About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Friday Fences - Mending Some


Here's an idyllic scene in County Clare Ireland that my dear friend captured on her vacation there a few years ago. This old stone fence looks like it could stand some mending--especially if the cows decide to be a bit more energetic.


Meanwhile, you may have seen this highly symbolic photo recently. Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast shaking hands with a former Northern Ireland IRA commander, now deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness. Never too late to try to mend fences.

And for more Friday Fences-check out Life According to Jan and Jer for the full list of players.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Milk, It Does a Body Good

Chet here--the Roommate has been muttering about five month old boys needing to give up the bottle. Help me out folks!

For more Wordless Wednesday photos be sure to check out Wordless Wednesday Again .

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Barn Charm - More Barn Quilts

 

Here's one last barn quilt to close out June and my look at some of eastern Kentucky's colorful quilt decorated barns. This photo was taken from the highway through bare trees and bushes. I pulled off the road after catching the flash of color from a distance. Not sure, but I think the quilt design is called Turkey's Foot. Anyone know for sure?

Now if you'd like to participate in the Barn Charm meme, or just see some interesting "barnery" from many different places, just go to Bluff Area Daily .

Monday, June 25, 2012

Quotography - Water Magic

 

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." 
 Loren Eiseley


A little creek magic--sun's reflections sparkle on the water at mid-day.

This week, for more quotes and photography celebrating water, be sure to check out My Perspective Blog .




Saturday, June 23, 2012

Desperately Seeking Camera Advice

Good Saturday afternoon favorite blogger/photographers.  Blogger is acting stubborn today so who knows if this request will post, but I'm  looking for some good recommendations for a new camera and thought:  who better to go to than my fellow blogger friends?  I always notice your sidebars where many share the camera they use for everyday photography.

Here's my deal.  I'm a very amateur photographer and got interested in taking photos as a way to remember the many wonderful trips I've taken.  And then, in the past year I've started trying some nature photography.  And now there's Chet the puppy to record!  Currently I'm using a simple point and shoot--Canon PowerShot SX130.  My plan was to really get serious about using all its features--which I don't right now--before I head out on my next big trip, which will be Russia in September.  But, just this morning I decided to upgrade to get SLR (whatever that is!) capability rather than spend time learning what the Canon 130 will do because I know it will only do so much.

I'm looking at the Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR.  My questions to you:

Anyone have experience with this camera?  Pros/Cons?  If so, do you think it would be a good travel choice because am usually on the move and don't have a lot of time to set up shots?  What about its weight?  Too heavy to lug around all day?  Need too many attachments?

Are there other cameras in this range that you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance for your advice and recommendations.  I always study your photos to see how you get the results you do.  And, everyone is always so generous about answering my photography questions which makes me realize just how much I have to learn! :-) Oh, one final thing--I'll probably buy the new one this coming week so tell me what you know real fast!  Thanks!




Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday Fences and More Barn Quilts


Earlier this week I showed you some barn quilts in eastern Kentucky for Barn Charm. Since there's several really nice examples, thought I'd stick with the same theme for Friday Fences. I took these photos on a very rainy drive to Pike County to visit my aunt last November. This is a favorite scene from the highway when I'm driving back to eastern Kentucky. Such a well kept farm--two-story white frame house, new barn and fencing, cattle grazing in the field. At Christmas time there'll be a huge lit star on the barn that you can see from the road. And always, the brilliant Bowtie quilt design on the barn.

Now for more fence stories, be sure to check out our host Janis' link at Life According to Jan and Jer .

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Toenail Clipping Wars

 

Chet here - I know this is Wordless Wednesday, but thought you needed a bit more info about this scene to fully appreciate my predicament.  It seems the Roommate is tired being scratched by a crocodile (she calls me that sometimes) so I get short leashed to the deck railing and outfitted with that ridiculous snout holster.  She then sidles up to me with the treat bag, those nipper things and fake sweetey words intending to clip my toenails.  Well it was nip (get it?) and tuck for a bit, but as you can see--I won.  The Roommate left the scene muttering about me winning the battle but not the war.  What the heck does that mean? 

For more photos that need no--or very little--descriptions go to Wordless Wednesday .

 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Ouotography - Cowboy Advice

 
"Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction."
 Cowboy Saying

This photo was taken in London in 2008--some royal "rears" of Queen Elizabeth's Royal Horse Guard Parade.

 For more quotes and photography celebrating Anything! this week, be sure to check out My Perspective Blog .

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Nostalgia

 

Nostalgia - a wistful yearning for something past or irrecoverable

The lake at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum this past autumn. Good Old Dog Willie was my photo shoot buddy as always. I liked having him along on these photography jaunts for the company and it helped me feel easier when meeting people. Always called Willie a goodwill ambassador for pit bulls. He loved going for drives and greeting strangers. Must start training Chet the Not So Good Puppy to be my new photography partner.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Friday Fences - Bavarian Alps

I spotted this peaceful scene from the tour bus on a drive through the Black Forest/Bavarian Alps in 2008. We were driving from Mannheim, Germany to Innsbruck, Austria. As we got closer to Innsbruck and the ski villages of the Bavarian Apls, we saw many churches, inns, and private homes with this unusual painting detail. It's hard to describe what technique may have been used. Any guesses? For more Friday Fences, scoot over to Janis' place at Life According to Jan and Jer .

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Newspaper Delivery Boy in Training


 Chet at three months.

For more photos that need no descriptions go to Wordless Wednesday .

 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Barn Charm - Bluegrass State


Here are a couple more fancy digs for thoroughbred race horses in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region.  I spotted these two from U.S. 60, a designated scenic highway between Frankfort and Versailles.  In the second photo notice that even the ducks have an upscale "barn"!

Now if you'd like to participate in the Barn Charm meme, or just see some interesting "barnery" from many different places, just go to Bluff Area Daily .

Monday, June 11, 2012

Quotography - Orange

"The sunset faded and blended from pink to peach to mango in a smoothie in the sky"
Jarod Kintz

 Or, a dreamsicle. For more quotes and photography celebrating the color orange, which Frank Sinatra calls the happiest color,be sure to check out My Perspective Blog .


Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday Fences - More from a Kentucky Horse Farm

 

Here's a "long" view of the fence surrounding a horse farm just outside Louisville--see the farm in the previous post that I shared for this week's Barn Charm meme. This fence says "Kentucky horse farm" with its combo of stained wood fencing and stone walls. And, while we're thinking horses--and racing--good luck to I'll Have Another and cool young jockey Mario Gutierrez in their run for the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes tomorrow. It feels like the year for some history making.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by Summit Musings to visit and leave comments.  I've been distracted with some things this week and haven't been able to return the favor.  For sure I'll do so over the weekend.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Barn Charm - Nice Digs if You're a Horse



Thought I'd stick a bit closer to home for this week's Barn Charm. This fine horse barn is only about 20 minutes outside of Louisville, Kentucky. I had to shoot from the highway so not the greatest photo, but enough for you to see that some pretty lucky horses live here. Here's another view of the place with some classic horse farm fencing:

 

And this is the rather grand entrance to the house and barn. Beautifully landscaped and very good example our stone wall work:

 

Now if you'd like to participate in the Barn Charm meme, or just see some interesting "barnery" from many different places, just go to Bluff Area Daily .

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Puppy Tales

Earlier this week it rained all day. While I sat at the computer,Chet slipped out into the backyard. He quietly worked on digging a hole to China and had gotten as far as Kazakhstan before I realized he was AWOL. . .

Chet here--under the desk is where I spent a lot of time the day after the digging lapse. "Lapse" is what my namesake, Chet the detective dog in the Chet and Bernie mysteries (really great reads if you haven't heard about them), calls those incidents. Personally, I'd never heard of that word before, but think it would be great for my next Scrabble game. Should be a high scorer based on how much fun that mud wrestling thing was.

Oh, a final thought. You know I think my new Roommate is a gem--lots of treats, walks, loving--but can you believe she turned the water hose on me after taking that first photo? You can bet I hollered loud enough to make the neighbors come out to see if she was killing me! We're friends again though. In fact, when I'm not blogging I sleep on her foot under this same desk.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday Fences - Around Viking Burial Mounds

Thought I may as well finish off the week in southern Sweden with a Friday Fence around some Viking burial mounds. Earlier in the week it was the red barns and gorgeous farmland of the area as our tour bus headed south to cross over into Denmark. The night before we had stayed at Toftaholm Manor, an historic lakeside inn. Here it is in the evening light (painted a softy mustard yellow--second most popular color to the Falu red). The manor grounds had its own burial grounds which I'll tell you about in a minute.
When we left Toftaholm manor the next morning it was raining so I was too lazy to get off the tour bus and traipse across the fields but managed to get a few shots of the burial mounds through the bus window.   Notice the steps for climbing over the fence--instead of a gate. In the 5th/6th century A.D., fire and water played important roles in Viking death ceremonies. For the royalty, a ship may be fully equipped with the dead and all they would need to make it to Valhalla and then set adrift on the sea. In another method of burial, pits were dug in the ground and a funeral pyre lit. After the fire ceremony, the site was covered with stones and earth to make these burial mounds. You see them dotting the Swedish farm landscape. Some mounds are marked with huge boulders as in these photos:
Now moving ahead to about 1000 A.D., here's an example of a rune stone, one of the oldest Christian monuments. This stone was on the grounds of Toftaholm Manor and the inscription said something like "in memory of brother Fare, God rest his soul. . ." Fare, or Farelander, was a common Scandinavian male name and meant traveler or one who journeys to England:
For more Friday Fences, check out the growing list of participants at Life According to Jan and Jer.