Food, Fourth of July, and Launching Rockets

Wow. It's been a while since Ive posted.... or maybe it just feels like it. I have returned home from my Alabama Rural Ministries mission trip, been to visit friends in Decatur for the 4th, then brought my friend home with us to stay another few days in Birmingham.

ARM was great. We travel about 2.5 hours south of Bham to Tuskegee, AL to do our mission work. Our church (Trinity Methodist) team was divided into smaller teams of 6-7 people. Each of these teams then go to a work site, to do construction and repair work for those who do not have the means to do so themselves. It's a great thing, and this past trip was my 2nd time going.

You know, honestly, I sort of feel like I skipped the 4th. We didnt do anything terribly special or shoot off fireworks or anything. At one point in the day I said to myself "Oh. Its the 4th...".

The shot above is of our meal (well, part of it) on the 4th. Or maybe it was the 3rd. I dont know--either one. We had Beef Carpaccio, which is thinly sliced raw beef, topped with an aioli/horseradish sauce, arugula, and caper berries. It was delicious. I believe the recipe came from Birmingham chef Frank Stitt's new cookbook,  Bottega Favorita. My friends laugh at me when I tell them what we eat on holidays like the 4th, where most just throw some hot dogs on the grill. My parents are foodies. But hey--there's nothing wrong with a good cookout.

I had a good action shot of my friend Manny beating the slices of meat in order to thin them. My dad didnt think to get them sliced at the store when he bought the meat. Anyways-- the photo got lost somewhere in between my memory card and Picasa. I'll see if I cant dig it up.

Manny (my friend who was visiting from Decatur) and I like science stuff. Particularly stuff that flies, explodes, shoots, etc. So, we went to Hobby Lobby, and got a rocket to launch. We got setup with the launch pad, electronic launching thingy, and the rocket itself. We put it together and shot it off on the Shades Cahaba Elementary field yesterday. It was so cool. I posted a video of the launch on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQinPNBugZQ I'm in the blue shirt.

Ha ha-- I'm a total nerd.

-Rip

Don't Forget

I feel like sometimes, after a disaster such as the one that struck Alabama in April, people feel sorry and send their best wishes... and then move on. I'm not saying we have to stop dead in our tracks, but I do think that we should continue to pay mind to the on going recontruction. Especially after our attention is being thrown to tornadoes all over the country!

This is a piece of insulation (yes, you heard me) from someone, somewhere's home, that got blown into our front yard after the storm. This is just one of 10-15 bits we've found, ranging in size from 1 to 4 inches in diameter.

Well, I am in NY right now, and wrote this last Friday. So, if my attempt at scheduled post doesnt work, please forgive me.
-Rip

In Memory

I know, I know, it's not exactly on time. But I felt like even though I missed the actual day, that I should post this picture in honor of our veterans. I heard someone say, on TV or radio that "Rather than a day of remembrance that happens to be a day off, Memorial Day is now a day off, that happens to be a day of remembrance in most people's minds." I like that quote.... I think it is very true. I mean, obviously, because I forgot to do this on the actual day, I am not one to talk about paying a whole lot of attention to Memorial Day. But I still think it should be advertised as a day that we honor those who died for us, rather than a day off from work or school.

Anyhow, regarding the photo, I really, really like this picture. I suppose it was a good day for this shot, but it also just captures so much of the US. The famous NYC skyline, framing our beautiful flag waving in the breeze. It was quite a nice day in NY, as I recall.

I know this is entirely irrelevant, but does anyone else get on a site called StumbleUpon? It is (seriously) one of the BEST things EVER invented. When you register (for free!) it has you go through this long list of all sorts of interests. Some of mine include Photography, Design, Gadgets, Humor, etc. Then, you enter the interface and click "Stumble." Then, it pulls up a website that has to do with your interests. For example, it recently showed me this site about all of these innovative, awesome hotels around the world. Some... or most, for that matter, are more useful than that though. For instance, a site on shooting (with a camera...) tips came up. You can then "like" or "dislike" a site, and S.U. learns about what you do and dont like.

I'll shut up about it--just click the link above and check it out. My username is Ripster3859, if you join and want to "friend" me.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day and weekend. Tomorrow I am going to attempt at soap-making. Its something I have developed a random interest in, and I'm going to give it a try. If all goes well, then I'll share the recipe. Not as complicated as you might think.

I'll keep you posted, (as always... do I write too much stupid stuff in my posts?)
-Rip

Down the Line

I need to make some serious changes to this blog template. I recently began experimenting with the tab under the template thing that allows you to pick out your own colors.... and, as you can see, not all of them turn out well! I pulled up my blog just a few minutes ago, and realized the atrocity of color combinations that covered the page.

Summer has begun!! It is so nice to know (for the first few days, at least) that you have no where to be at 8 am, no homework to turn in the next day that you dont understand, and no clubs that are putting you on probation because you didnt get up at the crack of dawn that morning to attend their meeting. (I'm not kidding...) This weekend, we are having all kinds of people over, but for the most part, we arent doing anything major the first week.... then, after that, its go go go go! until we realize that its the end of July, and that we have to go to the school to get ready for the next year. I am leaving for NY on our annual Trinity UMC Youth Choir Tour on June 4, so I will try my hand at "pre-posting" as I am calling.

Sigh.... its always the last part of the post before I actually tell you about the photo I'm posting. This is another one from Pepper Place. These lines adorned with clothes pins and price displays are all around!

Walking along, we passed an empty booth....

Ah. That explains it!

-Rip

Perfect Spot....

This little girl had a great setup under her family's table. A few more degrees, and I might have just gone under there and introduced myself...

-Rip

2 More Days....

Seasons: Fruits of Summer

Well, last Sunday's Seasons didnt happen. Sorry about that..... I was viewing my blog, just, for the sake of viewing my blog, and realized that a Sunday had passed since the last Seasons post. Oh well.

Yesterday was my very first visit to Pepper Place downtown B'ham! I have had many opportunities to visit before..... I guess my bed was just too comfy. If you know me at all, you know I am not an early riser. But now, I see what I have been missing! All different sorts of people, with all their different sorts of stuff. I love strawberries, and these nice plump red ones, ripe just in time for summer, had nice perky leaves. I made an attempt to grow strawberries in my little garden last year-- I ended up with one about the size of a dime, and about 5 that some pesky creature had taken a nice bite out of. And they dont even eat the whole thing! Its like they take a little nibble of your strawberry--just enough to ruin it--and then move on to the next one. Anyhow, it miraculously survived the winter with all of its frost and cold (with ZERO care or water other than rain) and produced the same thing this spring. I suppose thats just something I'll leave to the farmers...

I have many other neat shots from Pepper Place I'll be sharing with you soon.

We have THREE! 3! III! TRES! TROIS! days of school left. Oh, I am so ready. I actually hate summer, as in, the season. But, the fact that school is let out makes it a little bit better. It seems like last week that I was shooting the melting frost.

-Rip

A Trip to Ed's...

Ah, Ed's Pet World. I think anyone who lives in the B'ham metro area, Homewood especially, immediately knows what I'm talking about, and why I'm talking about it! You know those photos, that really need only a few words of explanation? Well, this is one of them. I think the elements of the shot pretty much sum up what Ed's is all about.

You've got this 100 year old turtle wondering around the place, (literally...and, with a phone number written on it, mind you)The skulls hanging up top, the golden retriever wandering around looking for a pat on the back, and the a-bit-too-natural fish tanks lining the walls. I hadnt been in Ed's for some years until yesterday. I have recently started a small aquarium, and was looking for a few new male molly fish to join the 3 females I had had for 2 weeks, in hopes of producing molly fry! (I'll keep you posted on that one.)  Anyhow, you could walk around that place for forever! There are so many nooks, crannies, and different sections that you keep discovering new areas of the store and new animals.

Ed's gets a lot of criticism, claiming that it is unsanitary, not responsible, and shouldnt be allowed to keep animals. But in reality, I believe that it is just as, if not more, capable of keeping healthy animals than some of these big chain pet shops. The employees are all very knowledgeable on all the animals, and are eager to help out. So, I will definitely be returning to Ed's for any future fish purchases.

-Rip

P.S.-- As you can see, I have solved my rotation problem!

Seasons: Waiting

Well, I have decided upon my theme day: Seasons. I have been thinking about doing a theme day for quite some time, and have come to the decision of what it was going to be- so, on Sundays, the post will be themed after the changing of the seasons, etc.. One of my favorite things to photograph is the changing of the seasons; wildlife (theres not too much of that here, but...), plants, climate- it all fascinates me. And, its one of my favorite things about Alabama. We have 4 very distinct seasons.

This photo captures what I think is so cool about plants... this rose, somehow knows when its spring, and grows this bud just in time for it to reveal its beautiful colors in April. Just one of those curious things of nature that has always been, and always will be.

Oh, and before I forget, a quick question for my fellow photo bloggers- I have noticed most of your posts have the time "12:01 am" of when they were posted... is this just because you set it to automatically post on a certain day and write it ahead of time? Just a petty thing that is bothering me.

-Rip

P.S. Happy Mothers Day!

Brooklyn Bridge

Something about New York's Broolyn Bridge seduces my photographic eye. My family was dragging me across as we walked west towards manhattan post lunch at a pizza place tucked under the eastern bank. I guess its just my personality, but it does bug me that I cant scoot it to the left a bit and make it symmetrical!! (Thats what you get with impatient family members.....) I was recently introduced to the rule of thirds... something I was slightly ashamed that I wasnt aware of before. (Many thanks to Chieftess!) I think this shot is pretty good considering the guidelines... But I might just be willing my eyes to complement myself. How did I do?

Still working on that theme day......

-Rip

SIDE NOTE:
Join thousand of Americans on April 25, 2011, in silently speaking for the invisible children, forced to fight under Joseph Kony, leader of the rebel army. We will commit to silence for 25 hours, symbolizing the 25 grueling years of Africa's longest running war.

Find out more and register at : http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/25

Wisteria

Our backyard is full of this vine! Talk about invasive... I guess this could be, "the vine that ate the south", except, "but flowered and made things all better." Hey, at least its not kudzu. I debated over whether or not the 2nd one was too busy, or had an interesting background. I still cant decide, but I suppose that I cant be self conscious about every photo I take.

Well, I have just gotten plain jealous, viewing other blogs and their theme days; and I don't have one! Therefore, I am going to brainstorm, and think of a theme for a certain day... for two reasons.
1) I think its something to look forward too.
2) It will give me more motivation to pick up my camera and go shoot.

Has anyone noticed I like lists? Also, have you noticed how many posts I end with "Hmmm..."? I find myself writing about all of these various subjects in my posts, and then by the end, I begin to ponder them. I think my brain and typing fingers have some sort of abnormal communication that I cant seem to control, with the exception of the "backspace" button.

-Rip

Episcopal in Ivy

The old Episcopal Church in Brewton is one of the prettiest around, and covered in that gorgeous ivy.

-Rip

La Paree

I thought this unfortunatley closed eatery downtown was a charming addition among its neighbors. I imagine the inside was quite interesting as well. And Im sure the Steaks and Seafood were the best around. ;)

-Rip

P.S. Did I over do the tags??? Haha. =D Also, spellcheck seems to be acting up. Be sure and critique any mistakes!