327: Back in the River City

 

I wonder how many US cities on rivers share the nickname "River City"?

214: City Sights

188: One City Block

 

172: Buildings

 

167: Kar World

160: Diamond

140: Last Day

Today was my last day at my job, and I felt some pressure to find all the great photo ops in the vicinity. This was in a window as I walked from my car into the shop.

During a break, I took a walk in the alley behind my job. For some of the non-blue photos, you can go here. One of my favorites in the day lily shot.

This shot, a stop on the way home, was inspired by Jehan's New York 365 project, particularly this image. Hoping to try this scene again when the lighting is not so bright.

133: Stormy Weather

I can't decide if this picture is better off with an explanation or without it. So here's fair warning. If you don't want to see behind the mask, read no further.

This is a string of lights reflected in a puddle on a smooth, black table after a rainstorm today. I inverted the colors on Picnik and it captures my dark, grumpy mood on a long, grey day more accurately than the original.

130: Supersize

These are not in my neighborhood, but they are the same size and style as the trash cans the county government recently supplied to us. I'm so frustrated by these gigantic containers. A 95-gallon trash can used for weekly pick-up sends the message that this is a normal or average amount of trash created by a single household, yet my four-person family fills this size can once every three to four weeks. 

To provide some perspective, I gave birth to my daughter in a tub just 5 gallons larger than these monstrosities. Sitting at the bottom of the tub, with my legs stretched out, the water came almost up to my chin. 

128: Wood Grain

121: Walled Garden

110: Fountain of Rebellion

Hit the pedestrian mall fountain for the first time of the season today. Discovered that I still have that ol' rebellious streak, at least as far as mall cops are concerned. They busted me twice. Soon after we arrived, a yellow-shirted man on a Segway rolled up to me and asked me to put my shoes back on. Later, another yellow shirt told me I wasn't allowed to photograph the stores. "They get really upset when you do that." I'm not sure which was more refreshing, the water or seeing that I can still ruffle some feathers.

108: Vintage

I'm becoming a bit more comfortable with the editing tools I have available. 

102: Second and Spring

Intersection of Second Street and Spring Street, that is. 

I was surprised to stumble upon this soccer game in this particular location.

Wish I had my telephoto lens to get closer to the EMT and better capture his bright yellow shirt. 

101: Urban Living

Can you believe this barn is tucked away in a neighborhood just around the corner from downtown RVA?

100: Lifestyles

 

95: Gas Station and Car Wash

94: Public Art

Another scene on one of our regular routes. This fence and paintings are set back from the road a bit, and I've often wondered what those bits of blue were. I finally decided to stop today, and I couldn't help but wonder, is this message personal?

I checked out this website, but I can't say it shed any light on this particular project.

Not sure if this last one is related in any way. A surprising piece to find by the side of the road either way.

91: Mother's Day

It all started with measuring the donuts from Country Style Donuts. My son took his measuring tape with him to the store and measured while he was there, but decided to double check at home.

After "breakfast dessert," we worked in the garden for a few hours. Sorry to say there is no photographic evidence of our efforts today.

After lunch, we headed down to the River District in the hopes of catching a ride on a Canal Cruise. The 2 p.m. tour was packed full, so we decided to explore the area in the hopes that we could kill an hour without losing the attention of our little ones.

I drive by this bank of electrical meters almost every day and have long wanted to photograph them. This isn't quite the angle I had in mind, but I was limited by the privacy fence around them. I'm calling the LED light around the two smart meters in the foreground blue.

We stopped at Shockoe Espresso for a treat: cookie or "cooko", depending on how you pronounce it, for the kids and, of course, cold coffee for their perpetually tired parents. As we walked over the threshold, my son made my day when he yelled out, "They have a mosaic sign!" 

We managed to fill the 60 minutes in relative peace and happiness, and boarded the next boat at 3 p.m. If you haven't been on the cruise, considered yourself warned: quarters are tight on these tours! 

Another shot to check off my to-do list. We can see this marina where the tour boats are housed on our regular drive, and I often wish for the time to stop and take a few photos. I got a lot closer today than I would on foot from the Virginia Capital Trail along Dock Street.

Of course I couldn't resist taking a shot of this window display at a Japanese restaurant on the walk back to the car. 

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mamas out there! I hope your days were filled with love and joy and above all, appreciation for all your efforts.

83: Back to Reality

Reality, as in, the regular, non-mosaic Saturday job.

I swear there is a smidge of blue paint to the left of the chair. Click on it to see the large (huge) version if you want to be sure. This surprise encounter in the alley on the way to work was too wonderful not to share.

Sweet little lonely barrette. As long as you're clicking on photos, go ahead with this one, too. I think it reads better in a larger version.

Closing up shop at the end of the season. This is next door to my job.