Ruminator

Photo by: Tim Bindner Today’s post is not meant as judgmental. Only an observation. I will also leave you with a challenge at the end. This past Sunday we had brunch with Marcie’s family for his birthday, then loaded up some furniture from Marcie’s parent’s house and had it delivered/carried into our house. A few hours later, we dropped off something for our neighbors, had a pleasant visit, then went to dinner. When we got home around 6:30pm Marcie and I grabber our waters, went out the backdoor and sat on the patio. The weather was in the mid-70s and there was a slight breeze. On the way home from dinner, I had mentioned that our neighbors (who we had just visited) along with my sister and her sister had to always be doing something and busy. They are not alone. We live in this fast food culture where being busy and always running or doing something is the standard. As a society, we are almost discouraged from just sitting doing nothing (unless you are meditating). Today Marcie a...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Marcie and I took a trip yesterday to Nashville, Indiana . It felt strange to not have any pressure to be home. We grabbed our water bottles, snacks, my camera bag, and headed out around 8:30am. Our plan was to drive 98 miles to Nashville. The weather was already in the upper 60s so the sunroof was open and windows were cracked. We headed up interstate 65 passing by small towns and eventually along the John Mellencamp Way past his home town and current residence of Seymore, Indiana. Traveling this route, we passed by large farms and huge open fields as the sunlight filled our vehicle. The open flat fields of Indiana provide such beautiful views. I had no pressure to get there at a certain time, so I set the cruise control at 74mph. It was obviously slower than the many cars than zipped by us along the route. Marcie and I talked, listened to music, but mostly sat in silence, looking out and enjoying the beauty of Indiana. Ironically passing by Seymore, a John Melle...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Today I want to talk about the picture displayed above. Yes, this is a blog about photography, and I know many of you will tune out, but this is about why I took the picture, not the technical aspects of it. As I have lived in my small town for 9 years, I take the same routes when I go to other towns. Some of this is by choice, some of it is because of limitations of lack or roads. I have, however, learned as a photographer to learn to look for things. On a busy road (busy for the country) name Highway 62. This two-lane road is also known as The Ohio River Scenic Byway. It begins in Georgetown, Indiana and travels through small towns like Lanesville, Corydon, Edwardsville, Leavenworth and a few others. This road has new houses, old houses, farmland, old barns and, as mentioned, small towns along the route. As a photographer, I am always looking for things that interest me to shoot. The shot above is one I have been wanting to take for years. Sunday, Marcie needed ...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Today I returned to a familiar trail for a solo hike. Little did I know I would experience multiple emotional seasons in a 90 minute span. I arrived and parked at the campground visitor parking lot of O’Bannon Woods State Park. I unloaded, grabbed my gear and made my way toward the trailhead of Rocky Ridge Trail. The air temperature was 30 degrees. My lungs filled with the cool air, campfire smoke and my ears were filled with the sounds of barking dogs. They were not barking at me. I made my way past the campers and saw a few folks sitting outside, all bundled up, looking for warmth from the fire. Some acknowledged me, others did not. I reached the trailhead and began the path. I cautiously watched my feet as the large exposed tree roots crossing the path were ever so eager to trip me up. None did. About 300 yards down the path, I felt more stable in my gait and looked up to see a couple huddled by a campfire outside their camper. She was bundled up and I could no...