Sunday Stills ~ Halloween

Gone are the late nights spent making my kids halloween costumes, baking treats for class parties & attending parades, and braving whatever weather Mother Nature tossed our way while attending Halloween at the Zoo or the infamous trick-or-treating. I no longer dress-up and take on another personality, but I do still decorate on a much smaller scale. My friendly ghosts get released as inside decorations once a year, they all live inside. One in particular, keeps a watch out our window - do you recognize him by his eyes?

...I really should clean my front door area more often, it's glowing & growing...

...spiders are everywhere, even in the daylight...

...they'll give you a fright...

...you didn't see the spider? Scaredy Cat did!!

See other spooktacular photos at Sunday Stills.

yellowstone in the fall

After a looong week of work, and attending/photographing a couple of our son’s footballs games, I was thrilled when the stars aligned and we were able to head out on the trail to Yellowstone! We had ridden this remote slice of paradise for the first time early September, when we were still experiencing summer, and were lost more then we were found. It takes a good hour and a half on the road to get to Yellowstone, but it’s ohhh so worth it.

We really needed to put some hours on the boys before our upcoming trip up north, and this proved to be the perfect place. It was the first weekend in October, peak color season in WI, when we arrived to once again find only one trailer. We tacked up, hit the trail, and were quickly awestruck by the serene landscape, this time painted in green, orange, yellow and red...

heading out

...the colors were the most vibrant, inside the woods...

the woods were alive with color

...Koda had his walk on much of this ride. We forged ahead, up and around the bends. I don't know if he knew the bridge was coming up or not, but I did. I thought to myself, this is it...and without hesitation we crossing first! I am so proud of Koda, not a big deal, but it was to us/me. I love that bridge area, it's in a big valley and it's so pretty. We took many pictures, here are a few of my fav's...

view from a mohawk

riding through the tall grass

koda (k) color

crossing the bridge (helmet off for photo opp)

...and then, my hubby captured my comical horse scratching on his spur...

apparently Koda's gotta an itch

hubby said "um, that's my spur"

...seriously Koda, it's a good thing we love you! After riding a new looong trail, we headed back towards the trailer...

sunny prairie ride

even the grasses were colorful

...we soaked up the many bright colors...

Koda taking in the Fall colors

...tired, happy & fulfilled, we took the winding paths back towards the trail head...

heading back to the trailer

...we rode a good 3.5 - 4 hours. We never saw a soul. The trailer we found upon arrival had been replaced by another, the same one from our September ride. I wonder who they are, and if they recognized our trailer too? It blows my mind, this area is so underused – and yet, that is part of what makes Yellowstone so special.  Being alone in a beautiful wildlife area, surrounded by nature, highlighted in color, on my own horse, with my hubby & Nemo...it was a much needed slice of heaven – at one point in this ride, it brought tears of appreciation to my eyes...it was that peaceful.

Sunday Stills ~ What Inspires You

"Why do you take photographs?  Let your pictures this week speak for you."

See what inspires other Sunday Stills photographers.

what is familiar, is different

With each field harvest, we ride further out & around the home farm. Not the most scenic area, yet beauty is found with every turn. What is familiar, is found to be different. One just needs to open their eyes, and mind, to see that nature is forever evolving...

southeast fields

...September was so dry, we didn't need to wait for harvest to ride the north side of the farm. It's amazing how green things were, with our lack of rain...

north fields

...we rode side rows of sparse corn back to the pasture, and that was nothing but an irresistible tease. I'm sure Koda thoroughly enjoyed having food to snatch at nose level. I on the other hand was afraid I was creating a monster. My hubby reminded me not to make such a big deal out of it. I love how he brings me back to my senses, with a simple comment. As long as Koda listens in normal situations, I was okay with his inevitable snacking...

north fields

...we typically ride the wooded paths at some point, ending at the clearing below...

Nemo & Brad

On our way back to the pasture from another ride we took heading south, we passed a monster sized harvester kickin' up some dust...

heading back to the pasture

...with each trail ride the realization increases that Koda's playful (sometimes naughty) personality isn't going to change. He tests, and if you give it to him, he will gladly take it. I'm okay with that, as long as he listens and responds. He makes me a better horseperson. I'll definitely never be bored on a trail ride! Maybe someday Koda will change, after all he is only five, but ya know what - I'm not sure I want him to.

sloping colorful southeast fields

catching up

Just like that over six weeks have passed since my last post, or finding time to read any of the blogs that I truly enjoy. Wow, how time fly's! I've also missed many awesome Sunday Still challenges, and yet - I had to if I was going to work on my own challenge...shooting sports, specifically my son's football games.

You see, for many many years I've wished for a good camera & long lens. I couldn't afford both at the same time, so the camera came first. Kinda like the chicken before the egg, except in this case - one makes sense coming before the other. 

After two years of saving my pennies my hubby filled in the missing funds as an early birthday gift, so I could get my lens in time to shoot our youngest's last season of sports, before it was over forever. 

With permission, I started shooting my son's football team on Saturday mornings (High School Varsity Reserve) and after the first game I got talked into being the second parent photographer for his Friday night Varsity games as well. Let me tell you, night action shooting is a different animal - especially in front of a packed stadium. It's been a great learning experience, but sorting through 1,000 plus photos every week left me with no free computer time. All too soon, the Saturday games ended. His team won their conference, and play-offs start tomorrow. It's been a lot of fun, and I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to take & share photos with the team.

We've snuck a few trail rides in these past weeks, including a gorgeous three day trip up north with Koda & Nemo (post to come). I've decided to pick up posting, with a few Fall rides we've taken. With sunset approaching earlier each passing day, we've had to stick close to home. Sundays became our only hope for travel.

Early September was particularly busy, so we trailered to a nearby park. There was a couple sun bathing when we arrived at the trail head. The park ranger came by before we even had the boys unloaded, just to tell us we made his day.  We offered to show him our trail passes, but he just grinned and said it wasn't necessary. Apparently we just proved him right. He had asked the sun bathers to move earlier, stating that area isn't meant for sunbathing. There are acres & acres of land, and only one place for unloading horses - after we showed up and being asked again, they packed up. The sun bathers weren't going to stop us regardless, I was just glad they had clothes on ;)

bright sunny trails

We've become fond of this little park, mostly for it's proximity. It's not a long ride but has various trails including a pretty wooded section with huge oaks, and a nice open prairie. Horse's just have to be okay with the potential for flying frisbees, and people walking their dogs on the paths. Our boys seem fine with it all, most folks wait until we pass. On this ride we came upon a young family walking with a little boy who was clearly amazed at what he saw. I'm guessing it was the first time he had seen a horse up close. It's easy to forget how lucky we are to have special horses in our lives...

my special horse, Koda