Outstanding in Her Field – who me?
Thank you very much the White tailed deer says. She is outstanding in beauty perseverance. 🙂
Outstanding in Her Field
Sandra J’s Into the Light Adventures
Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts
By Sandra J
The Ruby’s – Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Ruby, Emerald, Touch of Safire. This tiny bird has all the royal colors from creation. In such a small package, a tiny little heart that keeps this bird going. I am always amazed to watch hummingbirds, how fast they are and to know how many miles they fly a year is a wonderous thing. Truly a gift to witness the strength and tenacity of this living thing.
The Ruby’s
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A Colorful Surprise this year at home. Eastern Bluebirds have decided to use my bird house this year to raise their babies. I have never seen an eastern bluebird up here. Matter of fact I have only seen a couple of them over the years, so I feel that it is a treat to see them at all.
Their beautiful colors of blue and tan and a wonderful song they have as well.
I put two bird houses up to try and attract Purple Martins. Over the last couple of years, the only birds using this house are tree swallows. They are interesting birds because they will put nesting material in every spot so other birds think this home is occupied.
Come to find out, eastern bluebirds do the same thing. There was a slight battle between the bluebirds and tree swallows. But they seem to come to an agreement. Tree swallows took one house and bluebirds took the other.
This could have been a great shot of the tree swallow in flight, they are super fast birds. Very hard to photograph in flight. This couple had 3 or 4 babies this years. Yesterday they all came out of the house for a fly around the place. I counted 5 or 6 flying around.
Both birds eat lots of bugs, so they are a wonderful addition to our home this year.
A Colorful Surprise – Have a great weekend.
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By Sandra J
Stormy Weather here lately. From Iowa and up where I live. Iowa is known for a lot of stormy weather. Seems like their tornado warnings go off quite often there during the summer months.
Angry cloud face.
Stormy Weather
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The Rose Garden – Not my rose garden, I have never actually planted a rose bush in my flower garden. Not sure why not, I guess I have heard they need a lot of care and I don’t have the greenest of thumbs. 🙂
But I love photographing roses, so many different kinds. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
The Rose Garden
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Feathers From Heaven – In many spiritual traditions, feathers are also associated with the concept of spiritual ascension and the idea of rising above one’s earthly troubles. For example, in some traditions, feathers are thought to represent the connection between the physical world and the spiritual world and are seen as symbols of spiritual growth and enlightenment.
I do pick up feathers when I find them. On this particular day, I actually saw this fall out of the Northern Flicker bird as it flew overhead. Last week I posted a photo of the Flicker flying and showed what pretty yellow feathers it has. Than it flew over me and one landed right in front of me. So I had to pick it up.
Quite extraordinary it is. Such a beautiful yellow.
This is the tree the bird flew to, you can barely see him at the top of the pine tree.
The red on the back of the head is a good way to identify it. I have a pair that nest here in my yard. They also love taking dirt baths in my garden. So fun to watch.
Feathers From Heaven
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Hanoverian and Thoroughbred – I just love horses. Most of you know I raised many of them in my younger years and now I love photographing them. I actually wasn’t into photography back when I had horses. That is when I should have started though, that would have been fun.
These two beautiful animals are from the Mobile Al mounted police department. I made a portrait of these two and sent it to the department. They loved it and said thank you, plus they told me the horse on the left is a Hanoverian, and his name is Avalon. He retired this year. The one on the right is named Papa and he is a thoroughbred Percheron mix.
They were in a parade where I took these photos. I was watching these two horses and they seemed like buddies and were just hanging out in line with the other horses and their police officers.
When it comes to getting just the right shot, I take a lot of photos waiting for just that right look, and these two gave it to me as they were touching noses in my last photo. That is the one I picked to make the portrait.
As if they have a language all their own, a moment of beauty.
Hanoverian and Thoroughbred
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For as I was saying earlier. We had talked about moving to this spot here, but at the last minute something told me to just stay where we were.
Raindrops from Heaven – gentle reminders of His power and presence.
In the quiet of twilight, they begin to fall,
Silver tears from heaven’s gentle call.
Raindrops, soft and fleeting, grace the earth,
A symphony of whispers, a timeless rebirth.
Video Below or click here – Rain Drops and Flowers
Raindrops from Heaven
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This is the last of our stops in Columbus Ms. This cemetery was founded in 1839.
This location is the burial site of four Confederate generals, more than two thousand Confederate soldiers, veterans from every war the United States has fought, as well as distinguished authors, legislators, and people from all walks of life. It is the site of America’s first Decoration Day (1866), inspiring the writing of the poem “The Blue and the Gray.” This site also represents the reconciliation after the Civil War, as the Ladies of Columbus put flowers on the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers who had been buried there.
Many of the tree roots have grown around the markers.
Every spring a group of high school students conduct a tales from the crypt program in the cemetery. We went to it one night as I have never been to one. The students had to choose a person who was buried in the cemetery and study the person and his or her life.
They gave a speech as that person and dressed in the proper clothing of the time. It was very informative and all the students did very well.
The Friendship Cemetery
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Blues Musicians playing in Catfish Alley, Columbus Ms. I don’t know a lot about blues music. I never listened to it much. But I have to say these bands were very good, it was a treat to sit and enjoy the talents of these musicians.
Mr. Sipp – Grammy award winning artist below
Terry Big T Williams
And Blind Mississippi Morris
Below is a snippet of the musicians playing, or click here; Blues Music
Blues Musicians
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July Flowers and Gardens – July is known for being the hottest part of summer in some areas. Flowers are blooming, birds are nesting. Colors are bright and vibrant.
Here is to a wonderful month of July in your area, a time to enjoy the wonderful outdoors, along with quite a few mosquitos in our area. But the good news is, I have not found one wood tick yet this year on me or my dogs. That is so unusual, but I don’t mind that at all.
July Flowers and Gardens
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Inside the Home of Tennessee Williams. I love looking at antiques, the sad thing is, most of the stuff I grew up with, are antiques now as well. When did that happen. ☺️
He had a simple house with simple furnishings. I love the large windows in some of these older homes.
This was the entertainment room.
After leaving his house and having lunch on the lawn there. We listened to a gentleman named Blind Mississippi Morris, one of the country’s greatest blues harmonicist. He was exceptional, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to some live music.
Next we went over to Catfish Alley for more live music, which I will show you next week. Have a great weekend. 😉
Inside the Home
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Next Tennessee Williams Home – Who I thought was a singer, but I have him mixed up with someone else. This gentleman was one of the greatest American playwrights. I don’t know him that well, I have heard of some of his plays, like Street Car Named Desire. But I don’t know if I have ever seen it.
He had a regular old home, nothing like the antebellum homes. But unique by itself. The most interesting thing about going into this museum, which is free, was the woman we met that was volunteering there on that day.
She was the nicest lady who has lived in Columbus for many years and knew a lot of its history. She told us stories and historical facts for quite awhile. I sure appreciated her taking the time to share all of that with us.
Also the day we were there they were celebrating the start of Cat Fish Alley Music Festival. They had a pork roast on the lawn which we sat down and enjoyed with a lot of other folks. Listened to some wonderful blues music which I will show more of next week.
Such a fun little town, with lots of history and good people.
Next Tennessee Williams
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Antebellum Homes – meaning before a particular war, especially the American Civil War.
Columbus, Mississippi, boasts a rich heritage deeply rooted in the antebellum period, evidenced by its stunning architectural landscape. The city’s antebellum architecture provides a fascinating window into the past, reflecting the grandeur and cultural history of the American South before the Civil War.
Many of these historic homes have been meticulously restored and are open to the public, offering a glimpse into the past. The annual Columbus Spring Pilgrimage is a notable event where several antebellum homes open their doors to visitors, providing guided tours and insights into the historical and architectural significance of each property.
We happened to be camping near Columbus during the Spring Pilgrimage. We went down town to learn more about that while we were there.
We did not take the tour to go inside any of these homes this time. I will next time we visit. Everyone of these homes on the tour, people live in. But they open there homes up just during this pilgrimage to the public.
I can’t even imaging living in a home this large. The upkeep must be costly for sure. I live in a 400 sq ft cabin and that suits me just fine. But I still love seeing old homes like this. It is fun to imagine the life back then at places like this. Something right out of the history books before us. So fun.
Antebellum Homes
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Out For a Walk – We headed downtown Columbus to see what we could find next. Like most towns, they have the newer, shopping type areas. Which we try to avoid, it is the old part of town we like to see and Columbus has a beautiful area of old town.
The homes in this area are quite beautiful, with lots of flowers blooming everywhere.
With lots of historical homes, some of which you can go into on certain days that they are doing tours.
Of course a beautiful river walk that we came apon, with this old bridge that does not get used anymore according to the signs saying it may collapse.
Out For a Walk
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Columbus Mississippi – One of the first things I do when I get to a new town that we are camping near, is to look up what there is to see in each town. Columbus has a lot of history and very unique homes, or should I say mansions.
I always check out google maps for historic areas of a town. The first thing that showed up was this old diesel locomotive. The actual first diesel locomotive, it ran for 38 years and retired in 1984. I do love trains and learning about them. They changed
From their start in England in 1830, railroads spread like kudzu across the globe. They unified countries, created great fortunes, enabled the growth of new industries, and thoroughly revolutionized life in every place they ran.
It is nice when they put signs up explaining what we are looking at. I will have more of my favorite trains on tomorrows post.
Columbus Mississippi
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Rose Tinted Glasses – The idiom “rose-tinted glasses” signifies a perspective that is overly optimistic, highlighting the positive while often ignoring the negative aspects of a situation.
This phrase popped into my head when I look at this Rose Breasted Grosbeak bird and the flower below. I am a very positive person, for me it is because I trust in our Lord.
I hope this splash of color brightens your day and have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Rose Tinted Glasses
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I Am Getting the Hang Of It – very fun to make. I can see doing more of these. 🙂
I Am Getting the Hang Of It
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Trying Something New with pet portraits. I love photographing animals, especially pets, horses, dogs, cats, pretty much anything someone needs done.
I always like trying new things with photo editing. I see samples in my feed on social media platforms showing some pretty cool ideas on editing techniques. So I have to try it when I see a new one, just to see if I can do it on the computer.
Below is the first thing I saw on a feed demonstration. This is a ruff draft, I had to make a table and try and make a photo frame. So nothing really matches or looks real of course. This type of art is called pop out.
Making the subject look like they are popping out of the picture, or picture frame.
This one she is popping out of another picture. I will have a couple more tomorrow of dog pop out photos.
Always fun to try new stuff.
Trying Something New
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In the Silence – quiet the noise of the outside world, turn inward, finding strength in His presence.
Video Below or click Link – Angel Lights
In the Silence
Spring Floods can bring some cool looking landscape photos. This is actually a road going to a river, flooded by all the spring rains.
A New Boat to Me – Not the first photo, I just thought that one was such a bright pretty red color.
I have not heard of these boats below, apparently called Mud Boats. I do know they are fast and loud. Good for going in swamp type areas. Interesting, I learned something new on this day.
Have a great weekend.
A New Boat to Me
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River Locks and Dams – This is the small lock on the Tombigbee river, you will find locks on many rivers especially if there are Corp of Engineer parks in the area.
I have never seen a tug boat quite like this one, it was coming out of the locks here when I was taking photos of the dam.
Lock and Dam No. 15 below, is one of my favorite places to stop and watch pelicans on the Mississippi River.
It is located on the Upper Mississippi River. It spans the river between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. Lock and Dam 15 is the largest roller dam in the world,
Its dam is 1,203 feet (366.7 m) long and consists of nine 109 feet (33.2 m) non-submersible, non-overflow roller gates and two 109 feet (33.2 m) non-submersible overflow roller gates. It is unusual among the upper Mississippi River dams in that it has only roller gates
I took this photo below of the white pelican landing on the river when we stopped by there this spring.
Below is lock and dam 14 on the Mississippi river, another great place to watch birds and tug boats.
River Locks
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New Bird in Mississippi – this little one is named a Warbling Vireo. I have lost count exactly how many birds I have photographed. I do know it is over 250. I might have to start a new list.
New Bird in Mississippi
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Northern Flicker – capturing birds in flight photography is a way to see birds in a entire new light. I did not notice all the yellow on these birds until I saw this photo I took of this gorgeous bird.
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The Back Waters of the Tombigbee river is where you can find some very peaceful landscapes. This campground called the Dewayne Hayes Campground has a very nice trail that leads to a viewing dock in the calm backwaters from the river.
The reflections are just gorgeous early in the morning and lots of wildlife.
This is a great campground, but it is also right next to the Columbus Air Force Base where they train pilots every day in these air craft below. So you do hear them going all day, but I didn’t not mind it. They were fun to see as well.
These training planes I see a lot down on the gulf coast, the only difference is, the ones down there go extremely fast compared to these here in Columbus. So the newbies must start in Columbus and then they graduate to flying over the ocean as fast as they can.
The Back Waters
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World of Maritime Enthusiasts – There’s something magical about watching a ship glide gracefully across the water, leaving a trail of gentle waves in its wake. For some people, this fascination goes beyond casual admiration and becomes a passionate hobby: shipspotting.
I don’t actually record ships like those hobbyist that are into shipspotting. I just like watching them and photographing them. Below are 3 different rivers with different tugboats.
Have a great weekend.
Tombigbee River
Mississippi River
Ohio River
Large Tug Boat on the old Mississippi River
Video below or click this link here; Tombigbee River
World of Maritime Enthusiasts
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Not Your Normal Barges on the river, most of the ones I see carry coal, or farm goods like corn. A couple on this river have barges of a different kind. Lots of gadgets and signs that say warning.
The two below are named Deborah and Corey. As I was doing some research on tug boats, I found out that shipspotting is a hobby for many people. I get that, because I do love being by the water and seeing ships and boats go by and finding out more about them and what they are hauling.
There are websites that track every ship on all the waters. Very interesting stuff.
Not Your Normal Barges
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A Variety of Tug Boats on the Tombigbee river that we saw while camped there. It was just so fun to see them so close.
A Variety of Tug Boats
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