Round Robin: 91 Candles

For the Round Robin Challenge: In the Dark,I asked to see pictures taken under dark conditions. If you follow me on Facebook, you may know that this has not been a great week for me to do anything as carefree as taking pictures for a meme. My Dad collapsed in church last Sunday and was just moved from the hospital to a rehab facility on Thursday night. (He's going to be fine.) Meanwhile I've had a cold that was bad enough that I thought  at first it was flu. And I STILL had to work!

But Friday the 21st was my Dad's 91st birthday. I bought a square cake slice from Safeway, had them write "Happy Birthday Dad!" on it and took it over to the rehab place, along with appropriate candles and a lighter. But I forgot to photograph it!

No matter. The room wasn't that dark, anyway.

But I still have the candles and the lighter, so tonight I went out for camera batteries and something else to stick the candles in. Here you go:

Archivally, I also have numerous attempts at photographing candlelit Easter Vigil services at St. Michael's in years past. Here are some of those from 2013:

I'll try again this year! Meanwhile, let's see what other Robins found "In the Dark!"

Linking List
as of Saturday, February 22, 2014, 1:16 AM MST

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Ellen - Posted!
My Phlog
http://ellensphlog.blogspot.com/

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Karen

Round Robin: Look Out! Behind You!

For the Round Robin Challenge: Rear View, Carly asked us to "Take a photo of something behind you." That's kind of tricky to do!

For example, I've been trying for years to get a decent photo of a sunset as I drive away from it. Rear view mirror shots never seem to work out, but the driver's side mirror will occasionally do the trick. My most successful one ever came during a rest stop at Picacho Peak, Arizona, on a drive back from Phoenix in May, 2006:

To get that shot, I drove a little way down a dirt access road until I could get Picacho Peak framed in my mirror. I rarely have the combination of time, patience, and luck (being in the right place at the right time) to pull off something like that. Here's a recent effort, taken while actually driving:

Yes, it had been raining.

Another time we look behind us is when we're in line, to see how much longer it's gotten since we arrived, in hopes that we'll feel better about being as far forward as we are. Here's the line behind me at Cars Land in Disney's California Adventure in May 2013, even before I reached the entrance to the official line for Radiator Springs Racers. It was totally worth the long wait.

I did try to get a mirror shot of my dad behind me at the barber shop last weekend, but it didn't work out. So I'll close with two shots I took at AIDSWalk in October 2012. Behind me was my friend John Rinnander, among others. Jon here is the old dude with the mustache and the brown hat. He died of cancer in 2013.

"A little voice in my head said, 'Don't look back; you can never look back.'" -- Don Henley.

Now let's see what other Robins saw in their rear view!

Linking List
as of Saturday, February 8, 2014
1:25 AM MST

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Ellen
Ellen's Phlog
http://ellensphlog.blogspot.com

Mande
Simply Learning to Explore and Use My Camera
http://simplyturtlepictures.blogspot.com/

Karen

Round Robin: Snow and Other White Stuff

For the Round Robin Challenge: The White Stuff, I asked to see photos of anything white. My inspiration was a trip up Mount Lemmon a couple of weeks ago, for the purpose of visiting snow. I'll show you the best of my photos from that day - unfortunately taking from a moving car using an iPhone - but let's start with a few other examples!

A year ago I photographed a different kind of white stuff: ice coating a tree outside St. Michael's.

Monsoon clouds, July 2013. Clouds are never really just white, are they?

I grew up outside Syracuse, NY, where there is lots of snow and ice - not necessarily at Christmas, but frequently from October to April. When I got married, I moved to Columbus, Ohio, which is a lot like Syracuse. When John came into a little bit of money in 1986, we drove around the country looking for someplace it wasn't winter. Tucson is where we ended up. It only snows in the city once every two or three years, and never stays on the ground more than a few hours, or overnight at most. And if it gets to be winter, and one finds oneself missing snow, it's just an hour's drive away - up Mount Lemmon!

Okay, it's not quite that easy. There's no snow on the mountain without a storm to drop it there, and when that happens they block access to the mountain (except to local residents) until the roads are clear again. A few weeks ago, the conditions were right. I had seen snow on the mountain from afar, and the road had been blocked. But time had passed, and the road was open again. So I drove Dad up to see it. And it turned out, I was far from the only person with this bright idea!  One stretch of Mount Lemmon Highway was lined with the cars of other people, who had all come to "visit" the snow!

We didn't check out the right hand fork at the very top of the mountain, site of the southernmost ski resort in the continental U.S. It didn't matter. Several miles below that, around the next bend from all the cars, was a winter wonderland of sorts. It wasn't exactly Vail, but it wasn't bad! People were flocking to the spot to play in the snow. What I especially like about this particular picture is the dusting of "white stuff" on the jackets of some of the snow bunnies!

Rounded patches of white stuff on the road testified to the throwing of numerous snowballs.

Some people had climbed the hillside, probably with the intention of sliding down again.

And I particularly enjoyed seeing this couple. "Look, honey! I made a snowball! Do you want me to throw it?"

Karen

Now let's see what "White Stuff" the other Robins saw!

Linking List
as of Monday, January 27th, 2014

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Freda - Posted!
Day One
http://fredamans.blogspot.ca


Ellen - Posted!
Ellen's Phlog
http://ellensphlog.blogspot.com/

mande **Welcome, new paticipant!** - Posted!
Simply Learning to Explore and Use My Camera
http://simplyturtlepictures.blogspot.com/

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Round Robin Challenge: Looking Ahead

For this week's Round Robin Challenge: Looking Forward , I asked to see photos looking forward, preferably metaphorically as well as visually. The topic reminds me of that old Johnny Nash song:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright, bright Sun-shiny day.

Wouldn't that be nice!

But the problem is, we usually can't see the road ahead very well. It may be full of twists and turns, so that the view is intermittent at best...

 

..and the drive may be steep and hazardous.

Sometimes the signs are frankly confusing, and it looks as though no progress can be made at all.

The path may be narrow, and lead straight into the weeds.

It may lead somewhere dark and dreary...

...and, of course, into life, a little rain must fall.

 

Even if the musical cue is The Who, and I can see for miles and miles...

...it comes to a vanishing point. I still can't see the destination.

I have a choice to make, and I can't see the road ahead very well at all. That is, I can see the road I'm on, but it's kind of harsh and rock-strewn, and not much fun at all. Is there an intersection up ahead? Dare I turn off? Would the new road be any better?


Karen

Linking List
as of Saturday Jan 11th, 1:34 AM

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Round Robin: Lights, Camera, Inaction!

For the Round Robin Photo Challenge Lights! Camera, Action! I gave three choices on how to fulfill the topic. Considering that nobody else has signed up to do this Challenge so far, let's see whether I can cover all three ways myself!

1. "These are the classic words directors used to start filming a scene, with the lights lighting, the camera rolling and the actors acting! But it occurred to me the other day that the combination of lights, camera and action can be something else entirely. Think of the way the lights of moving cars can streak colors in a photo with a long exposure, or the excitement of lightning captured by a camera as it crosses the sky. Falling meteors, still lights photographed by a camera in motion - all of these combinations and more can lead to some interesting effects!"

This shot of the neighborhood Christmas house is from December 2012. I didn't use it last year, and nothing I've photographed this year illustrates what I meant so effectively.


2. Alternatively, you may prefer to make a little foray into the motion picture business yourself! Most digital camera and camera phones now have video capabilities, and you can put together simple short movies with all sorts of software and smartphone apps these days, such as Majisto, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, and social media quickies such as Vine and Capture. Google+ will even make little almost-movies automatically from a series of related photos, although these can only be viewed on Google+ itself.

I'll add a little video later, but for now here is one of those Google motion things, if I can make it work!

 #AutoAwesomeMotion
The little train at Trail Dust Town!
 

3. Third option - I was only going for two options, but what the heck! - is to photograph (or find archived photos you already took) of people making movies or tv shows. If you filmed the filming, so much the better. If you filmed the filming of lights in action, then you're a triple threat!


Back in 1992 I was on the Universal lot as Scott Bakula and Max Wright (of ALF and Misfits of Science) shot a scene for Quantum Leap. This is my favorite shot from that day:

 

It's even an action shot!

Linking List

As of Saturday, December  28th at 3 PM

Karen - Posted!

Outpost Mavarin

http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Carly - Posted!

Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Karen

Round Robin: Pretty Colorful Paper

For this week's Round Robin Challenge: Pretty Paper, I asked to see any kind of pretty paper, such as stationery, art prints, children's drawings, and so on. The original inspiration was holiday wrapping paper, and of course I have several examples of that:

 Gift bags at Target

Epiphany gift boxes for Mexican kids - 

Father Smith's Rotary Shoebox Project

Let me explain that second one. "Fr. Smith’s 15th Annual Pantano Rotary Shoebox Project is underway bringing joy to children in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. These children live in makeshift houses on hillsides around Nogales. Many of these households have no one employed. This is a THREE-NATION effort for 600-800 or more filled shoeboxes – infants through 12 years and 500 blankets. Warm mittens, caps, toys, etc can fill the wrapped shoe box with top lid NOT attached to the bottom (border inspection). Blankets may be new or used and if used must be dry cleaned (leave cleaning tag attached). Shoeboxes need to be returned to the Parish Office no later than Sunday, December 15. Blankets need to rolled like a bedroll and tied with twine or ribbon. More information in back of church." The boxes shown were in Father Smith's office as of a week ago.

Really, though, wrapping paper isn't usually too exciting. How about this, then?

Yes, it's old and ragged and torn, and even the frame is junky-looking. But there's a certain beauty in the very idea of it, this page of sheet music that could be more than a century old. Or not.

No? Then let's go with these:

These are drawings, paintings and prints by an artist friend of mine, Bob Bennett. They were available for sale at St. Michael's recent Advent International Bazaar. His art is cheerful, colorful, whimsical, wonky and highly creative. As paper goes, this is much prettier than the stuff you wrap presents in!

Karen

Check out all the Robins' entries this week!

Linking List
as of Saturday, December 14th, 2013
2:36 AM MST

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Freda
Day One
http://fredamans.blogspot.ca

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Round Robin: Someone Else's Family

For the Round Robin Challenge: Family, I asked to see pictures of family, or pictures of something that represents the concept of family. I knew it was going to be a tough one for me to do; John does not allow me to take pictures of him, much less post them. The only family in reach is my dad, and I post lots of pictures of him already!

But I did have a few family-related encounters in the last month. First off, there was the All Souls Procession in Tucson on Sunday, November 3rd. Most of the people who take part in this annual local tradition do so on honor of dead family members. They often carry a photo of the deceased as they walk through the streets of downtown Tucson.

 

After the procession passed by me, a family set up to sell ice cream to passersby:

Here is a little film I made of that night. Note it doesn't play on mobile devices for some reason.

The other encounter with a family was last Saturday, November 23rd. It was a rainy, cold, blustery day. I took my dad for a drive, and stopped briefly at Agua Caliente Park, a place I've photographed before. I got Dad to walk around for about five minutes, at the end of which he was complaining his hands were cold. As we returned to the car, I spotted a woman in a bridal gown, and her family!

Agua Caliente Park is a beautiful place for a wedding, but not on a day like this! Note the bridal gown under a dark jacket.

 As we left, the bridal party was gamely carrying folding chairs from their cars to set up for the ceremony. "I bet you were hoping for better weather than this!" I called out to the father of the bride (or whoever).

"Sure was," he said ruefully.

Now let's see the other Robins' family photos!

Linking List
as of Saturday, 12/`/13, 1:18 AM

Freda - Posted!
Day One
http://fredamans.blogspot.ca

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com

Karen