Friday Shoot Out- Incongruious

Today's post is Incongruous, picked by Mary @ Traveling Hammer; its meaning is inconsistent, out of order,ridiculous,or contradictory...



I will say that this was not the easiest thing to ride around my town and just spot. Sometimes when I did see something it was too late or not allowed for me to go back and try and shoot it...as I have said before, once an assignment is over I always see plenty of the weeks past topics!


My first picture is of some tourist on the sidewalk, but they are not walking...


















Hey everyone it is summer, and right next to a river sits this fountain with no water coming out of it...more disappointing than incongruous!



















I took this shot when we were about to get into a cab, and in my life (I have many more years to live of course) have I ever seen such a neat cab, and with place mats on the seats...I felt like we should not be sitting on them...
























Maybe the city just could not make up their minds?





















I have played this hand before, but hey it works for the topic...Hubby and I are not to far from fifty, but give us a break! Who signed us up early? Who is the funny guy at AARP...




















If you participate, you may take this button and place it on your FSO each week so that others may hop around and check out all the other great assignment post each of us have done!

<a href="http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="FridayShootOuts" src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj214/girlichef/misc%20blog%20badges/Camera-1-1.jpg" /></a>

Un-invited Dinner Guest.s

Assholes are not worth the thought of such nice treatment as a place mat...

~ Anonymous

FSO- Interesting Signs is Up!!!

This weeks post is 'Interesting Signs'...

If you are in my neck of the woods you can easily see which way is which. I live forward, work to the left, and we love to visit the place to the right...



















If you look down Rout US-1 you can see sign after sign after sign; so many that I find myself distracted by them, and am surprised we do not have more wrecks going on!





















Some signs have a fashion sense, or do they?



















This is a sign in one of the shops downtown, but I am not quite sure it scares anyone away, because isn't that the character that all you have to do is throw water on her green self and she begins to say "I'm melting, I'm melting"....




















Some signs are bad signs...like this used to be just a week ago two restaurants existed, and now an empty lot...




















I like this sign of the times...you can plug your car in...




















I do not think they are getting their message across, or low sales on the bikes until they mow their yard!




















I had to turn around and go back to take this photo, and thought that maybe by the time some one slows down enough to read it (I zoomed in to get the shot) the dog might be in trouble!

























I had posted this with the 'M' shoot out, but its worth another look!



















I really did try and look for interesting signs, and believe me, there are plenty of signs, just not very interesting as the Muskrat, and when you need them. After this I will probably see plenty of them...

Thanks for joining me in my signage post, and go check out the others who also share in this Friday Shoot Out each Friday. Take the Friday Shoot Out Camera below and use it on your site as a short cut to our main FSO site!


<a href="http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="FridayShootOuts" src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj214/girlichef/misc%20blog%20badges/Camera-1-1.jpg" /></a>

Open Mic Mayhem

Today's post is to just vent. I have been running the Cultural Art Expression Open Mic for over a year now, and with patience it has grown. Two or three times a month we meet at a local coffee house near my home. I enjoy going, but sometimes lately I am finding it a chore. If I am working I have to rush to make it on time. I am finding that I would rather go home and take a swim, and relax. No, I take my organizing duties seriously and show up each time to moderate the nights two hour gig.

We have a website that we advertise on the internet. If anyone is interested in performing they go to the site and sign up. We have been limited to a time frame for which I hate, but no choice in this matter. The owners of the coffee house have every right to cut it off so that their workers can clean up and close on time. We have an eleven performer limit because of the time limit, and we could go way over that, but because we have to stop, we cannot fit more. The only rules outside of that is each performer can do two pieces of work, or under ten minutes, and we ask that they respect one another and stay the whole two hours unless they discuss it with me first. The house rule is that no one brings in outside food to eat.

Last night every rule was broken, performers were going to each other and taking it upon themselves to lecture the rule breaker when they should be talking to me, people were coming to me complaining about this and that...blah blah blah...crap crap crap. I fill like I am running a daycare on these nights, and I was in such a damn good mood for the first hour and half, but then the last half hour becomes pure hell. I cannot even think straight. What the hell is wrong with these people.

My husband suffers when this happens, because I come home and just want to sit quietly and veg out to come down from the crap. Therefore he does not get my attention, since he has not seen me all day until late evening. Last night was it! I told the performers at the end of the night, and at the microphone that they needed to stop. If anyone has any complaints they come through me, and after it is over, so I can enjoy myself. No outside food, or they are out. They do not realize I am the one the owner comes to when they do this crap, and she hears about it. Believe me the employees do tell the owner everything.

One good thing did happen... I got to sing and play along with Howie. We have been practicing some songs together, and my dream is to perform on my own one day as a singer/songwriter at open mics.

I am back to walking, swimming and staying more active, less eating, and told hubby to back off from the opening wine so often. I have lost weight, and moving forward. *Swosh* (remember that one...down the crapper) I have had to do this with any negative thing related to me or my work. People should focus on them selves and stop worrying about what someone else is not doing the way they think things should be done.

The next open mic is going to be a great one!

Being positive and staying focused is the road that leads to a healthy life!

FSO- Relaxation

Lena of Spirit of Lena (SOL) suggested the topic 'Relaxation'. "My idea for relaxation was anything or place that fill people with a sense of calmness or relaxation, like a favorite garden, sitting on the porch, or park, etc. Anyplace that fills them with a sense of happiness and calm." SOL

First thing in the morning this is my idea of relaxation, that is until visiting friends little cuties decide to hop on me to get attention. Buddy here has decided just as I was getting up to make some breakfast for us all that he would give me specific instructions for his...




















Another mental relaxation for me is knowing that my son who lives in St. Louis, works as a butchers assistant, and is attending college has great friends like Lindy around to watch out for him, and make sure he calls me once a week and keep me posted...
























Reading and filling my mind with as much about foodie stuff as I can, but occasionally I like a good humorous piece to stir the juices, or has been know to put me to sleep...

























Who doesn't love to relax and window shop? I have had my eye on this bag for a while; its orange, and also has my zip code... Oh how I could even relax more knowing it was mine!



















Strolling the neighborhoods of the old areas of town in Princeton give me a chance to imagine who built these houses, and the history behind their owners, oh the mysteries...





















...and while I am strolling enjoying a beautiful sunny day if we come upon a beautiful garden that has a welcoming path leading down to a bench where we can sit and think about what we have conquered yesterday, and what we will tackle tomorrow...

























Now and then we like to stroll down the towns main streets during art festivals. Art is very relaxing to me, and this just happens to be my table in an art festival. My first art showing that is, but painting, sculpting, writing, and playing guitar is so relaxing to me...



















I love murals, and hope we do this for one of the shoot outs, but doesn't it just stop you in your tracks and take your mind places...























How about a cup of what I call 'Aquarium Tea', or Jasmine flower bulb tea to relax you while...


























...the music of local open mics help unwind you for the evening...I run an open mic in my neighborhood, and this is one of my members, Karl Dentino, who plays rag tunes...


























Planned get always for us in our area, even if it is just down the street to one of the canals is always on the agenda...as you get to know me you will find that hubby and I always love the water, especially when we can find a few fish to take our bait...


















There are lots of rivers around our area, and here you can see me trying to take an artistic view of hubby on the damn, fishing... Me, well I had pen and paper, and was working on a new poem...





















Here hubby is trying on his new vest for our journey up north to meet Gordon for some Chinook (King) Salmon fishing...


















Just writing this post soothes me in the evenings, as I unwind from a busy day doing something else that helps me unwind...of course cooking!

Thank you for joining me on my town adventure, and hope you found it relaxing!

Over on my right side bar is a camera for Friday Shoot Outs, and if you want to snag it to place on your site, so that others can navigate around to others posts...then please do so!

Next week is 'INTERESTING SIGNS'...

Life is Wild, or just Crazy?

Seems like the longer I live, the more I get to experience raw nature.

I recently witnessed a vulture up close and personal, but it was chewing on more than the thought of whether to leave his prey, like whether to let me get the closeup photos I took.

Then nature throws another loop here when a coyote in Arizona got curious and came up close while we were hiking, and we all stopped for a snack.

He looked harmless...but maybe because he seems to be a teegan...

Friday Shoot Out- Power

Power can be a state of mind...we have the ability to power up our bodies in many ways...






















Todays post is 'Power' picked by J9...






















Believe me this was not an easy task to walk on the treadmill and shoot my photos, but I was empowered to do it for the good of myself and daily inspiration...





















The condo we live in here in Princeton is small, and we will be moving after the first of a year to a bigger one with more storage space. Our fitness machines are strown all about the place, but this particular corner is full of fishing equipment, and I am excited to let the cat out of the bag. Hubby and I will get the chance to meet Gordon face to face in October when we make the journey to a King Salmon fishing adventure further east. The power of the Salmon River is calling us...























My clients son is really fun to hang out with...he stimulates me to use the power of my brain, and we have fun playing brain games with his homework, and board games that keep me on my toes...





















I run an open mic for poets and acoustic performers, and we power up with support for each other as we play to an audience each Tuesday in the coffee house...speaking of coffee...many use that for some fuel each morning, noon, and night!






















The power of the economy is affecting the small mom and pop joints all around us, and I hate to see good places like this go down the drains...






















Speaking of food...the power of the sun produces some of the yummiest things for us to put into our bodies! My friend here in Jersey lets me raid her garden for some good tomatoes...yeah, and if you have never had a fried green tomato, well, go out and try some today...





















Sarah Lulu posted pics of her new grand daughter Matilda for her post on power, and who can argue that the power of love can be one of the strongest motivations to keep us going, and going, and going... Here is me with my clients daughter, and even if I am not related I find that the sweet hugs, and laughter can power me up for the duration...and the thoughts of pulling a big king salmon, or steel head trout in from a powerful river in the near future...





















Thanks for joining me for our weekly Friday Shoot Out, and with the rain here; it has been hard to stick to a true 'Power' theme.

If you would like to take the camera pic and link for your site over on my right hand sidebar feel free, it was designed for this very purpose and will lead you to the site where more blogs are waiting to have their photo story discovered...

Thanks to Patty, Gordon, and GingerV for letting me be part of this great blog team!