A Day at the Aiken Polo Club

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It’s been a month since my adventure down to Aiken, South Carolina. I wanted to spread out these two posts a little bit so I would overwhelm everyone with horse pictures.

Sometimes when I get really into taking pictures I seriously wonder whether I should drop everything and become a horse photographer, not necessarily because I’m the best at it, but just because I honestly enjoy it and am always pleased with my results.

This was my first polo match, I enjoyed watching it, but I’m definitely glad it’s not the horse sport I went into.  It takes more hand-eye coordination than I will ever have!

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The Aiken Steeplechase

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I was in Aiken South Carolina this weekend. A family friend of ours has a place down there and welcomed us for some of the fall horse festivities! I got to go to my first steeplechase and my first polo game (watch for another post).

To put it simply, it’s a world away from barrel racing. It’s on the opposite end of the horse spectrum, but man is it something I could get used to. We just don’t have open bars and buffets in the rodeo world.

Enjoy some gorgeous athletes (and their riders). I had a wonderful time watching them in their zone.

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Places to donate to hurricane Harvey relief:

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NASA/ISS Imagery Of Hurricane Harvey Over Gulf Coast

I had another post ready for today, but there is a more pressing matter right now. As many of you know Hurricane Harvey is sitting over Texas and causing a ton of damage. I’m sure if you’re in the states you’ve been seeing it on the news. When your not located near a tragedy it can often feel like you’re watching something unfold that you can do nothing about, so for those of us who can’t put our feet on the ground I wanted to link charities and relief funds. Donations will be needed for some time, so please give if you are able.

People:

  • RedCross: LINK (Or text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation)
  • Salvation Army: LINK
  • United Way: LINK
  • Samaritans Purse: LINK
  • Americares: LINK

Animals:

  • Humane Society: LINK
  • Austin Pets Alive: LINK
  • US Equestrian: LINK

Equine Study: Casper, the friendly white horse.

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It’s been forever since I posted an equine study post. Too long if you ask me. It’s because I don’t take my camera to the farm much and most my horse photos are bad quality cell phone photos taken in harsh sun.

So imagine, I go out to the farm, it’s my birthday, and the only horse that will let me take good pictures of him is Casper. My horse? He was either trying to eat my camera or so angry that I wasn’t letting him eat my camera that he wouldn’t face me. It was really rewarding.

Anyways, a little about this beauty to go along with the photos. Casper’s person is a soon to be middle school girl who is amazing, she has him trained better than I have D’Artagnan. His name is also much easier to pronounce and has a clear inspiration source.

I actually like that about D’Artagnan’s name. I named him when I was fourteen, because my sister said a few month earlier that I should name him that while watching The Three Musketeers. I had told her that I wasn’t going to, but then somehow standing in front of him I couldn’t come up with anything better. So I named him D’Artagnan, and the beautiful thing is I grew into his name. At fourteen I was big on reading, but I wasn’t really well read. So how fitting is it that I became an English major with a horse named after a character from such classic literature?

6-4-17: A Late Afternoon Photo Diary

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I realized late afternoon yesterday that I need to start carrying my giant DSLR around with me again. I’ve gotten really lazy about it because my phone has a camera like everyone else (even though it really needs an upgrade, even if just for the camera). I forget how much that giant camera makes me want to take pictures and I forget just how much there really is to take pictures of.

I’m a strong believer that we shouldn’t be recording every second of our lives, but I forget how beautiful some of those moments are. For example, yesterday afternoon after a flash storm. My yard was overcast and it seemed to be calling me out to come take pictures of it.   Continue reading

Book Review: The Magnolia Story

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The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

-Goodreads Summery

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Ya’ll’d’ve Done it Different: How I Define the South

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I saw a post recently on Tumblr that stated only in the south would a monstrosity like ya’ll’d’ve be both used normally and considered grammatically ‘correct’. Another one I really like? All ya’ll, because ya’ll isn’t plural enough. This is a side note, which might not be the best way to start a post, but I enjoyed the humor.

I’ve been meaning to write a post on how I define the south, since it is after all part of my URL. Anna Down South was not chosen just because I love the south, but because the south is a big part of my identity. This blog was never meant to be a travel blog where I post all the southern hot spots or a place where I only talked about southern topics, it was supposed to be a lifestyle blog, and I just happened to feel like my lifestyle was southern enough for the name.

So how does one define the south?

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