Mini-Celebration in the Midst of Sadness

When we gathered in to Aunt Linda’s and Uncle Frank’s to mourn the passing of Aunt Theresa, there was lots of food to share and it kept pouring in from generous neighbors and friends and relatives.

Anna’s other Grandma, Marlene, sister of Aunt Theresa, Aunt Linda and Aunt Georgeann wanted to acknowledge the excitement and accomplishment of Anna(9) qualifying to swim Freestyle and Breaststroke in the Junior Olympics in Ohio next weekend. Marlene bought a cake- a 3 pound 12 ounce cake! (We read the label, didn’t we Aunt Linda?)

Because the occasion was the gathering in and remembering Theresa who had passed, I never took my camera out of the car.

It didn’t seem like a time to take photos. But of course when the cake came out and Marlene was videoing our singing Happy Junior Olympics to you, I felt compelled to take a photo and slipped out the trusty old iPhone and took one shot. This is it. Of course we are so proud of Anna. On the left standing up and smiling is her Mom, Erika. And cousin Shannon, in the red on the right was very gracious. Lots of love and affection over this past week.

Watching the Box in a Box*

Here are two views of the grandchildren watching”the box” while sitting in a box. A portion of one was in the Lost in the Details yesterday.

Thanks to a wonderful fellow blogger, S – Another Day in Paradise – who wrote this comment on yesterday’s Weekly Photo Challenge and inspired today’s post. ( she is originally from England, now South Africa and Florida)

*“Wonderful selection of photos, Ruth. I absolutely love the “Watching TV in a box.” In England, the TV is often called “The box,” so you could have titled it “Watching the box in a box.”

Continue reading “Watching the Box in a Box*” →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

Thank you for all of your thoughtful comments and emails of sympathy in response to yesterday’s tribute for Theresa.

Sharing your kind, caring words and blessings meant a lot to the whole family at this difficult time. Thank you.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Weekly Photo Challenge

The theme this week seemed the most cryptic to me to decipher. I looked at the excellent example by Christopher Martin and read about how to go deeper into the scene. What to do when you are actually photographing. How to go “beyond the obvious”.

I didn’t go out and shoot specifically for the challenge but looked at what I had in my archives and tried to look into the photograph to see a whole new photograph within the image. Showing both photographs seemed the way to go so as to compare but I have decided to try to go with the challenge as intended, instead of justifying my edits.

One thing I learned- I photograph the obvious and need to consider the photograph hidden within the one that presents itself. We’ll see how it goes in the weeks to come. Intentional lost in the details photographs instead of edited ones I have already taken. I will look for the picture within the picture as I shoot.

My theme might have ended up being “Crop in the Details” as I try to not crop my images. Once I read about not cropping in an article Henri Cartier-Bresson.

So by looking for the “lost” part of the challenge I definitely “found” some new photographs.

Viewers can judge if the choices I made for the challenge are successful or not.

Guitar Pick on Piano Bench- Peter King on Guitar — Guitar Pick on Piano Bench-
Peter King on Guitar

Murphy's Nose — Murphy’s Nose

St. Joseph Bread and Wine

Murphy’s Nose

St. Joseph Bread and Wine

Lawn Ball in Snow — Self Portrait in the Lawn Ball

Ball and Basket in Nancy's Pool — Ball and Basket in Nancy’s Pool

A Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and Friend- Remembering Theresa

Theresa Simok McDonald.

She is going to be sorely missed. Wednesday and Thursday the family gathered in at Aunt Linda’s and Uncle Frank’s house. One neighbor next door brought over nut horns and apricot and cherry cookies, and the neighbor on the other side brought a Jell-o salad. There was ham and bean soup and a tray of baked stuffed shells, haluski, a chicken, hoagies from the Triangle Bar and lots of salad and fruit. There was laughter and tears and stories and sifting through the pictures of growing up. A round of hugs and kisses and fresh tears at every greeting and farewell. The family drove in from Ohio this afternoon. Doing schoolwork at the kitchen table, the little ones watching a dinosaur movie in the family room. Aunt Linda making everyone welcome with food and drink and hospitality.

A wonderful woman Allison at the Waterfront COSTCO printed an 8×10 memorial portrait just before closing time.

Friday the family will gather together at the Memorial Service.

Family and friends will be received from 10- 11:30 a.m. on Friday at the THOMAS L. NIED FUNERAL HOME, INC., 7441 Washington St., Swissvale. A Blessing Service will be held at the funeral home on Friday morning at 11 a.m.
http://www.niedfuneralhome.com
Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb

Theresa, the sister of my daughter-in-law Erika’s mother, Marlene.

Theresa had a great sense of humor and a beautiful spirit. She adored her granddaughter. And one thing about Theresa, she spoke her mind!

Didn’t mind if you didn’t agree with her point of view. She’d present strong arguments for her stance.

Love and sympathy to all who loved her – dear daughters Shannon and Jaclyn and to her dear granddaughter Parker Rose.

And to her sweet sisters Linda, Marlene and Georgeann. Rest in Peace, Theresa.

Ready to go to the wedding. Mother of the Bride Theresa

The Four Sisters Picture L to R Georgeann, Linda, Marlene and Theresa

at Jaclyn and Mike’s wedding

I love this photograph. Don’t know who took it. Left to Right- Theresa, The Four Sisters’Mother Marion, Linda the Bride, Marlene and Georgeann

Growing Up- Mother Marion with Linda in the middle and Theresa on the left and Marlene on the right

I took this one at Erika and Mark’s home

Theresa with her daughters, Jaclyn and Shannon

With Granddaughter Parker Rose at her baptism.

Waiting for Spring

The Spring Equinox is March 20 at 7:02 AM. Just THREE weeks to go. I checked the Old Farmer’s Almanac for the official word.

In another 5 weeks, it’ll look like this in our part of the country….I have to keep it in mind.

Blossoms and green grass, bulbs shooting up through the earth. The RedBud will bloom.

Three weeks ’til Official Spring. This photo was taken two years ago the first week of April.

March is Friday. I think I have it calculated right.

Old State Road in Columbus on the way home. (I pulled over!)

Studio 35- Oldest Independent Cinema & Drafthouse, Hosts Free Oscars Event in Clintonville

On my way to Laura and James’ house, I saw this cool theatre, Studio 35, and read the marquee. Pulled over to the curb and got out the camera. Thought it sounded like a fun evening. Took the shot from the car and the day was a gray one.

This theatre looks l like the ones I knew growing up. No theatre in Pittsburgh serves beer as far as I know.

My DIL was teasing about my getting home to watch the Oscars Sunday night, live stream on a computer as I have no TV that gets any channels. It is always fun to see the best and worst dressed though. A lot of hype in the media. But this image evokes nostalgia for me. One of these visits to Columbus I am going to have to go watch a movie here.

Continue reading “Studio 35- Oldest Independent Cinema & Drafthouse, Hosts Free Oscars Event in Clintonville” →

BUCKEYES Reflection- Guest Blog

My son Mark sent this to me from his phone today. He was with Anna at an Invitational Swim Meet, Ohio State University – The Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion to be exact. The text he had written to me with the photo was:

Photo Challenge Reflection.

No matter that the Weekly Photo Challenge for Reflection was the beginning of December. I thought it was fun to receive the photo he took with the accompanying words. He saw that and thought of the Photo Challenge Reflection. And he thought of the blog. It was nice to receive and so I’m sharing it you.

Thanks Mark. Continue reading “BUCKEYES Reflection- Guest Blog” →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward

Forward on the soccer team? Forward as in pushy, aggressive?

I’m thinking FORWARD motion cause that is what I came up with as I skimmed through my photos.

The Weekly Photo Challenge seems like a real challenge to me this week. Guess I am taking the word Forward, literally. The sensation of moving up, plowing ahead, going forward. Here are the photos I chose for the theme FORWARD. (I like to think a bit of blur illustrates the forward motion! HA!)

Trying the new option, well new to me…..click to see the photos. Let me know if it works. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward” →

Inspired by Christopher Boffoli Miniature Food Work

When I saw photographer, Christopher Boffoli’s work, I thought that this was something we could do in the digital photo classroom. He has really perfected the art in this department of miniature food scenes. And we tried to recreate one of his ideas at school. The miniatures are so appealing.

Only problem is 6 mini HO scale figures run almost 14 bucks at Esther’s Hobby Shop so that makes it pricey. They’re fragile too but oh so fun.

The Oreos were on sale at Giant Eagle. But they don’t last, either. I took in beans and rice and we had some Cheerios but it just wasn’t feasible for more than 120 students to get satisfactory results.

This is one of my practice shots. The students liked the little figures. I had some larger plastic dogs that they photographed, too.

Thanks Mr. Boffoli for the cool inspiration. It isn’t that easy to do it as successfully as you’ve done.

I’d photographed a model railroad mother hanging out the wash before but not the whole scene with props.

Be sure to check out his picture show at this link cause his creativity and imagination is endless.

Michael, 7, Master LEGO® Builder

Sunday afternoon, Michael, 7, asked me if I would photograph his LEGO® vehicle and put it on the blog.

Now how can any grandma resist that invitation? Michael loves to create, construct and play with LEGO®. We just don’t like stepping on them.

(I pronounced him the “master” LEGO® builder although there might be an official designation with a credential he’d have to earn from LEGO® U)

The close-up of the vehicle. In the background? When I looked at the photo on the computer screen I noticed my father’s rocking chair in my son Mark’s office.

Here is the first photo, when Michael called down to me and asked me if I would photograph his STAR WARS LEGO® vehicle and put it on the blog.

I said, sure.

Then he came down the stairs and put on the finishing touches so I could shoot it. It tickles me how the grandchildren know all about the blog.

Friday night, four year old Maura told me I could bring my computer to her room and blog before bed. (That’s Maura on the bottom right with a hockey stick, climbing up the stairs.)