Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Friday, October 31, 2014

Taking the Bad With the Good~


I am nearing the end of my vacation holiday journey made in September shares.  
I have one more to do next week and then it is on to other things.  
Thank you so much for those of you who have enjoyed the photographs these past few weeks, as well as the tales.  
I have a big tale this week too.  
A tale with a huge sigh and healthy price tag at the end of it!!!
Come along and let me tell you how this all came about~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

&

Stewart for:
   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/


Old relics, just like me;) 
The caboose sits outside a museum in Missoula, Montana.  
I would imagine that what I am sharing below is some kind of old jail and stockade, and possibly a fort of some sort.
All were taken from the Interstate and there were no identifying signs anywhere~



As we were enjoying our drive East, we had arrived near Crow country near the Montana and Wyoming borders, when the husby saw this Golden Eagle in the middle of the median, eating carrion.  
We drove until we could get turned back around, as we wanted to try and get the Eagle to leave this very dangerous area.  
Where the bird was, it was only about 6' wide.
It took a bit of driving to get this done, but our mission was accomplished and it was daunting too.  
As the Eagle tried to gain flight from the tight area, diesel trucks and other vehicles were much too close, to the birds wingspan. 
 It did make it to safety though and the meal it left was now covered as well~



The mountains and fields, so majestic~



This Great Pyrenees had made it to an Interstate exit, slowed down and actually crossed the 4 lanes to get to the sheep in it's care across on the other side~


Pronghorn Antelopes doing their best to avoid the hunters after them~






There is just something intriguing to me, when I see the old ranching paths...it makes my mind wander on so many different levels~




I am very grateful that we had safe travels and that I had gotten many wonderful photographic memories to bring home and to share.  
However, we all know the feeling...just waiting for that National Geographic moment and this was my big chance...or so I thought. 
A Golden Eagle passed right in front of our car in Crow Indian country and Bill pulled over and I was quite excited!!!


Once I was out of the car, I simply stood in awe of what I was witnessing.  
A Golden Eagle soaring in the same current as a Red-tailed Hawk.  
It was absolutely amazing to observe this odd friendship, or at least acquaintances flying together, sometimes with bellies up and talons on the ready, just in case.
With camera in hand, I was clicking off the images in rapid shooting mode and as the two birds drifted closer and closer, I could just tell these were about to be my big ones.
I said to the husby can you see them, they are moving towards us.  
I just kept shooting the images, and actually got in the car before they were finished with their show, and we had a long way to go.
Once in the car, I looked at the viewfinder to see the images.  
Nothing, there was NOTHING there.  
All very bright white!!!
Going backwards 42 all bright white blanks and then I had 77 nice shots, but far in the distance...SIGH !
I know my camera shoppe number by heart and rang them up.  
They were clueless as to what had happened.
Once we returned home, I took the camera in and they felt the shutter might be ready to break.  
The 42  HUGE SIGH!!! images that were white had crazy numbers going all over the place.
The OVEREXPOSED images could not be recovered...
SO I got a new camera...a Nikon D 7000.  
Costly but working on learning all that it does.
The clerks decided to run the special card to see how many images I had taken with my Nikon D-90 the past going on 4 1/2 years.
The camera is rated for 100,000!
I had taken 460,906 images!
I was due a new camera~






In South Dakota, the roads turn a mauve pink~


We had no time left to stop at the Badlands National Park.  
I took these images as we drove past the entrance~


The land was changing quickly now.  
Fields of grain looked so beautiful~




Ha ha the truck above was hauling hay and a bale must have been unbound as the hay began to get all over the road and cars.  
Once we arrived home a couple of days later, the husby would find remnants in the car engine area~


Sunflowers grow in many areas of the Dakotas and surrounding states~



 Monarchs follow the same pathway, for hundreds of generations~


Hey moo cow, whatcha doing ;)



Power the old with the new, made fun for you, and one very muddy car~



22 comments:

  1. love the crop fields and livestock and antelope, too. beautiful territory. yup, due for a new camera. :)

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  2. Good morning from England Mary.

    That's really bad luck, your camera deciding to go bust at the critical moment. But then when I imagined the scene I thought how you were probably firing off dozens of shots in double quick time. Porr old camera thought - " I've had enough of this, time for a break" - so it did.

    Fortunatly go did take some superb shots all brought together by your brilliant pick and mix landscapes. I especially like your farm landscapes of browns and greens and the one with the blue distant hills is just sublime.

    We must all standy by now for even better images from your new camera. I'll bet you have already rattled off hundreds of images.

    Have a great weekend.

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  3. Nice story - it is always a good ice to turn around for eagles!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  4. Wonderful shots. I like those shots of eagle.

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  5. Splendid photos, as always, and what a story!
    Wishing you many happy shoots using your new camera...

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  6. Wow! What a trip! I've really enjoyed your holiday. I would definitely say it was time for a new camera. Enjoy!

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  7. Mary, what a trip you had.. The Golden Eagle shots are awesome.. I am sorry about your camera but congrats on the new one.. Great post, photos and mosaics.. Have a happy new week!

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  8. You have some gorgeous images but it's too bad you lost so many nice shots.

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  9. I enjoyed the photos of this part of your trip Mary and feel the disappointment of the lost photos. It sounds like you had your money's worth from the old camera and now you have state of the art technology to shoot with. (and empty pockets :-)
    Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.

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  10. that camera has certainly served you well! So many images!

    There's so much beauty in this post alone...I can't even pick a favorite...so much gorgeous scenery.

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  11. Awesome photos! I love the critters and the scenery and the autumn colours. Have fun playing with your new camera.

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  12. You took some really great shots. I love the golden fields and blue mountains against the sky. Ranch lands can be so beautiful. Sorry about your camera quitting on you at the crucial moment. Have fun with your new one.

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  13. Your pictures capture the way that BIG country looks ... You see and show us the beauty of it. Just breathtaking. ... And I am in awe as always at how much you see when you move as fast as you do! I am so so glad your camera didn't break until you were on the hom stretch. And look forward to seeing what you do with your new one.

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  14. Even the old abandoned places are made stunning by your photos and mosaics.

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  15. What a wonderful trip. sorry about the camera but you surely are very happy with the new one This is post is a fantastic series of beautiful photographs of the countryside, critters, butterflies and great collages

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  16. Your photos show you have seen some amazing scenery and wildlife on your trip. So sorry about your missing photos but great to have a new camera. I look forward to seeing some more wonderful photos from it.

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  17. Great job spotting the eagle :) The eagle is on my dream bird list. :)

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  18. Incredible photos! Wow! All the fields and countryside. Amazing! LOVe the golden eagle and red-tailed hawk series, and the photo of the horses with the pronghorn was great. Also loved that shot of the group of horses...looked very wild and from an earlier time. All your photos were just wonderful! I know you really enjoyed the trip and hated to see it come to an end!

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  19. Dear Mary,

    Your images mesmerize the eye and soothe the soul. What beauty abounds among such diversity of landscape, wildlife and waters. How exciting to be surprised by new scenery every couple of miles, never knowing exactly what you will encounter, but certain that it will be worth snapping! Having said that, my own heart dropped when I read about the bad luck you had with your camera! I would have been in tears! No matter, nothing could be done, and since it led you to a new gadget with which to capture all the gorgeousness out there, things turned out for the best. Right? Thank you, once again for your unbelievably beautiful photos!!

    Have a wonderful Wednesday, my friend!

    Poppy

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  20. Mary you have a wonderful way of depicting your surroundings...... Its always a privilege to pass by your blog.

    Special mention for the Sunflower scenes, the centre image stands out really well and captured my eye so much to return and look again

    Cheers
    Dave

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  21. beautiful beautiful beautiful images Mary. You deserve to be in National Geographic! Shame about the camera and the images that you lost (no way of recovering in Lightroom??), but then....a new camera is always nice to purchase! I had the shutter of my DSLR die on me when I specifically went to a place to take photos for an article. Lucky for me I had my handy little "go everywhere with me camera" with me - it saved the day.
    Always wonderful to visit & travel with you Mary. Have a lovely weekend.

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