Autumn is Around the Corner

Autumn is Around the Corner

Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

Crooks Bridge, we only went to 11 bridges out of the 32 bridges in the area. This one we did not drive across. Most of them you can drive through.

But this one here is leaning a bit, it is hard to see but there is a cable from the bridge to the tree on the right. That is what is holding this one up. It leans just a tad.

Amazing craftsmanship goes into building these covered bridges. I had no idea they looked like this on the inside. They sure look sturdy enough with the heavy duty lumber.

Crooks Bridge

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

Working Mills and Covered Bridges, if you are ever near Rockville Indiana, make sure to drive around and see some of their covered bridges. They do give out maps to find them all as well. Plus some of the areas have fall festivals like this place in the photo here.

They have a campground in the back, lots of things to do. We were there during the off season. So it was like a ghost town. But the mill in the photo is an working mill.

The man who owns it showed us around, they mill their own flours and such. We told them what we do with photography and he asked if we would take an aerial photo of his mill.

So we took the one below and gave it to him.

Working Mills and Covered Bridges

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

Its a Boy, well this was a surprise to see a buck up here. I hardly ever see one. I am guessing it is her baby from last year. The new fawn was hanging around with him like the are related. 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Its a Boy

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

Perseid Meteor Shower, a couple weeks ago I stayed up late into the night to photograph the Perseid meteor shower. Well, it did not disappoint, except for the full moon rising that night, I could still see a lot of movement in the heavens.

The cameras has a hard time picking them up because it just did not get dark enough. But on this photo, the moon made the wispy clouds light up the sky for a bit. I like that.

My tiny little go pro camera picked up this strange light, only one photo of it. I have never photographed this ever in all the shots I have taken. Plus I was only shooting at 10 second shutter speed, sometimes 5 seconds because it was so bright.

I pointed this camera to the north and it caught this. So I asked the internet what it thought it was. It says it is a plane, more than likely. The straight lines are the lights on the wings and the lights down the middle is the one that blinks under a plane.

Makes sense to me. I will go with that. 🙂 Never know what you might see if you step out at night and look up.

Beyond the trees at the end of the road, is our little cabin in the woods. No one can see us back there but the sky’s are wide open to us on the other side of those trees. What I like to call my little corner of this big old world. 🙂

Perseid Meteor Shower

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

A Storied Legacy at the Heart of Rockville

The town of Rockville has around 2500 people, it is very small and it has a wonderful old main street with a few shops still open. But, what surprised me the most is this building here. You can see the clock on top from anywhere in the town.

The town is the county seat, but to find such a building like this in such a small town, is quite a surprise to me. So I had to look up the history of it.

Early Structures (1826–1832)

• When Parke County was established in 1821, Rockville was chosen as the permanent county seat in 1822. A modest log courthouse, also used as a church, was completed on the town square in 1826 P

The Brick Courthouse (1832–1879)

• That initial log structure was replaced with a more durable two-story brick courthouse in 1832. This functional building served the county for over four decade.

Current Courthouse (1882–Present)

• In 1879, county officials commissioned Thomas J. Tolan and his son Brentwood, a prominent Fort Wayne architectural duo, to design a grand new building.
• Completed in 1882, at an approximate cost of $79,000, it was dedicated on February 22—George Washington’s birthday.

• The courthouse is a centerpiece of the Rockville Historic District, which earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993

Why So Grand for a Small Town?

• The courthouse wasn’t just functional—it was a statement of civic pride and permanence. The size and ornamentation symbolized Parke County’s aspirations and identity, establishing Rockville’s stature as county seat.
• Built in a popular architectural style of the era, its grandeur projected power and stability—a common trend across American small towns looking to cement their place in history.

A Storied Legacy

Now we know 🙂 have a great weekend.

Covered Bridges of Park County- we were told about a small town in Indiana named Rockville where they have over 30 covered bridges around their town.

So we had to stop for a visit and check some of them out. I have never photographed or even drove through a covered bridge. Very interesting and quite the technology that goes into to building one of these.

Most of them were built a long time ago as well. This one was built in 1867.

While Parke County’s covered bridges are now beloved tourist attractions—and the county actively moves some for preservation and accessibility—most bridges were originally built locally over the last 150+ years. Only a select few have been relocated for reasoned preservation and public display.

Underneath this bridge I found this old rusty wagon, those must have been a ruff ride with those wheels.

Covered Bridges

Old Buildings, I do love old buildings from barns to small town main streets that seem more like a ghost town than actual old buildings.

But the old main streets look like something out of a western movie from back in the day. Except for the mountain dew machine and the coca cola sign.

These buildings are not that old actually, it was a small town in Indiana that was just shut down for the off season.

Old Buildings

My Favorite Color – occasionally I will stop by an old car show. I actually had a 69 Nova SS back in the day. It was so fun to drive.

Now I don’t know cars at all, I don’t know what this car is here at all. I am sure maybe one of you might know. All I know is that out of all the beautiful colors parked along the street. This one caught my eye.

My Favorite Color

Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

The Snow Shoe Hare – This guy finally came out of the woods as well this month. Such a beautiful rabbit. I will have more photos of it later. They having amazing eyes and of course huge snow shoe feet. 🙂

The Snow Shoe Hare

I Love September – normally September means cooler weather and the start of fall colors. Normally I saw, because one never knows for sure and it depends on where you live.

The fawn is growing up and making its appearance in our yard. Still showing its little spots.

Video below of Mom deer getting her morning coffee. 🙂 Or click here, Mom deer morning coffee.

I Love September

Last of the Fair Photos – the local police department put on a free barbecue and a short demonstration of the K9 Deputy Dog.

This particular dog came from Germany, was trained in Wyoming for an FBI Agent. The dogs are trained using tools like getting their favorite toy to fetch.

Well, this particular dog became so obsessed with wanting to play fetch, he wasn’t able to do all the other jobs needed to be with the agent.

He became the K9 deputy of this unit here in Iowa. He is exceptional at sniffing out drugs and he can take down an assailant when needed. According to the officer.

He really likes getting the tennis ball more than anything though. 🙂

Video of police dog below or click this Link Here Police Dog

Last of the Fair Photos

Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

During the night a couple weeks ago, two meteor showers peaked simultaneously

Southern Delta Aquariids – Alpha Capricornids

I could not get a good photo at all because of the smoke lingering in the atmosphere and some clouds every night.

I only captured one or two shooting stars. I could barely see them without the camera.

This next shooting star night called the Perseids is happening in August. If I get some shots I will share them with you soon.

This is about the only colorful lights I saw during the event. Two lights from a town glowing in the night sky.

During the Night

Highly Compressed Photos, sometimes folks send my a photo that they want touched up a bit. But, there is only so much I can do with them because of compression. Here is an explanation as to what happens.

I can still work with the photo and make it into a painting. One can’t enlarge the photo into a huge print because of the loss of pixels. It will still print, if you print smaller sizes though.

Why Photos Lose Quality When Sent by Text or Social Media

When you send a photo through text message or social media, the platform doesn’t send your original, high-quality file. Instead, it compresses it to make it smaller and faster to send.

Here’s how compression works:

• The file is shrunk – The service looks for areas in the image that look similar and merges them together, storing less information.
• Tiny details are tossed out – Subtle textures, fine lines, and small color changes often get blurred or smoothed over to save space.
• Resolution is reduced – Many platforms lower the number of pixels in the photo, which means less detail when you zoom in or print it.

The more times a photo is sent, saved, and re-uploaded, the more it’s re-compressed. Each “copy of a copy” loses a little more detail—like photocopying a photocopy until it looks fuzzy.

This is why, when I turn a texted or social-media photo into art, I’m often working with fewer fine details than in the original. I can enhance it, sharpen it, and bring out color, but some of the original crispness is gone forever—compression makes sure of that.

Before, a text message photo

After, a double exposure art print of the above photo, to soften it.

Highly Compressed Photos

Creating images that speak to the heart.

Each photo I take is more than just an image—it’s a piece of a story, a glimpse into a moment that stirred something in me. Whether it’s the pure joy of a child hugging her sheep or the quiet bond between a girl and her horse, my passion lies in capturing the emotions that live within these simple, beautiful connections.

I don’t just take photos—I create art that I hope will make you feel something too. Even if just for a moment, may it lift your heart, bring a smile, or remind you of the beauty in the everyday.

Creating Images

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

Horse Portraits, a couple of horses I photographed at the fair we were at. I don’t know the folks who owned the horses. In scenario’s like this. I like to photograph what catches my eye. Looking for a pose from the horses with the ears up and looking at something.

I use these as my sample portraits for my customers on my website. Plus sharing the beauty of horses with all of you. 🙂

Horse Portraits

The Hand Shake , one of my favorite parts of a show is the hand shake from the judge. No one knows who is the winner at this point. The judge does not line them up by 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

He lines them up and then pauses for a moment. Having everyone watch in anticipation. Then he goes up and shakes the hand of the winner. Always a fun time.

The Hand Shake

Fair Time – A Summer Favorite

Fair time has always been one of my favorite parts of summer. It’s more than just a local event—it’s a true celebration of community, bringing together people of all ages. One of the best sights is watching the younger kids proudly show off the animals they’ve raised, all hoping to take home that coveted grand prize.

But the fair is about so much more than ribbons and trophies. It’s a hands-on way to teach the next generation about animal husbandry—how to properly care for livestock, understand their needs, and take responsibility. It’s also a chance for kids to get outside, work hard, and learn the value of dedication… all while having a great time doing it.

There’s something special about the mix of tradition, learning, and pure summer joy that makes the fair unforgettable every year.

Fair Time A Summer Favorite

Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂

My Cat – I think my cat likes to mess with me. Some days she is just chilling, looking peaceful and sitting quietly as I photograph her.

Then she does this sudden move and looks at the ceiling like a giant spider is going to land on my head. As I am looking all over trying to see what she is looking at.

The next minute she as a look that says, ” Just Kidding”, nothing there, Gotcha. They are way smarter than we think they are. 🙂

My Cat

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

August Heat Dreaming of Snow

August Heat Dreaming of Snow

Gus and Bentley a couple of my watercolor dog portraits I made for customers this week. Have a great weekend. 🙂

Gus and Bentley

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”

Morning Dew and Warm colors of early butterfly arrivals. Along with a beautiful old barn near a campground we were at.

Have a wonderful day. 🙂

Morning Dew

Just a Corn Field, July is the time of month to see some of the prettiest farm land. I think corn rows in a field are just perfect.

As the first day of August, the green fields of corn will be turning to that beautiful harvest gold soon.

Have a great weekend.

Cat Eyes

Photography has a beautiful way of revealing the unseen—those fleeting sparks of light or emotion that the naked eye might miss.

I love stepping outside the box with my camera, especially during moments like the Fourth of July. Using a long lens, I draw closer than usual, not just to fireworks, but to the magic hidden within them.

In this shot, what might seem like just an explosion of color turns into something more—golden trails that resemble glowing eyes circling the light, watching, wondering. It’s in these surprises that photography becomes more than documentation—it becomes storytelling.

My hope is always to evoke a feeling, to stir a smile, and to offer a moment of wonder for anyone who takes a moment to look. Let your imagination run free—maybe you’ll see something entirely your own.

Have a great weekend

Where Light Meets Imagination

Sandra J’s PhotograSite

Sandra J’s Adventures Outdoors

Real Christianity the Great Awakening

By RJ Dawson

Sandra J’s Photography

Thank you for stopping by.

Adobe

Water Landscapes

“Capturing the world, one breathtaking moment at a time.”