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 8.25.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

my photos today feature a lot of the new overlays at PicMonkey
(click on School U). 

After a bit of vacay from blogging...  a few days of camping, visiting family & some painting...  I'm back to work & blogging!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY continues to be hosted by Ashley @ RAMBLING & PHOTOS.

Here are my interpretations of:

BACK TO SCHOOL, WRITING UTENSIL, FAVORITE SUBJECT, LUNCH & RECREATION.

In most parts of the country, it's BACK TO SCHOOL... Love this school crossing sign (taken in London, England several summers ago). ALSO, if you are dropping off your kids at school, don't forget to watch for bike riders!! (bike lane in Brighton, England).

Did you read, in many states, cursive writing is NOT being taught in school? As an educator, I'm puzzled by this decision. What better way to build eye-hand coordination? are we developing a nation of learners who focus on finger taps, scrolling, pinching, abbreviated spelling & faces peering into small screens? Sorry about my soap-box opinion!
My favorite WRITING UTENSILS continue to be pencils (a Peruvian student practicing cursive) & my colorful ZIG markers.

FAVORITE SUBJECT? it has to be reading! Here are two of my favorite books... How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, by Esme Raji Codell and Children's Book-A-Day Almanac, by Anita Silvey. I recommend both for parents, teachers & librarians! I'll share some details about these books in another post later this week.

My "first place" LUNCH includes an apple. All the Farmer's Markets in our area are featuring locally grown produce... with apples being the most frequently purchased for school lunches. Pssst! I take my LUNCH to work every day in this cute bag.

We took Lydia camping in Plaskett Creek... next door to the campground is Pacific Valley Elementary School. Swinging, climbing & sliding - it there ANY better RECREATION for children (& adults)?

Today, I'm participating in SONG-OGRAPHY hosted by Kathy @ You'll Shoot Your Eye. This week's song by Frank Sinatra is "The Summer Wind"... this picture, taken at the top of the staircase down to the beach, just happened to remind me of Frankie's famous lyrics... this guy was pulling in his kite at the end of the day!

See you tomorrow! plenty of items to blog about...

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 8.4.13

SHS 8.4.13

Ummm... MIRROR IMAGE??

After being away from blogging for several days,

I was "guilted" (not really) into posting...

This week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY words were selected by Ashley, hostess of this weekly event... anyone can participate!

Here are my interpretations of:

BODY PARTS, WEDNESDAY, MUSIC, 

GUESS WHAT THIS IS & MIRROR IMAGE.

My sister & brother-in-law's "BOYS"... poor "BOYS"... their BODY PARTS are so short & bellies so low to the ground, they needed to be carried up our staircase to check out the bedrooms. They have such adorable faces, you "have to help them"... 

Thank-you Buster & Mac for making

your "peeps" drive up here to camp!

Next time, you can spend the night with us!!

Mom came on Amtrak (Friday July 26th)... we took a drive to Cambria WEDNESDAY... of course, we had to stop by Heart's Ease to check out the gardens! Loved the "Fairy Garden"... Heart's Ease had been owned by SHARON LOVEJOY, author of one of my favorite children's gardening books, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots.  Topped the day off with fish & chips in Morro Bay!

Initially, I had a difficult time figuring out a photo for MUSIC. This is the Tibetan bowl on JPE's altar... after a quick tap on the rim of the bowl, you run the wooden clanger around the edge to keep the sound going. The bowl is used to call people together for meditation.

Had to use my imagination for this one! GUESS WHAT THIS IS? Even though you know they are teeth... I'll bet you don't know where they came from? 

Last summer in the Amazon (Peru),

JPE & I went piranha fishing...

these are the teeth from the fish I caught

- check it out HERE (look under memories).

EASY BREEZY! captured this MIRROR IMAGE at Oceano Campground... had a BBQ with family on Thursday!

Gotta run... off to Avila Barn to buy some apples! Yep, first of the season from the fabulous orchards in See Canyon.

See ya tomorrow! Will be back in the swing of blogging (after an unexpected lapse due to house reno... painted laundry, powder room & kitchen... just have the kitchens cabinets, which will take a bit of time with all the sanding, priming the wood & more sanding).

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 7.14.13

SHS 7.14.13

Oh my! I'm beginning to feel like I've been touched with the summer bug!

I've been moving slow-as-molasses the past few days.

This time last summer, JPE & I were exploring PERU ~ an amazing trip! 

(well, with the exception of the humidity in the Amazon River)...
we just ENJOY traveling!

This week's SHS words

are: RELAXING, INSPIRING PERSON, WRITTEN WORD,
MEMORIES & BEST FRIENDS

& were pulled from my PERU archive.

Other SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY bloggers can be viewed at RAMBLING & PHOTOS.

RELAXING

In the Sacred Valley, we RELAXED with a glass of "chicha" & played a few rounds of "sapo"... Chicha looks like a blender drink - but don't let the peachy, strawberry color fool you! Made from fermented corn or yucca root, chicha has a "kick" to it.

As we finished off our glasses of chicha, we played sapo - a coin toss game. Sapo is actually the Spanish word for "toad" which is found in the middle of the game board. 

INSPIRING PERSON

Lucio & Pepe were tour-guides extraordinaire! tour guides can make a country come alive! & these two were remarkable, INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE.

Lucio showed us the amazing sights along the Amazon River... the Amazon Rainforest, different modes of transportation (the tut-tut), exposed us to Peruvian color and colors of Monkey Island...  we especially curious about seeing how people live along the Amazon River! Lucio took JPE birding one morning (at the crack of dawn) - talented at identifying birds by sight & sound, Lucia could mimic the bird calls back to the birds. He taught himself the scientific & English words for thousands of birds living in the Amazon River.

Pepe, our tour guide for Lima & the Sacred Valley lives in Cusco, but was raised  in the Sacred Valley (his parents were missionaries). A fabulous story-teller, he made the history of Peru come alive. Tall & long legged, it was not difficult to find him in a crowd, but following him up all the terraced steps of Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley was a bit challenging (especially with the altitude change). He continually reminded us to "hydrate"... 

WRITTEN WORD

Don't you love the hand-written signs? these WRITTEN WORDS were found along the Amazon River... the precise penmanship of a teacher (private school); a sign advertising foods & drinks; & a weathered, hand-painted sign for the wild-life preserve at Monkey Island.

MEMORIES

There are so many MEMORIES from this trip... What I most want to remember is: the vibrant colors of the clothing & home decor items created in the Sacred Valley. Visiting children at their school. Seeing the corner marketplaces. AND catching a piranha on the Amazon River. 

BEST FRIEND(S)

Peruvian people are used to visitors...  Seemingly reserved, they didn't hesitate to connect with us by smiling or checking us out. As in the states, man's BEST FRIEND is a dog! JPE & I participated in a spiritual ceremony & were blessed by this Peruvian shaman... it was obvious these adorable little girls were BEST FRIENDS. They had their arms wrapped around each other as we walked up to the door of the soup kitchen.

Hope you loved digging into my photo archives as much as I did sharing these memories with you...  

Next week's SHS words are: CAMOUFLAGED, NUTTY, ALIKE, IDENTICAL & JAUNT. Ummm... looks like I have my work cut out for me!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 5.19.13

SHS 5.19.13 

Welcome to SHS - A LOT of painting has taken place in the past NINE days! We've completed painting the hallway, living room, dining room, guest bedroom, master bedroom & master (it's tiny!!) bathroom... and been going to work! Whew!

All my photos this week have been pulled from my photo archive of PERU. I don't believe I've posted any of these yet, so I consider them newly "scavenged" since I had to sift through 2000+ photos to find a match for this week's words: THREE, HAND(S), FENCE, CUDDLY & SIGNS. 

ASHLEY & RAMBLING & PHOTOS is still hosting SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY, so stop by to see the other "hunters"...

THREE blue slides --- seen at a park in Lima, Peru. Set along the ocean, this park in MiraFlores, is located in the "higher economic" area of Lima.

The HANDS of an 18 year old weaver!  near Cusco, Peru. I posted a bit about her HERE --- we purchased a table runner from her.

I couldn't decide which HANDS photo to post! so, I'm posting two!! Lucio, our tour guide in the Amazon River (Peru) showed us a seed pod that can be cracked open & the seeds smashed to produce a brilliant red color that women use on their cheeks & lips.

Laundry hanging on a FENCE...  People in the community of Indiana, (Amazon River) Peru do not think of FENCES as boundaries or divisions between two pieces of property... this FENCE was built in the middle of a public road, across from the public elementary school.

Two little girls (sisters?) CUDDLING with each other. They lived in an "emerging town" on the edge of Lima. The town was a series of dwellings with compacted dirt floors, some with running water, doors & windows. Our tour group purchased soup from a public kitchen that provides food for the community.

SIGNS in Peru... we bought the "tastiest" empanadas (meat & potato pies) at the Horno Tipico on the road to Pisca, Peru. The middle SIGN lists the various drinks available for purchase in the local bar (Indiana, Amazon River, Peru)... we tasted Inka Kola (a syrupy, fruity yellow drink). In Cusco, Peru, we saw this costumed man holding a SIGN reminding people to "use the crosswalks"... our tour guide reminded us that Peruvian drivers do NOT stop for pedestrians!!

Well, that's SHS for now! As always at the end of the school year, it's a time of awards, celebrations & recognition ceremonies. I'm co-hosting two this week (Monday & Wednesday evening)... AND, I've put my paintbrush away until the end of the month. Check back Tuesday & I'll tell you why!!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 5.5.13

SHS 5.5.13

What a whirl-wind week! Our condo RENOVATION started last MONDAY (here's Day 2) & we just completed the walk-through! I'll share photos & fill in some of the details in another post. It will take a few days for the "dust" to settle so during that time, we'll be bringing some of the furniture back in. After the dust settles, I'll start painting.

I'm taking a break from sweeping, mopping, dusting to post some SHS findings. Hope to have some time to blog-hop & see what everyone else has posted!

Enjoy this week's words: BACKGROUND, SPOTTED or DOTS, WEATHER, MOTION & SWEET.

Indiana, (along the Amazon River) Peru

Every so often, I look through my photo archives for SHS photos (it's a shame not to share them). The photo on the left shows an example of two houses that float on the river. If you look through the doorway of the blue house, you'll see a man sitting in a chair in the BACKGROUND. Due to the humidity (& the cost), most doors & windows have no coverings.

El Camino Hospital, Mountain View

Usually you visit museums to see fabulous art, but this hospital has incredible artwork. The smooth ceramic background was adorned with lines of colorful, raised DOTS --- appearing almost like necklaces of stringed pearls, hanging from a woman's neck! Simply, lovely!

See Canyon, Avila Beach (along Hwy 101)

Living along the ocean, you get used to the "coastal fog" --- as you turn inward, the WEATHER generally changes to sunshine! NOT this week - even in San Luis Obispo, we had drippy, damp fog!

JPE mopping up the dust!

Wanting to get some furniture moved back into our house, JPE & I started cleaning up the dust just after the crew started this morning (7:15am). Our place was "buzzing" with MOTION (between four guys & JPE & I)... we signed the final check at 3:15pm.

Cuppa JOE?

Recognize the hand-drawn logo on the coffee cup? That's right! there were several Starbuck's in Lima, Peru. SWEET (adorably creative) sign --- nasty coffee! it was actually Nescafe. Although Peru grows coffee beans, it is A.L.L exported. The only coffee you can buy is instant --- yep! surprising, huh!!!

Well, this closes another week of SHS. Next week's words are: PERSPECTIVE, GOLDEN, BLOOM, DARK & LOCAL.

See you tomorrow!