Sometimes life rushes by at the speed of light. One day, your somewhat normal life ceases to exist and instantly your life is blasting by at Mach 10. Finally, you are able to take a look around and you realize, among many, many things, that you have failed to add an entry to your blog in almost 27 years! OK, so it hasn’t been that long. It just feels like it has.

Being that I haven’t posted in ages, I will Just dive in.

Some nights in the Midwest, you just jump in your car, throw your camera in the backseat and go for a ride. Those that live out here know that you often find yourself driving on what seems like an endless, straight road. To break up the monotony, I pulled over, placed my camera on the center line of the road and pressed the shutter button. Thought this was kind of cool looking.

As one ages, you start to see a wrinkle or two when you look in the mirror, a few grey hairs on your head, and for some, the amount of scalp visible through your hair increases. I may have mentioned once or twice how much I love my daughter. I also love just goofing off with her and the two of us seeing who can make the other one laugh the hardest. Usually things deteriorate to the point of the two of us acting like idiots and laughing until we cry. My poor wife often has to put up with our idiocy and often times lets us know when it is time to take a break because one or both of us has carried on for far too long. Below is evidence of what a grown man and his daughter come up with when left with too much time on their hands and a pack of markers.

We often get some pretty crazy weather around here. About a month ago, we got some very  heavy winds and rain that lasted for only a few minutes. I like to take pictures. Of anything. Especially sky shots when things progress beyond cool and become breath-taking. The evening of the above referenced storm produced a most incredible sky. I almost missed capturing the sky image below. Because the storm was so intense, and didn’t last very long, I didn’t bother to gather my camera and either go outside to shoot or point my lens through one of the many windows in my house. I was sitting in my favorite chair when my wife, who was on the phone, got my attention and directed it out our sliding glass door and to the Northwest sky. The sun was going to bed after the storm and the sky simply exploded in fire. I have never seen a sky so angry or emotional in all my many years.

Of course my daughter had a very busy summer. Although she is in middle school, she was selected to play in the pit orchestra for an overwhelmingly high school aged students’ production of Guys & Dolls. Omaha Public Schools (OPS) puts on a production each year during the summer and it is quite a big deal for all involved. My daughter plays the flute and piccolo, extremely well I might add, and was selected. My wife and I were very proud of her and impressed by the level of commitment she demonstrated. It wasn’t easy being tasked with playing with musicians that in most cases had 3 or 4 more years of playing experience. She definitely held her own and came away with an unforgettable experience. She looks forward to auditioning for the OPS production next year. She is in the middle, in profile.

Of course the 4th of July brings on the light shows. The image below was captured out the window of my bathroom. A local church puts on a first rate show each year and I am fortunate enough to live a stones throw away. Makes it easy to photograph the fireworks. I like this shot as it looks like a somewhat neon rendition of palm trees.

I have rambled on for longer than I initially planned and am in need of some sleep. Heading to bed. Will make the effort to put out new entries on a regular basis.

Until next time,

Mark