Camping

We went on our first camping trip this past weekend with the homeschool group from church. It has been years since I’ve been camping, Jamie went when she was a child but this was Kathryn’s first time. I had the job of cooking while on the trip, the next time I’ll have to remember to bring the lighter fluid (that might be another post all together). Everything worked out fine, I cooked supper the first night over the open fire. We had chicken and sweet potatoes and Jamie made s’mores for dessert.

The next day Kathryn and I went on a little nature walk and saw many things, one was a rat snake. She did a good job of not running from it or screaming and scaring it off, so we had a good chance to watch its behavior. The snake moved to the side of the trail, curled around, and raised up a bit then used its tail to vibrate the leaves around it to sound like a rattlesnake. It was awesome to see the reaction from the rat snake, mimicking a snake that is known to be poisonous to help protect itself from predators; God is awesome.

Seeing the reaction of the snake made me think about how we might react toward others that we don’t know. Do we put up a front to make ourselves appear to be something we are not, or do we welcome them just as we are and get to know them better?

The State of Being

I heard it put once that for something to be it is always changing. I thought about it and realized that even if I set perfectly still I’m still aging as time goes by and therefore changing. As a photographer, I look for things that are eye catching. Sometimes it takes waiting for a particular moment when the lighting and shadows of a scene look just the way I want before clicking the shutter and then there are those times when the child beside me, Kathryn, says “Ken, look a crane”. Either way the world around us is constantly changing; at times, I have to make myself slow down and enjoy it.

Alone

I saw this flower growing up through the sidewalk and thought it looked all alone in a concrete garden. A quote by Thomas Jefferson said, “One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more”. The truth is that no one is ever alone, God is always there. It can be difficult to realize at times, but he is there. In the bad times, it may appear that he is far away and the “how could this happen to me” mentality may come to mind. On the flipside when times are good, there could be a “look at what I did” attitude on life, which pushes God to the side. This is why I try to pray constantly, by communicating with God throughout the day, it helps me to remember that God is always with me. When Thomas Jefferson made the above quote I wonder if the reflects more part of it was because there were fewer distractions and we could listen more clearly to God’s will.

Generation Gap

I thought this picture was very cute and just had to put it on my blog. I took it while we were on our way back from grandma’s house. The fun part was trying to get her to stick her thumb out like she was trying to hitch a ride. She had no idea what hitchhiking was, and I’m very glad of that. I started thinking about how many things that I saw as a kid that our children never even heard of. That is one of the reasons I think it’s awesome to spend time talking with the older generation. Every generation has things in their life that the next one never even knew existed.

Knowledge

What a great thing to have in life, not just knowledge, but the thirst for knowledge. I learn something new everyday. If I could have all the knowledge in the world tomorrow, it would turn the world into a very boring place. I love the feeling when that little light comes on in my head. Wow, what a great feeling when a concept of something becomes perfectly clear, that just the minute before was a mystery. I’m thankful that God made gave the thirst for knowledge and I never want to quench it.

Weeds

While mowing the yard the yesterday I noticed these weeds with pretty little blossoms on them and thought if they were in a different place it would not be considered weeds. It’s funny how the location of something can change how it's viewed. There is a point in life when weeds have to be controlled, and not just in the yard. The hard part is knowing what things are weeds and what are flowers. Trust in God and follow his guidance even if what was once thought to be a flower is actually a pesky weed in God’s plan for us. Allow him to do the weeding in our lives.

Garden Art

While I was out in our yard taking pictures (that is what I do and the neighbors think I’m crazy, but that is for another blog) I thought about gardening as an art form. I don’t mean topiary because all of bushes in our yard are shaped like bushes. I mean the ability of planting flowers and shrubs in a way that when they bloom the colors are beautiful and very appealing the eye. I can’t claim to have this gift but my wife, Jamie, does. I may help with the colors by telling the colors that I like but after that, I just dig the holes where she tells me. I guess we are the Artist’s helpers, because only God can make a flower grow with such beauty.

Water Drop

While watching it rain yesterday I thought of a picture that I made not too long ago. I'll admit this photograph took a little patience. It's not easy capturing the splash with one hand while dropping water from a syringe with the other. It is amazing how one drop of water in a cup can create such awesome art. I have this photograph framed and mounted on the wall at my desk. It also reminds me how a drop of water will cause a ripple to cross a lake. The power of water is truly marvelous.

Twelve Notes

There are different octaves making up the eighty-eight keys on a piano, but still only twelve notes. I thought about this as I looked at the picture I took of my hands and the piano keys. I realize that I have something in coming with the great composers throughout history, twelve notes. I can play those twelve simple notes, not in the order or with the same timing of Mozart, Beethoven, or Rachmaninoff. But with enough practice, I can play at least something as good as they did, scales, because I have the basics notes. Just one of that thing that popped into my head as a self-proclaimed Artologist.

What is Artology?

Artology is the study of art, not just one type of art like painting or drawing, but art of every kind. Art is express in so many ways that I just cannot get enough of it. I like learning about all artistic avenues. My personal artistic outlets are photography, drawing, painting, dancing, playing bass guitar and now this blog. I learn something new everyday about my creative outlets, and hope to continue to learn new tips. I think God for my talents daily and ask for his help in not letting me take them for granted. God is the ultimate Artist, I only ask for the ability to see the beauty in all that he has created and possibly share them with others.