Exposed – Mondays Finish the Story

Today is devoted to the other blog that I write, which is the Mondays Finish the Story flash fiction challenge. This challenge gives an opening line to a story that the writer must use and that they write a story that goes along with the photo. The word limit is 100-150 words. Here is my contribution and the title is “Exposed.” The opening sentence is in bold and italicized letters.

The Webs We Weave – Photo © 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

“What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” She never thought about the backlash that could come about from her lies and deceptions.

Ginny was finally exposed. She had lied to the community about many things and for so long that she believed her own stories. She could no longer tell the difference between her lies and reality.

There were the lies about the misuse of company funds for personal gain. Someone discovered her bribes, extortion and the kickbacks from contractors. Her collusion with a local realtor was uncovered. People referred to her as the “puppet master” because so many did her bidding, not knowing that they were being set up. Ginny was a user. Once she got what she wanted, she tossed the person aside like a piece of trash.

She stood with the rest when the bailiff said, “All rise, Franklin County Superior Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Vickerson now presiding.”

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Thanks for dropping in today! If you would like to write for this challenge, then just click HERE!

Be well and have a magnificent Monday! ^..^

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Catching Lightning!

Recently we had a storm, it was on the 26th I believe, and there was a lot of thunder and lightning. Because lightning is quick to strike, it is very difficult to catch a bolt coming down. Deciding that the only way that I could catch it was to video it, this is what I did. It took about 15 minutes of filming and from that I was able to catch the split seconds of a bolt of lightning! 😀

Here is the single bolt captured in 3 frames of the video that I shot.  To get the full details of this photo and the others, I suggest that you click on the photo once, then with the photo isolated click on it again to bring it to full size.  The bolts actually go from side to side and if you look closely, you will see how amazing this bit of nature truly is!

Here it begins…

The bolt of lightning begins

Here is the second frame…

Second catch of the same bolt

The last bit as it retreats…

Third catch as it finishes

Pretty cool, huh? June is usually a month were we get the monsoonal flow from Arizona and with it comes more lightning. I am hoping that I can catch more when it comes again!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have one heck of a fine Saturday! Be well…. ^..^

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Miners Hill Hotel – Where You Check In and Don’t Check Out

© 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

“The only residents remaining in the small town of Miners Hill are spirits.” So goes the rumor. I love visiting ghost towns.

Driving into the town, I pull into the parking lot of the hotel at the top of the hill. I put the car in park, unfasten my seat belt and get out. It is so quiet.

I head towards the front door of the hotel. It is chipped, peeling, and open. I walk in. Dust covers the floor. A huge mirror hangs behind the front desk. There is a bell on the desk. I walk over to it and tap. A ding rings throughout the lobby. I can hear footsteps behind me. My heart begins to race.  Turning, I look.  I do not see anyone.

Behind me, I hear a voice. “Welcome to the Miners Hill Hotel. Would you like a room?” I turn towards the voice. No one is there. The front door slams shut and locks. I gulp.

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This is my contribution this week to the Mondays Finish the Story flash fiction challenge!

If you feel like joining in on this challenge, then click HERE!

Thank you dear reader for taking the time to stop by today! Have one heck of an amazing week! Be well… ^..^

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The Odyssey – Sunday Photo Fiction

Anchors – Photo by Alastair Forbes

The forty-foot swells came from out of nowhere. The captain, buckled in to his seat, held tight to the wheel, sweat dripped down his face. The crew battened down the hatches. Water swept across the decks taking with it anything not tied down.

Up and down, the ship rode the waves. The winds howled, making the crew believe that the Seven Sirens sang to them. Water slammed into the ship, tossing the crew to the left, then to the right. The captain was heading for the shore.

Suddenly, all heard the sound of ripping metal. Ice-cold water rushed in. Crewmen were swept out to sea. The captain felt the ship list to the left. Over the loud speaker he yelled, “Abandon ship! Abandon ship!”

He let go of the wheel heading outside. A huge wave rushed in pinning him to the door of the wheelhouse, then grabbed at his feet pulling him out to sea. He thanked God for his life and surrendered himself to a certain death.

The storm raged on and the Odyssey quickly sank. All that remained of this ship: A pair of anchors, now on display at Odyssey Park. None of the crew survived.

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To Alastair Forbes: Thank you for hosting Sunday Photo Fiction, and for the amazing photo that inspired my story!

Sunday Photo Fiction

Thanks go out to you too, dear reader, for taking the time to stop on by for a quick read. Have a splendid Sunday and be well… ^..^

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Circling in a Storm

We have had more cloudy days in May than we had from January to April. The clouds are dark and heavy looking. The sad part is: No rain. The other day, with the dark sky, and the sun just setting, we witnessed turkey buzzards flying in circles. Here are a few of the shots that I captured of them…

Circling

Looking down

Wings fully spread

All lit up!

The sun’s reflection

Heading out

The turkey buzzard is such an amazing bird. My husband said to me the other day, “Can you imagine flying like that looking to find something that has died?” I can’t, but there has to be enough to keep these birds going.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have an amazing day, and be well… ^..^

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She Could Do It! Mondays Finish the Story

It is time for another edition of Mondays Finish the Story! This flash fiction challenge asks that the writer complete a story of 100-150 words, using the opening line as provided (in bold and italicized letters), and that the story goes with the photo prompt. I hope that you enjoy my story entitled “She Could Do It.”

© 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

“Arriving at the beach, she reflected on her life.” She listened to the waves as they came in. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the water battering against the beach.

She just had to get away from it all to think. She did all the right things. She ate the right foods, avoided the excess of alcohol, and drank tea instead of coffee. She had lost twenty-five pounds, and discovered that most of the glands in her body were swollen, making her uncomfortable.

The diagnosis was cancer, and she was told that she had it for years by the look of things. She felt the lump forming in the back of her throat. She had to make a choice of either going through chemotherapy or not.

During her life, her Mom showed her by example what it was to have a will to live. Her Mom was given five years  and she survived cancer for thirty-seven years now. If her Mom could do it and survive, then so could she!

Her choice

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A slight bit over on the word count!  Thank you for stopping by today for a quick read!

Be well… ^..^

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Meet Chubby Cheeks!

One of the things that I love about where I live is the abundance of the wildlife that is here. We get to see some pretty amazing creatures up close! Today, I am featuring one of the smaller critters in the area. It is the Ground Squirrel. These little critters sure are cute, but I will tell you, they are destructive to the trees and gardens. However, my focus is not on this issue. For today, I wanted to share with you some photos of this critter that I took just the other day. This little fellow was feeding on the wild bird seed we put out.

Please let me introduce you to the Ground Squirrel!

The Ground Squirrel

This critter loves the bird seed.

Jackpot with bird seed

I noticed how the birds give him a wide berth.

The birds keep their distance

After feeding for quite a while, he stops and takes a short break.

Taking a break

He goes back to feeding filling up those cheek pouches.

Filling up the cheek pouches

For the last shot in this series of photos, I would like to ask that you click on the photo to enlarge it. Before this fellow runs off, he raises his face. Notice the chubby cheeks!

Chubby cheeks

Isn’t that cute?

Well, that is it for today. I hope that you enjoyed this post. Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and I hope that you have a wonderful day! Be well… ^..^

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On the Water

One day at the lake with my nephew, as we were walking around it, we witnessed unusual behavior with the Canada Geese. Here is a series of shots of what these geese were doing…The captions tells all!

Walking on water

Giving chase

Keep on truckin’

Gotta get there quick!

Starting to run

The birds never took off!

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a wonderful day! Be well… ^..^

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After the King Fire

It has been 6 months since the King Fire blew through our area. Our home was 2 miles away from where it was burning, and we are happy that it was contained and that our home survived. I took a drive with my nephew up Mosquito Road and into the forest. The sign indicated that the road was closed, but we did not come upon any barricades. I wanted to share some photos I took of where the fire burned.

Along the road we could see where fingers of the fire blew through. In other spots we could just see areas from a distance. Here are my photos.

Straight ahead we see a burnt out area

Through the remaining trees we see a burned area

After the fire and rains, the forest floor shows growth

More burned trees

A finger moved up the crest…

More…

What remains

What you have seen in these photos are just a miniscule portion of the area burned. We are hoping that with the drought, 4 years worth now, we will be safe this year. We have already had a fire nearby and thankfully our volunteer firefighters got it out quickly!

Be fire safe no matter where in the world that you are! Thanks for stopping by today and may your Saturday be splendid! Be well… ^..^

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Intricate – A WordPress Photo Challenge!

Krista at WordPress has chosen the topic “Intricate” for this week’s photo challenge! I love this topic! Let’s visit my world of intricate!

Let’s start with a resident neighbor who came to visit.

Looking at him up close

Each layer of feathers on a Canadian Goose has infinite details.

Feathers

Tiny bubbles form in ice, freezing their amazing details.

Bubbles on ice

The patterning of the wings of a dragon fly…

Loaded with details

The tiny details of a California Poppy emerge when you look close enough.

The beauty found it the center

An artichoke in bloom draws you in…

Blues

Look closely at the eye on this wasp. Do you see the spirals in its eye?  Click on the photo to see the intricate details of this amazing creature!

The eye of a wasp

Did I meet this challenge in looking at the intricate details? 🙂 Have an amazing day and thank you for dropping on by today! Be well… ^..^

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