Visit and play the
Weekly Photo Challenge

 

this week, “Stairs” suggested by StixAndStonz

“Stairs” add a lot to architecture of any kind and they can be totally decorative or useful or both.  Stairs, for some of us, are memorable, recalling the fun of sliding down banisters as children.   I have seen lots of photos/pictures of beautiful stair cases.  I have not been personally acquainted with any of the more ostentatious stairs but I do have a few photos of some I played on as well as a few I admired from the camera’s distance.

My Photos

1- These steps/stairs sit at the front door of the house I grew up in.  Just inside the door there is a staircase running to the second floor.  It was these stairs I traveled up and down every day until about my 25th year and they probably kept me thin.  As they are part of a long ago past and I have none in the home we live in now, my weight is probably equal to all the exercise I have missed over the years away from them.  There was a fence in front of these in the photo with rose bushes covered with pink roses and purple iris grew next to the wall on the right hand side.

 

2- These steps are in a park in Rockford, Illinois and they go down to a large open space along the river.  It was flooded at the time I took this photo but I wanted the photo of the steps more than I did of what was below them.

 

3- This photo is in Dubuque, Iowa (I think).

 

4- This is on the way to Galena, Illinois and I believe its purpose is similar to a lighthouse. It does give you beautiful views of surrounding farmland as there are a lot of stairs to take you way up.

 

5- A better view of some of the steps inside the tower.

 

6- A memorial park in Rockford, Illinois.  It’s a beautiful spot in a very nice park commemorating our fighting forces and it’s set off with some not so steep but sweeping steps.  This memorial, like many, has been defaced by people who think it’s right to destroy memorials to our military as an act of protest.  It’s sad to know how many have given their lives from long past to the present for our freedoms and to see the lack of respect displayed by the destruction in these places.  I look at it as a cowardly act as those who do this don’t stick around to be caught, it’s all done when no one is looking.  So …

 

Have a good week and
keep on taking those photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit and play the
Weekly Photo Challenge

 

THIS WEEK, “Open Spaces” suggested by JanyeBug

“I equate “Open Spaces with Privacy”, as the first thing comes to mind is “W-I-D-E Open Spaces”, where the experience is more than a vacation but a Nirvana. 

True Open Spaces are spots man hasn’t interfered with, totally natural, beautifully unspoiled.  Where I live, Ohio, USA, if there is such a place here, it’s hidden somewhere in a really big park or on a piece of land owned by the rich or famous.  Nothing I have ever discovered is totally unspoiled but is always, in some way, encroached upon by man.  To have wide “open spaces”, I must open my mind completely, ignoring what is, creating what can be a perfect few minutes, or more, away from the normal encounter.

 

My Photos

1- Ohio farmland, and there are a lot of farms in Ohio.  They can be seen on nearly any drive you take in the state and some are beautifully kept up and some are struggling to survive. 

 

2-  Most if not all the farmlands wide “open space” is spoiled with the necessity of fencing, and the real spoiler, litter from travelers and residents alike lodges itself in the grass and around fence posts, as if it isn’t enough to have wide “open spaces” encroached upon by man’s necessities.  

 

3-  There are many beautiful parks with outstanding spots to picnic or play but the wide “open space” is usually visited by more than yourself and if it happens to be garbage free, there are always the signposts as reminders, PRIVACY IS NOT one of the park’s luxuries.

 

4-  If the day isn’t smoggy but clear, due to a fresh rain, to lie on one’s back and stare up at the sky is a terrific option for wide “open spacious” freedom for the mind.

 

5-  Blacking out what is, creating a wide open mind-set provides a wonderful getaway worth practicing.

 

6-  As it’s doubtful I can leave totally behind what man is / does to have wide “open spaces”, for myself, I’ve discovered developing tolerance for things which help create a peaceful / comfortable atmosphere is very rewarding and works best for me.

 

Thanks always for your comments and keep on taking those photos.

 

 

 

Visit and play the
Weekly Photo Challenge

 

THIS WEEK, “People who work outside of an office (or building)” suggested by me, PhotoGraphics

“Most of my photos”, come from drives I take with my other half.  He drives and I take photos of whatever happens to be going on anywhere, anytime.  If I’m quick enough and paying attention I notice a lot of things different from the norm.  Every once in a while I see really interesting things going on so snap away taking as many photos as I can within whatever time I have trying to get at least one good image.  I only get one chance for some shots of things I may never see again.  People are well worth the time to take snaps of and as the whole world runs on what people do for a living, outside of an office building, I’m bound to see some of what they do if I keep my eyes open.

 

My Photos

to see larger images, click on the photos. 

1- This is the guy who isn’t afraid of heights and without him we would have less obstructing some of our beautiful views, but we wouldn’t be as aware of fun things planned.

 

2- Some of the fun things include festivals and flea markets.  My husband and I used to do some fleamarketing having always enjoyed festivals so setting up to sell fell naturally into place.  To have a market or a festival you have to have people who run a business that caters to crowds of people and food is a top priority.

 

3- After food comes the vendors of about anything you can think of.  Neon signs are popular for collectors and they make a good showing at night by just sitting there.

 

4- To get the food to the markets, you have to have the man/woman who drives the trucks from food plants and this is one of my favorite brands, Trauth.  They are a local dairy and I love their buttermilk for drinking or cooking.  They have great ice cream and juices too, perfect foods for festivals.

 

5- This man handles lots of breads and buns, delivering to restaurants as well as to festivals.

 

6- Without these drivers from UPS and Fed X vendors couldn’t get any of the merchandise like the neon signs in photo #3.

 

7- This man drives the really big equipment used to build new or repairing old highways.  If he didn’t, none of us would make it to the fair.

 

8- And this man drives for hours keeping the grass mowed so we can see where we are headed.

 

9- Festivals and markets always have problems with people getting ill or falling and there seems always to be a fight or two.  Without our emergency medics and the local sheriff department many of the festivals might not be as much fun to go to. 

 

There has to be a ton more outdoor worker choices to photograph.  I enjoy the addition of photos of this type so I try to watch them.  A few I can think of I don’t have are the postman, house painters, roofers, door to door volunteers, school children selling candy to earn money for projects, the local ice cream man who travels our street every day in the summer, the local dog catcher and ???? 

Thanks always for your comments.

Have a super week and keep on taking those photos. 

 

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

 

“the Alphabet Game” suggested by IceCradle

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“The Alphabet Game”  is played keeping in mind no professional signs should  be included but instead, images of anything that naturally gives the appearance of a letter of the alphabet somewhere in the image.

 

My Photos

This was a harder challenge for me.  I am beginning with a Lily whose flower reminded me of an Asterisk.  It’s not a letter but it is on our keyboards.

We save things that become useless to us then turn them in as recycle junk.  I took photos of the mess at the salvage yard.  The photos came in handy for this challenge as this trashed clothes dryer top / opening is clearly in the shape of a “D”.

The traffic light system from this angle is deffinitely in the shape of an “E”.

This image may appear a little far fetched but can you see the “i” in the old tree trunk?  It is clearly dotted at its top.

Workmen working on the side of the road and I haven’t any idea what that is on the side but it’s an “O” for this challenge.

The vines traveling around this tree make a nearly perfect “U”.

And here the trees have planted themselves as a pair forming a beautiful view as well as the “V” for the word.

I’ll end with another Asterisk in a set.  The bright sun bouncing off the car windows made them nearly as perfect as those made like this *.

I’ll be late commenting on entries as we leave in just a few to spend a day with my sister.  Have a super week and keep on taking those photos.