Just Passin' Thru

6/23/14

25 Ways to Photograph the Tetons

According to some expert on the world wide web,

the amazing Teton Mountains in Wyoming

are the third most photographed mountains in the world.

I was just there with my man and my camera

and I have some photography tips for you.

Before we get started,

you need to get off that automatic setting!

Yep!

Especially if hubby doesn't stop for photo shoots.

Set your camera on the little running guy

your instruction manual calls the

"Sports Mode" -

To be used to photograph a moving subject

(or in my case, from a moving subject).

Soooooooooo....

Here are my expert tips on

How to photograph those wonderful Teton Mountains:

1. From the Road

2. With your mouth open

3. From Idaho

4. From the world's largest potato seed farm

5. From a potato barn

6. From a grain silo

7. From the deck of your lodge

8. In the shadow of the setting sun

9. In mornings first light

10. In velvet

11. With the fraternal order of elks

12. From Wyoming

13. On a winding road

14. While shopping

15. From a shopping adventure

16. Through the driver's window from the passenger seat

17. From the Teton National Park

18. From a roadside stop

19. In crazy woman pants

20. With Teddy Roosevelt

21. From Yellowstone National Park

22. Where buffalo roam

23. Where Grizzly pose for tourists

24. Through your rear view mirror

And if you are a smarter photographer than I am,

you can

click here

for Instructions on How to Photograph the Tetons

or you can

click here

for more Tips on Photographing the Tetons

My last tip:

25. Take lots of pictures

You just might get a lucky shot

"I lift my eyes to the mountains.

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth."

(Psalm 121:1-2)

6/17/14

Taking Aim

It all started when I was four years old

and had a little fringed cowgirl outfit.

I thought I was Annie Oakley,

but I don't remember actually having a gun.

This year (2014) at the

Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match,

just outside Forsyth, Montana

I had the fringe,

and I had the boots,

and I had the hat,

AND

I had my own gun.

and it only took six decades!

I can't believe I just said that!

Putting together a fun outfit had been

in my sights for weeks.
I mostly shopped my closets in both states.
A friend suggested that Crazy Cora, from the movie,
Quigley Down Under,
wore her corset and a skirt most of the time
(but that was just not an option for me!)

My rifle is a Sharps .45-70

made and fitted just for me

by C. Sharps Arms

in Big Timber, Montana.

The rifle took 11 months to birth

and had only been in my possession for a month.

I have the greatest coach and cheerleader

in the world.

I took aim at not disappointing him.

There were six targets,

with distances ranging from 350 yards to 805 yards.

We got 8 shots at each target.

Wrap your mind around that girlfriend -

shooting at a buffalo shaped target

8 (Eight) football fields away

with a 12 pound gun

(through bifocals, cataracts, and floaters
and without a scope!)

Drum Roll......

I hit two out of 8 shots at the buffalo.

I took aim in the wind

I shot in the cold

The only target I missed was in the rain.

Let me rephrase that -

the only time I didn't hit at least one of the eight targets

was when I shot in the rain.

Out of 615 shooters,

my score didn't even get a glance.

However, since my cowboy didn't keep track of his score,

I can claim the win between the two of us.

There were some of those

"what was I thinking" moments

like when the end of my barrel fell off the sticks,

and when my thumb was raw from pulling the hammer back,

and I got up off the ground like anything but a lady,

and when I held the gun wrong with the bruise to show it.

But I did it.

Looks like I've come full circle -

except now

I'm more like

grANNIE Oakley!!

Here's a crazy quote I saw somewhere:

Shoot for the Moon

If You Miss

You'll at Least Land Among the Stars

5/21/14

Standing on Their Rock

They traveled thousands of miles with every imaginable provision
into uncharted territory.

They faced unknown enemies, unpredictable weather and unexpected delays.
They spent more time in North Dakota than any other state
while on this great mission

and the people native to that great state took them in for a season.

100 years later we marvel at their journey and celebrate their accomplishment.

They stood on a rock

Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806)

and the only physical evidence that they had been there
(or anywhere else on their journey)
is carved on that rock in Montana.

along the Yellowstone River

Pompey's Pillar

Their preparation and travels were not without challenges,

but their mission was completed successfully.

Like my West Texas girlfriends who travelled 1200 miles
to North Dakota
into uncharted territory for them,

they came as aliens and foreigners
and were welcomed with open arms.

They are wives, mommies, grandma's,
warrior women and overcomers.

They have been invited back and they are the talk of the town.