A Photogenic Journey to Arkansas

Taking our grandson to motocross camp in Arkansas turned in to a relaxing and productive vacation for Jane and me. Dillon had a blast at camp; we saw some interesting and educational events; and I got some great photographs.

We crammed a day of travel into two days, allowing Dillon an evening swim at the KOA campground pool in Texarkana. The continuation of the trip was less than two hours. We were in Arkadelphia before noon. Our camp site at DeGray Lake Resort State Park was near our previous stay at the same park. After dropping Dillon at MX camp, we planned our next day's trip to an out-of-the-way scenic area. We were up early and found our way along gravel logging roads to the Little Missouri Falls. It was beautiful but not as out-of-the-way as we had anticipated. Many others must have read the same Arkansas travel brochures that we did -- it was packed! That wasn't all bad. This bikini-clad beauty adds a bit of interest to an already pretty picture. Obviously, locals and many tourists have adopted Little Missouri Falls as a favorite swimming hole.

The larger falls and deeper swimming hole held most of the crowd in this area. We moved farther down the trail (and downstream) for a more natural image of The Natural State, Arkansas' state logo. I got right to the edge of the stream and attached my 12-24 lens for a shot of the water in motion. I wanted to show the softness of running water but had no tripod. This is hand held at 1/20 of a second. I think 1/2 second or even slower would be required to get the image I wanted. But I was pleased with this result.

The following day was my birthday. After lounging around the camp most of the day, we had a great dinner at The Fish Net, a local favorite and a restaurant where we had eaten during previous visits to Arkansas. Jane had planned a sunset cruise on Lake DeGray but it filled before we were able to make a reservation. She was really bummed.

I took Jane back to camp after our very pleasant dinner and gathered my camera equipment for a sunset outing at a picnic area on Lake DeGray. I was disappointed to find that it was quite clear with few clouds to reflect colors. I was fortunate,however, to be in the right place when I saw these geese flying into the sun. I had been looking for something of interest to replace the lack of color. That made the pine tree my accidental foreground for this image.

Thursday was a busy day. I finally got an image of the piliated woodpecker that made infrequent visits to our campsite. Unfortunately, it wasn't sharp. A cardinal seemed to be nesting in some nearby vines and a squirrel dropped by for a meal of hickory nuts -- acceptable images with my new 300 AF-S f4 lens but not what I was looking for. That came later, when we went to a discussion on rehabilitated birds of prey and their release into the wild. I was thrilled to get this close to a red tail hawk and quite pleased with what my 300mm lens produced. This was the early afternoon release. I didn't return for the release scheduled for later that evening. I should know better than to miss such a wonderful photo op. I would say "never again." But ... :-(

It was hard on this proud old grandpa to stay away from camp. I really love to watch my grandson ride ... but, we were asked to give the kids their space. We got there in the afternoon, per instructions, and missed another photo op. Dillon hurt his leg in the morning riding session and wasn't riding that afternoon. I was bummed. But, he had a great time and said he learned a lot. We'll find out on our next trip to one of the local tracks. And I'll get my photo op. :-)
l8r

Grandchildren -- watch them grow

I took this photo of my grandson at his 2nd birthday party. He and his dog Boo were consumed with curiosity; "Anybody in there?" That's Tom the Train in his hands. They went everywhere together. :-)
It seems like just yesterday. He's a sophmore in highscool now. Where has the time gone? I guess looking in a mirror emphasizes that question.
We enjoy our time together, probably even more now than ever before. He's fun. I try to be.
We're planning another trip to the motocross track. It isn't looking good. I just checked the forum and they are still very wet from yesterday's rain. Dillon and his grandmother are in Marble Falls today. She's getting a checkup and he is having warts removed from his knee and his foot. We don't think it will affect his riding but won't know until he gets home. I'm in charge of getting the bike ready and loading the truck. Here's an all-grown-up picture of my favorite grandson. He's a LOT bigger but still just as much fun. I can tell from looking back at his second birthday that we are building some great memories together. He probably doesn't remember the terrapin but the ones we're building now will be just as memorable for him as for me. Off to make a memory.
l8r

Testing the 300

It's here and I'm climbing the steep learning curve. My Nikon 300mm AF-S f4 lens is huge, heavy and absolutely amazing. I love it. I'm learning how and when to use it. I bought this lens for photographing wildlife. The close-focusing capability makes it very good for macro type photography as well. But, the extreme length magnifies the effect of camera shake. It is not graced with Nikon's Vibration Reduction (VR) technology. Using is a tripod is almost mandatory. That defeats my purpose. It's okay for static subjects but I want to be mobile; to stalk my photographic prey. A butterfly is erratic, not a tripod type subject. So far, I am shooting with wide-open aperture, high ISO settings, and the fastest shutter speed possible. Still, there is some shake evident in the butterfly image. But, I'm getting better. It will take lots of practice.

Though I didn't use one, this xenia image is the perfect example of a tripod type image. I got around the use of a tripod by using a shutter speed of 1/2500. I hate hauling a tripod around. But, my stated intention for the lens is wildlife. :-)

Stalking buzzards (turkey vulture) has given me some practice at my intended purpose. Again, the shake is a problem but in well-lit conditions, I can hold the lens steady. I tried a monopod but that inhibits my stalking. The bigger problem may be my stalking technique. I probably need more length. This buzzard shot is decent but it is cropped. I want to be this close without cropping. A cheap 1.4X extender is $300. Jane already knows that. :-)

As for fast focusing, I got this shot of my neighbor running across the lawn between our houses to "help me." That's Sadie. She is wound tight. If my lens can focus on her in action, it can focus on anything. Ha Ha Ha.

The eBay dispute over the Tokina 12-24mm is near an end. The lens is in my bag and it works. I'm negotiating now for a refund of my $17.65 shipping costs for having it repaired. We're almost ready for our trip to Utah. Hope the fires haven't destroyed Utah before we get there. :-(

l8r

Bad Brad's Birthday

The first American to win a motocross world championship was Brad Lackey. I'm not prone to hero-worship but if I have a hero, it is Brad Lackey. It was through my admiration of him that I got a start in journalism. My first published article was about Brad Lackey and his "Elusive Dream." A year later he realized his dream and I was living mine. Lackey was World Champion and I was there -- as a real-life photojournalist, working on assignment. Today is Brad's birthday. He is 54. It was 25 years ago this year that he won that championship. I'm still getting my Brad Lackey stuff published.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRAD!!!
I sent some pictures to Racer X Magazine, suggesting a tribute to Bad Brad. The editor responded with a request for more. Racer X is working on a feature article about the TWO Americans who won motocross championships in 1982 -- Brad Lackey won the 500cc World Championship and Danny LaPorte followed two weeks later winning the 250cc World Championship. I covered both races for Cycle Magazine. I'm excited. I can hardly wait to see my stuff in Racer X Magazine.
l8r

The Commuted Sentence: My Sentiments, exactly!

Again, whoever said life is fair. But, the Bush Administration is frighteningly disdainful of public opinion. Here is an article that accurately presents the alarming facts of Political Arrogance. Life is hypocritical.

The article follows ... just in case you don't want to follow the link.



The hypocrisy is unpardonable. President Bush's decision to commute the sentence of a convicted liar brought out the worst in both parties and politics.
In keeping I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby out of jail, Bush defied his promise to hold wrongdoers accountable and undercut his 2000 campaign pledge to "restore honor and dignity" to the White House. And it might be a cynical first step toward issuing a full pardon at the conclusion of his term.
Democrats responded as if they don't live in glass houses, decrying corruption, favoritism and a lack of justice.
"This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
It was a brazen statement from a woman entangled in many Clinton White House scandals, including the final one: On his last day in office, President Clinton granted 140 pardons and 36 commutations, many of them controversial.
One of those pardoned was Marc Rich, who had fled the country after being indicted for tax evasion and whose wife had donated more than $1 million to Democratic causes.
Clinton's half brother, Roger, also received a pardon, for distributing cocaine, and lobbied the White House on behalf of others.
Hillary Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, was paid tens of thousands of dollars in his successful bid to win pardons for a businessman under investigation for money laundering and a commutation for a convicted drug trafficker.
It's hard to fathom that those pardons had absolutely nothing to do with cronyism or ideology, but Hillary Clinton defended them. She drew a distinction between her husband's pardons and Bush's commutation.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the senator said Bill Clinton's pardons were simply a routine exercise in the use of the pardon power, and none was aimed at protecting the Clinton presidency or legacy. "This," she said of the Libby commutation, "was clearly an effort to protect the White House."
Indeed, there is ample evidence that Libby's actions were fueled by animosity throughout the White House toward opponents of the president's push to war against Iraq.
But Hillary Clinton will have a hard time convincing most voters that her brother-in-law would have gotten a pardon in 2001 had his name been Smith. Or that Rich's pardon plea would have reached the president's desk had he not been a rich Mr. Rich.
The hypocrisy doesn't stop there.
Bush vowed at the start of the investigation to fire anybody involved in the leak of a CIA agent's identity, but one of the leakers, adviser Karl Rove, still works at the White House. Libby was allowed to keep his job until he was indicted for lying about his role.
The president said Libby's sentence was excessive. But the 2 1/2 years handed Libby was much like the sentences given others convicted in obstruction cases. Three of every four people convicted for obstruction of justice in federal court were sent to prison, for an average term of more than five years.
Want more hypocrisy? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney praised the commutation for Libby, quite a departure for a guy who brags that he was the first Massachusetts governor to deny every request for a pardon or commutation. Romney even refused a pardon for an Iraq war veteran who, at age 13, was convicted of assault for shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun.
What about all the Republican politicians who defied public sentiment and insisted that President Clinton be impeached for lying under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky? Many of them now minimize Libby's perjury.
What about all those Democrats who thought public shame was punishment enough for Clinton lying under oath, basically the position adopted today by Libby's supporters? Many of those Democrats now think Libby should go to jail for his perjury.
"There appears to be rank hypocrisy at work here on both sides of the political spectrum," said Joe Gaylord, a GOP consultant who worked for House Speaker Newt Gingrich during impeachment. "It causes Americans to shake their heads in disgust at the political system."
The Libby case followed the same pattern of hype and hypocrisy established during Clinton's impeachment scandal. It's as if we're all sentenced to relive the same sad scene:
A powerful man lies or otherwise does wrong.
He gets caught.
His enemies overreach in the name of justice.
His friends minimize the crime in pursuit of self-interest.
And the powerful man hires a lawyer.
Marc Rich had a high-priced attorney for his battles with the justice system. His name was Scooter Libby.
EDITOR'S NOTE - Ron Fournier has covered politics for The Associated Press for nearly 20 years.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed


l8r