August 2014 – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Groundhog in City Traffic

Below Polish Hill, turning onto Liberty Ave into the Strip District. Here is what I saw.

He got out from under the cars as we were all stopped at the red light.

Instead of crossing the road, he kept walking back under the cars.

Good thing I had my camera on the front seat.

Good thing he didn’t get squished. I felt sorry for the groundhog.

Too much concrete to burrow in.

(And my car windows need a wash)

Just a snippet. I saw movement.

Coming under the cars. Oh no.

Go the other way. He did eventually.

I felt badly for the groundhog but at least he finally made it to the side before the light turned green. But what then?

August 31, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Animals in the City, PhotographyTags: animals in the city, groundhog, Liberty Ave, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Photography, Polish Hill, traffic 14 Comments

Our Lady of the RV Sales Lot

Last Spring my sister and I went with Erika’s parents, Donald and Marlene as they were shopping around for a camper or trailer for their retirement.

Here is what we found at one of the RV Sales Lots.

I can’t add it to my “Urban Madonna” collection as it is just north of Columbus, Ohio so more like
“Country or Rural Madonna”

Safe journeys.

August 31, 2014 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: BVM, camper, Columbus OH, madonna, Mary statue, photography, postaday, religious statues, retirement, RV sales lot, trailer, travel 9 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dialogue

The challenge arrived this afternoon via email. Dialogue.

I looked for two photos from the suggestions below and this exchange jumped out first.

The creator of this week’s word is Frédéric Biver. He ‘s an architect (UK and Switzerland) and a photographer – some cool examples of dialogue on his blog.

The challenge is 2 images “making the two images talk to one another”

“Not sure how to foster dialogue between two images?

Try:

*Photos of the same subject from different perspectives.
*Photos with similar color palettes, textures, or geometric shapes.
*A before-and-after or cause-and-effect composition.”

Mark asks Maura for a taste

Her dad offers his in return

August 29, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Photography, Weekly Photo ChallengeTags: dialogue, family, father/daughter, Frédéric Biver, granddaughter, ice cream cone, photography, postaday, Smith Mountain Lake VA, summer, weekly photo cahllenge 30 Comments

Light Through Overhead Railroad Ties

Down in Pittsburgh’s Strip District by the scrap yard and tracks. My car was parked under the old railroad bridge.

Lines, patterns, rhythm, repetition-all those elements we look for in class. Finding these elements everywhere.

I love the light on the cross bar, giving a sense of depth.

This first image is the strongest compositionally. But the others give you a sense of the place.

The hood of my car. Could stand a wash.

Patterns of light on a concrete wall.

August 28, 2014 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: archtecture, city scene, junkyard, light, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, postaday, railroad, railroad ties, scrap metal, Strip District, travel 10 Comments

Grateful for Traffic Backup

This post inspired by fellow blogger Colline – Wednesdays she publishes a “grateful post”.

Last year at school in the final staff meeting, I was awarded the Most Optimistic Award. I found the little plastic trophy and happy dancing apple in my school cupboard yesterday afternoon and took it out and placed it on my desk. A reminder to remain optimistic,

It’s a new year so don’t want to rest on my laurels, though.

HA! (Just this morning my sister was remembering how dad would say that when he wrote to us)

Would be cool to be a repeat for this new school year, I thought to myself and laughed at myself. A good plan.

Last June Selfie. An unexpected award voted by my colleagues- Most Optimistic

On my way home this afternoon, a different route, there’s a bridge out. What a mess.

It means everyone sits and sits, winds around the corner like snails, waiting to get a quick left turn, the arrow light. It’s a real clog.

I first saw the rainbow on the straightaway and you can see it’s photographed through a tinted windshield.

But then I had to inch up.

What a glorious rainbow.

Were there a parking lot to pull into, I would have done so and gotten the end of the rainbow as it arched into the Allegheny River.

Back in my car since school started, driving around the city all over the place.

Opportunities to see things I wouldn’t have seen if I were stretched in my hammock on the front porch, sipping a lemonade, reading a book, or knitting for winter.

Today I was grateful for the traffic standstill. Got to catch a rainbow. Thanks, Colline. For more posts on Colline’s Gratitude Project, click here.

Uh-oh, can’t see it between the wires as I did when I looked with my eye Interesting wires intersecting.

It gets better and the traffic winds around the bend.

And the other half of the rainbow as I made my way in the traffic

August 27, 2014August 27, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Photography, What I Found on the Way Home from SchoolTags: Butler Street, city scene, Colline's Blog, grateful, gratitude, photography, Pittsburgh PA, Pittsburgh Photography, postaday, rainbow, road construction, school, traffic, traffic jam, weather 22 Comments

Back to School Silhouettes on my Drive to School

Silhouettes challenge was August 15th.

But look what I found this morning on the way to school. (And yes, I pulled to the side of the road)

I was behind a workman’s truck and saw the silhouette.

Pulled over to the curb, mindful of the time, knew I could wait a minute. Parking brake on, the hill’s steep.

The school bus

and then two students walking to our high school.

Turning onto Brownsville Road

School bus coming down the hill

I was hoping for some separation between the two but not this morning.

August 26, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, Photography, What I Saw on the Way to SchoolTags: back to school, Carrick Neighborhood, city scene, crosswalk, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, postaday, school, silhouette, travel 7 Comments

Ford Explorer Swallowed by Vines

Centre Avenue on the way home from school. The lush green growth of summer.

I turned around after I’d passed it by,

pulled over to the curb, waited until the rush hour cars zipped past.

The reflection on the windshield was so bright, the atmosphere muggy, a bit of haze.

I wonder how long it had been parked there. It is a second generation Ford Explorer somewhere between 1995-2001according to the front grille as a clue. — I wonder how long it had been parked there. It’s a second generation Ford Explorer somewhere between 1995-2001 according to the front grille as a cl

When Flat Ruthie was traveling courtesy of friend Shuey, she learned the origin of Kudzu and how it can grow a foot in a day.

The first photo with the red parking sign seems better but why I shot it so close to the edge of the frame is beyond me and I did it just the once.

August 26, 2014August 26, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Photography, What I Found on the Way Home from SchoolTags: car, city scene, Ford Explorer, kudzu, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, postaday, summer, urban scene, vine 11 Comments

No Need to Mow, Front Yard by Van Gogh

I took the first shot as I sat in my car, stuck in a long line of unmoving traffic, waiting for the zoo goers to drive out and find their way home.

Sigh. Camera on the passenger seat, a full stop.

I went home and changed and came back out and had to return the same route.

No traffic the other way, thank goodness.

I pulled over to photograph the hillside yard of sunflowers with the late afternoon sun coming through.

Now it is not the same as my friend Joyce’s field of sunflowers in Provence but they made me feel happy to look at them and I realized they didn’t have to mow that pesky steep hillside front yard.

and the Sunflower front yard from across the street when I was driving the opposite direction a bit later

and looks what is hiding in the first photo

Cherry tomatoes

August 24, 2014August 24, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Garden, PhotographyTags: cherry tomatoes, garden, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, summer, sunflower, travel 12 Comments

Little Italy Days Nighttime Collage

Steve and I went over to Bloomfield Saturday night to see what was happening at Little Italy Days. We saw fire consumption as we did in June by @PghFireGirl

The recycled glass Aurora Lamps were eye-catching. And there were a ton of food vendors and food trucks.

We met Lenny and James and admired the BBQ trophies. James gave us a sample to take home and will be competing down at Heinz Field next week. The Wool Sports Logo Banners would look great at school in the counselor’s office.