What a beautiful weekend. I am amazed at how simply gorgeous it was, and to think it is not even peak yet! I passed by some Pumpkin Fest in Riner on my way to wedding #1 this weekend, and all I could think about was getting out of the car and running like mad through a corn maze, reveling in the feel and sound of corn stalk stubble crushing beneath my feet, the warm sun lighting up all of the colors just starting to peek out from summer greenery. Why can’t I be six again?
Another thought. Aren’t Pumpkin Fests and corn mazes kind of like a Charlie Brown Disney World? Doesn’t the Great Pumpkin live in one?
Wedding #2 was just as gorgeous a day. On the way, I passed by a horde of people crossing Rt 311 to start their hike up to McAfee Knob. I know that all of them were thinking how lucky they were to live in such a spectacular place. I can’t even imagine the views they were able to take in today.
I was lucky enough to have a few myself.
Here’s one of my many favorite images from this weekend.
This was a different kind of year in the garden as we moved all kinds of stuff around. Crop rotation I guess you would call it. Interestingly, tomatoes flourished and corn did not, even though both did well where they were at last year. But maybe that had more to do with the sporadic rain we had here all summer. Whatever the case, tomatoes are coming out of our ears and corn looks like it belongs in a wok.
But the big project for me this year was the crop circle! Well, with time crunch as it was in May, it was more like crop semi-circle, but I do plan on finishing it this fall. I took a stake and drove it into the ground, tied a piece of string to it, then put a spray can of white paint on the end of the string and made a template for the circle about 15 ft in diameter. Then, of course, came the real work of getting the sod up and the earth turned for some planting.
So this year I planted it with sunflowers from the seeds I had harvested last year. The seeds were from a dwarf variety that only got about 2 feet tall, but as plants will do, they reverted from their hybrid traits and I got plants from 2-5 feet tall. That was kinda cool as I think it looked more natural than when they were all the same height. There were plenty to cut and give away to friends and neighbors, which everyone always appreciates. It’s nice to bring a little of the outside inside.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do next year. Maybe a whole circle of sunflowers. Or maybe plant some perennial grasses in it like pampas and other tall varieties. I like ornamental grass and it usually looks good year round.
The sunflowers have peaked and are now starting to wane. But I really like that time of the year, and I always like the look of sunflowers that are a little spent. The texture is awesome, the way they kind of wither gracefully. But, I really like to contrast of old flowers and new ones. In a couple of months, all of them will be dried up and I get to explore the seed pods, which really is one of my favorite things to photograph.
But for now, the bees are buzzing and things still look like summer. But in a few weeks, the leaves will start to turn and things will settle down, and we’ll all be ready for some football weekends and maybe a trip or two.
So here are a few shots from the crop circle this morning. It is hard to photograph bees with a macro and no tripod, but one or two turned out like I wanted. Boy, did I ever need a little personal shoot time. All work and no play was making Kemper a dull boy.
Just a few from the little car show they have at Festival in the Park. Love me some shiny old cars! The burnt organge paint job was the most beautiful I had ever seen. Flawless and delicious!
When rain threatens the wedding day I always think about the possibility of a break in the clouds with just enough light to make everything soft and beautiful. That is exactly what Dana and Lloyd got for their intimate little ceremony at Natural Bridge just a few weeks ago. Not a drop fell the entire time and what rain we had gotten earlier in the week and morning of left the lichen, moss and stone with brilliant shades of greens, blues, and browns. Those colors are a little extra bonus that you don’t find at every wedding venue.
Dana and Lloyd, we totally enjoyed being a part of your day and here’s to a perfect start to the rest of a beautiful Life together.
Fantastic news on the abandoned dog front. Jack’s sister has been adopted by awesome dog parents! Let’s just say that she has hit the Doggie Lotto, going from a neglected home to one of the most caring homes she could have possibly ended up in.
So, quite fitting for a pup with a new lease on life, she has a new name and it fits her so well. Pia! A name with European flair!
Jack is very relieved that his sister is in good hands now. Pictures that the new parents sent me make anyone wonder how a dog like this ever met such a temporary stroke of bad luck. She is, without question, adorable. At only 25 lbs (Jack is now about 50) she is a bit under weight but with a loving home I think she will fill out very well.
So here she is…..debuting in the blog world…look at those ears….so CUTE!!
Unfortunately, I had an email issue yesterday that went un-noticed the entire day. So if you sent me an email that came back as rejected by the server, please resend! Only my kemper@kempermillsfant.com address was affected. Sorry about any confusion.
Took the paper recycle out tonight and was watching Jack dig in one of the sunflower beds. It’s the bed that caused rampant speculation in the neighborhood last year as to exactly what I had “planted” in my back yard. Nooooo……not that :)
The bed happens to be about 7 feet long and three feet wide and kind of oddly placed at a right angle to the house. But instead of pushing up daisies, it pushes up miniature sunflowers all summer long. This year’s crop will be awesome because I harvested all the seed last year to replant. Sometimes that will result in the plant reverting to the original cultivar, so maybe I will get a mixed bed. Who cares, I just like ‘em hanging around. I love the texture of the seed head, so I photograph them right up until they dry up to nothing. Such a sturdy plant and so full of cool curves and textures.
What is the emotion of color? How do colors play a part in making us feel the way we do about whatever it is we are looking at? I painted a room in my house bright yellow this winter, and that was a real challenge for me as I’m really into the more subdued earth tones right now. So this room really contrasts with the rest of the house for the time being, but it makes me feel really good whenever I walk into it on a cold sunshiny winter day. I can see the other rooms from this particular room, and I think that adds to the appeal of this little haven. Kind of like my spot in the sun. But I wondered how it would change my feeling about this room if every room in the house were painted the same color. I think it would take away considerably from the emotional impact of walking into this particular room.
So, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and exploring the relationships of color within the boundaries of a single image. Nothing earth shattering, but it is fascinating how a particular color has a relationship with those around it, and changing those relationships has a significant effect on the emotional impact of the image.
Ran across this little jewel today and just thought I would have to pass it on. It is hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud throughout the whole thing.
So many times I run across something that makes me stop and think “Is that really art?”. I try not to be pretentious about art because I realize that not everyone is entertained or stimulated at the same level; and it rarely entertains me to have to listen to some lofty condescending prattle that often comes from some artist trying to bolster their own ego by putting others down. So, I found this to be hugely entertaining. I love the monkey pretending to be Bob Ross, and the Printmaking Dog is totally lovable.
