Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Stixandstonz is: 

 ”Something Blue” 

I am more a green person than a blue one, if speaking of clothes.  There are some things tinted with shades of blue, just meant to be as blue as you see them.  No other color is as perfect. 

My Photos

Blue Skies
© RSBlain September 12, 2008

To please the eyes I’ll take blue skies
With puffy, white clouds swimming by
As something’s calming in the air
When brilliant, blue skies are hovering there

 

Blue Waters
© RSBlain September 12, 2008

Blue Waters rippling, clean and wet
How much more tempting can it get
As they waft their silent call
To my nostrils where then is stalled
Any thoughts of workday lists
As the moist and temperate mists
Wash my wandering mind quite free
Of what my day should really be

 

Powder Blue 57 Chevrolets
© RSBlain September 12, 2008

White wall tires and giant fins
And glass packs rumbling underneath
As the radio plays from long past years
Tunes my mind recalls to hear
Powder Blue Chevrolet,
Your classic look survives today
In my photo, and written line
Describing just how really fine

My memories of you, 
remain.

 

A graphic using Blues, made from copyright free images on YellowBrickRoads .  The walker and her dog are tubed or cut out from another of my photos.  She and her dog were such a beautiful image, I have enjoyed placing in my graphics, here and there. 

 

Using the same two images I used above, I did another graphic with John and I peeking thru.  Find the images for your graphics playing on YellowBrickRoads.

 

 

Have a great week, thanks always for your comments and keep on taking those photos.

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Southernlass is: 

 ”Vanity” 

 the one thing you find most attractive about your external self

I am a casual, person.  I like being comfortable and I like people around me to be comfortable.  I don’t want difficulties or aggravation.  Everything I do is geared towards relaxation. 

VANITY!  I have two things about my PHYSICAL SELF I’ll display and discuss.   

 

1- I like my hair.  I have lots of natural dark curl for my easy going self.  I wash it push it around with my hands and I’m done with it.  If you want easy going, nothing is easier.  A haircut every so often and that’s it.

2- I’ve never been so large I couldn’t find something to hide behind.  I sure do love my camera.

 

Have a super week, thanks always for your comments and keep on taking your photos.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from me, PhotoGraphics is: 

 ”Gingerbread Houses, Edible or Otherwise”

I’m not positive what the definition of a Gingerbread home would be or if there are absolutes for the definition.   They come in all shapes and sizes and you can find them in very old and in new neiborhoods.  When I notice lots of gables, fancy trim, fun paint, crows nests, porticos, bay windows, fancy porches etc., the home fits my criteria for a Gingerbread House.  That’s when I grab my camera. 

Some of My Photos
No Edibles just darling Gingerbread Homes

I wouldn’t make a very good real estate agent.  Photos of houses don’t usually interest me unless there is a nice scene to go with it.  There are, however, homes I can’t pass up as they scream to have their photos taken and Gingerbreads do some very loud screaming.  The Gingerbread above is a bed and breakfast in Galena, Illinois and I apologize for the tilted image but the house sits about 6 feet above the road on a retainer walled embankment so I had to back up and look up to get it.

 

Another home in Galena and there are tons of them fit to call Gingerbread Houses, in the area.  I might change my mind about the real estate if I could see homes like this all day long.

 

This Gingerbread is in Rockford, Illinois.  We screeched to a halt parking across the street when I saw it.

 

This Gingerbread is more reserved as the color is muted but with its shutters, dual porches and trim work plus the really nice paint combination it qualified for a Gingerbread for me.  It sits not too many blocks from where I live.

 

This little, and I say that tongue in cheek, house is in Ashley, Ohio.  I can’t think of too much more to be done to it as it has it all.  There is a darling fence to match the gabled, latticed entrance , fancy trim, flower boxes, matching gables on the house, a small hung porch and stained glass windows plus the choice of paint.  NOTICE THE SPIRES above all the gables.  It was so cute I took a dozen or more photos of it.

 

Another home in Rockford, Illinois and it had gingerbread everywhere from the wrought fencing to the yard decoration to gables and trim and color.  I wish I could see inside it and the other homes in my entry for this week.

 

This image is a give away, COPYRIGHT FREE, for graphics editing/playing.  Find it on my site YellowBrickRoads.  The house sits on route 62 going into Friendship, Indiana and it’s cute as can be PLUS it’s on a nice piece of ground. 

 

This is the editing I did on the image and believe it, I had a lot of fun playing.  I could be happy living in a home like this one but I’ll need a full time gardener and someone to feed the sheep.

 

 LINKS for VIEWING GINGERBREAD HOUSES

REAL HOMES:  Texas Gingerbread Homes  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txecm/ginger.htm

Renovation of Siberian Gingerbread Homes:  http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/24/europe/journal.php

4 SALE:  Purple Victorian home with plenty of Gingerbread, Roanoke, Virginia: 
http://www.roanokevalleyweb.com/

Baked Gingerbread Houses: 4 pages, very cute: 
http://www.groveparkinn.com/gallery/Gingerbread-Competition-Top-Ten

Baked Gingerbread Houses Competition Photos:  http://family.webshots.com/album/523532752NdTQPs

Baked Gingerbread Houses Contest Photos:   
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/nov/25/christmas-construction-2007-gingerbread-house/

Baked Gingerbreads:  http://www.webshots.com/search?query=Gingerbread+House

Thanks always for your comments.
Keep on taking those photos,

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from StixAndStonz is: 

“Furry Feet”

I’m a dog person but cats seem to gravitate to me especially when I have my camera nearby.  Why??  Beats the heck out of me.  Anyway, I have tons of animal photos and the majority are cats so today, I’m going with the Furry Footed Cat.

My Photos

This “Furry Footed” cat is probably the first I ever took multiple photos of.  According to John’s cousin, it is elusive and hides from company but it walked up to me and laid its head on my foot and nearly insisted on havings its photo taken.  I don’t even know what its name is but I call it “Sweetie”.

 

These furry feet belong to a really silly cat who belongs to my sister Jeanne.  It shows up in my bed and on the chair next to me when I visit.  I have taken hundreds of digital photos with a flash attached and it could care less as it purrs away.

 

The same cat, Furry Feet and all, in my husband John’s lap.

 

This Furry Footed cat is Rusty and he belongs to my daughter.  The thing with this cat is, he isn’t all that silly but more on the onery side, an all business cat who isn’t afraid of a lot including those who feed his sorry little furry gut.  Rusty manages to sleep in our bed, on the pillow no less, and John is lifting him out so we can climb in.  STUDY the look on its face and you will get an idea of its testy personality.

 

This is Ralphie and his Furry Feetsies are much sweeter than Rusties above.  He is also my daughter’s cat and I’d bring him home with me if I could.  The real problem is I can barely tell the two apart, much to my disadvantage, and Halie would delight in packing up and sending the onery one. 

 

This little waif walked up to our parked car when we were in Miamisburg a few years ago.  It walked up, sat down and stared at me thru the car window.  I rolled the window down and took a dozen or more shots of it’s furry feet, which along with its coat, needed a really good brushing.

 

This final cat is a graphic I made using an image shared for photo editing playtime.  This is what I came up with as my play.  The cat, though it isn’t the right color, is one who has adopted John and I as it’s temporary parents until it decides to leave, as many cats often do.  Until then we are feeding, coaxing and taking photos.  So far, neither of us has been able to pick it up or sit it on our laps.  It would, however, walk into our house if we let it.  For myself, I had much rather it stayed outside until I know what its furry footed intentions are.

Thanks always for the comments.
Keep on taking those photos,

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Zimbo is: 

“Where You Live, Photos”
 (with city name sign posts)

 

My Photos …

Loveland is a small community which sits on hills sloaping into valleys and it is surrounded by other small communities.  Because it’s surrounded, there is more than a single way to find your way into it’s heart, which is where I live.  This road leads into Loveland from the North West.  It travels past an old cemetery, filled with the deceased, possibly some of the founders of the community.  Businesses and homes like yours are served by United Parcel and Fed X whose drivers navigate the twists and turns finally leading to my street and address. 

 

Another older road into Loveland is the Branch Hill road.  This view runs across the Little Miami River via the Branch Hill road and it crosses the rails that lead to Cincinnati at our South West.  To the right of this point, a very short distance, is Lake Isabella where John and I enjoy spending some of our time.

 

This stretch is what I would call the main entrance into Loveland, Loveland Madeira Road.  This is the road which passes the welcoming sign and it is the usual way for John or I to travel to where ever it is we need to go.  An entrance to the expressway running East and West is just behind us.  Directly in front of us, nearly an exact 3 miles is the small street I live on. 

 

We drive regularly past this signature sign sitting on the right.  It welcomes visitors to all points of interest; schools, churches, the fishing lake, the Loveland Castle, Castle Skateland, the Loveland Canoe Livery, the historic district with its bicycle trails and fast food establishments like Mc Donalds .

 

This scene, with its welcoming heart, sits exactly opposite the above welcome message.  It is indicative of what Loveland stands for, the heart of Ohio where Valentines are posted to lovers, from all over the country/world.  Both sides are nicely planted and it is one of the first views of Loveland for the canoe enthusiasts who ride the river in the warm months and the bicyclers who peddle the trails year round.  That’s my hubby driving by, a staged view of a Lovelander driving the roads of Loveland.

 

I would say most Lovelanders are pretty normal people.  We like to relax during our off work schedule, shop for bargains, work in our gardens, play on computers, grill out, visit zoos and parks and we love festivals.  

 

We feed the birds and visit with neighbors.

 

And some of us take in stray, killer cats who lie in the grass attempting innocent looks while eyeing the birds at our bird feeders.  And while those same killer cats eye the feeder, we attempt working out solutions to their well honed, killer instincts.  There are very few of us fattening birds to feed cats!  

 

I would call the people of Loveland and the city itself, fairly typical of any spot on the globe.  We are zone 5 for planting and suffer Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall with rain, sleet, snow, the occassional hail, a tornado more often than we care to think about and 110 degrees in the shade.  Most of us aren’t fancy or rich but are normal, everyday people hoping to survive any poor judgments made by those in charge of our world. 

Historical info HERE … and city info HERE. 

Have a great week.

Keep on taking those photos,
 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Furtherthoughts is: 

“In Your Bags”

As I was thinking of what to do with the challenge, I tied the word bag with others to give me ideas. I thought of these; old bag, rag bag, flea bag, shopping bag, grocery bag, handbag, cycling bag, camera bag and bags under the eyes.  I opted with camera bag as I don’t admit to being overly familiar with most of the others and I have a hubby who does the grocery shopping.  

My camera bag: I never leave home without it.

My Photos …

This is my camera bag.  As it’s heavy, it is the only bag I actually carry.  Its contents include what I never  leave home without, my camera and lenses and cleaning cloths plus the normal comb and files and a bit of makeup.

 

If you study the outline of this bag, you can see it is simple in design.but flawed, for convenient use.  It’s big but not big enough.  So, I sometimes pack an extra bag of denim and you can see it hiding on the right hand side of the images.  I load it with the items I can’t get into my camera bag.  

 

As I am concentrating on this single bag, I decided to play in Paint Shop Pro.  I discovered its simple lines are conducive for a very nice graphic.  What color do you want in a bag?  Your graphics editing software can fix you up.

 

Here it is in a fun coral color with matching outdoors.

 

And what could be more fun than this Fall color combination?

 

Here you see the insides of my bag with a bit of my owners manual peeking out.

Having gotten this far in this entry, I’ll admit; I like and appreciate my camera bag for what it is, even if it isn’t big enough.  And, after playing once again with editing, I know “my bag” actually lies inside my computer in my photo software, editing program.  You can’t see it, feel it or take it with you but it carries everything needed to edit and play with images, quite nicely.  Designers of software, sometimes, hit it right.

 

Thanks always for your comments.

Keep on taking those photos,

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Czolya is: 

“Display a photo or photos.  Next,
write a story, with the substance of the story, not related to the photo”.

My Photo …

Cicada, 2008 (looks like photos I took in 2004 of the 17 year version).  This image edited in Paint Shop Pro.

My story, “The Garden” …

We (my family) have more time for vacation or visiting during the Summer months.  This year was a bit unusual as my two sisters, Jeanne and Bunny, made plans to vacation with John and I, at our home, so they could WORK putting in a small garden, I could manage.  I planned it, purchased most of what was needed (gardening presents came with family) and Jeanne and Bunny would do the blocking, bending, digging and planting, to get it started.  Jeanne and Bunny and my daughter Halie are gardeners, they all have lovely yards, beautiful flowers and garden edibles and always, ever improving beautification projects in the works.  My gardening skills left me some years ago along with the energy it takes to maintain one so, the idea was, plan and execute a garden in such a way as to provide easy care plus the eye appeal of a pleasant outdoor view to draw me away from the computer. 

In the later part of June, everyone came knocking.  Each of their stays varied from a few days to a couple of weeks with Bunny here the longest.  Halie and granddaughter Eden arranged and supervised off duty plans for eating out, tea parties and photo opportunities and husband John spent what time he could as he was not off work except a few days.  It was hectic fun as changes took place.  The view was enhanced to a point beyond pleasant with  a small garden bed formed with cement blocks along our drive and a wall of flowers created around our outside sitting area just outside my door. 

Days and evenings were lovely visiting times.  Our time spent was delightfully accented with the voices of the Cicada (see photo) and its millions of family members who un-earthed themselves, just in time, for our family get together. 

Perfect!

 

Keep on taking those photos,

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Guitarezan is: 

“Balls”

My photos …

No “balls” entry would be complete without photos of the familiar balls played with as youngsters.  Store bins are filled with all colors and few children, I know of, have never played with a ball.  This ball and the two photos below are “Runaways” in hiding from their owners who forgot them after a bit of play.  I see many on my end of our street as the grasses afford perfect cover.

 

This particular ball has visited my end of our street more than a single time.  I have photos I took of it on several occasions.  Notice it has a friend hiding in the upper right corner.

 

This is the friend, which I collected after taking its photo.  I gave it as a present to my visiting brother-in-law Dan who loves to golf.  Dan has a large collection of runaway balls, all of the species “golf”, as he goes regularly to collect lost, runaways, giving them new homes in buckets.  The runaway golfs even get a bath and a blow dry before being sorted out and nested.

 

This ball is a natural I noticed when taking photos of the above Golf.  This fuzzy looking green sphere appeared, after some study, to be a form of moss.  I actually have no real idea what it is.  I picked it up anyway plus a few others lying there.  I placed them in a new home in my garden.

 

This photo pictures my granddaughter, in the yellow soccer top.  I took it at the only soccer game I have seen her play in.  It was a rousing game and she gave the ball and the other players a good bit of exercise.  Eden is no longer a soccer player but she is a regular runner, running with her dad for exercise and at special, runner’s meets.

 

I took this photo at the ball park in Rockford, Illinois at a RiverHawks game.  It was a good game and great fun.  The ball is the white streak, approximate left of center in this image, headed for, the batter hopes, a solid connection with his bat.   

I am a fan of a lot of sports played with ”Balls” and in fact a fan of sports.  I love sports movies about Golf, Baseball, Football, Hockey and any Olympic sport plus a few.  Though I seldom participated in any sport I appreciate their value, except for those involving mud, blood and/or pulling hair.  I see most sports as healthy activity and believe we might all be much better off playing with balls over and above playing with computer keyboards.

Thank you always for your comments.

Keep on taking those photos,

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from PhotoMom1216 is: 

“Animal Tails/Tales”

 My Photos

I really like Okapi and the tail end of the animal is as beautiful as the front SO taking photos of front and backside is always a treat.  The tale of his tail is, he is a cross between a zebra and a Giraffe but the truth is, as I know from stories passed down, the Okapi has ancestral roots in a small ancient horse.  How else could he possibly have the large, soft eyes he has (photo not available, you have to go to the zoo to see the eyes).  Look into the eyes of nearly any horse and you can see the Okapi and vice versa.  … Read more of his story,  HERE.

 

Animals are usually, flat out, eye appealing.  I love spots and legs that go all the way up, the classic look for any Giraffe.  The tail of the Giraffe, however, presents some thought processing.  To have such a small tail attached to such a magnificent animal conjures up, once again, more ancient passed down stories.  What could possibly have motivated a gene pool to have whittled a tail of its size to an animal so tall?  The tail certainly has little use as a rudder or for swatting flys and it couldn’t possibly make much of a handle.  There in lies the Giraffe’s story I’ll relate.  The tail of the Giraffe is the size it is to make the Giraffe less likely to be caught by tail grabbers who exist as respected members of all African tribes.  The job of the tail grabber is, chase, grab and drag, any animal of edible value and provider of the wife’s fur coat.  Without tail grabbers all members of every tribe would be starving and the women, naked.  So there you have it …   Read more, HERE

 

This well recognized tail has little hair on it.  Elephant hair is coarse and prickly like wire and it provides beneficial health related products like hair brushes and tooth picks.  The back side of this elephant is in our local zoo where it petitioned it’s spot so as to be catered to by the keepers of it’s enclosure.  Though short, the elephants tail does come in handy for younger elephants to hold on to and jerk annoyingly around when the mother elephants aren’t giving them the attentions they need.  One little known fact about the tail of the elephant is they are normally pink or blue during pregnancy as this allows the balance of the group to know what to expect so they can get their elephant shower shopping done early.  Everyone knows all Elephants help with the baby sitting so it’s important to be ahead of the event.  MORE HERE …

 

This is a local cow and by local I mean it lives on a farm about 50 miles from my home.  One of the things most people don’t know about cows is they are also related to horses as they have the same big, soft, brown eyes.  This cow made sure I got the story straight repeating it twice in my ear.  Her name is butt-er-cup by the way, another little tidbit she dropped at the time.  Her tail, she tells me, is very useful especially for fly swatting and the strands can be and are, braided into useful things like belts.  She was a little skittish the day of this photo as the bar-b-que was hot and they were serving.  The special of the day was pork so she relaxed after reading the menu.  If you want to Read more, click Here for MORE about Cows.

 

This particular black, hairy, tail is one which has moved itself to my door step.  I am a dog person actually which I have repeated to this cat several times.  It insisted I feed it, which I have with store bought cat food, but it has been thankless so far not allowing me to touch it.  If and when I am able the vet will get a call as parts of it just above its tail will be scheduled for removal.  That is if it lives long enough as it is after the birds I feed which brings to mind a few other tails/tales.

Have a super week,

 

Weekly Photo Challenge

the subject from Closethippie is:

   “Uniforms”   

A toast to the men and women in uniform.  I am a flag waver but have no photos of men or women in uniform.  In place of photos:  A list of my family members who served or are serving.

Husband:  JBlain, Air Force Vietnam Conflict

Brother-in-law:  ARoberts, retired Navy Officer 40 years

Nephew:  BRoberts, Navy

Nephew:  MRoberts, Army

Brother-in-law:  DNordheim, Marines

Cousin:  VBoyer, Army

Cousin:  JBoyer, Army

Cousin:  VSchneider Army WW11

Serving now: 

Nephew:  DNordheim, Special Forces Red Beret

Son-in-law:  MHovenga, Army and Navy, 28 years

 

 

Have a great week and thanks always for your comments,