SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.29.12

:: RUSTY + SOMETHING OLD ::
Nevada City, CA

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY... this is getting to be a "habit" but I'll bet you look forward to it as much as I do. Some weeks I schedule picture taking into my work schedule... other weeks, it's a mad dash to snap those shots... and a few times I've pulled shots from my photo library. Of course, I have the best of intentions at getting my camera out, but life can get in the way of that!

So, with the best I can gather for this week, here's SMILE, STAND ALONE, RUSTY or SOMETHING OLD, ARTIFICIAL, & REPEATING PATTERN. 

:: SMILE ::

This Mona Lisa style SMILE is found in the stone carving (located in the apex of the roof line) at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. She watches over the various street activities along the San Luis Obispo Mission area... for more information & another view of our historical landmark, click HERE!

:: STAND ALONE ::

Walking out to my car, I noticed this bright red leaf STANDING ALONE... I don't know if the gardener had blown all the other leaves away, but this one stayed behind... making it sure I noticed it! I DID!!!

:: RUSTY BUTTERFLY ::

Mom's RUSTY butterfly watching over the newly planted seeds. Wonder what is emerging from the soil now? 

:: ARTIFICIAL ::

This was difficult... so, how about an ARTIFICIAL pear-shaped gourd ~ ornament dipped in brillant scarlet, deep burgundy & lipstick red colors; and decorated with hand-carved snowflakes & stars. 

:: REPEATING PATTERN ::

Molded plastic chairs line an ice cream store front in Big Bear... A REPEATING PATTERN of upraised fingers  asking for someone to sit & rest their feet while enjoying tasty handmade ice cream. Heavenly way to spend a warm afternoon! (obviously from my photo archive ~ it's not exactly warm in Big Bear right now).


So - that's it for this week's SCAVENGER HUNT... ASHLEY is keeping the list of participants, so don't forget to visit HER! 


Are you curious about next week's words? Grab your camera & begin snapping your interpretation of:

STRIKE A POSE, FOOTWEAR, HOBBY,

SHINY & COLOR ME GREEN. 

WINDOWS ON MY MIND!

TRANSPORT MUSEUM ~ London England
"source of natural, indoor light"

Are you INTRIGUED by WINDOWS?

This past month, Kat Sloma @ KAT EYE STUDIO posted an interesting challenge in her monthly EXPLORING WITH A CAMERA.

An avid traveler, a seeker of details, she shared her thoughts about why her photo library has included so many photos of WINDOWS. Here's the list of her discoveries:

• WINDOWS are a fantastic source of natural light, when indoors.
• WINDOWS are the perfect design element to explore shape, line and repetition.
• WINDOWS can serve as backdrop, frame and shelf, interacting with your subject in interesting ways.
• The glass in WINDOWS creates complex layers through reflections.
• WINDOWS are a storytelling element, creating psychological barriers that can evoke strong emotion.

So, I looked through my London, England file

{July 2010}

HOPE YOU ENJOY...

 :: WINDOW Discoveries of a UK Variety ::

HOLBORN & INNS of COURT ~ London, England

"design element to explore shape, line and repetition"

These pictures demonstrate WINDOWS as a design element... The brick building, located in the HOLBORN area of London, provided lots of details that were difficult to capture - there were so many! The neck-wrenching heights, chilly brickwork, and architectural design elements are found on most of the buildings, which is the working community for journalists & legal professions. I wonder if they are so busy with their work, that they fail to notice the "elegance" of their work places?

My DAD, a SKILLED BRICKMASON, would have appreciated the design element of the brick work as it contrasts with the WINDOWS. Also, note the WINDOW shape changed when the WINDOWS tapered at the rooftop!

PORTOBELLO RD ~ NOTTING HILL ~ London, England
"design element to explore shape, line and repetition"

Adorable, brightly painted homes in the Notting Hill area are adorned with crisply painted WINDOW frames. The upright WINDOW shape mirrors the shape of the buildings! Wanna see inside?  so do I!!

NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET ~ CHELSEA ~ London England
"serve as a backdrop.... interacting with your subject"

We shopped at this market... I had to add this to my WINDOWS post... JPE & I could see the activity on the sidewalk outside the market from our studio apartment WINDOW. If the market seems crowded, we would putter around for 15 minutes before heading over for our "daily" shopping trip.

KING'S ROAD ~ CHELSEA ~ London England
"frame for your subject"

A "high-end" women's store on the famously expensive King's Road, used fans to create interest in this WINDOW display. What a marketing strategy to lure customers into the store.

BATH, England
"glass creates... complex layers through reflections"

Although blurry (most of my photos from our BATH bus tour were blurry... an "off" day for the photographer??), this WINDOW near the ROMAN BATH HOUSE shows the effect of layers of old glass (the wavy effect)...

WESTMINSTER ABBEY ~ London, England
"storytelling element... evoking strong emotion"

Our first LONDON WALKS Tour was called "The Secrets of Westminster Abbey"... I won't divulge any secrets we learned, but we DID enter the abbey through the Dean's Yard (which is a private entrance, located off the courtyard for the monk's quarters & is now home for the 30+ boys who sing in the Abbey Choir). This ivy-covered WINDOW exudes a feeling of emotion ~ think of the monks "cloistered" here in the cold, damp winter.... you can read more about their life HERE.

This journey into my London archives was such a treat today! Didn't realize I had taken so many pictures of... umm, I have another twenty-seven WINDOW pictures from London. But, I'll save that for another post (perhaps?)...

See you tomorrow for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 1.25.12

paperweight on my desk ~ lunch time photo ~ 1.25.12

"Glance into the world just as though time were gone;

and everything crooked will become straight to you."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher

feeling a bit "crooked" today

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.22.12

another of my collections

How did this weekend pass so quickly? Oh my... I'm late to the party. At last glance there are almost 130 participants in this week's SCAVENGER HUNT.


Ashley, the hostess for this weekly hunt, shared some exciting buried in her post for this week's words.


The words this week are: SUNSET, BLACK & WHITE, FOUR, A DAY IN MY LIFE, & COLORFUL.


Don't forget to check Ashley's blog, RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS to see what she shared!

SUNSET

Due to the intermittent rain & overhead clouds, our SUNSET was short of being spectacular! Sort of ordinary...

BLACK & WHITE

Last week, I mentioned that I collect CHAIRS... several of my December posts showed "treasured members" of my Ho-Ho-Ho collection - you can spot several of my SANTAS HERE & HERE.

I also collect HEARTS. This BLACK & WHITE HEART is actually turquoise-green (see the original color in the first post) & the top lifts off to hold my high school CHARM bracelet.

FOUR

FOUR of my favorite HEARTS... I love each of them for their unique-ness! Which one do you like?

TIME

My TIME seems to slip by "quicker than a wink" ~ how about yours? this little pin is smaller than a quarter ~ isn't that a cute HEART at the top of the clock?

COLORFUL

Dumped out my BUTTON jar... yes, I collect BUTTONS too, don't you? Here are some of my most COLORFUL buttons! I used to have a tin with my BUTTONS, but it was misplaced when I moved from my last house ~ I found these BUTTONS tossed in the bottom of a sewing basket. 

So ~ I almost passed on this week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY! but, it's pretty addicting... & it forces me to get my camera out, even if only for an afternoon.

Next week's words are: SMILE, STAND ALONE, RUSTY OR SOMETHING OLD, ARTIFICIAL, & REPEATING PATTERN.

Stop by Ashley's blog,

RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS,

& share your

C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S!!

SEASON TO LEARN...

tree outside condo front door

OH ME! OH MY!!

Do you use

PICNIK 

for photo editing?

Just logged on &

READ THIS MESSAGE!!!

So, what program

should I learn to use

 in the next few months?

Suggestions appreciated!

WEATHER?? OR NOT!

I COLLECT CHAIRS...
red chair in the laundry room

The WEATHER is on everyone's mind these days... those in Seattle {like cousin, Sue} are buried in SNOW that is not-their-normal January WEATHER... 


WEATHER on the Central Coast of California ~ our morning are brrr! chilly! which is high 30's (F)... RAIN is predicted for later this week {which would be a welcome change ~ need some moisture to "green-up" the hillsides}...


SLE's WEATHER in Washington DC is sunny, chilly with a slight smattering of clouds... I wonder, does SEA-BASS wear a raincoat?


ACE {who lives 40 minutes south of San Francisco} is due for some RAIN. Hopefully, it will start after school is out at 2:30! RAINY day schedule with 23 five year olds can be exhausting!


Our Cincinnati family should have SNOW flurries with daytime temps in the mid-30's & a low of 18 at night!


Mom {& So California family} are experiencing sunny days, with a slight chill {chilly to them is anything below 68 degrees F} ~ they'll have to exchange their shorts for jeans & pull on a sweatshirt... maybe change out their flip-flops??


Some of my blogger friends who've posted about WEATHER today: 

Jaci @ BLUE CHINA STUDIO

Marzia @ MAKE EACH DAY COUNT

Kat @ KAT EYE STUDIO

Deborah @ LEARNING AS I GO

Perhaps I should have pursued a career as a... WEATHER-GIRL {ohhh-not the kind on TV! no! no!}?? NOPE - I wish I had pursued a career in ARCHITECTURE ~ love house plans {the paper kind}; but, I'm NOT good at manipulating numbers!


What's your favorite type of WEATHER? & why?