Its Summer Time & Shasta Time

Sun Dried Sheets
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Just wanted to post a note that we're leaving this weekend for our annual pilgrimage to Mount Shasta in California. We'll be gone for the rest of July.

We have someone taking care of the garden and kitty and Sam and house ... we are both running around like NUTS trying to get ready to leave our work behind, but boy is it gonna be great to be with our study group, to be back at SHASTA and, to leave our everyday cares and worries behind. I don't like leaving the garden, though ...

Well, I won't be posting on my blog for at least two weeks, probably more like 16 days or so. Don't give up on me. Come back and check in August for lots of great photos and reports of our adventures.

Later, friends!

Today was a Hawt One!

Hey
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Baggins, trying to stay cool, moves from one shade spot to another all day long. I'm trying to get him accustomed to my camera in his face. This is the most relaxed he's been in front of my camera. Lazy summer afternoon.

Viewpoint for the Fading of the Day

Viewpoint for the Fading of the Day
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Sam and I
we amble through
another evening of air the color
of buttermilk, clear enough
to breathe our fill
we inhale the warm summer air
he snuffles short snorts through
his wet black nose and I
breath the buttery beauty
into my eyes
we drink a draft of evening color,
long heaving breaths-full of it
til we have both quenched our thirst
for all
the fading
beauty
in the world

Askance

Askance
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Having way way too much fun shooting things that remind me of body parts. This face caught my eye, looking askance at the curves in the second photo here:



Curious to me how the photo just above, the one that looks like a female breast, has gotten a ton of views on Flickr. All the other photos from that same set (of old farm equipment closeups) have a more typical number of views. The thumbnail is a real eye-grabber, so I'm not surprised -- human nature being what it is. Hmph!

Red Faced and Lovin' It

Red Faced and Lovin' It
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Yesterday I had to leave my car in the shop for service so I decided to grab my camera and stroll around East Helena (very small town) for the hour. Found a pile of old, rusty tractors and other farm machinery and I knew right away there were some good photos lurking there. This one reminds me of a human face, something you'd see at a carnival, a masquerade or costume ball.


I put together a series of photo-abstracts from my stroll around the machinery graveyard. Check it out on Flickr if you want to see more like these.

Why Am I Here?

Curvaceous

Curvaceous
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

I had fun one day playing with my camera -- hunting around the house and garden for natural objects that reminded me of human body parts. This first one recalls a variety of female body shapes, mostly round and curvy ...

Or two breasts

two kissing lovers

a belly button

Incredible Color

Incredible Color
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

A couple days ago I chose a few of my 120 photos of Tim Carney and Barry Hood installing the Grandstreet Theatre window ... and made a set on my Flickr account showing the progress of the window's creation. Fatima blogged this photo on the Catchy Colors photoblog (which, by the way has some incredible vibrant color photos) and it actually looks much better against the black background of her photoblog.

From inside the theater, at least when the balcony curtains are open, on a sunny day the colors of this window are intense. When they get the lighting installed, people passing by outside will be able to see how beautiful the colors are, as well.

Here are several more photos showing Tim and Barry installing the window. It is huge -- and was quite a task to install. Click here to see the whole set of making-the-window photos, arranged in progressive order.

Pattern

Playing with my Artemesia
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

I was just playing around with a ho-hum photo of some artemesia growing in our garden ... and ended up with this, which I think is kinda cool. Not a great work of art, but fun (for me anyway)

Here's the original photo for comparison:



and the photo I blended with the first one:

Hangin Out

Hangin Out
Originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

My Photo Friday photo. This guys been hanging on a lilac branch in our garden for 2 years. A little worse for the weather, but still cute.