I stared through the window of the storage room next to an antique shop in Old St. Charles, Missouri.

The items were "not quite good enough" to make it into the main parlor. I have a feeling that the original owners may have felt differently. Years ago these "2nd rate" items adorned the living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens of homes...homes of real people. Lamps with stained shades and frayed wires once lit a small living room...the owners so proud of the new electric service just installed. Wooden folding chairs that were brought out of the closet for the small ones to sit on at Thanksgiving gatherings or wakes for loved ones who had passed. Odd to us today but the copper pineapple on the table made visitors feel welcomed upon entering a home.

The potbellied stove kept a family warm on cold Winter nights...this stove served it's family well, now cast aside. The hand carved hawk...not the best handiwork but a labor of love probably made of wood native to the farm where it was proudly displayed. The handmade wooden box next to the stove was in bad repair but due to the hand cut dovetail joints...it still was capable of holding the tools that made it. And last but surely not the least of the items...the timeworn table in the foreground still sturdy after years of meals, family discussions and neighborly gatherings continues to be useful even today.

There is a great article by an Author named Jackie Curtis...I know nothing of her but her article relays so well my feelings about this room...I stumbled onto the article by accident. From now on...when I go to an Antique Store...the first question I am going to ask is "Can I look at your articles in the storage room"?

Dan

New York City...a church that was spared ruin on September 11th, 2001.


This scene is played out in all of the major cities around the world and thank goodness for it. The contrast of old historic buildings against the backdrop of modern superstructures. Often the historic center of a city remains as a testament to it's founders and the city elders had enough foresight to preserve them for future generations. At one time these old buildings were on the "cutting edge" of their time. Let's hope that in the day of our grandchild's child, he or she will see a remnant of Times Square or the Chicago Loop as they visit the cities of the future.

Dan

The original posting date for this image was November 19th of 2008. It was my 3rd post and had 2 comments and one was Laura Jayne of Poems Poetry and Prose. Through Laura Jayne it was my first introduction to sites that prompt writing topics.


It had been dry for weeks. The humidity caused the blowing dust to stick to my skin and form a mud paste like I made when I was a child. The musky smell told me something was about to change. Shortly after the release of the shutter, I was vindicated. The rain began with a soft gentle cleansing and the steam rising from the field told me that the tension had been released. The grasses, once dry and brittle, now could live another day. The old granary now had a new complexion, moist, smooth and glistening. I repacked my equipment, turned to survey the revived landscape and breathe in one more time, then left with a renewed sense of knowing that it was going to be a beautiful day.

Original posting date of December 9th, 2008.

Summer clover hay has a unique smell. Sweet, sometimes musty, but the presence of the air filled with clover is a sure sign that work has been done here. Family farms hold tradition, pride of ownership and loyalty as a road map for all of us to follow. Whether you hail from Europe, Asia, down under, or America...the smell of clover hay in the summer immediately takes you out of the six lane and transports you Shangrila - the land of eternal youth in "The Lost Horizon".

Cynthia...1957 is your lucky number!

Congratulations Cynthia...you ere the first today with the right answer! So one of my photos of your choice will be Oklahoma bound. Just email me at felsteadd@gmail.com with your choice and shipping address and I will get it in the mail. Thanks for participating!


A BIG THANKS to all who visited and participated in the contest for the last 4 days...I had fun and hope you did as well...let's do it next year. I am going to post two more days of early photo postings then back to the normal drill. I think I am approaching overkill on the celebrating the anniversary! I have probably milked this thing for all it's worth!
Thanks again,
Dan



King of the Road!

I posted this on Simply Heather's Photo Blog on Saturday after the car show but wanted to re-post here for this week.

Heather mentioned that it looked like this car was smirking! Indeed it is. For this 1957 Oldsmobile Rocket was the king of the road in those days...nothing more bawdy and nothing more 1950's than this piece of Americana.

America took to the open road in the 50's. Gas was cheap, highways were being built everywhere and the family vacation was on the move. The most famous of the treks was highway 66...an east-west two lane that catered to America on the road. Along route 66 you could see plaster dinosaurs...a must to have your picture taken in it's mouth, a restaurant shaped like a huge teapot, Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox the size of a school bus, and the creation of Drive-ins...you could actually order food and eat in your car...WOW...the wonders of high technology! This was a time of carefree America at peace after the World War and Korea. What better way to forget those horrors than to take to the road on a family vacation. The '57 Olds was the car to do in.

On the drivers Ipod Playlist:

The Frank Sinatra Discology
Best of Tony Bennett
One eyed one horned Flying purple people eater
Hello Mother, Hello Father...Here I am at Camp Granada
They're coming to take me away HA HA
You aint nothing but a hound dog
Heartbreak Hotel
Rock around the clock
Blue Suede Shoes
Johnny B. Goode

Showing on the DVD Player:

The Wild Ones
On the Waterfront
Chevy Chase's "Vacation"
Cat on a hot tin Roof
Cleopatra
Giant
Them
The day the Earth Stood Still (Black and white original version)
Ben Hur

Last know tweet from Twitter:

"Just saw the funniest Burma Shave signs yet! @Big Bopper.com"

See you at the Drive in Movie tonight!

Dan

Just a quick recap of rules:
1. Read the clue
2. Search my blog for a post earlier than Aug '09 that matches the clue.
3. Return to the comments for today's post and leave a description of the photograph
4. First one to make the correct guess wins a matted photo of their choice from the blog.
5. I will announce today's winner with tomorrow's post.
6. I will be monitoring your comments in case you have a question.


Final Clue...Day 4:

Route 66 paved the way and life on the road begun
Plaster Dinosaurs ate our young
If there were IPODS in the 1950's
"Blue Suede Shoes" would really be nifty
Then again if at the movies
"The Wild Ones" would really be groovy

Thanks for all the participation and good luck!

Don't forget to leave your answers on today's comments.

Dan

Now I have to pay shiping to Sweden!

Congratulations Dawn Treader! Your multiple guesses paid off and Cynthia you were very close...the wolf was white but the albino deer was even more rare and then there was the smell of a wood stove in the air! Dawn Treader just email me at felsteadd@gmail.com with your photo choice and shipping address and when I save enough money for shipping...I will send it to you!

One more day and one more clue...good luck to all!
Dan

This was my very first post on the blog. As I posted it...I wondered if it was just going off into cyberspace and no one would see. My worst fears came true...the next day I think there was one comment. One year later all of your comments keeps me going...thank you.



I could hear the chit chit chit of rain falling on the already frozen ground forming a thick layer of ice. I walked out to soak in the beauty of crystal clinging to every branch. I found myself standing toe to toe with the albino. One chance for the shot, with the click of the shutter, she was gone. I have seen her since but she has never afforded another chance to capture her again. She can only be seen on her terms. Her fleeting image brings to mind the Native American folklore legend surrounding the albino deer. The albino, the crystal ice, the winter's chill and the smell of smoke from a distant wood stove froze this image in my mind and quite literally in the camera.