One of my favorite photos

For those of you who live in South Central Wisconsin, you may recognize this as having been taken at Devils Lake State Park.

Devils Lake is probably the most often visited State Park in Wisconsin. Tens of thousands of people visit it every year to camp, hike, rock climb and picnic. The scenic beauty of the area is breath taking, especially in the fall. In the summer months this park is mobbed with people, especially on the weekends.

I like this photo for a couple of reasons. The color is quite vivid. I will admit I pumped up the color saturation a little, but, not that much. I also like it because of the absence of people, buildings or any other sign of civilization. It gives it a nice wilderness look. So, I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do.

Peace, flag and a good cup of coffee

Like everyone else, there are many facets making up Larry Jelken. The photo in this post points out just a couple of them. Hope you enjoy today's effort.

This photo represents a couple of things that really are important to me. Well, three actually. The first one is a good cup of coffee. Now I'm not talking about that sweet stuff sold at Starbucks, or one of those so called coffee shops. I am talking about the kind of coffee you brew yourself. It really helps to get my day going.

The second thing is the flag. You see, I view myself  a Patriot. I spent 20 years of my life in the Air Force. In that time I took an oath to protect the USA and the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. It really pains me to see how the flag and the values Americans have always held so highly are being disrespected today. Do I believe the United States is perfect, without fault. No, not by any means. However, I have had the opportunity to travel a bit, and in my travels I have not found anyplace better then the good ole USA.

The third thing  in this photo important to me is a mighty and awesome God. You say, just where is God in this picture. I say he is everywhere in it. He provided everything in the photo. From the materials it took to make the cup, the coffee, the table, the flag, to the flowers and plants in the photo. Even the homes in the background and the asphalt of the roadway were provided by God. He is my rock and the anchor that keeps me stable when the seas of my life get a little rough.

So there you have it. You may say the reflection in the table top is a reflection of me. Just as the weather was on that day, I am pretty calm and serene at the moment, although, like the weather I can indeed become stormy at times.

Old Friends Together Again

Last October (October of 2017) my wife and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary. Every five years we do something special for our anniversary which usually involves travel. We discussed many different ideas, from Alaskan cruises, to London, and many parts in-between. After much discussion we settled on Vermont. Why Vermont? Well that is where our good friend John and his lovely wife Kim live.

So, you might be wondering what the big deal is. Well, John was my best friend 40 years ago, and is still a very good friend even though we have only seen each other a couple of times in the last 40 years. John was also my Best Man at our wedding. Here is a photo of the four of us together. As you can see, none of us have changed a bit in the last 40 years. The grey hair and any appearance of weight gain, I photo shopped in.

John and Kim made excellent tour guides while we were in Vermont. In fact, I would say they went far beyond what Jean and I expected. Were it not for their being so familiar with the area, I know we would have spent much of our time there, hopelessly lost. Instead, we were treated to a tour of the natural beauty Vermont has to offer along with the side benefit of being introduced to some excellent craft breweries, restaurants and what is famously known there as a maple creamy.

I guess I should add for those who don't know. Jean and I are on the left. John and Kim are on the right. 

Photos that should have been but weren't

Today's post will be slightly different than my others. You see it will not have a photo with it. The reason it won't have a photo is because unfortunately, none were taken. Let me explain.

Some 40 odd years ago while living in Syracuse NY, my wife and I were invited to go cross country skiing with some very good friends. Now Jean and I had never been skiing before, but, we gladly accepted the invitation, knowing it would be a good day, with good friends.

So the morning of the big day came. It had snowed during the night,  and we woke to one of those beautiful,  days you only dream about but rarely see except except in your dreams, movies or on postcards. You know the kind I'm talking about. Heavy, fluffy snow hanging from the trees. A perfect, unblemished landscape stretching in all directions. It was a beautiful sight. So, I decided to take my trusty camera along to record all the events and beauty the day would have to offer.

We arrive at the skiing area, rent our skis, and tried to set out for the trails. I say tried because as I said neither of us had ever been on skis of any kind before. Being to proud to admit it would be wise to take lessons, we set out like the two adventurers we thought we were. Fortunately for us, it was early morning and the trails still had nice soft snow to fall on.

Between trying to figure out how to stop, start, and change direction, I was busy taking pictures of the beautiful winter landscape surrounding us. I was so engrossed in trying to figure out the mechanics of cross country skiing, I didn't notice for some time just how many photos I had taken. After a couple of hours though, it dawned on me that I should have run out of film at some point. So, we stopped and I rewound the film back into its canister as I didn't want to expose it and opened the back of the camera only to find (drum roll here), I had forgot to put film in the camera.

Yep that's right. I forgot to put film in the camera. A mistake that most photographers have made at least once (the honest ones anyway). Today it would be the same as forgetting to put a data card in your digital camera. (Something I have also done.)So we have no photo record of that beautiful day, and we never again went skiing again either.

Now you know why I titled this "Photos that should have been but weren't". The moral of this story is obvious. Before leaving for the day, check your gear and make sure you have everything you need.