Scavenger Hunt Sunday (#1)...

I have to laugh thinking about the LAST "Scavenger Hunt" I was a part of.  Let's just say it was an adults only, Saturday night version.  It resulted in the ONLY time I entered a porn shop with the task of purchasing an inflatable woman doll that somehow managed to find it's way hoisted up the neighborhood flag pole by the end of the party.  There was lots of explaining to do for those who actually managed to make it out of their beds and drove by that flagpole to take their children to Sunday School the following morning!  Ahhhhh....good times.

I'm an "all or nothing" kinda gal.  Once I set my resolve on something, it can become all encompassing.  Hence my thankfulness that Thing #3 was away at camp this past month and I could monopolize the family computer searching various photo blogs, photo tutorials, photo sharing websites, and Bloomingdales.com (hey, a gal needs a break!)....anything for inspiration as I delve further into photography.  So when I stumbled upon "Scavenger Hunt Sunday" at http://www.ashleysisk.com/  the name alone made me laugh and think "thank goodness I don't have a flagpole!"   Every week Ashley posts 5 photography prompts for "Scavenger Hunt Sunday" and has invited other photographers to link up their submissions.  If you are interested in checking it out, just click the "Scavenger Hunt Sunday" button in the side bar.  The rules are you should attempt to take all five photos within the week, altho previous photos are allowed.  Since I was late to the party this week,  I had to use a couple of older photos for a few of these so I could RSVP in time.  Without further adieu, here are my first attempts:

1.  Walking Empty Streets

I just wasn't quite quick enough on this one!   This cute couple passed by me on a Paris street, he was protecting her from the raindrops with his umbrella.  As I turned to capture them from behind, I guess he felt she didn't need shelter any longer and pulled down the umbrella, yet still held her hand.  Makes me wonder what types of streets they have walked down together in life, and the shelter they have provided each other thru their years together.

2.  Repeating Patterns

Bryn Athyn Cathedral...I might lose my leverage in coercing trips to Europe to photograph ancient cathedrals with my husband, if I ever choose to introduce him to such a treasure so close to home!

3.  Floor

If there is a sliver of sun to be found on the floor....my Homer will bask in it.

4.  Then and Now

Oh how I love hydrangeas!  Some floral buds opened "now", some floral buds closed "then"... a beautiful flower in combo of then and now.

5.  Fingertips

Statuary fingertips holding a pigeon (aka...rats with wings, yuck!).  But together, I LIKE "A Bird in the Hand"!  

Can't wait for next weeks photo prompts!!!  Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave comments.

--Kathy

All the Windows of My Heart...

... I Open to the Day

(Thing #3)

Rome, Italy

As long as I'm not cleaning them,  I find something quite enticing and intriguing about windows.  A window is a passage-way to another world.  Whether the view is looking in, or looking out...the anticipation of a story waiting to be told on the other side, a mystery to unfold, is unresistable.  Hmmm, it occurs to me that "Peeping Toms" might also use that same reasoning?  Regardless, those who happen to be in my company while accessorized with a camera know that if there is an interesting window in the vicinity, I will gravitate towards it....ad nauseum at times.

Thing #3 is away at camp this month and I am already bracing for  her typical 13-esque disdain when she finds out that not only is her mom blogging, but she dared include her a couple of times already and exposed her to the non-Facebook cyberworld....maybe even some OLD people (you know, those 25+ year old geriatrics!).   In my defense, I just love her to pieces and enjoy giving her reasons to roll her eyes at me. Her expressions, stubborn-ness, individuality and early-teen egocentric tendencies are totally captivating...when they aren't killing me.  I particularly love to catch her off guard when she is totally unaware, which SHE really enjoys too (insert sarcastic grin).   So the Gods of Photography were smiling on me when we arrived in Rome and they placed two of my favorite subjects before me....a window, and an unsuspecting Thing #3.  From the piazza below our hotel window, I looked up and captured a moment.  

Had I been any other passer-by, I would have immediately began (begun?) to speculate who was this child with the haunting look in the opened window gazing out upon the Italian piazza below her?  It was early and the square was just beginning to show life, had she just awoken too?  Was she in a nicely furnished or disheveled room, what interests/talents did she have, what adventures lay ahead of her that day, what was going thru that mind of hers at the moment?  Of course, I already KNEW the answers to this particular mystery and they weren't nearly as intriguing:  she had been up all night bored on a trans-Atlantic flight, she was grumpy and quite blue as a result,  the LAST thing she wanted to do was leave the hotel room with her parents and Thing #2, she argued she was old enough to spend some time alone,  she had made an art form out of rolling her eyes, behind the window was a messy room strewn with suitcases AND an opened bottle of Advil, and her adventure plan for the day consisted nothing more of finding a Sprite, a piece of pizza, and her pillow!  

Some windows are better left to the imagination....Peeping Toms take heed.

--Kathy

Hands...

"Hands"

Elizabethtown, PA

Where:  Living room of my parent's home.

When:  Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Sound:  I can hear the faint voices of my better half and mom in the computer room as they try to figure out how to download some archival family photos from a CD onto her computer.  Where I sit, I hear pictures shuffling and I swear I can almost hear my dad's "grin" as he examines certain photos.  The corners of his mouth inch up even further when the pictures are of his brothers, sisters, and most particularly....his father, who passed away when he was still a teenager and was pretty much a mystery to me until these boxes of photos came into our lives.

Smell:  Aroma of old photos stored in boxes, a "mustiness" of sorts.

Wearing:  A smile.

Feeling:  Physically...hot, hot, hot!  In the midst of a heatwave.  Thermometer on the car ride up displayed the God-awful numbers of "103".    Emotionally...very happy I made the 2-hour trip to mom and dad with the boxes of photos.

Pondering:  HANDS!  It seems to be a topic of discussion lately between my mom and myself.  I HATE my hands.  Nothing against my mom BUT...they are my mom's hands, and my Oma's hands.  Through maternal bloodlines I have been blessed with the hands of an 80-year-old East German woman...ever since I've been 20!  People think I am joking when I say I want a hand-transplant...but I have a secret fund.

As I sit cross-legged on the floor I look up at my dad sitting in the chair next to me.  His hands are holding stacks of yellowed photos,  many that are older than himself.  I remember that as a child I thought his hands were huge and strong.  Nobody had a dad with hands as forceful and talented as my dad.  A baseball and bat, a gun and badge, a judge's gavel,  and various pens and inks have all found a home in their grasp. His hand was the first male's hand I ever held as he let me stand on his feet and danced me around the room.  They were the hands that gave me such a whirling dervish spin around the backyard that when he let me go I stumbled like a drunk, collapsing onto the grass watching the white clouds dance circles in the blue sky above me.  They were the hands that built a skating rink in my backyard for the best Christmas morning surprise EVER.  I STILL have no idea how he pulled that one off!  They are also the hands that found their way to my backside when I did wrong.  Not in a mean and cruel way, but in what is now deemed a politically incorrect old-fashioned spanking.  Yes I feared those hands at times.  Not because they hurt physically, but because it hurt emotionally knowing I  disappointed him by my actions.  But more often, they were the hands that wiped away my tears, assured me everything would be okay, and gave me the best hugs.  Today they don't seem quite so big and strong, but they STILL give the best hugs.

Hands, they are the tools that allow us to reach out to grab life, and to embrace it.  Have you taken a look at those around you lately?

Have a great weekend!

--Kathy

Take Me Out to the Ballgame....Wrigley Style

Wrigley Field "The Friendly Confines".  Bucket List item...about to be knocked off!! How lucky for me that my BFF #1 just relocated to Chicago and was able to help me do this. Thank you BFF #1!! The only REAL way to get to Wrigley is via train.  It just adds to the whole mystique of arriving at the second oldest active ballpark in America, behind Fenway,  in old-fashioned style.  It was a scorcher, heat index of 103 degrees when the Cubs took on the Phillies for a 7 p.m. start.  No doubt about it, we were going to need some old-fashioned thirst quenching too!  My BFF#1 and her husband, plus my better half and moi, donned our Phillies red and headed into Cubbies blue territory.  Man, they sure talk funny here.....DA Cubs!  

Wrigley Field, built in 1914...home to the Chicago Cubs.   Hats off to Wrigley for being a notable exception to the recent trend of selling corporate naming rights to sporting venues...hello Citizen's Bank Park, I'm talkin' to YOU!

Wrigley is known for it's iconic marquee over the main entrance...

and it's ivy covered brick outfield wall, that has never met an outfielder it didn't want to beat up ....

and it's hand-turned scoreboard, no jumbo-trons here!   Which reminds me, did you know Jim Belushi's REAL name is "Jamison"?  Makes me wonder what kind of grief big bro John gave little Jamison over that!  Jamison was the Cub's guest of the evening to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the Harry Caray seventh-inning stretch tradition...

It's also known for those long-suffering Cubbie fans who probably coined the phrase "There's always NEXT year"...

 Ya gotta have an "Old Style" when in Chicago.  I feel I need to mention AGAIN it was hot, hot, HOT!! It's no Yuengling.  But it could be worse, we COULD be in Pittsburgh and forced to drink an "Iron City"...

The Phillies really stunk up the joint this evening.  Halladay proved he really isn't a God when heat exhaustion forced him to vacate the mound early.  The weather was hot, while the Phillies' bats were cold.  My guys lost.  And it was a REALLY bad "hair day".  But all was good because...

my better-half nabbed a foul ball, much to the chagrin of the ONLY obnoxious Cubs fan we encountered all evening.  Yep!  A 10-year-old boy sitting directly behind me.  Seriously mom, you should have muzzled that kid!  But revenge was sweet.  If he would have been nice we might have been tempted to give him this foul ball...haha, who am I kidding!!  AND, after about 10 "Old Styles" under his belt...this bearded Cubbies fan sitting in front of me thought he was my BFF #2.  Bucket List item, CHECK!

--Kathy

Travel-scapes...Czech Republic

I am on a new Travel-scape today, in Chicago visiting my BFF#1 in her new hometown.  Plus, I get to check off one of my "Bucket List" items because we have tickets to see a baseball game at Wrigley Field (icing on the cake...the Phillies just happen to be there too!  Coincidence?).  I think there will probably be a few photos taken!  In the meantime, thought I'd pull up an older Travel-scape photo.  So, from CHECKING off a bucket list item to a different sort of CZECH....

"You Lookin' at ME?"

Czech Republic 

A few years ago my parents, better half, and myself took a riverboat cruise from Berlin to Prague along the Elbe River.  The main draw of this itinerary was the port day in Dresden, Germany from where our family descended.  Our day in Dresden had come and gone, when en route to Prague we docked in a little Czech town and found our way to a rustic Czech wine "tavern" complete with wine kegs mounted onto the walls and LOTS of levers and spouts.  Luckily, no Czech words were needed (the tongue twisting of the Slavic language had baffled us all) because everyone understood the international sign language of the pointed finger and a smile.  Feeling very happy and content we made our way back towards the riverboat when I noticed a rather worn down, dilapidated house.  Actually, not too different from many of the homes with their sad auras we saw in the former Communist country.  

What made this house different, and gave it a sense of joy,  was what I saw when I looked up to the second floor.  There sunning himself in the opened window was a most content Czech Chihuahua enjoying the gorgeous fall afternoon.  Obviously well-loved, for despite the rundown conditions the owner had taken the time and love to cushion the sill with a beautifully embroidered  tablecloth carefully folded for the pup to rest his weary head upon.  Just to be sure he was comfy while keeping watch over the street below him.  

Made me wonder what this Czech pup had seen from that window?  The house was a mere street away from the Elbe River.  Do you notice the faint horizontal line below the window, a bit darker in shade above and lighter below?  Only a couple of months prior to our visit the Elbe had flooded due to an unseasonably rainy fall for the area.  Many of riverboat cruises had been cancelled due to the high river conditions. The horizontal mark is the flood line where the waters of the Elbe had risen and engulfed the pup's home.  I'll bet he didn't move a muscle from that window even while the waters were rising.  That content look on his face is a dead give-away that he KNOWS he would probably be the first "valuable" his owner's would have grabbed if need be....and the tablecloth too.  He was safe.

--Kathy

KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid!)

"Simplicity"

Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Bryn Athyn, PA

I am a "born-again Philly-delphian".  As with most "born-agains", we are bit more fanatical than those who are life-long members of whatever group to which we belong.  After a 30 year absence from my native Philly, my husband finally saw the light (or perhaps drank the Yuengling) and moved our family back home for me.  Granted, we only lived about 1 1/2 hours west of Philly in Amish country...but I swear on an Apple Dumpling, Fastnacht and all that is holy and fattening...it was a different world there!  Since I have been back home, I have been spending much of my time re-discovering the Philly landscape.  Some is quite familiar...some is quite un-familiar...all is interesting.

One of my recent jaunts was to the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.  I remembered this place from my teen aged years.  We use to hop in a car and go drinking there!  Somehow, the combination of darkness, beer, and teen-aged indifference blinded me to how truly beautiful this place is!  I spent about 3 hours there last week roaming the grounds exploring every nook and cranny with my camera.  I will post more snippets in the weeks to come, but I did want to post one of my favorites now (because I have little patience and I REALLY like this one!).

The older I get, the more I find how much beauty there is in simplicity.  Ah-hem....my shoe closet EXCLUDED of course!  I'm doing my best to adopt the "less is more" mantra, that simplicity should be the goal and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.  This goes for design concepts AND life concepts for me.  Please do not listen to that man behind the curtain, it is only my husband who is protesting that this is NOT the wife he lives with...but I swear I'm REALLY trying!  When I went thru my downloads of photos taken this day, I honestly gasped when I saw this one.  I get lost in it's simplicity.   Leonardo da Vinci stated that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".  Maybe it was Leonardo who is responsible for the little black dress....hmmmmm????  That might just be the next "Snapple Fact" you find on that cap!

When you get right down to it, life is a simple thing.  Why do we insist on making it more complicated than it truly is?  And that goes for photography too.  So my advice to everyone is...KISS!

--Kathy

Out of the Blue...

"View From the Back Pew"

Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Bryn Athyn, PA

My friend, and fellow blogger, Becky at The Dusty Cellar is a brilliant photographer.  I knew Becky back in the day when we were both marching band geeks at Upper Moreland High School outside of Philly.  Becky was one up on me tho, at least SHE had talent and could play the flute.  My "talent" was wearing a ridiculous gold lame' outfit with white pleather knee high boots (I feel the need to remind everyone I'm talking 1970's here!!) while waving my arms around on the field under the illusion everyone was paying attention to my band direction.  Fast forward 30-something years to cyberspace and Facebook where Becky and I reconnected.  Some things never change...I had upgraded my white boots and gold lame' to some serious killer shoes and more eco-friendly fabric clothing and still operated under lots of illusions... and Becky still had one up on me with her talent.  This time photography.

Becky's work motivates me to get my butt into gear and start exercising MY photography muscles.  She has an ongoing weekly component in her blog called "Midweek Blues" where she photographically captures "the blues" utilizing ANY interpretation of the word.  She has been kind enough to invite other photographers to participate by linking their "blues" photographs to her blog.  While I might have lead Becky around the field eons ago, I am now a willing follower and taking HER lead.  Thanks Becky!  And seriously folks...please check out The Dusty Cellar at www.thedustycellar.blogspot.com.

--Kathy

Thursday's Child....

I'm the ultimate "Thursday's Child"....born on Thanksgiving Day.  The earliest indication of my demeanor, I'm an over achiever.  As that old poem says "Thursday's child has far to go".  Have to admit...BULLS-EYE.  As I have been told repeatedly, I rarely take the time to stop and enjoy the moment because I'm always looking at where I'm heading to next, what I could have done better, what I still need to do.  I carry a notepad with me where ever I go to jot down the ideas when they pop in my head so they don't get lost in my brain shuffle. The wheels in my mind could power the bustling city of Singapore.....hmmmm,  I REALLY should plan a trip there, I'm gonna jot that down!  Therefore, my resolution is to use Thursdays not to look to where I'm going, but to appreciate where I am, have been, and what brings me some bliss in the moment.  I wonder what I'll be doing tomorrow?

Thing #3 (all names have been changed to protect the paranoid)
Citizen's Bank Park, Philadlephia, PA

TWO things that bring me bliss here...my youngest daughter AND a Phillies game.

Thing #3 probably despises baseball to the same degree that I love it.  

Therefore, I appreciate the fact that she tolerates me dragging her to Citizens Bank Park as often as I do without TOO much grumbling and the promise of ice cream in the 5th inning.

I guess I really should reciprocate by showing as much enthusiasm for her fanatical
following of Harry Potter podcasts and stop calling her my little nerd!

-- Kathy

I'll Catch Up with You! Maybe.

Welcome to my world...or more aptly...the world of my family, friends and acquaintances.  "Did we lose her again?", "Where's Kathy?", "Seriously Mom, they are going to think you are a stalker if you keep following them like that with your camera!",  "Wait for it...wait for it....CLICK!!"  It's all about getting that perfect shot, that piece of the present that I can relish in the future.  FYI, it's hard to do when everyone is leaving me in the dust with one eye on the lens for that priceless and precise shot, and the other eye on the rest of my group that is tired of waiting and disappearing quickly into the horizon.  Don't they know I need them for my ride home, or at least cab fare?

 Yes, I love photography.  No, I am in no way, shape or form a photographer of any training except everyday clicking and shooting.  With apologies to my husband, I'm sure he is still licking his wounds from my irritation at him for daring to nurture my photography by spending the money on a "bridge" camera upgrade for me, when all I wanted was my pocket digital.  I have yet to use or even KNOW most of the various settings, knobs and dials on my current camera.  I'm stuck on the "automatic" setting, and I'm just fine with that.  Hmmmm....did I just experience an Oprah "AH-HA" moment about my life?????

Altho I finally succumbed and felt that I probably should have access to PhotoWorshop, and my husband probably cringed that I would yell at him again for getting it for me (the sting of the camera upgrade I'm sure was still fresh in his psyche)....the Christmas gift sat on my desk collecting dust until my 13 year old daughter installed it for me a few weeks ago.  I guess I should probably open it up and explore how to use it one of these days....MAYBE.

Therefore, everything I share with you is pretty much as my eye sees it,  and I shoot it.  Not too much manipulation going on here.  Truth be told, I'm much better at manipulating a trip out of the family budget.   However, I will cop out to some cropping and my tendency to love black and white photography (which does require a bit of altering).

I doubt too many will find the photographic "skills" of a middle-aged woman (again..that's ALL I'll cop too!), or what I define as intriguing all that interesting.  But...if you do...then welcome to my world and I hope you enjoy.

--Kathy