I See The Signs!

I think signs are awesome. They're a chance to get a message across while being a little creative and humorous or they try to be serious and come across as a little goofy. One of my "just for fun" goals this year is to try to take pictures of all the signs that give me a giggle. To kick off my Sign-O-Thon, here are a few I took this week, along with two at the end that I took a couple of years ago. Enjoy!

So many things come to mind, but I'll be nice. 

I always think this one is kind of sad. But yay that they get to play outside! 

I can't afford to send everyone who needs training to this place.

Um, there is a perfectly good road that continues past this sign to my destination. Why do I have to get out and walk for 1/2 a mile? And how do I get my car to the stop sign at the end of that 1/2 mile?

Would you attend a church that had Little Hope? Me neither.

Yes, this is where I get many of my friends, but I love them all. 

Ewwwwwww! I refuse to shop at a convenience store that wants to know if people "Got Worms."

Who knew The Way To Grace was in Pocatello, ID?

"Don’t Mess With Texas" has nothing on Washington's anti-litter campaign. At least we Texans don't threaten overt violence.

Excellent. They've now given up on trying to stop people from drinking and driving. Now it's up to the rest of us to just "watch out." 

A Few Views of My World

A few people have asked me to post some of my photos. Soon I'll be taking new ones, but in the meantime, here are a few of my current faves. 

The Twilight Zone opening? The Time Tunnel? Am I a sci-fi geek? No, no, and yes. It's actually a purple Slinky on a dark couch. I took it one day after being snowed in at home for several days (final snow count; 7 feet-ish). 

Most people enjoy the view from the top of lighthouses. I'm afraid of heights and prefer the view from the safety of the ground. During a trip to the Oregon coast, my friends trekked up the stairs to take in the vista. As I watched them huff and puff their way up, I thought the view from my perspective was really cool too.

Drip, drip, drop. As the above mentioned 7 foot snowfall began to melt, I saw this icicle and wondered how long it would take to get a photo of a single drop. Surprisingly, not that long. I think it took me 4 or 5 shots in just a few minutes.

This reminds me of a postcard. @Steven and I went for a drive and stopped at a park along a river in Spokane, WA. The day was perfect. The snow was crisp, the sky was a perfect blue, and there weren't many people out (possibly because it was 9 degrees).

This photo always reminds me of my mom. We drove up to Green Bluff in the Washington area, and stopped so we could take photos of this sunflower. I framed it so I could get the blue sky and red barn as well. My wonderful mom was so focused on the flower, she never saw the big red barn. She did manage to accidentally get it in her shots. And she says I'm unobservant...

When you enter Yellowstone National Park it clearly states you must stay at least 25 yards aways from the elk. They are wild. However, once you're in the park and people are rushing to pull over and take photos, it's easy to get caught up in the moment. I was so excited, I ran up to him and began snapping photos. I was thrilled no one else was around me. Yay! It was only after he bellowed...loudly, that I looked around and saw that everyone with half a brain was standing behind their cars, including my mom. I stupidly took another shot or two anyway, then joined them.

The Sapphire Pools at Yellowstone National Park are incredible. If you ever want to see how many colors are possible in nature, visit Yellowstone. It's simply gorgeous. I stood and stared at this bubbling pool for a while before remembering I might be able to capture it in a photo. This is close, but I still don't think it shows off just how beautiful it really is.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know this is Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast. If you've never been to the Oregon coast, I highly recommend making the trip and doing the drive. It's beautiful. Some friends and I spent several days touring the coast and other parts of Oregon. This shot was near the end of the day and it was so peaceful. I'd love to go back some day soon.

This is the view from the top of Steptoe Butte in WA. The fact that I was able to snap this photo is nothing short of a miracle. I'm terrified of heights and the drive up to the top of the butte is harrowing. Imagine a tiny road that is supposedly two lanes. (Uh huh. Two lanes if one is a car and the other is a bicycle!) It winds around the butte in a giant corkscrew. So if you're in the passenger seat, you're on the edge of a cliff the entire way up. Frightening! But somehow I managed to survive and left only shallow finger dents in the car seat. I'm really glad I did it, but I'm not sure I could do it again. Unless someone offered to pay me. A lot.

I was standing on a bridge, looking down into crystal clear water and realized the bridge was perfectly reflected, but with depth and texture. I liked the effect the water created.

During a trip to Atlanta, some friends and I stopped by the church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached. It is now a memorial to Dr. King, and while you view photos and take in the atmosphere, they play his most famous speech over loud speakers. As everyone silently sat in the pews and took it all in, I snapped this photo. I was moved by the history of it. The wood is worn where hands have gripped it over the years, hands that belonged to people who had the privilege of hearing Dr. King firsthand, hands of people who perhaps marched for equal rights and freedom, hands of people who maybe changed the history of our country. This photo is one of my favorites. Every time I see it I'm reminded of that day and that moment.

Where is Spring?

I drove around Spokane today, looking for spring but found no evidence of it other than a little sunshine. While that is progress and a big improvement over the snow we had earlier in the week, I'm ready to see some color. Below are two photos I took in my office. Hopefully soon I'll be taking photos like this outside.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

Lately I’ve become interested in signs; no, not the kind of signs that involve famine, pestilence, earthquakes, etc. I’m talking about road signs. I recently took a day trip to a small town in Washington and was greeted by the following sign as we entered.


Really? When did we give up on trying to stop people from drinking and driving? Now we just warn everyone to watch out for the drunk drivers like we warn them about ice on the road? This seems so wrong. I was even more worried when I got further into town and saw a building that proclaimed it was the Town Hall Pub. Aha! No wonder they have a sign warning visitors about drunk drivers on the road.

But that wasn’t the only interesting sign I came across. I was intrigued by the ones that advised people they had to wear their seat belts both day and night. Sorry I don’t have a picture, but if you’re in Washington, just take a look at the signs on the highway. I guess I just assumed the law covered both day and night. I wonder how many people went to court arguing that it wasn’t specific enough? And did people assume the law didn’t apply to daytime or to evenings? There must have been quite a few for them to go along the highway adding this to every seat belt sign (yes, it’s tacked on under the original portion of the sign).

But this is the Washington state sign that really had me pondering the consequences.


Oh my! And they said Texas’ litter signs sounded too tough (Don’t mess with Texas). At least we weren’t overtly threatening violence and pain. Do they break one finger for your first offense, two for your second and so on? Maybe they just give you a good swift kick in the pants. Whatever the punishment, it was enough to make me hold onto my trash until I was home and could dispose of it without retribution.

I’m going to keep my eyes open for other intriguing signs. If you see a good one, let me know or send me a picture.

I'm Overruling Phil

It's Ground Hog Day and good old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. Nooooo! Say it isn't so! Please make the snow that fell in December and January go away. It's still piled high in my yard and along the side of the road.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring so I'm overruling Phil's decision. I'm going to counter him with photos I've taken of spring flowers from days gone by. Maybe this will ward off more snow, ice, and cold. Maybe it will help usher in warmth, sunshine, and color. There's always hope. Even if the photos don't bring spring to us more quickly, at least they will remind us that it will eventually get here, even if it does take six more weeks.

Here Comes the Sun

I saw the sun today. It was 4:10pm and I had just started my car to head home. To my right, the trees across the street were highlighted in vibrant shades of gold and red as if they were on fire. I tried to get some pictures, but because my office is on a busy street and the sun was fading fast, this was the best I could do between cars driving past.

We’re slowly thawing out and the claustrophobia I was feeling because of all the snow is starting to ease. I no longer feel trapped by something far beyond my control. At work, the roof may be leaking, we may have cracks in the walls, and the snow piles may still be just over 7 feet tall in front of our windows, but the sun came out in all its wonderful glory and that made it feel as if everything is going to be OK after all. Of course it is. Life goes on and the sun always comes out eventually.

This is What Happens

What happens when I get bored shoveling snow, looking at snow, thinking about snow, worrying about snow? I start trying to take pictures of objects inside my house. Below are a few I took today. I usually stick to objects outside, so these are a departure for me.

A Sunny Winter Day

After watching the noon news and seeing that more business roofs had collapsed, I looked out the window and saw blue sky and sunshine. It was a wonderful reminder that all is not bad. There is beauty in the midst of disaster. So I took my new camera out for a few pictures around the house.



Blue sky! Woohoo!




This little guy was very busy putting holes in my telephone pole. Probably not a good thing, but he sure was cute. Can you see him in all the brown on the pole?




Practicing close shots with the new camera.




This was taken from the end of my driveway facing up the hill.




And this was facing down the hill. As much as I hate shoveling the snow after the plows go by, I'm really grateful they have been plowing our hill regularly.




More blue sky; a very welcome sight.




Berries (life) in the snow.




Sunshine through the trees. Yahoo!