Multi-Flavored Autumn Reflection, Shelby County

Autumn Foliage, Reflection in a Pond in Shelby County, Alabama

The Sun Also Rises

I used to think that Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises was curiously titled. But then I began to think about what I wanted to say about this photograph, and the book's title came to mind, though I won't begin to suggest that the meaning I derived from the title is what Hemingway had in mind too.

We lead busy lives. From the time we get up, we have a routine. We get ourselves ready for work or school and then help our loved ones get ready for work or school. We feed ourselves and our pets. We turn on televisions or radios to discern if the world has changed significantly while we slept,. There is no good news. Then we clamber into our vehicles and dash into traffic in anticipation of a day that will be all too similar to the days that surrounded it.

But the Sun also rises, and in the midst of our daily scramble and toil, we shouldn't fail to note the beauty and small wonders that are ever within our purview. 

October Morning Sunrise, Fultondale, Alabama :: iPhone 4s

Blue Spiderwort at Black Creek

Blue Spiderwort at Black Creek, Fultondale Children's Park, Fultondale, Alabama
Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm, 1/160s @ f/5.6, ISO 400

The Blue Spiderwort (Commelina coelestis) is a hardy perennial that will grow in temperate to tropical climates. It prefers sunlight or partial shade. The Blue Spiderwort can easily be domesticated to pots and flower gardens. 

This flower earned its name because some see it as resembling a spider. It is also nicknamed "Widow's Tears" because the petals dry up and close by noon.

Morning Glory and Leaves at Black Creek

White Morning Glory and Leaves, Fultondale Children's Park, Alabama
Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm, 1/60s @ f/8, ISO 400

Morning Glory at Black Creek, Fultondale, Alabama

White morning glories grow readily along the banks of Black Creek. They are particularly evident among the rocks at Fultondale Children's Park in Fultondale, Alabama.

More than one thousand species of flower make up what are known as morning glories. As indicated by its  name, the morning glory is at full bloom early in the day.

Red Spider Lilies at Black Creek, Fultondale

Red Spider Lilies at Black Creek, Fultondale, Alabama

Clouded Yellow Butterfly on a Purple Morning Glory

Clouded Yellow Butterfly on a Purple Morning Glory, Black Creek, Fultondale
Canon Rebel T2i, EF 50mm f/1.8, 1/320s @ f/5.6, ISO 100

Although the Clouded Yellow Butterfly can be seen any year, the Clouded Yellows are prone to mass migrations, which occasions can be known "Clouded Yellow Years."

  Fun Fact about the Morning Glory: In parts of Southeast Asia, the morning glory is known as "Water Spinach," so if you're ever in a pinch for some leafy greens, relief may be close at hand.

Morning Glory on the Vine at Black Creek, Fultondale

Morning Glory on the Vine, Black Creek, Fultondale Children's Park, Alabama
Canon Rebel T2i, Tokina AT-X 35mm, 1/25s @ f/16, ISO 400

Photograph for CASA's "Through the Lens" Event

A couple of week's ago, I posted about an exhibition I was involved with through Alabama CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) (here), at which the exhibits,which portrayed individual's stories, would take the attendees on a "A Journey through Foster Care". I was assigned the story of a young adult who had aged out of the foster care system.

Once foster children reach the age of majority, they can no long be in foster care. Upon reading my charge's story,  I recognized the solitude that must envelop those who are in foster care and eventually must age out. With natural families who have either deserted them or been found unfit or otherwise wanting, these young people are compelled to face both life's challenges, joys, and sorrows without either a proper foundation or support system. 

Capturing that experience in a photograph seemed a daunting task, and after having made a number of attempts that I deemed unsuccessful, I finally settled on depicting the foster mother walking away. There is nothing sinister or malicious in her actions; her abandonment is not something that can be helped. It is merely a consequence of the broken state of things. 

A special thanks to Tyler Dooley, proprietor of Farmhouse Fabrications, for serving as my model and his willingness to stand in for many of the failed efforts involved in this project.

Generation Band at Youthquake 2012, Cullman

Generation Band, which is the worship band at Desperation Church in Cullman, Alabama, has just released a new album, Desperation Church Live 2012, which can be downloaded free here.

But mind you, Generation Band isn't just your average praise-and-worship band; they're much more talented and passionate. And Desperation Church isn't just your average church congregation; they're much more vivacious and passionate.

If you think this is something you're ready to experience, Generation Band will be opening for Switchfoot at Youthquake 2012 in Cullman, tomorrow Saturday, October 6, 2012.

Generation Band from Desperation Church, Cullman, Alabama

Jet Pep Has Lost a Step, Morris, Alabama

Jet Pep Service Station at Morris, Alabama

When this Jet Pep was last operational I don't know, but I do know for a certainty that it is slowly being reclaimed by Nature.

   Each subsequent spring and summer bring the foliage a little further out. Creeping ever closer, it cracks and chews up the asphalt, wrapping its leafy tendrils around this old service station that sits in unused and unassuming disrepair.

Blooming Goldenrod a Catalyst for Bee Activity

Bee Pollinating Goldenrod :: Photographed with iPhone 4s

The recent blooming of goldenrod has brought about an autumn resurgence of bee activity. This will likely be the bee's last big food drive before settling in for the long winter months.

While on a walk with Darby, I photographed this bee, who was buzzing from plant to plant, along with dozens of her brethren. I took this photo with my iPhone 4s, which has better close-focus ability than I would have suspected.