Hip, Hip, Hooray! SSS'rs to Infinity and Beyond!!!!

Here's yet another presentation of 'similar but different':

Wagon Wheel

A wagon wheel over at Hubbell Trading Post in AZ. If you live within a couple hundred miles of Gallup, NM, you're not too far from this-it is in Ganado, AZ. I highly recommend making the effort. It is quite like doing time travel and going back to the days of the old west. It was a very active and important trading post back then. It is also a very important historic site (link through provided for the insatiably curious).

Stove Top

I think you can easily pick up on what is similar and what is different! And, no stuffing was involved in the making of this stove top picture...sorry!  ; )

And thank to to those who stepped up to continue this beloved meme founded by Tracy down in Brisbane. After last week's announcement of not being able to continue on with it (and we are all grateful for the years and countless hours that you put in, Tracy, that we may indulge in our addiction) I was feeling a bit 'blue' that I would not be able to post and visit my SSS friends. So, I, along with everyone else, am quite delighted and pleased to be able to carry on. I say a toast to all of you who pitched in!

hip, hip, hooray!!!

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

A Different Kind of Bicycle Shadow

can be found at a beautiful community development here in Rio Rancho called, Mariposa. They have a beautiful park and it offered this unusual shadow of a symbol of someone riding a bike (I think it indicated a bike path)

Too good to pass up, that's for sure! The park also offered many other fabulous shadow images.

I found them all to be very striking. Imagine. this occurs every day there-at least 330 days of the year (we hardly have overcast days here).

So, if you lived in this planned community development, you'd have this park to enjoy (and they have an enclosed community pool).

 

If we were not already so settled in where we are living, we would give this place a serious consideration-the views are spectacular and everything seems to be well thought out. Witness this park. Not to mention that I really dread the thought of ever moving again. I'm more of one to stay in one place that I call home.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

I Spy a Shadow!

Bigger than life these shadows are... 

It's amazing I get anything done since I am easily derailed by shadows like these on my front sidewalk. I was supposed to be doing something else when I walked by these. And, as I've said before, shadows wait for no one. They are to be seized in the moment.

These are all within 10 feet of each other. Have you every seen those books called, "I Spy"? Some of the objects in that book contain shadows with the same qualities as these-larger than life kind of thing. They look humongous, don't they?

 

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Celebrating the Mundane

An on going theme with me, this celebration of the mundane...

Believe it or not, this image is connected to Thanksgiving (there, now that should get your attention!). In the early morning the day before Thanksgiving, I am getting my dining room ready for the next day's celebration. Cleaning, putting the tablecloth down, the flower arrangement, etc. I am rushing around trying to get as much done as possible as it will leave less to do come Thursday morning. I see this dust bunny on the floor and nearly swooped down to get rid of it when I realized that a shaft of the morning light coming from way across the living room window past the hallway and into the threshold area of the dining room on to this dust bunny lent itself to a very unique shadow.

I give up! I know that light waits for no one, so off I go for my camera in the macro setting to get this beauty (yes, it is in the eye of the beholder and I behold this as beauty!). The shots are so close, you can see the 'pores' in the wood laminate floor.

But, maybe this really isn't a dust bunny. After all, it is made up mostly of our cat's hair. So, perhaps this is a cat bunny?

For those of you who did celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope that everything went well and met or exceeded your expectations. As for me, I've been on a strict diet of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie ever since Thursday! No end in sight either!

I do hope you join me in finding ways each day to stop and celebrate the mundane. Nothing and everything is of importance. For me, it is in doing things like this that get me to slow down long enough to breathe in the moment and revel in its details. For I know that even tomorrow the light in this very same space at the very same time of day will be different. And, come next year at the exact same time, the sun will have moved it's position of rising and it will not cast that same shaft of light through my dining room threshold for several more years.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

The Shadow of your Shadow

(some of you have been around long enough to know the song, "The Shadow of Your Smile"?)

 

I lied.

As far as I can tell, there is no shadow 

of a shadow in these images.

Or, is there?

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Lizard, Lizard on the Wall, Who's the Hottest of them All?

...or, of red chiles and green chairs...

I wonder what is going on in this reptilian mind? I think it's, "I wonder when that  human thing with the camera will quit it?". But, how could I resist this little guy next to the red chile ristra? So glad he let me indulge. He made my day!

Bright colors, warm sun, patterns and shadows. What is there not to like? All the ingredients for a perfect afternoon.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Art, Art, Everywhere!

Bamboo brushes artfully 

drying in the sun... 

OK, so brushes drying in a tree might not be viewed by many as art. But I am posting these images as they were from my Artist n Residence stint in October 2010 at the Petrified Forest National Park. On Nov. 6th (Saturday) Donna (who was the other artist there with me) and I will be doing a presentation about our experiences as Artists in Residence at the Esther Bone Library. Think of this as a 'commemorative' post!

The brushes and leaves cast some nice shadows on the tree trunk, but the tree also cast some nice shadows on the ground!

Shadow of said tree...

This is one of the many pieces of hand dyed fabrics that Donna produced, drying out in the sun.

I also created a DVD movie in lieu of a power point slide presentation for the program at Esther Bone Library. And, I must confess, I don't know how to make a power point presentation and I like the way a movie flows. So there, my 'secret' is out (that I don't know how to do a power point)!

Here's the movie:

(it was the first time I ever attempted doing a voice-over on a movie)

 

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Shadow, Shadow On the Wall...

It's an obsession. It's an indulgence.

This obsession and indulgence to light and shadows-the affinity and acuity that I have for it might seem slightly disturbing to those who never take notice of these details of every day life. But, the hunt is rewarding, and here in NM, all too easy a hunt, it seems. But, I think having an acuity for it is what makes it seem so easy.
The above image was taken in the house of a fellow artist-a group of us get together once a month to critique our art and we were in the middle of a critique and I tried to be as casual as I possibly could without being disruptive (but, it's a small group of five, so how could I not be?) when I saw this shadow and quietly took my cell phone out of my purse while the conversation continued and got up and walked over to the the spot and took the picture. Went back to my seat as the conversation continued and mumbled something about how I couldn't resist such a shadow. And, light does not wait for you or anyone else. In a few minutes, this vignette was gone. And, if you think about it, this trek of light across the wall in this manner probably only occurs for perhaps several days out of the year as the sun moves it's way across the sky in an 18 year arch above the horizon. So, this path of light would not be the same from year to year.
Now, I find that to be astounding. Come on, aren't you amazed by that? Well, I am.

PAR40

Yep, even upstairs in our home office, my obsession never leaves me! This one is of a track lighting fixture-and I'm pretty sure it's a PAR40 halogen bulb. It's right above where I sit and work.

MR16

And, when I turn around to look at the other wall behind me above our stairwell, I see this shadow-a light pattern kind of shadow cast by a MR16 track lighting bulb.

Since I have SO many shadow shots, I posted more than one this week as I reviewed the inventory I have of images. Time to get them out there, eh? These three made for a related series since all three are shadows of artificial light sources.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Waltzing Through The Shadows

An early fall afternoon with the golden afternoon sun on a Sunday afternoon in Balboa Park, San Diego...

The reason for the trip last month was sad (my mother in law's funeral), but getting to San Diego for us as a family is a rare thing. We did get ourselves over to Balboa Park to enjoy the wonderful architecture and gardens. And, as you can see, we are never without shadows that delight. I thought these were particularly scrumptious. I feel like I could just close my eyes and picture myself wearing a long, slender, black evening gown as I do slow, luxurious, waltzing turns down through these shadowy arches. And the music? One of my most favorite waltz pieces is the "Appalachia Waltz" written and performed by Mark O'Connor, along with Yo Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer. My most all time favorite trio in the world.

So, close your eyes. Join me in a waltz through these arches to this incredibly beautiful music:


 
"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse waltz on over and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

The Red Boot Man

Last weekend, my friend, Linda Laitner and I headed up to Abiquiu for their Studio Tour. On the way up, we stopped at a couple of museums in Santa Fe-one of which is the International Folk Art Museum. I haven't been to that museum since my son was little, so it had to have been a good 15 years ago or so. We had great fun there as it is very much so child friendly.

Of course, right away, I start drooling over the shadows in all of the displays and started to 'sneak' a few photos when Linda discovered a sign that said, "Go Ahead and DO Take Pictures!". Unheard of! So, we both had a blast with our point and shoot cameras taking pictures without feeling like criminals.

This red boot was from one of the displays. Don't know which country-maybe Bali (looks Balinese, and shame on me for not paying attention!). So, this is the rest of the exhibit that the red boot is from:

Tres cool, no? You can count on seeing more of the images from this trip over time. I wish all museums would let you photograph what's there. Digital cameras are so great now that one doesn't need to use a flash. I think it's a great way to promote what is in the museum by letting folks take pictures so that they can share it with everyone else. And, those who live within the distance would be more likely to go see what is on exhibit. Don't you think?

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Lost In Translation

(window and bench in our guest bedroom with shadows cast 

from wrought iron that is covered with bamboo fencing material)

You know, I call this image, "Lost in Translation" because I think it's a bit tricky to decipher what the heck the subject matter is that is causing the shadows. So, imagine, if you will, a window in a bedroom. Out side of the window is wrought iron (to keep intruders from breaking in). Because the window faces directly east and gets many hours of the morning sun blasting in to the room, we covered the wrought iron with a simple bamboo fencing material. Makes for a crazy shadow, doesn't it?

I call our cat, Rocky, a Bedouin cat or a gypsy cat because he has favorite sleeping places-he sleeps in the same place for about a week or two and then moves on to another spot. The bench in this window is one of his favorite spots. He enjoys the morning sun in complete comfort and peace. Hmmmm...we should follow suit, I think, and slow down in this manner. Why are we always in a hurry and have big piles of things to do?

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

City of Rocks

City of Rocks near Silver City, NM. On both of my past trips to Silver City, NM I made it a  point to stop here at the City of Rocks. Just a huge out cropping of boulders that are Mother Nature's sculpted works of art. I imagine what it must be like to camp there overnight and see nothing but the dark night sky littered with the stars of the Milky Way. The nice thing about fantasy trips is that they are free and easy to get there. So, I think the overnight stay there will remain a fantasy trip for me.

Doesn't it seem like these boulders have a personality of their own? Sort of like the trees in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy? As though they could get up and walk. Perhaps they do at night when no one is looking.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Latching On To Fall...

"I recently ran across a story about a native American tribal leader describing his own inner struggles. He said, "There are two dogs inside me. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time." Someone asked him which dog usually wins, and after a moment's reflection, he answered, "The one I feed the most."    -Rabbi Harold Kushner

Always remember to feed the good dog.

On my morning walk (that is, when I do), I always have my cell phone with me just in case I um, need to, um make a phone call....NOT!!! In case I need to take a picture! I encountered this a few weeks ago and saved it as a kick off photo for fall. I'm starting to get familiar with exactly how close I can get before it is completely out of focus. And, I almost always use the free Retro camera ap. It has 5 Retro Camera looks.

I love fall...perhaps my favorite time of year even if it does mark the end of warm weather and ushers in the cold that comes with winter. The light is beautiful, the air just sparkles. Quiet takes on a new meaning. I feel very grounded and centered in the fall. More, " in the moment..."

And, a latch from my archives which I don't think I've ever posted. This latch is a particularly good one with the nice rust on it and the painted wood surface it sits on. If it weren't for the date in the file information that I have in Photoshop, I would not know where I took this picture of a latch as I will photograph just about any latch I encounter. This one is from the Albuquerque Rail Yard-my first visit there.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)


Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Lobster: Trapped!!!

No lobster would want to be caught between two traps like this! 

At least, not if they can help it.

Although this one is 'trapped', I think he has 'no worries'
as to ending up on someone's dinner plate!

I was at Sea Port Village in San Diego last weekend and had time to stroll around unhurriedly. There was a pier that had stacks and stacks of lobster traps-lobster season begins early October and ends in early March according to the California Fish and Game website. The white 'orb' you see is the buoy that was inside of each cage-which becomes the floating marker once they lower it into the waters.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

Lost In Time

Now there are less than 5 days before the opening reception for a group show that I curated, takes place. It was a year and a half in the making and involves a total of 20 photographers (including myself). It's called, "The Rail Yard Exhibit". Our show will be at the Kimo Theater Art Gallery in downtown Albuquerque. You can find out more about the show and the Rail Yard at the blog I created just for it (it has many layers that you can 'dig' through to your heart's content).

My Shadow Shot contributions for this weekend (as it was last weekend) are in honor of the upcoming show.

One of the enormous machine shops. These shops had huge cranes in them-a 200 ton crane, a 150 ton crane, and I think the other large crane was 100 tons. These cranes lifted up the steam engines (and later, diesel engines) for repair work and maintenance.

TOYS

One of the Flickr members at our photo shoot at the Rail Yard brought these along for subject matter. Funny, they were left unattended for quite some time, giving many of us a chance to take our own shots.

If you're in town, please do come by to see the show and join us at the opening reception on the 15th of Sept. from 6-8 p.m.

And, last, but not least, I'm not sure if I will be able to make the rounds this weekend to visit your SSS contributions, let alone leave comments. Leaving comments will be the challenge as I will be 'on the road' over the weekend with no computer access. I will be in San Diego attending my mother in laws funeral. I sorely miss her. Alzheimer's is such an unfair disease as they take away your loved one long before they are gone. BUT, please do leave your comments! I enjoy reading them.

Somewhere In Time...

As I write this, there are less than 13 days before the opening reception for a group show that I curated, takes place. It was a year and a half in the making and involves a total of 20 photographers (including myself). It's called, "The Rail Yard Exhibit". Our show will be at the Kimo Theater Art Gallery in downtown Albuquerque. You can find out more about the show and the Rail Yard at the blog I created just for it (it has many layers that you can 'dig' through to your heart's content).

My Shadow Shot contributions for this weekend and the next are in honor of the upcoming show.

DOOR

One of the many metal doors to this enormous piece of property...nice how the light is falling over it. I tell you, the light and the shadows on this 27 acre property are highly seductive!!!

What is this???

It's on the outside of the building and I don't know if it's to take something out or put something in the building. I can only assume out. It made for an extremely unique shadow.

I hope you take some time to explore the site I created for the show. The intention was for all of the photographers to write something about their connection and experience to the Rail Yard. I've had as much success with that as I do herding cats....

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.

I'll Take Two of Those To Go Please!

Here in the sunny southwest, you are never far from a shadow or two or three. Or more.

the cart

Even when shopping for your weekly groceries. All you need to do is to spend more time looking down (but don't run into anything). Taking out the groceries to my car, I get the cheap thrill of some entertaining shadows. I am easily amused and distracted. Grocery carts make the best shadows.

 the hatch from the back of my car

If I didn't tell you what caused this shadow, would you have guessed it? It is fun to see shadows without the reference of what caused them. Sometimes it can be a real brain twister.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2010 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account. Click here to view them.


Yes. I'll take two of those shadows to go, please...