Braids, Beards and Unique Hair

I've been blogging for seven years.  I only began looking for ways to share the photos I was taking in 2009.  One of the first photographic meme's I got hooked on was The Saturday Photo Hunt.  Back then, I went out of my way to find a shot that fit each week's theme.  My life got hectic and more memes came along that interested me. I reached the point where choices had to be made.  Now I only contribute to a blog hop or meme if I already have a suitable photo for it.  Needless to say, I don't participate in the Saturday Photo Hunt as often now.   

I have to admit I miss all the plotting, planning and running I used to do to guarantee I had a good picture to share on the Photo Hunt.  Regrettably, time and health no longer allow me to do that. I was delighted when I saw that "Hairy" was the theme this week.  That is certainly a subject I am prepared to participate in.  I hope my faithful followers will forgive seeing this subject two days in a row. 

I'll shut up now and share a few of my more memorable shots of "Hair" for this weeks "Hairy" theme at the Saturday Photo Hunt.  

I captured this shot of the Old Salt talking to a lady in the tobacco shop almost five years ago.  This lady told us that in her entire life she has never done more then trim her "split ends."  Just so you can guess the length of her braid, she is over six feet tall.  I still occasionally see her around town and she has not cut her hair.   

I met this lady waiting in line during a picnic held at my brother's church.  I  photographed both of these amazing braids the same week and these two ladies are responsible for giving me the idea for the "Braid Parade" on my sidebar.   

I took several shots of this gentleman at the Town and Country Fair. When I decided to go ask him about his beard the Old Salt photographed us. This man has not shaved since returning from military service in the seventies.   His beard is the one that got me interested in men's facial hair and led to the "Hit Parade of Beards" on my sidebar.  I started the beard parade with ten beards and now have about two hundred in my collection. Not all make the parade for a variety of reasons.  When I published that first beard parade I got a call from one of my brothers informing me he knew this man and four others. They are all members of the same civic group.  

This gentleman is one of my most recent additions to the beard collection.  I ran into him coming out of the grocery store. He told me the last time he shaved was thirty-five years ago. He shaved so the woman he had just proposed to could see what he looked like without the beard.  He quickly grew it back and has had it every since.   

This  is certainly not a good photo, but, it is the only shot I have managed to get of this young lady.    I see her walking around town often and she can't be missed with that bright red hair. I've just never been in the right place to get a good photo of her.  When I took this shot she was walking several blocks down the road.  My lens was not long enough for that perfect shot.  

This young man was a fellow passenger on the Gateway River Boat Cruise we took two years ago. The tour leaves from the foot of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and travels up and down the Mississippi River several times each day.  
  

This is Misty and I just met her today.  She was walking down the sidewalk and I pulled over and ask if I could take her photograph.  Misty told me she had to make several trips to the hair salon to get this shade of purple.  Misty also said her hair color was inspired by the book "The Color Purple."  

Linking to the Saturday Photo Hunt 

This weeks them is "Hairy."

Friday Fragments 214

Welcome to another week of Friday Fragments. 

Our society is doomed. 

I spent a good part of my working life in big box stores. The last being the Wal-Mart in my town.  I have  co-workers and friends who have been transferred around the country who keep me informed about the craziness that goes on in this company.  One sent me this photo yesterday.  It was supposedly taken in a Wal-Mart store in Wiggins, Mississippi.  Not wanting to share something that could be a joke I called the Wal-mart in Wiggins and was assured by the lady answering the phone that this sign is real.  The lady I spoke with said this sign was not in her store because it was closing soon but was in the new store that just opened outside of town. She also told me that she had personally seen these signs in other Wal-marts in Mississippi and some of the states along the gulf coast. 
   
Are we really this illiterate in this country?  Maybe  the non-english reading people on the gulf coast have become a big enough demographic to warrant a helpful sign. Of the two choices, I sincerely hope the latter is correct.

                                               ^*^*^*^

The Old Salt and I each spent the biggest part of the last years of our working life working graveyard shifts.  As a result we tend to still be nocturnal, usually crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning.  It is rare to find us out and about before noon.  Yesterday, we were not only up, dressed and out of the house, we had already been to breakfast and were on the hiking trail that circles Lion's lake when the sun began to rise.  The above shot was taken just before seven AM. 

   ^*^*^*^

For the last decade or so I have not been a big fan of celebrating my own birthday.  I am also starting to dislike celebrating the birthdays of other family members.  I am the oldest of thirteen children.  Last month we celebrated the fiftieth birthday of the eleventh child.  Tomorrow we will be attending the (Shh! It's a surprise) sixtieth birthday party of the fifth child and his wife who were both born a few weeks apart and met in high school.  Watching my siblings celebrate those milestone birthdays just brings home how old I really am and how much of what I expected to accomplish in my life has not and probably will not happen.  The phrase "Bucket List" was coined not that many years ago, but, it feels as if it has been with me (chronic list maker) forever. I am constantly being slapped upside the head by the length of it.  

Mom, last month, with her second
youngest great-grandchild

While on the subject of age, my 87 year old mother still bowls twice a week.  I went to pick her up at the bowling alley yesterday and was a bit early so I was hanging out watching the action.  I always figured she was the oldest woman on the senior leagues and discovered I was wrong.  I met another lady who told told me she will be ninety in January and she has already been the high scorer twice this season.   I so hope that longevity passes down my way.     

                                                 

I recently received two very great honors from two of my blogging buddies.  The first was from Laura of Forest Walk Art  who gave me permission to post this photo of her and her husband on my "Braid Parade" slideshow. The other was from Beth of E. Lizard Breath Speaks who has agreed to share this lovely photo of her in this great hat on my "Hat Parade."  Thank you both.  They are great photos and I am proud to have them in my collection.  If any of you would like to be included in one of my "Parades" you will find my e-mail on the sidebar, just e-mail me a photo.  If you have missed my Parades, perhaps now is the time to take a peek.  When your finished there hop over to "Half Past Kissing Time" and check out what Mrs. 4444's and her friends have to share on this weeks Friday Fragments. 

Do Hats Count

Over at the Friday Photo Challenge this weeks theme is "Clothing."  Now I may be going to bend the rules or outright break them but, I am going to feature hats as my form of clothing.  I hope everyone will let me get away with this and not chastise me with comments like "You dummy hats are an accessory."  I know that but, lets get real.  Clothing is something your wear and you have to wear a hat.  Clothing is something you use to cover your body and a hat covers part of your body.  So, just for today  I am making hats a form of clothing.      

For all of my regular visitors and followers I have a question.  Have you ever checked out my sidebar?  If not then you are missing out on my slideshow parades.  I currently have two parades and I'm in the process of adding two more.  For quite a while I have been featuring "The Parade of Beards" and "The Hat Parade."  Soon you will also find "The Braid Parade" and "The Parade of T-shirts."  

 I have written a few post over the years about how I love seeing a man wearing a really nice hat.  A real hat and not one of those (in my opinion) shameful, discussing (and almost always filthy) baseball caps. I have also written about how men no longer have the same manners that our fathers and grandfathers did, especially when it comes to hat etiquette.  Okay, so I am an old lady that doesn't want to accept the new modern casual styles.  I grew up on the tail end of when both genders were not properly dressed without a hat.  Perhaps, it is because unlike younger women I remember how it felt to be around men that had style, class and manners.   I admit there have been occasions (and I'm sure more to come) when I want to go snatch the hat right off the head of a man who does not respect the rules. And, yes I have gotten up and changed seats in a movie theater because of some dumbo who would not remove his hat.  

Now, to get you interested in my "Hat Parade" and maybe once again interested in encouraging the men in your life to buy and wear a great looking hat I have picked out a small sampling of the over one hundred hats in my parade for your viewing pleasure.   

First, I have snuck in a few of the Old Salt

 Even a few of me 

 There are some cute kiddies 

 some hats for celebrating 

 Even some that are required for work 

  Hats that are worn for comfort or safety

 Some that are unique or just plain fun 

Plus, lots and lots that are smart, stylish, debonaire, attractive, sophisticated, have panache or are just downright sexy.

So hop on over to my sidebar and check out my "Hat Parade" or even the  "Parade of Beards."  And don't forget to watch for the two new parades that will be coming in the next few weeks.

I am linking this post to Photo Friday.