Polar Plunge.... Brrrrrrrrr!

Every winter there are some events here in Minnesota called "polar plunges".  We take a frozen lake, cut a big rectangle into it, and people jump into the freezing water.  I have never watched one of these events until this weekend.  

This weekend I stopped by the White Bear Lake Polar Bear Plunge.  There were so many people watching and the actual people who were plunging into the water were brought in by the busload.  There were more than 850 plungers this year who helped raise more than $149,000 for Special Olympics Minnesota.  It was a fun atmosphere and watching the people jump into the water made me smile.  It also made me think people are crazy.  :)

Learning Something New

So this has absolutely nothing to do with photography, but more with my Quest to continue to learn new things.  I have always had a desire to learn Archery.  This winter I decided that it was finally time to start.  I worked a third job on Sunday mornings and put every dime toward purchasing the best bow I could find that was made for female shooters.

I will be target shooting,  not animal shooting.  I realized right off that since I photograph animals there was no way in hell I could shoot one with an arrow.  Just ain't gonna happen.  I now own a Hoyt Vicxen beautiful white compound bow.  After I got the bow, I then purchased a Sure-Loc target sight and some good quality carbon arrows.

I have never shot a bow and arrow in my life until today.  Today I got up and decided today was the day to shoot my first arrow.  I went to Bwana's Archery where they have helped me every step of the way.  They have an indoor target range for practicing and league play.

All I can say is today was a good day.  I shot many arrows and had a great time.  I was surrounded by friendly people and great advice and am really looking forward to learning all I can about this great sport.

Barney

Here's Barney.  My friend Brenda's dog.  This past weekend I was in hermit mode where I hunker down in the house for 2 days in a sweatshirt and hat and just enjoy the fact that the cold January weather is keeping me inside and forcing me to relax.  Barney was spending the weekend since my friend Brenda was out of town.  After letting Barney outside to pee, I looked at him and decided to have a little impromptu photo session with him.  I filled my pocket with dog treats and grabbed the camera.  After 30 minutes of "come here Barney...", "sit Barney", "by the window Barney", "treat Barney?" and many of "oh for cryin' out loud Barney"... I finally got The Shot.  The way it made my friend Brenda smile today I decided it was worth every bead of sweat.  "Good dog Barney!"

Coon Rapids Dam

The Coon Rapids Dam has been one of my favorite places to go since I was a kid.  The Dam itself has quite a history but I won't get into that.  What I will get into is how I love to go there to just sit by the Mississippi River, to bike on the hidden paths in the deep woods, to shoot photos of wildlife I come across, and to go up on the bridge over the dam and watch the water as it turns from the most peaceful smoothness on one side of the dam to the most turbulent craziness on the other side.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz.  One of my photographer idols.  I love her photography and everything she stands for.  I was fortunate enough to attend a speaking engagement of Annie's a few years ago at a small bookstore in Minneapolis. I did not take many photos as my experience has led me to the fact that the more photos I take the less I remember about the actual event.  So I must have wanted to really remember this event because I only took a couple of photos.  The cool thing I like about this photograph is that it is taken as Annie is signing books for people, and the page she has open is the photo of her mom.  The title of the book she is signing is called "Women".  Annie and her mom.  Women.  Perfect photo.