Fish out of Water (37/365)

For today's project, I made two adult and four baby origami goldfish out of standard printer paper, painted them and even applied "roly-poly" eyes.  I'm quite proud of my crafty accomplishments!  However, when it came to picturing the little family of fish, I did not factor in the wind that was blowing through Richmond today.  As a result, one of the adult fish became a casualty - he blew into Fountain Lake...

After the loss of the one fish, I was more careful as I lined up the rest of the family for their photo shoot.  However, I have to admit, I cheated a bit and put a thumbtack in the back end of each one in order to help keep them under control.  If you look closely, you can see the little, lost fish floating in the water behind the group in these shots...

And, not to be left out, Fountain Lake's ducks were very curious about the new addition to the pond...

Yoda (36/365)

I don't like any of the Star Wars movies, yet I love Yoda and he is a fixture in my car.  Why in my car, you ask?  Well, because I drive everyday and his presence reminds me to stay calm, take a deep breath and remain centered.  Or, at least, that is what I hoped he would do when I affixed him to my dash.  

"Size matters not, ... Look at me.  Judge me by size, do you?"

(Yoda)

Puzzling (32/365)

I got to thinking about puzzles and making one using Ralph.  This is what I came up with.  Can you do the addition?  What do you think goes in the blank?

Hint:  Ralph does not enjoy the activity he is helping to spell...

One Month Down (31/365)

My friend, Shannon, posed with Ralph for a few shots while we were at Gallery 5.  Although the first shot is somewhat blurry from my shaking during the shot, I love it.  And I love Shannon for being a great friend who always lends a helping hand when I need it.  :)  

Blurry from my shaking & slower shutter speed due to no flash.
The effect, I think, lends some mystery.

"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." (Audrey Hepburn)

With flash.
Less blurry, but less mysterious

Iron Fish (17/365)

There is nothing I like more than something that makes me think of New Orleans and there is nothing that makes me think of New Orleans more than iron.  Everywhere you walk in that city you see iron - from the centuries old iron work on the Pontalba balconies to the iron work you find surrounding crypts within the St. Louis Cemeteries.  Therefore, imagine how much I enjoyed finding this iron work encasing a window here at home, in Richmond.  I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do.  It is my new favorite.

"And what advice would you give to an aspiring photographer? 

'To fall in love.' Lartigue replied.

~ Jacques Henri

Quack! (12/365)

So, Ralph made a friend.  This lovely duck resides at Byrd Park and I enjoyed taking shots of him for about an hour the other day.  He got so used to me being there that he allowed me to approach within less than a foot of him.  He really was a unique character, with red blotchy things all around his eyes and bill.  One friend described it as looking as if he had gooseberry cereal all over his face.  Since he was such a unique and beautiful duck, I decided to see if I could get him to let me back in his world long enough for a shot with Ralph and he did.  This is the result.

And here is a close-up of the duck, sans Ralph...

Duck....Duck....Goose... (11/365)

Byrd Park

Richmond, VA