Today's photojojo title was taken after that very famous work of art, Blue Boy. I think my grandmother had a reproduction of it hanging in her house. We would visit there every summer for a few weeks - my brother, sister and me. Nancy's blue texture on the left goes with the piece of tinsel I saw on a chair in a conference room this morning. Looks like someone was thrown a baby shower.
I remember the red dirt (Paradise), swimming in the Feather River before they built the Oroville Dam, and chasing around in the hot summer sun. We would eat peaches from my grandfather's precious fruit trees - they seemed like they were the size of small basketballs - and feed the chinchillas every morning. My job was to wash all the water bottles once a week. Grandma had two beds in a closet with bi-fold doors that were where my sister and I slept. The mattresses were foam and it was comfortable enough.
We were forced to take a nap every day right after lunch - from 12:30 to 1 pm, when my grandparents had their naps. I never could sleep then. What I would give for a situation where daily naps were required now. How civilized!
Anyway, the Blue Boy and the Pink Girl were hanging in a hallway or maybe my grandmother's bedroom, I think. I looked at them a lot over those summers, inspired to be an artist someday.
Photojojo #82 is bamboo by Nancy and chocolates at Eva's by Laura.
Today's photojojo - #81 - is a shot by Nancy of a book in the leaves, combined with blurred on-coming headlights by Laura.
It's that time of year when Kale is in abundance, both as something to eat and as garden eye candy. These beauties were spotted outside some shops on a rainy day in Fairhaven Washington. The gear, Nancy's, is of origin unknown.
I know - lime green is so 2008 or 2009 - but I've just discovered it and love it! I got a lime green case for my iPhone a couple of months ago, then my choice of colors for my new 2010 Keel's Simple Diary by Taschen was lime green.
This is my 500th post on my blog. Still looking for more followers but it helps to post every day and it will make a nice book at some point too. My blog - slurped into a book by Blurb.
So, here's a pile of lime green as a refreshing, crisp way to start the new year.
Goes well with tangerine, another good color.
I spent another few days up in Bellingham over the longish New Year weekend. I find so much inspiring to photograph up there. It seems the combination of Canada, the light (or dreary not-light), the sea harbor aspects and the fact that it is an older area (lots of overhead power lines, old buildings etc.) make it very inspirational for me.
Though I do not consider myself a photographer, I am starting to develop a better eye for composition and choice of subjects. I realized that I've shot almost 7,500 photos on my Canon 40D now. I've had it for about 18 months. I know that number of photos is squat compared to many professional photographers who shoot that many in about a week, but not being "pro," I come from that somewhat scarce place of film photography mentality - limited shots (24 or 36 to the roll). I'm convinced that is one big reason I never got too far with film - the limit of 24 or 36 just paralyzed me.
So, I still forget that my limit is much higher based on the size of the card. I tend to shoot quickly when I see something that seems worthy, but if I have the time, I frame it, and think carefully before shooting. This may stem from the laziness of going through too many photos, post shoot, and my inability to throw things away. Ironic that now that I am nearly limit-less in my shots, I'm so much more careful with what I choose to shoot. Well, there is a balance in there somewhere.
Whatever the reason(s), I feel more confident and am happy to see some better shots coming out of my partnership with my camera. Happy New Year and here's to me getting at least one really good shot every week.
I'm sad to announce that Nancy and I will be going to Photojojo #100, then stopping this photo challenge. Nancy has started another photo challenge, 4Women365 Days, for 2010. We'll finish this challenge up with Photojojo #100, then switching all our energies over to that effort. I may continue to do a 2x photojojo challenge with someone else, if interested. I like the side by sideness of this approach.
So, for the next 20 days or so, they'll both be up and running, and my challenge will be to use two distinct photos daily - one for each challenge. You can find 4Women365Days here, but don't forget about this blog and this photochallenge.
Barbie (Nancy) pairs up with some 2009 Christmas holiday decorations in downtown Bellingham (Laura). Time to put away the party dress and take down the snowflake decorations. Bah humbug!
This is the Photojojo for 01-01-10, but I had scant internet service over the weekend, so I'm just posting it now.
Nancy's Feliz 2010 from the NYEve dinner they attended is paired up with my shot from along Guide Meridian Road between Lynden WA and the Aldergrove Canadian border crossing.
We went up to White Spot for a New Year's Day lunch with my aunt and uncle. The weather was dreary, but I put on my Diana lens and got some dreamy dreary shots.
Tonight is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow will be a new decade - full of new hope for better times. One of the best things I did while off from working this year was walk more. Scamperin' Nancy was helping me get in shape by walking every nearly every morning. And these were not easy walks. Some of them were up steep hills and by the time I got back to work in October, I was starting to be able to go up the hills without feeling like I was going to pass out.
Today's photojojo is a picture of the fogged in hills in Hayfork (Nancy) paired with some colorful walking shoes taken at Sea-Tac airport during my layover between Seattle and Bellingham.
On a personal note, I did 311 blog posts this year, which falls short of my goal of one per day. However, it is far better than my 2008 tally of 147 posts.
Happy New Year everyone. Here's to a prosperous new year for us all, spiritually, emotionally and financially.
Today's photojojo is seemingly one photo, but it didn't start that way. Nancy's peace sign with some melting snow was collaged with my corn flakes bowl and because of the dark background in the cereal bowl photo, it looks like the peace sign was right there above it all along.
Ironically, I was kicking mysel for having cropped my shot very short on top - right at the top of the bowl. When I put the image with Nancy's, it extended that black area, and automatically created a better, more balanced image.
What a perfect merge!
Too tired to write captions/explanations about this. Nancy's nozzles and Laura's Bloomie mannequins.
Today's posting for the 72nd Photojojo is also No. 10 in the countdown to my 500th post on this art blog. Nancy is surrounded by lots of cold weather; I snapped this photo by accident in my car steering wheel the other day.
I'm just taking mine in order, matching up with Nancy's as I get them from her. I should hit 500 this week. Maybe by New Year's Eve.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not fond of birds in art. I feel like it is an overused theme, and yet, that means I also know I need to confront it. So, I'm taking the opportunity to get photos of birds (real or not), buy books of birds and just explore them in general. Claire and I "visited" with them outside Starbucks the other day and I told her about how much I am afraid of Hitchcock's The Birds.
My birds are pairs with Nancy's photography of the ice up in Hayfork. It must really be cold up there.
Today is Boxing Day. Yesterday, I had the photos for the 'jojo (#70!), but was too busy and then too tired to get it posted on it's rightful day of 12/25/09. So, here it is a day late and a dollar short. I call it icy joy.
Tonight's Photojojo #69 is presented on the eve of Christmas 2009. This tree is out the window of Nancy's place in Hayfork. My photo of lamps and figurines was taken in Pier 1 Imports today while doing some last minute Christmas shopping.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I'm ready for 2010!
Today's Photojojo #68 is a frosty leaf by Nancy up in Hayfork and a lone boot in the bushes near work by Laura.
It's a couple of days before Christmas and I went to a restaurant to meet a friend to deliver the xmas boxes I made for her. I looked over my shoulder and saw this geocaching box on the counter. Do you know about geocaching? It's a cool activity I was introduced to several years ago.
I think it may have been invented by the companies that make GPS units. You use a GPS and the Geocaching.com website to locate these geocache boxes. When you find them, kind of an adult treasure hunt, you open the box to find all sorts of goodies. You can leave a goodie and take one.
Here's a little guy that I could have taken if I'd had something to leave.
Now with the advent of really good GPS features on the iPhone, you can of course find a geocaching app. I'm going to download one soon and start geocaching with my friends. I will be on a quest for little plastic animals that I'm starting to collect in the bowl in my front hallway.
Sometimes (usually) there are little notebooks in the box that you can use to leave a little note about your experience. I like this one: I think Monty is tiring of dating Lillie, or the restaurant, or both.
Today's photojojo title was taken after that very famous work of art, Blue Boy. I think my grandmother had a reproduction of it hanging in her house. We would visit there every summer for a few weeks - my brother, sister and me. Nancy's blue texture on the left goes with the piece of tinsel I saw on a chair in a conference room this morning. Looks like someone was thrown a baby shower.
