BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett

This is a Hindu temple in Bartlett, Illinois.  As the sun sets, lights begin to illuminate the temple and other lights that may have gone unnoticed during the daytime are turned on, illuminating the sides of the the fountain, and the decorative hedges along the walkways.  It is an amazing site to behold; and a great place to take photos.  As people emerged from the buildings, cameras and cell phones in hand, they stopped to take pictures of each other.

This was a gathering of photographers put on by one of my photography meetup groups.  Although in the past photographers show up and do their own thing, today, we introduced ourselves to one another and made small talk as the sun began to set for the dramatic display we would begin to photograph.

Here, the sun was still high in the sky and the buildings were well illuminated.

Then, the sun began to set, and gradually you could tell that there were colored lights illuminating the different structures.

In front of the temple is a long row of fountains in a large pool; a smaller version of the same sort of thing in India at the Taj Mahal.

The entry way contains a structure through which you can peer through to the temple.  That entryway structure was also illuminated by lights of color that changed.

It didn't take long before the sun had set and darkness gave way to the lights carefully placed to give a dramatic effect.

And the colors changed as the moments passed.

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Women on horseback

What an exhilarating experience to watch these strong young women riding with such confidence!

As it was pointed out by the MC, riding in groups like this is not an easy feat.

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Horses and flags

I was exposed to a lot of things that people are doing on horses at the Fall Festival...and I have so many great pictures that prove it, like this one.

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Big Red is a Black Mouth Cur

This photo is from the Black Mouth Cur page where I found photos of dogs that looked very much like Buddy.  And a description of what the breed does, including the color options. I was told by someone in North Carolina that if I did my homework, I might well find out that Buddy is an actual breed of some kind; and he was right. Comparing these two photos, the similarity is unmistakable.

This is my personal photo of Buddy or Big Red, who is undoubtedly a red BMC. I'm not sure about the amount of white coloring he has; I've read that 10% white is acceptable; but I've also read about BMCs that are completely white.

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Windmill House - edited in Picnik

This is a private residence in Wheaton, Illinois - an iconic custom home that is rather famous, locally. I thought the picture was rather boring by itself, so I edited it in Picnik with this interesting effect.

Most of the photos I've seen of this home show telephone lines obstructing the view, which detract from the subject.

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Fox Valley Civil Air Patrol

The Fox Valley Civil Air Patrol had a booth at the Fall Festival at the Danada Equestrian Center. It performs inland Search and Rescue missions directed by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. They perform electronic searches, and Ground Teams home in on the search objective with radio equipment. They're often the first responders to a crash site and get the survivors often life saving first aid. Civil Air Patrol members saved 91 lives in 2008 alone. Cadets get involved in ES, also. While one has to be at least 18 to fly on a mission, the cadets can get started in ES right away by learning about Ground Team operations or becoming a radio operator.

The man on the left told me about a cadet who was diagnosed with leukemia; and asked if I could help. I will be finding out more about that boy, but due to his being underage, they couldn't divulge his name.

The Civil Air Patrol does a lot of very important work.

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The Northern Illinois Outlaws

The Northern Illinois Outlaws are a Cowboy Mounted shooting club, affiliated with the Cowboy Mounted Shooting association. Mounted shooting is one of the fastest growing equestrian sports, and these fellas did a great demonstration at the Fall Festival at the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton, Illinois.

Their demonstration showed how mounted contestants compete in fast action timed events, using their .45 caliber single action revolvers, loaded with just five rounds of specially-prepared blank ammo. Even though they were firing blanks, the crowd was asked to step away from the surrounding fence by an arm's length.

A took a lot of pictures of the action...

And they were clearly having a great time.

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Some Pix From Danada Equestrian Center

It wasn't all 'shoot 'em ups' - it was a lot of wholesome family fun. This picture is one of the "Northern Illinois Outlaws" demonstrating his riding prowess while shooting his 45 revolver. After each of them had a turn, they then took turns shooting their 45's and their rifles at strategically placed balloons while evasively maneuvering around some barrels on horseback. It was quite a feat.

There was a demonstration with three mustangs in the ring. Two were being ridden, this one was not. Danada Equestrian Center has a number of mustangs there, and they are an integral part of what goes on at the Center. Some of the horses in the Fall Festival program had amazing rescue stories.

There was a dressage demonstration in the main ring, which included three riders - two women and a gentleman, all decked out in period dress, with their horses prancing like dancers.

This is a draft horse that kicked off the demonstrations in the main ring. He weighs over 2,000 pounds.

There were two young ladies who demonstrated an unusual skill on horseback, while the horse galloped around the ring. It was almost like a circus act.

There were greyhounds there, and children seemed to be drawn to them. The owner of one told me that his dog was a 'retired' racing greyhound, who broke her leg and was forced into retirement because of her injury. They had a table by the concession stands to raise awareness about these wonderful dogs.

There were many opportunities to take pictures of the horses and their riders. Every time I turned around, just about - there was another photo op.

This man told me his horse is better lookin' than him - so that's why he gets all the attention. Funny thing is, they both posed really well for the photographs...

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