Tuesday 1 July 2014

Round and round we go


Sunday was National Camera Day and I celebrated by taking photos.



In 1827 Joseph Niepce created the first photographic image. The camera changed the world, allowing people to capture history and preserve it for generations to come.



Cameras have come a long way in my lifetime, too. My first good camera was a Minolta 35mm, and I treasured that camera. Today, I use a Canon Digital SLR with an assortment of lenses.



With film, I had to be frugal with how many photos I took. Today I can snap hundreds at a time and the only cost I incur is for the ones I print. And so, on my country drives, I joyfully snap away.



On many of our drives, I have mentioned to Craig that I would like to get a photo of the beautiful foothills around our area. We often see them when we are on a hill on busy roads like SR 50 going out of Hillsboro. Though beautiful, we had not found a safe place to pull over so I could get out and take the shot. This week, we started out down SR 124, which we have done several times, but this time we took a left on a small country road called Milburn. While driving past a corn field I spotted a safe place to stop. The cornfield in the forefront and the clouds framed the hills, and happily, there were no wires or obstructions.



Continuing our drive down Milburn, we turned left onto Washburn where the streets had many daisies, orange tiger lilies and many black-eyed Susan flowers. These roads are narrow, hilly and have many curves and hidden driveways. Be sure to use caution if you pull over, and listen for approaching vehicles.



On another trip we went up through the hills over Bainbridge. We were trying to find a shot of the cliff you can see from Seip Mound, where we stopped to have a picnic lunch. We didn’t find a road that lead back to the cliff, but we were probably above it at some point and had magnificent views through the trees.



Along the drive, we turned on to Beaver Ridge Road and then left on to Union and saw an amazing sight. Orange butterfly bushes/weeds were all along the roadside.



As we passed the first few bushes, we noticed a flurry of activity. At the next clump of bushes, we pulled over and the beauty of the butterflies was awesome. I don’t like to disturb nature in its environment and the butterflies are skittish. So this is where the bigger lenses come in handy. From a safe distance, I was able to capture the beauty of these winged insects.



The golden butterfly is the Great Spangled Fritillary (I love search engines) and the black and white is the Zebra Swallowtail. The orange butterfly bushes were covered with various types of butterflies. They shared the bush with bees but didn’t like them at all. If a bee got too close, the butterflies would take off and circle around the bush and settle back down. At one point I had at least a dozen circling me before they went back to the bush. The butterflies use the nectar from the flowers for energy and cannot fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees.



After taking many photos of the butterflies, I reluctantly got back in the car. The butterflies did much better in the 90 degree bright sunshine than I did. It was time to get back in the air conditioning and get hydrated.



We carry several maps with us when we go out driving. We have a detailed map of Highland County and one of Southern Ohio, and of course, we always have our cell phones. But sometimes we lose connection on our phones and can’t find road signs. When we get in those situations, we simply keep turning round and round and always come out on one of the main roads that leads us home.



Once home, the fun begins. I get to download all of my photos and relive the drive all over again. Have a great week!



Karen Ruhl is a professional photographer and creative artist. Her background includes speaking, working in broadcasting, owning a creative agency and publishing a children’s book. You can reach Karen at karenruhl12@gmail.com.


 


Article source: http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/06/26/memphis-businessman-giannini-out-on-bond-charged-with-aggravated-rape-a-523163.html


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