O’Dark:Thirty

Rock the vote!

Got up early Saturday morning to head out for my photo hike. I had an ulterior motive to propel me out of the door before 7 a.m. Florida’s early voting began this morning too. Polls opened at a new precinct in the city where I live, and I went to perform my civic duty and cast a ballot.

Timing was on my side, and I was the very first person to vote… #00001. I was disappointed that there wasn’t any glitter or confetti to commemorate the auspicious occasion. Cake or coffee would have been welcome too, but alas I had to settle for stopping at a local donut shack for an apple fritter.

You know I had to ask, but they wouldn’t let me snap a picture of my inaugural ballot being accepted into the counting machine.

Getting out that early also afforded me the opportunity to snag a sunrise shot, and some pix at the beach when the lighting was muted. Mornings and late afternoons can create some wonderful shadows. The ambient light cast a sepia-like tone to the scenery.

Break of day

Good morning

Rolling in the deep

Sepia kinda day

Sunshine on the water

Mottled skies

Tempest coming

Winging it

(Photos shot with a Nikon D60, using an 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 20mm f/2.8 wide-angle, 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, Nikon CoolPix S205 and/or iPhone4)

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photostream.

To see other city scenes from around the world, check out Unknown Mami’s Sundays in My City. Don’t forget to show the love to Mami and the other City contributors.

Hobbies – 365 Week 3

For my 365 Project this week, I featured shots that illustrated some of my favorite pastimes, my hobbies.

The pic of my Chocolate Lab snoozing depicts my love of a good nap. If you thought I would include a shot of myself sleeping, all drooling and bad bed head… yeah, that just wasn’t gonna happen.

“Maelstrom” was a taken while trailing hiking at a local state park. I try to go for a hike at least once a week. Gets me out of the house (and off the streets) and I get to engage in another favorite hobby – photography.

I also like to make jewelry. Stringing and wire-wrapping beads, to create one-of-a-kind bracelets and necklaces. I give most of these away to friends and relatives. This is a piece I’m making with some fan shells I found on one of our local beaches.

The yarn and hook shot is from a crochet project I started before Christmas. I hope to finish it before it turns warm again. Not holding out any hope on that one, I get bored quickly.

It’s ironic that I took a photo of the stacks at my local library to feature my love of books. I have SO many books at home I could open my own library. Books piled two-, three-foot high by my bedside are just waiting to be read. I love a good story, and have promised myself to read more, without actually buying any more new books.

Never underestimate the calming nature of a 64-count box of Crayolas. That familiar scent alone can lower my blood pressure. It’s no wonder kids love to color.

The featured shot this week is my collection of rosaries. I’ve talked about them before, and since last time, have added several new ones.

My family doesn’t understand my fascination with these eclectic strings of beads. I explained it like this to my Southern Baptist mother: each one is a beautiful work of art, that alone is reason enough to collect them. But imagine… each of these is a vintage piece, presumably used for many years. Think of all the prayers each one holds. It’s humbling to be the caretaker of that kind of repository.

I have more than two dozen rosaries and am always looking for more. I find the majority of them in thrift shops and antique stores. I only wish I knew the history behind each one…

Prayer filled

Hobbies

1. lifeisgoodWM, 2. maelstrom, 3. hobbyJWM, 4. hobby2WM, 5. oldfriendsWM, 6. crayolas3WM