Got it before it’s gone

I first noticed this windmill along, long time ago.  I’ve never gotten a close look at it, though, because there have always been cattle on the land where it sits.  Among the rules I have for my photo hobby are tenets like obeyance of No Trespassing signs, not entering old structures (out of safety and respect), and avoidance of disturbing livestock at all costs.  So I’d always just continue on down the road.

This particular windmill is being encroached upon from all sides as new neighborhoods continue to be developed in every direction.  They’re awfully close at this point, which leads me to believe that at some point this windmill will disappear just as some of my other favorites have.  Thankfully, after an evening of playing with the kiddos (and every water snake and frog they could catch and collect) at the lake nearby, I was able to get a closer look without causing a disruption.

 

Even now, this is pretty much the only angle available, unless one wants a highway or someone else’s backyard.  It was sufficient.  I got a little bit of a sunset, although I had to push the colors a bit.  Those darn horizon clouds always snatch the sunset away early!  As you can see, the head of this windmill has seen far better days.  Regardless of its physical condition, however, I think it’s inevitable that it’ll be gone in the not-so-distant future.  Unless the cows or their owner say otherwise.

I need some color

Everything’s been so blah lately because of the smoke from fires which, thankfully, are not in North Dakota.  But we get the byproducts.

I’ve got friends in Redding who are on edge because of the perennial California wildfires, friends in Hawaii who have to deal with the “vog” (volcanic fog) from the constant lava flows, a friend from Fiji who’s actually in the States for a while but I’m sure is keenly aware of yesterday’s massive earthquake offshore.  I don’t know if any of my old acquaintances are in regions of Canada that are on fire (probably, since most of western Canada is ablaze).  My old stomping grounds in Montana is having its share of issues as well.

As a photographer, I can whine about the fact that I don’t have any blue skies with puffy clouds to work with, and even when the occasional thunderstorm rolls through it’s obscured by the gray stuff.  Hardly compares to the real-world problems that others are experiencing, this smoke being only an indicator of what’s far worse upwind, but it’s still got me a bit grumpy.

Before the fires really ramped up, I stopped at this church to take some photos from different angles for a project I’m working on, and my favorite (even though it doesn’t fit the project layout) is this one featuring the colored glass in the steeple.  And, even though the sky is gray, at least it has some texture…and it didn’t smell like a bonfire.

Rub a dub dub

A church, and old house taking a faceplant, and a tub.  I guess that completes my checklist.

If that was a toilet, it’d be gross…but since it’s a tub, I guess it’s amusing!  If it was a kitchen sink, that’d leave room for one more cliche’.

Adjacent to that first photo, but deserving of its own color treatment, is this old house…complete with its on backyard tub.

One of the things I love about old homesteads and farmsteads is the way they evoke images of what they must have looked like when brand new, or when home to a family, or on the day they were left behind.  Sometimes they also make one wonder…why and by whom were these bathtubs so strategically placed?

One of the better barns

I absolutely love this structure.  I even had some decent conditions in which to photograph it.  There was some sort of farm implement parked incredibly close to it, but from the right angle I could avoid all that.  This barn almost looks like it’s half elevator, half barn!

Padiddle

The game of Padiddle is a source of mild contention in our house, since my wife is from the south and calls it “Piccadilly.”  I’ve never heard of anyone call it that.  Apparently Wikipedia agrees with me, so Neener Neener!

Sometimes when I’m out flying around in the middle of nowhere I’ll spot a gem like this, often behind an old farmstead or something that doesn’t let on what sort of treasures lie behind it.  Then it’s time to hover and catch a few shots before moving on.