The Photo Bin - December 2012

Another year ends. But don’t be lookin’ here for a “year in review” or a list of goals for the new one. I’ve come to the point in my life that I don’t spend too much time dwelling on what’s past or pondering what’s ahead. Now I simply strive to breath deeply of each day, knowing that what’s here and now is all that’s really promised. So looking back just a month is far enough, especially when I get to do it by flipping through my “pile” of pictures for these Photo Bin posts.

One of the joys of December, around here, is that the low hanging sun traces a daily arc, visible, sunrise to sunset, from our perch on the ridge through our large south-facing windows. We wake with it peeking through our toes and, if we wished to, could languish in bed and watch the distant ball of fire sweep the sky until it disappears in a blaze of color. The photo above gives you an idea of what we see.

Yeah, I know. More bare trees. What can I say?

A whimsical window of another sort. Snow on Christmas; not something this southern boy has seen often. We traveled Chicago-way to spend the holiday with the grandkids (and their parents, of course) and I caught the fine flurries through a front port window. I thought the nested frames needed a little twist and an odd crop. No, I had not been in the eggnog before I composed it. But shortly thereafter...

And speaking of windows, this little guy gave me his best pissed-off, WTF glare after beak-planting into ours. He was stunned enough to let me pick him up, smooth his ruffled feathers, and place him at the edge of the deck, but coherent enough to give me a nasty look after I did it. Serves him right for fighting with himself in my truck's side-view mirrors and pooping on the doors.

More bare trees. This lovely thing sits next to my sister-in-law's recently completed quarter-acre Indiana farm pond. We visited for an early Christmas gathering of Mary's family and, while there was no snow, it was foggy as the dickens. I caught the first fish taken from that pond, earlier this year. Though none were stocked, the pond suddenly came alive with bream; how they got there, a complete mystery. But no one's complaining and I'll now be spending some of my future warm-weather Hoosier visits with a 2wt in hand.

A little more of that light Chicago snowfall. I like this picture of the kids' neighborhood back courtyard for the way the angles of building, tree, and railing pull the eye around image. I am told real photographers consider such things in their work. Who knew?

Oh look. More bare trees.

Finally, inside, away from The Hawk, there's a mean game of pong-pong going on. (And yes, I do mean pong-pong.) Here's the grandson about to unleash his devastating no-look CB smash.

Take that, Grandma.


Well, that's it, 2012. Here's hopin' for a safe and Happy New Years to all, no matter how far ahead you wish to look.