This photo was shot at the Dallas (Texas) Botanical Garden. I'm beginning to notice a pattern here, water is the central theme of many of the photos posted this month. This image was created by shooting through a curtain of water, distorting the plants and flowers on the other side. You can see some detail of the background in the lower left corner. But in the rest of the image the water bends the light, creating patterns, and impressions of something else entirely. Something new comes from the water. Ah, a baptismal motif, maybe.

He looks mad. Maybe. He is wet. He could be happy, if birds can be happy.

The bluejay chose this birdbath. The bird chose to get in the water.

It may be overstating that this bird made choices that resulted in being a wet bird.

But I don't think it's overstating to say that choices have consequences.

Some choices mean you could get wet. And happy. I think I'm ready for the pool. Move over, bird.

One of my earliest memories as a kid is riding the merry-go-round in Logansport, Indiana. This photo is of a carousel in suburban St. Louis.

While looking at this picture, I noticed that the carousel is turning counter-clockwise. As I remembered other carousels I have seen, I wondered whether they all turn in that direction. And the fact is that, yes, all carousels in the US turned counter-clockwise. Between two and three thousand carousels were constructed in the United States with less than 150 operating today. And of those, less than 10 have operating brass ring machines. Those who were riding on the outer carousel figures could stretch out their right hand to grab a ring from a mechanical arm. Most of the rings were steel, but if you got the brass ring, you were rewarded with a free ride. It was just random luck.

I do have a brass ring from the Logansport carousel (that I purchased as a memento).

I don't consider myself lucky. I am blessed. And I have received more than a free ride.

This is the Santa Fe bridge over the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa.

I recall this day was as stormy as it looks. What you can't see is that this is a double-decker bridge with rail traffic on the lower deck. It is the longest double-deck swing bridge in the world, (266 feet), with an additional 1,080 feet of truss bridge. River traffic takes precedence over the rail and auto traffic. So if the bridge has swung open for barges, the wait could be 15-20 minutes. A toll is charged by the BNSF Railroad, which owns the bridge, for those traveling from Iowa to Illinois, but not the other way around. So you can go to Iowa for free, but it will cost you to return to Illinois. Those of us who have lived in Illinois may see a parallel to the economic problems of the state. And this has been going on for a long time as the bridge was built in 1927.

It was probably sunny, too, when I was headed over to Iowa earlier in the day.

The Alton Lock and Dam (#26) on the Mississippi River.

Fifteen barges moving south. I find the process of changing the level of the water in the lock fascinating, but I don't usually have this vantage point from above the lock. This is the next to last lock and dam on the Mississippi River as it journeys south to the Gulf of Mexico. It would seem that "going with the flow" would make for an easy trip. But there are obstacles and turns and other traffic headed north. I suspect that few things, if any, are easy.

The westward view above the trees of my back yard is different every day, every moment.

It may be changing more than I expected as I talked to the couple that was in the meadow yesterday who turned out to be surveyors. When I asked, surveying for what? She said it was for an AT&T cellphone tower. Hmmmm... I guess that has reduced the possibility of a house being built behind us, or next door. The deer are probably going to still use the ridge for a walkway. I certainly have mixed feelings. I'm certain that it will be a topic of conversation in the neighborhood.

I guess the upside is that any guests at the Hideaway that use AT&T ought to have excellent access while they are staying here.

So, if you read yesterday's post, this is where I wanted to be for the morning shoot. The fog added to the stunning dawn. Yes, it was really that color. And add the serendipity of a fisherman in his boat heading out for the morning, and I was excited just to be there. But now I have a new decision as I process the image. What would it look like in black and white?

I began my photographic adventure with black and white film. I learned to process the film and print my own photos. I even had my own darkroom. I loved film. But digital photography permits endless versions before we decide on the final image. (It's not even final, because it can be changed again and again. Quite a change for one who shot lots of transparencies). When I shot film I loved black and white images. And this photo, as colorful as it was, might even lend itself to being processed as a black and white photo. I like it both ways. That possibility thing. I see things in the image below that I hadn't noticed in the image above.

Sometimes, we have to take a step back, try something different, and we discover what was already there.

Some photos start before the sun even rises. I drove for more than an hour, hoping to get to a vantage point that would create a striking image. I wasn't certain of even where I was going, except that I studied the map thoroughly and had picked several possible locations. I had not considered that there would be fog. But there it was, as the sun lit up the sky even before its appearance over the horizon. It looked like the prairie was flooded with fog, or is that the river? I stopped and took several photos here and pushed on to where I thought it would be better photos.

Looking back, I realize now that it was a magical morning. The next location did produce some good images, but this one wasn't that bad. I even think there may be two photos here that overlap. One is the top 2/3 with the other being the bottom 2/3. Totally different pictures. I like all three. One of my friends claims that I enjoy considering all of the options. It often seems to me that there could be more possibilities. I think it makes me a fun guy. When you begin in the dark, you could find light here and there and around the next corner.