5.31.2008

Round Robin: Tiny Things

It's time for another Round Robin Photo Challenge.
The challenge this time:

The idea here is to photograph very small inanimate objects
- not details and closeups of larger things, but self-contained
little items we see and take for granted.
It should be interesting to take the expertise some Robins
have with tiny critters, and apply it to objects that can't fly away.
And the rest of us have the photographic challenge of
learning to focus on the miniature world.

Click on the Round Robin link above to get
to the linking list of participants.
Here we go. Let's get tiny...
Tiny beads.
I have a little box, broken down into segments,
that contains all sorts of tiny beads.
I have used them for jewelry and for the cards I make.




Tiny pins.
This goes to the part of the tiny things we take for granted.
Such a simple, perfect design, the safety pin.



Small change.
I was going to call this tiny change,
but it just did not sound right.
Anyway, at the end of the day I take any change
that is floating around in my pocket
and put it in a little bowl on the dresser.
When I need to restock the parking meter change
I keep in the car, I just grab a handful from here.


Tiny elephants.

I have several elephants of varying materials and sizes.
These are the tiniest.
The one in front is only about an inch and a half tall.

And I love the detail on this one, which was a gift from
my friends who visited Spain and were thoughtful
enough to bring this back for me.

Tiny bubbles.

Really, need I say more?

5.17.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Wood

I skipped the RRPC on spring cleaning.
I just could not get inspired by my mop.
So when I saw the one on wood, I thought it could be fun.
Then I waited until the last minute to do this.
So I was out in my back yard this morning.
Let's see if I got anything.


This is some wood left over from when the manfriend built the deck.
The pieces are about a foot and a half long.
I don't want to toss them. But I don't know what to make.
Maybe a planter.

For some reason there are wires coming out of my lemon tree.
Something to ponder.


I like the contrast of textures here.
This is a trunk of a small palm or marginata type
tree next to a dead palm frond.


Here is a detail shot of one of the palms.

One of the planters has some wood posts along one side.
The rosemary and vines from the wall are growing all over it.
Another nice contrast of color and texture.


5.15.2008

Sounds familiar


Oh that Natalie Dee. She is always spot on.

5.13.2008

More proof of not being old

I got carded last night.
And not at Trader Joe's.
And not by a kid.
Usually it is someone at TJ's who looks about 17.
My standard response is "Really? I am old enough to be your mom. I mean, if I started young. But still..."

Nope.
Last night I was carded at a restaurant when I ordered a beer.
The waitress looked to be in her late 20s.

She carded me.
She did not card the manfriend.

5.07.2008

Not young, not old

I had a birthday.
Am I old?
Am I young?
I am closer to 40 than to 30.
But I still get carded at least once every couple months.
Maybe they are just being kind.
Would I be considered middle-aged?
I don't think of myself that way.
I could do stuff to make myself look and feel younger and better.

In some ways I think I am ahead of the game at this point in life.
In some ways I think I have some catching up to do.

House - check
Kid - um, no
Job - check
Job security - um, no
Husband - well, there was that one guy. Then there was that other guy. So... um, not anymore.

I try not to set deadlines for having things like kids and husbands and houses.
When the good stuff comes along, I try to just enjoy it.
When the bad stuff happens, I try to get through it.

I like to think it is more good than bad these days.

But I do still want the kid. Which I guess means I do still want the husband.

As for the job... I think I would rather just win the lotto.

Since that is unlikely, I guess I will have to make do and keep my fingers crossed.

4.18.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Variety Show

It's Round Robin time again!

The assignment is:
Varieties.

Photograph something as viewed as an assortment...
something that comes in different varieties.

For example, it could be a bunch of flowers
or nuts or crayons or birds.

So here we go...
Cookbooks.
I know I have a lot of cookbooks.
This is just a small sample of the
variety of cookbooks I have.


Buttons.
A while back I bought a box of mixed buttons.
Then I added to it the buttons that came with new sweaters.
I added in buttons that I took off of shirts I turned into rags.
Some buttons I bought just because they might
be cute on cards I make got tossed into the mix.
Oh, and there is the snowman button.
I am not exactly sure where he came from.
But I dig him.



Markers.
I used them for the cards I make.
Just markers.
I jerked the camera accidentally
just as the shutter clicked.
I like the effect.



Watercolor pencils.
I also use these for my cards.
When I feel like experimenting.
They are a little more work than I like for the cards.



Shells.
About 15 years ago I went on a trip to Tahiti and Hawaii.
These are random bits I picked up on the
shores of places including Bora Bora, Moorea, Oahu and Kauai.
My favorite is the one with the tiniest little rocks stuck in it.
You cannot tell from these images,
But most of the shells are the size of a fingertip.



Beers.
This is a picture I took on my recent trip to Denver.
The walls of Falling Rock Tap House
were lined in beer bottles.
Yeah, that was a pretty good night.


Linking list:
Nancy - POSTED!
Nancy Luvs Pics
Karen
Outpost Mâvarin
Carly - POSTED!
Ellipsis
Sandy
Myanderings
Sarah
Charish
Chrissie
Chrisseas-corner
Kiva
Eclectic Granny
Kat
In My Dreams I Can Fly.....
TJ
Tj's Photo Expressions
Jennifer Robin
Wammy
The Ellis Family Cincinnati
Lisa Marie
Lisa's Chaos
Monica
Family Affair Photography
Marie
Photographs & Memories
Annie
Pictures of Craziness
Suzanne R
Living . . . Suzanne R's Life
Robinella
Robinella's
Angela
Chocolate Syrup for the Soul
Janet
fondofphotography
Jan
The Prytz Family
Martha
Perception
Jama Hameed
Sweet Memories
Momma - POSTED!
Sandcastle Momma
Swampy - POSTED!
Anecdotes, Antidotes, & Anodes
Sahvvy
The Instantaneous Existence of Me
Gattina
Keyhole Pictures
Kim
Nekked Lizard Lady
Vicki
Visions by Vicki
Teena - POSTED!
It's all about me!

4.10.2008

Not that "Wilde" about this book

So before I left for Denver I wanted to get a book to read at the airport, on the plane, before bed... etc.

I found one at work in the freebie area. Usually if I take something from there I will read it and then return it in case someone else wants it.

So I found something called "The Wilde Women" by Paula Wall.

It was billed as a tale of sisterly revenge in Tennessee set against the Great Depression.

Cool. Mindless reading. I am down with that.

Overall it was OK. It did not make me want to seek out her previous book that was mentioned on the front and back cover.

It was a bit scattered, with so many peripheral characters. I wanted more about the sisters.

Anyway, it did open with this great passage:

The Lord giveth and most women piss it away. Perhaps this is why they lack the equipment to aim. Some women piddle their life away in a slow incontinent dribble while squatting in the shadow of a man. Others are so busy trying to overshadow men they miss the mark. Most manage to cover up their little messes like a cat scratching in a litter box, but a few always get caught with their pants down. For this reason, Lorna Wilde bestowed upon her daughters the wisdom her mother bestowed upon her, "Never wear holey underwear." Being enterprising young women, the Wilde sisters never wore underwear at all.

Yep. That was the whole opening paragraph.

It should have been my first clue to the rest of the book.

It was not bad. Just a bit overblown.
And she used the same phrases a lot. It was actually quite distracting.

But it was a fast read. I was half way through it by the time the plane landed in Denver and I finished it off before bed last night.