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The following photos are under a photo series I did solely for fun titled, “Having Fun with City Art”.   I hope, my readers, you enjoy them as well!

So this week’s theme was right up my alley!  I had done these photo sets with my daughter this past fall 2015.  We had so much fun, even if she will never admit it!  It was fun to play and spend time with her and embarrass the hell out of her!  But she played along all in good fun anyway……and I had to seriously bribe her!   Here the 1st photo is titled :Catchin’ the Big One”.  One can see the fishing pole (I hope) and in line with the fish art behind her!  

The second is her actually “imitating art UNINTENTIONALLY!  She did not realize the owl above was in a similar position–and facial look!  🙂

Ole! Ole!

“Swish”

Ahh… hell….running away…with…FROM the bulls!

 

These past 3 were done by the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, MT.  I love this trio and the story it still tells.  These sculptures are from an awesome artist, Manel Àlvarez. I am not one for the contemporary, modern art design but  there is that rare find that still compels and brings out the joy and imagination in their work!  He is definitely one of them.   

There are a few more photos of her playing with other outdoor sculptures… but maybe these few are just enough!  Not much dialogue today but let all the pics dePICt themselves in their own story-line!

** No sculptures or murals were harmed in the making of these photographs. ( I cannot say the same for the poor girl who laid on a rock in one of the photo series not shown above)

** “The events and characters depicted in this photo-play are fictitious.Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.”

Again, for the girl. She is real enough!

*I copied this quote from “http://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/HistoryWired/Davis/DavisAuthenticity.html”

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Live to Eat and then I would have to Die….

Sounds pretty drastic and dramatic, eh?  Well, it was asked how far would one travel to go have a favorite meal.   For me…it would end up being the absolute furthest anyone can go and that would be (Heaven for some folks beliefs and the Jews don’t always believe in a Christian-type Heaven, though not a bad concept to consider but I digress) being able to do time traveling back to my childhood days and having my mom cook the meal. She made the best stuff!! I LOVED her brisket and the eggs with bagels and cream cheese and lox and tomatoes…I loved her lemon roast chicken and her pork chops.  (Her spaghetti was more like “Jewish spaghetti”.  I don’t what it was but her pastas never tasted Italian. hmmmm. (insert pause to contemplate here).  Anyways…

As long as it was not liver. I hate, no LOATHE, liver and I will not eat that. She tried once. My sis and I sat at the table around the 5pm (1700) dinner hour and she set down in front of us-liver and onions. ACK! GAG!

She said we were NOT to leave the table whatsoever until we finish out plates!

Karen and I ate our veggies (I did not eat the ones that touched the slimy meat) and some of the mashed potatoes. We drank our milk. But the liver was left all cold and lonely. No one loved it or wanted to touch it.  NOW, I will say out of fairness I did eat one bite to try it. First and LAST bite ever!  Finally at about 1000pm (2200) Mom stood over us at the end of the dining table. We sat there quietly looking up at her. Silently praying, “pleeeeeeeaaaassseee don’t make me eat this worm textured slab.”  Mom was quiet for a good few minutes and said, “You two are NOT going to ever eat this, are you?” We both shook our heads and she said with a sigh, “get outta here and get ready for bed.”

She never made liver and onions ever again.

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A Rainbow over Rainbow Falls, Great Falls, MT.

This was made back in the fall but this photo is a reminder to me that when it appears all dark and gray that if one can hold onto hope long enough, there can be a rainbow seen. It may happen in the midst of the storm or it can about when the storm passes. The sun will shine again and life continues. Now, how one will use that continuance is the big question. I am still trying to figure that one out, myself.  Literally living life day by day. Every time I plan for the future…those dark clouds and heavy downfall storms upon me but the rainbow that happens still gently falls onto my dreams and make the thoughts, prayers and hopes to be all “shiny” again.

It doesn’t happen every time.  There are times when it would be easier to give up. But I have never been much of a coward and it can be difficult for me to just give up on any of the dreams, hopes and desires.  I will admit, not many of the dreams have come to existence.  Now, I am talking about personal aspirations. My children are my #1 dreams and those are alive and doing well, I am proud to say!  I am talking about my photography being a success. My dream about being a successful and wanted author!  (I learned one should write first before that happens!).  Dreams of travel again and financial freedom. yep. That ain’t happening anytime soon.  Things like this.

But….I still search and sometimes, just sometimes, I get my rainbow.

Back From The Dead!

Americana Christmas Display

Street Photography

I finally enter some new photos!  I want to display some of the street photos I have. I like the ones with color as much as B&W.  Even though, they may not have the dramatic tone that many see in street photography, I still like the story the photos can tell.  Most of them are from small city in Montana, but they are still not far off on how some may see back in the 60’s, 70’s and not just in current times.  This time, I am allowing my pictures to say my 1000 words!

Wall art in a back alley. It states SO much meaning….

This harkens back to the Old West–only, even though it is in a Living History weekend at Virginia City in Montana–this is an actual scene on can see in many small towns or ranches today.

State Fair. This is an older photo of my own daughter-looking none too happy. I don’t remember why….

Back alleys can hold so much mystery and story, don’t you think?

Dust in the WInd….Bucket Lists. http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/dust-wind/#like-76518

     A Bucket List!  Who hasn’t made one?  Even if it isn’t actually a list–one always thinks about the things and places they would like to do and see.  My Bucket List are dreams that do change as time is slipping away (keeping up with the Kansas theme! ).  My first items would be just to get and stay healthy and keep the health of my family strong so we all are together for many, many years to come.  That my husband and I will go to our daughters major breakthroughs, milestones and ups and downs of their lives, such as dream jobs and accomplishments, marriages, children…you get the drift.  Then, I would also love to travel again.  Ever since I had left the Air Force and had kids, my travel days to overseas or very long distances have dwindled.  There is still the dream of going to Spain, Portugal, back to Germany are just a few places in Europe I want to visit and re-visit.  I would love to go to Alaska (again) and see more than a view.  Visit Washington D.C and take my family to the Carolinas.  Go back to the Desert areas that were my home locations– Nevada, Arizona, Utah, i.e.  The whole West and Southwest!  I want to be a successful author and photographer.          Okay…you caught me…I would like that famous ’15 years’ myself in those arts! There are so many items on my list…and they change. I either cross them off or change the parameters or cancel the dream altogether.  

    There are actually a few I have crossed off on my list!  I am married and have children.  I have traveled the world, courtesy of the United States Air Force.  I have lived and traveled to or through both USA coasts, Republic of South Korea (ROK), Germany, France, Hawaii, Alaska, Tokyo, Japan, Mexico,  And Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (during the Persian Gulf War).  I have seen in my travels via the airport or from the aircraft, a red-rosy sunrise shining on the top of Mt. Fuji as a ring of clouds circle the around the tip and the aircraft circled around as well.  I have seen a beautiful clear night flying into  a lit up Tokyo skyline as we flew over the bay and I watch fisherman in boats with hanging lamps/lanterns dangling on a pole as large ‘fishing birds’ ( cranes?) dive into the black water. yes, we were flying in low.  I have seen a wintry, snowy sunset on the mountainous Alaskan landscape surrounding the airport.  

   Believe it or not, since I was a kid I always wanted to see Bob Hope in a war-time USO show and I got TO DO that!  He did an impromptu Christmas show for the troops in Riyadh. He had no idea there were that MANY troops stationed there!  He did a show with his wife, Dorothy and Aaron Tippen (who sang), Johnny Bench ( who was funny as hell!) and other folks–no half dressed women. Poor guys. Per Saudi Law they were not allowed.  There was even a joke make about me!  But this is good enough for another post!      I swam in the ocean in Hawaii.  I had a drink at sunset at a bar ON the actual beach in that same Hawaiian location and watched the sunset in all its glorious colors and a HUGE cruise ship sail by with and all lit up.  I have been to Disneyland in California, Disney World in Florida and we went to Disneyland outside Paris, France!   I have accidentally ended up in a middle of real dangerous riot in downtown Seoul, South Korea and came face to face with a handkerchief-ed masked man with a Molotov cocktail in his upright hand.  I have been to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and may have met a real spy!  Again, another story. I have been to Oktoberfest in Munich–twice!  Now…..There’s some stories……

  Well, i took all time away so I will sign off now. Please feel free to ask any questions if you wish!  Take care and get to that ever changing and ever growing List!    

 

I Remember and Then Some Memories of my childhood houses/Daily-Prompt-our-house

I Remember and Then Some Memories of my childhood houses/Daily-Prompt-our-house.

I Remember and Then Some Memories of my childhood houses/Daily-Prompt-our-house

     When I read this daily prompt, I was excited to write. Only problem is that I have early memories of the many different houses I was growing up in.  The first has only a couple of memories because it was when I was 4 years old.  My Mom and Dad were still married at the time and we were living in Tarzana, California in the San Fernando Valley.

       I remember playing with my then best friend-Rachel. She was our across the street neighbor.  I remember  a Passover my Mom hosted in our house. The long table and the many, many guests that were there.  Mom and Dad sat at the end of the table and Rachel and I were sitting in between adults a few seats away.  In my memory, everyone looked so very tall and no one was paying attention to us. I watched as they were talking and laughing loudly and passing food plates and drinking from fancy glasses. Rachel and I were thirsty. We tried to get someone to listen to us but we were told to just sit back down and be quiet.  I remember that we both sat down and right in front of us was a tall, thin green bottle that had fluid in it.  I know I probably didn’t think of the actual word ‘fluid’ but I do know that I thought it was apple juice.  So, we poured it into our glasses.  I remember Rachel and I leaning up against each other and looking around———NOW, what my mom told me to finish this story was that Dad asked Mom where the girls are and why so quiet? That is when Mom looked at our seats and both Rachel and I were slumped down, barely on the seats, leaning against each other, giggling away non-stop. THEN she noticed an empty wine bottle laying sideways on the tabletop in front of our plates!  I guess this early memory is of the 1st time I got drunk!!  🙂  

       That was the happy early memory.  In this same house the next year, I had a scare of a lifetime.  I was laying on my bedroom gold-carpeted floor with my feet up against the bureau. The next thing I know a roses nightlight made from ceramic suddenly fell on top of me. The whole house was shaking like a giant picked up our house and tried to shake everything out.  I ran through the house looking for Mom. I was scared and had a nosebleed. I remember running into my new sister’s room. Her crib was being moved -rocked- side to side of the room all by itself. Mom got me and shoved me into their bed in between her and dad.  My mom was calm but my dad was hysterical. I remember my mom saying “Shut Up Bob! You’re scaring the children!”  I think the earthquake was doing that just fine without him!  I have a memory of the hills on fire behind our house and loud crashing being heard. Other than that the memory of just the sheets I was hiding under.  This was 1971 of the famed San Fernando Valley Earthquake.  

          

Note:  This is not my house or my photo but it shows an image of what it may have been like.(found image in Google Images of the 1971 SF Valley Earthquake : https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images ).

        When mom and dad divorced, long story short, mom moved to Canyon Lake, CA with the new husband. I remember had to climb wooden stairs to get into the house as the garage was underneath. It had green carpet. Yeah 70’s!  My little sis and I would jump on our beds and in the very early a.m. we would sneak into our parents room and watch the cartoons as the TV was left on. Also, that it would take almost an hour on the school bus to get to kindergarten.  Then we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where that became my main hometown. Raised there since I was 5-6 years old till I joined the Air Force at 18.  My other hometown is the San Fransico/Menlo Park, CA where I spent holidays and summers at with my dad and other mom.  I loved summer days there in Menlo Park.  Waking up to a fairly cool morning and listening to the quiet and the doves cooing.  Sitting by the den  fireplace at night if it was cool out and watching tv or reading a book in the living room on  a beautiful Sunday afternoon!  Those are not the earliest memories but some of my favorites!! 

 

Sorry this was so long!  I have even more to say but I will save that for another post!  Have a great day!

Broken Barn in a Blizzard

Ok. I have another wintery abandoned barn to post! I post alot for winter-but trust me, I do have spring and summer shots too! I saw this shot and the ruins of the house on my way to Billings, MT for an VA (Veterans Affairs) appointment. There was a beginning of a good blizzard happening so I only took a few shots so I can get going. Going to the next big city here in Montana can literally take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 5 hours. Didn’t want to caught on an ice-slicked road in the blackness of a stormy night, that’s for sure!!

Sluice Creek, MT 2012

Abandoned Memories. This was seen on a ranching/hunting road in the Sluice Creek area. This desolate house (though the area is a-bit populated some with cattle & horse ranches) this one seemed to give an aura of….loneliness and sadness. With the snow storm heading our way, the air felt heavy. Even though, I was glad to get these shots I was also just as glad to leave.