October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 28:HAT

Some people can wear hats--any hats--and look good.  I, for one, do not look good in hats. Unfortunately, I had to wear a hat for a couple of my jobs when I was a teen working in the food industry.  Hat hair is the worst after working all day and then not having time to fix it before going out.

My daughter has worn many hats over the last several years--and SHE looks good!  Her roles in the children's theater plays have included a pirate, a centaur, a goblin, a sorceress, a pickpocket, a deaconess, and a silk merchant just to name a few.  Not the best picture quality here, but I like the variety of hats, and it showcases the diverse parts she has enjoyed developing for the on stage experience.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 27:FLAME

From our fire pit fires to candles, flames have played an important part in relaxing, setting the mood, warmth, cooking, and providing light.  Some of those occasions have been captured in pictures over the years...

 We always enjoyed campfires and wiener roasts out in the country.  One of our greatest purchases in the last 5 years was a portable fire pit.  Enjoying sitting around a "campfire" on our own patio in town has been a relaxing past time.  Roasting marshmallows for S'mores doesn't occur every time we have a fire, but always a great treat.

 A single candle flame on a cozy table for two can totally change the mood at supper from casual to romantic.

 The tealight candles we placed in our carved pumpkins this weekend provided just the right amount of spooky glow to illuminate our creativity.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 26:BOKEH

Day 24 of my first 30-day photo challenge was also "bokeh" where I had to admit not knowing what the term meant and even fabricated a few photos using a bokeh effect in a photo editor.  

The following images are a couple from my photo stock.  They probably don't embody the bokeh effect perfectly, but they are close enough, and two of my favorites from our Colorado trip this year.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 25:EARTHY

Going for a walk on this beautiful fall day, everything around me seemed earthy.  The smell of the wet leaves and decaying foliage after the dense fog and mist this morning provided an especially pungent fragrance.  Stepping off the beaten path, my foot came in contact with squishy, slimy mud giving me that feeling of sliding and sinking into the ground.  My senses were assaulted with earthiness...but to actually capture those sensations in pictures seemed like an impossibility.

At the end of my walk, I opted for the moistened leaves on the ground and sidewalk and a dew-kissed rosebud contrasted by its dying counterpart to showcase earthy...and what is more earthy than an earthworm??

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 24:RED

SEEING RED...

The burning bush has the most brilliant color this time of year, and they can be seen all over.  The images shown here were captured in East Park in Mason City.  The red is such a striking contrast against the blue sky.

The sunny, warm temperatures made the hunt for red October enjoyable and easy.

 STOP!  In the name of RED!

 It was easy-peazy to slide right into the mode of capturing all things red.

Even the cars around me cooperated in my search.

I left no leaf unturned. 

My daughter's art teacher came to my aid by adding some props from her studio.

 I hope you don't think me Twisted to say that I had fun finding red in the most peculiar places for this challenge.

 The right tools for the job are a sharp eye and a fun imagination.

I think this challenge was well red.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 23:SWEET

I am back to my favorite basic food group--DESSERTS! With a theme like "sweet," I could not resist.

The time of year is fast approaching when Starbucks serves their delicious beverages in the red seasonal cups and the Cranberry Bliss Bars are a limited-time delicacy.  I could definitely eat at least four of their-size servings in one sitting.

I even tried a recipe at home for the blissful treats so I could eat the whole pan.  I have to say it was very close to the real thing--and yes, I devoured more than I should have and ended up with a bit of a tummy ache.

While I now know I can make the bars myself, there is definitely something to be said for enjoying the fruits of someone else's labor while sipping a Caramel Macchiato in the coffee house setting.

Another favorite setting of mine is The Blue Belle Inn Bed and Breakfast and Tea Room in St. Ansgar, Iowa.  The sweet dessert creations Sherrie has on the menu are all rich, gourmet, mouthwatering works of art.  My daughter and I usually split a dessert after lunch, and then I have to get another dessert so I have something to eat ;)

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 22:UPSIDE DOWN

This may not look like any spectacular photographic challenge, but the physical aspect was definitely a test of my yoga training.  Let me just say that there was no editing of this image aside from rotating it.  The glass of ice water was not photo-shopped in--it was firmly on the floor as I tipped myself upside down from the sofa cushions and snapped the picture with my iPhone's self-timer.  The red backdrop was a blanket I placed on the couch and floor so as not to detract from the subject of myself and the glass.  Let me also just say that the blood rushes to your head at an incredibly rapid pace in this position.

The other idea I had for the upside down challenge today had to do with reflective properties.  Taking the photo of the quarry from the Day 16 photo challenge, I cropped it and turned it upside down so the reflection of the trees in the water is now right-side up.

cropped and flipped

original

The thought crossed my mind to just take any image from my stock of photos and flip it upside down, but I didn't see much of a challenge in that.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 21:SHINY

It's that time of year

when traditions are near.

The creative carving commences

and there is decorating expenses.

All things shiny are associated with the holidays.

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 20:MOVEMENT

There is a reason I was never a sports photographer...I don't have the equipment or the luck to obtain the perfect action photo.

With a son that was always on the move in one sport or another, I captured what I could over the years...

Weightlifting

Waverunning

Track - Hurdles

Track - Long Jump

Track - 4x4 Relay

Roller Hockey

Baseball

Basketball

Soccer

Ping Pong

Football (blue 85)

Pee Wee Softball

Segway

Swimming in the Ocean

Motorcycle Riding

Horseback Riding

This is a great compilation of all the activities he tried over the years.  Missing from the pictures would be golfing, ultimate Frisbee, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, yo-yo trickery, juggling, mountain biking, and racquetball--all of which he has done.