Tuesday Photo Challenge – Puzzle

Connections to time in Italy through the world of small bricks!

Welcome to week 210 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt motivated, so one might consider this a New Year’s resolution! I’m looking forward to bringing back the challenge and getting reacquainted with all my friends in the blogosphere!

With everything that is going on in this world of ours, I was puzzled to come up with a theme, so why not go with that sense of puzzlement to use the theme of Puzzle? If you like to participate, please share a photo of what might puzzle you or a puzzle that you have solved. As always, feel free to use your imagination on interpretation of the theme.

Looking forward to seeing your interpretations!

Here’s a puzzle I solved during the holiday break…

Thoughts of Italy

As I was buying some Lego kits for a nephew’s Christmas presents, I found some rather interesting kits in the Creator Expert series, such as this Fiat 500. I added a lighting kit to it to create a bit more interest for this display. It was a fun puzzle to solve!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Stay safe and enjoy your puzzles!

Three Line Tales – Thought

Many thanks to Sonya for Week Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight of Three Line Tales, part of her awesome blog Only 100 Words!

three line tales, week 258: a man sitting at a desk with his back to the camera
photo by Thomas Franke via Unsplash

In stillness, creating,
Expression of things fleeting…
Deep thoughts find their way.

****

Thank you to Sonya of Only 100 Words for coming up with Three Line Tales.

You’ll find full guidelines on her TLT page, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
  • Link back to this post.
  • Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
  • Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
  • NEW: If you want your post to be included in the round-up, you have until Sunday evening to publish it.
  • Have fun.

Happy three-lining and Halloween!

Bring on the New Year!

A bit of play with Luminar AI

It’s been a bit of an absence! As we start 2021, let’s see, if I can get going again and revive some of the fun that I had prior to this shutdown of sorts.

First of all, a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to everyone around the globe with fervent wishes that we escape from this virulent frenzy and get back to visiting one another again.

All this lack of travel has been something that I have missed for quite a while, so I’m starting to look at doing something with images from previous trips, which I’ll start with a view from Ireland in 2019:

Cliffs of Kerry

The Cliffs of Kerry are absolutely stunning, and, in my opinion, they rival the Cliffs of Moher, especially, as there’s not nearly the crowds! The view and sense of scale of these cliffs is nothing short of breathtaking!

A little bit about this image, as I did a bit of processing on it. Here’s the (somewhat) original image, which is an HDR composite that was processed using Skylum’s Aurora HDR:

Cliffs of Kerry (HDR only)

This image was then taken into Skylum’s Luminar AI, which is a recent purchase. Luminar AI is very much a version of Luminar with additional very smart bells and whistles, such as lots of templates, skies, etc. With a bit of playing around, I selected the Street Theater template and added some edits to it, which include the Sunset.

Definitely a bit of fun to experiment with this image and impetus to try some other things in the future. As I get more skilled with this new tool, I’ll share more of my findings.

In the mean time, thank you for reading and stay healthy and safe!

A Slow Return

It’s been many months since I’ve posted anything to this blog.

First of all, a big thank you to those who have reached out; I appreciate your concern and apologize for having been so uncommunicative.

Today marks the first day that I will be going back to my office, since all of us were directed to work from home back in March of this year. A phased, slow return is planned to the office, assuming that conditions in Massachusetts continue to progress along the right track. As part of the first wave, I get to be a guinea pig and have the opportunity to get a bit of separation between work and the rest of my life, which has been lacking.

Despite the positive aspect of being able to work, there definitely have been a number of things that have surprised me, as they have taken more of a toll than I expected.

Snowy Desolation

As the return to the office continues, I hope to start a slow return to a normal cadence to my life. As part of this, the Tuesday Photo Challenge will make a comeback. Also, you can expect some posts on non-photography topics, as I am looking to unburden myself from some of that, which has bothered me during this strange, and sometimes stressful time.

I will make an effort to respond to some of your comments over the next couple of weeks as well; thank you for your patience and support!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Return

Return travel…

Welcome to week 209 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Back from a bit of a hiatus, I thought it might be a good idea to celebrate the idea of Return for this week’s theme… Whether it’s the travel to return home, a return to normalcy, the return of a book or a favor… There are many great returns in our lives! Your challenge is to connect one of those returns to an image of your choosing this week. Feel free to take any direction you’d like to take on this theme, and have fun with it!

Looking forward to seeing many happy returns!

Returning to Boston…

Back in Boston…

Upon arrival at Logan Airport from New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, I didn’t expect a large line for luggage, as there were only 5 passengers on the flight… The emptiness of the baggage claim area was stunning! Good news, is that as I walked to the carousel, my bag came out and I was outside in seconds to meet my wife!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Stay safe, healthy and let’s work toward a return to our preferred state of being!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 207

No lines, no waiting…

Welcome to the 207th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Thank you all for the well-wishes. As I catch up, I’ll still owe you round up 208 for later this week, and the delayed 209th Tuesday Photo Challenge is arriving in a couple of hours. We will get back to normal!

Your Travels were filled with reminiscences of places past and hope for places future; one thing that came through loud and clear in all of your posts is how travel expands our view of the world and connects us as people of this planet. Covering the distance brings us closer…

Thank you for all the work you put into your posts!! I truly enjoyed reading them.

Travel looks very different these days…

The Air is Out of Travel…

The otherwise busy Terminal A at Boston Logan Airport of a Friday afternoon… It was a rather eerie feeling to have no trouble with social distancing, as there were very few travelers. As my flight would take me out of the country, there was a significant number of checks that were made to ensure that I was not going to be sent back on arrival in the Netherlands. After I cleared that hurdle, I had to take this photo to give a sense of the emptiness of the terminal…

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

  1. Na’ama starts off the posts on the Travel theme with a wonderful poem that really touched me, which is also beautifully in tune with the great image in Na’ama Yehuda.
  2. Maria reminisces of travels taken in her post in Kamerapromenader; that rainbow over the Isle of Skye should result in money!
  3. Nandini has us traveling not only across space, but also time in her post in queennandini; wonderful haikus and images!
  4. We travel into Spring without fear in a wonderful post in The Jesh Studio, which is something that all of us can appreciate!
  5. Osceola, Iowa, looks rather inviting in a great post in Does Writing Excuse Watching. All that space might take away the sense of social distance!
  6. Viveka definitely put together a great post in myguiltypleasures! She reminds us of both the pros and cons of traveling…I know a fix for those queues!
  7. Jackie is ready to float leisurely down the Danube in her post in JunkBoat Travels; looks like it was a wonderful trip!
  8. Diane’s post in pensivity101 tells of travel in a very big way, as her solo trip to visit her brother in New Zealand was indeed a grand trip!
  9. Kammie keeps her travel local in a wonderful post in Nut House Central; walking those local trails is always full of enjoyment!
  10. The travels shown in the magnificent post in Wanderlust and Wonderment has me filled with awe! There are some places that I have visited, but there are some that are very high on my list, such as Abu Simbel!
  11. The travel mode highlighted in the lovely post in Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery is one that I can see enjoying…all the comforts of home, wherever you go!
  12. Sarah features a heap of color in her post in By Sarah, as those well-worn, travel-weary tires have settled with a bit of paint!
  13. Another interesting mode of travel is documented with a magnificent photo in theOnlyD800intheHameau; I expect that I might also find it unsettling…
  14. David shares stunning photos of some travelers, who are not affected by any travel ban in his post in David M’s Photoblog; those birds are some of the champions of logging travel miles!
  15. Bren takes us to a rather unusual location in her post in Brashley Photography; Lombard street is a sight to behold and Bren’s capture of the scene is simply fantastic!
  16. Teresa takes us to the heights of Switzerland in her travel post in My Camera & I, which makes me want to wander among those Alps!
  17. The post in Don’t Hold Your Breath takes us across a decade of Summer travel to many amazing locations! Great collection of images!
  18. Ken shows us that travel doesn’t have to be far in his post in Pictures without Film; Brynna common on a Winter solstice morning looks breathtaking!
  19. Alice takes us back to one of her travels in a lovely post in the59Club; Berlin is among my favorite cities with lots to offer to tourists.
  20. Woolly may have to postpone this year’s visit to Africa, so we’ll just enjoy his photos from a prior trip in WoollyMuses! I sincerely hope that this postponement is temporary, as I’d love to see more photos!
  21. Nicole really captures the essence of Brittany with the wonderful photo in her post in Une Photo, Un Poéme! What a stunning scene!
  22. Rupali expresses a sentiment in her post in Mazeepuran that is shared by many of us: we miss our travel! Wonderful post!
  23. In another wonderful post in Land of Images, we get to experience Travel – Nae Moor; may you Ferry Well!
  24. Anne shares a magnificent set of travel images in her post in HorseAddict; her post reminds me why I too want to visit Cambodia!
  25. Aseem put together a great post in his blog Transition of Thoughts, as he connects the Brooklyn night with 100 words!
  26. Sandy takes us along for a trip to the Rockies in her post in Out of my Write Mind; they are filled with stunning beauty!
  27. Klara takes us to Helsinki in her post in Sliku Svoju Ljubim II, where the lanterns are carried in stony silence.
  28. Marie takes her heart, and mine, back to Italy in a lovely post in The New 3R’s: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect! Gorgeous view!
  29. Sheetal also takes us to Italy, as she gives a wonderful recounting of travels through Tuscany in her photos in SheetalBravon; I remember Sienna and its amazing staircases very well!
  30. Brian appears to be looking wistfully toward the sky as planes fly over in his post in Bushboy’s World; like the Beatles, we’d rather be flying!
  31. Tatiana takes us up to Nova Scotia in her post in Travelways; there, we go back in time in Sherbrooke Village to see how the pioneers lived.
  32. In myTravelCSP, there’s an abundance of wonderful travels that we join; lovely post!
  33. Xenia takes us to those precious places in a wonderful post in whippetwisdom, as both dog and human look for these locales.

Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 206

Reach up and rise!

Welcome to the 206th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

My apologies for the very late posting of this round up; I’m finally coming up for air amidst all the business goings-on that are flowing forth from this pandemic of ours. I hope that you and yours are doing well during this testing time. At this point, I’ve recovered from the unusual experience of air travel during coronavirus adjustments.

Thank you for the amazing responses to the theme of Hope; as always, your creativity shows itself in many different expressions. Each with its own unique flavor and outlook.

Hope is around us, wherever we look…

Springing forth toward the sky…

Tower Hill Botanic Garden might be closed during this period, but rest assured that Nature’s design is not thwarted by any virus, as Nature, like all of us, might have to take a different path, as a destiny filled with hope lies ahead.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

  1. Michelle kicks things off for the theme with a great photo of rose apple in bloom in Take a Walk…and Discover! Awesome shot filled with hope!
  2. There’s nothing like the hope of that special bit of fortune at the races, as we see pictured in theOnlyD800intheHameau; is it a sure bet?
  3. Diane reminds us that each dawn brings new hope in her wonderful post in pensivity101; lovely post and photos!
  4. Bren brings us an absolutely stunning shot in her post in Brashley Photography; the magnolia blossom bud really brings the hope of Spring!
  5. Tatiana shares an amazing shot in her post in Giftsmart; the composition and colors just jump off the screen!
  6. Spring may be hiding, as we see in a great post in The Jesh Studio, but I expect that we’re hoping for its beauty and warming breezes everywhere!
  7. Carol brings us hope on the wing in her post in Light Words; that shot of the monarch butterfly is stunning and screams Spring!
  8. Nandini continues with her great haikus in her post in queennandini; she has a knack for them and lets the hope shine through!
  9. Viveka reminds us to appreciate the hope in our current situation and what people do to ensure we don’t lose sight of what’s important in a wonderful post in myguiltypleasures; thank you!
  10. Jackie’s collection of photos in JunkBoat Travels literally brings us signs of hope in several different ways; great post!
  11. There’s definitely a place where hope comes from, as highlight in a cool post in Does Writing Excuse Watching… star nurseries are the creators of the stuff that life is made of!
  12. Marianne brings us the hopeful vision of flowers in the Spring in her post in Kanlaon; those are truly beautiful!
  13. Hannah shares another stunning photo in her post in Zebra’s Child; hope very much springs alive in this image! Of course, Hannah brings us even more beauty in another post in Zebra’s Child that is filled with hope!
  14. Xenia’s post in whippetwisdom emphasizes how dog and human provide support for one another; they fill us with hope, as much as we provide it for them! In a second post in Tranature, we are treated to some more photos taken through the sphere lens…they are gorgeous!
  15. Teressa brings us the hope of renewal, as she highlights some of the forms that it might take in Nature in Another LQQk; wonderful post!
  16. Sandy demonstrates that hope springs forth in her post in Out of my Write Mind; not only from the ground, but also from her mind!
  17. In a wonderful post in Peace of Life Today, Lisa shows us a true vision of hope in all of Nature’s glory!
  18. Come to me, says the spider in a beautiful photo in Land of Images, where same spider holds out hope: for a meal!
  19. Mark shares an absolutely stunning shot in his post in Schlink’s Shots; the tenderness of the little flower is filled with hope!
  20. Sarah brings us a gorgeous shot of Australian Wattle in her post in By Sarah; the gentle shade of yellow cannot help, but bring hope!
  21. Nicole’s lovely photo in her post in Une Photo, Un Poéme brings us hope for life on many levels: the flower, the bee, and ultimately, all of us!
  22. For this theme there’s another wonderful post in Don’t Hold Your Breath! Not only do we get to see more birds during this quiet, but we also get to hear them in this post! Thank you!
  23. Ken’s photo in Pictures without Film is filled with the luminescence that radiates the power of life from its every pixel; amazing shot!
  24. Cee always brings out some of the best in photography, and her photos in the post in Cee’s Photo Challenges are just fantastic!
  25. Hope emanates from every image in another lovely post in A Day in the Life; skipping along the beach is just one of those rare pleasures!!
  26. Deb has an eye for the unusual, as we can see in her photo in Twenty Four; the tableau is rather unusual, and evokes bon esperance!
  27. Ann-Christine finds a rather convincing array of hope in her post in To see a world in a grain of sand…! And I agree that hope will spread across the world!
  28. Woolly puts his sense of humor on full display in another great post in WoollyMuses! It reminds me of something a pilot once told me: Any landing that you can walk away from is a good landing…
  29. Debbie always manages to bring hope in her posts in ForgivingConnects, as she has worked through some difficult things in her life, and come out stronger and filled with hope! Inspirational!
  30. Brian not only brings us hope with the rainbow in his post in Bushboy’s World, but he also shares a stellar Hope and Glory!
  31. Jennifer shares her vision of hope in a great post in Jennifer Kelland Perry, Author; another great blog to follow!
  32. Louise’s post in Dare Boldly is absolutely filled with inspiration; if any post is worth the read, this one is it!
  33. Maria brings us a stunning flower in her post in Kamerapromenader; the wood anemone inspires us with its hope!
  34. Rita’s beautiful photo in Heart to Heart shares the hope of renewal with the trees that were topless in Winter; may their Spring cloak grow with abundance!

Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Animals

Which animals keep you sane?

Welcome to week 208 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

First, a quick update. Thank you all for the wonderful wishes and sympathy that you shared; I very much appreciate it. At this point, I’ve been in the Netherlands just over a week and things are beginning to settle into a routine again, as I’m balancing working with helping out with all that needs to be wrapped up for my mom’s estate. I never realized how much time can be involved in all this! I’ll get back into a rhythm and will wrap up the missing round ups over the next 2 days.

In getting back to a Tuesday Photo Challenge, I’m taking a bit of a short-cut in that I’m recycling a theme from week 40: Animals! The reason for this is that during this unusual time, I find that animals are a great source of comfort and normalcy for many of us, so I thought it might be good to celebrate them. For this challenge, I look forward to your photos, stories and posts about the animals around us.

I’ll be very much enjoying your shared experiences with animals!!

Up close and all at ease…

Grazing and Relaxed

This is one of my sister’s horses, who have a fairly leisurely lifestyle and enjoy their people time!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Stay safe and enjoy your time with the animals!

Memories of Good Times

A final farewell

A quick note to let you know why there some delays over the pass week. After a short stay in hospice, my mother passed away last week. There are many great times and wonderful memories for all of us to hold on to as we celebrate her life this week.

I succeeded in traveling to the Netherlands at the end of the week, so that I can be here for a final farewell. We’ll miss her!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Travel

Virtual trip around the world?

Welcome to week 207 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

In deciding on a theme for this week, there was something that led me to the choice of Travel. As most of use are not traveling at the moment, it might be nice to travel virtually through our various blogs and share some of those enjoyed moments with each other. So, let’s share some of those wonderful places that we have visited in this week’s challenge!

Very much looking forward to seeing all those great places!

Here’s a place that is dear to my heart…

Centraal Station, Rotterdam

The Centraal Station in Rotterdam is a magnificent transportation hub that is a great connector of all modes of transportation and filled with traffic during good times!

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Please be safe, communicate with one another and bring hope to all!