52 Weeks of Photos, Weeks 4-11

I have been trying to keep up with the 52 Weeks of Photography project. Posting my photos has been more of a challenge than taking them and blogging about it has been even harder.

Here's what I've been up to...

Week 5 Exposure: Multiple (OR: Creative Exposure)
 Post 9/18

(It was decided that those of us with point and shoot cameras could opt to just re-do a previous topic, so I did another food shot.)

Week 6 Body Parts--Start shooting 9/19 Post 9/25

(They didn't specify whose body parts.)

Week 7 Composition: Fill the Frame
--Start shooting 9/26 Post 10/2

Montezuma's Castle--Camp Verde, Arizona

Week 8 Upside Down
--Start shooting 10/3 Post 10/9

I was on a flight and found it was easier to take pictures out the window with the camera upside down.
The result is this shot that looks like I took it from space! 

Week 9 Contrasting images (two photos)
 --Start shooting 10/10 Post 10/16

Week 10 Exposure: High Key
--Start shooting 10/17 Post 10/23

I am not sure if this qualifies as High Key, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
The hood ornament was on a white car. I boosted the exposure in iPhoto. 

Week 11 Monochrome
--Start shooting 10/24 Post 10/30

Montezuma Castle

The workers/rangers in this shot were gathering wood samples to determine the type of wood used in construction. When asked if they had a goodbtime up there, they said always.

Road Trip: Day 5 The Last Big Push

Today was the last long day of driving, New Mexico to Arizona. Our route continued along Route 40, which is the historic Route 66.

Route 66 is a huge tourist attraction in and of itself. I'm not sure if the road was famous before the TV show or because of it. But I love the idea of a pair of buddies traveling the open road and helping people in trouble.

It made my day to help Tommie and Keith, an older couple who were dealling with a little car trouble.

Our trip is a bit of a blur. We passed several trucks carrying enormous wings--I think they are for gliders. We passed signs for discount meteorites and petrified trees.

We stopped at one scenic overlook, where I tested my tablet's ability to take panoramic shots.

Finally we reached our goal--reuniting Ana and Steve-the-Dog with Ana's fiance. (I'll call him Luke.) What better reason to drive 3,000 miles than love?

Road Trip: Start of Day 4

Trying to haul myself out of bed to get an early start.
The sun is coming up. I can tell, even with the curtains closed because, outside, birds have begun to sing one-by-one.
I forgot they did that.

Road Trip: Day 3 It's All Handled

When I packed for this trip, I tried to account for a variety of possible circumstances, incidences, and emergencies we might meet on the road. I gifted Ana a fire extinguisher for her car. I packed the first aid kit from my car and clothes for a variety of climates and temperature swings.

I was not prepared for an emergency at home.

Wookie called last night to report a huge water issue at home. The flooding had done a lot of damage.

It was one of those times when you know who your friends are and we have many. My brother in law came right away and helped Wookie deal with clean up. Good friends Mark and Rich said they'd be over today.

Paul's computer was damaged. Mine was already down. Today two of my celebrant friends offered me loaner computers.

There were hours where I debated going home. Ana figured out several flights I could take from a variety of stops.

Wookie said I should stay. He's got it handled. When I checked in this evening he and Rich were laughing and having dinner. Lots left to do but he's got it handled. (Yes, I am repeating myself. )

Travel details for today: Tennessee. Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock.

It's a blur.

Tomorrow, we continue west.

Road Trip Day 2

No pics today. My mac won't start. I freaked out about that for a while before we got going.

Today, we went from West Virginia to North Carolina. Saw Charlotte, West Virginia, blue mountains, a rainbow, and Tamarak Tourist Center-- where local artisans sell their crafts. All amazing. Saw some great pottery. I'm feeling inspired.

Tomorrow is the most ambitious travel day. We're headed west. Will try to remember to take some pics with the tablet to show you.

In the mean time, these post cards might give you an idea.

Road Trip Day 1

I hate leaving.

Once I am on the road, I’m okay. I’m in the moment. I’m “on vacation”—whether the trip is a vacation or not.  But the days leading up to the trip are a blur of packing and unpacking, sorting, skimming, and trying to make sure I have everything I need (or might need) without bringing “too much.”

What I brought--not including
the 24 inch duffel with my clothes. 

I had gotten used to people asking “do you really need that” till Wookie and I found each other. He’s always been accepting of my packratish tendencies.  Now I can add Ana* to the list of those who appreciate my packing genius.

Wookie taking me
to the rendezvous  point

This is the first time we’ve traveled together and one of my biggest worries was that she would feel I was bringing too much. Instead my stuff was greeted with “we’ll make it fit.”

And so we did.

Ana, Steve* the dog and I set off a bit later than we planned but we hit the road today and its been a good day.

Wookie worked an event in New York today, so that’s where I met Ana. 

From there we drove back in New Jersey, through PA, Maryland, and finally came to rest here in West Virginia.

The first leg of our route was mainly I-78.

We covered a bit over 500 miles. Saw some lovely countryside, the usual assortment of farm animals—mostly cows, and a few deer.

Saw many farms like these. I love red barns.

I don’t have many pictures from today because one shouldn’t take pictures while driving. There should be plenty of pictures tomorrow though—at least that’s my plan.

Mandatory self portrait. 

*Names changed to protect the identity of "Steve" the dog and his person--mainly Steve-- because my cats are jealous of this trip and, should his identity be revealed, Rosie might start mailing him fur balls. 

80s Pupil

So, today I was packing for my road trip. Have I mentioned how much packing for a trip stresses me out? It’s easier to move entirely. That way I have everything I need with me. So of course, on the day when I am supposed to finish packing and prep for a wedding, there is unscheduled drama.

Some Background

The eye in question.
(Taken a few weeks ago.)

I’ve been having issues with my right eye. It started with a tiny tare of the cornea, which was treated and healed quick enough. After that, it was a plugged up tear duct. (Did you know that’s actually where tears drain to and not where they come from? I didn’t.)

So that’s been getting better. Only a little irritation now and again, which is why I put a few drops of Visine in my eye this morning. I thought maybe I had a cat hair or something in my eye and I wanted to flush it out.

The Drama

So I’ve been staring at my eye every time I pass a mirror for 2 months through all these little problems. I had looked several times this morning with nothing much to notice till around 1:30.

My right pupil was dilated and the left was…not. I said to Paul, “I have a problem!”

I’m trained in first aid. I’ve had a few weeks of EMT training—I didn’t finish but I know enough to be worried when I see something like this.

I called the Eye Doctor to see if I should go to them or the ER. They said I could come in. Wookie ran a quick neurological exam before we got into the car.

My EMT Wookie is my hero. He was amazingly calm gathering up my eye drops and getting the car—all the while deciding which hospital I should go to if needed, who has a fully staffed MRI, etc.

It's good to have your own EMT on hand.
Here he is at his graduation.

On the way, I emailed my Saturday wedding ceremony to two of my colleagues with a note that I might have an “emergency” and they would be contacted if needed.  I was worried.

At the eye doctor, Wookie sat next to me and distracted me while I waited. He made me laugh and let me whine a little about how this was not what I wanted just before my trip.

They called me in. The tech asked about eye drops and said that sometimes eye drops have weird effects.  She did an exam and then left to get the doctor.

Wookie and I waited. Maybe feeling a little better, but not saying what we were worried about.

Finally the doctor came in and looked me over again. He said there were three possibilities. Wookie may remember the first two. (It’s good to have someone with you at the doctor’s office—someone to remember the things your own emotions block out.)

He said it wasn’t the first thing—I remember him saying ganglia, and nerves and palsy. (I love the word ganglia! It sounds fun, stringy and not at all scary.)

He said it wasn’t the second thing, an aneurism—The word my mind had been searching for when I saw my eye…the word Wookie had been biting his tongue on while he made contingency plans, plotted routes to the hospital in his mind and probably rehearsed what he’d says when he brought me in.

The doctor said it was most likely 80s Pupil.

That’s what I heard, at least. He explained the test for it—diluted drops of some stuff that would not affect my pupil if the dilation were caused by options one or two.

He put the drops in my eye and asked if I had any questions before he stepped out. I asked him to spell 80s so I could Google it. He said Adies. Here is what I found out.

When the doctor came back, he said I shouldn’t go nuts with Google. Wookie and I both laughed and said it was too late. (I have to wonder if it’s a physician’s nightmare, knowing that your patients can look up the medical terms they spout out in the time it takes them to stick their head out of the door and order up a test.)

So here I am, with a weird neurological thing that may occasionally make me look like I have a head injury—but is really nothing to worry about. Just what I needed. Though I am grateful that it was not any of the scarier alternatives.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

Wookie and I joked around, but I know both of us were worried. This is all just one more reason I need a break.

Excuses, Excuses

So I’m finally packed. I had a bunch of other errands to run today, which I will squeeze in tomorrow.

I was supposed to send an email out today and Wookie reminded me about it. I said it had totally slipped my mind and this was his response.

“Oh, the whole I may have had an aneurism excuse. Biggles used that last week.”

Road Trip!

When I was a kid we went camping every year.

My parents, my little sister, and our two small dogs would pile into a car with every available inch of space inside and on top packed full and tied down with camping gear. We would be out of touch while we were away. No way to reach us but to call the ranger station. Payphones our only means of calling while we were away. Nothing to guide us but paper maps with a carefully highlighted route.

I am amazed by how much has changed within my lifetime. I am not sure what I would do if I suddenly found myself back then. When I leave the house for coffee, I carry an arsenal of technology that, in the 70s, NASA would have envied. Between my phone and my tablet I am reachable and traceable by any number of methods. I have maps at my fingertips that show me sattelite views and traffic. Between these two devices I have two GPS units with multiple navigation apps--and that is not counting the actual dedicated GPS for my car.

Camping memories from the 70s. I'm the tall one.

Between my phone and a couple of little red Nikons, I usually have enough digital cameras on me to document every event in my life several times over in stills and video. And thanks to the wonders of digital media, I can take hundreds of pictures a day. A far cry from the little 110mm camera we had when I was a kid with it’s little film cartridges. We had to wait till we got home and then wait some more for those pictures to be developed.  I have the option of sharing my pictures almost instantaneously.

I am going on a road trip. 

My friend needs to get her car and her dog across country. I'm going to help her get there and get a much needed break along the way. When I was growing up, a trip like this would have meant being totally unreachable. Today, my husband, AAA, and 911 are all as close as the phone in my purse. Thanks to Skype, I'll even be able to see Paul and meet with prospective clients. 

In some ways, driving thousands of miles will be no different than going down the block.

My phone/GPS/Camera/Video Camera/Concierge/Tri-Corder...
in a picture I took and edited 5 minutes ago.

The flip side of the convenience though is knowing that my daily barage of social media and email will also follow me. I will pick and choose what gets to interrupt my trip. But the truth is that I have become acustomed to being there and responding, often immediately. I have to wonder if pretending to be unreachable will be more stressful than actually being so. I guess we’ll see.

We’re going from New York to Phoenix. Our route is not strictly planned, though we have a date by which we need to arrive so I can fly back. It’s going to be an adventure and, dear readers, I may just take you all along for the ride.

Vacation in a Day

In a household where one person officiates weddings (and other ceremonies) and the other teaches SCUBA, summer is not the obvious time for a vacation, it’s the busy season. And often our weekends are spent apart, each tending to our own clients.

That being the case, my husband and I have developed the habit of taking little mini vacations—usually of one day.  We’ve found that it’s not the amount of time, but what you do with it that counts.

The key to it all for us is a laid back pace. If we leave with a plan, but wind up doing something else, it’s all good, as long we we’re together.

Two weeks ago we spent Sunday SCUBA diving in PA at Dutch Springs with our good friend Rich. It was great. A little bit of a busman’s holiday for Paul as Rich was finishing his qualifications to become a dive master. The last item on his agenda was guiding me through a SCUBA refresher. It was my first time in several years and I was so happy to get back to it as SCUBA diving often feels like the only time I’m not multi-tasking or headed to one appointmment or another.

It was a great day, hot, but clear. The water had warmed up. The “vis” wasn’t the greatest, about 20 feet. But we were under water and having fun. 

Between dives, Rich grilled some steaks and made roasted potatoes. We chatted, celebrating Rich’s accomplishment and my return to the water. We soaked up the sun until it got so hot that we retreated to the water for another dive. And after that, we ditched our tanks and just bobbed at the surface in our wet suits chatting for another forty minutes.  

We wrapped up the day by stopping for dinner and filling out our Dive Logs on our way home before going our separate ways.  It was a full day, and included a weekend’s worth of fun, a drive in the country, two dives, a BBQ, and dinner out. I got home feeling as if I’d been gone much longer than a day.

Yesterday was originally supposed to see us back at Dutch, but a long and very hot Saturday, each attending our separate vocations, saw Paul and I in great need of a lie in. But the beauty of the long summer days, is that you can still enjoy a nice day out, even if you don’t get out till after three.

Paul and I managed to pry ourselves out of the house at around three-thirty. We were headed “down the shore” –which is Jersey talk for "we went to the beach."