Willy-Nilly Friday Five: 52 Weeks of Blue…

Week 1 – I have been kind of directionless with my photography since I finished my 365 Project on Flickr.  So late last year, I decided I would take up another project but not one quite so intense.  I decided that a 52 Week Project would be a more reasonable idea.  That means that I would pick a theme and take a photo using that theme at least once a week.  I thought about it for a while and came up with a few ideas:  black & white, square format, up-close, food, texture, coffee, numbers & letters and so on.  But what I decided on was simply the color blue.  Blue is my favorite color but when I took a look at my Flickr photostream, I realized that I had almost no blue in it.  That made me think that coming up with 52 Weeks of Blue would be a challenge.  I was right about that.

This is the one I decided on for Week 1:

But I rejected these:

Week 2 – I decided not to put too many parameters on the project other than that blue has to be a main color of the subject of the photo.  In other words, I can’t consider using a picture of a red house with the blue sky as the background as my Blue Shot.  But if the house were blue and the sky red, that would work.

This was the only one I liked for Week 2:

Week 3 – Something I also thought about was that there are many shades of blue.  Most likely, some things I consider to be blue, someone else may think of as green or purple or even grey.  A Google search revealed that there are actually sixty-five shades of blue with names, but I’m not going to try to capture a different blue every week.  I’m not that anal.  I decided that if it looks blue to me that will be good enough for me.  I’m going with my own interpretation of blue.

Here's the one for Week 3:

But I rejected this one.  Do you think the trim on this house is blue?

Week 4 – I got off to a pretty good start because we were traveling and there were blue buildings and signs there for the taking.  But once we returned home, it definitely got harder.  We’ve had some blue skies, but the snow has covered a lot of the blue stuff around here.  But not to be discouraged, I got some of my blue things from around the house and took pictures of them.   I have a lot of blue things.  I even have a cobalt blue bottle that I can’t bear to recycle because of the way the sun hits it in the morning.  But I sure don’t want to use all of my blue things up at the beginning of the project.

Here's Week 4:

But I considered this:

Week 5 – So now I am almost a tenth done with the 52 Weeks of Blue.  With my last 52 week project (52 Weeks of Purple Monkey) I was one week short.  I just couldn’t figure out that 52^nd thing to do with my Purple Monkey.  Surely there are enough blue things lying around so that I will be a success this time.  We’ll see.

This is it for Week 5 and yes, that bigger blue bottle is a gem in my book, but I might just keep the smaller one, too.  That blue is heavenly to me.

Linking up to Tanya's Willy-Nilly Friday Five!

In a white out...

We have had us some snow this year.  At this point, we have about three feet on the ground and more on the way this weekend.  To add insult to injury, it has been downright frigid out.  We humans complain about it all the time.  Facebook is covered with snow images and statements of disbelief.  Well, it is winter after all.  I found a couple of creatures who seem to be taking it all in stride.  Heck, for the dark-eyed junco, this is a walk in the park.

The powers that be managed to clear enough snow out of the way to allow the Patriots' Super Bowl celebratory parade to occur yesterday in Boston.  Seems like it is more important to do that than to make sure the schools are open for the kids.  Oh, well...  But a good time was had by all and I'm just happy football season is over.  That means spring is sure to come again and with it the crack of the bat.  Go Red Sox!

This next photo isn't a very good one, but it will give you some idea of what we're dealing with around here AND it gives me the opportunity to link up to The Run*A*Round Ranch's Good Fences.

Aren't you glad you don't have that job in this snowy weather?!

  But while we were in Florida last month, we ran across another Liberty.  It was a first for me.  I've never seen the Statue of Liberty with a mustache.  On the other hand, this Liberty doesn't have to find his way through the snow banks.

Linking up to Theresa's Good Fences!

Good Fences in St. Louis Cemetery #3…

On our recent stop in New Orleans, we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked and the weather was not the best, so Greg found us a tour company that would take us around town and would let us take the dog along with us.  We ended up with a very informative and comprehensive tour.  I would recommend New Orleans Native Tours (NewOrleansNativeTours.com) if you find yourself there.  Of course, the dog was allowed because it wasn't a full tour, but we really appreciated that.

As you can imagine, Olive thought she was hot stuff getting to go on a tour that is normally reserved for people.  She behaved so well, that we were proud of her.

One of our stops along the way was to St. Louis Cemetery #3.  Before we arrived in New Orleans, I was determined that we were going to visit one of the famous above-ground New Orleans cemeteries, so I was a happy camper.  Of course, I could have spent a lot more time wandering around that beautiful place, but beggars can’t be choosers and I was just glad to get an opportunity even a short one.

Here are a few fences I came across in the cemetery:

Linking up with Theresa's GOOD FENCES!

Oranges and Apples...

I’m sitting here very grateful that we have power.  We are currently about half-way through the  nor’easter that was predicted for coastal eastern United States and, boy, do we have us some snow.  But, here in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, the winds that were predicted haven’t arrived yet, so the power remains on.  It’s very cold out, making the snow light and fluffy, not that I’ve tested it yet.  But, I will tell you from much past experience, the light and fluffy beats the heavy, wet stuff any day of the week.

One of my Facebook friends asked if this weather has made me miss Florida yet.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like visiting Florida, particularly the area where we just were in the northern panhandle, but I’m not, nor will I ever be, someone who would be comfortable living in Florida.

  This is no criticism of the Sunshine State, it’s more a statement of what I like and who I am.  And while this crazy, winter weather can certainly make one miserable for a time, it will pass a lot quicker than the hot, summer days in Florida pass.  They have a misery all their own, in my book.  And I would miss  seeing a winter snowfall now and then.  Of course, I'm not talking blizzard here, but the nice, quiet, normal snow that comes with a nice, normal New England winter.

But it’s oranges and apples.  I am a northern, cool weather loving person and that’s just the way it is.  Different strokes for different folks, right?!

But I took a few pictures while we were in Apalachicola at the beginning of the year.  Don’t say you’re surprised.  And I will post a few here today to contrast with what’s going on outside my window.  Okay, it does look a tad bit inviting, I must admit, but there’s no going back except digitally at this point.

Greg does love his oysters from Up the Creek.

Olive doesn't like oysters, but it doesn't keep her from begging.  She is a dog after all.

The weather wasn’t all that great while we were in Florida.  Okay, it was better there than here temperature-wise, but aside from a couple of sunny days in Apalachicola, it was drab, overcast and cool.  Still, you can’t beat a view like this no matter what the weather.

Here are the oranges:

This was taken off the balcony of the condo we rented on Inlet Beach.  The light, fluffy stuff here is sand.

And here are the apples:

This is not sand.

Hey, the juncos seem to be okay with it.

Stay safe, friends, no matter what the weather has in store for you!

The Things You See Along The Way...

We took off for our trip south this year on a bright, crisp New Year’s Day and we learned something from that.  Traveling on New Year’s Day is a great idea.  While most people were home nursing hangovers, watching the Rose Bowl Parade or breaking their New Year resolutions, we were putting miles under our wheels.  It’s lovely traveling when there’s practically no traffic.

I think people who believe that Americans have lost their work ethic would be encouraged by this photo.   This was taken on New Year’s Day in Pennsylvania.  These people weren’t home nursing hangovers or watching the Rose Bowl Parade.  No, they were definitely working.

Sometimes you get a little hungry on the road, so it’s nice to have an invitation to lunch.

One day while we were in Apalachicola, Florida, we saw a bunch of men coming out of a building with white boots on.  There was a pretty steady stream of them.  My first thought was that it was a troop of men on their break from a “women’s club.”   You know, a “women’s club” like a (wink, wink) “gentlemen’s club” and that they were (wink, wink) go-go dancers.  But on second thought, those boots might have something to do with the oyster industry down there.  I never did find out.

Here’s a little something I’m sure most of us don’t want to see.  This was taken at the ferry stop in Fort Morgan, Florida.  We didn’t take the ferry, but it wasn’t because of the snakes.  We've seen these signs in the South, both in Texas and Florida.  I've never seen one up this way.  I guess we don't have to be cautious around our snakes in Massachusetts.

I wanted to stop at this place, but unfortunately the timing wasn’t right.  For one thing, I am a Lambert and could be related to these people.  For another thing, I had to wonder about the “throwed roll” thing.  My mother is only a Lambert by marriage and, even in her prime, she wasn’t much of a cook, but she could bake and I bet she could have throwed a roll in her day.

And, by the way, that’s MR.! Bingo to you…

The Life and Times of Olive the Pug: Dog on Vacation

Our time here in Florida has been nice for a dog. Olive has been very comfortable temperature-wise. The highs have been in the 60s Fahrenheit...perfect for a pug. But now and then, the temps have dropped and it's nice when a dog has a patch of sun big enough for her bed.

Olive decided to pose for a side view so you can see her new collar, which we purchased at Oysterbones in Apalachicola. Oysterbones is a very dog-friendly store in a very dog-friendly town.  Olive picked that particular collar because “Dog is my co-pirate” is her motto.

But when a dog spends too much time in the sun, she tends to get a little sleepy and eventually has to lie down.

But just the very mention of “cheese” tends to perk a dog up...

...at least for a few seconds.

Good Cemetery Fences...

We are very fortunate to be out of the deep freeze right now.  My understanding is that in our area of Massachusetts, the temps are topping off around 7 degrees.  We are cozy in northern Florida in our favorite town of Apalachicola where it's supposed to be in the 40s today.

One of my favorite places in Apalachicola is the Chestnut Street Cemetery of Early Apalachicola that dates prior to 1831.  It's a great old southern cemetery with big, majestic trees draped with Spanish moss, tilted gravestones and old rusty fences.  I am concentrating on the fences here today.  If you ever find yourself in these parts, I would recommend a nice walk through this lovely, peaceful, and historic place.

Linking up with Theresa's Good Fences!