3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

postaday

Day 212/365: Nebraska Big Sky Country

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Took me three times as long to get to my sons baseball game the other night because I kept pulling over and taking sunset pictures. The clouds had that “silver lining” effect and the beams of sunlight were just to magnificent to pass up. The barn is one I pass every day between Elmwood and Murdock Nebraska. Just about every time it looks different. How can people say it’s boring scenery in Nebraska?

Nebraksa Big Sky Country
Nebraksa Big Sky Country

I grew up in Connecticut, and the trees line every roadside and curve into the clouds. Only sections of sky peak through. Although I miss the trees and hills the openness of the sky and heavens take my breath away. It’s awe inspiring to watch storms roll in, uninterrupted rainbows and a horizon that stretches thirty miles or more into the distance.

Enjoy our little bit of  “Big Sky” country in Nebraska.

Day 211/365: Nebraska Sunsets, Country Skyscrapers

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Montana might be called “Big Sky” country but Nebraska has a little bit of sky too. We also have skyscrapers. They are grain elevators and water towers. See, they touch the sky. From this vantage point they almost touch the clouds.

Sunset Over the Country High Rises
Sunset Over the Country High Rises

I am very blessed to have scenery like this every day when I commute to work. The town of Murdock (part of the Elmwood-Murdock metropolitan) has a population of approximately 280 people and yet it has home town pride. A lot of people around here are farmers, as you can tell by the grain elevator on the left. However, it is located only thirty minutes from Omaha and more and more people drive to the city to work.

The number of hogs and cattle raised in the area has drastically declined in the past twenty years. The second “skyscraper” you see it the feed mill, which is no longer in operation. I used to work there in the early 1990’s. It was then called Greenwood Farmers Co-op and due to the competitiveness of the agriculture industry more cooperatives in the state merged together to form Midwest Farmers Co-op. I believe the feed mill is further south now in Syracuse.

So do you still think skyscrapers are only in the big city?

 

 

Day 214/365: Happy 4th of July

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Happy 4th of Julty
Happty 4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! Here in Elmwood Nebraska we celebrate just like everyone else, with fireworks, picnics, parades (coming later), softball games, and watermelon. The holiday starts off with a bang ten days before Independence day when the fireworks go on sale.

This year I had an extra challenge. I was going to learn how to photograph fireworks with my point and shoot Fujica camera. This photo was actually taken two houses down from me as I braced the camera steady on the mailboxes. Tonight I’ll take the tripod for the big show in Ashland.

Photography Notes:

Photoshop composite of three shots. Two small bursts I selected the color black, chose the inverse selection so only the colored fireworks was selected, and pasted into main image in different layers.

Main blue fireworks: Aperture priority, f/2.8, Exposure 8 seconds, ISO 400

Gold Burst in top left:  Shutter priority, f/2.8, 1/50 sec ISO 400,

Day 208/365: National FBLA Leadership Conference

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I'm Going to Nationals!
I'm Going to Nationals!

I’ve often bragged about our local high school, with good reason. This time it’s about our Future Business Leaders of America members who qualified for the National FBLA 2011 conference in Orlando Florida. Fourteen students loaded up the bus on Sunday and as you can see above, they were a little excited.

The students must compete and qualify on the state level by winning either first or second place in their division. Categories range from accounting, to community service, information technology, social media, website design, partnership with business, e-business, and dozens more.

This is just the beginning for these students who will learn so much, gain leadership experience and gain friendships that will take them far in life. More updates when my daughter gets back. (She’s in blue on the left by the way. )

Loading the bus!
Loading the bus!