Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
This is the second year I’ve submitted photos to the Florida State Park photo contest and I’m just as proud of these as I am of last year’s. Also, I think I’ve improved in my photography between the two submissions. First up, here are the 5 pics from 2022…
In 2023, I sent in 12 photos and, to be honest, I had a lot of fun narrowing it down to my favorites from all the parks I’d been to. One thing I think that made a difference… 1. This year I knew there would be a contest, last year I didn’t know. So I think I did better when there was something at stake, something to aim towards. 2. I had more time. In 2022 I had only camped in a handful of parks. In 2023, I went to almost all the parks I’d wanted to visit in Florida.
Here are the 12 I picked to send in for 2023…
I think the website said they’re picking winners in November. I would be surprised and so happy if one of my photos was chosen. Surprised, because I saw a lot of the photos people sent in from the online parks gallery and there are great photographers out there who captured very unique moments. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see, and I’ll say this, too… camping was its own reward for each of the parks I visited. Florida has such beautiful natural settings, I’m just glad I captured a tiny portion of it on camera!
I don’t know what’s going on in country music but something’s changing. I’m not a fortune teller but it appears as though the shallow days of bro country and faux country (artists from other genres switching over to country) are a thing of the past. Musical styles sometimes repeat themselves just like fashion (1990s is popular again now with overalls and mom jeans??) but let’s just hope bro and faux country are buried, never to be unearthed again!
There are two camps in country music fandom. Those who like new country (Luke Bryan, Lady A, etc) and those who prefer the old stuff. I’m talking about artists like Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Clint Black, Kris Kristofferson, Patty Loveless. Stuff your parents or grandparents listened to. But rising stars like Zach Bryan, overnight sensation Oliver Anthony, and the reason an artist like Colin Stough can finish nearly at the top of American Idol in 2023, the future of country music sounds a lot like the past. And that’s such a welcome change. There’s another band to add to the growing list of refreshing country music acts… they’re called Ghost Hounds. Check out “Last Train To Nowhere.”
It’s not the first country song about trains but by golly, it’s got my yaw dampers choo-chooing. I don’t even know what that means, I’m not a train engineer for Pete’s sake, but it’s a great song. Far be it from me to predict where country music is going but if the songs becoming popular are the ones with meaningful lyrics without mentioning truck beds, tan legs, or beer kegs, my caboose will be first in line for tickets.
Oliver Anthony has basically become an overnight sensation with one of his songs, it’s called “Rich Man North Of Richmond.” If you’re kinda fed up with Washington politics in general, this song is for you. This is the country music the founders intended. I’m sure it’s in the constitution somewhere. In the future, will famous people be singing this song through Artificial Intelligence, kind of like these timeless AI hits?
It’s so encouraging to hear music like this in a genre that’s been giving us shallow stuff like HARDY “Truck Bed” (I dish out my 2 cents on that one here) or virtuous songs like Brad Paisley’s “Same Here” (I explain how dumb it is here). Oliver Anthony calls a spade a spade, which is what sets country (or bluegrass, blues) music apart. I’ve said it before in a post called “Rap Music vs. Country Music, Polar Opposites” and it’s still true today. Country music, at its core, is about being relatable to the common American. Singers are singing our story. Oliver is a gritty example of the beauty of this type of music. And he did it without tan-legged girls! The horror. Somewhere Tyler Hubbard is rolling over in his Chevy Silverado.
I would’ve called it something like “Men Who Want More… South of Baltimore” but that’s why Oliver has the Gretsch Resonator Acoustic guitar and I’m in my camper typing on my computer. The sentiment would be the same, though: Politically, Washington, D.C. sucks. Doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, the ones who are representing us (allegedly) seem to be slightly out of touch. And by slightly I mean there’s a giant chasm between what an every day American experiences and what a D.C. politician thinks an every day American experiences.
That’s a big part of why this song is everywhere right now.
This is the country music country music stations haven’t been playing on the radio in the last however many years but I sense the tide is shifting to songs with lyrics that are less phony, less shallow (songs like Zach Bryan “Oklahoma Smokeshow” and Tyler Childers “In Your Love”) It’s also pretty cool that one genre of music can have such a wide array of songs. On one hand, there’s Luke Bryan’s “But I Got A Beer In My Hand”, a song with more typical country clichés like a breakup, beer, and partying. There’s a time and a place for a song like that (ever heard of the “White Trash Bash” in north Florida?). Then there’s Oliver Anthony ripping into our elected officials with the struggles of blue collar people all across the nation. It won’t be played at your next kegger but can we all stop now for a moment of silence, showing our gratitude that the bro-country songs about tan legs, ripped blue jeans, trucks and truck tailgates, might officially and forever be over? It was real. It was fun. But it wasn’t real fun. Somewhere Cole Swindell is rolling over in his topless Chevy Blazer.
Some people will hate “Rich Men North Of Richmond,” that’s just how the world turns. But one thing is for certain, Brad Paisley’s song is pretty dumb.
I have this watch I found and a consignment shop, bought it for $5. The band was hanging on by just a thread because I’m almost sure it was the original band and the watch had to be a couple of decades old. I wore it a few times before the band broke, so I put it in a drawer where it got shuffled to the back over the course of many months. Then in dawned on me: stores sell watch bands. What a crazy idea!
I found a band I liked and I’ll save the hysterics of putting on this new watch band for another post (the whole process was extremely humbling 🙃) but now that the new band is on, I take every chance I get to wear the watch when I’m going just about anywhere.
Oh yeah, I should mention that the watch doesn’t tell time. But since when does that matter!? I’m guessing its battery has been dead for a long time. I just like the way it looks so if you see me walking around with this watch on, don’t hold your breath that I’ll be able to give you the time if you ask. 🙂
I think I’ve finally accepted that the bike I love, my 70s commuter bike, will need to be upgraded if I want to keep doing sprint triathlons. It’s not that the bike can’t help me finish a race, because it most certainly can. I’ve done two sprints with it and it held up well, zip ties and all. But if I were to get even a little more serious about improving my overall time, it’s time to get a bike manufactured after the turn of the century.
With that in mind, my dad and I went out to the local Trek store. I knew bicycles had changed and improved, heck I had a new (at the time) mountain bike I used in college and it was great. But the quality of the bikes I tried out at the Trek store, I was almost overwhelmed and speechless. Of course, the price tag reflects the experience, too, so I’m not jumping into something right away. In fact, I found a great bike on eBay and watched it for days until it sold. It was colorful, looked fast and if the scenario was a little different at this point in my life, I might have put in a bid.
I’m also thinking about joining a local triathlon group but I’m not sure showing up with my current bike would be endearing or embarrassing? It has a bell. Things are developing though, and I’m kind of excited to see how this whole new world of sprint triathlons plays out in the short term and long term of my life. So far, it’s been fun and I know I can improve in each of the three sports: swimming, biking, and running.
Out of the Wilderness 