I was a mountain goat (but smelled better, I think)...

Revisiting some of my shots from our vacay this summer.  Why?  Because I'm still EDITING some of my shots from our vacay this summer.  Not feeling TOO bad about my procrastination since I just learned a friend of mine is close to two years behind in her editing. I think that makes me pretty darn close to perfection.  Plus, it's nice to relive August in Montserrat, when it's actually January in Philly.  I think that makes me close to a rationalizing perfectionist.

I don't want to re-hash the history or significance of Montserrat.  I did that here in  "Magic Mountain Is Not in Disney World" a couple of months ago.  A Sparks Note synopsis:  

...one hour train ride from Barcelona.  You start here as you disembark the train and look up.  That cable car line is just the beginning folks.  And yes, we remembered sunscreen...

"You KNOW you aren't suppose to shoot straight into the sun Mom!!!!"

Montserrat, Spain

...it takes you to the town of Montserrat.  Where those afraid of heights and blisters hang at the local bar to await the return of the rest of their party...

...who climb to here.  And when they reach the summit? They wish they were back at that local watering hole quenching their thirst with some Sangria, and pulling out the stash of band-aids.  But feeling oh-so-superior nontheless...

"King of the World"

Things #1, #2, #3, moi

Peak of Montserrat, Spain

There are two ways to climb to the top of Montserrat.  The way I showed here in  "Magic Mountain is not in Disney World" (feel like I'm kinda plugging this post.  If you go look at it in the next two minutes, I'll throw in a set of Ginsu knives for $19.99).  Or the way we did it.  The less direct, yet hooves still required way. I was carrying "James Dean" so I needed my hands and, well...no freakin' way I was gonna go straight up the side of a cliff wearing a harness...

Plus, you'd miss all these great sights and beauty along the way if you were face planted into sheer rock and suspended by a harness and death grip.  Not that there weren't similar scenarios on our route.

Only part way there, which means...time for a Manchego Cheese break.   Cause you know what they say "When in Spain, do as the Romans do"...

Onward, and more importantly UPWARD...

There were two options at this point, 6'4" Thing #1 chose the alternate (a set of stairs STRAIGHT UP) because he didn't fit on this more scenic route.  Plus he kept muttering something like "No freakin' way".   Altho insisted it was "No keepin' me back today"...

Sometimes, you need to stop and breathe in the moment to appreciate where you are and what you've acomplished...

And sometimes, you just have to jump for joy because...well, just because.  For my discerning readers, I do realize I have posted this photo before.  But SOMETIMES you just have to relive the fun of a particular moment, AND the fact I still had the energy to defy Spanish gravity despite all that Manchego weighing me down...

"On Top of the World"

Moi, Thing #3, Thing #2

Montserrat, Spain

Hard to believe this was only a couple of months ago.  Seems like another lifetime at times.  Good thing I didn't get strapped in to go straight up that mountain.  I wouldn't have had any photos for proof.  Plus, I don't think they would have stopped for a Manchego cheese break part way up.  No freakin' way.  I mean, no keepin' me back today.

--Kathy

linked to: Cool Clicks Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, This or That, Little Things Thursday, 1440, Favorite Foto Friday, Give Me Your Best Shot, Photo Story Friday, Friday Photo Journal

IPhone to the rescue...

Is it optimal?  In my world...not even close.  Sorta like that puke-green Maverick (the Mav) I use to drive in high school.  It got the job done, but I knew there was better out there...like an oil slick-gray Mav.   But in a pinch, it sure rescued the evening AND saved the Better Half's sanity (the IPhone, not the Mav).  Because seriously, WHO wants to waste a perfectly good snow in the city photo-op because I forgot a memory card and battery for "James Dean"?  Let alone WHO wants to listen to me b*tch all night about missing a perfectly good Philly snow photo-op?  Altho, props to the Better Half for doing a dang good job of it.  So thank you "Super IPhone".  You are my hero for pitching in during a crisis.  And I think the Better Half's patience owes you a kudo too.

I have to admit, not sure if it was the combo of lighting conditions, motion, inexperience with taking IPhone photos, or just dumb luck...but it sure produced some interesting effects.  Almost "painterly".  Let's just say I planned it that way.  Just like I planned to drive a puke green Maverick because THAT sure produced one huge effect too.

"Evening Rush Hour"

Philadelphia, PA

"A Chance of Snow"

Broad Street, Philadelphia

"The Yellow Shovel"

Philadelphia, PA

"Heading to Happy Hour"
Philadelphia, PA

For the most part, I am not a fan of IPhone quality for photo purposes. The graininess and lack of clarity kinda bug my Type-A personality.  Yet the convenience of being able to drink a glass of wine in one hand while snapping away with the other does have it's obvious merits.  So in this case, I will just say the graininess adds texture, the lack of clarity gives it an artistic vibe, and the wine made me realize what I genius I was to give "James Dean" the night off.  Thank you IPhone.

--Kathy

Disclaimer:  No Iphone apps were used in the processing of these photos.

linked to:   Tuesdays Around the World, Tones on Tuesday, Our World Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday, 52 Weeks of Happiness

Date night...

"View from a Warm Booth"
12th and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia
 Week #4:  January 21 - January 28, 2013
Project 52 (4/52)
I-phone

The week that was...

Friday night.  AKA Project Date Night.  An overnighter in center city Philly, sans kids, Bryan Adams concert, gorgeous hotel.  Acting like I have nothing better in the world to do than to hang out at a few cool wine bars.  I'm going incognito as a hip city chic and that's how we roll.  I'm no suburban housefrau for 24 hours.  Life is good.  Add on to this grocery list of mucho to be giddy about...the fact that it snowed.  Even better?  It snowed and I got to watch it from a warm and cozy table over a couple glasses of Malbec with the Better Half.  Snow is good.  Warmth is better.  Malbec is the best. Add in figs with prosciutto and gorgonzola and I might never return to suburbia.

But Lord help moi. This Iphone-ography???  It's another black hole and time suck that I've avoided pretty well till this past week when I was "James Dean-less".  But now?  Help me I've fallen and I can't get up.  Don't worry James, you'll always be my Numero Uno.  If you've fallen too and want some company,  you can find me on Instagram (kathymcb).  I'm hoping this is a temporary obsession...like Beanie Babies and Earth Shoes.

--Kathy

linked to:  Macro Monday, Project 52, Inspire Me

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (1/27/2013)...

Great news!!!!  "James Dean" has been released from camera rehab and is back home where he belongs.  Zippity-Do-Dah.

Couldn't wait to take him out for a spin.  Had the PERFECT opportunity Friday when the Better Half and I spent the evening in Philly.  Even better?  It SNOWED.  Even better yet?  We were spending the night in the city so we didn't have to worry about driving in it. The stars were aligned for a perfect evening of fun, freezing fingers, and photo ops.  I even brought along my fingerless mittens so I could push "James Deans" buttons in the near Arctic temps.  God only knows the Better Half was glad I was pushing someone else's buttons besides his.  As we strolled down Broad Street in center city, the snow beginning to fall upon us, my fingerless mittens ready for some action, I pulled out "James Dean" for my first photo and....wait for it....wait for it...FREAKIN' NADA.   WTHeck (but I didn't say Heck).  It seems I forgot to replace James' battery AND memory card.  Like most rehab facilities, they had stripped him of his valuables upon admission.  You would have thought he'd feel lighter sans innards!

What to do?  FIRST, of course I blamed the Better Half.  For no other reason than, well...I could.  Then, I had to resort to basics.  The I-Phone.  You're KILLING me Smalls.  Such perfectly beautiful conditions left in the hands of an I-phone.  I should have earned a merit badge for operating under such primitive conditions and MAJOR duress (MINE, not the Better Half's).  Truth be told, a couple glasses of wine helped.  That might have been the Better Half's suggestion.

So I bring to you Scavenger Hunt Sunday, the I-phone edition.  This week's prompts are:  Lace, Bling, Wood, Fabric, and Fuzzy.



1.  Lace

"Let Them Eat Cake"

I-phone

Looks like lace to moi.

2.  Bling

"Bling in the Sky"
I-phone

Mother Nature, like moi, loves her bling.

3.  Wood

"Got Sky?"
I-phone

Wish the prompt was "1/9 of a photo should be of wood".  Because I would have nailed that!!!!

4.  Fabric

"Window Shopping"
I-phone"

Sure beats my $350 wedding dress.  Not to mention my veil that I WON in a raffle.  Let's just say I'd love a "re-do".  Didn't realize it while shooting but...I see moi in there.

5.  Fuzzy

"Winter Blur"
Philadelphia, PA
I-phone

Let me just say that THIS was a most wonderful surprise.  Shhhh, don't tell "James Dean" BUT...not sure I could have gotten a better photo.  I did very little editing to this shot.  It's very close to being straight out of the old I-phone.  

FYI, "James Dean's" battery AND memory card are now in place.  Lesson learned.  Until I forget it or do something else that earns me another "Moron of the Year" nomination.

If you get the chance, check out Scavenger Hunt Sunday at "Ramblings and Photos".  Have a great Sunday.

--Kathy

linked to:  Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Weekly Top Shot, Sunday Snapshot, Simple Things, Sundays In My City

The greatest suffering...

"Unwanted"
Cannes, France



"There is much suffering in the world - physical, material, mental.
The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others.
The material and physical suffering is suffering from
hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases.

But the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one.
I have come more and more to realize that is is being unwanted
that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience."

--Mother Theresa

I think I made those with me a bit uncomfortable when I stopped to take a photo of this man.  But I found the image so moving.  It was a reminder that in the midst of great wealth and extravagance,  there is also great poverty and suffering.

--Kathy

linked to:  1440, Favorite Foto Friday, Give Me Your Best Shot, Photo Story Friday, Friday Photo Journal, The Human Condition

"Where's the Cannes' Film Festival held this year?"...

...thank you Christina Aguilera for that blonde (pink, blue, purple..what hair color are you this week?) moment.  Dontcha' just love when a celebrity says something uber stupid, and it lives till the cows come home via Google search?  Kinda makes me feel just a weeee bit better about that time I was in St. Thomas in the hot, hot, hot Caribbean and driving over some very steep and windy roads when the first thing that came out of this Philly girl's mouth was "Man, these roads must be horrible to drive on in the winter!".   I was brunette that week.  One of the many benefits of not being a celebrity...faux pas immunity (EXCEPT from family and friends who will milk that statement TILL the cows come home).

I have some photos I've been working on from Cannes.  France.  Where the festival is being held.  THIS year.  And maybe NEXT year too.  So how about a stroll thru town...

Alas, no Brad Pitt or George Clooney sightings.  But obviously, still a lot to take in...

I only got to spend one day in Cannes.  Let's just put that in the "pro" column because the Better Half couldn't afford to have me in Cannes for more than one day.  Another "pro"?  The roads are all flat in this French Riviera town, so winter driving should be a real cinch.

--Kathy

linked to:  Cool Clicks Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, This or That, Little Things Thursday

Mon Reve...

"Mon Reve (My Dream)"
Cannes, France

I would LIKE to tell you that I was saving this photograph of sunshine and warmth for a frigid day.  I would LIKE to tell you I dream of returning to the south of France for another adventure.  But I'm a realist.  There are sooo many places I would like to see in this world of ours within my lifetime and resources.  Therefore, I'm not sure I will get back to this beauty of a port.  And YES it is frigid here today in Philly (a balmy 12 degrees baby).  But in reality, I forgot I had this photo from my most recent trip and only stumbled upon it in my files because I was killing time while "James Dean" is at camera rehab.  I do have a loaner camera in the meantime.  But I'm just not feelin' the love.  Apparently I'm a realist AND a one-man camera kinda gal.  

"There are dreamers, and there are realists in this world.

You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers, and the realists would find the realists.

But more often than not, the opposite is true.

You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun.

And the realists?  Well, without the dreamers they might not ever get off the ground."

--Modern Family (dontcha just LOVE that show?)

So I would LIKE to say a big "thank you" to the Better Half for getting me off the ground...even if it is via airplane to Europe.  And I would also LIKE to say "you're welcome".  Why?  Well, for all the times I've bugged him about making sure he has sunscreen on so he doesn't get burned from that dang sun.

--Kathy

linked to:  Project Alicia WW, Live and Love Outloud WW, The Gallery, The Paper Mama WW, Outdoor Wednesday

And on the 365th day, she created a...

"In Print"

Week #3 January 14 - January 21, 2013
Project 52 (3/52)

...book.

The week that was...

Well, it took me 645 days to get 'er done.  Yea "Procrastination" is thy name.  It arrived on my front door step last week. Mega thanks to my cute "Man in Brown" for the special delivery.  My first 365 days of blogging.  In print.  Bound.  For prosperity AND...my coffee table. To prove to future generations of 'moi' that I actually did something.  Boo-yah.  Just between us, gotta tell ya I'm kinda proud of myself.  That SHOULD happen more often, but it's a rare commodity for moi. There is just something about seeing a year's worth of work creative outlet in material form before your eyes to make ya wanna go to Nordstrom's shoe department to celebrate.

It's kinda cool to go back and look at a year in my life.  And I discovered a few things...

1.  That WOW did my photography improve from day #1 til day #365.  Kinda shocked to see the transformation laid out in front of me.  It made me cringe a bit to see some of those first photographs that I thought were "oh so good".  They weren't. Sort of like that crazy colored Muu-Muu I bought in Hawaii that I thought would be oh so chic to lounge around in.  Until I realized I looked more like a Moo-Moo in it.

2.  I also discovered that I kinda cracked myself up a few times with what I wrote.  Seriously, I have no idea why my "Things" don't find me freakin' hilarious all the time.  Disclaimer:  except for when I was wearing my Moo-Moo.

3.  To my chagrin, I also shuddered at a few crap-ola posts that I should've just gone to the gym instead of sitting behind the computer wasting time on.  That's okay tho, made me come to the conclusion to try to be more discerning this year.

If any of you bloggers are considering a similar project I would highly recommend Blurb.  I am in no way, shape, or form being compensated for this ringing endorsement (altho...I'd gladly accept it).  The quality of the photographs is fantastic, and the program they utilize for converting blogs to books is easy to navigate.  Okay, maybe not easy AT FIRST...but it became real easy once I stopped hyper-ventilating.

Since I started my blog in July 2011, I'm already half way thru year #2 of blogging.  Which means, "The Return of...You'll Shoot You're Eye Out" will be gathering dust on my coffee table before I know it.  Boo-yah again.

--Kathy

linked to:  Macro Monday, Project 52, Inspire Me

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (1/20/13)...

Yes I managed to get photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday prompts.  BUT totally not feelin' the "creativity" this week.  Drats!  I REALLY hate not being able to put a unique spin on my interpretations.  Alas, I'm pretty straight forward (aka: boring) this week.  Epic fail when it came to motivation.  But totally looking forward to seeing how everyone else interpreted these prompts so that I can smack myself on the head and say "Why didn't 'I' think of that??!!??"  Onward and upward, right?

This week's prompts are:  People Watching, Basket, Park, Recycle, and Auto.


1.  People Watching

"Wasting Away the Day"
New Hope, PA

Wastin' away the day in Margaritaville New Hope.  Caught these two "people" on a Sunday stroll along the canal towpath and couldn't help but want to "watch" them.  And here I thought only Trolls hung out under bridges.



2.  Basket

"Basket of Black Beans"

I-phone

Aside for lovin' me some alliteration...I kinda love me some "Smokey Black Bean Soup" too.

3.  Park

Master of the obvious here....a parked bike.  Duh.

4.  Recycle

"Until We Meet Again"
Newtown, PA

Newtown was taking down their Christmas decor when I visited this week.  Wreaths unceremoniously dumped in a heap on Main Street.  Hopefully to recycle and reuse next Christmas.  If not...beware of increased taxes for new holiday decor Newtown peeps.

5.  Auto

"Coming and Going"
Vine Street Expressway
Philadelphia, PA

I give you...AUTOS.  Thank you, thank you very much for your applause.

It's been awhile since I've said this, but I'd like to say a big BEAUCOUP THANK YOU to all of you who stop by my blog and take the time to become a follower and/or leave comments.  Believe me when I say it is both duly noted and truly appreciated.  Just between you and me, It's kind of an ego stroke to see I have almost 200 people who follow my blog...because I can't even get THREE of my "Things" to pay attention to me on most days  :).

--Kathy

linked to:  Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Weekly Top Shot, Sunday Snapshot, Simple Things, Sundays In My City

Best Laid Plans...

So this is pretty typical of my life.  Best laid plans gone awry.  But FIRST, a huge thanks to Vicki at 2 Bags Full for hosting the "Grow Your Blog Party".  I signed up for this little venture a couple of months ago.  The ONLY thing I had to do was to prepare a post for today, January 19th, to introduce myself to bloggers.  In my defense I did remember this...on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.  But by 1:45 p.m.  I promptly forgot.  I have a relatively plausible excuse tho. I had to take "James Dean" to the doctors (for those not in the know...'James' is my Canon Rebel).  So I've been James-less for a few days now.  I kinda feel like my boyfriend left town and I'm just suppose to sit home watching DVR'd episodes of General Hospital and eat me some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  Feelin' a bit abandoned.  I had no idea how much I relied on James Dean for entertainment.  No girl should EVER rely on a man (or a camera disguised as a man) that much...just sayin'.  So I haven't blogged for a few days now. Actuuuuually, I ventured out with the girls last night to happy hour...ahem...a SIX FREAKIN' HOUR "happy hour".  In part to forget about James  having fun at his spa resort (aka rehab facility) without moi.  So my best laid plans got swept under the bar stool.  But I'm here now, so everything is A-OK.

"A-OK"

Moi

If you want to read a bit about 'moi' check out the "about moi' (who said I wasn't creative?) in the tab at the top of my blog. A quick "sparks note" version:  I'm 50-something-ish, Philly gal, mom to Things #1 #2 and #3, always fashionable and sophisticated wife to the Better-Half, speaker of fluent sarcasm, late bloomin' photographer, closet writer, world traveler (if not in practice, then in my plans), baseball-aholic, Penn State proud, Win-o, closet reality show junkie, in public PBS aficionado, shoe snob, Italian wanna-be.  Oh...and I like Ben & Jerry's ice cream too....and cheese....just not together.  Welcome to "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out".

Since James Dean is in quarantine at the moment, and things are pretty bleak here in Philly this time of year...thought I'd open the vault and share some glimpses of Cannes, France from a few months ago.  LOTS of color and 'non' bleakness there. Not to mention Wine, cheese, and shoes.  But most importantly...COLOR COURTESY of CANNES:

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit better now after seeing the sun and color.  Alas, no George Clooney tho. Think I can work this winter melancholy into another trip with the Better Half?  You KNOW my mind is already spinning with ideas.  But first and foremost?  I need my James Dean back...STAT!!!

Au voir...

--Kathy

linked to:  Grow Your Blog Party, Weekly Top Shot