Daily Jim pic 29


This… is why you don’t have pep rallies.

I told you we’d see more, as Jim moves into the interior of the schoolhouse that his grandfather-in-law attended. While I’d like to think it was in better shape then, I’m assuming nothing. To me, it looks like those buildings used in the first atomic tests, though it possibly predates those by fifty years or so.

Actually, I’m read more

Daily Jim pic 28


It appears that I inadvertently deleted the e-mail this was attached to, so I’m thin on details, but I believe this is the schoolhouse that Jim’s grandfather-in-law attended. We’ll see a little more of it shortly. We’re back in Montana, by the way.

Meanwhile, I’m jealous. I would love for any of the schools that I attended to be this decrepit obviously read more

Daily Jim pic 22


The things that I get up to…

So, knowing roughly where Jim was when he took this shot, I pulled up Google Earth and started poking around to see if I could determine just how far those peaks were. And in the process, realized that I had found the precise location of nearly all of the preceding Montana pics. Yes, even the swing set – mostly because it’s not far removed from the other, read more

Daily Jim pic 21


Today’s image, compared against yesterday’s, is a good example of how to approach the same subject in different ways, and a damn strong fartistic composition to boot. Good contrast, good depth, and a great diagonal element to the framing. Switching to monochrome eliminated the upbeat aspect of the blue sky and enhanced the textures, and there’s even the long grass read more

Daily Jim pic 20


Whether it’s accurate or not, Jim managed to provide a distinct impression of the area that he visited in Montana with virtually all of the photos he sent along (the flowers notwithstanding.) Despite the sky conditions, you can almost hear the creak of the chains as the swings drifted read more

Daily Jim pic 19


I suspect this is the same barn as the one seen two days ago, turned monochromy by Jim being fartsy again – it’s certainly the same kind of (inept) construction. I’m probably going to find out Jim’s father-in-law built this…

And now I have to admit to curiosity over what purpose this building served. First, if it is the same building, then its proximity to the read more

Daily Jim pic 18


“And you’re gonna put that saddle on who now?”

It’s subtle, perhaps, but the shorter focal length, or wider angle (same thing,) distorts the proportions enough to make the center horse seem to loom a bit – the head actually looks vertically bigger than the torso. And because of that, the others seem to have the same trait just by facing the same way, even though they’re read more

Daily Jim pic 16


Jim sent me a handful of monochrome images as well, mostly taking advantage of the aged appearance of many of the buildings – not that they really needed to be desaturated, since they were strictly grey anyway. What’s notable about most of the building shots that Jim sent me is the geometry-thwarting nature of them, erected with right angles like any other edifice but read more

Daily Jim pic 15


And so we now travel to Montana – “we” actually meaning, “not me,” but instead Jim and family, and I suppose one or two other people that might have entered Montana that day a month ago the sprawling metropolis of Floweree, Montana, to be exact, and no I’m not kidding (Jim might be, though.) It would be nice to consider these read more