Like most photographers I own multiple cameras. I normally have my minimalist kit everywhere I go. Most of the images that I share on my blog are taken with my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy 6 Active which has served me well for landscape and general photos. I also have a Panasonic Lumix which is a high end point and shoot that is several years old. I like it for the 400 mm lens even though it’s only an 8 MP. That’s what I used to zoom in on the little bird whom I have named Grumps. He landed on the picnic table outside my day job and gave me that “I haven’t had my coffee” look and since I don’t want any copyright violations with a well known game I couldn’t resist the name. Okay little guy, I’ll let you get some coffee before the next shot. I guess this is look you get when you’re not the early bird and worms have been gotten already. 😂
Tag: photography
Gateways
There is something meditative about watching the river roll gently by. With the sky reflected on the water’s surface I began to understand why ancient cultures looked at bodies of water as gateways to the “other world”. The river itself is a contradiction. It’s always in motion but always in the same place more or less. Beneath the water’s surface truly is another world. Fish, crustaceans and turtles roam around exploring an alien landscape that’s just beyond our vision. What sunken treasures roll by unseen on the bottom? What secrets lie beneath that second sky below?
Echoes on a foggy morning
I stood in the mists and listened, and I heard the echoes.
The echoes spoke to me and here is what they those echoes said.
Once there was a house and the house was a home.
Once there was friendswho would gather.
Once there was laughing.
Once there was a song.
Once there was dancing.
Once there was the smell of dinner cooking over an open flame.
Once there were games played on the lawn.
Once there was a warm bed and quietly spoken conversation by candlelight.
Once there was a sadness and a warm embrace to lessen the scars on a wounded soul.
Once there was work to be done and rest to be enjoyed.
Once there was love and love grew into life. And life was good.
The echoes fade away but love lives on.
Poetry by Lloyd A Dempsey II
The Feature image for this post is the Old Mason-Drennan house. Sadly, it’s a historic site that is quickly succumbing to the effects of time.
As I look at site I think about all the different stories that would have played out at the old resort. In the early Twentieth Century this was a destination for people who would travel from far away. I wonder how many family lines got started at the dances and social gatherings that were held there? That question was the inspiration for my poem. As the old inn fades away do the memories live on like an echo in time?
As the weather in the Northern hemisphere warms up people in Appalachia generally gather around a camp fire and tell ghost stories. But such stories don’t always have to be scary. After all, it’s just a story… isn’t it?
Crossroads
The symbolism of the crossroads is well known. A person stands at the intersection pondering a decision wandering which way to turn in order to reach a goal. Crossroads are everywhere in life. I have observed a certain amount of anxiety associated with life’s crossroads. But, isn’t a crossroads as much an opportunity as it is anything else? It’s an opportunity to change your course, continue ahead or, for some situations it’s a place to turn around and correct a past error.
The most probable cause of the anxiety is not knowing what lies ahead. There are resources we have access to. Maps, compass and the knowledge of those who have been there. For life’s crossroads I turned to the Bible and church elders.
There’s no need to be anxious about coming to a crossroads. It’s really all a matter of perspective and planning.
Open Schedule And An Open Road.
The road ahead stretches on.
The sky is full of clouds that are smiling down.
The sun warm and friendly.
And the wind, … the wind whispers ever so softly. “Chosen”.
I grip and twist the accelerator and answer the call with a grin.
The deep growl of raw horsepower surges over my body as I catch up with the wind.
Two wheels, one headlight and an open road.
Some days, the adventure chooses you.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 