Standing Into Danger

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

IWSG: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 ~ A Second Creative Passion

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Diedre Knight,

Lisa Buie Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's featured question is:

What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

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Happy November, Everyone!

An easy question ~ yay!

I am as passionate about photography as I am about writing,

and I indulge in photography almost every day.

I took my first photograph when I was four

and living in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

I was visiting my Great Uncle Chester's home in St. Peter's Bay

and snapped a photo of some hens in his farmyard

with my father's Brownie Hawkeye camera.

I was thrilled when Dad showed me the developed photo.

I can see that photo clearly in my mind, but I have no idea where it went.

When I started Grade 9 in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, my father gave me his old Hawkeye

with the understanding that I would have to pay for any films I developed.

My babysitting and odd jobs supported my passion, and I never looked back.

This is the first photo I deliberately took containing a reflection.

The St. Mary's River had flooded our property in Stillwater just outside of Sherbrooke.

Stillwater, Nova Scotia, Canada

Spring 1965 or 1966

Now I use my iPhone as my camera, and I edit my photos with Apple's Photos.

I'm a generalist which means I'll photograph anything.

I like to joke that I'll photograph anything that's alive or isn't.

I especially enjoy editing my photos, because that is where my creativity comes in.

Yes, I can be creative in how I frame my shots,

but often I can't see the image on my iPhone when I'm shooting

or I'm snapping a quick, candid shot of something that's happening.

Unfortunately, I can no longer see with a single-lens reflex camera (SLR),

and a self-focusing lens has been a godsend.

When my vision was scrambled by thyroid strabismus,

I became very skilled at point-and-shoot photography,

and I could capture most of the things I wanted to photograph.

Some people say that I'm not a real photographer

because I rely on my iPhone to take photos and I edit them on my computer.

I disagree. It's the creative mind behind the tools that counts.

I consider their criticism of me as a photographer their problem.

What matters to me is the pleasure I experience with photography

and the joy I have when I share my photographs with others.

I have taken many photographs I am proud of.

I'm sharing one of thousands,

and I'm sharing it because of the intense fear I felt when taking it.

I do not like heights!

This Tourist Looks Down
from the top of the Duomo's Cupola

Florence, Italy

September 2018

It's been crazy at our place for several weeks,

and I had to take a brief break from blogging.

It's all good. Everything is resolved.

I feel like things are mostly under control again.

I am very excited about my new Forester!

(Well, it's both Terry's and mine, because we're going to make one car work for us.)

I haven't had a new car for me in about 45 years!!!

That pretty gray 2025 Forester above the fisherman across Clear Creek is mine! (Ours)

Our new Forester!
Clear Creek Canyon Park

Colorado USA

October 27, 2024

I have some catching up to do! I'm thinking of you, Rida!

Wishing each of you a fun IWSG Day.

A big thank you to our awesome co-hosts today.

Have a healthy, happy, and creative November!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be November 15th!🤞

Friday, October 18, 2024

A Brief Break

Happy Friday! I'm so glad that it's Friday!

I need to take a brief blog break.

Everything's okay. I just need to step aside for a couple of weeks.

I'll be back on Wednesday, November 6th for IWSG Day.

That's the day after our presidential election.

I hope everything goes smoothly, peacefully,

before, during, and after the voting.

If you celebrate Halloween, have fun!

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

For Rain: Vampire ~ I searched my photo collection and came up with one image, an oldie and a favorite, the one and only Grumpy Cat, commenting on vampire movies. I truly miss this character who always made me laugh.

Gone But Not Forgotten

A Grumpy Cat Calendar

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

January 21 ,2016

For Tom: The Spirit of Aloha ~ Terry walks along a trail near the Marriott in ‎⁨beautiful Wailea⁩.

Hawaii is a special place filled with the spirit of aloha.

Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, USA

January 18, 2023

For Nicole: Her Kind of Face ~ I saw this skull in the Wynn and immediately thought of Nicole.

Window Display

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 3, 2024

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Wednesday, November 6th 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, October 11, 2024

Semi-Random

It's a semi-random post today, because I've had another hectic week.

We visited Las Vegas the week before last, a quick and unexpected three-night trip

to visit friends of ours from various places.

So I'm sharing some photos from our trip ~ Probably more than I should.

Taxiing to Take Off

I love when I can catch the canopy of Jeppesen Terminal

reflected in the whale's tail of the Westin Hotel.

Denver International Airport

Denver, Colorado, USA

September 30, 2024

Back to ever-fascinating Cloud Land where golden aspen tinted the flanks of mountains.

White River National Forest

Near Gypsum, Colorado, USA

September 30, 2024

I'm dreading when Southwest Airlines goes back to assigned seats.

I love snagging a window seat on the correct side of the plane

to see my favorite geological feature, the amazing Waterpocket fold

on the east side of Capitol Reef National Park and its adjacent Strike Valley.

If you're interested in the geology click here.

Waterpocket Fold

Capitol Reef National Park

South-central Utah, USA

September 30, 2024

Watching the action at Harry Reid International Airport is always fun

for this airplane-junkie, as Terry and I wait our turn to exit from the back of the plane

where I found a good window seat for photography.

Southwest Terminal

Harry Reid International Airport

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

It's always fun to see how Vegas hotels are decorated, although I have to say

that the Encore's lobby has one of the strangest lamps I've ever seen.

Checking in at the Encore

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

Terry and I are budget travelers, so this gorgeous room in the Encore

was a rare luxury, and perhaps, the most beautiful room we've ever stayed in.

I could get used to this ~ lol!

Our Room the Encore

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

Terry Connects to the Internet

Pure Luxury!

The big hotels lining the Strip are filled with high-end stores,

because many people enjoy shopping when they visit Vegas.

I enjoy window shopping, although some items have me scratching my head.

Like these shoes ~

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

And these ~

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

Butterflies are found throughout the Encore, like these inlaid beauties in the floor.

A Floor the Encore

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

I could lie in bed and watch the ever-changing Sphere for hours.

The View from Our Room in Encore

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

Connecting with friends and one well-traveled monkey, Jacques.

Catherine and Harvey, Two Good Buds from the East Coast

Andiamo Steakhouse at the D

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

September 30, 2024

We do the same things over and over, but it's always fun,

and I love the crowd-pleasing bands on Fremont Street.

Nick Burbey (lead guitar), Daniel Conway (drums) and Rich Embry (vocals)

Alter Ego

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

October 1, 2024

I like to get right up by the stage where I can watch

the interaction among the band members and the roadies.

This lighting technician was playing the lightboard like an instrument.

Working the Lightboard

for Alter Ego

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

October 1, 2024

DC, Daniel Conway, Takes a Bow at the End of the Show

Alter Ego

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

October 1, 2024

I've watched all the resident Fremont Street bands many times,

so it's really fun when different band members substitute for each other.

Life happens to everyone, but the show must go on.

I was surprised and delighted when I found Jeff St. Germain of Stays in Vegas

substituting for Alter Ego's front man Rich Embry.

(I had just missed his band, another favorite, by one day.)

Rich and Jeff are two completely different singers,

but both are talented and crowd-engaging show men.

It was fascinating to watch this consummate professional step in for Rich

and to see how the band members made set and song changes work almost seamlessly.

Rich Embry's Alter Ego Jeff St. Germain

Alter Ego

Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

October 2, 2024

And I saw one of my favorite regulars on Fremont Street ~

a street sweeper who makes his job fun and delights visitors.

Do You Think I'm Sexy ~ lol!

October 2, 2024

Sometimes a flyer comes to a stop on the SlotZilla Zipline and has to be rescued.

"What? Me?" She Laughs

October 2, 2024

To the Rescue

October 2, 2024

Illyria Strakhov takes a break from balancing on top of many glasses,

as a member of the crowd demonstrates her acrobatic skills.

Wow!

October 2, 2024

All too soon it's time to wave goodbye.

Leaving Las Vegas

October 3 2024

The rocks outside Vegas are phenomenal!

Just north of Lake Mead we fly by Hamblin Mountain,

the western lobe of an ancient stratovolcano that formed

during the Late Miocene, 11-15 million years ago.

Later, faults split the Cleopatra-Hamblin stratovolcano into three large sections.

The Black Volcanic Rocks of Hamblin Mountain

and the Red Aztec Sandstones Formed from Jurassic Sand Dunes

Pinto Valley Wilderness, Nevada, USA

October 3, 2024

Sometimes we fly into Denver International Airport on a more southerly route.

Then, if I'm lucky, I can spot our home and our favorite Parkway Bar and Grill.

Almost Home!

October 3, 2024

Where Our Garbage Goes

Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site (DADS) Landfill

October 3, 2024

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

For Rain: Receding Hare Line ~ I immediately thought of Rain when I spotted this in a beautiful contemporary gallery in the Wynn. Unfortunately, I forgot to write down the artist's name.