When it’s not convenient to get my nice camera out for a picture, I use my phone to capture quick little things and post them to Instagram. This is one example. It was too rainy to take the Nikon out, but I couldn’t pass by these very colorful, very wet leaves without getting a photo. I also take random pictures of everyday happenings or silly things I encounter. You can view them all when  you stop by here.

Well, hello.  Seems like its been a few days since I’ve posted a photo, but then I looked and noticed that I haven’t added anything since July(!) Time flies!

I truly hope that you all will have a lovely holiday. Meanwhile, if you are a reader looking for some short holiday stories that are beautifully written, please check out Truman Capote’s stories – A Christmas Memory, One Christmas and The Thanksgiving Visitor. If you have time for only one, then read A Christmas Memory – it’s adorable and amusing.  The other two stories are downers, but good nonetheless. In my opinion, Capote did most of his best writing at the beginning of his career and these stories do not disappoint.  Now, run off and enjoy this little piece of unsolicited advice from your old pal Christine – it’s my holiday gift to you!

Photo is a touch blurry because I’m unable to ever hold still. Some things never change.

Took a break from my summer photo project to take a trip to Memphis.  Saw many interesting things!

That first weekday morning when you realize you’re being gently woken by the sunlight streaming in through the blinds and the sounds of lawnmowers running and kids playing, rather than being jarred awake by a nagging alarm in the dark – that’s when you know summer vacation is here!

What would a kid’s summer be without a bike as their primary mode of transportation? Besides riding to friend’s houses or to the carry-out for candy (why don’t they carry Fun Dip????), we would daredevil it over the dirt hills across the street from my house, where new homes were being built.   Some of the hills were pretty steep; there were wipeouts galore.

The bike pictured here is not the one I rode back then, but some of the boys we used to hang with in the neighborhood had banged-up dirt bikes not unlike this one, and we would give them a try sometimes.

Growing up, I know that there were a number of words my parents got sick of hearing my sister and I repeat ad nauseam, and two of those words were ‘penguin’ and ‘palace.’  Penguin Palace was the place to go to get ice cream in the summertime and when I was a kid it was the only game in town.  We almost always went in the evening after swimming or showering and my attire was usually lightweight pajamas and wet hair.

I completely love that Penguin Palace looks just the same today as it did then – from the blue wood trim to the windows almost totally obscured by handmade posters advertising all the yummy treats that could be whipped up for you from behind the glass.  It was my mom who introduced us to the tin roof sundae – vanilla soft serve covered with chocolate syrup and peanuts.  She always got that, and the rest of us often did, too.

PS – I wasn’t completely happy with the pictures I took there last night (including this one) so I might have to go back for a redo, which will be delicious.

Next up in my reminisces of summers past – walking to the Lucas County Rec Center handball courts with my sister and our friends to play racquetball. By playing racquetball, of course, I mean aimlessly horsing around with my parent’s equipment until we got bored/hurt.  I would develop not only my ball-hitting skills, but also nasty sunburns since the courts were outside and the sun shone pretty much straight down onto them.

My racquetball-hitting days came to a screeching halt the day we went over to play and I walked face-first into my sister’s back-swing by mistake.  To this day, I just remember the sound the racket made as it cut a rapid path through the air back toward my face, then literally seeing stars and wandering home in a daze.  I don’t know how I did not lose a tooth.  One side of my mouth swelled up to enormous proportions and for days after, all my friends said that I looked like the Elephant Man.

Twenty-five plus years later, the courts are still there, though they look like they’re starting to crumble.  In this picture, the part of the girl with racket is being played by my daughter, and the racket she is holding is one of the very ones we used to play with – my parents gave them to me years ago after they gave up the sport.

After yesterday’s post, I was given a number of great suggestions of photo themes to keep me busy and get me snapping again.  I’ve decided on an idea that borrows elements from the feedback that I received, blends it all into something that is personal, and ties it up with the sloppy bow that is summer.  Over the next few weeks I hope to have some fun and get some pictures of the things that, as I grew up, made my summers complete.  I got all excited by the idea and made a list that should keep me busy for a bit.

First up – the elusive Fun Dip.  I know that these candies aren’t too hard to find anymore, but back when I was twelve, it seemed like the only place they could reliably be found were at the little league concession stands outside my old elementary school.  Therefore, like the rarest, ripest fruit, there was only a very small window of opportunity in which to get my paws on them.  I looked for them elsewhere throughout the year – gas station convenience stores, ice cream parlors, candy shops, carry outs, groceries and so on – but they were never there.  I started to wonder if there was a little league concessionaire cartel that controlled the world supply.  Why would anyone seek to limit the availability of this magical confection?

The Fun Dip offered not one, not two, but THREE different flavors of sugar powder (I’ve got options!) all devoured with the aid of a vanilla-flavored sugar stick.  Once procured, it was off to the bleachers or the playground to carefully open each pouch and dip the sugar into my mouth until the package was emptied and/or hyperglycemia set in.

See this bummed-out looking dog? That’s how I’ve been feeling for the past six weeks because I’ve had ZERO photo inspiration and no amount of listening to music, reading, watching of inspirational Neil Gaiman commencement speeches, sitting in silence or trying to force ideas to the fore have produced anything – yet.  All of this brain candy has been enjoyable, but not fruitful.  I need new ideas for a photo project.  If you’ve got some, post ‘em in the comments!

Major hat tip to David Bowie for the inspiration for the title of tonight’s post.  This song keeps coming up on shuffle on my ipod, so I figured that it was trying to tell me something!

Muy caliente. Somebody get me a spoon.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  I love items arranged by the colors of the spectrum.

The highlights might be too bright…but the colors are incredible.

My new necklace – made from a vintage arcade token. Makes me think of weekends, boardwalks and old arcades.

This weekend’s amusement?  Checking out more photo exhibits, naturally!

Bokeh = awesome.

Pink and green bokeh = I just completely lost my mind!