The Captain, originally uploaded by Shirley Buxton.
After last week’s Wednesday night service, Jerry and I drove to Crestline, getting to bed around 2:00 am on Thursday. We were delighted that Melody, one of our neighbors here in Lake Havasu went with us. We spent a couple of cool, wonderful days with the thrust of our time–at least for Melody and me–being spent in scouting around the countryside experimenting with photography. We’re both enthusiastic amateurs. My favorite shot is this orange dragonfly. I love this picture. Click on it to go to Flickr where you can see a larger version and where you will observe his little “feet” clamped around the stick, and his “hands” clasping the “steering wheel.”
On our way home from Lake Gregory on Friday I spied these two little girls playing in the water. I checked with their dad and he 
said, “Sure you may take a picture of them.” The picture is not too good as I was standing above them, but it made me happy to see those children playing, probably with few cares in this world.
It’s summer. Relax, gad about, have fun…and for a few minutes or an hour or two, try to forget your troubles. Admire a dragonfly. Stop to watch little girls who play on the sandy shores of Lake Gregory…or on one of the ocean beaches, or a riverbank near you.
Edit: Wednesday evening Jay, take a look at these. I’m really wanting a good picture of one of these neon blue dragonflies, but so far I have not had a spectacular shot.
Just a fair shot in my opinion.
// <
Shirley Buxton 
10 replies on “Of Summertime, Dragonflies, and Little Girls”
Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away!!
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Great show of the red dragonfly! I am in beginning photography stages and have so far to go. What kind of camera do you use? Is it digital? Do you experiment often with manual settings?
Hi, Karen. I’ve enjoyed a little photography for years, but only in recent months have I become a little more serious about it. I have a Nikon D50, which is an entry level Nikon camera, but seems good enough for me. It is my first digital camera, and I love digital…especially the immediacy of it. I’m always so eager; as soon as I take a round of shots–I load them onto my computer.
I often use the aperture setting, and have done a little work with shutter speed and with full manual.
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Certainly not Shirley. They would simply notify me of their displeasure with my presence by dive bombing my head kamikazi style.
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I love those orange dragonflies. I spied one earlier today in our backyard. God has certainly created some colorful critters.
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Yep. That green one you posted looks much more like the little buggers I’m used to. Though I never seemed to care for them much at the time. I don’t think we have them where I live now.
Well, Jay. Were yours–your plain dragonflies–as talented as mine? Did they sport an acrobatic team for your enjoyment?
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OH NO!!! Alien Aerial Drones have invaded!!!! I must escape their mesmerizing beauty and get my tinfoil hat on before they control my mind!!! LOL
Great post Shirley!! It’s nice to see the different colors of dragonflies as the ones in Iowa that I have seen are much more bland in coloration.
Mike, I’m telling you the WEST has it! Even down to magnificent dragonflies. Nothing bland and simple for us; only the wild, woolly, wonderful, wilderness life. Suppose I must confess also to the wretched, wrecked, worried and wrathful among us.
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I just love those dragonflies. Are you really that close to them or do you have a professional camera to get such good close-up pictures? Keep taking pictures, you’re good at it.
Hey Linda. I just recalled that I once “borrowed” a dragonfly from you for a fiction piece (I never did finish 😦 )
These are beautiful, aren’t they. Those blue ones are rather plentiful but they flit around so much, I never could get one still long enough to take a good picture…except once down in the water where I got the ones I do have. Now, I’m kind of into photography lately, but I don’t quite see myself stretched out flat on the sand peering eye to eye with a dragonfly…no matter how beautiful his neon coloring is. I’ll catch one of the little rascals on a tree limb or a weed one of these days.
I have a good camera and a couple of lenses, although they are not professional. My camera is an entry level (as far as DSLRs go) Nikon–model D50. I do have a long lens–a Nikkor 70-300 with which I took the orange dragonfly, and probably the blue ones. I had the camera set on a tripod for the orange fella. He loved that stalk; would stay awhile, fly away and return. I got several good shots of him. It’s hard though, for they are so little. I couldn’t tell his particular stance until I loaded the picture onto my computer. When I saw him, I laughed out loud. I love that picture.
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Actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen one other than in the standard greenish/black. Or at least that is what they look like where I come from.
Jay, I’ve added three more dragonflies. Any of these like yours?
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Or, yhou could take a walk, a bike ride, a pony ride or even an air conditioned car. To just watch the beauty of our God pass before you.
Mervi
That’s the truth, Mervi. There are so many wonderful things to do. Hope you and Virginia have a great summer.
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Shirley, I was beginning to worry about you. It isn’t like you to go nearly a week with out a post. I hope you had a great time, but don’t forget we are counting on you to post thought provoking topics. 😉
Jay, aren’t orange dragonflies thought provoking?
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