Cruise control on…turbo diesel whistling…thoughts of the trip echoing in my mind, yeah there\’s room for a good echo in there.

Location: Highway 81, Virginia.

Destination: The “Real” world, as it\’s sometimes called.

My little one was just 12 days old when we had left home. We covered 4,500 miles with three young children, one fresh from God\’s design mold. We had wanted to get another brief taste of full-time RVing…”Mission Accomplished”…and I day dreamt of one day spending months at a time on the road.

Then it happened…

My vision of bliss was suddenly burst like an over-filled dime store balloon. I snapped to reality as the operator of the Peterbuilt next to us gripped and ripped the pull cord of his air horn…not letting go for what seemed like minutes rather than seconds. My eyes widened, ears twinged, and knuckles whitened as he yanked the “let er rip” cord a few more times.

“What the *#%@ is his problem?!!”…I focused on the lines of the road…quickly making sure I was not crowding him.

The truck right in front of him played the same tune as we passed. I said to my wife, “We must have a tire going down.” I checked the side view mirrors for possible debris from a down trailer tire, and another truck driver tested the limits of his pull cord.

That\’s when I saw him:

He was waving out the window in a crazy, limp wristed fashion…hands flopping loosely at the end of his arms. His tongue was out, on his head was a recently used up cracker box…and he was making madman-like faces at the truckers as we passed.

I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. We all laughed like crazy. My wife also reminded us that he was indeed my son.

What at my first thought seemed like an act of “Road Rage” was in fact comic relief…a reaction to my four-year-old son, and his punch drunk imagination. A young boy\’s imagination fueled even further by many hours on the road.

My son\’s “Road Relief” campaign continued for many more miles that afternoon…inducing smiles, laughter, and musical horns as we made our way home.

I hope his photo makes you smile, maybe even laugh as well.

And yes…we at the “Fishing With Dad” house…we are all a bit crazy

Dennis – Fishing With Dad

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: deer hunting, general outdoors, mind, operator, peterbuilt, photo, played-the-same, pull, ripped-the-pull, road, trip

If you live in Northwest Indiana I don\’t think this photo needs any explanation.  But I don\’t think it\’s matters whether you\’re from the area are not.  Kind of like the People of Walmart site.  We all get it.  In fact, I had a People of Walmart photo opportunity on Saturday.  But I was afraid she\’d kick my cupcakes had I taken her picture.

I\’m about to go on vacation and I can\’t have a chunk of my hair missing.

I was minding my own business while stopped at a stop light and as I casually glanced over to the car next to me … well … oh … dear … bones.

And I thought to myself…

I wonder if his car bounces up and down?

Please start bouncing up and down.

But it didn\’t.

How do you have a pimped out ride like that and it doesn\’t bounce up and down? Darn him.

Have a good day all … fo shizzle

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: cupcakes-had, deer hunting, matters-whether, photo, picture, pimped-out-ride, start-bouncing, the-original, walmart

Stacey Huston says ‘look out your window\’

We all enjoy venturing out into nature, if for nothing more than to recharge our souls. Nature has a way, if you are willing to put aside the pettiness of life, of putting life into perspective. She shows us the simple little things in life and lays them all out for each to discover.

If you are willing to look and listen, nature has the answer to most any problem. I hear people tell me all the time that if they had my camera, or my lens, or if they lived where I do, then they would be able to take good photos too. However, it honestly isn\’t the equipment you use; cameras and lenses are only tools, even though I am pretty proud and protective of my camera. It is all in how you choose to look at life. You do not have to have the most expensive camera, and I can tell you from experience, if you enjoy wildlife photography, you will NEVER have a camera with a good enough zoom. Nature still exists, and will always do the coolest things just outside of your “zoom” range – that is part of the beauty of nature and my draw to photography. There are so many cool and wonderful things, and the ones that I am allowed to capture and share with the world are each a special gift to me. As for where I live, well it is a pretty amazing place, but there is beauty everywhere – if you choose to look for it, you will find it.

People, for the most part, tend to get stuck in the rut of life and with the state of our economy, it may only get tougher for those who have forgotten how to look and see the beauty that is all around them.

Look out your window; look in your own back yard. I would say that nature is there with all her glory and wonder, just waiting for you to discover the little treasures that she has placed there. Just for you, to remind you of what is truly important. Don\’t overlook or take for granted what nature has to offer. In fact, my most valued gifts are the ones I almost took for granted, because I look out my window, or walk by them every day.

The mule deer cross through my yard everyday, morning and night. I know they are coming and will often find myself watching for them, but I very seldom stop to truly appreciate the beauty that they bring to my world each time they do. But on this evening, when I looked out my window, I saw things in a different light, as the sun\’s light drained from the world that surrounded me, and the cool evening turned the air blue and cast dark shadows over the landscape. I was reminded once again that beauty isn\’t only found by searching, going miles into the woods, or by spending thousands of dollars on expensive equipment and gas. Beauty is and has always been right in front of you … all you have to do is look.

To take a photo in low light it is important to eliminate camera shake as much as possible, and most photographers suggest using a tripod and remote shutter release to accomplish this task. With this shot, though, I did not have much time to think the shot through before the buck disappeared over the rise, or the light left completely, so I quickly grabbed my camera, slipped out on the deck and braced the camera in the corner, where our railing and porch post come together. I waited until the deer sky-lined, and took the photo, leaving the flash on for a faster shutter speed. Since he was walking away from me there was no eye shine. A little contrast adjustment and saturation removed more of the detail, leaving this silhouette photo. (Exposure 1/100 F6.3 at 400mm ISO400)

~Stacey Huston

Stacey Huston is an outdoorswoman to the core, and would much rather spend time in the high country than in the local shopping mall, and feels more at home in heavy timber than in a salon. She is an accomplished photographer and is the staff photographer for Journey With Red Hawk T.V. series. Stacey is also a licensed falconer and raptor rehabilitation volunteer, helping injured raptors to once again soar on open skies. She      resides with her husband of 18 years and their two boys in the mountains of western Wyoming. To see her photography, go to http://afocusinthewild.blogspot.com/

© 2010, womensoutdoornews.com. All rights reserved. January 10, 2010 by Women\’s Outdoor News

See the original article at TeamHuntress.com

Tags: adventure, beauty, camera, landscape, mountains, photo, photography, stacey-huston, time