[somewhat] CLOSE UP . . .

The ocean captures the footprints,

And erases them from the shore,
Taking with it remembrances,
And leaving them with more
~By Lauren Posey~

I love the way a footprint takes shape in the sand at the beach - it is so much more defined, romantic, and thought provoking than say a foot print in the dirt or mud around the house.

Close Up . . .

This week's theme is 'up close; what is that?' While vacuuming today - those were my thoughts exactly - what is that?...and of course - I had to check it out up close. Things were certainly amiss with the throw rug. You may recall the 'rug rats', well it appears we had a case of the 'rug cats'.

POTD: what is it? | take 2 ...

... definitely seagull(s).

Imagine the amusement we had when uploading shots from the beach earlier this summer. On the heels of seeing UP and my son's non-stop imitation of the dog, Doug - especially the line "SQUIRREL!" - the first shot in the series of seagull photos totally cracked us up! (no pun intended)

POTD: "what is it"? . . .

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figured it out yet?
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yep - the center of a blackeye susan. (not too imaginative - but I'll try and do better as the week progresses.)

Sprouts . . .

I love the flower baskets that the village hangs each year from the lamp posts. I am always so envious of how well they grow - I'm even more impressed with how well their sprouts take root along the sidewalks. (me thinks they are mixing something in with the Miracle Grow!)

Public Art | Disney Style . . .

Bet you thought I was going to bombard you with photo after photo of all the public art on display at Disney. Maybe another time - because there are oodles. I think the 'golf ball' (as Spaceship Earth is fondly called by my family) is a prime example of Disney magic art.

Local [public art] . . .

These were a bit hard to photograph &/or to piece together. The one under the train-trestle does not give you the option to stand directly on the other side of the street for a straight-on shot...nothing but wall. This was painted by an elderly gentleman who would bring his art supplies in a red wagon and paint a little bit every-so-often. Each time I passed him while painting - I wished I had my camera. The detail to his art is amazing. The ice cream shop art is just one side of the local antique shop - the other side is very amusing as well.

The last couple of shots are from the Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk and the idea to piece it together was an after-thought. What really amazed me about this work of art is that it had not been hit with graffiti; especially considering it is the back side of a building - in an alley. Maybe there is some sense of professional courtesy between wall artists.

POTD: [public art] NYC style ...

New York City is packed with public art - here is a small (informal) sampling:

[the art of just sitting around!]

The beauty of Art ...

... is in the eyes of the beholder. I thought I would post a few shots I took during the Photo Walk as well as one from the beach where I have applied some type of texture or filter to give them a bit of an artistic twist.

POTD: Public Art . . .

The artist does not see things as they are, but as he is. [Alfred Tonnelle]

Art is everywhere:
NYC, the beach, Disney, and on the street.
All you need to do is look (and keep an open mind).

Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk ...

I participated in the Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk on Saturday morning in Huntington and had a very enjoyable time. The weather was exceptionally nice for July (low-70s, cool breeze, and NO humidity), and the walk was well organized. We split into 2 groups (based on the distance you wanted to cover). I chose the longer distance group and must admit that the leader was very approachable, helpful and just plain out nice (as were all of the participants). The bizarre thing is that I did not end up with any one photo that I could get excited about. I just enjoyed the fantastic weather, the information shared by my group leader (about my camera), and the opportunity to go out and explore what style of photography I seem to gravitate to. (don't think I've found it yet!)

Will I submit any of my photos? - most likely not.
Will I do it again next year? - You bet'cha!

Think of Mom . . .

To live in hearts we leave behind, Is not to die.
[Campbell - Hallowed Ground]

It has been one year today that I lost one of, if not the most influential people in my life - my mom. I think of her daily and miss her dearly. I will always cherish the time we had together and yearn that it had been longer. Mom enjoyed surrounding herself with flowers - she just wasn't too keen on the 'growing them' part - that she left to those with 'green thumbs' which she resolutely claimed not to have. This is one of the lilies she gave me to plant and grown in my garden.

POTD: water | blue . . .

I thought I would finish up this week's theme with some water effects from Disney. I'm off tomorrow to do the Scott Kelby Photo Walk - which has me both excited and admittedly a little bit nervous. Maybe there will be other moms who decided one day to make this hobby their passion; maybe there will be semi-pros just wanting to photograph something other than portraits; or maybe there will be pros charged with keeping the 'tricks of the trade' strictly top secret; or who knows! ... What I do know is I will have an excuse to take pictures to my heart's content without "that's enough mom"; and you never know, maybe there will even be some (more) water shots.

POTD: Water | fountains . . .

Even simple fountains add a little pzazz, whether in our humble little village park or in the more sophisticated Market Commons shopping district in SC.

POTD: water | beach . . .

a few photos taken of the pier while at the beach.

Tah.Dah! . . .

Ok, 2 posts, one day - bad!!! - but, in my defense, I was just so excited that this photo worked out I just had to share. It started out one morning while at the beach walking with my sister and taking (more) beach/sunrise shots. I had this vision (no epiphany, just a plain ole vision) so I started taking photos while standing in the same location with the hope that I could merge them together and get a fun panoramic. [and no wide angle lens to boot...hint hint!] Tah Dah! - this is it! Nothing brilliant - and certainly not unique - just tah dah! that I could actually see it and then create it.

POTD: Water . . .

The water surrounding World Showcase at Epcot.

The 'ship wreck' slide that the boys couldn't wait to go down,
but determined to be "too SLOW" this visit - so it was back to the clown face slide.

A side view of the castle down the canal.

I am so glad this week's 'photo of the day' challenge is something I actually have photos of - water. I can not imagine Disney World without the many water rides, surrounding water canals and boat transportation between some of the parks and the hotel.

Truth in Advertising ?.?.?

... I don't think so! In Aqua Globe's defense, I'm thinking the home owners perhaps exceeded the 2 week watering allowance. On the up side - although the pot is barren, the globe remains attractive.

Disney Magic . . .

During a rest/snack break at Magic Kingdom - we stumbled across some of nature's magic.

Nature's Fireworks . . .

I thoroughly enjoy the array of summer flowers that pop up over night (or so it seems).

POTD - ah-ha! . . .

I knew if I looked hard enough I would come across some "faces in strange places" shots. A couple of these were from Disney and the tree face is from our walks while at the beach. My neighbor used to have a rather cute tree face kit - but why buy the kit when you can take misc. objects and make your own.

Strange ● Faces . . .

A little NYC sampling.