Inside Out or Outside In

Karen who host the Round Robin Photo Challenge has suggested for this weeks challenge that we photograph something that would normally be seen inside used outside,  or the reverse a outside item being used indoors.  

I knew instantly what I wanted to share because I did just that earlier this spring.  While walking with my cousin around his yard  I snapped some shots of his unusual yard art.  All items that would normally be used or found indoors.  

When was the last time you saw a badly tarnished silver plated

coffee server proudly displayed in a bed of ivy. 

Or a nicely rusted tin urn. 

Or perhaps, a brightly colored ceramic vase. 

Just goes to show that anything can be turned into colorful yard art. 

I suggest you hop on over to Karen's blog and check out what Inside out or outside in items others have found to share.  Perhaps you would even enjoy joining the fun.   Just click here.  

On the Wall

Last year while visiting my Aunt in Dothan, Alabama, we ate at a restaurant that was fairly new in town.  I wrote a post that included a review of the Red Elephant Restaurant.  The post can be found by clicking here. 

During our visit this year, the Red Elephant was one of the places I most wanted to visit again.  Besides having excellent food, I loved that this is a let-your- hair-down, laugh out loud, get-together-with-friends-and-family kinda place.  But, I also had another reason.  During our last visit I fell in love with the paintings on the walls and photographed each of them.  When they were downloaded I found that I had forgotten to change the settings on my camera and some were over exposed.  I was delighted the paintings were still there and I did a better job with my photography this time around.

The paintings are signed simply "Cornbread."  His unique, distinctive style is fresh and playful — it just makes you smile.  They are a perfect compliment to the Red Elephant experience! 

After searching on Google, I learned the painter is John "Cornbread" Anderson, a self taught folk artist who likes to capture the wildlife of his home state of Georgia.  

 Cornbread had no early interest in painting and no formal training but in 1995 he began to render his lively, energetic and colorful work.

Cornbread's work is painted in Acrylics on wood.   

John Cornbread Anderson is rapidly emerging as a popular folk artist and his work is actively being added to many private and corporate collections.  I also found a website selling some of his creations.  When I win the lottery I just might invest in one.  

 All of the above shots were taken by me.  The two below were found on the internet.  

   

This photo of John Cornbread Anderson taken from the website of Southern Visionary Art 

I found this photo on Pinterest in the album of Lori Baker.  I wanted to include it because it shows a wider collection of Cornbread's work on display at an art fair. It shows that wildlife is not all that Cornbread chooses to paint. I like that his work can be found on rugs, statues, pottery and possibly furniture.      

I am joining the Round Robin Photo Challenge this week.  

The challenge for today is "On the Wall" and what better then the colorful and creative work of John Cornbread Anderson. 

I am also linking to Color Connection and color Carnival. 

Round Robin Photo Challenge ---Bridge

Welcome to this week's edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge. The subject is "Bridge" and the timing is perfect. Just so happens I recently got the chance to walk over one of those vast Cantilever-through-truss steel structures, built to allow motor vehicles to cross over one of the most beautiful sections of the Mississippi River between north St. Louis and Madison, Illinois.



This bridge is known as the Chain of Rocks Bridge and was a toll bridge completed in 1929. It became a part of Route 66 in 1936 and was used until 1968 when the opening of the I-270 bridges caused a decline in traffic. Also adding to the decline of the bridge was the fact that it was just too narrow for modern automobiles and trucks. Plus, there is a 22-degree bend in the middle of the bridge (that allowed southbound riverboats to align with the current to avoid crashing into two water intake towers midstream) that was the site of many accidents.





The bridge was closed and sat abandoned for thirty-two years. It was slated for demolition in 1975 but the bad economic market for scrap metal in the mid-seventies rendered the project unprofitable. The bridge was eventually acquired by the city of Madison, Illinois and Trailnet Inc. which raised funds to repair and secure the old structure. It was reopened in 1999 as the Route 66 Bikeway. The one mile expanse is now only open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic and is the world’s longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge.



The bridge's name comes from a large shoal, or rocky rapids, called the Chain of Rocks which makes that part of the Mississippi dangerous to navigate. The bridge was added to the National Register of historic Places in 2006. It was featured in the 1981 movie “Escape From New York” as the 69th Street Bridge. It is a popular spot to watch for eagles during the winter when they congregate along the chain of rocks waterway. The bridge also developed a bad reputation for crimes and violence including a rape and murder while it sat unused.

Old Shot I found of the bridge around 1930.

These two gothic castle-like structures stand in the river just to the south of the bridge and serve as water intakes for the Chain of Rocks Water Treatment Facility, which opened in 1894 and is still in operation today.





Midway across the bridge can be found two signs placed back to back marking the boundary lines between the states of Missouri and Illinois. This is me leaning on one of them.

To check out all the great bridges or join the fun visit Round Robin Photo

Round Robin Photo Challenge ---Look Up/Look Down

Welcome to this week's edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge. The challenge this week is "Look Up/Look Down" suggested by Steven.

I have not been faring very well with the Round Robin challenges for awhile now. I was afraid that I would not capture a suitable photo for this week's challenge either, then suddenly there I was walking on it. Yes, it was right under my feet on the hiking trail at the riverfront park. If it had contained a pebble or a pothole I would have tripped over my entry, but instead, I almost missed it entirely. I am afraid it does not say much for my powers of observation when engrossed in conversation with the Old Salt, for I certainly was not looking down at that moment. If it had not been for the size of this sidewalk art I would have missed it. Instead, spread out on about 180 square feet of blacktop was the entire solar system, as seen through the eyes of two children. I am guessing brother and sister because the artwork was signed with two names containing the same last initial.





Actually, I am lucky to have captured this artwork at all. When I showed the photos to a family member I learned that a wide angle photo of this same artwork had appeared in the last edition of the local newspaper. That meant the artwork was four days old when I discovered it and had been walked and ridden on by countless numbers of people who use the trail each day for exercise. In fact when I compared my shots to the one in the newspaper I realized that dozens of small stars were missing in my pictures. On top of that, we had not set out to walk the trail that day. But plans changed and we ended up near the park, so we decided to take a short walk. Before we returned to our car, it started to rain. It was the first rain in days and, I'm sure, washed away the chalk rendered solar system.

After getting my look down shots of the sidewalk art we had only walked a half dozen steps when this conversation took place: Old Salt, "They are going to make a cross." Me, "What...Who is making a cross." Old Salt, "look up at the sky, those planes are going to make a cross." Sure enough I looked up at the sky just in time to snap four shots of the contrails of the two jets crossing overheard. And sure enough the results were a perfect cross.



So how lucky was that. To get both a Look Up and a Look Down within minutes of each other. Just proves that when out and about you should not ignore what is above your head or right below your feet.

Round Robin Photo Challenge and Weekend Reflections --- Water --- Water

Welcome to this week's edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge and the Weekend Reflections meme. Round Robin is a Saturday meme that comes around every other week and this weeks theme of "WATER" was suggested by Angela of "Chocolate Soup for the Soul." Weekend Reflections takes place each weekend and is hosted by James at "Newtown Daily Photo."

I came across the perfect photo in my archives for this weeks theme at Round Robin. It just happens to also be perfect for a new meme I came across called Weekend Reflections. We don't have to go far to see the country's second largest population of bald eagles. Just about an hour north of us on the Great River Road (Hwy 100) between Alton and Grafton, Illinois. Each year, thousands of eagles migrate to that area. They come for the fish found in the cold waters of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The birds begin arriving in late December and stay until March, so there's plenty of time to do a little eagle watching.

My entry today is a photo taken from the Illinois side of the Mississippi, looking across to Missouri, on a frigid New Years Eve Day in 2005 during a trip to watch the eagles.



To check out all the great water shots visit Round Robin Photo Challenge. To enjoy all the wonderful reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

Round Robin Photo Challenge --- Birds

Welcome to this week's edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge. This is a Saturday meme that comes around every other week.

It has been awhile since I posted to this meme. I haven't had the right photo for it. But, this week's theme is Birds and I have the perfect shot in my archives. This photo was taken at the St. Louis Zoo. I don't recall the name of the little bird but it must like the cold to share its space with the penguins.



You can check out the photo's posted by the other Robin's or join the fun by visiting roundrobinphoto.blogspot.com

Round Robin Photo Challenge --- Looking Up

Welcome to this week's edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge. The theme this week is “Looking Up.” As a short person I always have to look up to complete most tasks. It never occurs to me to look up for photo opportunities. So this week with camera in hand I spent a few hours looking for things above my head. Here is a sampling of a few I thought were interesting. Enlarge to get the best detail.


A couple items found in the trees of my neighborhood.


Light fixture in a restaurant and the moon off our deck


Our deck umbrella during the rain and a tattered old flag flapping in the wind above the same restaurant with the flying saucer style light fixture.

You can check out the photo's posted by the other Robin's or join the fun by visiting roundrobinphoto.blogspot.comd

Round Robin Photo Challenge --- Growing

Growing is the theme for this weeks Round Robin Photo Challenge. I did not have to go any farther then my own yard to find plants in bloom. But, I would rather share with you my sister and brother-in-law's vegetable garden. They plant a garden that is larger then our whole yard. Anything in excess of what is needed for their own use is distributed to many lucky friends, family and needy in the area.

These shots were taken two weeks apart with the first taken two weeks ago and the others yesterday. Everything is definitely growing in this garden.





You can check out the photo's posted by the other Robin's or join the fun by visiting roundrobinphoto.blogspot.com

Round Robin Photo Challenge --- In Flight

Welcome to this weeks edition of Round Robin Photo Challenge. The theme this week is “In Flight” and this time we are specifically looking for something that is in flight.

I choose to write about the first time I took to the skies. My photo was taken in December 2006 during my very first airplane flight. I was sixty years old and had never been west of Kansas City, Missouri. I had made many trips to Lambert Airport to drop off or pick up someone but I had never been on an airplane myself.




Then suddenly on Monday at work I knew, with no uncertainty, that I had to make a trip to California and could not waste any time getting there. During my lunch break I went home and got on my computer and found the best price for a round trip ticket leaving early the next morning. But, why was I in such a rush?

I belonged to several singles websites back then and a very nice man from San Diego had contacted me on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We emailed for a while then we started to talk on the phone each night after I got home from work. It was the best 16 days of my life. Then on the seventeenth day the gentleman told me that he had promised to have a first meeting with a lady he had been talking with for some time. The date for their meeting was coming up soon and he wanted to be honest with me.

I just knew that I had to meet him first and there was not much time. I was working the 2 to 10 pm. shift four days a week. It was Monday and my three days off were coming up. I had to move quickly before I talked myself out of going. So with the ticket purchased I called my guy as usual when I got home. I asked what his plans were for the next day. Then asked if he could meet me at the airport. He was surprised but agreed.

I packed and made the one-hour drive into the airport. Put my car in long term parking and headed for the check-in counter. My flight was scheduled to leave at five AM.
At 4:40 I placed a call to one of my sisters, getting her out of bed. It only took a minute for her to come fully awake when I explained where I was and what I was planning to do. She was convinced I was going to California to meet an ax murderer or worse but she did not have enough time to find a way to stop me. I promised to call her that evening and headed for my plane.

I was so excited (and nervous) that the flight was over before I could calm down. I had no problem spotting my gentleman waiting at the end of the ramp as promised. The Old Salt was much better looking in person than in the photo I was carrying. Those three days seemed like minutes. I returned home to start making plans for a return visit in January. The following March the Old Salt packed all his worldly goods into a Toyota Yaris and as we made the trip from La La Land to my small town in the heart of the Missouri wine country we stopped at a small wedding chapel in Laughlin Nevada long enough to be married.

You can check out the photo's posted by the other Robin's or join the fun by visiting roundrobinphoto.blogspot.com