Drost Park Triptych

I'm not a huge fan of triptychs, but I don't really hate them.  I'm sure I've done at least 1 or 2 through the years...  but I can't remember any specifics.

Meanwhile, over at 365project, there's a challenge going on to do a triptych in the style of David Hilliard.  Now, my first challenge was to look into David Hilliard.  And he has some VERY cool stuff.  So, I've been thinking for a couple of weeks about trying a David Hilliard style triptych.   But only thinking.

I realized yesterday that I was about out of time, so I tried a couple of things during my lunch time walk.  But then I didn't get any processing done last night.  And then realized this morning that today (6/30) is the deadline.  So I reviewed yesterday's images, pict a series, processed them on the phone (Snapseed).  And then created the triptych in Powerpoint, and saved a screen capture.  All a bit low tech, but didn't turn out too bad.

Looking at the entries, there are several really great ones!

I do like the technique, will have to try some more attempts.

Shopping Cart Theory

From the internet: The viral "Shopping Cart Theory" proposes that an individual's moral character can be determined by whether they choose to return a shopping cart to its designated spot after use or whether they simply leave it wherever it suits them....  

To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it."

It's also a pet peeve of mine.  I saw this cart on the way into the shopping this afternoon left in the middle of a parking space.  It was 20 steps (yes, I counted) from a cart return.  That's 40 steps, round trip...maybe 30 seconds, tops.

I guess it qualifies as a "first world problem", though.

Cut Off

Tree cut off flush with the ground.  Well, almost flush.  I presume they'll come grind the stump up later....

Sometimes you look down, sometimes you look up...  Just keep your eyes moving!

ACC-116: Pica - What Is The Matter With You?

As you (ought to) know, one of my favorite challenges over at 365project is the Album Cover Challenege, where you take a randomly generated Band/Artist name, and a randomly generated album name, and make a mock album cover.  One of my favorites, and one I've entered pretty regularly.

Anyway, the 116th edition of the challenge is in voting right now.  I managed a finalist, and so far, I'm leading in votes.  If it holds, it will be my first ACC win of 2020.  I didn't win ACC in 2019, so I'll be pleased if I break the drought.  Over the past 18 months, there have been 18 editions of ACC, and I've entered 15 (83%).  And of those 15 entries, I have 11 finalists (76%).  But no winners.

So wish me luck! 

Here's my entry:

Artist: Pica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aechmea_%27Pica%27

Album: What Is The Matter With You
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26803.html

Album cover challenge explained:
https://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/43582/album-cover-challenge-116

My prior posts here about ACC
https://lsqrd.blogspot.com/search/label/Albumcoverchallenge

Happy Birthday Allen Lanier... posthumous...

Allen Lanier was an original member of the band Blue Oyster Cult, playing guitar and keyboards.  He played on all but one of the band's records (missing 1985's CLub Ninja).

Allen Lanier's songwriting / co-writing credits with BOC include:

• Before The Kiss A Redcap
• She's As Beautiful As A Foot
• Workshop Of The Telecopes
• Redeemed
• True Confessions
• Tenderloin
• Searchin' For Celine
• In Thee
• Lonely Teardrops
• The Marshall Plan
• Don't Turn Your Back

He passed away in 2013 at the age of 67.

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking....

So...  I've just had a birthday.  A milestone birthday.   Seems like yesterday I was turning 40, now I'm 1/2 again older.  According to Social Security Administration, my life expectancy is another 21.58 years.  WHO says 23.32.years.  Either way, it doesn't seem like that long.  Guess I need to start a bucket list, and start checking things off!

So here's  a song:

Old Man

Blue Jay #5215

I liked how it was showing me s colors... After several days of being skittish he/she let me get pretty close to the window,,,

Aside:  I did some research, and it seems that male and female Blue Jays are hard to distinguish.  Their coloration and such is the same, but males tend to be larger.  This Jay seems to be solitary, so I have no clue about relative size.  Though it is bigger than the Cardinals.

Nora

Looks like Nora lost her "binky".

I saw this during a recent lunchtime walk. I'm guessing somebody found it and wanted to leave it where it would be easily seen / recovered.

Just a little Slice-Of-Life...

Macro Challenge

Over at 365project, they run lots of photo challenges, and I participate often.

One of the topics I've been stressing this year is Macro.  I've tended to struggle with macro through the years, and figured the challenge would... well...  challenge me to improve.

The current theme is POSTAGE STAMPS.  Not my favorite topic, seems a lttle like taking a picture of artwork, but I tried to add some creativity.  I found some old (late 60's) postcards, here's what I came up with:

From a 4 cent Lincoln stamp, on a postcard sent to me by my grandfather in 1966.  I could go on and on about the deep symbolism presented here:  Lincoln representing the Federal government being above above the "STATES", the torn bottom (southern) edge, blah blah blah.

- - -

Postmark from a post card sent to me in 1968, when my parents traveled to Europe.

Not really a postage stamp, but a postal stamp...

- - -

Anyway, the challenge ends tomorrow (6/19) it will be interesting to see if I get a finalist.

UPDATE 06/23/2020:  The postmark image did receive finalist, and missed (by 1 vote) being in a  runoff for winner.  So that's cool.

Happy Birthday Paul McCartney!

Paul McCartney turns 78 today (6/18/2020)!   

McCartney started his career with the Beatles, probably the most important pop/rock band of the last century.  With 23 (US) chart topping singles in less than a decade, and 3/5 of Rolling Stone Magazine's top 5 albums of all time, they were pretty well known.

Subsequently, he's made the Top 40 38 times as a solo artist, including 8 times to #1.
And 24 more Top 40 hits leading the band Wings.  "Only" 7 chart toppers, though.

Most importantly, he's a bass player!

Happy Birthday Paul McCartney!

Chickadee In Flight

Carolina Chickadee approaching one of the backyard feeders.   

I've been taking a lot of photos lately, trying to catch birds in flight.  Set the camera on high speed burst mode, auto exposure, using high ISO to get fast shutter speeds.  Lots and lots of fails but a few cool shots, too.  This is probably my favorite.


     ISO=2500 (love my X-T3!)
     f/4.8
     Shutter speed = 1/1100 sec

June 1970

Fifty years ago this month, what what happening on the music charts?

Well, during the 4 weeks of June 1970, there were 54 songs that spent time in the Top 40. Lots of great stuff.

Three (3) songs made the Top spot: Ray Stevens started the month #1, carrying over from May.  The Beatles spent the next 2 weeks at #1, with The Long And Winding Road.their last #1.  Jackson 5 closed the month on top, with "The Love You Save".

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 5 weeks:

• The Long And Winding Road - The Beatles - 4.0
• Which Way You Goin' Billy? - The Poppy Family (Featuring Susan Jacks) - 4.3
• Get Ready - Rare Earth - 5.3
• Love On A Two-Way Street - The Moments - 6.8
• The Love You Save - Jackson 5 - 7.0
• Everything Is Beautiful - Ray Stevens 8.8
• The Letter - Joe Cocker with Leon Russell & The Shelter People 9.5
• Up Around The Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival 10.0
• Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) - Melanie with The Edwin Hawkins Singers - 11.3
• Ride Captain Ride - Blues Image - 11.5

19 songs made their Top 40 debut, here they are (ranked by entering position):

• The Love You Save - Jackson 5 - 15
• Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) - The Temptations - 24
• A Song Of Joy (Himno A La Alegria) - Miguel Rios - 32
• Mama Told Me (Not To Come) - Three Dog Night - 33
• Spirit In The Dark - Aretha Franklin with The Dixie Flyers - 34
• Are You Ready? - Pacific Gas And Electric - 34
• O-o-h Child - The 5 Stairsteps - 35
• Save The Country - The 5th Dimension - 36
• Mississippi Queen - Mountain - 37
• Westbound #9 - The Flaming Ember - 37
• (They Long To Be) Close To You - Carpenters - 37
• Gimme Dat Ding - The Pipkins - 38
• Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 38
• Hey, Mister Sun - Bobby Sherman - 39
• Check Out Your Mind - The Impressions - 39
• I Want To Take You Higher - Sly & The Family Stone - 39
• Baby Hold On - The Grass Roots - 40
• Mississippi - John Phillips - 40
• (You've Got Me) Dangling On A String - Chairman Of The Board - 40

365project - Top Rated

I was looking at my "stats" page at 365project today, and the "Your Top Rated Photos" section.  They list your Ten (10) top rated photos, using their secret and undecipherable algorithm.  I decided to look back and see when I last posted that list to this blog, and the most recent I see is Monday, January 16, 2017.    So I'm rather overdue.  So, Let's Do This!


#1 - Just Hangin' Around...  January 26, 2020 

#2 - Lost In My Mind...  February 24, 2018

#3 - Frosty  November 1, 2019

#4 - Lost In A Fog  February 23, 2019

#5 - Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge  March 31, 2015

#6 - Muskrat  January 1, 2020

#7 - Ice On The Lake  December 17, 2019

#8 - Solitude October 19, 2019

#9 - Still Waters  September 21, 2019

#10 - Mellow Yellow  November 2, 2019

I think it is interesting that only one of the Top Ten from 3.5 years ago is still on there, but not too shocking.  I don't know if the algorithm is biased to newer photos, either.  But 7 of the Top 10 are within the past year.  That seems like a lot.

Hello My Ragtime Girl

So, as I was getting ready for work this morning, the singing frog song from the old Warner Brothers cartoon popped into my head, and refused to leave.  Most irritating little earworm...

So I figured I'd share.  Naturally it was easy to find on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWlbX92B3I

You're welcome.

Before the kiss...

We planted some knockoff roses in the backyard recently, and this is the first blossom.    Very red.