One of the most interesting Round Robin topics of 2008 was "Weeds Can Be Beautiful Too." I had a wonderful time finding weeds, identifying them, and appreciating their beauty. I always learn so much from these challenges, so I think it is good thing if I participate every now and again with folks taking on my Monday Photo Shoot assignments. :) I found this weed in my yard just yesterday. It is a tiny little thing, smaller then a dime, but just kinda lovely and soft. :) It wasn't easy to photograph, because the wind has been outrageous this week, but the effort I put in was enjoyable. :)
"I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful."
-Unknown
NOTE: Before we get started, I want to remind you to check the link you leave after you post it in the comment thread. Blogger was a bit spotty last week, and more then one link never made it to me, so, just double check things before you leave.
EMPS#33: UP CLOSE! NOW CLOSED! Easy, easy, easy... grab your cameras and show me somethingUP CLOSE.It doesn't have to be macro, just something you would like to show off at close range. A couple years ago, Elvis's friend Ernst graciously agreed to pose for me, see, that is him pictured there, so I know pets can be very willing subjects! Also good are flowers, candy, nails, fabrics, mixed vegetables, water, dirt, garbage, coins, people... the possibilities are endless! So go for it! Show me somethingUPCLOSE!
Extra Credit: Show me something you are photographing for the very first time. Something you never thought of photographing!
**Please Read** You have until next Sunday, at 9:00 PM ET to get your photograph, post it to your blog, journal, or website, and comeback here with the direct link to your posting. Remember, it must a direct link which is specific to this EMPS assignment! No hyperlinks will be accepted, or added to the Linking List which will be posted next Monday with the next assignment. Also, please include a link back here to so other folks can play along with the assignment.
"A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed... it feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons."
I know I have displayed these two photos before, but I found them today in an archived folder and I just really appreciated how it felt to see them again. Both of them were taken on really good days. The first one was done off the Marin County coast, the second from a hotel room in Reno, Nevada. I was on the 17th floor, and a big storm was rolling in. It was stunning!
I was blue, just as blue as could be Every day was a cloudy day for me Then good luck came a - knocking at my door Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore
Blue skies smiling at me Nothing but blue skies do I see
Bluebirds singing a song Nothing but bluebirds all day long
Never saw the sun shining so bright Never saw things going so right Noticing the days hurrying by When you're in love, my how they fly
Blue days, all of them gone Nothing but blue skies from now on
I should care if the wind blows east or west I should fret if the worst looks the best I should mind if they say it can't be true I should smile, that's exactly what I do
I'm only a cat and I stay in my place... Up there on your chair, or your bed or your face!
I'm only a cat, and I don't finick much... I'm happy with cream and anchovies and such!
I'm only a cat, and we'll get along fine... As long as you know I'm not yours... you're all mine!
Bad Kitty Dylan
It was quite a week with my two little men! The weather has been just beautiful, so we have been discovering all kinds of things in the yard. Butterflies, and bees and hummingbirds... it's all so wonderful. To my surprise, Hendrix isn't terribly fond of hunting. He instead, enjoys sitting on the swing with me, but now when it comes to Dylan, it's a different story.
Dylan gave his mommy a huge fright on Saturday, when he decided to take a nap in one of the trees. I looked for him everywhere. Hendrix walked around the yard with me... mewing for his brother... but there wasn't a sign of him anywhere. Not even the sound of his bells.
I was sure I had lost one of my babies. 4 hours went by and still now little orange kitten. I was a mess. I had even called Alan at work, to see if he knew of any areas of the yard that might allow him a way out, but he was sure it was safe. Then, just about 5 minutes before a worried Alan was to get off work, I saw Dylan climb down from the lower branches of the plum tree and come running toward the backdoor. He had to have been up there the whole time, because I had looked in that area thoroughly, I just hadn't bothered to look up! LOL. Bad kitty! I was too happy to see him, to be too mad...but still...BAD KITTY!
:) By the way, if my blog looks a little strange over the next few days it's because I am working on a template for spring. Feel free to comment on what you see. Feedback is always welcome!
EMPS# 32: Spring Holidays and Observances. Very simple. Grab your camera, and show me, through your photography, anything related to the upcoming Easter or Passover holidays. A family dinner, an Easter Bunny, an Easter lily. Preparation for the holiday works as well. If it is related to the holidays, it's just fine. If you don't celebrate either of the two holidays I mentioned, you can choose any of the wacky holidays found at the link below, or, if you are just not in the mood for holidays, there is an alternate assignment below.
EMPS #32a. FLOWERS. Pick a FLOWER... any FLOWER!Real or fake... any FLOWER will do!
Extra Credit: Pink FLOWERS please!
**PLEASE READ** You have until next Sunday, at 9:00 PM ET to take your photo, post it to your blog or journal, and then comeback here with your direct link. Please do not leave a hyperlink to your blog, it must be the full link to the entry specific to this Monday Photo Shoot assignment. Also, please include a link back here, so others can play along as well!
"We need a new environmental consciousness on a global basis. To do this, we need to educate people."
-Mikhail Gorbachev
There is an interesting exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers, which began last November and will run through April 19th,The Golden Gate Express. It features a G-gauge train trip though San Francisco, featuring all the famous landmarks from Ghiradelli Square to the Transamerica Pyramid. The exhibit is to pay homage to the rich railroad past San Francisco enjoys, but there's an interesting twist, all the landmarks featured in the exhibit have been made by local artists using old discarded materials, which brings awareness to environmental issues, and encourages the creativity in finding new uses for old things. Mini blinds were used to make Coit Tower. The TransAmerica building is made from more than 1,000 keys from computer boards, Ghiradelli was made from brown switch plates, and the Golden Gate Bridge... monkeys. Little plastic "Barrel of Monkeys"... monkeys. LOL! How cool is that?
Tee Hee. Sorry, but I couldn't resist using a Dubya quote for this entry. I am naughty sometimes. Anyway, this challenge had me stumped until last Monday, when I saw this great little game of hopscotch taking place outside my therapist's office. It made me smile, because I haven't seen children playing that particular game in quite a while. Years probably. It's nice to know there is still something from my childhood, which was, you know, way back in the stone age of the late 1960's and early 70's. Sheesh that sounds like a long time ago. How did we ever survive as children without the Internets or iPods or... yikes... cell phones? LOL.
Thank you Jill for the great little challenge! I was looking everywhere for numbers, and when I finally found them, it brought back some really nice memories.
:)
Go see what Jill and all the participating Robins have come up with to meet this challenge round. Just follow the Linking List below...
"When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself."
-Jacques Cousteau
I told you last week about a day, Alan and I spent recently, playing tourist, well, this was just one more sight from that day, the sea lions at Pier 39. It was a really warm day and they were just sitting on the dock, soaking up the late winter sun. I had forgotten how much fun it is to just stop and watch them being sea lions. Simple. Happy. Life. I tend to see things differently when I am out with my camera. My camera allows me to have an extraordinary life.
"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons."
-Alfred E Neuman
Ahhh... that hit the spot!
I am messing around with Picasa today. I meant to get to it for months, but you know, something shiny would cross my path and I would get distracted. Here, you see, is an all new really big photo that doesn't look all fuzzy. Happy days are here again! I feel like I should be saying "testing... testing" or something! LOL.
So tell me, what do you think? Like the really big size?
"It takes a rather special kind of person to follow soaps. You have to be highly intelligent to understand them and think as a brick to want to."
-Alan Coran
CBS announced yesterday, on April Fool's Day, that they were canceling Guiding Light. Sigh. Although I haven't watched it for a number of years, I was still sad to hear that such a daytime gem was being thrown away. I loved so many characters over the years, especially in the mid 90's when I was absolutely hooked. One day I was just surfing, General Hospital had gotten dry as dust, and I came across Guiding Light. It drew me in with just one episode. It was so much fun back then. Reva had just returned, and she was a ghost! Jenna was a jewel thief, and Buzz was just plain sexy! Roger was probably the best bad guy in daytime, I still miss Michael Zaslow, and Nadine was the loveable airhead you just had to root for.
Sigh. Game shows have all but left daytime TV, instead they are replaced with litigation television and talk shows, so I wonder if the daytime drama has much of a future in general. I still miss Another World. I loved that show as well, and watched it up to it's very last episode. I always hoped that NBC would do a reunion show, maybe like a one week look back, but alas it was not to be. Sigh. Oh well, the decision has been made, so I guess I will revisit the light while it is still on. The last episode is scheduled to air on September 18th, 2009. I think I will give it a look see today, I wonder, will it draw me in with just one episode all over again? Probably.
"I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They're upstairs in my socks."
-Groucho Marx
NOW CLOSED!
EMPS #31: FOOTPRINTS. FOOTPRINTSin the sand. FOOTPRINTSin the mud.FOOTPRINTS on your freshly mopped floor.FOOTPRINTSin fresh paint.FOOTPRINTSin the butter in your refrigerator might indicate you have an elephant afoot. Set up the tripod, and the timer on your camera, and photograph his incriminatingFOOTPRINTS.LittleFOOTPRINTS, BigFOOTPRINTS. FOOTPRINTSmade with shoes. FOOTPRINTS made with naked feet... it's all good!
Extra Credit: FOOTPRINTS that lead to someplace in particular.
**PLEASE READ** The deadline for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot is next Sunday at 9:00 PM ET. You don't have to post your entry on Monday, just because it's called the Monday Photo Shoot. You have nearly a week to find your photo, post it to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the direct link. REMEMBER it must be adirect linkto the entry specific to this Monday Photo Shoot assignment. I cannot accept a general link to your blog or journal. Also, please link back here so other folks will be able to find the assignment and play along!
Question of the Week: Which is easier to photograph, animals or children?
Very good job everyone, I will be looking forward to seeing your entries for this week's assignment. My schedule is going to be a little bit closer to normal this week, so I should be making the rounds throughout the week, as you post your entries. See you soon!
"Hey baby, do you like fine cooking? Cause you know what? I got a Swanson's Dinner in the freezer with your name on it."
-Jimmy Fallon
Well, it's been a long week, but I am pleased to say I got a lot accomplished, not the least of which, was giving AOL the boot! I am now a happy high speed customer of Comcast, and my goodness what a difference a few mbps makes! I have been hoping around the Internet with my foot to the floor, enjoying all the things dial-up just can't do. I finally feel like I am in the 21st century. Dial-up is just fine for folks who just want the basics, but I really enjoy a lot of things other then blogging. I like cooking, and I love being able to see cooking videos, without the buffering every 2 seconds. Alan and I had a YouTube date the other night. It's fun! We got our favorite snacks, a couple cans of soda, and spent the evening looking up weird stuff on YouTube! LOL. Hows that for a cheap date guys? LOL. I'm such a cool wife.
I am back to a semi-normal schedule next week, which is nice because I have some new photos to share. I will probably post a new entry each day, but I am still wrestling with some very unorganized closets in need of attention, but who knows? The weather has been just wonderful the last week or so, so I might just ignore the rest of the spring cleaning in favor of hunting the hillsides of Marin County in search of the Mission Blue butterfly. It's been my photographic goal for going on four years now... maybe this year will be lucky for me. For now, enjoy the above cooking video. It's Gordon Ramsay's recipe for Beef Wellington. I am making it for dinner. Delicious with a nice salad of mixed baby lettuces and pear vinegrette with candied pecans.
:)
Note: I have converted my AOL account to the free account option, which allows me to keep all my email addresses, so you can still reach me at the same old place... Ondinemonet@aol.com.
"Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility."
-Rosabeth Moss Kanter
NOW CLOSED! Note: Just a little reminder that for the next few weeks, I will be visiting your entries on Sunday afternoon, as opposed to throughout the week as I usually do. My schedule should be back to normal soon, so hang in there. I will visit everyone who participates, but on Sunday afternoons for a little while longer.
EMPS #3o: THINGS THAT FLOAT. Pretty self explanatory... show meTHINGS THAT FLOAT.Leaves in a stream, pretty candles in a bath tub or pool, clouds, balloons, a scoop of ice cream in soda... aka... Root Beer FLOAT.Yum, by the way! A boat on the water, a piece of ice in a glass of water. Children's bubbles. You get the idea. Feel free to get creative with this challenge, and as always, archived photos are fine, but try to post ones you haven't showed us before. Extra Credit: Show us a FLOATING object that is seasonal. An example would be an autumn leaf FLOATING in a stream, or a FLOATING candle that looks like a pretty spring flower.
**PLEASE READ** You have until next Sunday evening at 9:00PM ET to get your photo, post it to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the direct link to your entry. PLEASE REMEMBER, unlike the Round Robin Challenges, it must be the direct link to the entry specific to this challenge. A general link will not be added to next week's Linking List. If you want to leave a hyperlink that's fine, but it MUST be in addition to your full link. Also, please link back here so other folks can also do the assignment.
Question Of The Week: If you got an offer to be a photographer for Playboy or a similar magazine, would you accept it?
Good job everyone! I will see you next Monday with an all new Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot assignment. And remember, you don't have to post your entry on Monday, you have until the following Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET.
"Architecture is a learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in light."
-Le Corbusuier
RRC: The Old Place Suggested by Karen, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin
For this Round Robin outing, Karen has asked us to show off "The Old Place." The idea is to photograph any old building, or dwelling, preferably one over 50 years old. There are a lot of really nice examples of architecture in the Bay Area that would fit that criteria, but I wanted to show a select few that always catch my eye when I pass them. Each has a different beauty all their own. The first one I have shown before, but it never looked more lovely to me as it did on the night of the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake, in April of 2006. For two days, the city of San Francisco lit up the Ferry Building with different colored lights, transforming it into a gorgeous point of celebration for a city that literally rose from the ashes. The Ferry Building was built in 1875, and you can read about it's history here. It's a beautiful old building.
Here are one of my other favorite haunts...
I have no idea how old this pretty little barn is, but I have been passing it for years. It sits about half way through Cull Canyon, and it just always catches my eye. Lovely.
Go see what everyone else has found for us at the favorite "Old Places." Just follow the links below...
"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air... "
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Alan and I went on a date yesterday, we played tourist in San Francisco at Pier 39. We had one free ticket to the Aquarium of the Bay, so that was nice. It was great fun to get up close and personal with the amazing sea creatures that can be found right here in the San Francisco Bay. The aquarium has a magnificent 300 ft tunnel, under the bay, where you can walk with sharks and sturgeon, sea bass, and a host of other fabulous sea creatures.
Next Came lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe! YUM!
And then to play true tourists, we decided to grab dessert at Ghiradelli Square. I let Alan order the sundae that we could split. He chose Hot Fudge/Peanut butter. OMG!
It was the perfect way to spend one of the last days of winter. I like dating my husband!
:)
"The best way to find your perfect match is to meet love half way."
"Change is inevitable... except from a vending machine."
-Robert C. Gallagher
Ok, so you might remember from a few entries back that I am a busy lady these days. Well, the word "busy" kind of implies that I am doing something at any given moment throughout my day, which isn't quite accurate. I mean I am not just sitting in one place, but my truly busy times seems to come in little bursts of busy. Does that make sense?
What keeps me busy in these little bursts?
Well, among other things...
2 kitten cats. 1 husband with a constantly changing schedule. Degenerative arthritis in both knees and my right shoulder. Type 2 Diabetes (Your body loves it when you do even a little exercise after your meals). 1 digital camera 1 film camera 1 Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone 580i which is always in my ear. It makes me what to dance.
And coming up next week...
I am finally giving AOL and this stupid dial-up connection the boot. The appointment has been made for next Wednesday, and I know for sure this time I am outta AOL HELL! Which is a good thing because I looking forward to the change. AOL was a nifty little product when I first became a member, but over the years I have seen it fall to the hollow billboard that it is today. There is very little left there for the Internet consumer. Sigh. So it's goodbye AOL as of Wednesday.
That means I am going to have to get things in order for the new service to be hooked up. Lots of cleaning and dusting of never-never areas behind my desk and lots of big, heavy lifting of the TV stand and such, but Alan will help with that. But while I am in the cleaning mood, my personal closet has been screaming for a good weeding out of old, yucky, ugly "what was I thinking" clothes. Spring is here, and I need to pack away the winter clothes. Coats and such. Bye-bye raincoat and umbrella... now where is my bikini and big floppy hat?
"It was on of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
-Charles Dickens
NOW CLOSED!
EMPS #29: WINTER MEETS SPRING. It's that time again, when we have converging seasons. Next Friday, winter will transition into spring here in the northern hemisphere, so let's see what the change will be like in your neck of the woods. Please post new photos for this one, as opposed to posting photos from your archives. Now I know that some folks don't live in areas that see very much of a difference between seasons, and so there is an alternate assignment for you, but if you do live in an area that is just bursting to come alive with the colors of spring, please show me the celebration. Show me WINTER MEETS SPRING!
Extra Credit: Show me your favorite colors of winter & spring.
EMPS #29A: Calendar Shots. This is easy, grab your cameras and take a picture of something that you would like to see featured on a calendar to represent March. The subject matter is completely up to you, it can be anything, it doesn't have to be something you would necessarily find in March. It can be a hobby, or an animal, if you can imagine it, it can be a CALENDAR SHOT!
Extra Credit: Do both assignments!
**PLEASE READ**
Ok folks, you have until next Sunday evening at9:00 PM ET, to take your photos, post them to your blog, journal or website, and then comeback here with the direct link. I can only accept direct links. NO general links to your blogs or journals will be listed in the Linking List. It must be a link specific to this photo shoot assignment. Also, please include a link back here, so others can find the EMPS and join us for the assignment.
Question of the Week: What do you think about Spirit Photography? Is it possible to photograph a spirit or ghost?
Feel free to answer the Question of the Week when you do your entry for the EMPS or feel free to leave me your thoughts in the comment thread for this entry.
Have a good week everyone. I will see you in one week with an all new EMPS!
