Saturday there was a model train show at one of the local hotel ballrooms. I love trains. I grew up with trains because my father worked for the Frisco Railroad over 40 years. I love models. I used to build model ships, planes and cars as a kid and I would still do some of it if space and budget allowed. I am always amazed at the level of detail of some of these miniature locomotives.

Of course the level of detail displayed on some of the structures is also quite impressive.  I found this model to be quite nicely done.

There are several different sizes of model trains. “N” gauge is typically the smallest size for most collectors. The most common size is “HO” gauge. The largest size that most of us non collectors know about is the “Lionel” size trains. The model above is about twice the size of a Lionel train. Notice the amount of detail in the landscape and that trestle.

This Southern Pacific train is HO gauge. The engine is about 7″-9″ long and abuout 2-1/2″ tall. There are hundreds of engines and thousands of cars to choose from. Next time I will try to photograph one of the vendors inventory. It will boggle your brain. Again, notice the effort made to make the presentation look real. I love this stuff.

Okay, who knew that Lego’s had a complete line of model railroad kits? It is pretty close to the size of the Lionel trains of my youth, but everything here is from Lego.

Of course Lego would have Elvis pulling up to a 50’s diner in his pink Caddy!

These models are beautiful, coming and going. I will probably post a few more images very soon. Have a blessed week.

While photographing a high school soccer match I heard a noise and looked up to see this spiffy little private plane flying over the field. Red, white, and crystal clear blue sky.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, the battle raged for control of the ball. Have a blessed week-end.

 

 

GOAL!

GOAL!

Meanwhile, back at the track. Last Thursday was the first high school varsity outdoor track meet of the season. There is a lot going on at the same time during an outdoor meet, so it is nearly impossible to get photos of every event. I will try to photograph different events next time out and catch some of the same events from different angles.

Hurdles is always an interesting event. It takes speed, timing, and skill. I never liked having obstacles on the track when I raced, in the last century. Today’s tracks are paved with a type of textured asphalt, and if you trip and fall, you’re going to leave a lot of yourself on the track…literally.

One event that has captured my attention recently is the pole vault. This event requires some speed, very good timing and superior upper body strength. It is a very graceful sport when done correctly, but things can go very wrong in a hurry.

The relay races are always fun to watch, especially the shorter distances where the passing of the baton is just as important as the speed of the contestants. In the 4×100, each contestant runs 100 meters then passes the baton to a team mate. Two of the baton transfers take place on the corners of the track and many a race is won or lost in the second or final leg of the race. This event is best viewed from the stands where you can see all four legs of the relay. It’s best photographed in the corners where you get a real sense of the competition.

Track meets are long events. This one started at 3:30 p.m. and went well past 8:00 p.m. One reason for this lengthy time frame is that there are men and ladies competitions in nearly every event. I pulled my high school year book out and there were no female track athletes on my stone tablets. Times have changed and sometimes for the better. Have a blessed week.

 

Spring is in the air and for me that means photographing soccer, track & field, baseball, softball and any other sport I can find. Yes, I like photographing flowers, people, landscapes, wildlife and nature, but my first love is capturing sports images. That’s because the grand kids have always been involved in sports. Our oldest granddaughter played soccer and ran 200 meters in track. Our grandson has played baseball and basketball. The middle granddaughter was involved in dance and now is a student trainer at the high school. The youngest grand daughter plays soccer and competes in the high jump on the track team. Sooo….you will find my camera and me at some sporting event a couple of times per week during the spring.

Photographing the grand kids sports gives me an excuse to brag on their achievements. The youngest granddaughter is a sophomore in high school. Recently she finished 7th in the high school state indoor track & field championships. There were between 30 & 40 competitors. She will continue now in the outdoor season. There will be a few times when track and soccer schedules conflict and she will have to make a difficult decision.

The high school soccer team is the defending state champion and they have won this title multiple times in the past decade. She is on the junior varsity this season. Last Tuesday evening the JV team played a double-header and won both matches. Our granddaughter, white uniform,  scored two goals in each match. My wife and I did not make it to the first match, but here are the goals from the second contest.

 

After getting past the defender, the shot found the lower left corner for the first goal of the match.

A few minutes later the ball is passed to her and she splits the defender and goal keeper. There is no way this shot is not going into the back of the net.

Once again the lower left corner of the goal becomes the final resting place for the ball. The final score in this match was 2-0 so the granddaughter did all of the scoring. Okay, I’m through bragging now. This season has the potential to be a lot of fun for the family. Stay tuned, spring sports has just begun.

Note that you can also find me at Driller’s Place on Blogger. I am still testing out WordPress to see if I will move over here permanently. So far I like it. Have a blessed day.

Well, I am testing out a new location for Driller’s Place to reside. Like most changes in life, there is a learning curve and I never could hit a curve ball. This is my first attempt to use WordPress and I am using the free version so I don’t know what features I am missing with one of the paid options. At any rate, I will use this free version until I get comfortable with the whole process. I may make the decision to return to EBlogger. I will definitely be at EBlogger for a while, until I get comfortable with this site and the posting process here. I am sure that posts on this site will be sporadic, at best, until I make the final decision to either move to this location or stay where I am. Any input will be welcome.