Ali Harter performs in Lawton. (click picture for more)

Ali Harter

Red Dirt, Country Blues, Country Folk, Outlaw, or whatever you want to try to tag her with, Ali Harter must be tagged as unique, talented, pretty, and Okie through and through.  Last night was my first time ever to hear her music but it won’t be my last.  I bought her CD titled, “No Bees, No Honey”, released on March 13, 2010.  I ‘ve already listened to it three times and have my earphones on right now listening to a fourth time through.  Unique is the best word I have to describe her music; it is definitely her own.  She is only 25, yet her sound is so much more mature than that!  Visiting with her afterwards she told me her early childhood idol was Bonnie Raitt.  I’m a huge Bonnie Raitt fan myself, but not once during her live solo performance did I ever say to myself, “Self, you know what?  She kinda sounds like Bonnie Raitt!”  But,that could just be me.  But the connection  I do think exists between Ali Harter and Bonnie Raitt is eachhas a clear vision of how to express and present her music.  This came across so strongly in Ali’s performance!  The stage was empty that night:  banks of speakers, bright lights making the hot August night even hotter, microphone and stand, a table, a stool, the usual web of wiring splayed across the floor and surrounding ground, and two large fans at the back creating the only breeze in Elmer Thomas Park that night.  Though she grew up in Choctaw, she had never performed in Lawton before.  And there she stood, all alone, no backup band of friends for support!  It was just her with her bottle of water and white handkerchief sitting on the table to her right; one to remove the precious moisture appearing on her brow, the other to replace it.  On the red topped stool in front of her sat her open songbook.  A songbook not filled with lyrics from the soul of someone else, but words and rhymes formed in the depths of her own life.  And in her arms she craddled an acoustic guitar.  From the bright lights of the stage she stared into the deep darkness of the night before her.  And then she sang!  Wow!  She did she ever!  I don’t think it would have made Ali Harter any difference if she had been singing to ten or ten thousand that night.  She was at peace with herself and in her element, playing her music, and singing her songs.

Turning to the Light

There are times when we cannot see what waits around the bend, because we are unable to see things ahead in time.  The images I made of Quartz Mountain Flyer’s railway is an example of that.  Two days earlier I was traveling from Mangum to Hobart on SH 44, which passes by the Quartz Mountains State Park in Greer and Kiowa counties of Southwest Oklahoma.  The highway skirts around the southern end of Lake Altus-Lugert as it makes its way north to Lone Wolf.  Glancing toward the lake at every opening between the trees, I was captured by what I thought would make a wonderful HDR (high dynamic range) image under the right lighting conditions.  Due to the recent and abundant rains, the lake was full of deep blue water creating islands of several ancient granite peaks.  For me this has always been a mystical scene but on this day, at this time, it was magical, too.  I wanted badly to stop, if only for a minute, but couldn’t because my time was very short and I still had to drive on to Anadarko after stopping in Hobart.  However, I did begin plans to return on Saturday.  Saturday was two days away and difficult to see, much like things around a bend.Not being able to forget about Lake Altus-Lugert in the Quartz Mountains, I recreated the scene in my mind’s eye and considered different lighting options.  Sunrise seemed to be the best lighting opportunity and since I’m an early morning person, it would work out best for me.  It meant I’d have to get out of bed about 4:15 AM and be on the road by 5:00 AM, to be ready for the sunrise at 6:38 AM.  I packed the necessary gear Friday night to save time Saturday morning;  I’d be ready to go as soon as I got dressed and the coffee was finished brewing.

Saturday morning arrives and I’m up and ready to go!  I leave the house in Lawton on time and head west Quanah Parker Trailway (SH 62).  Reaching Altus, I take the Veterans Parkway north to SH 283, bypassing the main part of town.  I pass through the still sleeping Blair and glance at the “Backdoor to the Wichitas”, a very good steakhouse, right on the highway.  Excitement begins to rise  as I draw closer to the Quartz Mountains and the sky around grows lighter and lighter as the time for the sunrise creeps closer and closer.  As I reach the mountains and am now on the familiar SH 44, I’m anticipating and hoping I can find a good place to pull of the highway that provides me access to the lake.  I see a place that appears to be used extensively by fishermen.  I pull off the highway and onto a dirt road with mud puddles cutting all the way across.  I stop while I contemplate whether to chance getting stuck in the mud, or not.  Oh well, never the one to shy away from a risk, I picked out the least likely spot to cause trouble and plowed ahead.  After a couple of slips and slides I was through and on dry ground and deep ruts.  I eased up the incline onto higher ground that became a levy and the southern bank of Lake Altus-Lugert.  From this point I could enjoy a full view of what I was hoping to photograph.  Aagh!  It didn’t look the same!  The light was all wrong, the water was choppy, it wasn’t what I was wanting!  I was very disappointed.  However, I learned a long time ago, “Don’t be so focused on one thing that you don’t see the other possibilities.”

We always need to be looking for the other possibilities.  I began to look around for other “possibilities”.  What I saw were these wonderful railroad tracks of the Quartz Mountain Flyer, interesting light on the hills for a background, the sun rising, a blue sky with hints of clouds.  What more could I want!  My enthusiasm and excitement began to rise up in me just like the sun was rising in the east.  My canvas was spreading out before me and I could no sooner finish one “possibility” before another would appear.  I spent the next 1 1/2 hours totally absorbed and caught up as GOD unfolded a new day of creation before me.

Brandon and Leah Dance to their song — "Soul Sister"

Brandon and Leah now live in L.A.  They recently moved along with Leah’s daughter, Neveah.  Brandon is a neurosurgeon at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center.  Leah has a Master Degree in Nursing and Neveah is using her PhD in Childhood to her best advantage.  They are roughing it right now while awaiting the arrival of all their furniture from Little Rock.

Sonny Nevaquaya plays at Medicine Park's 102 B-Day Bash

“59 & 102″

What do they have in Common?

Medicine Park and I both celebrated our birthdays on Saturday, July 10.  For Medicine Park it was their 102nd, having been founded on July 4, 1908, and for this Baby Boomer it was my 59th.  Well, since I consider my “birth day” as the most important day of my life, I make it a personal celebration whether anyone else gives a hoot, or not!  Since it occurs most often during the work week, I always take leave on my birthday.  This means I nearly always spend the day by myself, but that’s okay because this is something special I do for myself; it’s a gift to myself.  However, when my day falls on the weekend and there’s a big celebration going on somewhere, I’m not opposed to glomming on and letting someone else help me celebrate.  Well, with Medicine Park celebrating its 102nd Birthday Bash, six days late,  on Saturday, July 10, and Sherry offering to take me out to dinner for my 59th, I couldn’t let such an opportunity go to waste.  (Oh by the by, did I mention the best birthday gift I’ve ever received was when my son, Brandon, was born on my birthday in 1978?  I mean, after that everything else falls short… right?)

Sherry and I left Lawton about 3:30 PM with intentions of catching the rest of the day’s festivities including live bands, the Rubber Duck Race, Native American music played by Calvert Nevaquaya, a great meal at The Old Plantation Restaurant , and a fireworks display for a great finale.  We knew it was going to be hot and humid, but knowing it and experiencing it are two different things!  Mercy!  Where is the Oklahoma wind when you really need it in July?  I can tell you where it was not – Medicine Park, Oklahoma!  Being born and raised in Southwest Oklahoma, I’m supposed to be used to this so I’m not really complaining.  It’s just that I don’t perspire, I SWEAT, and Saturday sweat was running out of my shoes. 

But, you know what?  I had a very good time.  The first band we heard was “Brothers Dupree”, and I thought they were pretty good.  They play an interesting mixture of rock.  I came away with a few cool pictures even if the temperature wasn’t.  Next we bought tickets for Rubber Duck Race.  However, there wasn’t any race.     Because of the recent heavy rains, the flood gates on the dam of Lake Lawtonka, less than a mile to the north, were open and the current of Medicine Creek was too swift.  There was the fear all the rubber duckies would be swept downstream and perish.  So instead, the dumped all the rubber ducks into a large plastic sack and drew for the winning duck.  Sherry and I had 6 ducks in the bag, but didn’t win a thing.  I took some video of all this with my Sony Webbie and will something posted soon.  After this the evening began to pick up and the temperature began to drop a little tiny bit.

It was now 6:30 PM and the Native American Flute performance was due to begin.  I was really looking forward to this since I was already familiar with Calvert Nevaquaya’s abilities.  What I wasn’t expecting is that Sonny, his older brother was also going to perform.  This was a special treat for me.  Also, with them that evening was David Moore from Apache who would also perform.  I quickly changed attached my 70-200mm f/2.8, and headed for the stage.  I politely gestured with my camera for permission to take pictures and was delighted when Sonny acknowledged with a nod of his head.  With sweet mellow tones from flutes floating on the moist and heavy air along Medicine Creek, stories were told with deep meanings and I was happy just to be…

Following an outstanding performance by the three outstanding musicians, it was time to eat.  We gathered up our stuff and walked up the street to The Old Plantation Restaurant.  I already knew what I was going to order:  12oz Ribeye Steak, medium rare, garlic mashed potatoes, and blue cheese dressing on my salad.  I am never disappointed with their steaks and this was no exception.  I know everyone has different tastes and likes when it comes to their steak, but for me, The Old Plantation consistently has mine just right!  Oh, and the service is excellent.  If you haven’t been, you need to go sometime, soon!  Is there any better way to cap off an already great birthday than with an excellent meal?  Well, how about some fireworks?

After leaving The Old Plantation, we discussed where would be the best place to watch the fireworks display.  If you’ve never been to Medicine Park, Medicine Creek creates a valley between granite hills with the town built on both banks and up the hillsides.  Not knowing where the display was being set up we had no idea where to go to watch it.  I suggested we drive up to the Winery of the Wichitas and sit on their outside deck.  It’s located at the top of a granite hill at the soutwest edge of Medicine Park.  I was certain from there we would have a good view.  Boy, was that an understatement!  The parking lot was packed but we were able to find a space alongside their long gravel driveway.  We gathered our lawn chairs just in case there were no empty seats available headed for the door.  Upon entering we could see the inside was packed and through the windows we could see a lot of people already on the deck.  A man approached me and said they had just cleared an area around the firepit on the deck and we could set up our lawn chairs there.  We did just that.  A band was playing on the deck and we were sitting right in front of them.  The lead guitar was very good, and the bass player was barely able to stand up.  I never did catch the name of the five member band, but they were pretty good and everyone was having a good time.  When the first firework shell shot into the sky and burst into a colorful display, I suddenly became aware they were set up right next to The Winery!  It was like having a fireworks show in our own backyard.  To see them well we had to look straight up, literally.  It was a very nice display and outstanding way to finish off my 59th Birthday!  I wish you all could have been there!

Brandon, Leah, & Neveah on their way to California

Sherry, Erin, Mike, and I drove to OKC to meet Brandon, Leah, and Neveah as they passed through on their way to California.  I’ll add more to the story later.  Right now it’s time for me to leave for work.

On Solid Rock

It isn’t usual to have rain on the Fourth of July in Southwest Oklahoma but the past two have been soggy.  This year we received an abundance of rain as a result of hurricane Alex in the Gulf of Mexico.  Erin brought a friend, Christin, home with her over the Fourth.  Erin loves fireworks and hiking in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.  This time she wanted to trek to the “Forty Foot Hole” to see how much water was rushing through the area via West Cache Creek.  Normally, there would be very little rain, but since we’ve had so much in the past few days, we were all eager to visit the rapids.

I left before home before Sherry, Erin, and Christin this morning because I wanted to be prepared for taking pictures as they came down the trail.  It began raining heavily on the trip from Lawton to the Refuge and rained throughout my hike to the “Forty Foot Hole”.  I was dressed for it with my Redwing boots, Tilley hat, and poncho.  My camera gear was protected in a Lowepro 300 AW camera bag.  By the time I reached the area the rain had stopped so I unpacked my Sony A700 and 70-200 mm f/2.8, and waited for ladies to arrive.  I know the above picture is a little soft on the focus, but I wanted to use it anyway.  In order to get the rushing water to look this way, it was necessary to shoot at 1/4 sec., f22, and ISO 200.  I’m hand holding the camera and zoomed all the way to 200mm.  Taking this into consideration, I’m pretty satisfied with the result.  Being able to do this, at all, is a tribute to Sony’s anti-shake (image stabilization) being built into the body of their cameras.  It really makes hand holding workable in a pinch at some ridiculously slow shutter speeds.

Contentment is wherever you can find it.

Quanah Parker was the last War Chief of the Comanche Nation.  This beautiful lake on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was named in his honor.  This image is a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image created by tonemapping seven exposures.  The breeze was very slight but it was enough to provide a sense of movement among the cattails and reeds.  I entitled this image “Contentment” because of the wash of peace I felt, first upon finding this spot and recognizing the opportunity, and then, even more when the image was captured and I had done my best.  For me, that’s contentment:  recognizing an opportunity and knowing I put forth my best effort to rise to the call.