Aussie Tractors !

Let me start first by saying that I did not take the following series of tractor photos. They were done by my 15 year old daughter last week on a farm which is about a two hour drive from Brisbane, Australia. A few words to her will follow below the photos. . . As you can see, like father, like daughter; she's a chip off the old block.
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Second, I'd like to dedicate this post to Nathalie over at "Avignon In Photos" who was named a Blog of Note this week by Blogger.com, and who richly deserves that most prestigious form of recognition among Blogspot bloggers. Congratulations Nathalie ! And thank you for your kind words over the past months which have really shown me just how good a blogging friendship can be.
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So, if you haven't yet been to Avignon in Photos, please take a peek there soon, and if you don't wind up in the bargain at least a little bit tempted to go visit Avignon, well, I'll eat my hat . . . my hat which right now is off to Nathalie. . . (Partly why this tractor post is dedicated to Nathalie is because she lived out in Australia for quite a few years, so I thought she might like them. . . although why, or if, a nice lady like Nathalie would like a heap of rusty old tractors is another question entirely !)

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Dear Mimi,

Thank you ever so much for e-mailing your Papa these fabulous tractor photos you took with your new camera. I can't tell you how proud I am of you. First, because you worked so hard in school that you were one of only eight students in the whole class to get picked for the exchange trip to Australia. Second, because you organized all by yourself the summer job you're going to do when you get home to pay me back for your camera. That wasn't easy to do, but you sold your skills well. That is an art that will prove useful in life. Third, because in taking these photos, you have just shown me better than any words could do that you love your old Papa just a little bit, your Papa who loves to photograph abandoned cars, ancient falling down houses, cemeteries, and all manner of other strange and wonderful subjects.

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Keep taking pictures honey ! Photography is an art you can practice your whole life long, few activities can be more rewarding than to produce a beautiful image. Be patient though, it is easy to take mediocre photos, but good photos require hard work and concentration and care and just a little touch of magic, plus a large dose of humor, a willingness to laugh at life's absurdities. Experiment ! Don't be afraid to take lots of pictures of the same thing from every angle possible until you find what works. With digital cameras that is easy today. When I was learning how to take photos, I had to be very parsimonious with the film, and could only take one or two pictures of any given subject. You have complete freedom to make mistakes, and learn from them. Do close-ups of details of objects that please you. Back away and think about how you are framing your shots, and about exactly what you want in the picture. Take your time, don't rush.

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I can't believe you're out in Australia and left your parents at home ! All I can say is, we never had any opportunity like that when I was your age in our school. I don't know if I'll ever get to take Maman to Australia, so we're counting on you to take tons of good photos out there so we can at least see what it really looks like. Maybe your photographs will be the final straw contributing to helping us decide to go there one day.

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Make the most of the time you have left out there ! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get home. We're proud of you !

Lots of Love !

Papa

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PS. . Make copies of your photos, put them on a CD or USB key or something, keep them separate from the camera, change the memory card and keep it in a safe place... cameras have an unpleasant habit of wandering off in airports and at beaches and restaurants and so on...

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Dream House Tractor . . .

For years now I've been looking for my dream house, many of the candidates for that honor have been illustrated in earlier posts in these pages. One day I know I'm going to find it, if I continue searching earnestly enough, the world over.
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And when I do find my dream house, I'm going to need a tractor to plow the fields around in order to put in crops of carrots and cucumbers and so forth; and this may well be the tractor I'm going to want to plow those dream house fields . . .
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Piece of Paradise

July 2007, not far from Nimes, southern France, found a piece of heaven in a tractor graveyard ! Could have spent all day there, as it was, took my time for at least two hours looking closely at all the carcasses that were spaced out in a field there, going to rust and ruin, getting overgrown by brambles and assorted wildflowers... The bus mentioned far below in this blog in relation to the film "Into the Wild" was here also, in a back corner of this cemetery for machines of all sorts, of every origin and color imaginable... Paradise...
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