Sunday, July 19, 2009

Over the River and Beyond, Part One of Two




























My bike and I, along with my camera in a purse slung over my shoulder, headed west this afternoon. I rode over Rock River and then onto Nature's Ridge Road which is lined with homes that overlook the river. Next, I cycled out hilly Newark Road. I kept my camera busy all the while until my odometer indicated I'd ridden six miles. I'd snapped over 100 photos so I turned my Sony off and slipped it into my purse.

For exercise purposes, I continued my roller coaster ride out Newark Road until my odometer read eight miles. A small voice sang to me, "Moderation, Shaddy, moderation." With that tune ringing in my ears, I made a U-turn and headed back from whence I came.

Lon, Jared and I spent many hours on the Rock River years ago when we had a pleasure boat. My youngest brother, John, lives in a home on the river, in the area I photographed.

The Hog Cabin is a center for sand volleyball, fund raisers, horseshoe competitions and who knows what else. Now might be a good time to mention that I live the greatest majority of my life inside my head. With a camera in my hand, I'm like a newborn baby, seeing the world as if for the first time. My camera is expanding my world and it's exciting and fun. Shaddy = an introvert. Shaddy + camera = an extrovert. Presto change-o, it's as easy as pie.

Part Two of today's ride is forthcoming, in other words, come back tomorrow if you want more. I'll be here, twiddling my thumbs and tapping my feet in hopes you'll come in, take your shoes off, sit a spell and if inclined speak to me with a word or two in that comment box down yonder.

Y'all come and bring your friends now, ya hear?

6 comments:

Sarah said...

What a ride! And I LOVE the pictures. I can't pick a favorite, as usual. It's so cool seeing familiar sites through your eyes. I have to say I love the flowers, and the evergreen. And the picture of the white Beloit Horsehoes Club with the game going on behind it is amazing. That's really cool. Nice find! The river looks great! I love the picture with the lines of the bridge on the right side. Nice feeling of motion in that one. Same thing in the one with the driveway (?). You're really having a ball with the photography and I am LOVING that your sharing. This is so much fun!!!!!!

AND! none of the pictures are overlapped on my screen this time. I am THRILLED!!!!

Cheryl Peters said...

Sarie: I'm glad the pictures didn't overlap. That's a step in the right direction. I set the layout to "None" for every single picture and then just picked the size I wanted.

Did you get some nice photos on your drive this afternoon or evening?

Annie said...

Shaddy, love all the pics, especially the motorcycle. It is wonderful to be able to stop, take in and enjoy the moment. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Shaddy, Auntie says , I did not even realize where your ride was taken us, roads I have driven on hundreds of time, talk about "walking thru the woods and not seeing the trees" that's me. Enjoyed your pics a lot.

Rob said...

Great pictures Shadster! Looks like you're having a great time too!

Cheryl Peters said...

Annie: I thought that yellow motorcycle was pretty awesome myself. I'm definitely liking my bike more than ever before. It's faster than walking but much slower than riding in a car. I can stop whenever I want to capture an image and easily turn around if I pass something that caught my eye.

Aunt Babe: It's like scales fall of my eyes when I have a camera with me. Suddenly, I'm paying attention to what's in front of me instead of thinking about the past or future.

Rob: I feel like I'm waking up after a long, long night. Better late than never!