Birthday Photo Hunt

reflecting, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Jim is going to be in Turkey during his birthday so i decided we would celebrate a little early. Because we are both lovers of photography, roadtrips and adventures, i put together a little photo-scavenger hunt. I choose three destinations that i thought he would enjoy and gave him nothing more than the coordinates and a few helpful clues. He used a GPS device to guide us to our destinations. The first one was a radio-controlled airplane field in Falcon, but it was a flop as no one was there flying. No matter - we discovered a plan b. It was a really fun way to celebrate another year of life for this amazing man.

Take Two

portait2, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

After the first destination fell through, we backtracked a few miles to the Meadow Lakes airport. Success! We found some fun things to photograph - including us!

Photo-licious!

jim2, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

It was a blast taking pictures with Jim. He not only has a great eye for photography but understands the principles much better than I. The airport was kind in letting us roam freely around the planes.

Aviator

jim, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Someday, this will be Jim standing in front of his own plane!

mechanical beauties

planes, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

I few years ago, i discovered that i enjoy filming mechanical things more than filming nature. There is something very gritty and thoughtful about things that are designed to do something.

Lake View Ranch

ranch, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

After we left the airport, we happened upon this massive and bizarre gateway leading into a ranch in the middle of nowhere. While it wasn't a part of the hunt, we couldn't resist a few minutes of playing.

Destination 2

pm, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

The sun was starting to sink as we navigated our way to the paint mines, our second destination. We climbed around and had a memorable time playing together around these beautiful rock formations. The sun didn't keep us warm for much longer so we had to race back to the car before plotting out our last destination: Solo's airplane restaurant. It was a fantastic adventure!

PM3, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Paint Mines

PM1, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

PM2, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Reflecting

eye, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

As Jim watched the sunsetting on the yellow rocks, i snapped this photo. I am mesmerized by his intense and pensive eyes.

haiku

haiku, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

In this cute little bird house we found a pad of paper and pencils. Others had left poems to celebrate the beauty of the paint mines and so i counted out my syllables and came up with a haiku.

monks

monks, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

The manager of the monestary had received medical treatment at the clinic. Because of the good relationship built through that experience, he was eager to let us film and even set up for the monks to recite some prayers for us to film. I had to laugh when one of the monks got a call on his cell phone!

New Year

alter2, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

The day of our arrival in Cambodia, this couple had invited us to witness the removal of their ancestor shrines and alters. It was a big deal in this Buddhist/animistic culture. So much time and money was invested in appeasing the spirits of the ancestors. The husband had been praying for his wife to come to faith in Christ for a long time. His prayer was answered the day we arrived, so we were thrilled to be a part of the celebration.

Bonfire

alter1, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

It was interesting to watch the couple set fire to their shrines. They both expressed a real feeling of relief but also anticipation for some sort of spiritual attack. Later that night, they had a strange confrontation with Tanny's mother who in a rage claimed to be speaking through the voices of the ancestors. I won't share the whole story here, but if you're interested, i'd be happy to tell more.

landmines

mines, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

Landmines are a serious problem in Poipet. The Khmer Rouge saturated the area with both land and tank mines. We visited a village that had not yet been cleared. As we drove down a dirt path, the deminers expressed great concern telling us that we need to watch our weight because it was probable that some tank mines were in the area. As we threw a bag of rice in the back of the truck on our way out, we joked that it only took one extra american and a bag of rice in the truck to equal the weight of a tank. I have to confess being a little uncomfortable wandering round the area, especially when meeting so many people who were missing a leg.

Grandma's story

grannyW, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

A neighbor's cooking fire spread uncontrollably toward this woman's house. She had heard the gospel only weeks before and given her life to Christ. As the wind blew the fire toward he home, she cried out to God to save her. She stood at the end of her home next to the sugarcane crying out for help. You can see the burn marks behind her, within a few feet of the sugarcane. The wind suddenly shifted and blew the fire around the property. It raged for hundreds of feet all around the house but her home never caught fire. She told everyone about how God saved her. Later that week, an evangelist came to the village and 35 people committed to follow Christ that day. It was fun to be there for the very first bible study.

Kids

kidsW, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

When the house caught on fire, the grandmother urged the children to run to the road, forgetting that the children had to run across an active minefield. One little girl ran back for the Bible so that it would not be burned by the flames.

Traffick

carts, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

The people of Poipet are very poor. Each morning the border is jammed with carts hoping to cross over to Thailand in order to purchase goods in the market in order to sell them again on the Poipet side. Men, women, children, old folks, people without legs or arms all waiting in line with their rickshaws hoping to make a decent wage for the day.

Well

girl2, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

This little girl was sitting on the curb of a well donated to the village by a church in the USA. The kids were having a grand old time playing in the waters. I've heard it is the cleanest water for miles around.

Beauty

flower, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

This little girl was very stunning. I was thrilled that a little house church had begun in her village and that she was hearing about the love of God.

Surgery

surgeryW, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

We spent a morning in surgery. It was the first time I've been in an OR. I found it most fascinating and really enjoyed filming and photographing the process - only once feeling woozy.

Dr. Wen

debwen, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

I had met Wen the last time i was in Cambodia. She was working the New Hope boat clinic that went up and down the Mekong River helping the poor Vietnamese squatters. I wasn't expecting to see her on this journey but she was in town with her new husband helping in the Poipet hospital. He is the surgeon on the right in the photo above.

I have to also comment that I assisted in my first surgery! My task was to move the light to illuminate the incision. Apparently, I was not sterile so I was able to touch the unclean things - I'm still not sure if this was a good thing or not.