Barely Focused

Self-Portrait in Metaphor

Self-Portrait in Metaphor

Do other photographers take photographs like this?

Barely aware, do you find in your photograph downloads that there are a few photos that seem to be the sum of who you are at that moment? Not really self-portraits, no people in those photos, but self-portraits nonetheless.

Maybe I’m mixing my poetry writing years with my photography years. 

So, can photographs be metaphors? My answer is yes.

Sailboats, Evening Rest

Lake Mendota

Lake Mendota

Bobbing sailboats, moored for the night, in a natural harbor on Madison’s Lake Mendota. The last vestiges of the sun before it disappears beyond the horizon gives the water a shimmery appeal. Summer evenings can be a bit of heaven when there’s an easy breeze off the lake and time enough to relax and appreciate the end of a good day.

Doors of Change

Passing through the Doors of Change

Passing through the Doors of Change

I’ve run into a few unexpected happenings, and so earlier today I decided to streamline my daily routine, and my online adventures, by taking a break from Seeded Earth. I posted that decision a few hours ago. But then a rather unusual thing happened—one of those kinds of things you’d like to have a logical explanation for, but none exists—and so I re-prioritized my life for the moment and decided perhaps I really do need to keep taking photographs and keep posting.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who visit, and give many, many thanks to those of you who take the extra time to leave a comment. You’ll never know how much I appreciate those words of encouragement.

Now I’m going to go outside, sit in the sun for a while, and ponder life’s mysteries.


Sun-down on the Farm

On the Backroads in Illinois

On the Backroads in Illinois

I seldom see rural Illinois. I’m either in a rush to drive from Madison to downtown Chicago via the interstate, or I totally bypass Illinois and drive to and from my hometown (which is on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River) by taking a faster route through Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri, and then crossing the bridge into Illinois. I know it sounds contradictory, but I really do go through four states to get from Wisconsin to Illinois. It shaves 30 miles from the drive each way.

But this past week I actually did get off the Illinois tollway and we drove through a lovely part of northern Illinois few people see. And yes, I find it pleasurable driving through rolling countryside and farmland. Maybe it has something to do with living in Wisconsin for the last 30 years or so.

We attended a great wedding in a small hamlet (it really does qualify as a hamlet) and left the reception just as the dancing was beginning and the sun was setting. It had rained the entire day, but as we drove the skies cleared to the west. And so we were treated to a view of a striking sunset.

Celebrating Fourth of July at the Farmers Market

Fourth of July Cheese Cow

Fourth of July Cheese Cow

Does cheese sell better at the Fourth of July Farmers’ Market if it’s promoted by a flag draped cow?

Fire Cracker Popcorn

And does popcorn sell better if it’s red, white and blue in honor of the Fourth of July?

Red, White and Blue Cookies

Red, White and Blue Cookies

Well, I know cookies sell better when they are decorated as American flags in the traditional red, white, and blue. I saw the proof in lots of hands and mouths, and not only little tykes.