Happy Anniversary!

I loved you way back then!

And I love you now!

Mixed Messages

This is sort of a random post but I have a couple of photos from my phone that just seem too good not to share.  

The first picture is one I made at the creek here on the farm. Earlier this year Mike and I were rescuing some of the larger rocks that had washed down our creek during a major rain storms.  We needed to get out of the house. We needed a bit of exercise. We needed to exert some energy. We needed to fill a big ditch that had washed out between the house and the barn. So, with free fill rock available, we decided to do a couple of loads each day - rescuing them from the creek bed where they were not needed and moving them to the ditch where they were. We would load the bed of the ATV and dump it into the ditch. On one particular loading session, I noticed this series of holes.

At first it was just a bit disconcerting because it was almost as if the ground was making a face at me - mocking me. Then, it occurred to me that often holes like this were havens for snakes. So, during that work session, I had a bit of a hard dime concentrating on picking up the bigger rocks around that area because I was a bit busy watching those holes to make certain that no visitors popped out!

The second picture is one of a box that was delivered during all of our online Christmas shopping deliveries. I just happened to notice this sticker on the bottom of a box. It made me pause a bit. I wondered if maybe Mike might have been into some sort of activity that I wasn't aware of. 

Ole Red

I've posted about the red truck that was my Daddy's pride and joy before. I don't know why I became the caretaker of it because I really thought one of his grandchildren would want the truck as a fun means of transportation. When nobody really wanted to take on the responsibility, I told Mama that I would. So, Ole Red stays parked in Mike's barn for most of the time enjoying a well-earned rest. 

Every now and then I take it out for a Sunday drive and blow the dust off of it. It is fun to drive for nostalgia's sake. Ole Red is a 1969 Ford Ranger pickup truck. Most of it is just like it was when it rolled off the assembly line. Daddy had it painted and new carpet put in it and had the seat recovered years ago. He replaced some pieces of chrome on it and it has a newer tailgate and floor in the bed because I had a Dalmatian dog when I was in high school that rode in it and would sometimes relieve himself on the tailgate, causing it to rust. My sister and Daddy put a newer radio with cassette player in it back in the 1980s when she was driving it to school.  I've had to replace the windshield wipers because the style that came on it are no longer manufactured. (You can see the vintage nature of the ceiling in the photos!) The rest, however is just like it was in 1969!

I always have fun when I take it out but I know that if I am going to have to stop somewhere, I need to have my hair combed and wear decent clothes - not just jump in and go for a joy ride in the old grungies! Why? Because whenever we stop somewhere, inevitably somebody will stroll over and want a closer look and ask what year it was made and where did I get it. 

There have been a whole lot of advancements that I take for granted since 1969. The steering column is longer and makes the steering wheel sit a whole lot closer than my newer truck. The windows are the old crank style that take a little more time and effort to raise and lower. Reaching the wiper control is a bit further from my fingertips because the dash is further from me and the steering wheel is so close to my belly! The headlight dimmer is a button on the floor and there are a few more little things like that which make it different from a newer model pickup.

When I've had to have some upkeep on it like changing the oil or swapping out the wiper blades, the guys at the auto care place always enjoy the opportunity to work on it and many times will have their photo made alongside of it. A couple of other folks wanted to use it for photos as well and one friend told me she thought I could make appointments and charge folks to have their picture made with it! For us it is just a nostalgic ride and a wonderful connection to my Daddy. 

It almost always brings a smile to my face and to those around me when we take it out, though. I think Daddy would be glad every time we go out for a joy ride and I hope to pass it along to somebody else in the family to enjoy some day down the road. Of course, that means that it will have to be somebody who learns to drive a standard shift, on-the-collar!

In the meantime, we will just smile and scoot on down the road for a joy ride. If you see us, wave!

Outtakes!

A few years back, I had the opportunity to make family photos for my daughter, Bridgette. I truly love doing that and sometimes I think I wish I'd made that my profession. Then, I think about those little people who cry and reluctant or non-cooperative subjects and I'm glad that I didn't!  Anyway, I was asked to put my photography skills to the test again and we took a warm afternoon with a few crafty props she had brought and made photos that she chose from for her Christmas cards and to update a few frames in her home.  Bridgette also wanted to use Ole Red for some of the photos. So, we washed the dust off of the truck and took a couple of turns down the road to dry it off and the photo shoot ensued.

The ones she chose for her cards are nice and feature some of my best loves - my granddaughters! 

At one point I handed Bridgette the camera and she made a few shots of Mike and me and I used them for our Christmas card this year. As always, though, some of the most fun shots are the outtakes! I've included some outtakes here. Some are silly and some are actually pretty good. I'm not going to caption each one. I just want to share some of this family.

We, of course, drove up this hill but I thought it might make a good setting to have them all pose in the middle of the drive with the fall trees and grasses around them. Then, it took a turn for the silly when they acted as if they had run up the hill!

I knew when I was shooting this one that it wasn't going to turn out as we hoped. Not just because of the faces that the girls were making as they squinted into the sun but also because the interior of the truck was too dark for Corey to show up. So, it looks like Bridgette has some sort of creepy hand attacking her!

Here was a silly one made from inside the cab of the truck while the girls were in the bed of it.

There was lots of standing around or trying to keep somebody engaged while it was somebody else's turn to pose.

Sometimes the pose request was taken just a little too far!

The sun was really bright and there were lots of squinty shots of everybody!

Some of them are nice photos. Some of them are really funny because of the faces or actions. Some of them are simply showing personalities. In all, I think I shot over 550 pictures that afternoon. So, the outtakes really are just the tip of the iceberg! I look forward to our next photo op!