Seeing is Believing

What do you classify as unique?

Unique Art Car Barn in Houston, Texas

Photo by Carol Highsmith

See link for Art Car Museum in Houston, Texas here.

"Absurdity and anti-absurdity are the two poles of creative energy." - Karl Lagerfeld

 

Another unique capture for Highsmith is this

Small theme park in southern Virginia.


Now for a few of my captures-

I took this photo within a cemetery in Minneapolis.

 

Unique for me, is discovering the out of ordinary in an unexpected place, where one is drawn to pulling out their camera to capture the memory of it.

 

 

 

 

What a whale of an idea to plant this blue babe smack in the middle of a pond behind an old antique store, just miles from my house.

 

 

 

I bet you'd be hard pressed to guess exactly what I captured here?

 

 

Vehicular Moments

Automobiles, transportation in general are a constant in most of our lives, in various ways.  We are, powerless without our wheels.

THEMATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC

Interestingly enough, after searching for a vehicular photo for Carmi's Thematic Photographic theme, I realized each one had a story behind it!

Vehicular, powerful indeed.

How could I pass up the chance to shoot this?

This trucker had the Wells Fargo Stagecoach painted on his truck.

My favorite hunter!  Second year out.

Some stories better left untold!

Just last week from the streets of New Orleans!

Around the streets for the set of  N.C.I.S. New Orleans! (taken by my daughter)

Sometimes, our vehicles are banished for more important goings on!

Grab your camera!

So many vehicles are forever catching our attention!

And

Hey, I may look old, but I can still roll down the highway! Said the car to the little boy.

Last, but not least by any means at all!

Live from Wayzata, Minnesota.

My friend slowly but surely in a delicious, drinking fashion put this charming Isetta make-over together one wine bottle after another!  Yes, those are wine corks!

If you have time checkout this interesting Isetta video I found.

The Mag - Just Drive. That is All.

THE MAG

So, come what may, upon that divided way. 

Never give up the wheel.

MY LIFE AS A SUPER-HIGHWAY

We have all met that one highway-urchin

On road or not.

Ripping through the veins of our day-

without so much as a 

road map.

Hairpin at the ready.

There are those willing 

to force your way.

Like bumper creepers

egging you on.

Ditch them now.

Press your pedal to the limit.

High gear your way.

Conquer your lane-

be steady

remain fearless.

Their urgency shall abate.

It's merely a test-

any how.

Driven is the way 

shifting road and life

of ups and downs.

U-turns and s-curves

 exits or no exit, twists and turns.

Lights upon our curves

are never ending-

until they are.

I know

My Life as a Super-Highway

charges my adrenaline

like nothing ever before.

Navigate your course 

as only you can.

Steer through that cloud of dust

and exhausting fumes-

and call it a wrap.

You've got this.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - On the lookout for

It's been too long a time since I've joined the hunt with Ashley and crew, so here's my scavenger hunt offering for this Sunday!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

IN A ROW

SALTY  -Enjoy every kiss!

Check out her nose!

SWEET

SITTING  Hide your cookies!  Elves tend to grow bigger with every cookie you know.

JUST BECAUSE

You may seek it with thimbles-

and seek it with care;

You may hunt it in forks and hope;

You may threaten its life with a railway-share

You may charm it with smiles and hope-

Lewis Carroll

Just always remember, searching is half the fun.

Six Word Saturday - A Sneaky Selfie!

Sneaky is as the camera captures!

SIX WORD SATURDAY

Can you tell I snapped myself?

20 Unexplained Photos that shouldn't exist.

Check out these mysterious and impossible photos here.

Four Real Cases of Time Travel

(Highly suspect but hilarious just the same.)

Have you taken or do you know of unexplainable photos, time travel related or other eerie or unusual capture?

A few of my own oddities!

Hmmmmmmm?

I shot this photo from our staircase leading into the leaving room.  Weird right?

On a visit to the Minnesota Zoo, shooting safely from behind glass, with four little munchkins in tow, and the chance to snap photos was at a minimum this is truly what occurred.

Oddly enough while shooting this adorable big guy- (and clearly the only bear in sight at the moment, really)

and also being pulled by my shirt tail....come on let's go..... I grudgingly moved on .....

To later arrive home to view my zoo photos, and discover this Photo Bomb ? (in truth not a ghost or anything out of the normal) right?!

Sepia Saturday - Sea Walking

Welcome to another Sepia Saturday

"There is one knows not what sweet
 mystery about this sea, whose gently
 awful stirrings seem to speak of some
 hidden soul beneath." 

-  Herman Melville

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." Oscar Wilde

Logically speaking-

What were they doing?

Often the truth behind folks walking through water is better left unanswered.

"Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life.  Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity." - R. I. Fitzhenry

Just back from the river in time for their next show-

It does appear these two are up to something, doesn't it?

I believe without a doubt, it's better that we're kept in the dark, for now.

and until then-

Please return next week for

Why They Crossed the River Mystery

Or, was that really a rock hurtling through the air (like Marilyn suggested) toward our couple in the theme photo, or possibly a drone or spaceship?

to be continued next week -

Picking up again from the neighborhood shown below.

Good Fences - Verging Seasons Amongst Good Fences

GOOD FENCES

We've been fortunate in my neck of the woods,
 and the weather has been better than ideal.
That has changed, presently it's 18 degrees here.

Brrrrrrrr!

But just last week-

"Now is the time of the illuminated woods, 

every leaf glows like a tiny lamp; 

one walks through their lighted halls 

with a curious enjoyment."

- John Burroughs

Autumn has offered some of the loveliest days of the year-
many of us have been living 24/7 outdoors, well nearly all of us.

You can lay out the patio, alter their levels, for better views and place light posts for evening chats, if you please.  But you'll never be able to control the weather, and in a word, patio gardens across town are open to vast seating once again.  

Yes, that four letter word has taken control and modified most of the neighborhoods around here.

Welcome for now, another winter-wonderland moment, where even Lake Marion appears to be snowy.  It's still open water so far.
That will change.

"The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.  The great opportunity is where you are."
- John Burroughs

Attitude is everything.


So, in honor of winter being the featured season presently, I decided it was time to select my special Elf for this year.

ELVES On a Rope
Live from the 2014 ELVES Convention.

Who will be the winner?

(No elves were hurt for this production!)

Will the real Elf please jump down?

Could it be one of you this year?

By the way, that's genuine snow, on the lad in green.  It seems Alexander, (on the right) thought it was quite necessary to play in the snow.

I spy an intruder do you?

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" 
-Dr, Seuss


I'm thinking this will be our 2014 Elf of the year.
What do you think?

His pointed Elfish ears are just so adorable, and he sings.

Elf wisdom of the day-

Did you know, Elves apparently do not sleep but rather rest their minds with beautiful thoughts in reverie or looking at fair things?

Food From the Earth

If it comes from the earth, then Carmi wants to see it.

THEMATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC

Our earth offers 
a bounty of healthy
goods
but beauty
always
arrives
in dramatic 
human design
of all earthly
goods.

Much like these flowing dramatic, yet simply bold, gathering of subtly,

earthy thick or thin delicate delights.

All made of mouth watering delicious foods from the earth.

What earthy foods from the earth do you to show off?

The Mag - She's All that and More

TODAY'S AMERICAN GIRL

"A real girl isn't perfect and a perfect girl isn't real."

-Harry Styles

But she has fun!

The Mag

"It is easy to see that, even in the freedom of early youth

an American Girl never quite loses control of herself,

she enjoys all permitted pleasures without losing her head about any of them,

and her reason never lets the reins go, though it may be off."

 - Alexis de Tocqueville

If I Were to Call it Like I See Today

for Many American Girls

(especially since I am one)

This Would Be It!

Without a doubt

an American Girl

Votes.

Causes carry more clout

than the party

for the American Girl.

The American Girl's view on religion- 

Is Freedom of choice- 

often following old roots 

worn well, through the ages.

"I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

and kindness for all.

The American Girl was born in the age of Tree People.

So yes, of course she plants trees- 

at home or in honor of others. 

Laughter is America's most important export."

 - Walt Disney

The American Girl believes

 in carrying out yesterday's traditions, 

modernly and wholeheartedly.

The American Girl believes.

"Oh no! Runaway paper turkey.  "You can't catch me!" - Gobble..gobble...gobble.

(She does cook the real deal for Thanksgiving Day dinner!) Ha! Ha!

The American Girl doesn't just play house anymore
she lives that old roll
promising life with her won't ever be a bore.

Today's American Girl
doesn't just bend the rules
she rewrites her own rules.
She sets trends.

Not to forget the American Girl
hears nature's music
dances in the rain
never loses her way 
never hides
but runs
through a forest wilderness
singing mostly-
and snapping photos
everywhere she goes.

Lastly for this American Girl- from snow-country

-just as soon as the first fresh new snow falls, she-

-shapes for herself a winter-buddy of course!

Now that's a good start

 to even begin to describe 

all that an American Girl is. 

Just never ever forget, 

we are proud to be an American Girl, 

every single day.