Buttes Like Steeples

These plains,
Unjustly named,
Roll and tumble and pitch
Like ships on the sea,
Like the sea, which,
From the sky
Glitters still and calm before the eye,
But when the eye drops
Trades its shine for crests and troughs.

Above high plains, buttes like steeples rise
And point flat heads at endless skies
To break up the monotony
Or glorify the sea
Of grass.
You see them rarely,
Separated as they are
By miles of prairie,
Out of the way,
Less accessible than the knolls of buffalo grass,
Far closer to paradise.

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Learning Star Photography

So we went to stargaze in Slim Buttes, a category 1 dark site. Super dark. But I was pretty disappointed with the pictures I got. So I stayed up too late to learn more about it and play around at home. Looking forward to getting back out to the Buttes to make another stab at it. This is what I got here at home using the "500 rule." It has something to do with dividing the number 500 by your focal length. I was using a 50mm lens, so the exposure time was supposed to be 10 seconds. This rule ensures you get stars that look like actual pinpoints of light, and avoids the rotation of the earth issue. And this is what I learned how to do by stitching together multiple shots in Photoshop to show "star trails, the path of the stars across the sky due to the earth's rotation. So the opposite effect of the shot above. Looking forward to doing a lot more of these in the future with some cooler foreground options and less light pollution. I was pretty excited with what I go...

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Scenes from the Harding County Chamber of Commerce Meeting

A church planter in Pompano Beach, Florida, attends the local Chamber of Commerce meeting to expand his outreach. None of these folks have gotten involved with the church, but they have shared personal stuff with him. It's been pastoral. Well if Larry can do it, so can Conner! Or so I thought. --------Scene 1---------- I wander into the meeting. A guy with a cap that has the bank's logo pulls up a chair for me. I remind myself to just be natural, be curious, ask the questions that come to mind. First question: "So how long is this going to take, anyway?" Smooth. But I met some people. And I volunteered to help hang Christmas lights on the town tree. More good than bad. ---------Scene 2--------- The discussion turned to some Christmas event they're hosting. Pictures with Santa, that kind of thing. "It would be nice if we could get someone to dress up as an elf," someone said. Every single person there looked at me. How am I supposed to...

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