Tag: reflection

About Those Three Crosses Near The Highway

Church, Color Photography, Prints Available From Lloyd's Lens Photography, Sunday

I remember when the crosses started showing up along the highways. The man who started this project was Bernard Coffindaffer and He was from Craigsville, West Virginia. Not too far from my home. He was certainly a man on a mission. My understanding is that the Spirit of God spoke to him and gave him a commission for the work that needed to be done. He was a six year veteran of the Pacific Theater in World War Two and as a Former Marine nothing was going to stand in his way.

I never met him personally that I can remember but I remember the talk in the county. He had a lot support from his brothers and sisters in Christ but he also faced a lot criticisms and laughter. He didn’t let negative opinions get in the way. He just stood for what he believed in and continued to work anyway. I have read that the project never ended even though Bernard passed away in 1993. I have also read that some of crosses have been planted in the Philippines and Africa. It just shows that when God gives you some inspiration you should go with it. You might not realize how far it will go or how many lives will be touched.

Gateways

Color Photography

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?

Wading Trees at Kanawha Falls

black and white photography

The rainy season is upon the Appalachian Mountains. The small roadside park below the local hydroelectric dam floods often but today the water was only up to the parking lot so I decided to stop and see if any pictures presented themselves. I used to able to capture some decent shots of the falls here but the trees were allowed to grow along the shore. The sandbar willow trees that grow along the bank of the river are allowed to grow as a form of erosion control and I think allowing nature to take it’s course was a good option. By the time I got to the spot the fog had obscured the falls anyway. However, I was not disappointed with the effort. This clump of trees seemed to be shouting “PICK US MISTER! PICK US! as they proudly stood there in the water’s edge. Who am I to resist when mother nature volunteers to pose for portrait? Life is about opportunity. Take advantage of every moment and opportunity will present itself.

A Peaceful Day On The Lake

Color Photography, Summersville Lake, Summerville, travel, West Virginia

Sitting on the bank in the warm August sun last year. Small birds swooped down and skimed the surface of the lake as they picked off insects. Dragonflies and Damselflies dart around and occasionally hover to check out the large creature in a fedora that had wondered into their hunting grounds. A large carp lazily floats up to surface and rolls back into the murky depths. Small feet scurrying across the forest floor. The dry leaves make it sound like a bear romping but it’s only a squirrel. He runs up the trunk of one of the trees so he too can get a good look at me. Then disappears with the flip a bushy tail. A shadow zips across my field of vision. It’s a red tail hawk. “That’s why the squirrel left in such a hurry ” I tell myself as I shade my eyes from the sun’s glare. The busyness of every day life melts away from my soul in the warm summer days by the lake.