1 Adventure

The Wax Children Are Gonna Get Ya!

I admit the title of the post is bit odd. I thought it rather funny so I just went with it. How often do you see wax children?!? So you better watch out they just might get you in your sleep.

Actually the story behind this picture is quite a bit more somber and sad. Honestly I like this picture a lot and makes me happy, but the reality is that these wax statues of children are from Fatima, Portugal, one of the few Marion apparitions sites in the world. Mary appeared to a group of children back in the early 20th century. People come to these places to pray, as tourists, priests, nuns, children, animals, etc.. They are really remarkable places truly. I don't think I have anything to compare these places to. People usually come to these places to pray to Mary to ask Jesus for help from aliments, problems in life/world, etc.. People who have lost children or wish to dedicate a statue to a love one can buy these and get them blessed. They are then left to melt with the candles. (I think I didn't see any melting when I was there).

Below is a picture of lesser aliments, such as a sickness of the body, broken arm, etc.. Its very similar to the traditions of Mexico and South American in which people leave something/request something away that represents their pain as a prayer to God.

[Bizarre] Fighting Rooster - Backyard Taxidermy in Portugal

Bizarre post! Okay this is just plain strange. I don't think I have ever seen a rooster like this in all my life. I am sure they exist in some back alley illegal fighting cock pit with lots of lingering hazy smoke and rough looking people, but to see one stuffed like this! Some guy must of liked his chicken a lot to have it stuffed and preserved forever.

This picture was taken in Fatima, Portugal. We were visiting some sites in the area and our bus parked behind this families home off the way. They had a lot of dirty chickens running around scratching at the dirt and this little back yard room with all these dead animals. Right in the front this rooster was hanging from a string. It seemed really bad, like dead something. A few friends walked in, but I only went half and started snapping picture. There were some stuffed cats, snakes, and a strange cat like animal I don't even know how to describe (you can kinda see it in the background). Look at those claws on that rooster! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to piss off this chicken.

I couldn't find any information about cockfighting in Portugal, but I do recall hearing that it happens regularly as a sport in those countries. Everywhere in Portugal you go, there are little "roosters" on all sorts of trinkets they sell to tourists. The "rooster" has become a recognized symbol of Portugal. In Portuguese, a rooster is known as "Có có ró có" or "o galo de Barcelos".

Why is it such a symbol? The legend goes something like this:

"The legend of the Barcelos cockerel goes back to the 13th Century. The legend says that a rich man made a big party. When the party was over, the rich man noticed that his sterling cutlery was stolen by a guest. He accused a pilgrim and let him go to court. After appealing to Our Lady and Saint James the Great he protested his innocence, but the judge didn't believe him. The judge was about to eat a roasted cock and the pilgrim said: If I am innocent, this cock will crow three times. When the pilgrim was about to be hanged, the cock got up from the plate and crowed three times. The judge released the pilgrim. The story ends a few years later when the pilgrim returned and made a statue over the event. Since then, brightly painted ceramic cockerels are sold throughout Portugal as symbols of good luck." Source: Wikipedia

I heard this same story in Portugal but it had more details. Like for example the pilgram went to the rich man's party to see his lover, a beautiful girl that was to be wed to the rich man. The man, was also with his father at the time he went to the party.

Texas Sunset

Okay, texas sunset photos are a dime a dozen, but I couldn't resist posting this one. While it doesn't have the horizon in the distance, the texture on these clouds (top middle) I saw this evening were incredible. It was all right over me and slowly changed color over 15 minutes. Felt like I could reach out and grab a cottonball. I don't have a view of the horizon from the west of my house. While not conducive for sunsets, it does help for reverse sunsets, (light illuminating the eastern clouds) or getting the feeling like its right over your head and your could touch it because you can't see where it comes from. You just see if over head. Interesting effect.

While I am talking sunsets, here is a photo I took this weekend from my friend Rebecca's wedding. They had the wedding on Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo, and the whole wedding was simply beautiful. One of the nicest, most comfortable wedding I have been to in a long time. We should all get married on a dock on the lake at sunset. I like this picture better than the one above. The altar with crystal chandelier is a nice touch.

Dr. Mary Davis - Napa Chiropractic - Portrait Photography

Click here to visit Napa Family Chiropractic or call (707) 224-4160 to speak to Dr. Mary.

Thought this was a good idea to switch up some of the photos and post a portrait shot. I typically don't do staged portrait shots of people, I find it more fun to get a picture when they are not expecting it or its not being paid for. Anyway, this picture was published with permission and is of a family member who is amazing Chiropractic doctor in Napa, California. She'll keep you straight. ;-) So naturally I am biased to publishing photos from family. Who isn't, you love them. I was kidding her that this shot was so good that she wasn't going to get more patients, she was going to get more dates. haha. Any way, I liked this image, the natural background made the picture trusting and comfortable and the black dress pops out immediately at you. Its centered and interesting to look at. It kinda does have the glamour shot ambiance with the frosted light through the hair. Ohhh... the days back when glamour shots were popular, what were people thinking. So that is one of my only criticism's of the photo. It could become blown out with too much light. It's something the photographer could not have helped as I have trouble with this in my photography as well. Background is a bit busy, but not so much as its an attractive setting. Overall A+.

If you are interested in chiropractic services in Napa Valley, California. Here is the business information for Napa Family Chiropractic.

Some good portrait photography resources:
Portrait Photography Tips
People in Portrait Photography (some great tips in here)
Shooting groups of People

Greyhound Peering Out

Okay, I really like this picture. I don't care if you don't. LOL. I felt it was rather elegant and had an interesting perspective and equaled composition. Don't let this big greyhound fool you though. It was barking it's pretty little head off at me while I was taking it picture. It probably would have jumped over the ledge and eaten me if it could. Remarkably I captured one of its quiet moments in between its fits of down right hysteria. This was taken in Lourdes, France with a Canon EOS xTi. I don't remember the shutter or aperture.

Beggar at St. Teresa's Chapel in Avila

Another image from a very recent trip to Spain. This woman beggar was so forlorn that it was hard not to resist giving her a euro for her time. These people are all over Spain in front of many of the chapels, cathedrals, and other pilgrimage sites. It's so common that those on religious pilgrimage and regular tourists should expect it. Another example of a homeless man from a photo I took in Merida, Mexico. However in Mexico, they seem a bit more worse for wear and very poor. Spain has very clean beggars or people who actively worked in groups to panhandle tourists. The tour guides tell everyone specifically to not give money to these people as it become a big problem of people depending on work like this. It similar to not overtipping waiters, taxi drivers, guides, etc.. as they will expect more and more as time goes by. Who doesn't like a big tip though.

The place where this was taken was in Avila, Spain. It's home to the revered mystic St. Teresa, who reformed the Carmelite Order in the 16th Century. It's also home to the St. John of the Cross. One thing most people do not know about St. Teresa I learned is that she came from a noble family of Jewish family before converting to catholicism. I was never more moved and inspired by this saint's quest to bring people closed to Jesus by displaying such a level of piety and dedication in her belief. They told us the nun's used to sleep on wood blocks, go bear foot, had no outside connection with the world, and wear the most basic habits (dress). It's the same to this day. We did have the fortunate circumstance to actually meet a Carmelite nun who was in charge of all outside communication and run a small shop to raise money for the nuns. They only allow one nun this position. The rest of the convent has no outside connections.

I liked this image, even not as good as the one above. It was funny, this older woman came out of the church and just started shouting something to me in spanish that I didn't understand. All I understood was something about the church. So I think she was telling me church as starting. So I snapped a picture as she was talking. I was like a foot or two taller than her.

Baby Deer Pictures! - Whitetail Deer Drop Fawns This Spring in Texas

Wanted to show off what I discovered this morning. I woke up this morning and came into my kitchen and right out the window was this little baby deer fawn that was just sitting in the grassy cover. It looked a bit hot and I was unsure what to do at first. Its best to leave them alone as unless you see its mother dead, she will most likely come back. So taking the opportunity I grab my camera real quick and crept outside around the corner. I was able to get really close as you can see. I spooked it and it got up and ran off to the back into the trees. It was pretty funny actually as it wobbled and jumped over branches in order to get away.

I have been gone for about 4 days, so I think the mother dropped her fawn while I was gone and figured since there was no one around it be good to keep it in my backyard. Hopefully I won't scare them away. From past experience they usually stay pretty close to one area. Its possible the mother deer abandoned (she was a younger doe) the fawn, but I saw her later this afternoon munching on my plants in the front.