What's for Dinner?--My Morbid Macro Fascination

What's for Dinner?--IMG_1410 copy2, originally uploaded by tsgentuso.

These spiders are just fascinating. We usually have one or more weaving their gorgeous webs in the front bushes every Summer. Orb Web Weavers is what we call them. The boys have spent entire afternoons tossing ants into the center of the web just to watch the spider in action. Don't you love the way they put a "no fly zone" sign up by weaving an easily-seen white zigzag down the center of their webs? The insects don't get it, but the birds sure do.

I am playing around with the idea of getting a dedicated macro lens--you know, one of those lenses that does ONLY macros, and extreme macros, at that. Those creepy crawlies just keep calling my name! I want to count the hairs on the little stick-like legs, the facets in their incredible eyes, the...

Maybe another day. Hey, how long until Mother's Day--oops, too late. What about Labor Day--I labor, I work hard, I don't think that one will float. Oh, well, Christmas will be here before you know it!

Alabama Roads

There was a time--not so long ago, actually--when I made many trips through parts of northern Alabama. This little farm was one I enjoyed each time I drove past it, no matter what season it was. The horses were always there, grazing, playing, drinking. The creek was almost always bubbling and gurgling along, even in drought time. But the flowers--well, they made their appearance each year in the Spring and stayed until Summer rolled in...lovely, like a yellow carpet. I would have loved to walk through them, I think, wouldn't you?

Technically, the focus is a little soft...no tripod. I had to take it standing on the side of the road, and it seems like every time I pressed the shutter button, a semi would roar by! Oh, well. It is a more than adequate reminder of a lovely spot and a sweet time and a good visit.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth from hot but not quite humid Nashville!

What a great time to be alive--economy and other nagging issues aside! Truly we are blessed in this nation. What a GREAT time to be alive!

Okay, on to some of my latest forays into the world of still slices of life. Spent a week on the beach with a BUNCH of teenagers from my home church. Really neat time together--don't know who enjoyed themselves more, me or the kids!

Here are some visual highlights of the week:







Doesn't get much better than this! By the way, the beach was like sugar--that's the tide line above. Great for seashell hunting!

Fourteen....

Life has its seasons, doesn't it? It seems that one stage scarcely slips away before another hits you full in the face--like catching a wave unawares, eh? (Waves are on my mind as I am packing for a week at the beach with sixty teenagers....).

Anyway, my baby turned 14 today. Old enough to get a Facebook account (I've been putting him off for years). Old enough to stay up later. Old enough for a great deal of things I am not quite ready for!

Anyway, rather than mourning the fact, let's rejoice in a pictoral way, shall we? So here you have it--pics of my youngest through the years (all taken by me--couldn't put someone else's photos on my photo blog--oh, wait! There ARE no other photos taken by other photographers, are there?!? Ha!).




Time flies when you are having fun...or when your three sons are having fun! It's been an awfully neat thing to get to record my boys' growing-up years--and what great models they've each been. :D

Love in Black and White

An absolutely lovely--in attitude, action and physical presence--couple got married in a fairytale wedding recently. These are a small sampling of some of my favorite shots on this magical night.


What a perfect wedding--perfect in that it was such a clear and fun expression of who this couple is! My prayers are with them both as they find their way now as one.

Selection of Images to be on Display in Nashville

Good whatever part of the day you are experiencing! It is late afternoon now, and as I am awfully excited about a new exhibition of prints, I thought I would share it with you.

My son attends the Donelson Christian Academy, and in an effort to further educate our children in the arts, the school has instituted a hallway gallery of works by local artists. The exhibited works range from oils and watercolors to fine art prints and even mixed media offerings.

The following are a couple of the thirteen framed works that will hang there this month and next. Hope you enjoy them!

The first image is of a little girl and her older brother, both of whom suffer from the stigma attached to facial deformities--little sis has a cleft lip and big brother has bilateral cleft lip and palate. Both children were operated on during the February 2009 Hanna Project medical and humanitarian aid trip...and if you check back, I'll post their "after" pictures. Just incredible!


This second image is of a young hunter who has found a spot up in the upper branches of an old cashew tree--see his slingshot on his forearm? Friendly kid--loved having his photo taken!

Another Test-Taste from Doropo

Give me a bit of time--days? weeks? I dunno!--and I really will move onto another subject... honestly, though, for the present, my heart and mind are still in Africa. So, here is another sampling of some of the sights that were seen--I just wish I could throw in the sounds ("Tibaboo! Tibaboo!" cried out at the top of their little lungs, or just chanted softly...it is the Djoula word for "white skin"). Or the smells--I cannot smell wood smoke without being instantly transported to a place much hotter that Nashville...

Anyway, for today I want to share a couple of my favorites (yes, I have MANY favorites, but that is allowed when you take more than a couple thousand photos!). The photo above was taken from inside the Hopital Baptiste Libre (the HBL on the door) in the early morning before the crowds have started to gather.

The rest of the photos are of little boys--I've got a soft spot for tykes, comes from having three of my own--with the first one taken while driving slowly through some rather deep sand. Yes, we got stuck. Four times. Only one man in the car, two if you count my 13-year old son--strong as an ox, so we probably ought to count him--make that two men. All of the women in sandals or flip flops...

We DID eventually make it through the sandy part of the path (you cannot really call it a road) and on to the village where we held a free, outdoor medical clinic. Dressed wounds, gave out some meds, and rewarded all of the children with their first lollipops! We packed up and headed back to Doropo with Clint expertly making new paths around the sand traps.

Pleased as punch with himself, this young boy scaled a cashew tree in order to get a good view of the slight-of-hand tricks that Dr. Mike was showing a mesmerized group of youngsters. Boys are boys the world round, aren't they?! ;D