Orange and Green

Oh yes, this week Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge WAS a bit more challenging — but still fun! The very first thing I (eventually) thought of was this yarn… …which was included in a big box of yarn I bought from another knitter’s destash, back in 2009.  It’s laceweight and not exactly my color combination of first choice.  But it’s definitely eye-catching, and apparently unforgettable.  Luckily I had Ravelry to remind me where I’d stashed it away. So, it was all good, photo challenge sorted.  Except, Just then I happened to glance out my front window, where I saw this: So, thank you, Cee, for reminding me to open my eyes and realize Nature always has just the right colors, if you’re paying attention!

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WPC: Victory

Riding to Win In the middle of a rainy Stage 2 during the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, team HTC-Columbia’s sprinter Mark Cavendish (center) wears the race leader’s coveted Golden Jersey.  Mark Cavendish, sometimes called the Manx Missile, has been one of the best sprinters in pro cycling, including winning the Green Jersey in the 2009 Tour de France. His teammate Michael Rogers  of Australia would go on to win overall victory in the 2010 Tour of California — which ended with Stage 9 in Thousand Oaks, California — after riding a total of 810 miles in 33 hours and 8 minutes.

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Painting on glass

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge:  Anything painted There were so many possibilities with this week’s challenge!  It was all a bit daunting… until I remembered a museum exhibit I saw very recently.  I was visiting the Folsom History Museum (for the first time, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit), and among all the wonderful items I saw there, these leapt out at me in the small Chinese history display. I didn’t see an information card, and I was unfortunately pressed for time and so I wasn’t able to ask the volunteer if she could tell me about them.  I’m so happy I got a good photo.  I could gaze at these all day long. By the way, I am planning on going back to the museum to see their special exhibit called Folsom’s Historic Places:  An Insider’s Look (November 21- January 17).  Can’t wait!

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Clouds

No matter how beautiful a clear blue sunny sky may be, it’s nowhere near as inspiring as a sky filled with clouds. Whenever I see gorgeous cloud formations like these, it reminds me of something a co-worker once shared with me. Back in the days before digital cameras, her husband took their 12- or 13-year old son on a plane trip from California to Atlanta, Georgia, to see a special car show there.  The boy was intensely excited about the trip and the chance to see some rare and expensive cars; and once they arrived back home from their trip, he was impatient to send in his film for developing and get back all the pictures he’d taken. As soon as he had the stack of photos in hand he very proudly began to show them off to his mother.  But she was a little confused — there were one or two pictures of cars, but most of the photos were ones he’d taken on the airplane.  Out the window.  Of the clouds. I can’t really say that I blame him!

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Ornate

The Hart Mansion In Sacramento’s Midtown area, in a neighborhood known as Boulevard Park, stands a house that has fascinated me since the very first time I noticed it.  It was built in 1907 by Dr. Aden Hart, the founder of one of the local hospitals. I don’t know much about architecture, but apparently the style of this beautiful old house is Colonial Revival with elements of Craftsman.  It has details like stained glass windows, fish scale shingles, and a wraparound porch. There is also a carved lion’s head above the entrance to the porch, which is echoed by another (hard to see) at the roof gable. It’s a striking and ornate structure, unique in a part of the city recognized for its Victorian-era houses.

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Treat

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge Back when Mom kept a few Barbados-mix sheep in what she called her barnyard, one of the ewes rejected this female lamb (one of a pair of twins).  She quickly got the hang of nursing from the bottle and would come running every time she caught sight of her new (human) mom. A treat for us to watch — and definitely a treat for the hungry lamb!

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