Earth & Sky

Saw these fellows on my way back from town a few weeks back. It's hard not to obsess just a little bit about how earth and sky come together out here, and there is so much of each!

Off the coast

For the past few weeks I have been working my way through hundreds and hundreds of original negatives made in my 25+ years (intermittent) in Ireland. I came upon one that is one of my favorite all-time images. I had been invited by my good friend Danny to come out with him on his small fishing boat for a day of work with nets and pots. It was a fine day and I eagerly agreed, despite my great and deep-rooted respect (call it 'fear' if you like) for the sea.

We had a great time. Danny is a consummate seaman, and has even navigated from Ireland to the U.S. in an open boat. I have the utmost confidence in him. I asked him when we were back on the quay, "Danny, are you ever afraid of the sea?"

"I am, of course," he said. "Always. And the man who isn't is soon dead."

I love this photograph of my friend.

Hoarfrost

We've been getting a lot of hoarfrost this season. Cold surfaces with warmer, moist air flowing over them creates perfect conditions for it. On some mornings it creates a fairy wonderland on the trees, the weeds, the prairie. A lovely gift for this time of year.

Jack at six...

I'm jumping the gun a tad since he won't actually be six months until next Tuesday, but I was labeling pictures the other day and decided to do one of him and include it. I've also posted his "first point" picture, for comparison. They sure do grow up fast!

Jack's scar

Jack is still working on his relationship with barbed wire. Several weeks ago he went under wire here on the place at speed and dug a shallow trench all along the top of his head. On our hunting trip he once got hung up on wire and it took two of us to get him loose. I'm not sure whether this scar is from the earlier mishap or the hunting trip, but it looks like he will have an identifying mark for a long, long time-- maybe forever. Maybe he can pass it off as a dueling scar. He's German, after all.