Ruby Tuesday Too

This little mug/cup/shot glass belonged to my grandmother.  She purchased it as a souvenir of her visit to a county fair in 1908. Happy Ruby Tuesday all.

Skywatch Friday

I think almost every Skywatch photo is improved when water is added to the mix.  There are exceptions to every rule and I have several examples in my archives, but there is something about sunrise and sunset on a body of water that just makes the whole day better.  Have a blessed week-end.

Inspiration Thursday

The youngest grand daughter is now 13 and in Jr. High.  So far, she hasn't been infected with "drama queen syndrome" that seems to be a normal part of teen girls lives.  She does enjoy soccer and track.  Above is an image of her running the 1600 meter (mile) in the first race of her career and the season.  Later in the race she got tangled up with other runners, fell and didn't finish well.  She was heart broken.  This week she will practice, learn from her mistakes and improve her running skills.  She will get better and she will become very competitive in this sport.
"Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1).  The Bible tells us that life is a race.  It is an endurance race, not a sprint, although our time on this earth is but a vapor.  Our race is witnessed by everyone that we come it contact with during the course of our lives.  Some of our family members will witness nearly all of our race while some people will get only a glimpse of what we are asked to endure between the cradle and the grave.
All of us experience times in our life race that we stumble and fall.  We let sin get in the way of our abundant life and we let the world around us have too much influence on our lives.  We have to go back to the practice field, sharpen our life skills in compliance with God's Word and re-enter the race. At the end of our race we want to be like the apostle Paul who said, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2Timothy 4:7).  It is critical that we keep the faith in these trying days.  When our race is complete and we stand in judgment before the God of all creation, we long to hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant:...enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25:21).

Inspiration Thursday

If you read this blog very often, you know that I have a love of photography and I have pursued getting better at this hobby since I retired nearly two years ago.  I have had a few successes.  I've even placed in some local competitions.  I like photographing wildlife, landscapes, street scenes, sports, and cars.  A conversation that I had with a professional photographer the other day really made an impression.  Regardless of how good we get and photographing certain subjects, don't ever forget to chronicle the family.  A couple of generations from now (or much sooner), no one is going to care about my images of a good high school football game, or a perfectly composed landscape filled with the colors of autumn.  The photographs that will survive and that future generations will actually pick up and view will be those of their ancestors.  I have a few photos of my childhood, some of my parents and grand parents, even a couple of my great grand parents.  They are very special images to me.  They recall good times with family.  Many people don't like to have their picture taken, but there will come a day when they would love to look back on the good times.

 These are my parents when they were dating in 1941.  This picture was taken at the Frisco Railroad depot in Henryetta, OK.  The depot, the building in the background and both of my parents are gone now, but this image survives to tell the story of a different time and place.

The oldest girl in this photo is my maternal grandmother.  The others are her sisters.  Again, the image was taken in Henryetta, OK probably between 1907-1910.

This is our daughter, her husband, and the grand crew.  There is no shortage of images of the grand crew.

There are even a few images of my wife and I scattered about in the archives.  The point is this, family is precious and memories are priceless.  Photos capture both.  Get a camera, aim it at the family and push the button.  You won't be sorry.  Have a blessed day.

Wordless Wednesday



Spiker!

Ruby Tuesday Too

This little red vase was a flea market find.  Unfortunately I did not purchase the item.  Every time I see this image I wish I had bought the piece.  It is both vintage and contemporary.  I haven't been to a flea market lately, but I feel the need to grab the camera and head out the door.  Have a blessed day.

Skywatch Friday

With our recent move, I haven't picked up my camera in almost a month, so I had to go to the archives to find a Skywatch image this week.  This image was taken in 2013.  I don't believe that this view exists any more.  I'm pretty sure that a grocery store now sits on this site.  Have a blessed week-end.