second try

My world has shrunk down and I haven't taken any photos for days but I did finally finish the second practise frame. The photo isn't that great but it shows what I want it to. The wire was tighter this time and I think by frame 5 or 6 I'll be ready to go for it properly.

look up

How often do you look up? Look up at the trees...look up at the buildings. Notice stuff. Decorations, birds, things you've passed every day for years and never 'seen'. Try it.

moment of wierdness

In Minnesota last US summer we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It's free and its gorgeous. Classic art and statues and other stuff from India, Japan, ancient Greece, you name it. Very pretty and dignified. Then you round a corner and see....this. WTF is it? Who knows? Who even cares? It's 6 or 7 feet in height, bright yellow and inflated. Whats not to like?

totems

The loneliest flower in the pond....

...that would be me

Sun in the city

One Life

This was inspired by a piece of graffiti I saw today:

You only have one life
Don't waste it
Make your own choices
No matter what the consequences
Don't end up on your death bed
Bitter or full of regrets
Go out spent and tired
Screaming "damn, that was some crazy shit"
Go barefoot if it pleases you
Live your life with a smile
Take risks where the outcome is unknown
Play on the swings at forty
Take a second helping of dessert
Smile at strangers
Stop and smell the flowers
Tell that person how you feel
Speak up and make your voice heard
Trust in yourself to make the best choice
Don't pay attention to fashion
Lift your face to the rain
As often as to the sun
Kiss hard and often and love passionately
For lifes length is not certain

What I make

smiling inside

I've been reminded why it is I like older men....and I do like him alot. A whole lot. But shhhhhh he's kind of skittish.

the fountain of youth isn't on today sorry

Here's looking at you kid

aka my first try at color popping

Blue mood

pants wetting, heart stopping, scream out loud fun

It takes you right up to the rafters for a view (through your clenched eyelids) of the whole park.

Mill City

St Paul, MN used to be the flour mill hub of the midwest. Now they are turning the mills into a museum and what looks like apartments.

Fireworks baby!

America had a whole nationwide night of fireworks to celebrate my visit in early July....*cough*

the amusement park was...amusing

I took 3 pics of the amusement park in the Mall of America (then known as Camp Snoopy and filled with Snoopy memorabilia, now the rather depressing 'Park at MOA' or something equally depressing) in panoramic mode but never got around to stitching them together. 9 months later I'm pining for the fun again so I got organised and here is the park. I rode my first rollercoasters here and the log ride and the Mighty Axe which tips you upside down, forwards, backwards, takes you up into the rafters and generally tests your heart. LOVED IT! I wish I could convey the noise/heat/smells/excitement.

pretty....

Flower child

Alabama

I also spent a week in Alabama staying with a real southern family in a trailer out in the country. It was hotter than hell and certainly a challenge for shy BB to be around these outgoing, loud southern rednecks. It was boring as crap, stuck out in the wops with nothing to do but the kids managed to come up with this....

Some gave all

It's not a spork :( but it's cool anyway

The serious pretty postcard shot^^^^

....and the not so serious

Memories of summer American style

Spoon with me

The cherryspoon sculpture at the Walker Art Gallery sculpture garden. Avoid the gallery - it's $12 and it sucks big ass. The garden is free and wonderful.

Individuality baby

I didn't even have to go down south for rednecks :) They came to me!!!


lol even the little kid knows this isn't normal attire. I wish I coulda taken a pic of the front, I don't even know if it wasa male or an extraordinarily ugly female.

Too much money, not enough class?

I have a friend who says Frank Gehry should have been shot for designing stuff like this. Shhhh, don't tell him but I kinda like it. As the sun sets it glows gold. We noticed it across the river and when we found out it was an art gallery we went to have a look. It's all modern (lazy) art and not worth the price of admission...which is saying something cos it's free. It is a very photographable structure though.

Conservatory colors

The world is a pretty place if you just photoshop it a little...The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at the Como Zoo in Minnesota, July 05.

Summer memories

Summer is past in New Zealand, the fine days now are few and far between and truly belong to autumn. The US summer is looming and in just over 2 1/2 months time it will be the one year anniversary of my first trip to the USA. I had the time of my life and truly felt at home. Damn, it was hotter than Hades though. I took many, many photos and my heart is longing to travel again so I thought I would start going through them and show a few of them off. This one is at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at the Como Zoo outside the twin cities in Minnesota. I still sigh when I think of Minnesota.

the modern living room: the foodcourt

I saw a picture of this foodcourt on flickr (should I admit to this?) and since stealing is wrong I decided to try take as close a photo of my own as I could. It's not as good as the original but at least I finally managed to take a pic of the clock hologram. That clock is my date meeting point. If I ever have a date, especially a blind one I meet them at the clock. Plus theres plenty of stuff between the door and the clock for me to hide behind and scope them out in case they turn out to be yuk...not that I ever would be so vain....;-)

My favourite thing

People think it's soldiers but nothing comes close to my love of american tourists. Watching tourists has become an artform for me. Occasionally you get british/australian ones that look like americans but mostly you can tell which are which. South African and Canadian ones are generally no problem because they wear their national emblem splashed about like cheap cologne.
To watch a bus load of elderly american tourists get off their tour coach is one of lifes great pleasures. Watch them if you ever can and you'll see why I say that. To ride a public bus with them is the funniest thing ever. Listening to them talk and compare and fuss is incomparable. Soldiers are pretty to look at (oh my, are they pretty) but tourists are hypnotic in a train wreck sort of way. You just can't look away.



Tourists watching a video on sheep shearing in New Zealand. NZers couldnt give a toss but these 3 were sitting watching fascinated. Bless.

standing tall

This is in the atrium at Te Papa. It represents ancestors and the guy in the middle with his tongue out is a tiki, a protecting warrior. A little green plastic (or greenstone/pounamu if you're feeling flush) tiki was the ultimate souvenir as a kid. Kiwiana kitsch baby!

Te Papa Marae #2

The meeting house is the focal point of a marae. Traditional meeting houses have carvings and weaving panels inside telling the story of the ancestors. The glass wall is what faces the meeting house at Te Papa and outside on the sculpture terrace is this gate. It signifies the entrance to the marae. It's kept locked for safety reasons but on special occasions like when the Lord of the Rings cast were here for things its opened and the visitors are formally called onto the marae. A female calls to them and a female in their group answers. It's pretty high pitched keening stuff. If you want to see more watch Whale Rider. Another great but very violent film showing slices of maori culture is Once Were Warriors. I cannot recommend these movies enough.

Te Papa meeting house #1

This is the meeting house at Te Papa the national museum. It's used for various functions and concerts. The name of the house means 'the link back to Hawaiki'. If you've watched the movie Whale Rider (and it's so freaking good you should anyway) you'll know Hawaiki is where the ancient ones came from. The Maori also believed that Cape Reinga the highest point in NZ is where you soul departed back to Hawaiki when you died. It's interesting to note the many shared elements of culture between NZ Maori and Hawaii. Totems, dances, even the language is similar. Just a little bit of trivia for you.

Two of my faves

These are two of my favourites. The triangle looks like its floating on the water. I'm not happy with the last few entries photos but I've been diagnosed with giardia and gastric inflammation so guess how I feel? I have a loooong list of things to photograph from every angle but itwill be at least 3 days before I can get out and do that. Until then, I'll dig out my photos from my trip to the US last year and post some of them. I'm feeling nostalgic. Lovesick too but shhhh.

Salute to summer

The seagulls are enjoying what will probably be one of the very last summery days of the season. By the end of the month winter will be here while online I'll get to hear about how its 90 degrees in the US. Grrrrrrr. But I'm happy waiting for the crisp winter sun so I can take pics that arent totally washed out.

wherever I go there he is

Wherever I am, he's there first. It's sort of like I'm stalking him. Eeek! Still, he makes for some interesting pics.

The seagulls ate the pigeons

These were taken in a park with the nickname 'pigeon park'. There are no pigeons anyway, the seagulls seem to have banished them. We've swapped one type of flying rat for another.

Hark, there it is!!!

The waterfront is my favourite part of Wellington. I LOVE it. But they are constantly changing it. Mostly in good ways, but I get nervous about all the plans I read about in the paper. The latest far fetched plan is to build some sort of Maori meeting house behind this statue. Open space in Wellington seems to be a crime and the coucil is constantly schemeing about ways to fill it and make a profit.

For Q - I really miss him

Support the troops, even if you don't support the war.

more from my waterfront walk

These are scattered along the waterfront, pieces of work by NZ poets. This is the only one with areally cool setting among the rocks.