Painted pumpkin

Yes it is that time of year again.

But something new. For all the years I had a jack-o-lantern we carved a face and then lit a candle inside. This face is cute but it somehow seems to be a cheat. No personal creativity here. Just a silk screen or some kind of stencil. Why bother with a real pumpkin?

I remember the fun of cutting the top out and digging out the creepy gooey seeds. Then carving triangles for eyes and nose, and a smile with three teeth.

The sun breaks through

There are days when the sky is so dark it looks almost black. Then, sometimes, the sun breaks through and creates this great photo opportunity for just a few minutes... sometimes just a few seconds. I love this look. Bright sun on the foreground, dark sky behind.

Of course the problem is it comes and goes so fast. Most of the time so fast that you cannot photograph it. But when you get lucky it is an interesting effect.

Boarded up

Here is a house that has seen better days. At least one family lived there, children played in the yard, gardens were planted, siding was painted. Someone was proud of the house and took care of it. Now it sits idle with windows boarded up. This is on a nice suburban road and other cared for and occupied homes are near by.

So what is the story? Why is it boarded up? Why is this house no longer a home? A mystery.

By chance

My rule for these posts is that the picture has to be shot the day of, or the day before I post. That means no old photos. So there is always a sense of, what am I going to find to shoot today!

Many of these photos are shot from my car on the way to work. This morning I was waiting for a light to change and quickly saw an opportunity, but once the camera was on and ready, the traffic started moving and I pressed the shutter as I started up. This was the result. Of course it could be looked at as a wasted opportunity, or major case of camera shake. But, by chance I think the image is pretty curious. What is the image of? It does not matter. I like the cool color, the ethereal shading and the smooth contours. All a product of chance.

Old barn

Where I live 25 or 30 years ago it was mostly small family owned farms. Each grew hay or corn or some other crop. Each had a barn for perhaps some livestock or the farm equipment.

Today the Town of Webster doesn't have many farms left. The land to too valuable and is sold for suburban homes. Of course I live in one of those suburban homes. And where my house stands there used to be crops growing.

Now we get our fruits and vegetables from Florida or California. Fresh strawberries in December? No problem. In fact now that international movement of goods is so prevalent our food can come from South America or who knows where else.

It is not completely fair to say there are no farms in Webster because there are some. And one thing that is still grown around here is apples... and they are good apples too.

So here is an old barn that has seen better days. Looks like at some point someone had the idea to add all those windows to make the barn usable for something other than its original use.

Tortured Trees

I have driven past these trees hundreds of times and I always wonder what happened to them? Why do they look that way? Is this species of tree supposed to look like that?

When I stopped to take the photo a Cocker Spaniel was walking by and I asked him “what is on the trunk of those trees?” Being an intelligent canine he responded “Bark, Bark”.

Realizing that was not exactly what I was looking for I said “Yes, but what is wrong with the tree bark?” The response was “Ruff, Ruff”.

I wasn’t getting anywhere so I politely thanked him and he went on his way.

A matter of perspective

Dramatic sky. When you look closely you realize that those lines are a vapor trails created by a high flying jet aircraft, military jets on training runs no doubt. There are some dark wide lines, and if you look closely, there is a bright thin line.

I imagine that inside that jet it is noisy, hectic and fast.

But from my perspective, down on earth, I experience silence and the slow, graceful formation of tightly formed lines and arcs that gradually defuse and become wider and fuzzier.

So it is me and the pilot, both with different perspectives, experiencing the same thing in very different ways. It makes me realize that what I see and feel is not necessarily the same as others around me. And when I understand this, it helps me accept those who's perspective is different than my own.

Go straight

A recent story on NPR quoted Bob Dylan as saying "I think it would be good if you're looking for directions and you heard my voice saying something like, take a left at the next street. No, a right. You know what? Just go straight."

The story was about the possibility of Dylan recording directions for car navigation system, but you know, I think he might have been talking about something else.

Maybe he is talking about politics... let's not worry so much about right and left, let's just get things straight.

What do you think?

Determination

Apparently this tree had some major pruning. Perhaps storm damage, or lightning, or some other tragedy… and the tree surgeons had to chop the top off. But persistence and determination seem to have prevailed.

I guess loosing your head is no reason to give up. It may not be pretty, but life goes on. And new growth is possible.

Blue to black

Blue sky. Bright puffy clouds. What a day!

But wait... what's that? A black cloud?

It tells of a change in the weather. An end to pleasant outdoor enjoyment. A storm approaching. Better run for cover.

Well on this day the storm never came. The breeze overcame the foreshadowed rain and sent the black cloud away. Sunshine won out and the day remained beautiful.

So it goes to show you, bad signs do not necessarily mean bad times.

Bow Power!

How cute!

Yes, the symbol favored by pirates and troubled youth that dress only in black is made cute with the addition of a bow. The old skull and bones.

I found this pasted on the back of a SUV in the mall parking lot.

It is interesting to see the sky and clouds in the window reflection... and there is my camera, also in reflection.

Cheap shot

What a pretty flower!

Sure, but for some reason pictures of flowers always seem so obvious, easy and cliche. But with my new admision of color, not a bad candidate for photo ops.

Anyway, here is the nice hydrangea blosom from my backyard.