Monthly Archives: June 2009

Amen, brother…Amen.

Posted on by
Reply

I couldn’t help but notice this big rig parked in a most conspicuous location last Thursday afternoon. At work we have a joke with which we heckle each other, “Could you make the font bigger?” In this case, I think it’s just right.

This truck is doing some well-needed evangelism, whether moving or stationary. The trailer had Maine plates and the tractor had California plates. Hopefully this message has been seen in all points in between!

I’ve got my memory verse for this week. See also Psalm 66:16.

Proclaiming the gospel from all angles. I admire this driver’s conviction. I didn’t see anyone inside, and if they were napping in the sleeper I hardly wanted to be the one to interrupt. In fact, I’m going to have a nap of my own once I finish typing this. My two precious little tow-headed boys are already sawing logs, and it’s like sweet music to my ears on the baby monitor.

This is the first thing you see when this truck approaches, you can’t miss it on the side as it goes by, and it’s the big rig’s parting words as well. Amen, brother…Amen.

Wednesday night sunset

Posted on by
Reply

I don’t get to chase many sunsets anymore these days…but here’s one, taken from a unique vantage point north of Bismarck. I’m not saying where. I was pleased to find the horizon clear this evening when I set out, and the parting clouds made for some interesting beams of light and shadows in the sky above!

Why so many photos? Because it’s big, and it’s busted

Posted on by
Reply

If this cow could talk, he’d say “at least my windmill works…” and then he’d be given his own daytime talk show.

The reason he’d be cracking wise is because the wind turbine standing behind him has apparently suffered some delamination on one of its blades. Owie.

Too bad they don’t make two-story “Out of Order” signs. You can see this damage all the way from Highway 83. I’d hoped to get a closer photo of this, but the access road is blocked with red DANGER tape and No Trespassing signs. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I honor those signs. It’s not just the law, it’s respectful of other people’s property.

The sky went through a lot of changes while I was up on the wind farm. It went from rain to nasty clouds to deep blue skies to multiple colors as the sun began to approach the horizon.

I used a polarizer to bring out detail in the sky. The results vary depending on your angle from your light source, in my case the sun. Thus I get a lighter shade of blue in the sky in this shot, as the sun was directly behind me.

It would have been interesting to see exactly how and when this blade failed. I bet it was a spectacular sight! If I were to offer a layman’s opinion, I’d guess that it happened while the turbine was stationary; otherwise it looks like the delaminated blade would have likely torn right off. In this case, it merely split. It may not have been pointing up at the time; the weight distribution of the blades was altered when it collapsed, causing the intact blades to balance toward the bottom.

I was really excited to get out tonight. I got to hang out with a friend who went with me, I got to see the clouds roll away and a very nice (albeit chilly) June evening take shape. I even got to do some running around with the camera after leaving the wind farm…but those photos will have to be posted later.

Welcome to my playground

Posted on by
Reply

Some of my best photos come from poking around obscure gravel roads around Bismarck and Mandan. I grew up near some of these roads, so I’ve always had a fondness of poking around on ’em to see what I can see. That’s how I find some of the neatest old farmsteads, those ubiquitous windmills I like so much, and an occasional wellhead sticking up out in the middle of an otherwise nondescript field. My favorite roads are the ones marked “MINIMUM MAINTENANCE ROAD.” How inviting.

My weapon of choice, once it’s warm out. This is from last Thursday, which was in fact a beautiful day to be on two wheels. Note the GPS mounted on the handlebar, so I can mark interesting photo locations. I was able to mark a couple that will really be neat once the crops get a little taller. Plus I’m able to rip it up a little, and satisfy my urge to ride as well as to play with my camera. I’ve only been exploring photography since 2005, but I’ve been riding since I was four or five years old. To combine the two is joy indeed.

I love shots like this, with the combination of blue and green. I also like charming rural shots. Thus my “Fallen Farms” series of photos, for example. I don’t often have the opportunity (or patience) for many wildlife shots, but I’ve had a knack for finding a variety of scenic opportunities.

This week looks like a wash for photography or motorcycling, with a cold and wet forecast. No matter, I got plenty of neat shots last week. We’ve still got a little bit more summer left…some would jokingly say at least two weeks’ worth! When the weather cooperates, I’ll either be out in my truck or sliding two knobby tires around those gravelly corners, looking for more of those North Dakota scenes I love so much.

“Road to Nowhere” redux

Posted on by
Reply

While out on the motorcycle the other night I came across Sandy River Drive, which reminded me of this post from July of last year. I hope you enjoy it, and take the opportunity to visit this marker!

While heading down to the Burnt Creek dock with my boys, I took the scenic route down Sandy River Drive. It’s one of my favorite roads because it’s narrow, straight, canopied by trees, and I have several friends who live along it. Just before I headed north to the boat dock, however, I saw this new item.

Marking “The Road to Nowhere”, this marker was obviously put up by someone who got a raw deal. In case you have a bad monitor, let me go ahead and quote it:

“Until 2006 the road to the west of this site contained 22 giant cottonwoods, oaks and ash trees – and two private roads maintained by residents of this area.

This marker is dedicated to the public officials who deemed “we’re from the government and we’re here to help” – even though the residents of the area didn’t want the trees removed, their roads destroyed, and the new road built.”


 

As usual, I proofread everything I read, and something caught my eye. If I’m right, “Pactas” should actually read “Pacta” as it’s the plural of the Latin word “pactum.” It means an agreement, contract, covenant, or treaty. The full translation of this little dictum is essentially “Agreements should be honored.” If so, all those years of high school and college Latin finally paid off. The dedication itself speaks for itself…just think the Democrats want the government to be in charge of our health care, too!

The road really DOES go nowhere, by the way. I went to the end of the road so I’d have room to turn our carbon-belching SUV around, but not until after I poked my head through the moon roof to take this shot of our tax dollars at work.

If you’d like to find this marker and enjoy the picnic table, you can take River Road north from Pioneer Park, then turn left and head west on Sandy River Drive until you spot the marker on your left. Its GPS coordinates are 46 deg 51.164 minutes North, 100 deg 51.237 minutes West. If you find out who placed the marker here (it ain’t hard to figure out), tell them I sent you.

River Road, that FMR sign, tales of a Dakota pilot…oh yeah, and lots of frogs

Posted on by
Reply

If you’ve spent any significant time on River Road, and I’m not alone in saying I have, you’ve probably seen this sign with FMR on it. The sign and buildings nearby sit just north of Pioneer Park. As luck would have it, there’s a story behind it.

If you’ve been around Bismarck for twenty years or longer, you probably remember an older fella that used to drive around in these really cool little “Prince” automobiles. Actually, I think there may have been two such guys, since one lived near my south of Mandan as well. I was recently told that the other such man was none other than Fred Max Roberts, who at one time lived where the FMR sign still stands. Aha! But who was Fred Max Roberts? It turns out he had a story (or several) to tell.

Fred Max Roberts, Jr. was the first man to use the field now known as Bismarck Municipal Airport as an airfield. He started flying in the 1920s and had quite a few stories to tell. His son, Fred Marke Roberts, compiled some of those stories into the book you see above: “Tales of a Dakota Pilot: The Way It Was 1929-1937.” I have an autographed copy in front of me as I type this. In addition to stories and log book entries, the book also contains photos and scans of flyers for North Dakota air shows. Quite cool.

Fred Marke Roberts was born in 1931, and I’m not sure if he’s around any more. The book indicates it was published by “fmROBERTS Enterprises” out of Dana Point, California. It is available online if you’re an aviation enthusiast and don’t already own a copy. Its ISBN number is 0-912746-09-2. Here’s a link to more information.

Now when you drive past those brick buildings and that old FMR sign along River Road, you’ll have a little bit more background!

By the way, I was out on that old River Road last night and was amazed at how loud all the frogs were! Since I keep a handheld MP3 recorder in my camera bag, I decided to pull over and enjoy the sounds of nature. Click here for a brief MP3 of nature’s music along one of Bismarck’s finest and most scenic roads.