Tom Woll Photography

Click for a larger view I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies  This is the dawning of the rest of our lives  On holiday ~~"Holiday" By Green Day

The hotel is open, with reflections from across the street. Click for a larger view

The idea for Mount Rushmore was conceived in 1923 by Doane Robinson to promote tourism in the state of South Dakota. Robinson convinced sculptor Gutzon Borglum to travel to the Black Hills region in 1924 to ensure the carving could be accomplished. Three shot handheld panorama Click for a larger view The original plan was to create carvings in granite pillars known as the Needles. Borglum quickly realized that the thin eroded Needles would not support sculpting. He chose Mount Rushmore partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to the sun.  Originally known to the Lakota Sioux as "The Six Grandfathers", the mountain was renamed after Charles E. Rushmore during an expedition in 1885.

And they call this the great midwest Where the cornfields row and flow They're all five years ahead of their time Or twenty-five behind; I just don't know All the young men talk about their four-wheel drives  " The Great Midwest"~~John Mellencamp

It has been a while since I posted, heck it's been a while since I picked up my camera. Well I fired off a couple shots today and thought I would post one here. Musically inspired shot of my hometown of Le Mars Iowa.  Springsteen's "Backstreets" seemed fitting for this one. Trying to learn to walk like the heroes  We thought we had to be  Well after all this time  To find we're just like all the rest  Stranded in the park  And forced to confess  To hiding on the backstreets Hiding on the backstreets Where we swore forever friends On the backstreets until the end Hiding on the backstreets Hiding on the backstreets ~~Backstreets by Bruce Springsteen

This is not technically a lamp post, rather a lamp mounted on a brick structure.  Yet another black and white shot taken on a winter day.  This one is at the entrance of the Municipal Park in Le Mars Iowa. Click for a larger view

Black and white, monochrome, or whatever you call it is something I really like in photography.  The absence of color helps to show a scene or item in a way not always seen by the naked eye. Click for a larger view

We all get to the point where we miss the big picture of where we are headed and we can't see the forest for the trees. It does a person good to step back and realize that the little details of something we may dwell on are not always the most important thing happening. Try to make sure you do not lose sight of the forest as you make your way through the trees. Click for a larger view

Truffles in a vending machine.  The machines are just outside of a chocolate store in Deadwood SD. Even after hours you can get your chocolate fix.  Click For A Larger View

Winter is still here but a little fresh snow makes it look a bit more pleasant. Click For A Larger View

Click For A Larger View Even as things fall apart and break down into nothing  there is still beauty and something interesting to see.

Click for a larger view "We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." ~~Kenji Miyazawa

Click for a larger view Looking ahead seeing a place to rest Knowing it is just over the bridge Yet standing at the foot not daring to take a step But feeling so tired and need to rest Time to march across the bridge To finally reach a spot to rest

Winter transforms all landscapes to something peaceful but it uses a special magic to wooded areas. Click for a larger view

Click For A Larger View I don't need no arms around me. And I dont need no drugs to calm me.  I have seen the writing on the wall.  Don't think I need anything at all.  No! Don't think I'll need anything at all.  All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.  All in all you were all just bricks in the wall.  ~Roger Waters  "Another Brick In The Wall Part 3"

This is a shot I ran across that I took a couple of years ago.  This is a farm somewhere in Iowa.  I added a texture to it and liked the way it turned out. Click for a larger view

Downtown Le Mars, Ia. Click For A Larger View No I cannot forget where it is that I come from I cannot forget the people who love me Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town And people let me be just what I want to be ~~ John Mellencamp