Nope, I don't stop here
often myself anymore...just like you!
It seems there is just more
important stuff to do, and mostly, these days, photography has first priority.
No, not over family, but in things I really want to do. Oh, I may still want to
go on a hike, but the primary reason is the chance to capture a few photos.
These days, in East Tennessee, the leaves are turning, and the squirrels are
busy putting on fat and storing up food for the long winter ahead.
We can see it
all play out from the "screened porch", our little "tree house" overlooking the
backyard.
If I'm not up
to a long hike, then I'll just travel around looking for something to catch my
eye, and if it isn't in my town, I'll run up the road 10 or 20 miles and look
for things I don't normally see in my circle of life. Like this old
1956 International Howe fire truck in Oliver Springs. Which
reminds me, there the "October
Sky" festival is going on there in a couple weeks. Lots of photo
opportunities then I bet!
Some days I hook up with my
bud Douglas D. (Danger) Mills and follow him around taking stills
of what he's taking movies of, which is for our work on a Princess Production
DVD for a lady in Roane County.
Yes, that's poison ivy in the background! |
One morning at 5:30 AM Doug
and I were at the highest point above Harriman, Buzzard's Bluff. From there you
can see a large part of the Walden Ridge Valley which stretches from here all
the way to Chattanooga. A slow moving river of fog drifted below us, making the
valley floor, with its street lights, appear like an underwater wonderland!
Purchase this photo at http://paul-mashburn.artistwebsites.com/ |
It
was beautiful and while my stills turned out well, Doug's time-lapse was
stunning! The camera was taking a still frame every second or so, and then is
played back at a normal 30 frames per second. The river of fog truly progresses
down the valley in the scene as an actual river. It's beautiful to watch the
fog move and to see the clouds form and move out of frame.
The DVD will show what
wonderful things there are to see and do in our area.
Back down the mountain, Doug
and I might hang out at the local community college and shoot and film a
ballgame, a gathering of children playing flag football, or of people moving
between the campus buildings. While Doug might be looking for the money DVD
shots, I'm looking for shots of him doing what Doug does best; that's being one
of the best videographers ever. His 25-year work on a series unique to East
Tennessee, "The
Heartland", is proof of his abilities. The series logged around 1900
episodes!
I was doing just this
(shooting Doug filming) back in February of 2009 when I stumbled and
fell, breaking four ribs. Without letting on how much pain I was in, I calmly
drove Doug off Walden's Ridge and back to his car. I drove by the ER in
Harriman and plopped in my recliner, where I stayed for about two weeks; not
knowing until my cancer scan turned up the fractures and showed where my right
kidney actually bleed internally!
There are lots of things
going on around Roane County, and they are constantly calling me name, and
saying, "...bring your camera!"
Last week there was "Hauntin' In
Harriman", which is basically a classic "ghost tour", and every
city worth its salt has one. Harriman's is traditionally the second week in
October, just as the leaves start their annual color change, and just about the
time everyone starts thinking about Halloween.
I tagged along, tripod in
tow, sweating up and down "Cornstalk
Heights", taking ghostly looking photos of the actors that play out the
stories told at several stops along the way. Again, I was doing stills, which
will be used in next year's promotion, while David McCarthy shot video for his
"Final Cut" class at Roane
State.
It was very exciting and I was pleased with my results. You can
see some of the best by clicking HERE!
Then there was this past
weekend. Ol' Herman Cain dropped by Roane State to speak to the area
"Tea Party", and I was on hand, armed with a new 70-210mm zoom lens. Thanks to
my local connections, I was able to stay very close to Mr. Cain as he met and
greeted those welcoming him to the county, to the Fox NEWS team as they prepared
and interviewed him for the Mike Huckabee Show, and as he spoke to the
faithful! The lens paid off and I had a ball being with close friends and
watching a little history go down in our humble county. See more Herman Cain photos HERE!
Just as I was getting into
it and preparing to follow Herman to his campaign bus, my cell rang and it was
Judy, back from her "lesbian cruise", as I called it, to Greece. She went with
about forty area women on a "women only" tour of the Greek
islands.
She apparently had a ball,
as evidenced by these select few photos. She did pretty well
herself!
So, now we're all back
together, safe and sound, and I can get back to doing more of what I
like...shooting historical photos of our Princess Theatre. The project is
coming along wonderfully, and I have had the privileged of documenting the
journey from the inside out! I can't wait to she her in her full "art deco"
garb, and see all the smiling faces flowing in and out her doors once
again.
So, if you don't hear
from me for long spans of time, I'm just busy with Princess business. But, you
can keep up with what I'm doing, and how the Princess is doing by CLICKING
HERE!
3 comments:
Good heavens, Mushy - at this rate, you will have to come out of retirement and take a full time job again to get some spare time back.
You sure do give good photo though - keep at it!
Well, I tried to leave a comment. Awesome shots of Greece. I bet that was fun. The Princess is lookin' cool too.
It's so good to catch up with you again, and to see what you've been getting up to, my friend. I can see life is treating you well, and your passion for photography is still burning strong - that's a FABULOUS capture from above Buzzard's Bluff, you should enter it somewhere, it's a real winner.
I can't believe you kept on going with such serious injuries, without asking for some help - stubborn and plain daft if you ask me - I hope Judy had a few stern words with you later?
Talking of which, oh my, bet she had a ball on that cruise! I love Greece, tell her I'm jealous.
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