See...No Where's Completely Safe

 I did a screen shot of a local news channel's Instagram post (Channel 2, KUTV in Salt Lake City, to be exact...). Someone snapped a picture of a funnel cloud located about twenty or so miles away from where we live. The first reaction was, "I'm glad it didn't hit us or that no one got hurt," but then, you start to think...why didn't it hit us? Why didn't this happen in a crowded city and not an unpopulated area?

Why aren't there more natural disasters?

I don't think I'm alone in wishing I could live in an area that is considered "safe." I remember as a child thinking about where on the planet is the safest. Utah, where I've lived all but three years of my life, is safer than most. Without looking at the data and just going by my fifty-plus years, we don't have disasters that affect other places. We don't have hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis, for example. 

Of course, not everything is well in paradise. We have floods, extreme (but not so extreme...) weather, an occasional tornado, and something that could devastate the area, earthquakes. When I was in my basement office a few years ago and the house shook and I heard a rumble, it freaked me out a bit...and that was a small quake. Earthquakes used to worry me as a child, then my logical mind had to accept the fact that no place is safe, completely safe. 

Right now, tropical storms are building in the Gulf of Mexico. Those on the east coast and in the south are used to this. I think it would drive me crazy, but they adapt and survive. People in the midwest and in other parts of the country have the threat of tornadoes that can do such damage. I think living in Tornado Alley would be tough for me, too. Not being a meteorologist, I have no idea if the funnel cloud would have done any damage, even if it were in a populated area. 

I think the trick is to prepare as much as you can. live right, and be the best person you can be. Other than that, much of this is out of your hands. Still, when you see a picture of an unusual weather event that's close to where you live, it's a little disconcerting...

Got to live with it, I guess.

So Next Time People Ask, "Is That Your Photo The News Posted On Instagram?" I Can Say...Yup

Having a somewhat popular name comes with the potential for interesting experiences. Years ago someone with my name was hit by a car that his wife was driving while they were both drunk and arguing (it didn't help that man with my name lived in the same town as me...).

Not always are the stories so extreme. With the advent of social media, if a person with my name posts something, it has the potential to be seen by billions of people. Take, for example, Scott Taylor, the photographer. Yes, there are a lot of Scott Taylor photographers out there including me, but there's one specific photographer from the Salt Lake area and he's amazing. His shots are so amazing, so much so, that many are picked up by the local news media. I hope it's okay to post here, but if you're interested in seeing some of these pictures on his Instagram account, you can see them by clicking: HERE.

Every once in a while I'll get a message from a friend--a friend who knows I dabble in photography--and they'll ask me if the beautiful photo they saw on the news or online was mine.

In the past, I've always said, "No."

But...maybe I don't have to say that now.

At least, for one photo I took.

Earlier, I posted a photo looking east in the early evening after a storm. I think it turned out great, so great I decided to submit it to a local TV station's website. Turns out, someone at the station liked it and posted it on their website and Instagram account.

I don't submit many photos and I don't see that changing any time soon. Still, for once, if anyone asks me if that photo taken by a Scott Taylor was mine, I can say, "Yup."