Relative Something

*this* John W. Hays' take on things and experiences

Archive for the ‘Images Captured’ Category

Lingering

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Words on Images

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Written by johnwhays

September 14, 2026 at 6:00 am

Happily Home

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Gee, but it’s good to be back home. First of all, our dew point temperature is significantly lower than it was in Missouri. It actually feels like September here, with the cool evening, warm afternoon, brisk wind, and lowering angle of sunlight yesterday creating a distinct feeling of autumn. The rain that fell here while I was riding the Katy Trail has greened things up considerably.

Cyndie captured this gorgeous shot of the horses backlit by the twilight sky.

Now that’s a field that looks worth grazing.

I spotted one of her sunflowers with an echo of the actual sun in the background.

The wind picked up significantly in the afternoon while I was mowing. The north loop trail was clear when I gave it a clean cut, but after lunch, I found it blocked by a fallen tree.

It was a dead pine tree that we had let a grapevine climb, so no big loss as far as we are concerned.

Sometimes, the beauty of Wintervale causes me to question why I ever leave.

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Written by johnwhays

September 12, 2026 at 8:30 am

Late

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Words on Images

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*This is the second time I have used “Last” for a title on this blog. Click HERE to see the first time.

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Written by johnwhays

September 2, 2026 at 6:00 am

Gradient

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Words on Images

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Written by johnwhays

August 21, 2026 at 6:00 am

Attention

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Words on Images

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Written by johnwhays

July 20, 2026 at 6:00 am

Postcard Message

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Having a wonderful time!

Wish you were here!

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Written by johnwhays

July 11, 2026 at 8:20 am

Four Versions

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Here are four versions of images I captured of the surface of our lake in the order they were taken:

Take from them what you will…

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Written by johnwhays

July 10, 2026 at 6:00 am

Plugging Away

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It was a calm day at the lake place yesterday. Since it was an off day for the World Cup, I made a concerted effort to get out and walk the grounds after watching the 5th Stage of the Tour de France. Later today, the tourney resumes with the first of the quarter-final matches kicking off. After watching the majority of the competition to reach this point, I feel compelled not to miss any of the remaining matches. I will keep plugging away at consuming the riches of spectator sports available to me.

That continues a frustratingly large number of hours in front of a television, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for entertainment’s sake. My days back on a lawn tractor will return soon enough. I’m trying not to think about how much horse manure is accumulating in the compost area that will need tending.

My survey of the grounds provided an opportunity to snap a few creative photos and witness the evidence in the gravel driveway that the storm that raged overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday created a bit of a flash flood. A significant amount of sand and gravel was removed along one slope of the driveway and poured down into the lagoon, leaving the water looking like a milky coffee drink.

The water at the beach remained clear and inviting, making for a perfect, soothing soak as the afternoon drew to a close.

A swim felt ideal after digging into a messy chore I’d been putting off since we arrived last Friday. There was a firewood storage box located on the upper deck of the house that was far from watertight. The dregs of firewood on the bottom were soaked and rotting. The plywood bottom of the box was rotting, too.

Unfortunately, that led to the boards of the deck underneath it rotting. When I looked in on it when we first got up here, I saw there was a hornets’ nest being built under the lid. It took me a few days to get around to dealing with that. Cyndie and I finally sprayed it on Tuesday night, and yesterday, I started scooping out the mess of decaying, soaked firewood left in the bottom. That process involved several trips down from the deck to dump the rotting gunk and felt an awful lot like plugging away toward accomplishing a task.

When I had the box emptied, I enlisted the help of neighbors to carry the box off the deck to a spot where I plan to unceremoniously deconstruct it. I suspect the old firewood box will become fuel for future outdoor campfires, that is, the parts that aren’t soaked and rotting, anyway.

The moral of today’s story: Water erodes gravel driveways and rots any and all wood with relentless tenacity. To avoid it, enact routine preventive measures.

You know, keep plugging away at it.

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Written by johnwhays

July 9, 2026 at 6:00 am

Hiding

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Written by johnwhays

July 3, 2026 at 6:00 am

Lightness

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Words on Images

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Written by johnwhays

June 9, 2026 at 6:00 am