Photography

I’m quite sure nobody is ready for a vacation to end. 

I know I usually am not. 

When this posts publishes, I’ll be back at work and doing the daily grind again after nearly two weeks off. The goal was to be relaxed and refreshed, and I think that was accomplished. We’ll see how long it lasts! 

But the end of the month also means it’s time for a challenge linkup! 

I had a few photos earlier in the month, but after this trip … this is where the photos for my challenge are coming from this time around. 

I hope you all had as much fun with this challenge for the month as I did. I actually had a hard time picking just five shots for the month. 

Here are my five!

1. High above

This view is at the top of a mountain in Banff, Alberta. The views were absolutely stunning. Even with the town below, nature is seen all the way around. We got up here via a wonderful gondola ride and then walking around the top. Very cool experience.

2. Lake Louise   

One of the most famous spots in Banff National Park is Lake Louise. Unfortunately, this trip only took us through Banff for a day, so we only had the chance to hit this lake (among the several I’d love to see), and it didn’t disappoint. Simply breathtaking.

3. Wapta Falls

Geocaching brings you to some wild places, and this is just one of them. Nestled into Yoho National Park in British Columbia, this set of falls takes about a 1.5 or so mile walk one way. As it got a little later, we stopped to get a park pass and asked the girl if we had time. She said she thought we did, but coming out we might need flashlights. She was correct. The walk out wasn’t bad – the way back was tougher with the terrain. But this was all for an Earthcache, and one I’ll not soon forget. (And yes, we climbed up on that ridge in front of the falls and got a bit wet in the process).

4. Bridal Falls

This was a set of falls we stopped to see on the first day of this journey. A nice hike to them. These were really wonderful and with not many people there, it was extremely peaceful as well.

5. Looking out

This is at the top of an area in Oregon as we chased some old geocaches. I can say this – this may have been a 1/1 in 2000, but it’s definitely not a 1 terrain in my mind. The way up was a struggle for me. My knees don’t handle going steep like this well. But slow and steady was the way to go and we reached it. It was a cloudy and dreary day, but the views were still impressive.

And there are my five for the month!

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: I set up a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

A ‘lil HooHaa: August 2019 linkup

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

NOTE: It seems the Simply Linked thing we used the past two months is now gone. I am attempting inLinkz again, though they are now image based. So you will have to add an image, I believe. It should work out decently, though. That does mean that when going back June and July linkups are now gone (those who linked up anyway). 

The fall seems to be arriving sooner, rather than later.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I can handle that in regard to weather. It’s probably my most favorite time of the year in regard to weather. It can still be warm, and not overly hot. And then have that good crispness when the evening rolls around.

And as the summer slowly eases into the fall, we continue on with the Photo Blogging Challenge and see what we came up with for August. This one intrigues me and I look forward to seeing what others have come up with.

So, let’s get underway with this month! My five are below!

1. Back in my day…

My previous career came in the form of newspapers. I spent many years as a sports writer. I loved the aspect of newspapers and always got a chill and thrill seeing my byline. At times, I’d go in the back after deadline and watch the press run, just because it was so magical. That time in my life unfortunately (though, I’d argue fortunately now) ended back in 2013, but it’s something I will always look fondly back on. I still read a newspaper pretty much every day, though it doesn’t take too long to get through the local one as there’s not a lot of substance to it anymore. 

2. Tapping away

The written word these days, as we are all doing here, is mainly done with keyboards. I guess, to a point, it’s still a written word. 

3. The younger generations

This pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

4. Our hands can still write, though

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than writing things down. With pen to paper. I have a few subscriptions to notebooks. And I’m trying to get better with utilizing them more. I have realized that, even if you don’t go back and look at everything, just writing things down can help. My chosen pens lately, too, have been fountain pens (this is a selection of ones I have). The writing seems more pure and it’s easier to take care of what you are doing. 

5. Keep writing

We need to keep writing. Make sure our hands can do what they are supposed to do. Grab a notebook and a pen and jot some notes down. It’s better than tapping away on a small screen. 

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: I set up a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

A ‘lil HooHaa: August 2019 linkup

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

I’m in a lot of shock thinking that we’ve reached August already. This summer has been crazy busy at work (and I can’t wait for the vacation I have planned in September!).

And, for the record, I’m trying to keep on time for these posts and I’m doing well this month at least! Alas, it’s odd how the blogging world changes over and over. It’s something I’ll tackle another time in a different post, but it’s interesting how things evolve.

But, no matter how many people participate, the Photo Blogging Challenge will move on in one form or another.

I’ve been trying to come up with new and interesting themes for the challenge, with the hopes of keeping it fresh and exciting. With that in mind, I’m trying to build a list of themes to use.

As of this writing, not many had linked up for July yet. Hopefully more will. The linkup stays open for about a week or so, so there’s plenty of time to check it out. And, give it a week and if you are participating, hop back and check some of the other posts.

Before we get to this month’s theme, let’s do our monthly “group” challenges:

Challenge 1: Tell others about this photo blogging challenge and get some friends to come join us.  Let’s see if we can get people interested in the challenge again.

Challenge 2: Make friends with your camera and see what you can come up with. Have fun!

Challenge 3 is at the end of this post (the theme!).

Before this, here’s some housekeeping items. For those who might be new to the challenge, here’s how it works.

• See the theme (first day of the month);
• Take photos throughout the month (don’t use old ones!);
• Select five photos and create a blog post;
• Come back here and link up on the final day of the month;
• Use the official hashtag — #Photoblogchal — on social media posts;
• Hopefully go visit and comment on other blogs.

That’s it. There’s no rules on equipment or anything else. Blog posts can be short and to the point, or in-depth. Interpret the themes as you see fit.

The one big rule?

Have fun!

This month’s theme? The Written Word! I will be highly interested to see what people come up with for this one! Please make sure your blog post publishes Saturday, August 31. Then come back here and link up.

If you think you are going to take part in this, drop a comment below so we can see who all might be trying to tackle this challenge!

There is also a Facebook group for those who are interested.

If you would like to visit the history of the challenge, which started in 2013, please go to the Photo Blogging Challenge page for more!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!