Population 446 in 2021

Monday afternoon I was driving where I’d not been before.

I decided to exit the Appalachian Highway and drive through the village of Coolville, Ohio, a few miles from the West Virginia border.

I thought the name Coolville was cool.

What are the top attractions to visit in Coolville?” Trip advisor

Snail Mail

It’s a delight to find personal mail in the mailbox. Thanks to friends and family for mailing these thoughtful birthday cards. H

ow about the 3-D stove my sister sent?

Of course no more USPS mail delivery on the actual July 4th holiday today

Happy to celebrate my birthday today.

Press Release for People at Work Show

 

 

Pittsburgh Photographer Ruth E Hendricks has been photographing people at work for the past several years. Two years ago, gallery owner Mark Panza invited her to show her People at Work.  He followed Ruth’s daily blog and enjoyed seeing the People at Work series.  

This July 2018 she will have a solo show at Panza Gallery, featuring 60 portraits of People at Work. A retired Pittsburgh Public Schools Visual Arts and Photography teacher, she showed the photographs to students so they could see a variety of job possibilities.  Students’ awareness increased seeing that there are jobs where people  bake cookies, change tires, capture squirrels and sell bicycles to name a few.

Named Best New Artist at PERSAD Art For Change in 2008 , Ruth also received first place in the Downtown Living Exposed Exhibition. Best Color Photography in Bucks Gallery of Fine Art, Best Regional Work in The Pittsburgh Technology Council 15 Minute Gallery Exhibition, and was a finalist in the Photographer’s Forum Magazine 29th Annual Spring Photography Contest.

Her photographs have been shown in New Orleans Photo Alliance– New Orleans LA, Center for Fine Art Photography- Fort Collins CO, 1650 Gallery– Los Angeles CA, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center-Ft, Myers FL and A. Smith Gallery-Johnson City TX, Sirani Gallery – Pittsburgh PA.  Her images have been shown at Pittsburgh’s Silver Eye Center of Photography in The Looking Glass Exhibition and Self Portrait Silver Eye at 30 shows.

————————————————————————————

Pittsburgh Photographer, Ruth E. Hendricks, upcoming solo show- People at Work; Primarily Pittsburgh will be shown the month of July at Panza Gallery, 115 Sedgwick Street, Millvale PA 15209

The Opening Reception is Saturday July 7, 2018 from 6-9 PM and Closing Reception is Saturday July 28, 2018 6-9 PM. In addition, the 60 portraits of People at Work can be viewed during Panza Gallery’s regular gallery hours W-Th-F 10-5 and Sat 10-3 

Contact info: rutheh(at)gmail(dot)(com), https://rutheh.com/

Excuse Me, May I Please Photograph Your Ink?

Excuse me, may I please photograph your ink?

I know it’s generational, I have no ink. But I was intrigued when I saw this woman’s back.

Perhaps my asking this wedding guest if I might photograph her ink was bold, but it caught my eye. She said it would be okay.  The Disney Villains.

Did you know they’re on stamps at the USPS, too?

My friend J sometimes asks people at cocktail parties “If you HAD to get a tattoo, what design would you choose?” and some respond, “Oh my NO I would never….” but she says, “if you had to.” What meaningful symbol would you select? Second question is “Where on your body would you have it inked?”

To tattoo or not to tattoo?  There is some intricate ink out there. And there are even knitting tattoos.  Yep!  Who knew?

ink 754I don’t have the tattoo artist credit but will add when I get it.

IMG_1918

Stamps at the USPS

 

 

My Dad Framed Postage Stamps as Art

response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Connected.”

And I did the exact same thing tonight!

I found this sheet of stamps. (a birthday gift from a friend a couple years ago)  in my desk and thought it was perfect for framing in a plastic box frame. 39 cent stamps. The children’s literature characters caught my eye.

image

Closeup of the familiar book characters
Closeup of the familiar book characters

image

One sheet my dad framed. These stamps came out in the early 70’s.  The love stamps are 8 cents.

After Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture and prints.http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=25276

And here’s another sheet of stamps my father framed. When the stamps were 13 cents.

I stitched the needlepoint pillow kit of the butterfly stamps and gave it to my Aunt Rhea and then she passed it back to me. Connections

image

What I’m Thinking for 2012

Postaday 2011 is coming to a rapid close.  I accomplished a daily photograph post on my rutheh.com blog.  It became part of my day.  Everyday.  And then I started the Keep or Pitch blog and was thinking how I would clean out my house of accumulation and clutter and inherited items. Grown up children moved out but left their “stuff” and I photographed and posted and wrote stories of possessions and it went pretty well everyday for a good while. Months even. Even got voted Freshly Pressed for the Ceramic Squirrel Family post. But when it came time to get serious and actually pitch a LOT of stuff, I stopped photographing it and feeling nostalgic and made donations big time, had a failed yard sale, and loaded up some heavy duty construction bags and dragged them to the curb.  That task is not completed and the third floor beckons to me to get up there and PITCH.

Starting another blog to illustrate where this blog travels in the blogosphere is the plan.

I recreated a “cardboard me”, not because I want to look thinner  but need to fit in the mail.  Made color copies on card stock.  The copies appear a little dull but then I was called two-dimensional!  I am already in business size envelopes traveling to friends and bloggers who have agreed to “guest blog” and return photo(s) of my visit with them.

Many of you know Flat Stanley and have helped school students with their Social Studies projects. Now it is the Elementary Art Teacher’s project.  And your creativity.

Right now I am thinking of one post a week.  I will continue with my daily photography blog and then link to Cardboardmetravels.com as the photos and narratives are returned to me.

If you want  a visit from Flat Ruthie/Cardboard Me,  email your snail mail address to cardboard.me.travels@gmail.com.  We’ll see where the blog travels, visit faraway friends,  highlight fellow bloggers blogs and have fun. I’m already headed to Canada, Omaha, Croatia, Missouri and Arkansas.

The only thing I’m now worried about is that I’m going to be wearing the same outfit everyday for a year.

Oprah might be on every cover of her magazine but at least her hair and outfit are different!

Cardboard me/Flat Ruthies cut out and ready to travel. Doing my part to support the USPS.