#5 - Iowa as Expected

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 34 - Iowa as Expected
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 { Iowa is known for corn, corn, corn, and more corn }

This is a teenager who works at a good old fashioned restaurant in Iowa. Mmmm... Midwest, harvest food is where it's at. His duty involves roasting sweet corn at the parking lot. I asked permission to take his photo and then told him to act as though there was no photographer. He was a pretty good sport. The corn smelled amazing which made me salivate. Unfortunately he didn't offer me any. Maybe if I paid?

There is also construction going on further towards the highway. There's a bed and breakfast hotel nearby that construction workers stay at so they parked their vehicles in the parking lot. One truck was so dirty and disgusting that I just had to take a picture of it. Its back was tar filled with asphalt goo. The last picture has a lot of noise and there's no sense of direction to it, but if you focus on the center, inside the container are gloves, a bag of chips, some toxic spray, and etc. I have no idea how sanitary these people are but it's pretty gross.

#5 - Bowling

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 33 - Bowling
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{ Dre's size 15.5 shoes }

It has been FOREVER since we went bowling. About 3 years ago to be exact. Tomorrow morning my quads and my upper and lower trapezius muscles are going to beg for sweet mercy. Hopefully there will be strength to get out of bed once that alarm clock beeps. Knowing me, I'll hit the snooze button to bargain for the much needed 10 more minutes of sleep. Ahhh... the joys of muscle pain. I actually can feel it now which means it will get worse tomorrow. Yeah, I cant wait. :-/

#5 - Around the Neighborhood

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 32 - Around the Neighborhood
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I did something I should have done sooner - to walk around the neighborhood to take pictures of anything interesting that may come my way. Pretzy went for a walk with me as well. Surprisingly, there was a lot of potential photos to take - and I actually enjoyed walking around. Although, once I got home my clothes were drenched in sweat. It is one thing to take a leisurely walk and another to walk while carrying a camera with a heavy lens.

Some pictures taken I really love and some that are just not my favorite. I love the sidewalk with the numbers, the partial stop sign, the white picket fence, the water sewer cover, and of course the above photo of a power box of some sort. 

#5 - Scales

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 31 - Scales
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Scales from a fish decor on top of our piano. Every fish symbol out there depicts some form of purity. Looking at the fish decor makes me happy because it represents a positive energy. It's a beautiful thing -- even though I'm not superstitious. 

There are numerous species of fish, but the creature in general holds some prime symbolic meanings (link): 

• fertility
• eternity
• creativity
• femininity
• good luck
• happiness
• knowledge
• transformation

Nonetheless, below are pictures inside our house. I spent all day cooking and cleaning so I'm too exhausted to go out.

Last, but not least, is our baby Pretzy. It's his 4th Birthday today! His birthday surprise is a secret... I'll post it eventually. :-)

#5 - Locust Garden

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 30 - Locust Garden
(Pic 30/365) - Yesterday's Photo Shoot

I wasn't as inspired to take pictures at the photo shoot location yesterday. It was at a garden many couples choose to get married at - and I just wasn't feeling it. The only great picture was of the bee above and the dragonfly below. It was extremely challenging to take a picture of the dragonfly. It was so small and thin that it took me forever to find the dragonfly in my viewfinder - then to adjust the manual focus. I was lucky to get a picture of the little guy below.

#5 - Dare to be Inspired

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 29 - Dare to be Inspired
(Pic 29/365)

 

Visited downtown this evening. The 3 day afterparty of the Bix Race left the metro area a total mess - empty bottles everywhere, wrappers scattered, tickets, and etc. on the ground - not to mention piles of sand bags everywhere due to the projected Mississippi River flooding. But it was a just a gorgeous day for pictures - the combination of the clouds, the weather, the time of day (right before sunset), was perfect for the photo shoot. I decided to focus on one specific building of inspiration, the beautiful, modern, FIGGE Museum. Inspiration brings forth the best photos.

Every photo taken this evening deserves the, Photo of the Day, status.

#5 - Tan Suede Shoes

Challenge 5: Complete a 365 day photo challenge
Picture 28 - Tan Suede Shoes
(Pic 28/365)

Baby Abigail's shoes - our friend, Claire's daughter. These tiny shoes are so adorable. It's one of those things you hold in your hands and say, "Awe..." -- It was in the corner ignored... I just had to take a picture of it.

Today didn't exactly start off that great. There was a get together at mom & dad's house at noon. Since I couldn't bring the pie I baked yesterday (because Dre ate a big piece of it), I decided to whip up a box of Au Gratin Potatoes. I thought I had all the ingredients but:

1. The milk in the fridge was expired
2. I opened the margarine container but there were vegetables inside

So, because of the time constraints, I asked my brother for the ingredients (which he had). He drove right on over to give me the stuff. So there I was rushing to put the dish together, then soon placed it in the oven - timed it for 20 minutes then off I went to prepare my clothes for the day. 5 minutes later Izzy (brother) says, "Something smells like it's burning!" -- He opened the oven and then...

D I S A S T E R

I nearly cried. It was almost time to go and I wasn't ready... and then the mess. Dre came to see the commotion and said that it will be okay -- that he'll help me clean it up when it cools down. It disappointed me more than anything because I've baked with that Pyrex container for as long as I can remember and then, IT EXPLODES!!!  Worst of all, it's not my container, it's my mom's... well... was. When she found out, she had this disappointed look on her face... which just pissed me off because it was an accident. But now that I look back to the whole scenario, it's pretty darn funny. lol.

Moving right along, more pictures of lunch at mom & dad's house... also celebrated our friend, Julie's 28th Birthday (the candle says 1, but she's 28):