Saturday, December 24, 2011



Mama's Hands
My mother makes the best pies! As a little girl, watching her roll out pie crusts, I was always amazed at how deftly she she could roll out perfect circles of pastry. When I set up my own kitchen, she bought me a rolling pin, but when she realized I liked hers better, she gladly gave it to me, and I think of her each time I use it. :-)


 
Hand in Hand Since 1957
These are my parents hands. They've been partners in marriage, parenthood, and life for 54 years and counting. There have been really good times, and challenges that they didn't expect, but they've always relied on each other. In my eyes, they give meaning to the cliche that "love conquers all." 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Peace Church


Welcome to Peace United Church of Christ, Hartsburg, Missouri...known locally as simply "Peace Church."  A charming little church, founded in 1894.   I've always thought it was telling that the number of members on the church rolls is more than double the population of Hartsburg! :-)

Friday, October 7, 2011

Biggs Road ~ October 2011


We travel this road to get to one of the fields we farm...and over the last several days I kept telling myself that I needed to take it's portrait.  Today I did!

Home Sweet Home


Not particularly well-composed, but I wanted to fit in both trees and the house.  If you get out your magnifiying glass, you can just spot Mollie, our beagle, on the front porch.

Splash of Fall Color


More tree-color...this time heading back east into the sun.

October Sky Through the Trees


The sunlight filtering through the leaves make them almost glow this morning.

Howard Turner Barn in Autumn


This barn is all that is left of the Howard Turner Farm, at the end of Myers Lane.  I can remember when there was a two-story house situated to the right of this barn (out of the picture frame), but it was torn down years ago.  I'm pretty much a sucker for barns, they are one of my favorite photo subjects...so there will be more to come, I'm certain.

The Show-Off


Even amongst the other trees, this one seems to be showing off.  There's one in every crowd, isn't there?  :-)

Fall on Myers Lane


I took a "leaf-peeping" trip down Myers Lane this morning, and wasn't disappointed!




Heading west, with the morning sun at my back.   :-)


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Golden Harvest


Every year the harvest presents wonderful photographic opportunities.  Yesterday, Bruce was picking corn in the Bonne Femme Creek bottoms, and I was waiting for him to get close enough for me to take a good shot of the combine coming toward me, picking corn.  But alas, the combine's bin got full before he got close enough for a good shot, so he pulled out of the row, and headed for the truck to unload.  So I had a change of plans, and took a shot of the corn going into the grain truck instead.  It didn't turn out to be such a bad trade-off.  :-)

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Show-Me State Capitol Dome


The "dome" on the top of the capitol building is probably the most recognizable part of our local landmark. Inside the rotunda is a "whispering gallery," which was mathematically designed by an acoustics expert. If two peope are up in the rotunda, on opposite sides (65 feet apart), one of them can whisper, and the other can hear it clearly...as the sound follows the curve of the wall around to the other side.

The exterior of the capitol is made exclusively of Missouri limestone marble, and the building took just over two years to build (from 1915 to 1917). By comparison, most other capitol buildings of similar architectural style took from nine to as many as 33 years to build.

It's hard to see the statue on the top of the dome clearly, but it is a statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, or more specifically of grain. In fact, we get the word "cereal" from her name. Agriculture has always been one of Missouri's largest sources of income, with corn and soybeans being the two largest crops.  

Capitol View


The north side of the Missouri State Capitol, the side that overlooks the Missouri River. I guess technically this could be considered the back of the capitol building, but each of the four sides is beautiful....one side doesn't outshine the others!

The Governor's Mansion


Built in 1871, the Governor's Mansion is a combination museum and home to Missouri's "first family." Inside it has a gorgeous curving "unsupported" staircase, which is truly an architectural wonder. Original oil paintings of all of Missouri's first ladies adorn many of the walls of the first floor.

For anyone interested in learning more (and seeing more) about the Missouri Governor's Mansion, you can visit this website: http://missourimansion.org/

By the way -- this is the beginning of a series of photos that I took in Jefferson City, Missouri. Most of them will be of the state capitol building and it's surroundings. This is a change from my usual type of photography, but it's fun to change things up sometimes! :-)  

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Bonds Chapel


This little chapel in the country was built in 1883. It is no longer used for services, but is cared for by an association formed for it's preservation. It sits only about 25 feet off the road, with no real parking area, so although I pass it weekly, this is the first time I've pulled off and taken it's photo, although I've always wanted to.

Someday I'll stop again, and wander through the cemetery with my camera -- there are some old stones there that need to be photographed before they succumb to time and the elements.  

Saturday, September 24, 2011

My Kind of Cloudy Day


I admit it, I'm mesmerized by clouds! There's very little breeze today, so these are just hanging there....like a painting in the sky. I don't remember my grade-school science classes on weather, so I had to look them up...I *think* these are stratocumulus...one of the types of mid-level clouds. No matter what, I enjoy watching them. If they stick around all day, we might have a beautiful sunset tonight!  

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Porch Puppy


Our front porch is Mollie's main territory. From this slightly raised vantage point, she can see whatever cars, trucks, bicycles or horses might be planning to ride past our house. Then she will do her beagle-job, and sound the alarm! :-)

She really is a very sweet dog -- but you can probably tell from her expression that she is a little unsure of my camera.

Peace Church's Fall Flowers


Another sign that summer is coming to a close, and fall is just around the corner. All the black-eyed susans have finished blooming, except these two hold-outs. :-)   


There is a group of ladies from our church that do a beautiful job of "beautifying" the outside of our church. As soon as it's warm enough in the spring, they have daffodils blooming, daisy's blooming all summer, and now that summer is winding down and the cooler temperatures are in the air, the chrysanthemums are taking their turn.   


More photos of the mums planted around my church. This variety is so full of blooms, and I just loved their colors and shadings.   


The last shot of the flowers around my church....another variety of purple chrysanthemums. This one has smaller flowers, but the flowers seem to have more petals. Can you tell than I'm *not* a gardener? lol

Monday, September 19, 2011

On High Alert


Mollie is relaxing here on the front porch, but not completely. Some sound in the distance has her attention....should she bark or howl at it? It doesn't take much! :-)  

Friday, September 16, 2011

Somebody Has to go First


We have two Autumn Blaze soft maples in our front yard, and I always enjoy their crimson color in the Fall. This is our first red leaf of the season....I'm sure the rest won't be too far behind. :-)  

Thursday, September 15, 2011

September Sunrise


I'm rarely ready to crawl out of bed on an early morning, but getting to see a sunrise like this one makes me glad I did!  

Monday, September 12, 2011

Flames


"Mom -- we have a fire tonight if you want to take some pictures!" Of course I grabbed the camera and headed outside. :-)  

Friday, September 9, 2011

Q is for Quilts


I was afraid that the letter "Q" was going to be difficult, but it turns out that the natural choice was right there staring me in the face! I do not know how to quilt, and don't have a burning desire to learn -- but I have a great appreciation for hand-pieced (and preferably hand-quilted) quilts as works of art. Quilts add such a feeling of comfort and beauty to a room -- I'd love to display them all over our house!  

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Half-Way Mark


Today marks the mid-point in my 365 project journey. There are exactly 182 photographs behind me, and 182 photographs ahead, before the project is complete. So here I sit, balancing in the middle. :-)

My hubby showed up last week with a box of fresh peaches that he'd bought at a local farm market. We have been so enjoying them each day. I always crave the first of each fresh fruit and vegetable as it's season comes into it's own: the first strawberries in May/June, the first green beans in June, the first tomatoes and sweet corn in July, and the first peaches in August!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Deceptive Clouds


These clouds are what I awoke to this morning -- which was a surprise, because there really wasn't any rain in the forecast. It turns out the meteorologists knew what they were talking about this time -- during the next hour the clouds broke apart, and drifted away, leaving us with a beautiful sunshiny day. It never did rain, regardless of how threatening it looked at 6:30 a.m.!   

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

E is for Eggs



Another photo for my "alphabet series."  My only regret is that they aren't good old brown country eggs!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

D is for Devoted


Jake and his miniature beagle, Mollie, rocking on the front porch.

C is for Colored Pencils


Working my way through the alphabet....and our box of school supplies "supplied" me with my letter "C".   

Monday, August 22, 2011

August Sunrise


One of the (few) benefits to our school-year starting again is that I'm getting to enjoy the colors in the morning sky more often. During the summer break, I tended to sleep about 30 minutes later than I do now, and as a result, I missed the sky "waking up" for the day.

Now I find myself checking the eastern sky each morning to see what it holds in store. :-)   

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Old Favorite


After wearing this hat for roughly half of his 13 years, Jake was very attached to his "old favorite." Over the years, as it started to show it's age, many people tried to replace the hat...hoping to tempt him with a new one, but he would hear none of it -- he liked his old hat, just the way it was. When it finally reached the point that he was afraid that it would fall apart completely, he regretfully decided to hang his old favorite on the wall in his room. Jake wears a different hat now, but is still partial to his "Old Favorite."   

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Peacock Feather


I've always loved the irridescence of peacock feathers...definitely one of Mother Nature's masterpieces! :-)   

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sunset After the Storm


After weeks without measurable rain, we had a quick, fast-moving storm move through this afternoon. The sun set behind the trees just as the clouds were breaking up.   

Friday, August 5, 2011

Yee Haw!


One of the big draws for our annual "Cousins Weekend" is the chance to ride the five-man sled. It's an "all-in-fun" battle between the driver of the boat and the riders of the sled. The boat doesn't go fast, but it does turn around and around, kicking up waves, tryng to tip the sled over and dump the kids. The sled riders, by contrast, do everything possible to hang on and "survive" the ride.

The best part is that 26 years ago my cousins and I had a blast riding a prior version of the sled....and now our kids look forward every year to the same fun we had!   

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sunset Over the Lake


Every summer, my cousins on my father's side of the family get together at the Lake of the Ozarks for a weekend of good food, good fun and good company. We arrived this evening, just in time to watch the sun go down over the lake....and are looking forward to getting out on the water tomorrow!   

Layered Clouds


This is an odd version of a sunrise photo -- it's the western sky, but it's lit up because of the sunrise on the other side of the sky! I always like "cloud photos," and the way these clouds were stacked up really appealed to me!   

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Hay Haulers




Loading the hay wagon for the last trip to the barn. Notice the bale in mid-air over the trailer? Our nephew, JP, is back there stacking the bales after the other boys "buck" them onto the trailer. And by the way, according to the meterologist, the heat index was 110 degrees fahrenheit (43 degrees celsius). Lots of cold water and sports drinks were required!   

Makin' Hay While the Sun Shines


We're on about the third week of a really hot dry spell -- so the only real benefit is that it's great for mowing, raking and baling hay! Jake is on the trailer, tossing the bales down to another member of the crew, who puts them on the elevator, which carries them up to the hay loft. Inside the loft is where the *real* hot work is -- and there are a couple of other crew members up there, stacking the hay. Most hay these days (thankfully) is baled in the big round bales that are moved by tractor, but there is still a need for a certain number of these square bales.   

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Anniversary Bouquet


To celebrate our 27th anniversary, my wonderful hubby surprised me with this colorful, fragrant, bouquet of flowers. The flowers will only last a week or so, but my husband is a keeper. :-)   

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

My Favorite Tree: Summer


This is the third installment in a four-part series, featuring my all-time-favorite tree, a big old oak tree growing a couple of miles from my home. I considered taking this shot in the early morning or before dusk, to give a softer light, but decided that a mid-day shot would more accurately portray the harshness of the 101-degree conditions we are currently "enjoying."

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Hosta Surprise!



The blooms on this hosta are roughly 18 inches off the ground, so you can imagine the shape I was getting in, trying to get the camera under them, framing the shot, focusing on the blooms, etc. I was completely oblivious to the fact that Mollie, our beagle, had hopped up on the porch to be nearby whatever I was doing. It wasn't until I was browsing the shots on my camera when I was done that I noticed her in the background of some of the shots. When it was all said and done, the shots with Mollie in them were infinitely more interesting than the ones without her! Thanks, Mollie!    

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Ready to Ride


A life-long lover of horses, my mother didn't own her first horse until she was almost 50 years old. And those were some lucky horses, too, to get to live on her farm!

But time has passed, along with her riding days, and the well-loved horses have passed as well. This is her favorite saddle, which she's recently cleaned and restored -- making it ready to become someone elses "new favorite saddle."   

Friday, July 8, 2011

English Rose





Mom and Dad arrived on the Fourth of July bearing gifts -- a beautiful bouquet of roses from Mom's English Rose bush. A day later I pulled the prettiest of the bunch out, for some close-up work. :-)

Raindrops on Roses...


After a rainshower, I took a few minutes to go outside and see what the flowers looked like after their "bath."  :-)