Found A New Park

Sometimes spur of the moment adventures mean more to me than ones I’ve carefully planned. I recently read of a park near me that I’d not heard of before, Emerald Park in North Little Rock, AR. I wasn’t sure the hiking trail in the park was doable, since it was listed as moderate to hard. My knees don’t like those words and protest very much when the trail is steep!

I got in touch with my sister, who is always willing to go on adventures with me, and we headed to the park. We knew there were two trails, one up high and one low. We figured if we couldn’t hike to the top, we could just walk along the low, flat path. Thankfully, with the aid of walking sticks and gentle switchbacks it wasn’t too hard. We took our time and made it just fine!! The trail led across the top of an old rock quarry. It’s hard to see depth in pictures, but if you look to the left side of the picture below you can see a very large, blue dump truck. Just so you know, we weren't in any danger of falling off the cliffs, there was a chain-link fence to keep everyone away from the edge.

Along the trail are several signs warning hikers about the high cliffs. Regardless of those signs, there have been people that have gone over the chain-link fence in order to paint graffiti on the rocks. I can’t understand why people believe they have to leave their mark on nature.

We took a break for lunch at a fun little diner. I’d seen this diner many times, but was never there at the right time to eat. Finally, I thought I would have the chance. Knowing the diner was close to the park, I got online to look at their menu and discovered it was closed and was for sale! Disappointed was a mild reaction! As we drove by the diner looking for a place to eat, we noticed an open sign. There was no name on the building, so we weren't sure if it was still a diner or what. It could well have just been some type of office, but it wasn't. The diner had been bought and just that very day reopened for business. We were among the first of their customers for their soft-opening! Yay, for us!! We had good old-fashioned burgers and they were great!

Refreshed, we returned to the park and walked a lower trail right along the Arkansas River. I had to use the zoom on my camera, but the state capitol of Arkansas was barely visible in the distant haze.

 

Along the trail there were some huge rocks from the quarry with pretty wildflowers growing near them.

 We discovered some fun silhouettes of bicyclist, butterflies, birds, dog walkers, joggers, and skate-boarders painted on a long concrete wall. These were not graffiti, they were approved by the city.

I love to return to places I'm familiar with, but sometimes it's nice to explore somewhere new. You never know what you'll find till you get out there!

Silence and Stillness

I've been thinking a lot about silence and stillness. I live in a fairly quiet area, but I can still hear the sounds of traffic on the road below us, a neighbor mulching his leaves, an occasional jet passing high above, dogs barking, and children playing. 

When I really want silence and stillness I usually go somewhere and that somewhere always seems to involve water. There is something about the colors and rhythms of water that soothes my soul. Today I'm going to be silent and just show you the quiet, still places I found this past week. Enjoy!

'The world is quiet here."

~Lemony Snicket

The Good, The Random, The Fun - No. 3

I can't believe how fast summer has past. Schools have already been in session for two weeks, the air is a little cooler, and leaves are starting to fall. I've almost survived another Arkansas summer. I'm grateful this one has not been extremely hot and there has been nice breezes and plenty of rain. I don't normally enjoy summers. In fact, summer is my least favorite time of the year, but I did enjoy this summer. Of course, part of that enjoyment was being able to get out with my camera and having some good, random fun!

The Good

I spend a much needed photography day with my sister and sister-in-law.

The Random

Mushrooms don't always grow vertically, sometimes they grow horizontally.

The Fun

I celebrated the Great American Eclipse with my cereal box pinhole projector and a special treat of Cosmic Brownies!

Linking with

Celebrate!

The month of June brings a day of celebration for me. It’s the month of my birth. Before my birthday, which has now passed, I began thinking about how I wanted to celebrate. A friend of mine, Sandra, recently wrote about her birthday celebration on her blog Reflections and Nature. I know she’d love for you to stop by and read about her day and see a little of the beauty of Switzerland. That got me to thinking about my upcoming birthday.

I spend most of my birthdays alone. Now, before you get sad about that, understand that I enjoy being alone. I enjoy being by myself on my birthday, at least during the day. Jerry is home for dinner and the evening. My birthday began with breakfast which I ate outside. I read a while, but then got the urge to go somewhere. I think I was influenced by Sandra’s scenic walk!

I gathered a book, a couple of magazines, my camera, and my binoculars; then headed to a park near the Arkansas River. Oh, and I stopped by and got my favorite lunch; fried chicken strips, tator tots, and a biscuit. Not healthy, but it was my birthday and I was celebrating!

I had a wonderful afternoon, listening to the river rushing by! We’ve had a lot of rain recently and the river was high and fast. I saw a red-winged blackbird, ducks, a blue heron, and various other more common birds. They kept up a constant chorus around me mixed with the chattering of squirrels and the laughter of children. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. It is a tradition that we go out to eat to celebrate birthdays. On Sunday Jerry and I enjoyed a wonderful Mexican meal with our son and his family.

I was wondering how you celebrate your birthday? Do you make plans or have traditions or are you open to spontaneity? 

Spontaneity!

Spontaneity!  That's what I've been missing! The urge to grab my camera and go; no destination in mind, just go. I didn't realize it has been so long since I spontaneously went on an adventure until I looked back over the last year of my pictures. Only three times did I go on an outing with no planning. I'm really shocked. I used to do that all the time.

So, you guessed it, early Monday morning I went on an adventure. I wasn't sure where I'd end up, but I did know water had to be involved. As I drove north I decided on Maumelle Park. It's a camping/picnicking area on the Arkansas River. 

I arrived early. The park was quiet. As I wandered along the river bank I felt my shoulders relax and my breathing slow.

I stopped to exam wild plants and flowers.

The strangest thing I found at the water's edge were elephants made out of play-doh. I wondered who made them. Were they letting them swim in the river and forgot them?

After the walk it was time to just sit and soak in the beautiful day.

I did a little journaling, a little reading, and whole lot of looking through my binoculars.

I couldn't believe how fast my day passed. Way to soon it was time to pack up and head home.

I was rested. I was happy. I needed this day.

Down By The River

I'm participating in a project with a group of photography friends. We're working through David Duchemin's book The Visual Toolbox. The chapter we read this week was about isolating your subject and removing anything distracting from the image.

I went down by the river with my 50mm and my 75-300mm telephoto lens. I was looking for ways to isolate the subject that drew my attention by using these lens and my position. So many times what we find interesting gets lost in the clutter around it. For instance, in the picture above, in the upper right corner you can see a faint reflection. The reflection is of crews that are working on a bridge from the water. There was a tugboat running around, cranes, and workmen. By changing my position and using the telephoto lens I was able to avoid the cluttered background.

A telephoto lens also comes in handy when you spot things you just can't get close to like the cable above. The image below is of a cool mist area and splash pad. I wasn't able to get very close without getting my camera wet, so the telephoto was perfect.

I discovered as I walked around with my telephoto lens that I was looking up more and looking in the distance. I'm a person that looks right where I walk, so this was a new experience. The only time I really concentrate on looking up is when I'm around historical buildings. I'm fascinated with older architecture.

Check out these balloons that were hanging in a window on about the fifth floor. If I would have even seen them, I could never have gotten this shot with my 50mm lens.

One thing is for sure. The next time I'm out taking pictures of historical buildings, I'll be taking my telephoto lens with me to help me capture the details.

This tall sculpture,  Touch The Sky created by Jane DeDecker, has three children on top of a stump. It is right in the busy River Market district. No matter which way you turn there's something in the background causing clutter. There were buildings,  the river market, an amphitheater, traffic, and people.  Since it's  a tall sculpture I was able to zoom in and capture the child's face looking upward and the hands reaching for the sky. There's just something that touched me about the sculpture. I wonder, is she expressing joy, praise, or asking for help?

I've never been one to carry extra lens. I don't like the extra baggage, but I do see the benefits and I will be taking my telephoto lens with me on more of my wanderings.

Friday Fiinds - To Pretty To Be Inside

Lately I've found myself outside enjoying the warm sunshine. Sixty degree temperatures are not what we usually get in January, so when that happens I try to take advantage of it. My sister and I spent two days outside, doing a little walking, talking, laughing, and taking pictures. The first day we hiked a 3 1/2 mile trail around the base of Pinnacle Mountain. I've been to this state park many times and walked trails, but this was the first time I had someone with me to walk the base trail. Although it's a well marked trail you have to walk carefully over rocks and roots. Sometimes the trail was nothing but rocks and we had to look for the light green trail marking on the trees.

Walking in winter is different than other seasons when the leaves are on the trees and wildflowers are blooming. In winter you see the bare-bone shapes of the trees. You see the squirrel nests and the bird nests that are usually hidden in the leaves.

We ate a late lunch along the banks of the Arkansas River. While we were talking, my sister glanced up and saw a barge coming down the river. This pretty tug is call the Beverely Anne. (yes that's how the name was spelled on the side)

As we were taking pictures of the barge the ducks noticed us. I really think they thought we were going to feed them. Sorry guys! Nothing good for you to eat!

The next day we still wanted to be outside so we chose to tour Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, the capitol of Arkansas. This cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Numerous notable Arkansans have been laid to rest here.

11 state Governors

14 state Supreme Court Justices

five Confederate Generals

22 Little Rock mayors

notable women, newspaper editors,

military heroes, physicians, and attorneys 

Many people don't understand the appeal of a cemetery. I'm drawn to cemeteries with or without my camera. I'm drawn to the beauty, art, history, and peace that you can fine when you walk through their gates.

A four square-block area was donated to the City of Little Rock in 1842 for this cemetery. Very close to downtown Little Rock, this area is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of city life. The park is filled with many beautiful old trees and bushes. I want to go back in the spring, as there are hundreds of flowers planted and later in the summer the wrought iron fence that surrounds the grounds will be draped with roses. 

Six hours wasn't enough time to see the whole cemetery. We only walked through half of it.  I'm hoping for a pretty day soon that we can go back, finish our tour, and see what we can discover. I'll be posting more pictures from the cemetery in the next couple of posts.