We tried to escape this crazy heat by driving down to the Buffalo River Valley yesterday to play in the water of the river that Mom and Dad used to take us camping. So many of my childhood memories are tied up with long hot summer visits with the Sutton clan, either on Grand Mountain with Great Aunts Vada and Lydia, Grandpa Sutton on Beaver Lake and always, always Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty and my two favorite cousins, Bradley and Mike. I've been thinking a lot about my childhood summer trips, Julia and my long hair pulled back in scarves, Aunt Jemima style, our VW van's windows rolled down, Stephen and Julia each reading a book in the back seat and me gazing out the window, racing the corn rows in my mind. We had good trips.

Nikon Z8,  85mm f/1.2

After yesterday's hot race in Ft. Smith and my external hard drive falling apart and becoming corrupt (I almost fell apart, too), today has gone much smoother: a new EHD is on its way and my new 50mm is getting here tomorrow.  Still hot as anything, but thank goodness for AC and Gatorade. 

Nikon Z8,  85mm,  ISO 100,  f/1.2,  1/1250 sec.

All of a sudden, this month seems really, really long.

iPhone

Re-visiting an old race photo from this past spring with a new trick from Photoshop. Kinda cool, I think.

Nikon Z8,  135mm,  ISO 500,  f/1.8,  1/1250 sec.  Northwoods Enduro, Hot Springs

Color punching my day.

Nikon Z8,  35mm,  ISO 500, f/1.8, 1/1000 sec.

Today: overcast, patio sweeping and garden tidying, trip to Walmart for curtains, disappointment from not getting a job we were hoping to get, lunch out where we blew off steam, home where I spent a frustrating 45 minutes trying to make a new section on our website,  a gas utilities worker fixed our gas fireplace so now we can have fires this winter . . . and then a drive out to a new kayak park where I spotted this indigo bunting. We drove home in companionable silence. What a day.

Nikon Z8,  ISO 2000,  f/1.8,  1/3200 sec.

A bit more of what I was after yesterday.

Nikon Z8,  50mm,  ISO 100,  f/2.5,  1/30 sec.  off camera flash in umbrella set at 1/8 power

 

A new project I'm feeling my way around inspired by Cat McBride. I wish I could come up with clever ideas of my own instead of borrowing from others. I've been asking myself what interests me other than photography that I could turn into photo projects of my own. I love this idea of patterns and arranging objects. It suits the slight OCD that I have about straightening up the house every morning, about lining everything up just so on my desk so that nothing is crooked, arranging things from smallest to biggest. How do ideas originate? I love thinking about the creative process, what makes some people become poets (like Dad), painters, writers, photographers, designers; even philosophers are creatives, I think. I know when I'm in the creative zone: it's excitement, a "oh! let met try this! oh! just one more shutter click . . . ." I'm not thrilled with this picture, but I guess it's a start and everybody has to start somewhere. 

Nikon Z8,  35mm,  ISO 100,  f/1.8,  1/40 sec.

It was a great turn out for the first Enduro Lite of the season, capped at 200 riders. Fast course, fast race fast riders, and only 5 minutes from the house. Win win.

Nikon Z8,  135mm,  ISO 640,  f/16,  1/50 sec.  Enduro Lite Series, Centennial Park, Fayetteville 

 

Found some interesting things on today's Ozark Enduro Lite track walk.

Nikon Z8,  50mm,  ISO 250,  f/1.4,  1/1000 sec. 

 

And just like that, Joe's leave is over and he's off to Keesler AFB to start a normal life . . . in his brand new car . . . and with an overnight stay in Hot Springs with his PaPaw.  Seems like it was just last night that we picked him up from the airport, but also that he's been here forever. The house feels really empty.

Nikon Z8,  135mm,  ISO 100,  f/1.8,  1/400 sec.