I can hear John Denver

This photo goes way back to, I think, the summer before my freshman year of college. I went on a mission trip called Appalachia Service Project with my church. We went to up to the smokies to repair homes for deserving families. The Appalachia area we visited (where Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky all come together) is a beautiful part of the country, despite its run down nature.

One morning our team had to stop for gas en route to our site. I jumped out to take photos. These were my early photo days, with my original Canon. I found this suspension bridge that just barely skimmed over a rocky stream. I can't imagine having to walk across it. A few of us gave it a shot for a couple steps, but couldn't make ourselves go too far. Plus it was probably some mountain mama's personal bridge that wasn't made for a bunch of city kids to be playing on.

Kid at heart

This is my friend, Andrea Moon. Andrea falls under the adult-kiddo category, as I think comes through in the photograph. We went to Lake Chelan, Washington one weekend last summer to get away from the hussle and bussle of Seattle proper. It was fantastic out there. Earlier in the week Andrea had seeked out tire tubes for us to float in the lake with. And in true Andrea-form she found a new use for them. I looked over while enjoying my Saturday morning cup of joe and there was Andrea hidden in three tubes, her head barely poking out. And with the fish eye lens we had rented for the weekend I had found the perfect moment to capture Andrea as herself. May we all find the kid in us.

Finger clouds

I am walking home from work the other day and I look up and this is what I see. Four small clouds stroking across the sky. It was as if someone had run their fingertips through the sky, like you would in the sand. I instantly stopped to get my camera out. Luckily I had it with me that day. I took my photo and then moved along. Then I looked back from where I had just been and several other people were taking photos with their camera phones. Guess I wasn't the only that thought it was beautiful.

Open spaces

We took a tour last week to the new Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. It was a fairly cool building. What was most interesting about it was throughout there were open volumes from first to third floor. This is a photo of one of open spaces, although you probably can't tell. The left of the photo is the stairs, and the right of the photo is the railing on the upper level where the stairs lead to.

I enjoyed visiting the building, not really for the building itself, but because there were all these little art kids running around in their skinny jeans with messy hair playing in the metal shop or studio. They were like little baby hippies, modern hippies, but hippies still. It was cute. Hopefully this school will teach them to develop their craft early so when in college they can find a great ways to apply it.

Inner oxymoron

A couple of Saturdays ago I decided to take a self portrait. I was wearing my favorite thift store black tee that day and it just felt right. I was in a hipster mood that afternoon running around town taking photos, while also craving a starbucks. Wait, you say, hipster meets corporate coffee? You bet. In many ways that is me, a contradiction. I'll wear chacos and go rock climbing one day, then wake up the next and put on my skirt and heals and head to work. And I'd classify both as "me". This personal photoshoot prompted me to want to start a portrait series of my friends, exposing their inner oxymoron. Because really, who wants to fit a mold anyway?

Against store policy

So this is a good one. I go to Borders the other night (the same night I went to the MADI museum). I got a cup of holilday-joe then I wandered around the store. Naturally I decided to take photos. I snap away for about five minutes then the store manager asks me to stop taking pictures because it is against store policy. I was surprised because I didn't seem to be bothering anyone. I'm reminded of my snow cone post. We crazy photographers, we are so mysterious.

Slopes of color

This photo also comes from the MADI museum. In the plaza in front of the entry there is this awesome metal sculpture. It is composed of square metal tubes. They all slightly rotate creating slopes that intersect. And at night this sculpture soaks up all the light around in the plaza. And with a slow shutter I so did I.

Museum for the madi

There is this very colorful place down near Turtle Creek that I have always passed at night wondering what in the world it is. Well I went on an adventure to find out. It was actually a museum, a museum for a form of art I had never heard of, MADI art.

MADI art focuses on geometry and bright colors, two of my favorite things. The movement began in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1940s under Vol Froitman. Movement seems to be a bit of generous phrase as it doesn't seem to have many followers. The museum in Dallas is one of only a few museums dedicated to MADI. And, I am still unclear on the origin of the "MADI" phrase, but some on the internet seem to think it comes from the spanish description of the movement, "Movimiento Artistico De Invencion." I can't wait to actually go to the museum on a visit. From the looks of it, the inside will have some really cool works on display.

Morning makeup

What? Ashley is writing about makeup? I know you are all confused. I have never been a big makeup girl, but I do like to wear it, and I can absolutely tell a difference when I don't. So the other morning I'm getting ready and I look in the drawer at my bag. I thought to myself that would make an interesting photo; all the different brushes and such laying on top of each other. It's fair to say that most girls have a combination of all different makeup brands in their collection. In just my little bag alone I have Mac, Almay, Mary Kay and Clinique. Boys are you overwhelmed by this post yet? Anyways, I like the photo and I hope you do too.

Crossroads of the world

I found this photo the other day as I was going back through some of my old yahoo photos online. I took this one several years ago, long before the DSLR. Not too bad for the point-and-click Canon I used to have. Times Square is a very cool place. So much is going on and yet nothing is going on at the same time. Ads and taxi cabs are the bulk of what you see in Times Square. Restaurants, bars and theatres are abound of course, but the most interesting part of the crossroads of the world is watching all the people come and go. According to wikipedia, "The intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, at the southeast corner of Times Square, is the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America" Hence its nickname as the crossroads of the world.

Cabled composition

I'm not sure this connection is worth much anymore. It looks like its strength has faded over time. I found this cable over the weekend when I went billboard exploring. I like this photo, most likely because of the rusted cable. I've always been attracted to rusted elements. I think its beautiful when things are rusted. It's earthy uneven tone is amazing to me. And the connection is interesting and maybe a bit unnecessary. There isn't much to this photo and it doesn't really have a story, but I thought it was worth sharing.

A new election season

Yesterday we all voted. We all made our decision. And today we have a new President. But, if you are sad that the "election season" is over then never fear. A new election season is upon us. The-what-should-I-sprinkle-into-my-holiday-drink election season. I know. It's an important one. And the decision will have to be made over and over. With each pumpkin spice latte or hazelnut hot chocolate that we order, we'll stroll over to the bar and contemplate, "should I throw a dash of vanilla in?" or "is today the day for some nutmeg?" But, make your decision wisely because once you sprinkle it in, your drink will change. Make sure it's the change you want.

So put on your thinking caps, my friends, because you have more decisions to make.

Billboard backside

There is this billboard just off Interstate 35 near the American Airlines Center. Since I was a kiddo I have been infatuated with it. It is up on a hill so you cannot miss it. And, it used to have a fake waterfall. It was cool. I found the hill that it is on this weekend. It's near the Katy Trail. So I went for a drive to the hill. This was the back side of this monster of a billboard. It is huge. Unforunately I couldn't get any closer because of a chain link fence (the blurry part of the photo).