Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Kolden Report: Mother Nature's Gifts.

Hello, kids!

I'm listening to the voices on the howling winds, telling of storms to come.  Gusts of warmth, scatter and shape the falling leaves.   And I'm working images, looking back at my life these past few months, reliving the powerful emotions of  wonder, hope, joy, the cycle of life .  We are surrounded by beauty, if only we would truly open our eyes and see.

Here, is what I've seen.  Enjoy!





First light.  (With every new day, comes a promise.)






Mottled skies, defining the fluidity of life.









The cosmos?  (This life is so much bigger than each of us.  "The sum of the whole is much greater than that of its parts.")






Big "Bang" theory?  ( Reminiscent of a star filled sky.)






LET THERE BE LIGHT!  (Star filled galaxy?  Nope.  Welding flare!  For me, it's about being able to appreciate the beauty in ordinary, every day occurrences.)






Back side bliss.  (Why does the toad feel safest with its back to me?  Out of site, out of mind?)






Day break alfalfa.  (Each days begins anew, different...yet unchanged.  The sun DOES come up but it NEVER looks the same doing it.)






Fawn fascination.  (Today's youth = the future of tomorrow.)






Loveliness, as far as the eye can see.  (Didn't even have to LOOK to find the beauty in THIS day.)






Let there be LIGHT!  (Each day, the sun rises at a different time than the day prior. )






HOT footing!  (This group of young pheasants are learning to be wary.  Albeit slowly but, they ARE learning.)






Chillin'.  (Young birds, learning how to BE.)






Last dog to be hung.  (Did you ever wonder at the origins of this sentence?  I did.  Criminals due to hang were called, "Dogs".)







How the world is fed.  (Grain  a-plenty.)






Fuzzy-Wuzzy.  (Another of nature's miracles.  Stiff hairs poke out from orange bumps, in clumps!  Clever....)






Sun seeker. (Showing it's appreciation with one final burst of beauty.)





Electric yellow,  (I'm fascinated with the light, sometimes more is more...sometimes more is LESS.)





Patterned fractures.  (Even something as simple as soil drying and cracking, holds a fascination for me.)


Up next:  More!

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"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau

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www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com
www.kittykolden.com

Friday, October 17, 2014

The Kolden Report: Skate Park Shreds, Wolf Point, Montana

Hello, kids!

I had the opportunity to spend some time with local youth at the skate park in Wolf Point, Montana.  Keep in mind, these young people have no coach or adviser of any kind.  They have taken the initiative to learn the craft and practice diligently, with no protective gear.  (While I'm sure helmets and elbow pads aren't COOL,  fortunately no one was injured in the making of this report.)    Some share boards.   All the moves are their own and I had nothing to do with their exhibition, other than to photograph what came next.   Here, are snippets of my time with them.  Enjoy!






Meet Siris (airborne) and William (observing.)  






Double trouble. ( Adam and William. COOL move!)






Kalen.






Isaiah.





I like the creativity shown in their addition of items to jump!






Not only do they make the jump but they flip the board, midair,  before landing on it!  THAT takes practice.






William's move.






Mid flip.







Flip it!  (There was rarely a lull in action.  An unspoken arrangement played out as the boys kept circling back around for their next turn, as if choreographed.)






Adam dance.






Form and function.






Dezmond's dance.






Pair in the air.  (How creative are THEY?  I just observed.  These skaters came up with these tricks all of their own accord. )






Twice as nice.  (Adam and Isaiah.)






Brothers in arms. (Adam, Siris, Isaiah, Tarryn, Kalen, William, Dezmond, Forrest.  I wanted a group shot and most obliged.)






Fun is where you find it!  (I encouraged these boys to let loose and WORK IT.  I LOVE this photo....their lights are shining!)






Well worn.






Bottoms up.






Siris.






Kalen.






Kalen and Tarryn. 






William, Siris, Adam.






Talking shop.  (Isaiah, Siris, Ian.)






Hello, William.





Meet Avery, the youngest rider. 





And Kholby.






Love Forrest's wheels.





Cutting up.










Roll on by.






AND THEN, they came up with THIS plan!





Siris rides five.







And if five is good, SIX is better?







Isaiah rides five.






I was surprised that it was even possible to ride multiple boards!






Team work, for when you lose your momentum. 






Ride the sky.






One up and four down.






One DOWN and four UP.  (From the dust on their backs, it was evident that most of the "board brothers" had wrecked during the course of the day.  Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.)






Quad squad.






Float.






Organized chaos.






Another surprise!   Several were able to ride multiple boards up the jump. 






Talking shop.






It's harder than it looks.






All hell breaks loose when you jump!






Siris tries again, and I captured a more organized shot as he comes off the jump. 








Junior rider joy.






Forrest ponders his next move.






Wheels up!





And then the girls wondered if I might take their picture!  (Of course I would...)






How cute are they?






The more the merrier.






What happiness looks like.


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"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator." - Mahatma Gandhi

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www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com
www.kittykolden.com