A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 50~ RRC-Keys

"No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys."


~Doug Horton


RRC: Keys Hosted by Karen, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin






The current challenge subject for the Round Robin Photo Challenge is "KEYS." It's an ironic subject, because for the last month or so it has been a subject that has played LOUDLY for Alan and I. Keys to our cottage, keys to our cars, keys to our fence, keys keys keys. I was going to tackle this assignment by posting a little about all the different KEY situations we have found ourselves in, but at the last minute I decided to choose one situation to share. The quote above serves all the situations, and I know that someday it will all seem funny, but I am preferring not to dwell... for now.


So, how about we talk about my car Lilith...


 


We bought Lilith in late September of 2006. My old car Angelica, aka a 2001 Saturn SL1 had lived a good life, but was now ready to move on to her final resting place. Alan's car, was also tired from having served him well, so off we went to the Saturn dealership to find two new rides.


We both chose 2007 Saturn IONs. Alan chose a gold one, and I picked one in Cypress green. Well, actually, I had chosen a candy apple red one, but after further consideration finally took the green one. I love the color of my car. In the sun it is either green or gold or a combination of both when the sun hits it just right. Lilith is a confortable car, and we were both happy, until 3 weeks after my warrentie expired... and you guessed it... Lilith broke down.


The estimate was about $4000. It was two years after I bought her. She had 3 more years of car payments. And it was going to cost $4000 to get her running again. $$#@*&^! Coincidentally, Gov. Schwarzenegger had just decided to furlough state employees by taking 3 days pay out of their checks per month, and Elvis was becoming ill. It was a perfect storm of stupid. So, Alan and I made the decision to continue to make the car payments, and deal with Elvis's illness. The car is not a living, breathing thing, but my boy was.


So, though all the various ins and outs of the last few years. Alan and I are once again on an upswing. Don't get me wrong, we don't have endless piles of cash lying around, but we were able to get my car fixed, finally, about a month ago.Now, how does a key fit into all this... well... you see... Lilith ran well... for about a month, and then suddenly a couple weeks ago, the mechanism that the key fits into got stuck. We couldn't get the key out of the car. UGGGGGGGG! No worries, 2 days and $400 later, she is driving like a dream. Half waking NIGHTMARE and half SURREALIST COMEDY.

 

In that Lilith wasn't driven for 4 out of the last 6 years, she drives like a brand new car. And that's great because I always loved her, and while she might be a 2007, she is a gal with low miles. LOL. I am a happy camper. I wouldn't have wanted to get rid of her, and she should have a few more really good years left in her. She only has 30,000 miles on her, and besides, she takes me to see beautiful things like Golden Gate Park and the Monarchs in Pacific Grove. I love my car. She's my Lilith. So the key you see above... that is the key to a lot of happiness.






Although I did read not too long ago that the Saturn ION is one of the worst cars ever made. But I don't think I will dwell on it. LOL.


~Me :)

** Today's APAD Link...
JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-50-51.html
 
**If you would like to see what the other Robins came up with for the challenge, just click here.

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 50~If lincoln Were Here

"Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well." 

 ~Marcus Valerius Martial

If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, I think he would be happy with today's ruling by the Supreme Court, but would he still be a Republican? Would he be a Republican by today's standards? Would he support torture? Would he be for or against Healthcare Reform? In that some want to think he actually did hunt vampires for God's sake, would he stop there? Just so we are on the same page, HE DIDN'T HUNT VAMPIRES. But if you look around online, you will find out that some absolutely insist that he did. God, it sounds like something Sarah Palin would say while doing a photo op at the Lincoln Memorial. LOL. But if he did, why would he stop there? Wouldn't he want folks to be healthy? I know what I think... but what about you?

 I have to admit that I was expecting the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act, aka ObamaCare. After the ridiculous ruling of Citzen's United, who wouldn't feel a little cynical that Supreme Court would once again bow to the will of the GOP? But as it turns out, they did the right thing. Was I completely happy with PPACA? No. I wanted to see the Public Option included and wasn't happy to see it negotiated away, but the fact that America might just be a healthier place in a 100 years makes me feel like finally we are doing something positive for future generations. There is a lot more that can be done, but for now, this is a start.


Keith Olbermann originally made this Special Comment back in 2009, while he was still at MSNBC. It was a passionate, focused observation about the necessity of Health Care Reform. Valid then. Valid Now. If you haven't seen it, do so.



 ~Me :)


Today's Link...


JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-49.html

Kat
 http://inmydreamssfk.blogspot.com/2012/06/terns-at-nickerson-beach.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months:Day 49~ Beaches

"The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval  wood,
and the sound of outer ocean on a beach."

~Henry Beston

Surprise! An early post of all new photos! I took all of these photos on yesterday at Crown Beach in Alameda. Beaches, are another one of those subjects I am determined to tackle this summer. The Bay Area has no shortages of amazing beaches. San Francisco, San Mateo County, Marin County. Santa Cruz. And if you want to push it, the Mendocino coast to the north Carmel-By-The-Sea . Lots and lots of beaches, all with their own unique vibe. I chose Crown Beach yesterday, because I was also interested in doing a little bird watching, and at the south end of the beach sits the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary. We got skunked on the birds, they were otherwise engaged apparently, but the beach itself was quite lovely, and we pretty much had it all to ourselves. It was nice, well, except for all the sand I brought home with me. LOL. Oh well, sand happens... right?

:)

The mountain range in the background of the photo series is Mt. San Bruno in San Mateo County. And yes, another place that's on my photography Bucket List.

:)






~Me :)

Today's Link...

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-47.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 48~ Palace Of Fine Arts

"There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around, architecture is art you can walk around."

~Dan Rice

 

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is one of my favorite places to do photography. The grounds are so lovely and peaceful, I have found myself getting lost in the beauty of the place many times. When I am not enjoying it for it's trees and plant life, I am often amused by the birds. I have photographed many ducks, egrets and a heron or two, but the swans are the royalty of the palace. Its a lot of beauty to appreciate. It has a rich history in that it was built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, as a place to display works of art, and later becoming an and a 966 seat Exploratorium theater.

"Architeture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul."

~Ernest Dimnet

The earthquake retrofitting that was being done a few years back was finished in 2009, so now it's time to go back over to the city and revisit the palace and do some more photos of this amazing place. I CAN'T WAIT. As I have been revisiting all these photos from my archive, I had a really good idea where I want to jump back in with my photography. San Francisco has NO end to the wonderful places to take the camera. I completely love it here. Gas prices are stabilizing. My health is doing better, and I am ready to get my groove back. So, the first week in August is it. New Photos. New experiences to share. New adventures. No more excuses. Hold me to it... okay?


;) 

"The mother of art is architecture. Without an architecture of  our own, we have no soul of our own civilization"


~Frank Lloyd Wright

My friend Steven, who I miss very much, every day, once told me, that if I couldn't get out daily to do photography on a grand scale, then try backyard photography. Flowers, bees, birds... . He said it would help me keep moving forward. He was right. I wish I could tell him. I wish I could say THANK YOU. I hope wherever he is, he knows how much I appreciated his advice and friendship.


~Me:)

Now, here is where you can find JR and what he is seeing today...




JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-47.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 47~ At The End Of The Day

"Each morning sees some task begun. Each evening sees it close. Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose."


~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


I took this photo about 7 years ago, on the way home from San Luis Obispo, California. SLO for short. I don't remember the exact area or town, it was just a tree that caught my eye. It had been a long day of mostly coastal photography along HWY 1, which started here in the Bay Area and ended in Santa Barbara.About an 18 hour trip start to finish. I don't know exactly why this tree caught my eye, but it I think it was the sight of it standing on the side of a hill all alone. It had such a lovely shape, and as the sun went down behind the hill, the tree took on such a calm presence to it. 

 I took the photograph from the car as we drove past it, and it was the last photo of the day. After hours and hours of photographing coastal splendor... it just felt good to end with something really lovely, that I had no idea would be there. It was nice. When I put the camera down I felt really tired, but very satisfied with what I had accomplished.


~Me :)


Now, go see what my pal JR has come up with for today. He's awesome with a camera!


JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-46.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 46~ Crossing Bridges

"We build too many walls, and not enough bridges."


~Isaac Newton


I have posted a lot of photos over the last few years of the Golden Gate Bridge, and don't get me wrong, I love doing photographing it, but I need to start taking more photos of the other Bay Area bridges, such as this one... the San Francisco/ Oakland Bay Bridge. It's a gorgeous bridge, and I always love taking this one into the city from the East Bay. It is the most direct route to the downtown and the Embarcadero. I have done a few photos, but I think I will devote a lot more time to it in the near future, and the thought of that makes me happy. I am finally getting my brain and my energy back... and my creative spirit is ready to go on an adventure again. Sigh. Happiness.



:) Here, have a look...





What do you think? Isn't it a lovely bridge?

:)

Today's Links...

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-45.html
 

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 45: Waterfalls

"A cheery relaxation is man's natural state, just as nature itself  is relaxed. A waterfall is concerned only with being itself, not with doing something it considers waterfall-like.


~Vernon Howard


It's been a while since I worked on my photography on a daily basis. I am slowly getting my groove back though, so I am already planning ahead for the autumn by deciding what subjects I want to concentrate on. I know I will more than likely head up to the Sierra, so I am thinking I might do some water shots along Lake Tahoe. Alan wants to head up the the Redwood Forest and photograph the amazing trees, and of course you already know I never met an autumn colored tree I didn't love. 


As lovely as all those can be, I think my biggest challenge is going to come from moving water. There are some waterfalls in Plumas County, but there are some amazing ones in Yosemite as well. It will be a toss up. Either way, I think it will be good to exercise that part of my creativity. We'll see. 


How about you? Is there a particular subject you would like to spend more time working with in terms of your photography? If so, please share!


~Me :)


Today's Link...


JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/06/apadf6-44.html