Tag Archives: Alabama

365 Day Photo Challenge 195/365 “Bad Day For Pictures”

13 Monday Jul 2015

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I met up with the young lady at the designated spot.  The shoot location was up a dirt road behind two locked gates.  I’ve shot there many times with no problems.  But today was different.  The first gate was unlocked when I drove up to it.  I started to go through it but though differently after I checked the lock only to realize that the combination was not the same.  Someone had changed the combination.  My fear was that as soon as I got to the shoot location someone would come behind me and lock the gate while I was still in there and I would be locked in.  Not happening.  I knew of another place and off we went.

The other place was not as nice as the first but there would be some privacy.  We drove up to the entrance and there was yet another gate.  This one was shut but not locked.  I got out and opened the gate and drove on through.  Probably not one of my smarter moves of the day.  The road to the top was about five miles and most of it was a one lane road with no room to pass.  We made it to the end of the road to where we were to shoot and there were construction going on exactly where we were going to shoot.  There were bulldozers, dump trucks and front end loaders.  Not a chance to shoot there.

On the road to the top there are a couple of overlooks where one could pull over and see down below.  Pretty nice view during the fall.  We pulled over to find a hiking trail so we did what any desperate photographer would do, we went hiking.  About a mile in we found a little outcropping of rocks that overlooked down below and we decided to shoot there.  It was a nice little location.

About twenty minutes into our shoot a group of mountain bikers road by and asked if that was my truck sitting at the trailhead.  It seems that the park ranger was looking for someone to tow it away because of the heavy equipment being used on that road.  Needless to say we packed up and left.  We decided to call it quits for the day and try it again some other time.  It was a sign for us not to shoot today.  We did get a few useable shoots but to be honest, I normally get around 900 to over 1200 pictures during a two hour shoot.  Today I only got 227 pictures.  Well below my normal.

Heading to the beach tomorrow.  I’m excited.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 194/365 “Busy Day”

12 Sunday Jul 2015

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Normally at this time I’d be trying to prepare myself for tomorrow, Monday.  Tonight I’m rejoicing the fact that I will not be going to work tomorrow.  Instead, I’ll be getting ready for the trip planned for Tuesday.  Tomorrow, I’ll have a lot going on including a small photo shoot.  Once the shoot is over with I’ll have some stuff to do but because I did most of it today it won’t be so bad.

Today, I cleaned out the back of my truck.  I’m not sure how the back gets so cluttered with junk.  Anyway, I got the back cleaned and hosed out.  I vacuumed the inside of the cab and gave her a good washing.  I then backed the truck up to my trailer and hooked up to it to pull it out to be able to work on.  I removed both tires and loaded them into the back of the truck so that I can get some new/used tires tomorrow after the shoot.  I looked like I had took a dip in a pool when I got done with all that today.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 193/365 “Southern Vintage Fire Apparatus Association”

11 Saturday Jul 2015

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I had all these plans lined up for today in preparation for our trip next week.  I have a habit of procrastinating and I’m always in a rush getting ready so I was planning on getting a lot of things done today.  It didn’t happen.

I got an invite from my uncle to go to a car show today and see some of the fire trucks that that have on display.  I couldn’t resist.  The photo above is a 1918 fire truck that has been fully restored.  It got most of the attention today.

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This engine was with volunteer fire dept. where I grew up.  I was involved with the department mainly because my dad volunteered.  I was able to ride in this truck to several house and brush fires.

After taking pictures of all the trucks, I took my wife out for lunch and came straight home and got out of the heat.  It was in the high 90’s today with the humidity was around 85%.  It was not comfortable outside at all.  Not even in the shade.  Tomorrow morning I will be outside cleaning my truck out and giving it a good cleaning.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

“Life Goes On!”365

365 Day Photo Challenge 192/365 “Officially on Vacation!!”

10 Friday Jul 2015

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As of 16:15 hours today I am officially on vacation.  I do not return to work until next Monday.  Believe me, work will be the furthest from my mind.

I met up with a beautiful young lady tonight that, if everything goes well. I’ll be doing a photo shoot with her on Monday.  I’m really excited about working with her.  She does professional Hula Hoops.  I’ve never heard such a thing.  We’re going to see if we can’t combine her hula hoop with some of the pictures.

Got a lot to do tomorrow and Sunday, yard work is one of them.  I’ll be getting up early to get started so I can be finished with everything by Sunday evening.  It’s going to be a busy weekend.

365 Day Photo Challenge 191/365 “Can’t Get Here Soon Enough”

09 Thursday Jul 2015

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The sand between my toes, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and watching my kids play in the serf, this is what I’m longing for and it won’t be too much longer.  We will be heading to the beach on Tuesday of next week and after a day like today, it can’t get here soon enough.  I’m even going to take my bicycle and do some riding along the coast while we’re there.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 188/365 “Change of Plans”

06 Monday Jul 2015

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I had every intention of getting home and taking a ride on the bicycle this evening but with everything else I tried to do today my plans got changed.  I’m moving my son out of one apartment into another in a couple of weeks and being that we’re going to be out of town all of next week I decided that today would be as good a day as any to unload the firewood from my open trailer.  But first, I had to get to the trailer.  It seems that over a period of a few months brush had overtaken the area so I had to cut them down.  Once that was done I noticed that the tire was flat on the trailer so I’ll be calling the tire shop to order some used tires. The area that I have for my firewood was also growed up so here I go again cutting down more brush.  After about two hours I finally got my trailer unloaded and the firewood stacked.  I really need to unload my truck tomorrow but I think I’ll take a ride on the bicycle tomorrow.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 187/365 “Did a Little Riding Today”

05 Sunday Jul 2015

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And I do mean little.  A little over 14 miles to be exact.  I road to a friends house which lives about 7 miles from me in another city and we had a small meeting.  After about 45 minutes or so I left and went to another friends house and stayed about the same amount of time.  I left there, got about half a mile up the road and then the bottom fell out.  Stormed all the way home.

I got new pedals, cleats and new shoes.  I’m not sure if I have the cleats set just right but so far I’m not having any issues.  I am having issues with clipping in on my left pedal.  I’m sure it will come with time but I had a lot of trouble and in the most inopportune time.  I stopped at a traffic light and unclipped.  After the light changed to green I had to start up this steep hill.  I never did get that left foot clipped in until after I got up that hill.  I was wore out.  I stopped a couple of times trying to practice but it seemed to do no good.  I can do if fine while stopped but while riding it’s another story.  Like I said, I’m sure it will come with time.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 185/365 “Good Day Off”

03 Friday Jul 2015

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Spent the day with my wife of 24 years today while on my day off from work.  I really needed this time alone with my wife.  We went out to lunch, just my wife and I.  My two daughters were at work and we left my son at home with his Netflix.  It’s the first time that my wife and I had a “date” in many years.  Everytime we go out on our anniversary we always end up taking the kids.  We always enjoy the company of our kids but there comes a time when you need alone time with just the wife.

We went to Olive Garden, my wife’s favorite restaurant.  After we ate we went to Lowes and I picked up a smoker so I can smoke some ribs tomorrow and then we went to the cycle shop and I picked up my new road shoes.

After arriving back at home, I put my smoker together, put the new cleats on my new road shoes and spent some quality time with the girls once they got home from work.  The girls showered, ate supper and went to bed.  Not too much quality time there but I’ll take what I can get these days.

As with the canoe’s pictured, life can get confusing sometimes and it may seem that it will take some time to get untangled.  My advice is to take your time, have fun, spend some time with your spouse and your kids.  To me that’s the most important part of life.

365 Day Photo Challenge 184/365 “Working Daughters”

02 Thursday Jul 2015

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I feel very blessed to have finally it to this weekend.  I thought this day would not end.  I do not have to go back to work until Monday.  Tomorrow will be spent taking my wife out to lunch being that I had to work late on the day of our anniversary.  Afterwards I’m going to search for a smoker to smoke some ribs on Saturday.

I will not be seeing much of my twin daughters this weekend and that doesn’t set well with me. They both will be working.  They are only 17 and I really wished I could have talked them into not working their last summer before their senior year.  But, one daughter loves to shop and thinks she has got to go shopping EVERY WEEKEND and my wife simply complies to her wishes instead of arguing with her.  One thing that I don’t understand, and maybe it’s because I’m a male but why would you need to purchase a dress and wear it to one event and not be able to wear it to another event two weeks later.  My daughters excuse is because people may have already seen her in that other dress. Really?  So her closet if filled with dresses that she’s only wore once and more than likely will not wear again because someone else has already seen her in it.  The do shop well though.  She will find a dress that normally sells for $160 and find it on sale for $30 bucks.  Both my daughters are very smart shoppers and who ever marries them will be happy for that.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 182/365 “Long Short Week”

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

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I’m off Friday of this week for observance of the 4th of July but with it being only Tuesday it feels to be the longest week thus far. The last two days have been extremely busy and long.  Both days I have worked over ten hours and traveled over 400 miles.  I don’t normally get sent out of the building and I’m not sure as to why I’m having to do all this traveling but I’m counting it a blessing to get out of the building for a couple of days.

The above picture is a building not far from our office in Montgomery, Alabama.  It is empty and for sale at this time but for years it has served as a doctor’s office.  I’m not sure how old it is but I know it’s at least 30 years old.