Whew!  This week was a challenge…I had a clear idea of what I wanted to photograph, but between prior commitments and bad weather it never materialized.  My “cheat” was to abandon my self imposed horse requirement and pull from the archives, but even that has proven difficult due to some memory glitches with my computer, who is not presently very happy with me…  Hope you appreciate what I was able to pull out 11th hour…

This photo was taken on a trip to Alaska several years ago.

This photo of the South African flag was taken at the jail on Robbin Island, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was housed for many years.

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

This week’s topic is “Eyes” and if you’re a regular reader, you know how fond of this topic I am!

Tiny's beautiful eye

My cousin John's dog, Kodi, waiting for visitors

This sheep resides in Western Pennsylvania at Round Hill Park.

 Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

This week’s challenge is to photograph things that start with the letter “B” and I could have gone forever with this one!  Just a few of my many selections…..

A water bucket waiting to be scrubbed

A brush and a bottle of fly spray

Bridles...well, technically headstalls, but I loved the photo

A braided tail

Bits for sale at the tack store

A pair of boots just waiting for a rider

 Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

Some commonly seen controls in the barn…

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

This week’s challenge is to photograph barns.  Here is my contribution…

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge was a Potluck:  the only instructions were to shoot something fun and interesting.  So here we go!

This shot is one I’d taken for last week’s challenge titled “Hands.”   Unfortunately, trip preparations got in the way and I just didn’t get time to post it before I left for Columbus. 

Grady and his friend Skeeter are great beggars!

I love this shot of Tiny under the arena spotlights

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is called “Textures.”  Hope you enjoy my selections!

One of the most familiar and comforting textures of the horse world: a bale of hay.

Intricate knots in a rope cross tie.

The well-worn leather of a favorite headstall

Woven western saddlepads come in a variety of colors and patterns.

The leather of a broken-in saddle molds to the rider perfectly.

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

I had a great time selecting my photos for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge.  Although I only participated once in 2009, I had several photos that I absolutely loved so I chose from those!  I have to admit, I cheated a bit – I just couldn’t narrow it down further than this.  Hope you enjoy!

I chose this photo of Tiny’s eye because it signifies so much to me.  When I look into her eyes, I see her soul and it reminds me why I love her so much.  Plus, in my opinion she has the most amazingly beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen on a horse.  I guess I’m biased though!

This photo was taken on one of our many trail rides.  I love the way it captures the moment of connection between Tiny and that cow, just that silent acknowledgement of each other’s presence.

This photo was my first foray into the world of photo editing.  I took this photo of Abby one day at the barn and I loved the way the light played off her form.  With a few editing lessons from my artist buddy Luke, I was able to enhance that contrast even more.  Although this photo might not have the best composition, it entrances me every time I look at it.  It inspires me to improve my photography AND my editing skills!

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

For a long time now, I’ve been watching the blogs participating in the Sunday Stills challenges.  I’ve been itching to put my own two cents in, but just haven’t gotten around to doing so.  Finally, here is my entry for the last Sunday Stills of 2009:  Odds and Ends… from around the barn.

Chomping at the bit

Tiny's breastplate

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.