This is a no-brainer. I’m tired of winter, I’m tired of the weather changing from winter to spring every other day. I need sunshine, blue skies, blue water and sunshine on my face and toes.
Waiting for the boat to take us to snorkeling at Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge
To see more of this week’s challenge click I’d Rather Be….
So many things come to mind with this photo taken at the Port of Kenosha in Wisconsin…The Old Man and the Sea…Jaws…The Story of MY Life!
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Going underwater is definitely a feeling of “out of this world”. On our trip to St. Croix, we took a snorkeling trip to Buck Island Reef National Monument.
Most of the Monument area, which is administered by the National Park Service, is underwater and attracts around 50,000 visitors a year. With its 4,554-acre long reef there is plenty to explore and experience in the water. Snorkelers can follow an underwater marked trail on the eastern tip. It is one of only three underwater trails in the United States. Along the trail are plaques denoting information about marine flora and fauna commonly found in the area. Two thirds of the island is surrounded by an elkhorn coral barrier reef, providing an ecosystem for over 250 fish species and a variety of other marine life
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Island_Reef_National_Monument
To see more of this week’s challenge, click Out of This World.
The St. Charles Riverfront
St. Charles was the first state capitol of Missouri from 1821 to 1826. The historic down town area is home to quaint shops, the restored State Capitol building and the large and open riverfront area. The Missouri River boarders the southern border between St. Charles and St. Louis Counties and often floods. The historic 500 year flood of 1993 had the banks of the Missouri covering all the way to Main Street and inundated much of the northeastern portion of the county which is the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
Beloved. Be Loved. I love this photo. It is my favorite picture of my dad and my older brother taken probably in 1954, the year I was born. My dad died at the age of 45 from colon cancer when I was sixteen. My brother, who was 22 months older than me, died when he was forty, also from colon cancer.
To see more of this week’s challenge click Beloved.
Eight inches of new fallen snow brings a blanket of silence to everything.
A father playfully lifts his child into the air on the tropical island of St.Croix, US Virgin Islands.
To see more of this week’s challenge, click Ascend.
From this to this. Transformed. Which do you like better?
To see more of this week’s challenge, click Transformation.
On our recent trip to Texas to visit family, my brother-in-law asked if we’d like to go to a CBR bull riding competition. I said a very loud “oh yeah!”. I’ve always wanted to watch bull riding in person; I’ve watched it many times on television. And…what could be more Texan that bull riding?
I imagine each time these cowboys mount their bull, it is an experiment to see how long they can stay on the bull and if so,can they reach the magic 8 second mark? For me, the experiment was using an ISO of 3200 indoors, handheld, from the bleachers with a standard 70-200 4.5 zoom lens. Some images were better than others.
So as I am wont to do, here’s some facts on bull riding I didn’t know:
Bull Riding Rules:
8 seconds is the length of a qualified ride and was devised purely for the safety and well-being of the animals. After 8 seconds the bull or horse losses adrenaline and along with fatigue their bucking ability decreases.
For 8 seconds you can’t touch any part of your body or the bulls body as far as that goes
You can’t have your spurs in the ropes when you leave the chute (I’d likely have my arms and legs wrapped around the chute… lol)
Scoring: The bull gets half of the points and the cowboy the other half. Points up for grabs are 0-100 and there are typically 2 judges. Judges look for control and rhythm of the rider with the bull. The bull is judged basically on his agility and raw strength.
If the bull performs poorly a rider can be offered another chance to ride before being scored.
Scores in the 70’s are average, 80’s are dang good and 90’s… well that’s a real cowboy!!!
http://k99.com/championship-bull-riding-i-get-the-beer-but-why-8-secondsvideo/
To see more of this week’s challenge, click Experimental.
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