59/365: Coffee!!

Another shot from my trip last week, this one from Rublev's Coffee Shop in Flushing. I pretty much went around the shop taking all sorts of pictures, and this one is just fun because it has coffee beans and I love coffee!

Not much else to say, except that some day, I will have enough money to buy a commercial grade espresso machine of my own, and it will be awesome! ....and then I'll probably still go to coffee shops anyway because they're so much fun. :)

Location: Flushing, MI

~Sil

58/365 - Ryan's Car the night of the first snow shower

This was Ryan's car top with the pile of snow that survived the 12 mile drive home. I did not believe that it could have been two feet of snow that day but when I got to work the following morning, I got to see it for myself. I was amazed that we had gotten that much snow in town. It just isn't normal for us to get more then a few inches and then have it melt. So this was a big storm for us and really did cause a stir and a stop to almost all traffic and business.

Vana

58/365- Our personal winter wonderland

Well this is our valley after all that snow this last few days. I know it is pretty in many ways but I am so not into the cold that comes and came with this batch. Please tell me Spring is coming soon!

But when I got home tonight most of this snow is finally gone. It seems we got a warm spell today in our valley so with the warmer winds it has done its share of getting rid of all this white stuff. :D

Vana

57/365: I still heart you!!!

Hellooooooo! This is just to show you all how much I love you, even though I keep forgetting to post photos!


Big heart and smoochies straight from the Boat City. It's good to be back. I was in Germany all of last week, it's much cleaner, but it ain't home!

So, big ugly dirty misshapen heart hugs to all my TORC friends. :) Happy Valentine's month. :P

~Rodia

P.S. Kwiaciarnia means flower shop, pronounced like this. Just in case you were wondering.

57/365 - Sunset

I took this a couple of days ago. It is the view from my sofa - not too shabby when it's nice weather. :)

56/365...My big snow storm...

The effects of Snow Shadow....

While other parts of Western Washington were covered in a load of snow, Kitsap County was spared the hassle of the yucky white stuff. They call it Snow Shadow. Moist clouds came in from the coast and were split by the Olympic mountains. When the arctic air from Canada hit, there was no moist air to make snow.
I'm not complaining, mind you.... Just explaining.
I went out to feed the squirrels yesterday and got this shot.

Location... Calma's backyard.... Port Orchard, WA.

56 / 365 Dragon

This green guy appeared in the mall for their "Princess Week" all this week. Here's some different views of him. Keep in mind, these shots were grabbed on my celphone and aren't all that great.

55/365 The Carnival is Coming

In town today, I saw they had already put up these figures that line the route of the big parades that are taking place next weekend for the Carnival. :D

From Thursday to Tuesday next week, the whole city will be in a state of organised chaos, as people in the Rhineland dress in costume and go out to party to get a good dose of fun and give them something worth repenting of in the season of Lent, which starts on Wednesday following the Carnival. ;) :D

55/365 Chicken Pitchers

Yes, that's what I said, chicken pitchers. Not chicken pictures. ;-)

I've been sick so I haven't been out & about much.. there is plenty of snow, but.. I figure I've kind of done my share of snow photos. SO.. I give you.. the chicken pitcher.

I didn't start out collecting these. In fact, I STILL don't collect these! They're small, they only hold about 3 ounces. Enough for an individual cream for coffee or tea. Or perhaps a serving of maple syrup. 

ANYWAY, I bought one of these years ago because I thought it was a cute little creamer. They are an Italian tradition and there is a story behind them about bringing good luck/warding off evil. One day.. mine fell off the shelf & broke. I really didn't think it meant that much to me.. but I missed the little guy. SO.. I spent about a year looking for another 'chicken pitcher.' I could find larger ones (mostly expensive ones from Italy) but not the creamer size that I wanted. 

Eventually a set of 3 'made in China' ones showed up on E-bay. I bid & won!! And the next day.. a 'real' Italian one was up for bid. It wasn't very expensive.. so I got that one too. (the one on the right)

The real kicker is.. I recently visited my mother in Tucson.. and what did she have in her kitchen?? A REAL CHICKEN PITCHER!! Creamer-size!! FROM ITALY!!  She had no idea what it was, it had been a gift from her boss who had visited Italy. 

She said I could have it.. but I let her keep it.

So.. if you come to visit, I'll serve you cream or maple syrup in a chicken pitcher. ;)

Dawn/RoseMorninStar

54/365: Dream Catchers

I have been making dream catchers for about 15 years now and recently just got back into doing this craft.  I didn't realize how much "stuff" I still had until I pulled it all out.

In the picture are three cases of beads, do-dads, silver trinkets, feathers, cat gut (synthetic), hoops, leather stringing and a suede covered hoop.  I am working on two right now, one is going to obviously be turquoise, the other is red.  When they are completed I will take a shot of them for posting here.

This is a Native American item originally, but has been so commercialized that I think the Native Americans are distancing themselves from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher  Link for more information if you like.

Enjoy,
Jules

54/365.....Sunset....



5:31pm PST

 A little pretty for all to see.

Location........ Calma's backyard....Port Orchard, WA.

53/365 - A little Rockies...

Tuesday kinda snuck up on me this week, so going with an old picture.  I took this about three years ago when I was in Colorado with family.  One day a bunch of us went into one of the parks in the Rocky Mountains.  I had just gotten my camera a few days earlier and was being quite the annoying shutter-bug, but I managed to get quite a few gems.  This is one of my favorites, all the more because I was standing on top of one mountain in the middle of a whole bunch more.  Let me tell you, that trip helped me understand a lot more about the mountain crossings depicted in The Lord of Rings (and many other books) than I did before.

-Krawler

53/365 Poised....

....for something.....

I decided on posting a squirrel pic today.  I had several from which to choose, since they are out in the trees almost constantly.  I have counted as many as 10 at one time.   !!!!!!!!!!
They are worse than rabbits.

Of course, there were plenty of acorns this year, plus they manage to eat a lot of the sunflower seeds that are supposed to be for the birds.  No wonder they are so fat and sassy.


~Tooksie in PA.

52/365: Path by the River

It looks like we are Gil-less today, so here's another shot from my road trip yesterday (see previous post). The path along the mighty Flint River (:P) is a pretty new addition to Flushing and was constructed as part of a larger path that begins (or ends, depending on where you start) downtown, where this photo was taken, and ends in the local park, which is right across the street from my old house. My brother's Eagle Scout project involved making and installing picnic tables along the path (those things were huge and weighed a ton--I have no idea how he even got them to the site...).

As an added bonus, if you deviate from the path near the grocery store, there's an ice cream store... :D

Location: Flushing, MI

~Sil

52/365: Nostalgia

I took a road trip to my hometown on Saturday and drove past the house where I grew up, pictured above. We lived there for about 15 years before moving across the state, and I went from kindergarten through high school in this town. Aside from the patriotic-looking doohickey next to the door, it looks pretty much the same as it did while I lived there! My dad built an awesome screened-in back porch on it which we all really miss--had the new owners not been there, I might have walked around to the back to take a picture of that as well. However, as I was sitting in my car taking this picture, the man who lives there now came outside to see why someone was parked outside his house... oops! Fortunately, he was nice and understanding about it; also, I like to think I don't look much like a stalker...

Check the Runner-ups section for some images of what the weather's been doing here lately!

Location: Flushing, MI

~Sil

51/365 Thar she blows!!!

No...that's not a whale. It's TMI.  As you can see the Unit 2 cooling towers have no steam rising up.  I guess they dismantled Unit 2 for some reason????  ;)

~Tooks, posting on an off day from southcentral PA!

51/365 - A visit to a Legend

We live in the town of Bow and here someone posted a unique sign for everyone to enjoy. We get a kick out of it anyways. Perhaps it is because we are archers and love the sport and the medieval way of things. But it makes me smile every time I pass it on the way to work or town.

So come on folks, Let's bow to Robin Hood!!! (BTW our towns name is Bow as in a ribbon bow for your Christmas package, not bow as in take a bow to the audience.) Oh well!!

Vana

Picture taken along Hiway 11 in Bow, Washington.

50/365 - Boudoir grand

So, this is an old photo (from 1997) however all these photos of musical instruments has got me all nostalgic (and I've been at work all day (from 0530 until 2000) so not much time to take any photos!). As a result, I've posted a photo of my boudoir grand (taken in the house my parents bought when we moved back to the UK). My parents bought it for me when I was about 15. I say they bought it for me - I was the only one who played the piano, but it was also an investment. As you can see, it was a Steinway, and so didn't lose any value. When they sold the house and left on the boat again (ask on TORC if you don't know what I'm talking about!) they sold the piano back to the place they'd bought it from without losing any money.

I loved that piano. It not only sounded brilliant no matter what you played, but it was a work of art. I do miss it. (I've still got the piano stool though. :D)

49/365 'ello!

Posted by Heather a.k.a. PatriotBlade a.k.a. PB

My brother and I spotted this billboard today and it amused us greatly, even though we couldn't figure out what it's supposed to be advertizing.

49/365 Snowdrift & Diamonds

 

~I am filling in today.~

Since the last photo was so Spring-like.. I must sadly report that it is still very Winter-like here in Wisconsin, but it is not without it's beauty.

I took this photo several days ago, and although it was bitter cold, the snow was blowing across the road

and when the sun would hit it, it sparkled so beautifully that I had to try & capture its diamond-like qualities.  I added a star filter to enhance the sparkle a bit.

Dawn/RoseMorninStar

49/365: Guest poster: Eru

Went for a walk to the grocery store today to pick up ingredients for this absolutely delicious recipe.  http://noblepig.com/2010/03/28/buffalo-chicken-macoroni-and-cheese.aspx  What a beautiful day, I love break.

Location: University of British Columbia

~Eru

48/365 Money for Nothin' - Peanuts for Free

I had taken a lovely photo of the Valentines flowers that the hubby brought me.. but alas.. it is lost ..  :(

So..  today I am bringing you a Blue Jay.

I like to feed the birds and Blue Jays LOVE peanuts! 

If I throw some out on the deck.. you will hear them call and then they fly in one-by-one, 

until all of the peanuts are gone.

Dawn/RoseMorninStar

48/365 Valentine's Day

Difficult decision this week - a photo that turned out well or one that is a bit awful and grainy, but is more personal. As you can see, I went for personal. :D

I made this cake for my sweetie and me for Valentine's Day. I tried to get it roughly into heart-shape - admittedly only very approximately, but you get the idea, I think. ;) It's on my little dining table (which is an Ikea kitchen table, really :D ), which I also decorated with heart-shaped glittery confetti. Yes, I'm that soppy. :P :D And it was a very yummy cake, too! :D

47/365: BLAZERS!!

My brother and his wife are so seriously into the Portland Trailblazer professional basketball team that getting them gifts is rather easy.  This past Christmas I got them this beanie replica of the mascot for the team.

I am not that big into pro basketball, but it is fun to be a part of their happiness.

Taken this morning in Vancouver, WA.

Jules

47/365...Daddy Got a Delivery....

Pawsha and Pawkah

Daddy got a delivery yesterday, so we get the box!

My little ones, Pawkah in the foreground, Pawsha in the back, and Rascal, (not pictured) love it when their dad gets a package in the mail. They get the box to play in and Boy Howdy, do they ever enjoy the poochies out of those boxes.

Location:  Calma's living room in Port Orchard.  :)

46/365 - A little more music!

Inspired by last Wednesday's picture of a room crammed full of instruments, I thought I should take a picture of my own little collection.  Not much to it, really: an alto saxophone I've had for about thirteen years (to be honest I haven't played it for a while, but I'm planning to get it cleaned up soon so I can start again); a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar that I got about a year and a half ago (after practicing for a couple years on a junker of a guitar my dad got when he was a kid); and a harmonica I picked up a couple of months ago with the intention of developing a harmonica/guitar folksy kind of sound when I play (which is weird since I listen to more hard rock and metal than folk music by far).

I'd like to add an electric guitar to the collection at some point, hopefully before the end of the year.  Something I can get a neat spacey kind of sound out of...

-Krawler

46/365 Bluebird House

Several years ago (four or five?) I was going for a run on a cold and blustery February morning, when I passed by a little clump of land sandwiched between two roads.  There was a wooded area and an open area that would have scrubby grass and weeds in the summer.

So....as I was running I looked ouver and saw several Eastern bluebirds fighting the wind and looking for berries to eat.  I felt bad for them...out in the cold!  Unlike their cousins the American robin, they do not fly south for the winter, but stay behind to tough it out.

So...the next day I was at Lowe's buying two bluebird houses.  I put them up on the less-traveled road, facing the open field.  Every year I clean out old nesting material, and I'm never sure who actually uses them.  Chickadees and swallows and sparrows will nest in boxes as well.  I still see bluebirds in the area from time to time, and I hope they get to use them!

So....a year ago I noticed a trend.  A few hundred feet up the road are some houses.  Someone bought a couple bluebird houses and mounted them on fence posts.    :D

~ Tooks, in now thawing soggy southcentral PA

45/365 - Visiting Dogs

This is Topaz.  She and her sister Amber are visiting us right now, as their owners are off skiing for the week.  I've been following the 2 golden labradors around all day trying to get a decent picture of the pair of them, but have given up now that it's after 7pm. It was difficult enough getting just one dog to sit still for long enough to take a picture, never mind both!

45/365: Downtown

How about that, two evening-time, street-lamp-lit photos in a row!

I snapped this whilst sitting in my car at a stoplight, mostly because the tree with the Christmas lights was so pretty; the blur of a car whooshing through the intersection was an added bonus and is the reason I wanted to post this picture--my first successful "car blur" photo! ....yes, I know, my aspirations in photography are not so high. ;)

Anyhow, this is downtown Ann Arbor on a Saturday night; I honestly can't say whether the trees are lit up like that all year round or only during the winter, because I rarely get downtown during the summer (something for me to do more of this summer). I have, though, been to the shop on the right, Ten Thousand Villages, which is a fair-trade store that sells all sorts of fun jewelry and other things I probably shouldn't buy!

Location: Ann Arbor, MI


~Sil

44/365: My Street

That’s my street. I’ve been living on it for almost six years now. It’s in the older part of Ramat Gan; most of it was built in the 50-s, and some of it in the early 1930-s. The city’s very first bookstore is near my house, and it still bears the name of the family who founded it. The street is narrow and densely packed with shops selling clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry and just about everything else. There’s also a square with food stands, cafes and an open-air stage where performances take place on just about every major holiday.

What I love the most about this street are the impressive trees on both sides of it. Aside from their purely utilitarian value- great shade in summer, pretty good protection from rain in winter- they make the place look much nicer and more home-like. And do you see the fairy lights wrapped around them and stretching from one tree to another? They’re on EVERY evening, not just on major holidays. Seeing them at the conclusion of a dready work day always cheers me up a little, as if I’ve walked in on a surprise party.

~Storyteller

44/365 - Bonnar's Treasure Shop

This is Bonnar's the junk shop across the street from us! I have found some real treasures there that I could not find anywhere else. I think I could go everyday and spend hours and still not see everything after a year. I love going there to look around and to purchase small treasures that I find. I got both of my swag lamps here and now some sorbet dishes and a small rack for spices that is in vines. :D I so enjoy speaking with the man as well. He is a veritable wealth of knowledge in these parts. Seems all the neighbors know and like him.

Hey anyone need a Cart or any trim boards for your banister? I think he has them!!!

Vana

43/365...Stepping in for Ro....

Work...

Rodia is unable to post today so I'm stepping in.

While waiting for my son the other day, I snapped this of the place I work.
It's the building above the parking lot.
It's an assisted living facility that specializes in Memory Care.
I'm a cook there.
Due to resident privacy, I can't say much about it
Other than the people who live there are well cared for and very well fed.... :D

Calma

Location... Port Orchard, WA

43/365 - Fuchsia flower

I've currently got three fuchsia sitting indoors for the winter. One of them keeps budding flowers but unfortunately they don't last very long because the branches are too weak to hold them at the moment. I've got to the stage of keeping a very close eye on them and nipping off the buds as soon as they appear, because I want the plant to put it's energy into growing, not budding.

Anyway, this is one of the flowers that made it to adulthood and then promptly fell off! Because it was so pretty, I thought I'd take a photo of it. This is it sitting on the window sill. If it had been outside, it would be slightly darker - I think the sun brings out the colours. (It's now sitting in some water in the somewhat vain hope that the branch will sprout.)

42/365 Sleepy

Posted by Heather a.k.a PatriotBlade a.k.a PB

This is what I'd typicly rather be doing, than getting out from under the nice, warm covers, facing the day, and going to work.

42/365 - Yummy treats

These look just too scrumptious for words!!!

Posted for Frelga

41/365 Evening

I took this one on Wednesday evening - I liked the many shades of blue, the small sickle of the new moon and the outlines of last year's goldenrod in the flower pot on my balcony. So, this is a view south from my apartment.

41/365 Blue on Blue

 

Covered Bridge park is not far from my house.. I drove  there to take a photo for this blog, but I think I like this photo of the foot bridge  better. I love all of the blue shadows in the snow! 

I will put the photo of the covered bridge in the 'runner-up' section. --->

Dawn/RoseMorninStar

40/365: Music! Music! Music!

Photo just taken in my Brothers home in Vancouver, WA.  I don't know how to post it larger, but again, double click to make the picture larger.  I will look into my camera settings before next week.

Many who post with me know that I speak often of singing and playing on holidays with the family.  Well here is where we do that, in the music room.  The baby grand piano in the center was given to my brothers wife Sherri, when she got her Masters in musical theory.  It is old now, but still plays perfect and it is lovely to look at.

On the far left under the guitar cases is a burgundy cello case.  That was a gift to my brothers wife about ten years ago.  She took cello lessons for five years and plays very well.

In the back on the far right is a Marshall stack.  That is a very good amplifier.  This belongs to my brother. On the floor on the right you can see a foot operated mixing board.

I just counted 15 guitars of all varieties.  Electric, bass, acoustic, spanish.  He has a signed Johnny Cash original and a signed Eric Clapton original.  For classical, he prefers his Martin 12 string.

The white book that is standing and facing the camera on the left is the complete Beatles library. 

All the family sings and plays instruments.  So on holidays it is quite a show actually.

I was going to take a picture of Mt. St. Helens for you folks today, but the fog is just not burning off and I don't want to wait too late.  That will wait until next week.

Jules

40/365....Celeste' and Carter...



Celeste' and Carter.

 This is where one can usually find me.
My desk and Welcome to it.  :)
Celeste' and Carter are just two of my many teddy bears.
All of whom have volunteered to be my last minute photos.
I hope I don't have to take them up on their most generous offer...
But don't hold your breath.

Calma    :)

39/365 - A little overzealous?

You know those concrete 'logs' some parking lots have that serve as a barrier to how far forward in a space you can park your car? This is one of those.  It's jutting out of a big pile of snow right in front of my apartment building.  It's about torso-high.  It appeared there after all the snow from our big blizzard last week was cleared.  Looks like whoever the landlord hired to clear the lot isn't big on finesse.

-Krawler

39/365 U-Pick...................

snowballs????

hee!

Posted by Tooks….. Southcentral Pennsylvania!

38/365 - Texture

I like the way that photos which have limited colour palettes can still be interesting if they have nice texture on display.  This shot of my jeans is an example of how it can look, but the bark of trees and the grain of rough stone are other ways of showing texture off.

38/365: Temple of Hera

So, my computer has a nasty virus and is at the shop being repaired, so I had to pick an old photo for today.

This is the Temple of Hera II (one of several dubious identifications) at Paestum in southern Italy. I studied abroad for a semster in Rome in 2007 and took a ton of photos, but this is one of my favourites (I'm a big temple fan). I think this temple is from around 440BC, but don't quote me on that.

The night before our official visit to the site, a group of us decided to walk down a very dark road in the middle of ruralish Italy to see the temples lit up at night--smart, right? As we were walking, a dog jumped over a fence and joined us--scared the heck out of me at first, but she was a really nice dog and kept us company all the way to the site (abouit a 25-minute walk) and back, where she tried to come into the hotel with us--the owners didn't appreciate that! My camera takes pretty awful pictures without the flash, but I managed to get a few good shots of the temples, which looked awesome lit up!

The next day we took the bus to the site, came in the main entrance, and who was waiting for us at the temples? The same dog as the night before. :)

Location: Paestum, Italy

~Sil

37/365 View back towards our place and the lovely Chuckanut Valley!

Here is a view back towards our place. We are above the closest pole and behind the barn you can barely make out. Then about two blocks farther and you, if the barn was not there, could see our house. We see the lights of the Chuckanut Inn from our front windows but the parking lot we are taking these pictures from is behind the barn so it blocks our view. But it is a beautiful valley!! Ryan and I love to take drives up Chuckanut Drive to Bellingham and if any of you come to visit us, we will take you there to see the sunsets and also enjoy the forest drive along the coast!! It is beautiful!

Vana

37/365 View of the San Juan Islands

This is a view of the beautiful San Juan Islands from just up the road about a mile from our place here in Washington State. The ferry takes folks out to different islands on a regular schedule. I think my favorite island is Orcas because of all its waterfalls and trails. Of course you have to spend a day there to truly appreciate the place. :D

Vana

36/365 - Six Nations

So yesterday was the start of the Six Nations Rugby competition, where England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy compete playing rugby union (that's the one with 15 players). England played Wales and won. Today it was Ireland playing Italy in Rome, and Scotland playing France in Paris. The photo is of the last match. I'm not sure you can see the score, but, rather expectedly, Scotland are losing. Scotland, much as I love them, haven't been the best Six Nations team for a while, and France are on fire.

But watching the two matches from today is essentially what I've been doing today, other than the usual household things and making dinner. :)

35/365: Guest poster: Storyteller

Hello! I am Storyteller, and I’m honored to become a guest-poster on TORC 365. And my first contrinution will be a picture of... the Haifa bay!

The beautiful, very neat terraces you see are the upper section of the Bahai temple gardens. The temple itself is the cylindrical building the terraces lead to. It is currently in repairs, hence the gray wrapping around it.

 

The red-roofed houses surrounding the wide street to the left are the famous German Colony. That part of the city was built by the German immigrants from the Temple Society in the 1860-s. They built the Haifa port that the street leads to, and the terraces (which were originally Templar vineyards). Many houses in this area still bear German inscriptions, as can be seen in the second photo.

 

 

 Location: Haifa, Israel

~Storyteller