SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.8.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

SHS 9.8.13

Whooossshhh!
It's already time for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY - check in with ASHLEY @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS. She's posted a fabulous FALL Bucket List for photo ops!

For now, here are this SHS week's words:

LABOR DAY, PHONE CALL, PILLS, CLOSE UP

& WHITE SPACE.

I chose not to highlight the holiday celebrated in the US... but, decided to show a typical DAY of LABOR(ING) along the Amazon River (Peru). Don't you LOVE the cheerful smiles of the "ladies" from the church!

The market place in Independence, Peru (along the Amazon River)... YES, the fruit seller is making a call on a cell PHONE... very unusual since most residents of this area live in extreme poverty...

Okay... I'm playing this word. I didn't have a picture of PILLS... But, JPE & I picked up our anniversary gift to ourselves a couple of months early. A large canvas of McWay Falls - #1/150 prints signed by the artist, Steve Thomas. JPE & I got married beneath the trees (top of the cliff; left of the waterfall). Cool fact: there are only TWO natural waterfalls that (S)PILL directly into the Pacific Ocean - the other is located in South America.

When we travel, I look for marvelous samples of architecture... if you see a CLOSE UP view of the detail between the two windows (pic on left), you'd see the spikes that were added to prevent pigeons (& other winged creatures) from ruining the stone work.

During our trip to London (summer of 2010), this boat in a bottle by artist Yinka Shonibare  was installed on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. The plinth is used as a display for contemporary art, with artwork changing every 12-18 months. In the bit of WHITE SPACE, you can see the cloudy sky & the top of the National Portrait Museum.  Cool fact: the bottle neck was large enough for the workers to crawl through to complete the assembling of this ship!!! (click HERE to read more)

And now for Song-ography...
check in with Kathy @ Don't Shoot Your Eye Out!

My oldest daughter was a Queen fan... our 7 passenger van radio blared "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You"... while I transported half-a-dozen kids to speech tournaments. I had forgot about this song, "I WANT TO BREAK FREE"... but, I can still remember those sweaty bodies bouncing around in rhythm to QUEEN's lyrics, in the back seat(s) of the van!

Have you noticed a pattern? while most bloggers rest on the weekend, that seems to be the only time I have to edit, write & post to my blog.  Hopefully, you'll be back tomorrow... for P52!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.1.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

9.1.13

You know the drill... check in with

ASHLEY @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS

here are the words for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

DOWN, SHADOW, FLOW, TIP & BEYOND

Lydia - Looking DOWN to re-button her shirt...

afternoon SHADOW casting some shade on these cheerful fellows...

FLOW(ing) water is relaxing...

tis the season for leaves of a poisonous nature!

Here's a handy TIP...

"take a ride"

just BEYOND the building are U-pick berry orchards... ummm... berry-stained fingers, tshirts & full tummies!

and noooooowwww... Song-ography. This week's song is "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Bare Naked Ladies. The lyrics talk about buying a home, furniture, a car, a fur coat (fake ~ because real fur would be cruel), and building a fort in the backyard tree with a tiny fridge filled with tiny sausages... the lyrics are catchy, the tune is easy to sing (even for someone like me, who can't sing on key)...

BUT ~ If I had a Million Dollars, it would be spent T-R-A-V-E-L-I-N-G.

I'd want to add to my "bank" of traveling memories. I've visited... the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia & Peru... and rented a flat for 3 weeks in London (with JPE)... In the 70's, traveling on a "shoestring budget" (does anyone remember the book, Europe on $5 a Day, by Arthur Frommer?) I also explored Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Spain & Portugal... (in addition to many of the countries already mentioned).

One of my favorite traveling quotes comes from the Dalai Lama,

"Once a year, GO SOMEPLACE you've never been before."

and while I've not been able to identify the author of this quote,
it's T-R-U-E for me!

"TRAVEL is the only thing you BUY that makes you RICHER."

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.13.13

MY PAST WEEK ~ SWIRLING & TOO MUCH CAFFEINE

WELCOME to 

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY...

This morning, I almost decided to skip SHS - BUT, I just couldn't start

 the NEW YEAR with any excuses!

this has been the week from H--L...

We survived our federal program audit... barely!

I'm recovering from the "FPM-Hang-Over" and this week,

our office will go into "Fix-It Mode."

So, this week's SHS words are:

OUTSIDE, BACKSIDE, LITTLE THINGS,

A CUP OF... & REFLECT

OUTSIDE

By Friday, I was finally able to get OUTSIDE the office before darkness fell. This love-ly mermaid is mounted OUTSIDE the tattoo parlor, next to the hair salon where I get my haircut. This section of the street has a hair salon, tattoo artist, hydroponic gardening supply store & a scrapbooking store (with space to take classes). Are you trying to imagine the "characters" going in & out of these shops? 

 

BACKSIDE

Book spines must qualify as BACKSIDE(s)! Can't wait to open these books (my Christmas presents) & actually be able to read the contents (& comprehend what I'm reading). JPE & I are going into hibernation next weekend - it's a "three day-er" (Martin Luther King holiday is Monday). Yippee!

LITTLE THINGS

This is one of the LITTLE THINGS that sits on our etagere (French, for open bookcase)... a Peruvian man playing the flute. A tiny ornament that reminds us of our summer excursion to Peru - Machu Picchu (to see the Incan ruins), the Sacred Valley, the Amazon River and Lima. 

A CUP OF...

In the UK (United Kingdom), people get A CUP-PA... TEA each afternoon. On the weekends, JPE & I take time to slow down (???  me, slow-down  ???) & enjoy A CUP-PA tea or coffee. Given the stressfulness of this past week & the lack of restful sleep, I consumed  w.a.y.  t.o.o.  m.u.c.h.  COFFEE.  
A bit about this picture... Imagine trying to use the "milk frother" with one hand & take a picture with my point-&-shoot in the other hand. AMAZING, huh? I didn't even froth the coffee over the edge of the cup.

REFLECT

A bit of REFLECTION on last week... I was pulled in A-LOT of directions --- by the audit team & wanting to resolve as many issues of compliance as possible. My team of colleagues (Debi, Pam, Katy, Paige, JPE) were incredible! Just when my energy would be waning, I would hear someone's voice offering another document or volunteering information... it was such a collaborative effort that I cannot take credit for the success of the outcome. Although the office has some issues to address, I feel LUCKY to have such caring colleagues to continue this journey!

So, that wraps another SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY. Don't forget to check in with Ashley & other SHS bloggers & leave comments. I'm glad I got my camera out this morning to capture the final four of the five SHS words (the only picture I had taken since last Sunday evening, was the mermaid). 

Next week's words: BASKET, PARK, AUTO, RECYCLE & PEOPLE WATCHING. 

See you tomorrow for

P52 with TAMAR & GINA.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 7.1.12

I'M BACK... HAVEN'T PICKED UP MY CAMERA MUCH...

I'VE MISSED PARTICIPATING IN SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY
{gone the past two weeks!}

MY INTERPRETATIONS FOR THIS WEEK'S SHS WORDS...

SUNSET, SWEET, HANGING AROUND, FUNNY FACE, & SPACE


... are posted at SARAH'S BLOG!!! 
because ASHLEY (host of SHS) had her baby!
She has an adorable girl - check out this picture!!!

SHELL BEACH SUNSET

LUCKY US!!! 
WE SEE A SIMILAR SUNSET MOST EVERY DAY!

TASTING THE SWEET-NESS

LYDIA TURNS NINE YEARS OLD, TOMORROW!
JPE & I took her tent camping (1st time) the summer she turned SIX...
SHE LOVED THE SWEET-NESS OF SO'MORES!

CAL-POLY, SLO

A LONE BIKE - HANGING AROUND
AT CAL-POLY!
STUDENTS HAVE GONE HOME FOR THE SUMMER...
EXCEPT FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO "SCORE"
PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT & A PLACE TO LIVE!!
{with our ideal weather, why would you want to go home?}

GOT SOME CHANGE?

SO, CAN YOU GUESS WHERE THIS PIC WAS TAKEN?
YOUR CLUE IS THE WORD "OYSTER"
{OYSTER is the name of the transport card Londoners
use to travel throughout this region of England}
FUNNY FACE VENDING MACHINE-PORTOBELLO MARKET PLACE.

BIG SUR BUDDHA

MY FAVORITE SPACE...
ANYTHING PEACEFUL, WITH MINIMAL CROWDS,
PLEASANT SMELLS, THE SOUNDS OF BIRDS
& TEMPERATURES IN THE 60-70'S.

I'LL BE BLOGGING THIS WEEK...
SO, PLEASE STOP BY AGAIN!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 5.20.12

"a WELL-OILED MACHINE"

My weekend has been incredibly productive...

I feel like a "well-oiled machine"...

Saturday, I tidied the garage... SO, bags of thrift shop donations will be picked up Tues; stuff set aside for storage; & five bags of trash ready to be tossed out. 

Today, I spray painted the patio furniture... coastal fog reeks havoc {ummm... rust} on patio furniture!

Seriously cut into my camera & editing time... my SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY post is a "tad" late.

Here are this week's words: RAINBOW, FLUFFY, LETTERS, METAL & TREES.

RAINBOW

Boy... I really struggled with this word. I didn't want to dig into my photo archives for a picture of a RAINBOW... I planned to create a RAINBOW of buttons, but played with this raffia... although I'm missing some colors, this reminds of a RAINBOW!

FLUFFY

We walked two mornings in a row! {perhaps that is the reason I have so much energy?} Our "LOOP WALK" takes about 35-45 minutes... with some up-hill - get your heart pounding & some cooling down - a gradual walk down-hill... SOOOO, I think all that activity meant... today was a pancake day!! JPE makes the best, FLUFFIEST pancakes ever... and we topped it with the strawberry jam {he canned a double batch, last weekend}. YUM!

LETTERS 

This was pulled from my photo archives. I LOVE TYPOGRAPHY... this photo was taken the summer JPE & I rented a flat in LONDON ~ we visited the Portobello Market, Nottinghill {tube station}... wishing I had purchased these LETTERS! why I didn't, I don't know???

METAL

Check out this cool METAL clock... It's made of bicycle gears... found in a store window downtown SLO... you can see a bit of the reflection from the window in the photo; sorry about that!

TREES

Sorry... this is a "stretch"... if you were an elf or a gnome, the dew-heavy grasses could be considered a TREE. Saw the sun shining on the grasses ~ ran back to grab my camera ~ snapped a shot & took the camera back home!

Sometimes, I surprise myself with the way I interpret the SHS words. For me, I enjoy visiting all the other "hunters" who post on Ashley's site, Ramblings & Photos. The RAINBOW pictures are my favorite this week!!! I dare you to take a peek!

Wanna "hunt" for next week's words?

Look for: BENEATH YOUR FEET, 

CAPTURING MOVEMENT, 

TEXTURE, FACE YOUR FEARS, & CURRENTLY.

EXPLORING DIAGONALS...

street along Buckingham Palace ~ London (2010)

I'm participating in Kat Sloma's EXPLORING WITH A CAMERA ~ and this month's theme looks at the use of diagonal lines to suggest motion. Kat explains how our eyes "naturally" follow diagonals, and goes on to explain the various powers of diagonal directions in photography. Her explanation is worth reading and is found HERE!


After looking through my trip files, I've was able to find only a few photos with a true diagonal (meaning - I didn't manipulate the photo by flipping it in another direction or crop it so the diagonal was more pronounced).


The London picture (above) is an example of a "secondary diagonal"... Our eye is reading "uphill" which is not natural, but in this case, the cars are headed downhill. To me, this creates more of a zigzag motion ~ if you think of our eyes following the street "uphill" & back "downhill" with the angle of the cars.

bike riding outside Amsterdam ~ July 2005

I believe this is another example of a "secondary diagonal" but headed in the opposite direction. One reason this photo captures your eye is due to the dynamic angle of the diagonal. I hope it solicits interest by making you wonder what is beyond that red blotch of color in the left-hand edge of the picture!??!

London streets don't run in straight lines!

Compare this photo (taken near the corner of Trafalgar Square) to the bicycling photo... Although cars have the ability to travel much faster than a bicycle, these taxis seem pretty motion-less!!! of course, they are stopped at a red light, but to me, the bike photo seems to imply a "greater sense of motion" ~ due to a more pronounced or dynamic angle in the diagonal line of the bikeway. 

sidewalk artwork ~ Budapest, Hungary (2009)

The diagonal that gives the "greatest sense of motion" is one which moves from the top left to the bottom right. This is called a "primary diagonal" with our eye moving in a downhill motion. You may have thought your eye was drawn to the marble sidewalk art, but it's more likely that your eye was following the direction of the diagonal! 

brick pathway along the Smithsonian Castle ~ Washington DC

Here's another example of a subtle diagonal... I feel the vibrant color of the flowers draw your attention deeper into the photograph! Don't you want to take a walk here?


My greatest ah-ha! Most of my pictures are taken with a "secondary diagonal" ~ I'm wondering if that is due to the fact that I'm right-handed???


This exercise certainly increased my awareness about the "impact" of diagonals to create motion, excitement and energy in photographs.


Fabulous lesson... I'll be taking more photos with a "primary diagonal" ~ I hope this post encouraged you to check out Kat's blog, KAT EYE STUDIO... she shares a wealth of information that can & will impact your photography.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 3.18.12

first of the season ~ Okui's strawberries

It's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY... I missed last week & was determined not to miss another week! There are over 100 participants, so check in with ASHLEY @ RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS for the links to all who captured this week's words in photos!

Here are my photos for:

VINTAGE, WORD or QUOTE, NATURE'S OWN, PEOPLE, & PHOTOGRAPHER'S CHOICE. 

VINTAGE

I don't know if this qualifies as being VINTAGE?? but this music box belonged to my ex-husband's grandmother, Nellie. Since I am the keeper of the "important stuff" I still have this music box in my possession! I'm not sure who gifted Grandma Nellie with this box, but it has a sticker on the bottom saying it was Swiss-made. The music is theme from Doctor Zhivago (or Lara's theme).

WORD or QUOTE

It's getting closer to Spring Break (first part of April) & I'm looking forward to taking a break from the "busy-ness" of work... I've never had a work-related project fall apart from lack of attention or planning! So, I'm posting this QUOTE in my car... at my work station... and on the refrigerator, so I can see it every time I think I'm too busy to relax!

NATURE'S OWN

JPE stopped by Okui's Strawberry Stand in Grover Beach... the first strawberries of the season are HUGE ~ compare the size to the US quarter! And, oh! my! are they juicy! NATURE'S OWN sweetness!

PEOPLE

This photo was pulled from my archives! My niece, Jodi, is traveling to London (her husband has a training to attend)... so, hopefully, this photo will entice her to begin making a list of things she wants to see... I come from a family of "people-watchers"... she's sure to get a "kick" out of all the PEOPLE driving along Trafalgar Square in London!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S CHOICE

Monarch Grove in Pismo Beach is a site for the deep orange-red Monarch butterflies to winter. From November to February, docents share information & answer questions about these delicate creatures. During school hours, it's not uncommon to see several busloads of children visiting Monarch Grove. If you stop for a visit, take a walk down to the beach (walk over the bridge & turn left following the nature pathway to the edge of the sand dunes). 

So, that's my post for this week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY! Words for next week are: WHIMSY, CREATE, DUST, SEED or SPROUT, & SWING or DROP.

See you tomorrow!