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Carly headed off to Kindergarten this morning, and the only way I could hold it together was by taking pictures. Lots of them. It was harder to put my little girl on a school bus than I thought it would be! But she was ready -- such an independent kid at the tender age of five...
~*~ UPDATE ~*~
No big surprises here -- she thrived, I survived. And the second day went pretty well, too. I might even get used to having a school girl in the house!
I've been navelgazing today.
Mostly thinking about how it seems as though I've lived several lives over the course of my 40+ years. I've been a politico, a campaign manager, a state government toady, a lobbyist -- they all fit together as one "life." I've dabbled in trade association management. I've done the entrepreneurial thing. I've had the good fortune to have the wife and mom life.
It's been six months since I started a new business, a new "life," and I'm just beginning to gain some perspective on what was left behind and what lies ahead. Understanding that what I liked most about my former life as a publisher (and by association, a tour sponsor/planner/host) was the people part of it -- meeting people, getting to know them, trying to maintain friendships. In putting together LGB Telegram, the model train magazine I published for 14 years, it felt constricting to include photos of trains alone. So I snuck in pictures of people. And as I go through my photo files from the magazine (that's what I'm doing today, hence the navelgazing, LOL), I'm finding that the most memorable photos for me are the photos that feature people.
Here's one of my favorite snapshots from 1999: a conductor on the Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke in Switzerland welcomes our tour group. I love the twinkle in his eye, the character in his face. And I wish I could go back and capture this again -- with the technical expertise I've gained since then and with the camera/lens I have today. Maybe I'll get back there again...in another life!
Anybody remember what it's like to swing toward the treetops? There's something wonderful about flying through the air, leaving all your cares at ground level...
I am embarrassed to admit that I originally bought my favorite brand of liquid soap for no other reason than I loved the packaging. And bonus! They smell great, too. So I'm hooked. Method soaps have the coolest bottle, and those beautiful jewel-tone soap colors are irresistible! I'm partial to Pink Grapefruit and Sweetwater for summers, Pomegranate for the holiday season and Eucalyptus Mint when I'm feeling blue.
It's the last few days of the dog days, the last hurrah before school begins. And we're trying to cram all the joy and fun of sunny days into the second half of August. So -- another day, another jaunt to Dutch Wonderland. This time, with some extended family in tow. Eleven of us enjoying the perfect sunny day and watching the little ones dance around the water and giggle on the rides.
Oh, I know what you're saying: "Don't you guys ever go anywhere but Dutch Wonderland?!?"
Well, as it turns out, we don't. But it's a Kingdom for Kids! (tm), so how can we resist?
And it has some great old rides with intriguing signs, to boot:
This one is a very cool
old Wave-Swinger-style
ride, fast and furious and
fun fun fun!
And here's Declan
on the little hand-crank
trains, one of those
old-time amusements
you often see these days.
Not a bell or whistle
on these little guys,
but the kids love 'em
just the same!
We get a LOT of tourists in Hershey. But I'd be willing to bet most of them never get to Harrisburg, just 12 miles west of us. Lancaster County, sure. Gettysburg, maybe. But Harrisburg?
I'm here to tell ya, Harrisburg has a lot going for it! Since Mayor Steve Reed was first elected a couple decades ago, the city has cleaned up and moved forward. There's a dynamic restaurant and club scene there now, so the sidewalks no longer automatically roll up at 5 p.m. There's City Island, a fantastic place to take the family -- a ride-on train, a riverboat, mini golf, a playground, a small beach, an arcade, carriage rides, rental bikes and (last, but certainly not least) the Harrisburg Senators AA baseball team, the City Islanders soccer team and the Piranha minor pro football team. There's a State Museum with a very nice recent addition for kids, Curiosity Connection. The Whitaker Center has brought small-hall performances to town. And there's the state capitol building. I used to take it for granted, having worked there for a few years; but in my years of travel since, I've seen a lot of other state capitols and I appreciate ours a lot more now! I could spend hours there just checking out the mosaic tile art in the floor, not to mention the Violet Oakley and Edward Austin Abbey paintings. And visiting the House and Senate galleries is always... interesting. A great civics lesson for kids, too.
Anyway. It's the 100th anniversary of the PA State Capitol this year, so there are plenty of cool events scheduled to celebrate -- another good excuse to visit!
I'm sure it's been done. But I could really get all happy about photographing all those old carnival and amusement park rides -- day shots, night shots, lots of neon and fonts and colors. It all brings back memories of going to the Great Stoneboro Fair (once a year, "Always on Labor Day") and breathing in all those great amusement park smells and trying to take in all the sights. And it's why I always promised myself that when I grew up, I would live next to an amusement park.
So here's a pic of the Starship America sign (ride installed in 1955) at Hersheypark to start...
I forgot how cool the local playground was for photography -- lots of aging wood and loads of texture and awesome lighting late in the day. I definitely want to do a session here soon!
Kai has eyes that are kind of brown with a pond-scum green component -- I've never been able to successfully capture that color. But here's my latest try:
Defying Gravity
Idina Menzel: Wicked (2003 Original Broadway Cast)
