Transportation - Month long photography theme

P.J. of a lil hooha assigned the theme of "transportation" for April's photography theme.

Legs, the ultimate mode of transportation, preferably sporting Giani Bernini sandals.

Sometimes there are transportation mishaps, such as the one evidenced below (4-16-13 Sacramento County).

Here is a two-fer, the front of the Sacramento Regional Transit light rail and in the background the abandoned railyard that has lain fallow for many years.  Two places that could be the hub of activity but have never been fully developed, the waterfront and the railyard.  There were grand plans to develop the railyard but I think they have, once again, fallen through.  The movers and shakers have been obsessing over the Sacramento Kings and a gotta-have-it new stadium.

Ok, this image is a stretch, stay with me on this one.  I'm not quite sure what this structure is supposed to represent.  It is installed at the K Street Mall.  There is a non-working clock and sorta Jetson-esque embellishments.  It makes me think - To the Moon, Alice!  Oh wait, we don't have a space program in the U.S. anymore.  *humph*  Transport to the moon - bam.

The ubiquitous light rail - I like the power substation in the background.

Not quite as artsy fartsy as my photog friends - check them out here.

Z is for Zippety Doo Dah and Zipper - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

Month end means half off at one of the thrift shops that I frequent.  The atmosphere at the store is festive at these sales.  Not only are the prices unusually low for thrift shops, the donations are generally of better quality.  These are my Zippety Doo Dah finds from that sale, the entire batch for less than $5, interspersed through my spring garden next to the tea rose called Intrigue and lobellia: summer reading of The New York Times Weekend Cookbook (pub. 1975), grey tank top, Bonjour over the knee socks in shimmer floral, a pink floral scarf, and two CDs, Luciano Pavarotti's ti adoro and Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in concert.

My cutie canine Zipper Von Zalez doing what she does best.

Wishing you a wonder-filled May.  Thank you for joining me on this AtoZ journey.

Y is for You Never Can Tell - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

Finishing out National Poetry Month with:

You Never Can Tell

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

You never can tell when you send a word,
Like an arrow shot from a bow
By an archer blind, be it cruel or kind,
Just where it may chance to go.
It may pierce the breast of your dearest friend.
Tipped with its poison or balm,
To a stranger's heart in life's great mart,
It may carry its pain or its calm.

You never can tell when you do an act
Just what the result will be;
But with every deed you are sowing a seed,
Though the harvest you may not see.
Each kindly act is an acorn dropped
In God's productive soil
You may not know, but the tree shall grow,
With shelter for those who toil.

You never can tell what your thoughts will do,
In bringing you hate or love;
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe --
Each thing must create its kind,
And they speed o'er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind.

Source:

Custer And Other Poems
Copyright 1896
W. B. Conkey Company, Chicago

Virtual birthday party for nonamedufus

A virtual birthday blog party was suggested by Cheryl at decksidethoughts for nonamedufus who turned the magical age of 61.  While I do not know noname personally, we have participated in a few writing and photography challenges.

I'm told he likes .... fluffy bunnies

AND My Little Pony

Nonamedufus is the ultimate wordsmith - here is a picture of him, a SURVIVOR of the We Work For Cheese Writing Challenge this past February (yes - I kiped the image from his blog).

And here is the picture of the pre-party birthday party ~

So in honor of JOHN (at least that is what I am told is his real name, it could be Ernest or George, for all I know), Wishing Him the Best Birthday EVER!

Happy Birthday To...Who? - watch more funny videos

X is for Xena - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

With nearly every writing challenge I participate in, I include my pet posts.  I just happen to have the good fortune of my cat being named Xena warrior princess. (to satisfy the horrible letter prompt of "X").  She is a lovely Maine Coon kitty with a sweet personality.  This is the first cat of mine I have seen play with rocks.  She will bat them about and pounce on them.  Cracks me up!

Totally off topic but time for a lark - It's Pink Saturday!  Pink fashion, that is ~

Lucille Ball in "The Big Street," 1942

Joey Heatherton

Christian Dior, Spring 1961

Ursula Andress

Yves Saint Laurent, 1964

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W is for White Elephants - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

White elephants are gifts so kitschy, useless, gawd awful ugly that they are endearing.  The exchange of white elephants gifts are popular around the holiday season.  Some of the drugstores sell funky stuff, but most often the white elephants are thrift shop purchases.

Then there are pink elephants ...

Jayne Mansfield at home, 1960s

My guess the Chia "pet" is one of the top 10 white elephant gifts.  I admit to buying the Obama Chia as an exchange gift.  Now there is the ...

This month's thrift shop finds were "W" in nature, purchased all on the same day: Western pottery ($18.50, $8.50 with $10 credit earned on a loyalty card); John Wayne stamp bear ($1.50) and Warren Kimble frame ($2.50, retail $15.99).  

Wow - the challenge is almost over.  I have atozfatigue.  Certifiable.  

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V is for Vintage and Vogoff Magazine - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

Vintage - just the addition of that word doubles (or triples) the price of anything.  Etsy is a perfect example of that.  Vintage = old.

"Antique vintage handmade drawer cabinet."


A mere $125 on Etsy

I buy cards by the bagful and occasionally a "vintage" one will sneak in - like this retro Hallmark card.  Those are keepers ~

AtoZ flag - the remainder of this adult-content (AC) post is about the Le Grand Fashion Art (Grand FART) Issue of Vogoff Magazine ...

T is for Telephone - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

It was one of those old-fashioned telephones, actually, a reproduction with that retro look.  A thrift shop find for the grand sum of $8.50.  When it was plugged in, it worked.  That is, it worked on its own terms.  You could not place a call, you could only answer calls coming in.  One wouldn't think that too odd, except these calls were not from people that she knew and the calls started at the oddest hour - three o'clock in the morning.  "Isn't that the what is known as the witching hour?" she thought.  

*ring*

"Hello?"

"Hello.  Is Tommy there?"  

"No, I'm sorry there is no Tommy here."  

"This is number he gave me.  Tommy is my son.  Why isn't he there?"  

"I am afraid you must have the wrong number."  

Click.  The call would end.  

What an odd little phone.  The calls were always straight up three o'clock in the morning.  Who, in their right mind, is awake at that hour?  Even more creepy is the calls would take place even if the phone was plugged in or not.  That is when she was sure the calls were not of this realm. 

She thought perhaps it was akin to the party lines of her childhood.  Sometimes when you were going to make an outgoing call on your landline, there would already be a conversation taking place but no one else in the house was on the phone.  It was a telephone roulette of sorts, you never knew who was going to be on the line, even though it was a private landline. 

Maybe this was an other-world party line?  Was there another phone just like this one that existed in another dimension?  Had those lines been crossed?  Was the phone party-lining through a rip in time?   

*ring*

"Hello?"

"Hello, is Tommy there?" 


________________________________________________________________________________

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S is for Sweaters and shopgoodwill.com - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

Sweaters are an easy find at the thrift shops.  I have replenished my cashmere sweaters at a fraction of the cost I would had I purchased them retail.  Of course, there are the Ugly Christmas Sweaters, the ones you wear specifically to Christmas parties where you want to make just the right impression.  

My fascination with shopgoodwill.com continues ~ I found these little guys, perfect for today's letter, the first described as Vintage Musical Roller Skating Stuffed Bear and the second as Ideal Antique Vintage Articulated Stuffed Bear.  I think they make the perfect (sorta roughed up) pair!

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R is for Rescued Slides - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

R is for the rescued slides, images I have collected from 35 mm slides obtained through various sources.  My latest purchase was this metal case chroniciling a hiking club based in Oregon from 1943 to 1945.  I pulled about 20 slides from the lot, then I will put the remainder up for resale on Ebay. 

Q is for Quilts - A to Z Writing Challenge topic

Let's talk quilts!  That is one item that is VERY popular in the secondhand market.  Antique stores place high prices on them.  Here are a couple of quilts that sold for over $100 on shopgoodwill.com.

Or, you can wear your quilts ~

Patchwork dress by Yves Saint Laurent, 1960s

There are at least two quilters participating in AtoZ - Sue from Collectin Texas Gal and Lisa from Pigeon House Handmade.  Quilting is one craft I wish I could master, but I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine.

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