great Salt Lake Shoreline Preserve - I spent a couple of hours there just before the winter storm hit.  Harriers and marsh wrens were visible, with the Canadians honking in the distance. I tried a couple of different views today.
I love the structures - the forms against the sky supported and surrounded by the grasses.

Thinking

Since Dad died I have taken a lot of pictures of Mom.  While reviewing photos today, I came across a couple of profiles that I really like.  Mom sits a lot, and is often very quiet - although she can hold her own when she wants to!
This first one was taken in a motel room in Port Orford, Oregon in February of 2009.  You can see what Mom was looking at by going here: Battle Rock Beach Cam.
The second one was taken today.

Updates on dog and kitty

It has been a while since I've posted anything about Fuzzy and/or Murphy.  They are doing pretty well together, although Murphy is still very jealous at times, and inserts himself between Fuzzy and whomever is petting him.  Fuzzy handles this well, just backs off and comes to us from another angle!!

Fuzzy has been sleeping on Murphy's bed and Murphy will regularly lay down there also (it's a big bed).  Here I caught them together on the human's bed, with Murphy being watchful as always and Fuzzy just trusting!

Exciting News!

Lots of excitement this year in the Moments of Beauty world!

1.  Brand new website - Moments of Beauty - filled with only the best of the best! Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

2.  Volunteer project in the works - Portraits of veterans at the VA!

3.  Upcoming photo shoot in Silk Hope, North Carolina - Art show and classes April 30-May 1.  This will be a "push my limits" experience because we will be doing video of the classes.

4.  Two books in planning stages.

All of the above plus the daily learning and capturing the moments of beauty around me!  What a wonderful life!

Gerry

Wind and cold

While we did not receive the snow that much of the US did, we got very cold weather (for us) and strong winds - so windchill was darn cold!
As usual, the blessings are mixed - on the other hand, the sky was clear and crisp and the snow was blowing in the mountains.  I captured a couple of shots - one of Salt Lake skyline with the blowing snow on the Wasatch mountains in the background and one of the Oquirrh mountains to the west where you can also see the Kennecott open pit copper mine.