Light Writing in the Backyard

Four grandchildren in the backyard

+Four White Lightning Sticks with strobe effect (@$5)

+Fading light

+Grandma’s camera on bulb setting, propped on the garden fence.

+Energy and Enthusiasm for the experiment

= ________________________ FUN!

We started out slowly, sitting down on the lawn.

I suggested a little more movement. I’d say they complied on both of these shots.

Michael, Maura, Anna and Jack with their White Lightning Sticks in the Backyard

The final one, directed by Anna, Circles all around. She staggered her siblings so no one hit one another. It started to get buggy. We’ll try again another night.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia

At least a year ago, my friend Connie W. from Florida, sent a newspaper article from an Ocala paper about the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb Croatia. Connie must have read it and thought of Matthew, my son who lives there. I asked him one time about it and then another time and we didn’t talk about it or mention it for along while. Then I said I hope he could take Flat Ruthie there as I thought it would be an interesting place to visit. Then Flat Ruthie went missing. And besides Flat Ruthie hasn’t really had any relationships to break up that I’m aware of………….

Today in my email I received photographs of his visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Here is what Matthew wrote:

My Blog-following friends- Sasha, Ana Maria and Tanja asked if I had taken Flat Ruthie to the Museum of Broken Relationships. I hadn’t. So we decided to go together and take some pics for the Blog. Flat Ruthie was too busy exploring the remote reaches of my desk drawers, so she opted not to join us this time. I bought a Bad Memories Eraser for Mom at the gift shop, but a few hours later ran into a friend who needed it more. Her boyfriend has gone to NYC to play the drums.

I wonder what she’ll donate to the museum: a pair of scuffed sticks or an abandoned ride cymbal? Hopefully, she’ll update us when she decides – Matthew

It isn’t just the objects. It is the stories behind the objects.

Biker Boots

Tanja, Sasha, Ana at the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb

At the gift shop

I am so happy you all encouraged MAtthew to go to the museum!!!

I am not sure to whom the credit should go to for the photo of Matthew at the entrance. Let me know and I can edit the post.

Photo credit to Sasha, Tanja or Ana Maria- Thank you

The Art of Raising a Puppy

My son Mark, my grandson Jack and Henry the 3 month old Airedale Terrier, not paying any attention to me.

Reviews of the book The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete click here. Mark and Erika did a beautiful job training Murphy.

Ooops Jack jumped off and Henry noticed me.

What We Found When We Went to Brush Our Teeth

Photographed by Anna (9+) with the iPhone. When I am staying with the family ( since I am out of school for the summer), I get help documenting-

“for the blog”.

You might remember Anna found the pick up truck full of mannequin legs last winter and captured the scene with her mom’s iPhone.

Sink full of airplane — Jack’s (6) plane- landed in a sink full of water earlier in the day.

I like that she changed up her angle on the second shot and found the unfortunate figure beneath the plane at the bottom of the sink

Whose Chair?

Found in McMurray PA on my way home from a First Bday party last Saturday evening. I’d pulled off the main road cause I was traveling the wrong direction. Before I went to pull out I was able get the camera off my seat as I sat at a stop sign and catch this chair. Canon 70-200 lens on 5D. I shot at ISO 100 and I wish I had changed it to 4oo.

My Conversation With God – Guest Blog

My conversation with God 7/13/13

I don’t want to talk about the Treyvon Benjamin Martin story

Because it’s been told before because I know how it ends

black boy dead boy no boy wins.

And you,

you were supposed to be watching

keeping him from harm.

His mother prayed and prayed and

you said you would she believed

you could

he was the one in the hood

and you just didn’t.

Maybe you looked away for a second

got distracted,

heard thousands calling your name

so much you couldn’t hear him

couldn’t decipher it from the voices

the noises,

maybe you confused it with a cheer

when the field goal was good,

or a hymn that was really loud

maybe you didn’t like what he had to say

all young and un-educated like.

but really,

how long would it have taken,

how long did it take

for you to call

for him to leave,

join you,

be rewarded

such a short time

in your care.

Was it just too dark that night? Was he just too dark that night?

They say he looked like all the others, “all the other punks that get away”.

— a poem by Cj Coleman

Cj teaches in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, is a Western Pennsylvania Writing Project Fellow (U of Pittsburgh) and a member of Madwomen in the Attic (Carlow University)

Cj emailed me this poem and I found this photograph in my archives to accompany her words.

Hoodie Day March 30, 2012 Pittsburgh Public Schools

Black and White Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

When I saw the theme for this week on Sonel Corner’s blog, I knew I had to post a response. If you click on the link to her blog you’ll see a wide variety of families from a musical instrument family to a family of Plovers and also a family of Vervet Monkeys.

I took this photo of my family over the 4th of July weekend when we were with Erika’s parents at Smith Mountain Lake Virginia.

Then converted it into black and white for the challenge. Certain shots seem to look better in Black and White. This one has minimal white.

ISO 100 f 7.1 1/400 with Canon 70-200 L series lens on a Canon 5D MarkII

Diving Board Silhouettes, a Lifeguard, and Clear the Pool for Lightning

Swim and Dive Team Pool Party Celebration Tuesday July 16th A hot, humid day so the water felt refreshing.

Lifeguard on Duty

The whistles blew and everyone got out of the pool due to lightning. Time to go home.

Dear Followers, Readers, Friends and Family,

Thanks for all the lovely comments and emails. I appreciate the good words and your cheering me on.

It was fun to share celebrating the four year mark of the blog.

I think my headline/title confused some people as I meant I was just starting the fifth year of blogging as the four year anniversary occurred.

xxooxx

Ruth

Jumping into Year Five of Blogging

Dear Blog Readers,

Just after midnight, WordPress notified me of the blog’s anniversary. Four years.

So today’s post is the beginning of year five!

The blogging effort got off to a slow start, I didn’t exactly know what to post and wondered if anyone would look at the posts, let alone follow the blog.

There were spaces between days of blogging.

I’d taken a Purposeful Blogging class with photographer John Craig at the Silver Eye Center for Photography and at the end of the class, I wasn’t sure what my purpose was but I plunged in anyway. A photo. A thought. Something My first post was just a photograph of my grandson Michael in “time out” and the family dog Murphy the Airedale, waiting for him to get out of the corner. You can see the very first post by clicking here. Michael’s going to be 8 next month. And Murphy passed this Spring.

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement, your taking time to look at my photographs and leave some good words now and again, for clicking the “like” button and for understanding my not being the best replier. Being part of the WordPress Blogging Community has added much to my life.

Grateful for family, friends, fellow bloggers, guest bloggers, readers and followers. xxooxx Ruth