Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. Nikon: Small World, Fluorescent Hand of a Madagascar Giant Day Gecko Wins 48th Annual Nikon Small World Photo Microscopy Competition, October 11, 2022.

~~~

Blaze
Branko Mededica
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
1 May 2023

Technical Details & Discussion

A started with Sunny 16 and moved the numbers from there.

Head – f/11.0, 1/160 sec., 60.0 mm, ISO 200.

Building – f/16.0, 1/125 sec., 26.0 mm, ISO 200.

Post-processing – cropping, watermark, & border.

I can’t – yet – deliberately create a striking photo. I took 65 photos and most of them are … blah. In focus. Centered. Backgrounds not too bad, although I need to get better about checking what is behind the subject. I figured, dragon statue? Cool. This will be a piece of cake. I tried close-ups, detail shots, reflections. Nothing went anywhere.

I said something similar about the dog show outing. “Nothing that wows me, although turned out better than I thought while I was snapping.” [At The Dog Show]

In this case, the photos turned out even less exciting than I thought they would. Ah well. Go somewhere? Check. Take photos? Check. Therefore success. I keep saying this, if only to remind myself.

Links

Branko Mededica: Blaze

Bham Now: Blaze means business. A sneak peek of the Blaze statue in front of the new UAB Collat School of Business building, Byington, 2019.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. To lighten the tone. An Alabama-run Facebook group. Not my thing, but glad folks are having fun. Elmore Autauga News: May Eason’s Beautiful Table Settings Conference Has Huge First Year In Wetumpka, Miller 2022. The Wetumpka Herald: Beautiful Table Settings is still growing, Williams 2023. “As the group has grown, Eason has added administrators to help monitor every post and comment to ensure the group stays true to its mission. She personally spends eight to 10 hours per day posting, commenting or monitoring the group.” Mobile Bay: Setting the Table with New Friends, Gentry 2021. I had no idea. Hat tip to M.

~~~

Well, that was not the most fun I’ve ever had at a lesson. Selfie because I was wasn’t on long enough to get an ears pic. New horse, so I figured I ride first and then do the photo shoot later.

Pffft.

I was told that Nila could mildly misbehave from time to time. So, when she fussed, I landed on her. She felt this was excessive and fussed about that. I could feel the whole thing starting to escalate. I asked Coach Courtney to grab the front end and then I hopped off.

Walked a bit. Got back on. With help from the ground team, managed to relax enough to get a decent walk. Asked for a trot. Back to square one. Enough of this.

The mare wasn’t being bad. I was not handling it well. I could have continued if I’d had to. Maybe. Wasn’t anybody gonna be happy about the result.

Mentally, I made a list of the bad rides I’d had with mares, and geldings who channel their inner mare, *coughMiltoncough*. Posting that is just adding negative energy to the universe. Instead here is a list of wonder mares.

Opinionated Jumper Mare, “She was so reliable, I remember coming out of a corner for a fence on the diagonal and knowing, with iron certainty, exactly where she was planning to put her feet 6 strides away.” [Bucket List – Accomplished]

Priney. A 13.2 pony. Most fun I ever had on cross-country. [Life is a Puzzle, photo]

Dottie [La Prima Rules]

Tuesday [Chestnut Mare Fanfare]

In each case, the lady in question was super-competent. All I had to do was be supportive & stay out of their way. “I was there to count the jump numbers and point out which one came next.” [Accomplished]

Overall, I get along less well with the average mare and sensitive geldings. I get along well with hardy mares and the average gelding. Basically, I’m out for any situation that calls for tact & subtlety. My instinctive response is not the correct one.

And then there was Sam, who would spook or bolt or fuss, and I would (metaphorically) yell at him to get over himself and he would say, ‘Okay, I’m good.’ I miss him. [Show Report]

Back to the lesson. Unhappy that I bailed. I wish I were a brilliant, adaptable rider, capable of getting along with any horse. It’s not clear that I ever am. Certainly not right now.

Onwards!
Katherine

|:|

~~~

-> !
🙂

Awareness of the outside world. So I guess the medical folks who are denying care based on religious principles did not grow up with the Parable of the Good Samaritan? The point of the story is that you don’t just get to help the people you like. Mentioned before; worth repeating. [A Good Enough Selection]

~~~

Virtual Tevis Cup 2023
100 Miles in 100 Days
19 April to 30 July

Rodney – 13 miles this week, 52 miles total
Milton – 13 miles this week, 48 miles total
Tues 9 May to Mon 15 May

Still plugging away, one mile at a time.

Up & At ‘Em

Horses continue to be good about working before breakfast. [Let The Morning Rides Begin]

Virtual Tevis Posts [Driving Milestone, Solidly in the 30s, Virtual Tevis 2023], [Archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. AL.com: AL.com wins two Pulitzer Prizes, one for local reporting, one for commentary, May. 08, 2023. Poynter: All roads lead to Alabama for the 2023 Pulitzers, Three winners, two finalists, by Jennifer Orsi, May 8, 2023.

~~~

In the spring, our weather is such that it is warm in the evening but cold(ish) by morning. Rodney would very much like someone come out in the middle of the night to dress him suitably.

Similarly, he would prefer to spend several hours after dinner in the stall, eating hay and basking in the Sharknado-free Milton-free zone. He’d like to be let out right around the time the temperature drops.

There is a competition record that would have made this possible for him.

Imagine the last 13 years … Let’s say he …

Won a year-end award at the Preliminary Level in eventing.

… AND …

Took me around a Grand Prix in show jumping, or better yet, won one. A small one would be okay, I’m not picky.

… AND …

Earned my USDF Bronze medal in dressage.

Or even, two out of three.

For that horse, I would spend their retirement getting up at 2 am every night to switch clothing and arrange accommodations.

As it is, he will have to settle for the standard care package.

A life of leisure comes at a price, Dude.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Happy Mother’s Day. Did you know the day was founded on principles of sanitation and of peace? National Women’s History Alliance: THE HISTORY OF MOTHER’S DAY.

~~~

My interpretation of the Unitarian Universalist rainbow of principles. These are directed towards kids. Adults like simple explanations as well. At least this one does. Also, I can’t resist a list.

RED – Respect each person.
ORANGE – Offer fairness and kindness to all.
YELLOW – Yearn to learn together.
GREEN – Grow by searching for what is true.
BLUE – Believe in yourself and your ideas.
INDIGO – Insist on a peaceful, fair, and free world.
VIOLET – Value our planet Earth.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson: Our Principles for Kids

Another example, with slightly different wording. Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church: Childrens’ Principles

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. LRK3DE: Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation Named Official Charity of 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™. Although press release is dated 2022, Grayson is still listed as Official Charity on 2023 Fact Sheet PDF.

~~~

An outline for a mystery trilogy, dreamt up after spending the weekend watching the the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Death In The Dressage Ring. Judge dies during Main Character’s dressage ride. The circumstances are complicated, so MC is drawn into investigation rather than being punted off to the side, as a member of the public would ordinarily be. MC may spend time as suspect.

Detective is female. (This becomes important later.) If a romance subplot is required, MC can become enchanted with another member of the investigating team, while Detective meetcutes a horseman. For a queer twist, arrange genders of supporting characters as required.

MC breaks the case by noticing judge’s schedule. A weird combination of locations and/or types of show. Why would they take position X at show Y when they are qualified to take position A at show B? A nuance that only someone who knows the show calendar would catch. Turns out judge was using cover of traveling to shows for nefarious plot purposes.

Corpse On Cross Country. Body is found days before big event. Arrange forensic details so that event is allowed to continue. Maybe body is found on adjacent land that was to be used for the day. After discovery, that loop is cut off & course is rerouted. For plot reasons, there is pressure to get things solved before event is over. Therefore, Detective asks MC to act as translator and tour guide for ins & outs of horse world. MC has job that makes her willing to take on danger of poking around a murder. Resolution of mystery is related to events in book one.

Showdown in Show Jumping. Detective starts taking riding lessons.

EITHER

Detective starts lessons strictly out of her own interest. Because of friendship with MC. Because of romance with X. Whatever. She hears things.

OR

The infiltration is deliberate. Deaths in books one & two point to larger criminal enterprise. Many, many people are tracing this organization from various angles. Detective is sent to take lessons because of her experience with horse world in previous cases, using above scenario as plausible explanation. No one expects much to come of it, but are chasing every option. Has to lie to MC &/or romantic interest as to reason for sudden interest in lessons? Romantic interest is a trainer him/herself?

Making plot choices. The second, undercover, version strikes me as more noir. Lots of gritty realism. Lots of emotional fallout from hidden motives. The first version has possibilities for ‘It’s all interconnected.’ Detective honestly and truly starts lessons because she’s curious, because she rode as a kid, because she needs to get out more, whatever. However, the villain assumes that Detective is closing in and this prompts haste and mistakes and ultimate leads to villain’s downfall.

In either case, Detective is only semi-undercover. She makes no secret of her job and she really does take the lessons. She hangs around. People start get used to seeing her. They start to treat her as just another rider at the barn. This is why detective is female. Easier to write her as friend of MC. Also, easier for her to merge into horse world and become just another anonymous amateur rider.

Plot shenanigans occur.

~~~ curtain ~~~

Screenshots taken 29 April 2023.

~~~

Free Fiction 4U. “Download Bold – The Eventing Series: A Prequel for FREE!” Natalie Keller Reinert: The Eventing Series, scroll down. You probably have to create an account. I have neither downloaded nor read. I was simply amazed to find free, eventing-specific fiction to offer you.

Onwards!
Katherine