Bridges of Fleming County...sort of

Last Saturday we took a day trip out to Eastern Kentucky.

I fell in love with Kentucky the first time I visited in March, 1998 - and then moved here shortly after. The first fall I spent in Louisville was stunning! I grew up on the west coast...we didn't have a lot of fall colour, mostly yellow...perhaps a touch of orange or red now and then, but predominately yellow. or brown. fun for the crunching under feet sound, but not much gloriousness to look at. Kentucky is a different world when it comes to fall colour...orange. red. purple-magenta-plum-y shades. Deep, rich colours that take my breath away.

Pair the perfect autumn day with a full tank of gas and voilà! mini one day holiday.

The plan was to visit and photograph four of the 13 covered bridges remaining in Kentucky - there used to be over 400 - three of them in Fleming County.

The thing about day trips and "planned" excursions is that you have to leave room for the unexpected and spontaneous.

After a late start Saturday morning, we arrived at our first bridge, in Bourbon County, mid-afternoon.

The Colville Covered Bridge, built in 1877, fully restored in 2001.

Colville Covered Bridge. Bourbon County, Kentucky. keg 10.13.12

Next to Hinkston Creek. Bourbon County, Kentucky. keg 10.12.12

We nibbled on a quick picnic lunch and then headed off toward the next bridge destination.

...and a change of plans.

While driving along Highway 36 we passed a yard sale. They had several old 6-pane window frames with the glass still in place; they gave me a couple of ideas. So we turned around to have a look and inquire about the windows. When we pulled in the driveway I noticed an old tractor, nearly covered in weeds and growth, at the top of a small incline, by two beautiful old tobacco barns.

I purchased two of the windows, and asked Jethro and Connie (the couple having the yard sale - they introduced themselves almost as soon as we walked up) if we could run up and take some shots of the barns. They said yes.

Somewhere along highway 36. keg 10.12.12

swoon. keg 10.13.12

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We found at least 10 more yard sales along highways 36 and 11...stopped at a couple...found a few more fabulous finds, including 2 vintage 70's purses which I scored for a total of $5.00.

The late start and unexpected yard sale stops resulted in too little light to continue our covered bridge search that afternoon, but in no way am I disappointed by the events of the afternoon and the resulting photographs and fantastic finds of my Eastern Kentucky day trip.

a wee homage to American Beauty...

photo credit: keg

and...a hint. to a project in the works.

prompt #54: What is your first thought when you look at this photograph? (if you click on the photo, you should be able to view the larger image)

Dreaming...

When I was six I wanted to be a prima ballerina. at eight I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater. age twelve produced dreams of becoming a famous poet. and thirteen was full of aspirations of becoming an astronaut or astronomer. at fifteen I wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic. I wanted to be an architect, furniture maker, psychologist, journalist.

I am bits of all these things.

I danced from the time I was three until I graduated high school - hula, ballet, jazz, modern, interpretive. When I was eight I began ice skating - I performed in ice shows and several competitions - and the last time I stepped on the ice was when I was twenty two. I am a poet - my first collection of poetry, Three Thousand Doors, was released this summer by Laughing Cactus Press. I am a stargazer who knows a handful of the constellations and the names of a few stars. I am an amateur photographer who loves the look of a perfectly shot black and white photo. I am a counselor to my friends, a writer of my stories, a creative mind full of ideas that may or may not make it into the world through my hands.

and I keep dreaming.

dreams, aspirations, ideas...these are the things that motivate me to do more. to keep growing, keep exploring, keep creating. because when I'm not being creative I feel dull and lackluster...but when I write, paint, photograph, build...I feel like I glow.

Prompt# 29: What are your dreams? What do you want most for yourself? What makes you glow?

playing with shadow and light

** Photo copyright KEG

So I think you already know I love to write. and create. and make people laugh. smile. and I love to inspire. motivate. and praise those I find uber talented.

I also love photography. Black and white has always been my favourite, but I'm learning to love taking colour shots as well. I adore light and shadow, though sometimes what I see and what translates through the lens are two totally different things. Take, for instance, this past weekend...

I was visiting a dear friend of mine who lives near Houston. We woke early-ish and ventured out in the "cooler hours" of the morning, parked at the edge of the road, and dragged two red velvet chairs and several children into the middle of a large field. (universal haha on us - 9:00am in Houston is NOT cooler - I actually got a bit of a sunburn in the hour we were outside - WHAT!?)

At one point the children were all off chasing bubbles, and the chairs were empty...I thought, hey, that's a great shot! The shadows and sunlight were playing beautifully off the velvet and wood and so I took a few photos of the empty chairs. Well, let me just say, the shadows were much deeper once I saw the photos on my computer screen.  Not at all the vibrant contrast I was looking for. Sigh.

The point is: sometimes, what we envision for our artistry, and what actually comes through, are completely different. For me, learning to accept that my muse sometimes has a different vision than I do can be a bit of a power struggle. I'm fairly stubborn, which means the body of art sometimes needs to be stubborn-er.
Art, aching to be born, will find a way! Sometimes we just have to sit back and let the muse flow through us and see what is created - rather than forcing the creation of something that may not be ready.

This week - write about your own struggles with shadow and light, composition, structure, arguing with your muse. Or simply write about shadows, light or both.
Happy Creating!

drive me crazy

Actually, it's kind of the opposite - I love a road trip.

Whether by myself or with a friend, long drives are therapeutic and relaxing - hours to think, compose (I have an old mini recorder, given to me by a man I was interviewing for my journalism course,) or stop roadside for the perfect photo opportunity.

I'm a pretty devoted nomad, which makes staying in one place REALLY really tough...lucky for me, my sweetheart is very understanding when it comes to my wanderlust, and he's happy to stay put while I traipse all over the U.S.

This summer, travels include: Dallas, Houston, Austin, my annual Seattle visit (with a nifty detour through North Dakota so I can see my midget) and an Autumn trip to Louisville to take photos of my friend and her family. Somewhere in between all of that I want to figure out how to include a visit to New Orleans, Savannah and Germany. I'm thinking something is going to have to take a back seat and be rescheduled. ugh! really? I can't do it all?

This week, write about your favourite drive. What made it memorable? Or perhaps it wasn't the drive that you found wonderful, maybe it was the destination, the people you met, a perfect sunset, fabulous meal...

Happy Writing! (Happy Driving!)

Beautiful Scorn

Last weekend, at my best friend's going away party, I met her photographer friend, Scott Horn. Scott is not only a fabulous, interesting and incredible human being, but an amazing photographer as well. His work is inspiring, beautiful, thought provoking and stunning. Here is a man who has been photographing bands for years, and only just realising the true, raw talent he possesses! I feel privileged and honored to be a part of his creative circle of friends, and would like to encourage everyone to get to know this man, for his artistry, if nothing else.

For your prompt this week, I would like you to go to Scornphoto and browse through his galleries, find something in his work that inspires you to write - his Wichita Falls Photo Outing and Dallas Outing are among my favourites, and I know my musician friends (Sir Eric! et al) will love his Guitar shots and various band sessions. I also encourage you to go over to his Facebook page and "like" it.