WINDOW SHOPPING

SOCKS OF MANY COLORS

SHADOW PLAY

I loved the shadow play in this and the illusion of a table for two. After all tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Okay... today. Yep, I am late again with my post. That said, I like the geometry of this image.

METROPOLITAN STUDY

I watched this young artist study the torso he was about to sketch. He examined the sculpture piece for a long time without ever drawing a line in his sketchbook. As I watched I thought about my blog and how it is my empty canvas. Over the past nine months I have missed the discipline of blogging. Curiously, I only realized this very recently. It is a place that is all mine and a home for photos that would never see the light of day anywhere else...especially not in a daily newspaper. It makes me a better photographer. So a promise to myself, a New Year's resolution if you will... to begin blogging on a regular basis again in 2010.

COLORS

The clean simple lines and strong color made this photo a natural for me.

BIKE LIGHT

Lately I am having trouble recognizing my life. It feels as though my life has taken a vacation and left me at home. This afternoon as I raced to make it to one of my Mom's doctor appointments I saw this bicycle parked in a bike rack. The sun was hitting it just so and the brilliant red fender was calling me. The bicycle wasn't locked up and the temptation to throw caution to the wind and take it for a quick spin was great. As cold as it was it would have been liberating to forget all the responsibilities and just ride into the wind. My responsible self prevailed, but even now almost ten hours later I'm thinking about that bicycle!

FRESH SNOW

Today as America ushered in a new administration that engenders hope and promises change, this scene resonated with me. Fresh fallen snow with a fence that seems to be endless made me think about limitless possibilities.

A WINTER BBQ

I love to barbecue in the summer. As the day gets shorter and the temperature drops, cooking becomes an inside activity. Not so for a good friend of mine who has been known to grill outside in single digit weather while standing on snow and ice. Perhaps it is my imagination, but the steaks seemed to taste even better on a winter grill. Maybe it was the side dish of warm summer memories that came with the steak.

NEW YEAR REFLECTIONS

Late in the afternoon of the first day of a new year I decided to try to create order where there is none--in my closet. This is a task akin to opening Pandora's box. As I rooted through some clothes, sorting through sizes and styles, I noticed the reflection of the window and blinds on the outside of the closet doors. I watched the reflection change from clean simple lines to stronger more confusing lines. Not at all unlike what was going on in my closet and my mind as I reflected on the year that has past and the one that has just begun.

THE GUGGENHEIM

I seem to be in a museum mode and after my trip to The Metropolitan Museum yesterday, I found myself at The Guggenheim today. I don't get to this museum very often. Whenever I do I marvel at Frank Lloyd Wright's spiraling design which always reminds me of the inside of a chambered nautilus seashell. The museum is really conducive to just ambling along and being surprised by one exhibit after another. Today was no exception. I just have to keep myself from continually looking up at the architecture.

SWEATER WEATHER

Whenever I see skeins of wool I think of my Mom. She was an avid knitter, making sweaters, scarves, socks and caps--countless caps. For more than thirty years she knitted watch caps for The Seaman's Church Institute. Those caps were distributed to sailors in their holiday packages. Mom's hands were always busy. She had the uncanny ability to knit and watch tv, a trailblazing multitasker, before multitasking was fashionable. Today I wore one of my winter jackets and when I put my hand in the pocket I found one of the watch caps that she made me! Mom doesn't knit much any more, if only I had paid attention and learned to knit!

THE RED DOOR

Every door of the college I graduated from was painted red. The door of my own home is red. So, of course, as soon as I saw this red door on the shed of a country house I had to photograph it. I liked the shadows and sense of texture, as well as the wear on the door knob. The age of the door gives it character and makes it more interesting. I like talking with older people. I like to hear their stories and I have learned a lot from them. I can only imagine the history of this door and the stories it could tell.

SPOOKY TABLE

While waiting in a restaurant I saw these shadows cast by light passing through blinds on the table. I liked the interplay between the shadows and the Halloween centerpiece. It has a monochromatic feel to it and I thought I might like it more in black and white. When I looked at it in "grayscale" I felt that the nuances of color actually gave the image more depth and interest. It was an interesting experiment and the result surprised me. So I guess for me it was a kind of visual treat.

CLIMBING

I was cooling my heels on a park bench waiting to for the right moment to take a photo when I noticed this staircase. I liked the strong lines but was really concentrating on getting another image. Then this person started coming down the stairs and it looked more interesting to me. So often when I am intent on taking one picture, I see another.

ROOF LINES

Besides the striking way the green paint separates from the brilliant blue sky, I really liked the angle and lines of the roof. I wasn't sure this photo would work when I shot it, but I like the composition and use of space within the frame. It is a simple picture, but the more I look at it the more I see and the more I like it.

PATTERNS

I liked the way these silk ties were displayed. I thought the arrangement made an interesting composition, particularly the juxtaposition of their colors and patterns.

SUGAR

I was taking pictures of a vintage sugar bowl today and just really liked the detail and design of the lid. The bands of color lends a sense of depth and movement and then I cropped it to make the circle fit into a square. Maybe I learned a little more than I realized in that high school geometry class.

THROUGH A LOOKING GLASS

I replaced the front door on my home a few years ago. I never liked the original front door and replaced it with an American Arts & Crafts style door. I love the leaded glass panels in the top of the door, the symmetry of their strong graphic style. Today I took a real close look at a portion of one of the three identical panels and loved the dimension and detail in the glass. Maybe what I really love is that this is the last door I have to walk through before I am home.

TO THE BEACH

One of the blessings of a summer birthday is being able to spend it at the beach. My cousin has said that as far as the weather goes, my birthday is always one of the ten best days of the summer. Today was no different. The only difference is that my knee was not up to a day at the beach. So, I decided the boardwalk was safe and about as close as I could get to the beach. I did some walking, good therapy and there were plenty of benches along the way. I did admire the umbrellas that dotted the white sand and made a wish for next year.

VINTAGE

Last week I came across this old Crosley radio that dates to 1951. I love its form and when I plugged it in it worked! The only thing missing is the pointer on the dial. In the world of ebay this 57 year old radio would be called vintage. I usually think about vintages when I buy wine. I will be 53 in a couple of days... I guess that makes me vintage too. Here's to all things that hail from the 1950s, they may have a few broken parts but they still work.