Follow > this Link < to Visit and PLAY with 
the Weekly Photo Challenge

The challenge beginning January 14, 2011 is:

“It’s not everyday you see one of these“
suggested by me:  PhotoGraphics

Depending on where we live in the world and what our photographic interests are,  we may or may not notice things to photograph that others might notice right away.  Sometimes our brains are so busy multitasking projected jobs for the day we are blind to things right in front of us that might make very interesting photos.  Sometimes I/we aren’t fast enough to get a shot and so need to practice looking ahead of us at and through the obvious and the not so obvious so we increase our chances for a really good photo. 

A few photos of some things I don’t see everyday so was glad I noticed them at the time so I could add them to my collection when I had the opportunity.  CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR LARGER

1-   2- 

I have a lot of interests but I don’t always see what’s in front of my eyes.  I love the light green and grainy look of hedge apples and I look for them in places where I know trees are still growing.  Photo #1 was taken November 2007, Paw Paw, Illinois on a huge parcel of land that is home to MANY windmills.  It’s a favorite place to stop for photos when we are in the area.  Photo #2 was taken November 2006 at a local Hamilton county park, Woodland Mound.  Even if you have a tree of Hedge Apples in your own yard, it is impossible to see them every day as they are like all tree fruits, they only happen at a certain time of the year.  They are not edible though one page I read says squirrels love the seeds that reside in the large fruit.  Exactly what God’s plan was for them is hard to say, maybe it was to give the squirrels a work-out.  The tree itself used to be planted thickly, here in the states, as a barrier or natural fence to keep cattle in.  More info here:  http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/nebline/hedgeapple.htm

 

 

3-  4- 

It’s a definite you don’t see either of the items in photos 3 and 4 everyday.  The caboose has all but disappeared from trains, the one above is sitting in the lot of a restaurant.  The pay phone is also nearing extinction because of cell phone use.  I was really surprised to see this one on one of our trips to Virginia.  I look for the unusual but only luck brought me to the pieces shown.

 

 

5-  6- 

These little guys just pop up in my garden or on the walk.  Number 5 is a Slug and #6 is a Snail in it’s shell upside down eating a flower in my garden.  I’m not real happy as they eat my plants but they are actually as interesting or more interesting than the plants are. So, as I don’t see them everyday I take time to get lots of photos when they show up. 

 

 

7-  8- 

Most of us probably see a MacDonalds about every day.  But, the drive-in, at the right, is fast becoming a rarity.  The two shots above are available to any photographer who wanders the way of the eateries, and in fact, everyday.  I prefer to get out in the evenings to get the lighting I like to catch.  The drive-in, photo 8, is called Sonic and if it goes under it will be the last of its kind that I have available to me for photos.  When I was a teenager drive-in restaurants were all the rage.  Frishe’s/Big Boy and Carter’s and A&W Rootbeer stands were all around us and kids loved them as they were park/order/eat in your car drive-ins.  They were the popular meeting place for after the theatre or skating rink.  It’s a part of my youth I would like to see return.  Drive-ins were colorful hang-outs, always exciting as all the restored hot rods cruised through them regularly with their familiar souped up rumble of engine and glass packs and, of course, the boys who drove them.  

 

 

9-  10- 

Anything out in the country is wonderful for my photographic interests.  As I live in a small city, I don’t see any country scene everyday.  The fact is, I have to be on a drive traveling through farmland and fast with the trigger of the camera, as most of my photos are taken on the fly.

 

11-   12-

I will probably never see the obelisk in photo 11 again.  I took the photo from our car while traveling the highway to a funeral in Louisiana.  I don’t have a name or exact location for it though I have tried to find other photos of it on the Internet.  Obelisks are all over the world and are popular with the wealthy as headstones.  Really big monuments sit in cities from Rome to Cincinnati.  See a lot of images here http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/obelisk.html and information about the oldest in the world here http://rometravels.net/roma/roma_obelischi.html  The chimney is in Friendship, Indiana.  It is a historic relic and I’m not sure what it was for but is has some impressive size to it for an interested photograher. 

 

13- 

This really big metal sculpture is called “Symbol” and unless you live in Rockford, Illinois, you won’t see it everyday.  It sits in a lovely river park and it’s available any day of the week but you have to be there.  Here is a link for information about it and its creator, Alexander Leiberman:  http://rockfordsymbol.com/bykevinschwitters/description.html

 

What amazes me is how much there really is to see and how much I miss seeing because my eyes aren’t coordinating with my thought waves.  I wonder how much I’m missing at the present because I don’t feel up to getting out in the cold.  My thought waves are willing but refusal is in the bones.  Window and indoor shots of the cat will have to suffice. 

Have a really good week everyone.

Follow > this Link < to Visit and PLAY with 
the Weekly Photo Challenge

The challenge beginning January 7, 2011 is:

“Totally Abstract”
suggested by:  WhatAWonderfulNewWorld

Some subjects need good clear clarification to get the photos for the challenge right.  I did some searching and found some links that were very helpful. 

From this link:  http://www.ehow.com/facts_5142721_definition-abstract-art.html 

Definition

Abstract art is a very wide genre that contains many, many art forms. Essentially, any art that doesn’t try to realistically portray something, and instead uses texture, colors, shapes or space to represent that thing is considered abstract.

 

A LINK to see examples considered ABSTRACT:  CLICK HERE and another CLICK HERE with 60 images, (some abstract, some still life, and some abstract still life) just click on the arrow on the page to travel through them.

 

As anyone playing in the challenge has a camera but may not play with editing software, I decided I didn’t want to do anything with software but just go with color, lines and shapes as best as my camera could see it.  The photos may not conform to the definition but its as close as I can do the photos without editing.

 

My Photos

 

 

1- Our cat stands out in this photo with his lines and patchwork texture of his coat and the overall of the photo.  The rusty texture in our bench looks pretty groty.  It needs a good scrape and paint job.

 

 

2-  The door mat made from old tires.  Lines, color and texture in the cement beneath it.

 

 

3-  This is reflection in a mirrored building.  Lots of lines, color and texture and I actually like the image.  It is only a portion or a cut out from what the camera photo actually is.

 

 

4-  A cigarette filter caught in the bushes.  I hate cigarette polution but the filter attracted me and I imagine birds used it in their nest eventually.

 

 

5-  I take a lot of photos of water hydrants.  I’m not sure why they catch my eye but they do.  Maybe it is the form, line and color.

 

 

6-  A lot of us photograph old barns and buildings.  The dilapidated hodge podge of board and roof are eyecatching and photogenic.  Lots of line and forms and space in this.  I think I would like it in black and white, too.

 

 

 

7-  This is probably the only real abstract I actually took with my camera.  It is a night shot on the expressway with my camera speed very slow so catching the bumps in the road and the color of the lights.  It’s fun to do.

 

After visiting the links and going through the photos on the pages I gave above, I thought most of these would work for the challenge. 

 

There are times our lives feel abstract and this entry sort of moved me in that direction.

I hope everyone is staying warm and comfortable.  We are expecting 5 or more inches of snow again this week.  This is a very snowy winter in our area.

 

 

Follow > this Link < to Visit and PLAY with 
the Weekly Photo Challenge
The Christmas season challenge runs the month of December until after the holidays. 

The challenge beginning December 3, 2010 is:

“HOLIDAY”
suggested by:  Cybernene

We enjoyed Christmas at home this year.  It was different and much less hectic and we probably avoided snow in the pass going through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.  Snow has been a major part of the weather reports worldwide this year.  Staying home we saw snow earlier than we usually see it (December 1st week) and it managed to be on the ground the total month of December with new snow falling every few days including the day of Christmas.  A White Christmas with snow falling the day of is an event.  I am always thrilled when it happens and it seldom does.  It was really beautiful.  

I have too many photos  for the holidays so will post more than normal but smaller.  Bring up larger images by clicking on what you see.

1-This is a small portion of my window looking out into our yard with patches of the first snow of our winter. 

 

2-  We have a heater in one of our bird baths, for the birds of course.  A good thing we did as it froze for a few days but a puddle stayed unfrozen in the pool of it.  The float is a Canadian Goose I like to keep in it but took it out later on to keep it from being ruined.

 

3-  Montgomery, Ohio is about 10 miles from us (Loveland) and much more well planned than our little city.  Montgomery is always beautiful for the holidays.  It’s a lovely place with lovely shops and it’s fun to drive for photos.  They have lovely brick walks, bronze statues around the walkways in the city portions.  Gorgeous planters hanging and otherwise.  Always lovely and well kept and expensive I might add if you want to buy a home there. 

 

4-  More snow and from my window it is very pleasant to view while wrapped in blankets reading. 

 

5-  Even more snow and a view of one of my birdbaths winterized, not well, but the bath part won’t freeze and break this way.

 

6-  My rain chain frozen solid.

 

7-  The cat goes out in this kind of weather but not for long.  He prefers to climb into a bare spot I leave for him to view the outside world.  He makes some very wild noises when he sees the birds at the bath.

 

   

8-  On the left my second Paper White planting in bloom and on the right, the third planting and it bloomed exactly right for Christmas.

 

9-  I don’t know where this is but the view caught my eye so I took photos.  Snowy and dark of night and a very slow speed with a wide aperture gets me what you see.

 

10-  I thought this was a really pretty Christmas view.  I have no idea where it is, we just drove past.

 

11-  This is in Montgomery, some apartments that sit over the hill and they really are a great view with darkness and snow.  I just can’t help but picture Santa on a rooftop.  See a different view of this scene here:  http://photographics.xanga.com/737802737/2010-merry-christmas/

 

12-  Just driving about and we saw some very nicely lit trees advertising trees for sale for Christmas.

 

13-  We buy our cat food here and you can see he sells a variety of things, in the summer, plants for setting out and more.

 

14-  This is Christmas day and the cat is playing with a toy we got for him.  He wakes me every night about 3 in the morning playing with it.

 

15-  Our Christmas room is very cozy / small but we really enjoy it.  We eat breakfast in here and read and some movie watching.

 

16-  Lots of food for the holidays, this is a cake custard and it was really good.

 

17-  Fruitcake, I did a search for the worlds best fruitcake and found the recipe for what you see.  It is very good.  No raisons which pleases me.  It is a good recipe, im not sure the worlds best but very good.  AND EASY

 

18-  Breakfast sandwiches and tea.  I make garlic toast under the broiler then topped it with ham slices, turkey slices, swiss cheese, maonaisse and mustard then back under the broiler just long enough to melt the swiss cheese SLIGHTLY.  Very yummy.

 

19-  This is an asparagus casserole and it looks good but if I had to pay for it at a restaurant I’d be upset it was that bad.  I double checked the recipe and I did it right.  I doctored it the next day and it was very good.  I’m not one to trash food.

 

20-  A view of the window in the south, in the Christmas room.  In the Winter, the sun comes through at a certain time of day and lights the crystals and they send rainbows all over our walls.  It’s a good time to be in the room.

 

We have enjoyed the month and it isn’t over yet.  Twelfth night is tomorrow so a meal is under way.  Food is a pre-requisite for any special day.

Happy Christmas, Happy New Year