Tony Golding photos

I'm going to send you to look at another photographer's photos today. My friend, Tony Golding, takes photos of draft horses or what they call heavy horses in England where Tony lives. He is also very involved in the preservation of these magnificent breeds and his photography has been featured in breed magazines. Here is a slide show of  photos Tony took at a recent Peterborough heavy horse show. I know you will enjoy them because Tony is an exceptional photographer with a talent for capturing both his equine and human subjects with depth and beauty.

New Blog for Ten Oaks Farm

I just set up a blog for Ten Oaks Farm. In the future, I will be putting all Olaf news there. I'm also headed that way in a few minutes to photograph a rescue that Chris brought in this afternoon. It is a long and complicated but interesting story of how the horse has come to live at Ten Oaks but I will chronicle his recovery through photographs.

Update: here is one of the photos that I got this afternoon. That's Julie, the lady who alerted Chris to the horse's fate and so was one of the heros who saved its life. You can see what a sweet horse he is by how he relates to Julie's precious little girl.

Olaf Update!!

Hope you enjoy this slide show update on Olaf's incredible progress.  Brandy is an amazing trainer and Olaf is a gorgeous and very bright horse. I wish that this was a video so that you could all really see how beautiful he is when he is being driven. At the end, you will be able to see what a gentle giant he is as well. Super horse!

I've put this information at the end of the video but just in case you can't read the tiny print:

Olaf is owned by Vickie Boling, trained by Brandy McDonnel-Smith, and driven by both Brandy and Chris Shipley. The "rider" at the end of the video is sweet, beautiful Audrey, Brandy's daughter. And the last image is of Audrey and her "third" grandma, Mona:)

 I shot all of these photos on the vernal equinox, March 20th, 2009...which was also the first day of Spring! It was a beautiful day but I got a very late start...which is common with me, unfortunately:)...and so I was shooting at a time of day that I usually avoid. I still am pleased with most of the shots. Part of these were shot at Ten Oaks Stables and are photos of both stable owner, Vickie Boling's horses, boarder Julie's lovely Arabian Cash and also one of one of Cherie and Don Oswald's Rocky Mountain Horses. There are also several of my two favorite subjects, my own horses, Mouse and Brandy. I hope you enjoy this little video. The beautiful music is Last Night of a Thousand Years which was written and is performed by my extremely talented friend, Nori Bucci. Check out Nori's website here. She is an artist as well as a composer and musician. I, of course, especially love her exquisite and sensitive drawings of horses but all of her work is wonderful. 

Horse Show Page Fini!!

Finally, it is finished. The page itself is simple with information and prices but I've added a video wall, which is what has taken so long, with 10-13 minute slide show videos of shots from the the six shows that I shot at Blue Point Stables last year(2008.) 

First Show -Self Kudos

Ok, I'm being brave and posting this photo of Mouse's and my first show under saddle. I've been sorting through all of the shots taken at the Blue Point Stables shows last year and I came across the few from our own first venture into the show ring. So amazed by how much Mouse loves doing this. The first thing I thought when I viewed this photo was how fat I am, lol...but then I thought, we look really good together. I was terrified but Mouse took to the ring like an old trooper. I know I'm very biased but isn't she beautiful? She blue ribboned here by the way:))

Working on the WebSite

I am closer to finally being done with this. I'm putting together 12-15 minute video/slide shows of all of the Blue Point Stable shows from last year. I should have those posted and the page published by tomorrow so you can check back then. I really have enjoyed putting these together. Sorting through the photos brought back so many great memories. There are even a few in there of Ms Mouse and me at our first shows ever(that's the two of us in the middle photo just before we lined up for our first halter class-we're discussing the game plan,lol). Mouse did so well during her first halter showing, that the judge pulled her out of the line up to demonstrate with and she won a first place ribbon! The judge told me to stop looking so scared because that horse wasn't going to hurt me. I told her that I wasn't scared of the horse I was scared of her which made her laugh. She said that I should just relax because my horse obviously knew what she was doing. I said, "I don't know how she does because both of us only started doing this three days ago." She looked at us in disbelief and then told me that I was mistaken because Mouse certainly had plenty of show experience and that Huston must have shown her a lot before he sold her to me. I called Huston that night and he told me that he'd never had her anywhere near a show ring. She was the same when I first rode her in a show. She watched the other horses and then behaved like she'd been doing this her entire life. I was so proud of her. She got another first place there. I just wonder how good she could be if she had someone riding her that didn't look petrified the entire time, lol.

It has been a week for loss and bad news. First, my old friend Bruce passed away and then our dear friend, Ed Collins. Ed was 81 and I guess I just thought he'd always be around. It was one of those situations like so many when we let life interfere with living, I saw Ed and Mary last Spring and thought at the time that I would start visiting them regularly. They both had so many medical problem over the last few years and were pretty much tied to their home except for visits to the doctor. So, now I'm left with another regret in life. Regret is a horrible feeling because it always involves those things we can not change. Too bad that life does not give us do overs. I guess the only answer is to learn something from it and not to repeat the same mistake. Life is truly too short so cherish all of those you love and let them know now. I ordered flowers for Ed's funeral today and I thought about what my mother use to say, "Give your flowers to the living because the dead can't appreciate them." It's too late to let Ed know how much I loved and respected him but I hope that I don't make the mistake again of thinking, today, I'm too busy but there is always tomorrow. 

Web Gallery Now Open!!

I'm doing the happy dance right now because the Photography Gallery..... on my new strictly photography website...... is FINALLY!! OPEN!!! So excited and pleased I think. Check it out and let me know what you think. Leave comments here:-).

Goodbye Bruce

This is a departure for me. This post has nothing to do with either horses or photography and art but I received some bad news today.

I don't know how any of you feel about mainstreaming children with mental handicaps but I have a story that might change your mind if you oppose it.

My friend, Bruce Lawson, passed away yesterday. Bruce made deliveries for the local pharmacy. When he didn't show up for work yesterday morning, someone was sent to check on him and they found him. That is all I know right now. I have no more details nor explanations as to the cause of death. But what I do know about is Bruce's life. He was so special but special not because of his handicaps but because of his abilities and his heart. I went to school with Bruce. He was two years ahead of me in my husband, Steve's, class. He was the kindest and sweetest person I have ever known. And unlike nearly everyone else I knew from way back then, Bruce never changed. He was always so obviously happy to see us whenever we'd run into him at the grocery, on the street, at baseball games. It's been years since Knoxville had a baseball team but when they did, we'd always see Bruce there and he'd sit with us even though he had box seats and we were usually in the cheap seats, lol. He never missed any game, any sport he was on the sidelines cheering on the team. He was often in the press box and he'd lend very knowledgeable commentary. Despite his disabilities Bruce had an amazing memory especially where sports and sport stats and scores were concerned. It was truly remarkable. He also remembered our high school days like they were yesterday and would remind me of times and incidents that had long ago grown foggy for me. Bruce went to school with us from grade school on. He was always passed so that he could stay with the kids his own age. In those days, there were no special and separate classes. Every day Bruce was in the classroom side by side with his classmates. And when it came to sports, although he lacked the coordination to play (and so did I:), he was obsessed with any and all Loudon Redskin sports. He always participated either on the sidelines cheering on the players or behind the scenes. Bruce wasn't able to go to college like his brothers but he did grow up to be a functional and contributing member of our community. Maybe this was possible because this is such a small town or maybe Bruce, with his incredibly large heart and spirit, was the exception to the rule but I know that I speak for all of those that grew up with Bruce when I say, he gave much more to our lives and education than he ever took.
Goodbye my dear, sweet friend. You will be forever missed!

I wanted to share Bruce's obituary because it shows just how accomplished and loved he was:

Bruce Carlton Lawson
LAWSON, BRUCE CARLTON - age 55, of Loudon, passed away Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at his home. He was a member of the Loudon Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He had served as a delivery person for the News-Herald and was a courier for BankFirst/BB&T, and most recently RxPerts Pharmacy. Bruce was a boy scout and a proud graduate of Loudon High School class of 1972, and was voted Best School Spirit by his classmates. In 1972, LHS Principal Wm. S. Napier and Superintendent A.C. Dukes, Sr. presented him with a trophy for being Loudon's Most Loyal Fan. He attended Hiwassee College. Bruce was an LHS icon, attending all sporting events, rarely missing an LHS game. He served as scorekeeper and statistician for many years and was LHS's number one cheerleader and fan and will be sorely missed by the entire community. He also loved the New York Yankees, served on a TSSAA committee for classifications of schools, and was presented a plaque by Lou Holtz inducting him into The National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame. He was preceded in death by his parents, Helen (Cook) and R. A. (Bill) Lawson, Jr. He is survived by brothers and sisters-in-law; nieces and nephews; and generations of LHS athletes, faculty members, and friends. Graveside service 10:30 AM Saturday, March 7, Loudon County Memorial Gardens. A memorial service will follow at 1:00 PM, Saturday, Loudon High School gymnasium.