Our little corner of the universe

I've been spending a lot of time tending to the garden and doing yard work, but I still managed to find a little time to fly my DJI Mini 3 drone and take a few photos. I'm getting better at flying the drone, which makes it even more enjoyable to use. Today I just took a few shots of our little homestead, which we love. I really enjoy flying the drone because it gives me a different perspective of our little piece of heaven.

Embracing Retirement: From Restlessness to a Passion for Photography

Retirement marks the beginning of a new chapter in life, filled with opportunities for exploration and self-discovery. Yet, for me, this transition also brought feelings of restlessness and uncertainty. After years of dedication to a career, the sudden abundance of free time left me searching for purpose and fulfillment. However, it's precisely during this period of adjustment that unexpected passions can emerge, leading to exciting new ventures.

Such was the case for me. After bidding farewell to the workforce and finding myself with ample time on my hands, I soon realized that idleness did not suit me well. While leisurely pursuits initially offered some enjoyment, I craved a deeper sense of purpose—a meaningful endeavor to channel my energy into.

It was during a casual ride around the streets of my hometown that inspiration struck. Photography had been an early interest of mine, relegated to the sidelines amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. I had always enjoyed framing shots of nature, but also had a deep fascination for nighttime shots with tricky lighting that pushed my skills as a rank amateur. It was time pick it back up and see where it leads me.

With the decision made, I embarked on a journey to hone my skills as an amateur photographer. Armed with little more than determination and a keen eye for composition, I delved into the world of photography with gusto. Every sunrise and sunset became an opportunity to capture the fleeting beauty of the world around me, while every outing presented a chance to refine my technique and expand my creative horizons. I have re-read the manual to my 16 year old DSLR and watched countless videos on photography in an attempt to re-learn a hobby that had been put to the wayside.

As my re-kindled love for photography grew, so too did the desire to share my newfound passion with others. Thus, the idea of starting a YouTube channel dedicated to amateur photography was born. It was a daunting prospect, to be sure—venturing into the realm of content creation as a retiree with little experience in the digital landscape. Yet, fueled by passion and a thirst for learning, I embrace the challenge wholeheartedly.

This is where things get a bit sketchy. I'm really not a very good photographer and even a less skilled video editor. I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks and launching a YouTube channel as a content creator is a daunting task. 

Planning my YouTube channel proved to be a transformative experience. Creating narrative, shooting new material, and editing video into something worthy of your time and attention is proving quite difficult. It is out of that difficulty that an idea was born. What if I create a a photography channel that does not teach? Perhaps viewers could critique my work and offer constructive criticism.

The channel is moving slowly and may not go public for some time, if at all. but what began as a response to restlessness has blossomed into a fulfilling passion—one that continues to inspire and enrich my life in ways I never could have imagined. And to think, it all started with a simple click of the shutter and a leap of faith into the world of amateur photography.

Night Stalker-Photo Ops

 

Night time along side the tracks waiting for this freight train to move on so that I could get a shot of the train in motion. I got tired and gave up, promising myself that I'll do this again another night.

This is the old Railway Depot in my hometown of Leeds, Alabama

Photo Friday: STAIR

 

I stumbled across Photo Friday today after a long absence. Several years ago I posted very often but these days it just seems harder and harder to find the time to get out and shoot good photos. This one, which was actually shot in January 2020,  looks like it fits the bill for the Photo Friday topic this week.
#STAIR

Still Alive and Well

 ...in the words of the late great Johnny Winter. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8--jVqaU-G8

Just thought that I would put something on the old dusty blog. I forget that this thing exists most of the time.

Until next time

Photo Friday: Petals

I sort of stumbled across Photo Friday today after a long absence. Several years ago I posted very often but these days it just seems harder and harder to find the time to get out and shoot good photos. This one, taken in my backyard looks like it fits the bill for the Photo Friday topic this week.
#petals

Tempus Fugit...the older I get the faster it goes!

Well, look here. The old dusty blog is still hanging around. It's been almost a year since my last post. And to think, about this time last year I told myself that I was going to breathe some new life into the old Simple Contemplations Blogspot. And what happened? Life happened!. You're walking along, minding your own business and what happens? You get busy, you get sick, you get better, you get sick....and you just plain start to slow down. Work becomes harder. Exercise and staying fit becomes harder. Being creative becomes harder. Getting along with people gets harder. And to top it all off, you realize that you're almost 65 and still haven't figured out where you fit in.
I once had a job that I liked ( don't get me wrong, I like my current job as much) and lived in a city that I absolutely loved. Everything that I liked to do was within minutes of my home. Bicycling trails, hiking trails, lakes with swimming, and neat shops and places to eat. And what happened to all of that? The owner of the company that I worked for did what companies sometimes do....hire  a new general manager with absolutely no experience in the industry with no idea of how to do what you do....And what do they do? Instead of trying to learn about your business and processes and why you do what you do they try to re-invent it from the ground up. Forget that it wasn't broken. Forget that it didn't need fixing. Forget that they just ain't going to listen to a damn word you say because they've decided that they're smarter than you. What happens then? In my case, the rat bastard made my life miserable with his management style that consisted of bullying, badgering, cussing, and berating. There is only so much of that a person can take. But, when you get to the point of thinking that there might just be a quick way out of this misery you get a call with a job offer "back home" that literally saves your life. A good job with good people. And did I say "back home"? Yeah, back home. I had visions of reconnecting with old friends and getting closer to my family. I envisioned have Sunday dinners and family get togethers where we all just enjoyed being in each others' company. My wife gave up a seventeen year job that she absolutely loved so that we could move "back home". I owe her so much!
Well...guess what? You can't go home again. People change; you no longer have that much in common with old friends and for reasons totally unknown, family gatherings are awkward. You're the one who moved away. You're the one who had to work and couldn't always make it home for holidays. The one who wasn't always there when Mom and Dad needed help or the just needed someone to be with them. And the people who were there do remember.
I've realized lately that I just don't fit in "back home" I'm happy here but not really content. I think of running away but then there's the mortgage, the car payment, health insurance; oh yeah, health insurance! Over a thousand dollars a month just for health insurance. I'd said all along that I'd like to work until I'm 67 or thereabouts. I still like my job and it pays me well but truth be known, I'd love to retire now. Just can't afford it. I never planned for this part of my life, always going and doing and spending as if the money was just going to keep flowing for eternity. Almost 65 and not a lick of savings. How stupid is that? Man, what a dumb-ass I turned out to be....Oh well, I guess I've rambled enough....Going to go think a bit about selling this old house, take whatever profit I can get out of it and getting the heck out of here! This isn't really going anywhere so I guess I'll wrap it for now....maybe more thoughts later.

Studies in Light

I'm re-hashing a few slightly older photographs that I took in Chattanooga a few years. I'll post them on PHOTOFRIDAY for #LIGHT.

NOT ALL DOGS WHO WANDER ARE LOST!

Foreword

I posted the title of this blog page on Facebook as a humorous response to someone’s concern over stray and/or lost dogs. Of course, things didn’t go well for me after that and I ended up deleting the entire message thread. It did have one good result; my oldest sister saw the post and we started to reminisce about childhood days gone by and one of our goofy dogs.

The Story

This is where I must clarify…. We say one of OUR dogs but, truth be known, we never bought or owned a single dog ever. Oh, don’t misunderstand. We had plenty of dogs. I’d just never say that we owned one.

Our dogs just seemed to wander up into the yard. One of my sisters would give them a snack or two and the stray would tend to hang around a bit; sometimes for years! They were always to come and go as they pleased. 

One of my favorite dogs during my junior high school years was Buster. He just wandered up one day. He was a friendly dog and we all enjoyed playing with him. My mom supplied table scraps for Buster which meant that he was always well fed. Buster followed us every where we went. We’d hike down to the creek and Buster was always right there with us. If we went for swim in the creek Buster went for a swim too! Buster even had a few odd talents (for a dog). He would bring things home. And I mean good things like hand tools, clothing, and cakes. Yes cakes. He once came home with a Dolly Madison Pound Cake, fresh in the un-broken wrapper. We eventually found out that he had discovered that one of our neighbors’ storage room doors didn’t latch properly and Buster would help himself (and us) to whatever he could get away with.

One fateful day when we were all playing in the front yard Buster walked out into the road in front of our house. He put his head down like a charging bull and did just that; charged a car and butted it head on. It knocked him through the air about 10 yards and he spent the next hour or so running around in crazy circles. He’d vanish for days at a time after that but always seemed to make it back to our house for one more snack. I have to say that I really don’t remember what eventually happened to Buster. I know that my sister Janet will tell me. She could make this story so much more interesting that I am able.

Anyway, the whole point of this story is this. When I see a stray dog, I don’t jump to the foregone conclusion that it is lost. I don’t think that it has escaped from its yard. I just assume that it’s a free spirit exploring its world. I know that there are people who feel distressed over this and feel that they must “rescue” the poor lost animal. I don’t, and I make no apologies for being this way.

Idle Sunday Photos

Sometimes you just have to take a few minutes to look around you and enjoy the simple wonders that God has given us.

Tiger Lilly

The Tiger Lilies are blooming all around the yard this week and this lone flower decided to show off among the ferns.

Photo Friday - Summer

A couple of pictures from the archives for the Photo Friday subject #SUMMER

Coolidge Park on the North Shore in Chattanooga, Tennesee

Chickamauga Lake in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Monster In The Tree

 

Do you see it?  Another one for PhotoFriday. #trees

Interesting streets and walkways

This is a post for PHOTO FRIDAY that I thought would be interesting. The subject this week (May 11-17) is STEET. While not really a street I think that this fits into the overall theme of the subject.

 

This is the glass pedestrian bridge that goes between the Walnut Street Bridge and the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 



Reflection

Chattanooga riverfront, as seen from the north shore / Coolidge Park area. Posting this one to
Photo Friday.

Serenity

Early morning on Lake Chickamauga in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I shot this from under the dam on the way to work on morning; all the while thinking to myself that the person in that little boat definitely had the right idea.

I'll post this one on PHOTO FRIDAY also. This weeks' subject is #distant

Springtime

Spring has arrived and I thought that I'd re-hash a photo from 2015 to celebrate. This one was originally posted on PhotoFriday.

Fun with PhotoShop

Fun with Photoshop Creative Cloud edition. . With my granddaughters Micah and Makaley.

And the band played on,,,,,,,

Has it really been two years?

Wow! Has it really been two years since I posted anything on the blog? Well, 2015 and part of 2016 were awful (job related). This year we moved back to my hometown, bought an old house that was built in 1900, and are in the process of renovating it. When things slow back down I may try to breath some new life into this old BlogSpot.