What has happened to me?

I once was a post-er of great frequency
At times with some profundity
On returning from the country of Turkey
I wrote with much loquacity
Has time got the best of me?
Am I more interested in photography?
Am I incapable of telling thee?
Or have I become plain lazy?


A few parting shots from Lost Valley for you...

Bloodroot

Rose Verbena

Middle Eden Falls

The Simple Life

At David's request, I will share a few of my thoughts on the Simple Life

When I think of the Simple Life, I am aiming for a life that is unencumbered. I don't want to be overwhelmed, bogged down, stressed out, mad and unhappy because of things in my life that are optional, i.e. things that are under my control. (I'm under no illusion that I can eliminate trials or hardship from my life.) There are things that I CAN and should do something about as a good steward of my life and my resources. Some of the things that I can manage in order to achieve a more unencumbered, simple life include: television and media input, busy schedules, sleep schedules, how much we accumulate, if we use or abuse debt, when I run errands, where I shop, social committments, multitasking, family dinner times, etc.

I first began to long for a simple life about 2 years ago, and I have been refining my habits and trying new approaches since then. Here are some things that I have decided.

1. An overly busy life is stressful for me and my family. Why jam-pack my life full of committments and make myself miserable trying to juggle them all? One or two things done well and enjoyed are much more valuable than filling every day with endless activity.
2. It's rarely worth the stress to run errands on Saturdays. Additionally, it is rarely worth the stress to shop at the Supercenter. Every time I go there, I feel like cussing when I leave.
3. Family meals shared at home around the kitchen table are extremely valuable and will continue to be a key component of our family life.
4. For me, multitasking is not a productive use of my time. Other than reading while I am feeding Amelia, I am trying to avoid multitasking. I don't watch TV while I make the grocery list. I am working to eliminate making phone calls in the car. I don't answer my phone when I am in the middle of something that is important (especially time with my family).
5. I can only do so much. I need to be okay with that.
6. Leisure is not a waste of time. Reading good books, spending time enjoying God's creation and being creative are worthwhile pursuits.
7. In general, television is not a worthwhile use of my time. I would rather get caught up in a good book.
8. I have what I need. I rarely need more stuff. I am okay with not wearing the latest fashion.(I'd better be since I get new clothing at a rate of once every couple of years.)
9. Having more stuff makes life more complicated.
10. Technology is a blessing AND A CURSE! (But I still enjoy my iPod.
11.Having a simple life usually involves eliminating some things (or at least making some choices not to add things). As I continue to desire and work toward simplicity, I ask myself, "Does this thing, activity or pursuit enrich my life?" If not, I probably need to eliminate it.

There is so much more I could ramble about, but I'll call it quits now. Part of my new Simple Life involves trying to get to bed at a decent hour.

Reading List

As Brett can probably tell you, I have been reading like crazy lately. I have always enjoyed reading, but in recent years I always felt too busy to read. Well, now I have a newborn to feed, and reading is the perfect thing to do while feeding a little one. Here are a few of the titles I have been perusing:

The Memoirs of a Geisha (I can't put it down.)

The Well-Trained Mind

Knowing God

Managers of Their Homes

Honey for a Child's Heart

Living the Simple Life

In Praise of Slowness

Weight Loss that Lasts

The Total Money Makeover

By The Shores of Silver Lake

Early Mornings

This morning, I woke up at 5:30 a.m., threw on some warm clothes, grabbed my camera bag & tripod and headed out the door to shoot some pictures. On the way out, I grabbed a Weinhard's Root Beer so I could wet my dry throat. As I was getting ready to turn out onto Township, I opened it and it spewed all over the place. Luckily, most of it went on the floor with a bit on my jeans and a bit on the steering wheel. I stopped by White Oak Station and grabbed a couple of napkins, then I was on my way.

My destination was Lake Fayetteville. I wanted to capture the sunrise color over the lake. Unfortunately there were no clouds in the sky, but I was already awake, so I thought I'd give it a go anyway. When I arrived, it was still dark, but there was just enough light for me to walk out on the dam and down to the shore. By the time I got set up, there was just beginning to be some color in the sky, so I started shooting. I'm pretty pleased with this shot:


Eventually, the color began to fade, so I packed up and headed back the car. As I was driving away, the sun finally began to rise so I stopped and watched it. It was huge as it came up above the horizon. It's amazing how fast the sun actually rises... it only took about 45 seconds from peeking up above the horizon to fully risen. Unfortunately, my camera was packed away by this time.

It was a photo day for me after all, so I decided to drive around a bit to look for something interesting to shoot. Unfortunately, I was so sleepy that I couldn't concentrate on looking for something to take pictures of. After about 30 minutes of just driving around like a zombie, I decided to head home to take a nap.

I got home around 8:00, talked to Elise and the girls for a while, then proceeded to sleep until about noon!

I went out later to run a bunch of errands and I wanted to shoot some pictures around Dickson Street - particularly the new Legacy Building that is being erected. Unfortunately, I didn't really get any shots that I liked because it is so congested down there that it's hard to get an interesting angle or composition.