52 Tuesdays Challenge #14: Twisted
It’s fun sometimes to shake things up and look at them from a different perspective. I learn a lot from my play with photos. So sometimes I come out with a bit of a twist on them. Here are a few photos of some objects that I played with the photo – my favorite is the last one in this post:
52 Tuesdays Challenge #13: Tremendously
Tremendously:
Extremely large in amount, extent, or degree; enormous
I picked the word for this week based on events from April 14. Curiously enough, this is challenge 13 and these events were somewhat scary enough to think that it had been the 13th.
So this is how the story starts:
It was a sunny day in the area of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Actually, it was a nice day by the normal standard: breezy, cool, and just enough clouds to make the sky pretty. So I took off in my rented Kia Sorento to go exploring with my camera. I had researched some typical must-see sites in the closer area. The White Mountain petroglyphs were high on my list and then Boars Tusk if I had time. I planned to squeeze in a trip along the Mustang loop if I could.
So the trip started out very nice. A slow drive along Wyoming Sweetwater county road 17 seeing the mountains surround me.
Along the way I came upon a flock of sheep. Now, if you hadn’t heard from my trip in March, I saw a flock of sheep just before getting into Green River, WY from Salt Lake City. But these sheep were a bit unusual – they had big green spots on them. NO, I wasn’t imagining it. Another friend coming in the next day saw it, too. So on my trip this particular day in April I happened upon a large flock hanging out on the road. The sheep in their variations were tremendously beautiful and interesting! They didn’t have large spots of paint but they were marked. Here are a few of their photos:
When I got to the place where the petroglyphs were I found the gate closed so there was no wandering around the caves that day. Then I backtracked to the county road but saw a little gravel road that ran perpendicular to it so I took it. I wanted to go that direction because Boars Tusk was that way. The gravel road brought me an tremendously awesome sight – two wild mustangs wandering and running together.
Continuing on toward Boars Tusk I found the gravel road to be well paved and not too bumpy. Then as I got closer I noted a packed dirt road that looked like it led straight to Boars Tusk.
So of course, I had to take it. Now mind you, my Hubby had told me that day that I should be sure to fill the vehicle with gas, take water and a blanket if I went exploring and I was reminded that cell phone service in these areas was not readily available. So you can guess where this story is going….
I proceeded down the packed dirt road to a point where I saw water puddles ahead of me. Then I put the vehicle in reverse to back the way I came since I saw that I could not simply turn around. Next there was a puddle behind me which sent my passenger rear tire spinning. In to drive I went and then reversed with a slight turn of the wheels. Well, that slight turn of the wheels sent me into a mud bog that I couldn’t see. That mud bog “ate” my passenger side tires up to about 3 inches from the vehicle frame. I tried all kinds of forward, backward, using the floor mats to put under the tires all for naught. I was stuck. I was tremendously terrified.
Walking back along the road I came, I continued to watch my cell phone for signal. I knew that there were spots as I came along my route where I had signal. Each time I noted a bar on the signal I dialed 911. After about 4 times of hearing the voice of the dispatcher but losing the call I received a text from her. I gave specific information on my route that had taken me to my current location. I even took a photo of where I was to attempt to send to her – that is the vehicle there – the little looking one to the right… It never went thru. But here it is:
Then along came a man in a truck on the other side of what I now saw was a gulley. He had been hiking Boars Tusk and saw that the vehicle I was in had not moved. Of course, I am a bit still terrified, grateful to see another person, yet that person is male and carrying a pistol in a holster on his hip. So I blurted out the question “why are you carrying a gun?”. At this point I figured I was dead or saved. Turns out the man saved me from my mis-adventure by coming back around the way I came and pulling me out with his pickup. Now all this time I am trying to still text with the dispatcher. And just as we unhook the tow rope from my vehicle the sheriff deputy shows up. And not even close to as friendly as the man who pulled me from my mud bog.
I was then given a nice escort out of the recreation area by the deputy. The dispatcher had confirmed that I was ok and she finally had received the photo that I had been trying to send. She told me that it was a great photo of Boars Tusk.
Now you have heard about my tremendously exciting, beautiful, terrifying and grateful day – God was with me that day as I prayed continuously. I told Hubby later that I wasn’t foolish enough to make any bargains such as “I’ll stop doing so-and-so if you only get me out”. And truly my largest fear was that I would not be rescued for many hours and I would worry my Hubby when he got off work.
But alas, God cared for me and I made it back in time to shower and go to dinner with Hubby and his co-workers. Hubby wasn’t happy. But he was tremendously glad I was safe. I’m sticking to paved roads now days. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story! 
52 Tuesdays #12: Transfixed
Transfixed – Held motionless by.
There are those moments where you stop in your tracks, stand completely still, almost forgetting to breathe, and stare at that object – be it an animal, person, or other creature. Because of my love of nature I find myself doing that quite a bit. So here are a few photos of those moments when I stood transfixed.
This photo was taken while snorkeling in St. Kitts. The fish in the center was obviously one to fade into the scenery so every time we saw him we tried to be super still to see more of him.
This photo was taken on St Martin and we seemed to attract quite of few of this little guy. What was most amusing is that we weren’t the ones transfixed but they were. They would float around us as we swam looking for neat fish and coral.
And one of my favorite little critters to photograph is this one. We love to feed them the crackers then I’ll wait very still and focused on the squirrel so that I can photograph it.
Benches: Where’s My Backpack Travel Challenge
Where’s My Backpack posted the challenge of benches for all of us to have some fun with. I’ve encountered a lot of benches on my travels and honestly I don’t take the time to sit on them. I’m usually running around looking at all the details around me. But here are a few of my favorites.
Sit With Me – Portland, OR
Wakheena Falls benches
Hot Springs, AR checker board benches
Macro Photography: iPhoneography Challenge
This iPhoneography Challenge: Macro Photography was a bit difficult for me. I’ve not really experimented with the camera on my iPhone and I couldn’t really get it to take a photo like my Nikon does. So here is my attempt for the challenge!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Color
I love color!! So this challenge for Weekly Photo Challenge I am trying to be creative about. Usually we think of bold colors. I am very fond of the primary colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple.
For the nature photos this is one of a woodpecker that I like because of the striking red head.
And for the fun at heart here is one from a hut on the beach at St. Kitts.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Change
When I think of change in my world of photography I think of the change of the seasons. So today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite “series” or trio from my vast collection of photos of nature. These are especially sentimental to me because it is of a dogwood in our front yard that meant a lot to my late mother-in-law. I hope you enjoy!
52 Tuesdays Challenge: Transportation
Everyone has those vehicles that you love for the body style, the speed or the looks. So for this week’s challenge I am choosing transportation!
I tend to like the old vehicles that you find left in the pasture where they rusted and show lots of use. It is because I wonder of the stories that go with them. So I am sharing some of my favorites and some you may not have seen before.
My all time favorite is this one from a 1954 Chevrolet 4400. You could tell by the wear and the “accessories” that it was a very long used work truck. This angle on the photo appeals to me as it seems to invite you into the door for the stories it could tell.
This second one is a favorite for the history behind it, also. An old truck found in rural Oklahoma and lived its life in the oil business.
For the third photo I chose another work truck. Found at the Har-Ber Village in Grove, Oklahoma it was part of the fleet of Jones Truck Lines.My favorite part is what I think might be the blinker on the top that is a single bulb.
Do you have any favorite photos or stories to tell about vehicles or transportation?
View one of my works at the Photo Salon exhibit at Black Box Gallery in Portland, OR
“My Pixy Home” will be on exhibit (and prints offered for sale) at the Black Box Gallery in Portland, OR from April 1-22.
Black Box Gallery811 East Burnside St., Suite 212
Portland, Oregon 97214 USA
There will be an opening reception along with the First Friday Art Walk on the East Side on April 5 from 5-8:30pm.
If you are in the Portland area please stop by and check it out! Let me know what you think!
Here is the photo that will be on exhibit:
Travel: iPhoneography Challenge
The challenge week is the challenger’s choice of a few items and of those I have chosen travel. As I noted in my previous challenge, I haven’t had my iPhone long so I am limited on what photos I have for sharing.
I really liked the light in this one as I was driving along I80 outside Salt Lake City. There is a windmill farm along the side of the interstate.
Outside of Rock Springs just around Green River, WY is this nifty outcropping of rock. It happened to have a bit of snow on the ground that day, too.
52 Tuesdays Challenge #10: Terminus
Terminus= end.
I chose the word today to truly share the thought that even though there comes a terminus or an end it is usually followed by a new beginning. The first is a photo of a sunset taken in Muskogee, OK. There were some beautiful ones this past fall and my husband and I enjoyed them all sitting in our lawn chairs with a good cigar, holding hands and beers. And each day gave us another day to enjoy the sunset.
This next photo is all the fun of doing a project with your kiddos. While one project may end there is always another project to start! And my family never likes posing for photos so you see their growling faces.
This third photo is the one that shows the terminus or end of a lot of hard work, sweat, tears, and a celebration of accomplishments.
For the rest of the 52 Tuesdays Challenges click here.
Headlights
Going thru photos again and found a pattern – headlights. Old cars, trucks and tractors. They all had headlights. So here is a collection for you! Enjoy!
Gifts: Two Cents Tuesday Challenge
Gifts – sometimes the first thing we think of when someone mentions the word is that box that is wrapped prettily and bowtied up. But I have to admit that I am more apt to think of all the gifts in my life that are not wrapped and bowtied. For the purpose of this challenge I want to go with the furry gifts that I am or have been blessed with! Our dogs and cats. So here is my post for the Two Cents Tuesday Challenge: Gifts!
I have to admit to feeling a little like Mother Nature at times. It seems I have a bit of a natural connection to animals. Having never really thought about it I didn’t focus on it but with all the creatures now around me – living in the country – I’ve found I love them all and truly enjoy interacting with them. So here are a few of our furry gifts!
Cedar is our oldest puppy. He is a little over 3 years old. He has such a young soul and always a ready smile. We call him our smilin’ dawg because he literally smiles at you and wiggles his hinny – he only has a 1 inch tail – when he sees you!
Tori was our oldest kitty. She was 8 years old when she moved on to animal Heaven this past August. She survived half of her life with kidney failure – such a strong little one. She was definitely a diva but she was well loved and truly enjoyed naps in the sun and with Momma (me).
Lily was the next little lady to join our family. She also has such a wonderful, loving soul. She is very laid back – which is an opposite to Cedar’s lively, always moving self. Lily absolutely LOVES people. Her big brown eyes draw you in every time! She had puppies on my birthday, too!
We have two cats that hang around our house – Tabi & Bella. Tabi is Bella’s mother. They each have their own unique personalities. Bella is a bit more vocal and fluffy. Tabi is a calm, laid back soul, too. Tabi is due to have another litter of kittens any day now.
And then we have all the pups from Lily & Cedar. There were 7 of them and we have 3 still at home. Blue, Louis and Bear. Definitely different and strong personalities. Blue, the light coated one on the right, is a very smart pup much like his daddy. He would be the mini-me of Cedar. Louis is in the middle and he is Mr. Super Laidback. He loves belly rubs just like his daddy, too. Bear, on the left – we call him the Dos Equis dog. He embodies the personality of the Dos Equis male character in their commercials. His best move is to lay by the water bowl so it is easy to get to.
And last, but certainly not least, is Tripper. He was my little gift upon arriving home about 3 weeks after the puppies were born. I pulled into the drive and this bundle of black & white ran toward me. He is about a week and a half older than the puppies and someone dropped him at our house. He has the biggest heart and truly enjoys life. He always is ready to play. If he were a human he would be such a special soul that one could not help but to like him. He has some issues – his pelvic bone or left leg was likely fractured within the first 2 weeks of his birth so he hops a bit like a bear quite often. This is his baby picture – the first week that I had him. 
I hope you enjoyed the photos!
Spring Break
Monday kicked off the kids' Spring Break. Arkansas is nice in that Spring Break is always the third week in March, and it's at the same time state-wide, including the University of Arkansas.
You know what that means. Yep, BOTH my kids are home at the same time.
I could get used to this.
As luck would have it, David left for a two-week trip to Africa Monday, and will be home on the 30th.
Black & White: iPhoneography Challenge
Found this new challenge using the iPhone. And since I just got mine a month or so ago and am having a blast using the camera I thought I would try the weekly challenges. Here is my first shot (no pun intended) at the Black & White challenge. 
Keep in mind that I don’t have many photos on my iPhone yet so look for more to come!
Circles & Curves: Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge
Cee always hands out a good challenge! This one on circles and curves is no less challenging than the others. I had to think hard and look thru several folders of photos to find some worthy! And what do you think of when someone talks about curves? Well, if you are most of the guys I know it’s either the curves of a lovely lady or a lovely car. So I thought I’d go with the vehicle approach today. Hope you enjoy!
52 Tuesdays Challenge #9: Tetons
We got a little traveling in over the weekend. On Saturday we headed out for Jackson, Wyoming – also known as Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There we walked around town, ate at the Silver Dollar Bar, did some shopping, and drove around the Elk Refuge. We had made reservations to go snowmobiling on Sunday so we were excited to be there and get into some snow! Well, due to the little snow storm that came in early Sunday morning we weren’t able to make it to the snowmobiling adventure but we did get to see even more wildlife than the day before.
Here are some photos from our adventures! And I even have a guest photographer on this post – my Hubby!
For the other 52 Tuesdays Challenges click here!
Bloom Of The Week Wednesday: March 13, 2013
This week the Bradford pear trees are in full bloom and I can hear the bees buzzing! It is so exciting to know that Spring is upon us! So here are a few photos of the Bradford pear blooms in our yard. Enjoy!
Tisha Clinkenbeard
