Photo of the day: How Now, Brown Cow?

"How now, brown cow?"  Ever wonder where that phrase originated?  I did, so I looked it up:

"How now brown cow" is a phrase used in elocution teaching to demonstrate rounded vowel sounds. Each "ow" sound in the phrase represents an individual diphthong. The phrase does not have an explicit meaning per se but can be used as a light-hearted greeting.  Although the exact origins of the phrase are unclear, it can be dated to at least 1942 in the United States. In February of that year the Maryland newspaper The Capital mentioned the phrase when discussing a famous thespian's voice:

Laird Cregar, now contributing his booming voice to 'Ten Gentlemen from West Point': explains how he got it. When he first tried out for the Pasadena Community Playhouse his voice wouldn't carry past the front rows. Coach Belle Kennedy had him declaim 'How, Now, Brown Cow? and The Rain in Spain Still Stains' - over and over.

Hmph.  Who'da thunk?

I took this picture of these curious cows in Zillah, Washington at my nephew's house.  He has steers and miniature horses.   Again, the lighting was just beautiful - this photo was taken around 9:30 in the morning.

Photo of the Day: Idaho Farm Sunset

 Today, we went for a drive.  It's been raining for the last few days, which caused all of our snow to melt... so you can just imagine how incredibly sloppy it is out there.  The overcast skies make for some GREAT lighting though, and I was able to snap this photo of a farm against the beautiful sunset.  We also saw about 25 pheasants in an adjacent field.  It was just neat!

Hunting in the Owyhees

This photo is one of my favorites - it captures the scale and terrain that makes hunting in the Owyhee Mountains of Idaho so unique. The unwitting subjects of this photo are my husband, Greg, and his dog, Jennie, a Vizsla.. Here they are looking for chuckars, on a clear fall day. Later on that same day, Jennie scented one and chased it up a big plateau... and got so far ahead of us that Greg had to fire his shotgun in the air to get her attention.  I think those two would hunt every day if they had the chance!  It's so interesting and fun to watch a dog work with her master for a common goal!

Road Trip to McCall, Part 5: Ghosts in the Window

While driving around on the back roads near McCall, we came to an intersection where the old town of Roseberry, Idaho is.  Roseberry has many historic buildings, including this cabin.  And no, that's not a ghost in the window - that's my husband.  I do like the effect his reflection has on the photo - it makes me think of the folks who used to live there and what they were like.  What do you think?

Road Trip to McCall, Part 4: Cattails

Cattails are just the neatest plant.  In addition to being really interesting visually, they had many uses among Native American tribes.  The downy material in the flower was used for tinder for starting fires, lining for moccasins, bedding, diapers (due to its absorbency), and for papoose boards. 

These cattails were located just across the road from the reindeer in the last series post. 

Road Trip to McCall, Part 3: Eight Tiny Reindeer

(Click photo to enlarge)

Actually, there were a lot more than eight... we found these reindeer in a meadow between Donnelly and McCall.  They are being raised on a farm.  The buck was quite concerned with keeping his herd together and under control.  He made these strange sounds (they sounded quite a lot like a very loud belch) to keep everyone where he wanted them.  They were very tiny - I am not sure what breed of reindeer they are... but they were quite adorable. 

Road Trip to McCall, Part 2: Mending Fences

Sometimes the most commonplace objects can make interesting subjects - if you can just find the right angle.  And that's what this photo's all about - angles.  The angle of the horizon, the angle of the barbed wire, the angle of the fence posts.  This barbed wire fence was right next to the old barn in yesterday's photo.  I desaturated the colors since they were washed out, and since I wanted to focus on the contrast of the barbed wire against the background.

Road Trip to McCall, Part 1: Lonely Barn

Back in October, Aunt Sharon and Uncle Darryl were so kind as to invite us to stay at their condo in McCall.  One day we all went out shooting, and I was able to get some great photos of the old barns and the landscape near McCall and Donnelly.  This is part 1 of a 5 part series.

This barn sat in a field all by itself.  I love the abundance of old barns here in Idaho; it's a shame that so many of them are falling down.  It's interesting to think about the people that built them, a hundred years ago, and what the landscape looked like when they were new.  What were their names?  Were they struggling, or prosperous?  How many children played in the hay loft?  Sometimes I wish I could transport myself back in time to take a peek.

The Original Mine

This is a shot of the Original Mine that I took last summer while visiting my hometown of Butte, Montana. I really enjoyed exploring the contrasts of such heavy machinery sitting right in the midst of the neighborhoods gingerbread-style "cottage" houses. The Original hosted the National Folk Festival for the last two years, and will host it once more next year on July 9-11 (the last year in the 3-year rotation). I have heard that it is an awesome weekend. I need to make sure and be there next year. I hope to apply as a vendor where I can sell some of my photos and illustrations.

I did desaturate the background on this photo a bit, just to intensify the contrast between the cute little house and the industrial nature of the gallows frame.

To purchase this, or any of my other photos, go to www.girlingearstudio.etsy.com and click contact girlingearstudio and send me a message.  I can create a custom listing just for you, which you can purchase easily via PayPal, check or money order.  All photos come matted and in a protective plastic sleeve, but can be sent without the mat at a reduced price, if you wish.

Home for the Holiday - Number Hill (Arco, Idaho)

One of my favorite sights on the drive home from Idaho to Montana is Number Hill in Arco, Idaho.  Arco's claim to fame is that it was the first community in the world to get its electricity from nuclear power (on July 17, 1955).  This fact is proudly announced on Recreation Hall on Main Street, on a marquee style sign.  Number Hill is the result of a tradition of Butte County High School painting the year of each graduation class on the hill, since 1920.  It's quite unique and striking, and this is the first time I've stopped to get a photo of it.  I love all of these small towns in Idaho and Montana - they're so proud of their accomplishments and traditions.

Mailboxes in the Snow - Comment to Win an 8x10!

It's becoming that time again!  Time for snow, and winter, and warm gatherings with friends.  This photo was taken in the Emmett Valley in last year's first snowstorm.  We were driving around, and were lucky enough to be caught in the snowstorm, with a camera! 

Comment on this post to win this photo (8x10, glossy, matted).  Winner will be notified after  December 1st.  Photo will be signed by the artist and matted in a white mat that will fit an 11x14 frame.

5XFKHJ3Q8B5X

Butte, Montana in the Summer: The Continental Divide Trail

The Continental Divide Trail runs 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico, along - you guessed it - the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide happens to pass right through Butte, MT; and I have to say, I had never really heard anyone talk much about the trail when I was growing up there. After reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods (a great book - you should read it) about his adventures hiking the Appalachian Trail, I became more interested in the Continental Divide Trail (which is considered part of the Triple Crown of hiking, along with the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails). When I was in Butte this summer, we took a drive up into the Highland Mountains, and as we were coming back down, we crossed the trail and I snapped this picture. One day I'd love to hike at least the portion in Southwest Montana.

A really great book on the Continental Divide Trail as it passes through Idaho and Montana is Montana & Idaho's Continental Divide Trail: The Official Guide by Leland and Lynna Howard, who are brother and sister. Leland is a really great photographer and Lynna is a writer. At my previous job, I actually worked with their other brother, Gerry, and he is actually pictured on the cover of the book.

Ironic?

Took a trip back to my hometown of Butte, Montana in July and took this picture. I find it - oh, I don't know - ironic? That this building burned down right next to a fire and safety company? It was sad and funny all at the same time.

Coffee & Lipstick

Mmmm... morning coffee... can't start my day without it.

A fun shot I took the other day after I took my first sip... taken with my Nikon DSLR and using a piece of junk mail for some added reflective lighting in the foreground.

Garden Progress

Our garden is coming along really nicely. So far, we have corn, beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, various types of squash and peppers, lettuce, cauliflower, chard, onions, carrots, radishes, and lots of flowers. This is my first attempt at a fully organic and sustainable garden. Currently it is 40 ft x 40 ft, but we have 1/3 of an acre available for planting. I'm hoping to eventually turn all of it into food production, including a small orchard. This "starter garden" is an experiment in companion planting and organic weed and pest control. Everything is coming along very nicely. I will be blogging about all of the different "experiments" we have going in detail in the future, so stay tuned! For now, here are a few photos from different angles.

Illustration Friday: Drifting

My household is into racing. This all started with my husband, who has a car that he raced at our local circle track. I am a mechanical engineer by trade. We regularly watch NASCAR. We have traveled to NASCAR races, like the Daytona 500; we've also gone to Cup races in Phoenix and Vegas (my husband has been going to these races since 1992.) So yeah, when I saw that this week's word on Illustration Friday was "drifting," I didn't think of the typical pictures like "drifting on the sea," or even "drifting through life." Drifting, to most, gives a picture of a gentle breeze, perhaps; or perhaps a ship in the doldrums. When I saw the word, I instantly thought of drift racing. This illustration was done in a few hours in my Moleskine sketchbook with colored pencil and India ink, using a photo for reference.