Wednesday, October 31, 2012

God Bless America

Land That I Love


I want to thank Christian Photo for giving
me the opportnity to have a photography
show during the month of October.
It has been a wonderful experience
and something that was on my "bucket list"
and can now be crossed off.
And thank you to all of you who have
visited Christian Photo, viewed my photos
there or taken a look at my work
here on my blog.
I appreciate that you
took the time to do so.
My sincere thanks go out
to all of you.
And Adam from Christian Photo,
you rock for making this happen!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

State Fairgrounds: Agriculture Building

I know the Agriculture Building
at the Iowa State Fairgrounds
holds a lot of memories
for many Iowa residents.
I thought it was pretty with the
sun coming thorugh the trees.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Close Up

I was playing in Photoshop
and took the previously posted leaf photo
and cropped in close.
I really liked the results.
Do you have a preference?


The Beauty of Autumn


Friday, October 26, 2012

Pumpkin

Here's a happy little pumpkin,
still in the field,
still on the vine,
waiting to be
chosen by some boy or girl,
as that perfect
Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin. 
It's only a few days until Halloween.
Have you chosen your pumpkin yet?


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Still Autumn

I thought I needed some
fall color in here.
I took this photo
on a recent morning,
after it had rained,
and the sun was starting to come out.
The fog had lifted.
The leaves were glistening.
It was another beautiful morning.
Here's proof that not all the
autumn colors are gone.
There are still many
beautiful
trees and plants out there.
You just to have to open your eyes.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Photos for Sale at Christian Photo or Online

Just a reminder that for one more week
my photos will be displayed and for sale
at Christian Photo in Des Moines.
All are framed and ready to be hung in
your house! Please take a look at Christian Photo
if you've not had a chance, or if you had already
looked and considered purchasing something.
I recently put them all on sale, so if
you were holding off until later,
now is a good time to purchase a photo
at even better price.
Christmas is coming so a nice framed
photo for a loved one would be
a thoughtful gift. I have a lot of
outdoor scenery, flowers, a collage of
outdoor scenes, a collage of Des Moines scenes,
an Iowa State Fair photo, one of the National Cathederal,
and a variety of one of a kind photos.
Any of my photos can be bought
through me by contacting me at my
email address, alliecatphotos@gmail.com
I will ship unframed photos to anywhere
in the U.S. Prices vary so please
contact me if you're interested.
Thank you!


Monday, October 22, 2012

Winter Day at Jester Park

Here's a winter day at Jester Park
(yes, last winter--we're not quite
ready to have any weather
like this, and it is only fall).
If you've looked at many of my posts,
I've shot a lot of photos at Jester Park.
I also give it rave reviews.
It is one awesome county park,
filled with an abudance of wildlife,
so many places to camp, walk, golf, hike, play,
or shoot photos of the scenery along upper Saylorville.
I'll say it again: if you haven't been there before,
it's time you head up towards Granger
and check out Jester Park.
Drive slow and watch for wildlife.
Enjoy. Play. Take some photos.


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Silo Silhouette

There are many beautiful places
in this world,
and I hope to someday
have the opportunity to see
more of them,
but for right now,
I'd have to say that living in
Iowa
gives me the opportunity to see
gorgeous scenery
every day of the year.



Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Green of Summer

The green leaves of summer,
before the changing seasons
brought us the fall colors.
I liked this photo because
of the hints of blue sky
blurred in the background
behind the crispness of the
leaf in the front.
Any photo you see on my
site you can buy. Contact
and I'll give you pricing information.


Friday, October 19, 2012

Angel

The photos I chose for my
art show at Christian Photo
will still be there until the
end of October. I hope
you have a chance to
stop in and take a look.
They are all framed and
ready to be hung on your wall.
I have photos of nature, farm life,
Des Moines, and just Iowa
in general. They'd
make a nice Christmas gift
for someone special--
maybe yourself!

I came across this statue
of an angel cradling
a young child
when I was at Mayo Clinic.
I found it very touching.



Thursday, October 18, 2012

Adventureland's Carousel

I enjoyed riding the carousel
around and around
when my son was little.
That park will always hold such
fond memories for my family
and of my own childhood.
I look forward to spending
time there again next summer.



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Joy in Yellow Flowers

Today's cool, rainy weather
had me missing summer.
I took this photo
at Ledges State Park
in August. The flowers were so
bright and beautiful, and there
were so many of them blooming
in an area as you enter the park.
My challenge will be to continue
to find beauty in whatever weather
and winds may come my way;
there's always something God gives
us that we can find joy in.




Tuesday, October 16, 2012

In Bloom

We have a number of flower beds
scattered around our yard.
Within those beds we have
a nice variety of flowers,
blooming from early spring
through fall. There's
always something in bloom.
It's quite nice.




Monday, October 15, 2012

Ocular Histoplasmosis

A different sort of post today.

These are photos of my left eye. I have a rare eye disease called Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome (POHS). The photos show spots of scarring in my left eye. While this eye disease can be treated as it progresses, there is no cure. I have no central vision in my left eye. I have scarring in my right eye, but the scarring there has not started bleeding so, other than a blind spot, I've never had to endure the injections in my right eye that they use to treat my left eye. I only need the injections when the blood vessels in the scarring, left from the histoplasmosis years ago, begin to bleed again. This disease leads to legal blindness. No cure, only treatment. Not a good diagnosis to get.

I'm posting on this today as I'm part of an online group
of about 150 people from around the world who have this disease. One of them, a young woman, just became legally blind. The disease gets almost no research money as it's rare. I understand that those diseases that affect many get the money. It's just very sad that there a group of us slowly going blind and the best our doctors can do is experiement as no one knows the best way to treat it. I have a fantastic doctor and I have every confidence that he keeps up with the latest information on this disease. Sadly, there is so little information  To all my friends with this disease, I wish you the best and may a cure be found before it's too late for more of us.

So I'll keep taking photos
and depending on my camera
to be able to see
better than I can.





This last photo shows a group of photos taken of my left eye, put together to show more of a complete picture of my eye.



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Tree

What I can say?
The beauty God shows us
can't be put into words.



Saturday, October 13, 2012

Doolittle Prairie

This photo was taken
at Doolittle Prairie State Presevere
north of Ames.
I loved finding this treasure
of land.
Part of the land has
NEVER been plowed.
Part of it was once plowed,
but has since
been restored to native grasses.
I took some beautiful shots
when I visited this prairie.
Reminds me that I need
to take another trip out
there one of these days.




Friday, October 12, 2012

Iowa Barn

I love the old barns found
all over Iowa. This one was
quite faded and broken when I
came across it. Sadly, the
next winter this barn fell
down completely. I hate
to see these old wooden barns
fall away. They have such character.



Thursday, October 11, 2012

Snus Hill Grapes

This photo shows grapes
from an Iowa winery.
The grapes taste great and
make really good wine.
Visit Snus Hill if you're in
central Iowa.



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

State of Iowa Capitol Library

Shhhhhhhh!
These ornate steps
and railings are in the
library
at the
Iowa State Capitol
in Des Moines.



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Chatty Geese

This photo comes from
Racoon River Park
in Des Moines.
It struck me as funny
that the other birds were all
off in one area enjoying
the beautiful day in the water,
while these two were off on their
own, looking as if they
were in deep conversation.
The nice sparkle off the water
provided a nice background
for the two chatty geese.



Monday, October 8, 2012

Adventureland Reflection

I took this photo at Adventureland.
Adventureland is one of my son's favorite places
and we've been there many times
over the years. 
This photo shows two roller coasters--
the Dragon is the one with the two loops
and behind the Dragon
is the Tornado--
a favorite for me since I was
a child. My siblings and I would
ride the Tornado, and then run back
and get in line and ride it over and over
as many times as we could.

I was with my family
at Adventureland
when I  noticed the great
reflection of thes coasters
into the pond.
I  like that
at the top of the hill
on the Tornado
you can see the cars,
filled with people,
just about to go down
the hill.
Wheeeeeeeeee!
It made a nice reflection shot.
May Adventureland live on
for future generations!



Sunday, October 7, 2012

Winter Trees and Open House

I love looking at the ordinary
in ways that are unordinary.
I was taking photos on a winter day
at Jester Park when
I looked up and noticed the trees and the sky.
I liked the view.


Here's me.
Probably the only time you'll see
a photo of me on my blog.
Yesterday was my open house
for my photography show
at Christian Photo.
This picture was taken
during the open house.
Thanks to friends and family
who came to the open
house, and to those who
support me even though
they weren't able to be there.


I am so thankful to Christian Photo
for giving me the opportunity to display
my work.
Thanks Christian Photo!


And last, but not least,
I couldn't leave out the one
who really runs the show at
Christian Photo,
Vinnie.
He's a great
little dog.
I think he might be the
manager
of the joint. : p


Saturday, October 6, 2012

Church Pews

This photo was taken at
The Kathederal, the old church
near the MLK exit off of I-235.
A non-denominational church,
the group has been working on
renovating this church for
several years. It is gorgeous
inside and out and will
be even more so once they've
completed restoring the building.
I love to see old buildings being
renovated rather than torn down
and I'm excited to see the end
results of this church.
All the work is being done by
volunteers and I know they'd
take any help that is offered.


Friday, October 5, 2012

Wheel of Fortune

This photo really shows
my quirky sense of humor.
I was driving down
an Iowa highway
and spotted this
large tractor wheel
in a field,
all by itself,
no one
and
nothing around.
I turned around
and drove back just to
photograph the wheel.
It amused me.
Why?
Why?
Why
would there be a
large wheel,
standing up, 
in a lonely field?

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Autumn Leaves

We've had such gorgeous
weather lately.
The trees have been
so pretty.
I love autumn and
I enjoy taking photos
that show how
beautiful autumn can be
right here in
Iowa.



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Plymouth Stained Glass Window

Today's photo comes from
Plymouth Congregational Church
in Des Moines. They were kind enough
to let me take photos of their beautiful
church and stained glass windows.
This particular window is one of my
favorites. On the other hand, I have
lots of favorites in this church.


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Umbrellas

Another photo I didn't
have room for in the show.
I took this photo in Rochester
(the Minnesota one, not the New York city)
while at Mayo Clinic last year.
I love Rochester (and have previously
posted many photos from there) and
need to go visit again, but
just for fun and photography
this time.
No appointments,
no schedule,
no doctors
(even though they're excellent).
Just me wondering
around and taking
photos.



Monday, October 1, 2012

Sunset, Barn and Prairie

My photography show starts today.
October 1, 2012.
Christian Photo in Des Moines, Iowa.


I had a hard time choosing which
photos to put in the show.
I couldn't include everything!
So I'll be showing here
some of the photos that
I didn't put into the show.


If you're in the Merle Hay neighborhood,
stop by and see me at my
open house on Saturday, October 6
from 1-3 p.m. at Christian Photo.


And since my photos will be there
during the month of October,
stop by any time just to check
out my framed photos.
Buying a few never hurts. :)
I'd love to hear your feedback,
either here or at my email address,



Popular Posts