Cee’s fun foto challenge: Aqua or turquoise
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All Posts Tagged ‘photography’
Oeuvre
This post is going to be a little reiterating, but today’s prompt has remind me my recent visit to the house and atelier of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović in Zagreb.
There were beautiful sculptures in bronze and stone finished into the house along with furniture made by him, and also sketches and studies of pieces for larger monuments in the garden and the atelier. It was very interesting to see all this works of art and also to see the house in which he lived since 1920 till 1942, with his beautiful dinning room and his characteristic ceramic stoves.
In the picture, a study of a hand for a large statue and a sketch for a relief in the atelier
Cee’s fun foto challenge: musical instrument
Tender Bronze
I have been recently in the atelier of the sculptor Ivan Meštrović in Zagreb (Croatia) which is now a museum. He has a great expressive strength in his sculptures in bronze and stone.
I was deeply impressed by the tenderness of the Pietà of the saint Mark’s church in the upper city of Zagreb, that you can see in the picture above.
After contemplating that, I went to the atelier were I saw sculptures very strong and angular, and among them, other very tender, always with the mother as a main figure, like the woman with her child, that you can see in the picture bellow.
Cee’s fun foto challenge: reflection
My little adventure in Plitvice
Yesterday I visited the Croatian National Park of the Plitvice Lakes. It was quite a challenge for me, because I have some problems with my balance and I need a walker which was impossible to use it on the irregular paths of the park.
I have a crutch for these cases but it was also difficult to use it there, so under my own risk I decided to venture myself without the walker or the crutch, but with the help of the arm of a good friend and leaning in the railings that you can find in some places along the way thru the forest, the shore of the lakes and the proximity of the many waterfalls you can find there. I had to be extra careful to avoid a fall.
The effort was worth it. I/m glad to have been able to spend the day in that place.
if I would’t dare leave behind my walker and my crutches I would not be able to see and take pictures of these marvels of Nature.
Rejuvenate
After many years going out with the help of a walker, because of my balance problems, today I decided to take my chances and went to an outing with only a crutch. I wanted to leave the city and take a walk thru the uneven paths of the hills, where you can breathe fresh air and enjoy the nature.
The walker is only useful for the paved streets of the city or the villages. And the possibilities are limited. With the crutch you can slowly go a little way thru some easy country paths.
Everything went OK. I didn’t fall. The hills were still green and beautiful, and the views from there were nice. It was a short walk but enough for me to feel really rejuvenate.
Newcomers at the Pond
We have had good news at the pond: Mr and Mrs swan have had babies: two “ugly ducklings” who are actually pretty cute. The swans are very protective towards their cygnets and they don’t allow any duck to came near them. As they are the biggest on the pond, they can impose their law very easily.
We have at the park two ponds with plenty of ducks, geese and other waterfowl, but only a pair of swan. The ponds are inside the old moats of the city walls, which are now part of parks and green areas. It’s a nice place to take a walk and relax a little.
Cee’s fun foto challenge: Horizontal lines
The parallel waves
are drawing horizontal lines
in constant motion
a close-up view
of the old stairs
at my friend’s house
Cee’s fun foto challenge: columns
New and old columns are here
the firsts have no more than twelve years
the others have seen many centuries.
Captive rose
Living your dreams, and your nightmares
Slippery and treacherous
Beautiful and wild
The river in all my dreams
Cee’s fun foto challenge: Arch, Dome
This is the door of a small church from the XIV Century in Idocin (Navarre) The arches are primitive Gothic. A treasure I found in my last outing.
Cee’s fun foto challenge: Arch, dome or half circle
On the path
a bit of colour,
a sleeping snail on the path
under the hot sun.
Cee’s fun foto challenge: flags or banners
These are the three flags fluttering in the balcony of the Government of Navarre Palace: The red one is the Navarre flag, the red and yellow one is the Spanish flag, and the blue with the tiny yellow stars one is the European flag.
Cee’s fun foto challenge: flags or banners
Some pictures to say good bye
twisted
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Books or paper
Folders containing my dad’s old manuscripts from sixty years ago.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Books or paper
Disappear
This is an ancient public laundry I found in a village I visited the last week. When there was no such thing as a running water in the houses, the women came here to wash the clothes under a roof. I was surprised to see how the villagers were keeping this site, pretty clean and by no means abandoned, despite is no longer in use. I had thought that these structures have had disappeared long time ago. Close to the Laundry there is a well and a trough. The place was nice and fresh. How many stories could tell these stones!
Liquid
oil and vinegar
Cee’s fun foto challenge: dilapidated buildings
Slight
By the sea
I’m living inland and I ‘m permanently longing for the ocean with its open horizon, its salty smell, its breeze, The sound of its waves…
I belong to a family with several centuries of history of marine tradition. We have lots of ship’s captains among our ancestors. But my father pursued other goals, in the field of literature and journalism, and besides he had to exile from his country In eastern Europe many years ago, persecuted by the communists. So we ended settled in a city far away from the sea in a new country.
Nevertheless, the call for the open horizons is in my blood and I return to the coast whenever I can, to enjoy that unique atmosphere, watch the ships, sail, and swim, and breath the clean air at the shore while the waves wet my feet.
The picture has been taken in Bermeo, Bizkaia (Spain)
Place in the World
Little pleasures
Last Sunday I went for a walk to the country. The landscape was magnificent: Green meadows, powerful mountains, leafy forests… But I was caught like a child by the candid beauty of the little wild daisies I found along my path.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Outdoor ways to move up and down
A vulture in my garden
Last summer I was peacefully reading at home when somebody came hurriedly saying: “Quick! Your camera! there is an enormous bird in the garden pretty aggressive” .
I went out and certainly I saw a big vulture on the grass. He had been fallen from a tree top where he had been perched and once in the confined garden he had no room to take a run to take off and fly. So we had to call to the wild animal rescue service to help us get the vulture out of there.
But Oh wonder! it was a feast day, and the people at the public service didn’t consider our problem an emergency, even as our uninvited guest had blocked the garden door and our parking lot. They told us to wait till next day and if he continued there they would send some people to catch him.
For sure, the next morning the vulture was still in our garden. They sent a woman i a Land Rover with a cage and a blanket. The idea was throw the blanket over the animal to neutralize him and then put him in the cage. But the vulture wouldn’t let her approach and the cage was too small. So the gardener had to help catch the bird and I had to help with the cage. She prohibited me to take pictures of the process.
When the vulture was secure in the cage we went to the mountain to look for a hill with enough space for the vulture to take off and fly and we set him free.
Lines
Prolific II
Prolific
Cee’s fun photo challenge: kind and caring
Awakening
Hmmm!
Bad luck
Something that always makes me smile is look at the new-born animals. So I took my camera today hoping to take pictures of some ducklings in the park for the weekly photo challenge.
It was the first mild day in this cold spring. The park was full of young parents with their kids and other people watching the animals, down in the ancient castle’s moats. There are swans, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, geese, cocks, pheasants and many more species. And there are also deer and hinds but there are not fawns yet.
When I was trying to take some pictures of the new ducklings, suddenly a big Grey Heron, came of nowhere and went down like an arrow, trapped a duckling with its beak and went up to a tree with its prey to have its meal. The little kids began to cry and ask to their parents that was going to happen to the duckling. Some began to tell fantastic stories about how the big bird only wanted to play with the little. Others, more realistic began to explain them in simple words how the nature works. So, no smile at the sight of the ducklings so vulnerable with the grey heron perched up, looking down, threatening…
Cee’s fun foto challenge : Letter Y
This week the topic is Letter Y – Needs to start or end with the letter Y or in the caption for the photo “Why” needs to be present.
I have chosen the grey colour
Sky with grey clouds
grey cobblestone
grey shop
Variations: The statue at the park
This is a statue of the goddess Venus at the Taconera park, close to my home. They call her “Mariblanca” (Mary white) This is how it looks today, in winter.
In a close-up she seems like she has been crying…
This is how she looks in Spring.
Cee’s fun Foto Challenge: Letter W
My choice are images related with water
Cee’s fun photo challenge: Letter V
Vintage camera
I have many good memories tied to this camera. Wonderful years and great experiences in exciting places. A nice companion for a long time.
silence
Brilliant colours
I love the brilliant colours of the flowers above all in Spring. They lift my spirits. I enjoy taking pictures of them at the park. Here are some of the images.
Spring
Tulips
Tulips
Mom
My mom passed away a few months ago. I miss her badly. Above all these days. Here she is solving crosswords at her desk. She was always busy with something. I like this picture because it conveys the cozy and peaceful environment she created with her presence. She was the soul of the house. Now the room is empty and cold without her. There are many memories, but my soul hurts.
Here is a portrait of my mom:
Serene
An Enchanted Forest
Today, when I left the hospital I was going to get back home, but something make me change directions. I wandered in one-way: the one of the sunset. The light was magic. I couldn’t stop myself pursuing the light until the sun disappeared behind the mountains.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Letter O – Needs to have the letter O anywhere in the word
Cee’s fun foto challenge: letter N
This week is letter N. It needs to start with the letter N
Night lights
Experimental
Cee’s fun foto challenge: Letter “L”
In this foto challenge challenge, this week the topic is Letter L – Needs to start with the letter L and have at least two syllables.
Lovers
Temporary
I love butterflies. Some of them only would live for a week or a month. I spotted this one last summer.
Tulips
Peeking out
A man peeks to see the moats of the city walls
A dog peeks from behind a bush
The tower of the cathedral peeks above the roofs of the old quarter.
