Scavenger Hunt Sunday 7.15.12

My husband and I don't vacation much. At least he doesn't. A short trip here and there just about sums up his travels. Last week, though, we traveled to Negril, Jamaica, and stayed at the Westender Inn. Talk about secluded and out of the way. This place is barely on the map. Way over on the western tip of the island, an hour and a half drive from the airport.... But when we got there, ahhhh, paradise. No glitz and glam, just a secluded spot where ocean waves crashed just steps from our room.

With that said, it wasn't too difficult to find inspiration for this week's Scavenger Hunt...

WATER

Water was easy to find on the island.... This was one of my favorite reading spots.

PETAL

One of the many flowers at the Westender Inn.

FRESH

The tidal pool, freshly cleaned.... and refilled by the ocean.

EIGHT

On our way back to the airport, I spotted these guys. Their bike wheels form a figure 8.

CALM

The Westender could be a synonym for "calm," but I liked this picture best.

I snapped it on the way back to the airport.

I opted to leave the Canon at home this time. All photos were taken with my iPhone.

I'm taking part in Scavenger Hunt Sunday hosted by Ashley Sisk at Ramblings and Photos.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I tell you, I've been going a little crazy taking pictures lately. Instagram has a lot to do with it, plus all the handy little editing apps on my phone make it so easy to be creative. This week Kelly Kardos at Just a Click Away told me about a photography scavenger hunt hosted this week by Sarah Halstead. I couldn't resist actually having a purpose to this madness, so here's what I came up with:

Patriotic

This is a HUGE flag that was hanging inside a building on July 4th. The flag itself took up several stories in the atrium. Beautiful reminder of our country and the freedoms we hold so dear.

View from Above



This river makes me smile. You can't imagine how many times I've driven over it and wished I had my camera with me or had time to stop to take a picture. I'm thinking I should get my own inner tube or raft and float down it like these two are doing. Nothing like a lazy Sunday on the river.

Mosaic

This picture turned out a little grainy, and I feel like I'm about to tip over just looking at it. But the mosaic really was beautiful. I took this at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, last week.

Something Tiny

We were so worried about these little birdies last week that we had to leave our garage door open for a few days and nights, so the mama bird could get back in. They flew away during that time, too. I'm kind of missing them.

Vibrant

I am in love with sunflowers. This one is definitely vibrant, so I had to share it with you. I love that tiny drop of water in the middle. Do you see it?

I think the idea behind Scavenger Hunt is to find everything that week and post on Sunday. All of these were taken this week except the one of the baby birds, which I took last week. I tried to find some other "tiny" things to photograph, but I kept coming back to the babies.

Mary, at Little Red House is host to Mosaic Monday. I may not get around to visiting until the weekend. Until then, have an amazing week. I hope to.



A few scraps here and there...

My grandmother was a gatherer

of fabrics, trimmings, and buttons

When visiting her she would put her hands on her hips

and say, "Rob, let me show you what I bought...."

Then she would make her way into the other room

where she would pull lengths of fabrics

from dresser drawers and cedar chests
showing me patterns and buttons and trims

Her stream of small talk never stopping

not even for a breath it seemed

Like my grandmother, I, too, am a gatherer

of papers, trimmings, and buttons

When my sisters visit I put my hands on my hips

and say, "Let me show you what I bought...."

Then I make my way into my studio

and flip through portfolios of papers
ephemera, and other embellishments

I had gathered throughout the year

My stream of small talk rarely stopping

except for a breath now and then

Thinking about her, I realize that we are a lot alike
my grandmother and I
talkers, gatherers, planners

I was named for Queenie Anne

(although I only got to keep the "an" in her name)

and we were born just one day a part

both lovers of justice and balance and beauty.


Queenie Anne at her surprise birthday party....

and with my mom.
I love the expression on my granny's face.



Luckily, I became the keeper of my grandmother's buttons.





(I fell in love with the two fabrics shown above.)

And just like that, I was thinking about my grandmother.

I'm not actually on my front porch ...

I'm off celebrating with my family

and maybe with a friend or two.



If you're celebrating Independence Day, enjoy it!

If not, you can make up your own celebration and call it the 4th of July anyway.

Because today really is the 4th of July.

Telephoto Tuesday

We just spent a great weekend with friends. Ate delicious food, strolled around two beautiful cities, and even took in a Boston concert while we were there. (Now that took me back a few years!).

When I saw this car, I thought I was in another country. Monaco maybe.

I thought it had a regal look to it with all that chrome and shiny black.

And the bird on the hood.

The car wasn't the only thing that caught my attention.

There were plenty of bikes around with this being a college town and all.

 Before we left, we went by our friend's dad's house.

It's really just a two room cottage he created out of a garage.

You'd never know a car had ever invaded that space though.

It's that cute.

Outside, he had created an amazing bed of sunflowers.



It really was a great trip. I tend to be a homebody and a book worm,

but thankfully my husband makes plans like these to get me out into the world.

He's good about things like that.

Tomorrow's the 4th of July!

I think we're ready to celebrate.

Where I Stand

is not about religion or politics or which side of the fence I'm on, it's about documenting the places I go, both the mundane and the unmundane. By taking these "feet" shots as my daughter calls them, I feel like I'm keeping a visual calendar of the places I've gone this summer or at least some of the things I've done. But I have to admit, sometimes the photos are taken just for fun.

I've been to my favorite place, Barnes and Noble, many times this summer. Although I prefer smaller independent bookstores like this one in Asheville...

Pool time at the beach. We prefer surf and sand, but afterwards, a quick dip into the pool leaves us feeling a bit more refreshed.

The front door mat signaled welcome home recently after our trip to the beach. And, finally, my feet are in the kitchen, something kind of rare for me during the school year, but it feels perfect during the summer months when I have time to do it right.

We've got a few more trips planned, and I can't wait to take pictures - not just of where I stand but everything else I'll be seeing.

What about you? Where are you headed this summer?

For more mosaics visit Mary at Little Red House.

And thanks, Mary, for hosting Mosaic Monday!

I think it should be called "Instafun"

or "Instafriend," or even "Instacreativity." This Instagram app on my iPhone has me thinking about photography all.the.time. Really. In fact, the other day as I was driving along the beach road, I saw purple umbrellas lined up perfectly in the sand. What did I do? I pulled over, kind of like a race car driver making a pit stop in the middle of a race. I was that fast and that smooth. On a mission for the perfect "purple" shot. I'm telling you, I find instamoments at nearly every turn.

I'm thinking it could also be called "Instafriend" because I'm having so much fun meeting new people through the app. Several of them have blogs, so I'm also getting to see more of their photographs and read their heartfelt posts. It reminds me a bit of my earlier experience with Scrapblog, where I met Annemarie, Peggy, Wendy, and Julie. It really does seem to be a community of sharing. And each photograph is like a piece of candy. Beautiful, sweet, colorful....

So of course it's all "instafun." Right?

Here's a collage I created in picmonkey of the photos I shared this week through Instagram. All but a couple were taken with my iPhone. Oh, and the excitement about finding the perfect "purple" shot....? That was because of Shutter Sister's word of the month, which for June has been "color." Each weekday was given a different color and bloggers, instagrammers, flickr folks, were encouraged to post their pictures that depicted that specific color. I just wish I'd played along all month and didn't wait this late to get started.

Anyway, here's my mosaic of memories from last week ....

Beginning top left:

have books, will travel

flip flops on the beach

girls ready for a banana boat ride

beautiful "blue" ocean (Shutter Sisters word of the day)

ahhh, sandy, white beach (#whereistand)

PB&J lunches

100 calories of bliss

Barnes and Noble at night

Canon T3 and me (when not using my iPhone)

"lavender" floats

"lavender" window trim

"purple" umbrellas

self-portrait

not a self-portrait (I never could do that!)

Hannah serving up some peace to the world

Hannah and S getting ready to capture glow time

 I needed to dive into some coursework that was due (I did)

blogging at the beach ("black")

what I'm reading

picnic on the beach

Center: chilly and windy with a storm brewing off the coast

Thanks to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.
Just click here and you'll magically be transported to her Little Red House!