• landscape,  Travel

    The Wind Farm

    Wind Turbins
    Lamar Wind Farm

    On my drive back from Texas I traveled along Highway 287. This is a pretty desolate stretch of road with seemingly endless miles of brown, dry prairie grass brought on by the severe drought. I was struck by the wind turbines against the blue skies and the open land so I had to stop. And, yes the wind was blowing. We are seeing more of these farms along the eastern plains of Colorado. This one is called the Lamar Wind Farm and is the largest in Colorado. It utilizes 108 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines. It resides on an 11,000 acre cattle ranch and only uses 2% of the land. So, each turbine takes up about one cow.  I did not count them but will go with what the website says.

  • architecture,  Black and White,  Travel

    Waiting

    Sky Harbor Airport
    Waiting

    I’ve heard of a prayer that goes something like this, “God give me patience and give it to me now.” Waiting can be difficult for many of us. Several come to mind. Standing in a checkout line. Sitting in doctors office. Waiting on a delayed flight at the airport. Meeting someone who is late for coffee. Waiting for the arrival of a new grandchild. Waiting for our tax return. 🙂 Waiting for a freezer of homemade ice cream to finish. Waiting for the pizza to be delivered. Yet, as I grow older I’ve learned to appreciate waiting. I really do enjoy those times of sitting or kneeling in wet grass waiting for the sun to touch the horizon as it rises or sets. Walking the streets waiting for a photo opportunity to present itself. Waiting silently in prayer or mediation. Waiting is a teacher if we let it. Waiting can be a discipline if we let it. Waiting can have special rewards if we let it. As Elizabeth Taylor says, “It is very strange that the years teach us patience – that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.”  Are we learning to wait patiently or wanting it now?

  • Candid Portraits,  Canon Powershot G12,  Cityscapes/Urban,  Travel

    Musician and the Dancer

    Musician and the Dancer

    “Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.” ― George Carlin

    A couple years ago I had a long overnight in Seattle with a fellow flight attendant named Tracey. As it was Memorial Weekend we took the train down to the Stadium to watch about five innings of the Mariners game then headed to Pikes Market. We walked the streets, ate a nice salmon dinner and just enjoyed ourselves. It is overnights like this we consider one of the perks of our work.

    These two young men we entertaining to watch. The one was playing drums with the glass bottles and plastic buckets while the other danced up a storm. Even though they were in a major part of town they stayed in their own world of music and on the same page.

    Want to pass along this link to a pretty good read on difference between a photographer and an artist by Mike Johnson.

  • moon,  mountains,  Travel

    The Campsite

    Moon over my camp

    A sudden itch to go camping came upon me on Wednesday afternoon. So, I packed up the car and hit the road. Headed in the general direction of the Poudre Canyon looking for an open campsite in the high country. With the fall colors beginning I thought a Thursday and Friday night venture would not be as crowded. I was right on that but surprised to find very few people up there. With no one up there I pretty much had the pick of my choice. I settled on Sleeping Elephant campsite which has about 15 sites, all of them open. I selected number 12, paid my $13 and setup my tent. The birds and chipmunks were immediately talking about the intruder into their space, Not to be unfriendly I starting up a conversation with them. I told them I came up for some quiet and would do my best not to bother them. Seemed to work. The first image is my campsite and the second is an image of Elephant mountain from which they got the name for the campground.

  • sunsets,  Travel

    The Tubicle

    The Office View

    It’s interesting to watch the expressions when passengers ask me what I did before working as a flight attendant. I usually get a good response when I tell them I worked as an engineer, giving up my cubicle for a tubicle. My office views at 30,000 feet are so much nicer than looking at the three paneled walls surrounding my old cubicle.

  • architecture,  Travel

    I Enjoyed the Walk

    Small Homes

    Last Friday we had an overnight in Des Moines, Iowa. On Saturday morning, after eating breakfast, I went on a walk through the neighborhood behind the hotel. I like walking in this hood because of its feel. The homes were built back in the late 40’s and early 50’s. They have no sidewalks so walking is done in the street against traffic or on someone’s grass. The homes are small but located on large lots so your home is not right on top of your neighbor. Very few had attached garages and those that did were built more recently. These garages were located either in the back of the house or near the back edge of the house. I like this style of neighborhood and think this small home would fit me to a tee. Oh, and many of them had full basements.