Weekly Header Challenge -- Unexpected Photo Result

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Unexpected Photo Result

Chosen by Tom.

I really struggled with this week's theme, but I finally decided to go through my football images and see if there were any I could use.  I was the team photographer for the Crossroads Crusaders, a traveling homeschool football team, and I figured I could find some unexpected results in the gobs of pictures I took.  I decided on my header by way of this story:

We were down near St. Louis for a game against another homeschool team, the Panthers, a few weeks ago.  We were really beating them, too, so the guys were in high spirits.  At halftime, they grouped in the end zone to rest (it was in the 80s, so very hot for them wearing all their gear) before the second half began.  I started snapping candids of the players, who were laughing, smiling, and generally having a good time together.  Here are some shots I got...

Then I came across Marcello, whom the kids call Bus--because when you run into him, it's like running into a bus:  you just fall down.  And you don't want him falling on you, either.  He knew I was aiming the lens at him (he told me later), so he made a face.  This is what I found when I downloaded all the images from the game:

My full header image.

I edited it with the words, "But Coach, this IS my game face!" and put it on Facebook, where it became an instant hit with all his teammates and friends.  Glad I could help him out!  When I processed all the images, I found that Marcello had made a face every single time I aimed the camera at him!  Here are the rest of his faces.

To be fair, Marcello is a super nice guy, so in his honor, here he is leading his team out of the locker room at their homecoming game.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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365 Project -- #267-273

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

September 24 - September 30

After I nearly "crashed and burned" with the previous week's pictures--it was a tough week in almost every way you can imagine--I believe I have made a comeback with this week's photos.  :)

All of my featured images are from over the September 24-25 weekend, which consisted of two very busy and exhausting days (unfortunately fitting with the weekdays prior).  However, both days held a good measure of relaxation and just plain fun.  I'm glad the Lord ordered those days, hectic though they were, for me.

I also have a THEME for my photos!  It is... drum roll...

Picking, and Picking

I begin with our apple-picking trip to Stovers-U-Pick in Berrien Springs, Michigan, about 1 1/2 hours away from home.  Fernando stayed home to get Danny to his college class, and I drove Joseph, Jacob, and Thomas up for the day.  One of my "borrowed" daughters, Gabrielle, shared our trip.  (Car conversation was so much more interesting!)

Several families from church came, and we ended up spending most of the day with Gabrielle and one of the families.  Below is the barn at Stovers.

[267] -- Stovers

Their orchard is laid out nicely, with wooden signs marking each different apple variety.  Apple trees have such interesting shapes.

[268] -- Jonathon apple tree

Well, it rained all morning while we were picking--of course, it cleared up just as we were getting ready to leave!  Below is what I saw all over the orchard--legs!  (Those are my guys picking Northern Spy apples, yum.)

[269] -- Rainy day picking

What a pretty sight all those apple trees were!

[270] -- Ground cover

Of course I brought my complete set of camera equipment, which meant a trip out in the drizzle with my macro lens.

[271] -- Ripe for the picking

Then, on Sunday evening, Jacob and I met my dad and mom at an area church for some picking of a different kind.  The Wintons were appearing in concert; they are a Christian bluegrass group, a father and his two sons.  Simply put, they are amazing.  Since I grew up on bluegrass and country, their music melted my heart and I felt I had come home.  Although I was exhausted, I had a foot-stompin' good time.

Here is a picture just for your reference, so you know what they look like:

The Wintons

Below, one of the brothers (Cody) plays the dobro.

[272] -- Playing the dobro

And below is Jesse, who won the California state picking tournament in both 2010 and 2011.  He and Cody played their "version" of Dueling Banjos toward the end of the concert, and I had a hard time trying to watch their fingers fly over the strings!  You can see the blurry motion of Jesse's hand.

[273] -- Fastest picker in the West

So, the weekend was filled with picking--apples and guitars (thankfully, no noses).  I hope you had a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing what you've been up to.  As a side note, I will be out of town later this week, and will post images very late again next week.  But I promise I will have some beautiful images--I know this in advance!  (Um, that would be "Lord willing...!")


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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A Fruit not Forbidden

Honey Hill Orchards

Jonathan and Cortland apple trees

 

 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,

and that is was a delight to the eyes,

and that the tree was desirable to make one wise,

she took from its fruit and ate;

and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:6 nasb

Somewhere in history, an artist depicted the above scene in this way:  Eve (head shot only, of course) stands in front of an exquisite apple tree and marvels at its beauty.  Delight shines in her eyes as she reaches out to brush her fingertips along an apple, and a slight smile appears as she anticipates that this fruit will taste wonderful.  And beholding the incredible radiance of this tree, Eve contemplates that she surely will become wise by eating the delectable fruit.

Apple tree at Honey Hill Orchard

Maybe that first artist used an apple tree for its red symbolism.  Red is the color of blood, and symbolic for sin--we see that in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.  A cloud of green leaves dotted with bright, inviting spots of red would certainly reflect the delight Eve beheld in the tree in Eden.  Apples have been placed in Eve's hand from that first artist's rendition through today's descriptions.

I can happily say with utter confidence that the Bible doesn't state which fruit Eve ate.  Someone simply took a guess.  Which means the apple is just another fruit which happens to be my favorite.  :)

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

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