April | 2011 | Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller

I participated in the annual “Anything Goes, Almost” art show competition put on by the San Angelo Art Club. I had entered two photographs, but because I have been under the weather for the past several days, I was unable to attend the opening reception and judging.

I did get a phone call this morning from one of the club members, and she told me that one of my images, “Winter Wren”, had won third place in the photography category. So I will be getting a cash award and a ribbon. I was hoping for a first place, but of course, it always is up to the judges. Besides, I haven’t been to the gallery to see the photographs that beat me out.

The second piece that I had entered and was my personal favorite, “Hawk in Tree”, apparently failed to place. I will show both of them to you, and you can see what I entered. The frames pictured here are digital, and not the real frames that are hanging in the gallery.

"Winter Wren" - third place

"Hawk in Tree"

So back to the cameras and I will see what I can do about improving my place at the next show. As a side note, I might mention that I entered one of my water lily photos in this same show about three years ago. I did win first place in that competition. That same image won 4th place color against 27,500 other color entries in a contest sponsored by Canon and Photographers Forum magazine. Fourth place doesn’t sound like much, but since it was 4th in about 27,500 entries, I was rather pleased. There were no sub-categories in that competition. Just simply color or black-and-white.

Win or lose, I really enjoy entering competitions. I think that over the years I have won four first place, six second place, and more thirds than I care to admit to. Also there were several, honorable mentions, but that’s like being kissed by your cousin. 🙂

Of course, there also is the chance one the above will sell at the show, as they will be hanging at the gallery through April 30.

Wow!! The good news keeps pouring in!! My good friend Holly over at Photos by Holly presented me with this decorous award:

Needless to say, I am beyond thrilled to receive such a citation for my creative achievments above and beyond……… 🙂 Holly, who herself is an outstanding blogger, received the same award recently, and decided to pass it on to me. Thank you, Holly. I will cherish it. 🙂

So I am going to pass it on to some other qualifying bloggers, whom I feel that they rightfully deserve the same credit.

First here are the rules.

1) Thank the person who honored you and give a link to their blog.

2) Tell 7 random facts about yourself.

3) Pass the award to 15 new found bloggers.

4) Contact each blogger onto whom you pass the award and let them know.

5) Let the giver of the award know you accept it or not.

Now for the seven random facts about myself.

1. I didn’t meet my wife for the first time until two hours before the wedding rehearsal.

2. I am a former saxophone player that played with some of the best bands in the land.

3. I am 76 years old, have the mind of a 25 year old, and I don’t look any older than a 90 year-old.

4. When I enlisted in the Air Force, I was 6 foot, 1 inch tall, but weighed only 119 pounds. My nick-name was Slim.

5. My friend from Maine, Toby, has given me a new nick-name: Funky Old Dude.

6. I once appeared on stage with Brenda Lee.

7. A photo of mine was on the back cover of the August 2011 issue of National Wildlife Magazine. My goal is to be on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, the swimsuit issue.

Now with a blare of trumpets, here are the new recipients of this outstanding award.

1. Cindy Kilpatrick A lady from Canada who is definitely a versatile blogger. A great author and a great photographer.

2. Toby Shoemaker. A former Texan who gets a little homesick, now living in the great state of Maine. His blog is one of the most entertaining and educational that I know of.

3. Mike Ziegler. A friend of mine from Austin, Texas. He keeps me up to date about the water lilies that he grows, and where his travels lead.

4. Dave Another Canadian blogger. He writes about his daily life. Very interesting reading.

5. Cindy McIntyre is a park ranger at Big Bend National Park. She and I have a lot in common, hunting the trees, crawling the weeds to find new birds.

6. Raven is a full-blooded Cherokee Indian. His photography is phenomenol.

7. Johnnie Harper is a very dear friend of mine. He is recovering from stage 4 nymphoma, and planning another trek in the Himalayas. Read about his adventures from a previous trek to that location. An amazing man.

8. ClassyRose. A very interesting blogger from Australia.

9. Jim Miller is another outstanding nature photographer. He writes about his experiences in Iceland and shows his awesome photographs.

10. Deb Tappan. She is not a blogger per se, but she is an awesome photographer who has inspired me in many ways, especially to write my own blog. Her photographs highlight many of the areas of the National Park System.

11. Katherine Hoehm is a consultant inside the beltway in Washington. D.C. Outstanding nature photographs from along the East Coast.

12. Linda Rockwell writes about her experiences in New Mexico, and especially the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

13. White Noise. A blog about the nature happenings from Central Texas.

14. Michael Lam. A photographer from Guyana. An outstanding eclectic collection of image.

15. Shelly Jefferson. Her life in a photo per day. Great photos of flowers.

16. Syl Lobato. Awesome, gorgeous paintings on stone. Must see to believe. A new addition to my blog-roll.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you are one of the recipients – you can either save the Versatile Blogger image, and then post to your own page, or you can copy the image location, and put in the html code. Congratulations to all.