Catch-Up Time

We have had a truly wonderful autumn this year. Bright, sunny. Just great. Very dry, also, which is unusual. Until this past week. Finally had some precipitation and it's now starting to get a tad cold. What a great opportunity to spend some time inside and catch up on things like photo finishing, the blog, the website, and other endeavors!

And I had a lot to catch up on, let me tell you.

This entry's photograph is from a photo club photo shoot a couple weeks ago in nearby Palisades-Kepler State Park between Cedar Rapids and Mt Vernon. The scene is the Cedar River through some trees and some fall foliage.

Due to the unusual and extended dry period, autumn has been a bit disappointing this year, but I have been able to pull a few nice shots out... like this one. I guess today's moral is that there's always something somewhere to shoot. Can't give up too easy.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the website. We have extensive updates and additions, especially in the New Additions Gallery and the Miscellaneous Gallery.

Road Trip!

Three states... round barns... the SPAM Museum... and a mechanical baby... all in one day. If that doesn't have all the makings for a big day, I don't know what does.

We had the nephew Kenneth for our promised trip to the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota. He had his mechanical baby thing for some middle school class he was doing. (Rarely cried, which was nice)

Headed out about 5 a.m. Up to McGregor, Iowa, crossed the Mississippi River and up the Wisconsin side, crossed back into Iowa at Lansing, Iowa. Caught this round barn just outside New Albin, Iowa. Then on into Minnesota and our ultimate destination, the museum.

It was really quite the fun trip. This particular round barn... octagonal, actually... was built roughly 100 years ago and is still in daily use. It is harvest time and the place was busy.

I'll have to see what I can do about more photos from the trip. It seemed like every time we'd turn a corner, there was another scene that made us stop.

Oh, and the SPAM Museum? It was actually pretty interesting. Much more so than any of us thought it would be. Are we dorks, or what?

I Taught a Class Today

I am not a natural teacher. I lost sleep the last couple nights over this. I was worried it would fail. I was hoping it would be canceled due to lack of interest. I ended up doing it because nobody else in my photo club would and I felt obligated since it was my idea to begin with. See... my photo club is obligated to teach two to three classes each year in exchange for free facility rent, and I suggested this particular format as a change of pace. I was all set to say "never again" even before it started.

In the end, it worked out ok.

Only four people signed up. This was good, I think. It helped those who did sign up get what they needed rather than being lost in the crowd. They were all enthusiastic and eager. I felt that they all left having learned something. I ended up enjoying myself much more than I thought I would.

Later in the day it hit me... the fortune. One of my favorite sayings is from a fortune cookie... "The best teacher is also a student.". In other words, if you really want to learn something, teach others how to do it. Nice. I like that.

Now, this does not mean I am going volunteer for everything that comes down the pike? Oh, no. But, I might be less prone to dismiss an opportunity out-of-hand.