The only falls on the Mississippi are in downtown Minneapolis, which was first named St. Anthony Falls in their honor.  Tonight we went for a walk on the Stone Arch Bridge that crosses the Mississippi.  I was looking for pairs.  Here are two views of three sets of pairs and here are just two sets of pairs. Of course these are the prettiest pair I saw all night.

This is a funny looking bird that lives at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali, Maui.funny bird

~Ann Marie in Deep Thought~
This is my 9 month old baby, Ann Marie.  It looks like she was thinking about something important, like a new tooth.Ann Marie

"BUN"

"FUN"

"SUN"

I've been nearing this milestone for some time. Spending a month in Mexico simply delayed the inevitable.
However, today was the day.
For my truck, this day has been 17 years in the making.
For me, I've been driving toward this day for 14 years.

Before
After

I'm entering this into the weekly challenge because all those digits represent 200,000 miles.

Took a couple close ups of my littlest duckie.  Out of about twenty, you get to view only a couple (feel lucky).  The littlest duckie. How small?This small.

The last picture is for the weekly challenge: two duckies, two objects, and a double reflection!

After a tough week of pillaging, Pedro the pirate peacock, 'bitty buc, and I like to kick back, relax, and shoot some photos on the weekend.  We cruised on down the highway to Jackson, MI with the intention of attending the Hot Air Jubilee. It was so hot around here though that we waited too long, and parking was overflowing.  If only Pedro's cannon would fit in the car!

All was not lost though.  Jackson is also home to the Cascades, the largest manmade waterfall in the United States.  As you can see, after dark they're very colorful.  I usually prefer color, but I actually thought this shot looked pretty good in  sepia too.  There are steps running along the sides of the falls, so you can get a closer view of the water & lights.  Other than the 21 'skeeter bites I incurred during the making of these photos, it turned out to be a good night.

Outside the falls I also captured this image for the new bi-weekly challenge - Double Manor House.

Candice and I went to one of her favorite places, The Olympia Tea Room in Watch Hill,R.I. TeaAfter putting up with me for 22 yrs,she is still gorgeous. Candice She told me not to post her photo, but I couldn't help it. The dinner, spirits and view were superb.
  A.
  B.
  C.Plane beauty
This is Calvin.Early Cruiser  And this is my last texture post. Can you guess what it is ???????? Thanks my friends. I am looking foward to the next challenge.

  The other morning when I got to the car had a vistor waiting for me, don't know what it is, thought it was a praying mantis but don't believe it is,Critter
  Everything has texture, all different, there is a helicopter at the museum that saw time in Vietnam, thought I would show a small portion of it with Bullet holes not covered up. It amazes me the number of rivets that are in a plane/chopper.
   What you are about to see now is somthing a lot of women wish we had.. ~~~ , this belongs to my daughter.
        Have a good evening!!

It is difficult to explain my feelings when I am on stage. It is like an adventure, a journey between reality and virtuality. Some hours before I give my performance you can read in my face like in an open book. You'll see the strain in my eyes and they seem to be far away, somewhere in nowhere.
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I start preparing me in the checkroom. I dress my hair, put on my earings and bring my clothes to a neat shape. Do I look good, is everything allright?
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Finally I have my appereance. Dancing on stage is like flying. I shed all me diffidence. I feel the balance. I am free.
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Walking over to the Flatiron Building on 23rd and 5th, I was waylaid by these photos just lying in wait for someone to pass by and set them free.

Herald Square
Bargain Bags
Empire Reflections - Texture Entry
Empire Reflections Revisited
Walk on By MikeH Construction site 33rd between Broadway and 6th

This is a hollowed out log that has been slid on so many times it has been polished.  There is no green on the wood, it's just a brilliant reflection of the greenery overhead.

Purple
Leaf
Playground

The Islands of Hawaii offer a lot of textures for your eyes to feast in!  The first shot here is hot lava hitting the oceansteam from hot lava hitting the ocean and then a close up shot through the helicopter window of the hot lava hot lava and a beautiful rainbow on the land covered with lava rainbow

Aaahhhhh TEXTURES - one of my favorite subjects to shoot. I like the challange of trying to capture the essence of the
subject in the best possible way, so that the end result allows the viewer to FEEL the textural details with their eyes.
So here's a collection of some of my better views in this catagory - Please share your thoughts and questions.
 Last winter I stumbled upon the skeleton of an old tobacco barn that let enough light inside to get some great shots of natural materials  WOOD and LEAVES along with ferns, twigs, moss and air pockets that combined with the layers, ridges and cracks in the FROZEN_WATER to altogether create an amazing COLLAGE of colors and textures.
 You just cant top a PEACOCK_FEATHER for the vibrance of its display, yet even similiar colored objects will show  CONTRAST with the help of Texture. Even something as dull as CEMENT can be made interesting; and GRAVESTONES  can be endlessly fascinating(Especially in Connecticut). It never ceases to amaze me how some things will  GROW or COLLECT where you would least expect them. LICHEN is plentiful on old stone walls and SHROOMS will "popup" anywhere they can - this one had more texture on the top than underneath.
 We have an large variety of trees in CT, even some "GNARLY_OLDE_BUGGERS"
which can still be put to use the olde fashioned way with PEGS or newer ways to side a BARN, whose PAINT will eventually age and disappear leaving only the KNOT and some abandonded TRAILS.
 Finally, the water recedes and leaves its temporary mark in the SAND as well as a RUSTY memory in time. I hope you enjoyed this tour of TEXTURES .... and I'll bet your gettin hungry eh? Time for a real textural treat of edible art - Relax & Enjoy some ICE_CREAM on me - - Haagen Daz of course*

cardboard
openings
 hook
slit
love

Hey folks. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the DOF tips in my first post! I'll definitely strive to apply that newfound knowledge in my future photographs despite my technical limitations (read: I wish I had a better camera...heehee).

Anyway, here are a few more from my library that I would love to get some feedback on! Some of them could be considered an entry to the textures contest...I'll let you decide which ones. Man, I love this site!

Tree bark
Mr. Bumble
Pine trees can be pretty after all!
More from last year's first snow
Texture or lack thereof?
$1
Cold bird
I heart Japanese Maples
So quiet
Strange fruit
In Oregon
Mendocino
Manito
Oregon again

I went on a hike one day with one of my co-workers down South Valley Trail . We walked along the river , over a bridge , and beside a cabin . Here are some other things that I took pictures of; a tree and the river through the trees.

I'm starting college this fall. I will be majoring in Photography, so I just wanted some feedback.  

If you work with dirt long enough you're bound to look like this after awhile....
the feet
under the nails
extender

Ribbed
MMM...Pickles
One for me, and one for you...
Fingers
(She spent a little too long in the pool...)

A face only a mother could love...
This S U C K E R
(These shots were taken at the Mystic Aquarium in a dark room through glass)