The farm house on the hill

The farm house on the hill

Farm house on a hill in Ohio farm country

Farm house on a hiil in Ohio farm country

There’s a lot of farm country near my daughter’s home north of Johnstown.

About two miles away on the crest of a small ridge sits an old farm house recently refurbished from a condition that showed years of abandonment and disrepair. It now has new siding, roof, a mowed front yard, cars in the garage, and  is filled with the sounds of family.

What hasn’t changed is the wonderful perspective I get from the bottom end of the eastern rise of that small hill. The house, garage, and trees make near perfect stencil cut silhouettes against the setting sun and sky almost every time I visit.

The exact shape and color of the sky is always different. Sometimes, depending on the season, the sun sets directly behind the house, its bright orange orb dominating the frame.

Other days, like Easter Sunday, it’s the clouds that make the statement allowing the sun to splash its rays through the cloud edges casting inspirational rays across the land.

And, I’ve been there during rain, snow, corn too tall to see over, and drought so hot that the ground cracked and crops shriveled.

What is common about these moments, about the times I pulled a camera to my face, is the house on a hill. A house that is now a home and much more than a silhouette cutout.

The farm house on the hill

The farm house on the hill

Farm house on a hill in Ohio farm country

Farm house on a hiil in Ohio farm country

There’s a lot of farm country near my daughter’s home north of Johnstown.

About two miles away on the crest of a small ridge sits an old farm house recently refurbished from a condition that showed years of abandonment and disrepair. It now has new siding, roof, a mowed front yard, cars in the garage, and  is filled with the sounds of family.

What hasn’t changed is the wonderful perspective I get from the bottom end of the eastern rise of that small hill. The house, garage, and trees make near perfect stencil cut silhouettes against the setting sun and sky almost every time I visit.

The exact shape and color of the sky is always different. Sometimes, depending on the season, the sun sets directly behind the house, its bright orange orb dominating the frame.

Other days, like Easter Sunday, it’s the clouds that make the statement allowing the sun to splash its rays through the cloud edges casting inspirational rays across the land.

And, I’ve been there during rain, snow, corn too tall to see over, and drought so hot that the ground cracked and crops shriveled.

What is common about these moments, about the times I pulled a camera to my face, is the house on a hill. A house that is now a home and much more than a silhouette cutout.

An early My Final Photo

An early My Final Photo

Traffic at Easter morning Mass at St. Paul.

Traffic at Easter morning Mass at St. Paul.

He is Risen. and stuck in traffic in the parking lot.

Unless something appears that is radically better than this frame, this is the earliest yet that I’ve posted My Final Photo.

The photo of a packed parking lot with the transit of cars from two Masses attempting to quickly navigate roadways designed for more moderate traffic completes my 40 Days of Lent series that began Ash Wednesday and is finished today.

I’m not sure how many photos I shot during the daily visits to the church. I do know that I’m probably among a small number of parishioners who’ve visited the church every day for Lent. I’m positive I’m the only one who did it with a camera.

Baseball, Chevrolets and Fords, and beer

Baseball, Chevrolets and Fords, and beer

Baseball, Chevrolets and Fords and beer

A slice of Americana. Beer, cars, and a flag.

I was offered a lot of liquid refreshment while on my bike ride, with cameras, today.

Fortunately several were for beer including this spot of Americana near my house.

Suburban house. Flag pole with a flag. Chevrolet in the driveway. Ford in the garage. Beer in the hands. NCAA basketball on the brain.

I stopped, introduced myself, explained the reason I’d stopped and found them interesting. Then I told them to ignore me as I went about my task of shooting photos.

Earlier in the day I’d shot baseball at Westerville South High School. It was the season opener and a double header against Buckeye Valley.

Baseball players line up at concession stand for hot dogs.

Baseball players line up at concession stand for hot dogs.

It’s rare I shoot action at these games. I usually look for something beyond the linear path of the event that may better describe the people involved or present a different view of what seems to be ordinary.

When I first arrived I noticed the concession stand, staffed by booster club volunteers, was cooking four packages of hotdogs and the countertop was lined with buns cradled in foil and ready to be wrapped.

I waited until the break between games when  the teams were fed and came away with several players standing in line at the stand to get their share of the bounty.

It’s not a spectacular photo. Yet it adds to the Americana collection as a small slice of the linear that may not have been noticed by others.

 

Good Friday Blessings at St. Paul

Good Friday Blessings at St. Paul

Sun sets behind cross spire at St. Paul

Sun sets behind cross spire at St. Paul

Good Friday is a unique day for Catholics for more than all the obvious Easter related reasons.

This is the day the Tabernacle sits empty. It is the only day when the Blessed Sacrament is not in the church revered and protected in its place at the altar.

All adornment is removed, covered , or extinguished. Altar cloths are removed. Candles are extinguished. Statues are covered in purple cloth.

The celebration of the presence of Christ is removed from the church. For one day it is emptied of faith.

My original idea for My Final Photo was very simple. I’d shoot the empty Tabernacle to illustrate the dramatic change in the church. And I’d shoot a couple of the statues now draped in purple with the normal presence of prayer candles at their sides. This was an easy part of the day. Not too much difficulty in either of these photos.

I left the church for a short side trip before going home for a fish dinner but quickly returned when the clouds changed as sunset approached. I knew there would be  difficulty shooting the church with the sun radiating through the clouds behind it. The church is great to see, but there are a lot of objects in the foreground that can be distracting for a photographer. Plus, any shooting position is from a lower angle than  the church so the cross spire only shows if you shoot it from an oblique angle.

Fortunately, or blessedly if you’re faithful, the clouds moved through a variety of configurations with the cross atop the church framed by openings in the clouds and with the sun moving across the sky behind it.

I was late for dinner. I was blessed on a day the church was empty.

The collection for Good Friday is available at SmallTown Stock.