52Frames_macro

The story was rather timely. And I had an idea that supported it. Every week I need to submit an image for the 52frames photo challenge. This week’s subject matter was “macro” - making tiny things look larger than life so as to see the fine details. It just so happened that a lobster man was swallowed by a whale off the coast of Massachusetts. Did it really happen? I dug out my old charm bracelet and there it was - a charm of a whale. What made this piece so spectacular was that it has a hinged jaw that opens and closes. When it is opened, there is a man sitting in the mouth fishing. Next to this charm is the state of Massachusetts (try learning to spell that as a youngster!) and a pot of baked beans. This lovely charm bracelet was a gift from my aunt. Every year for my birthday she would send something memorable to add to the bracelet. This bracelet was my personal childhood jewelry, while another bracelet holds charms of all the different places we traveled to over the years. So I spent the afternoon trying to arrange the bracelet for a decent photo. I also took several other “macro” photos to see if anything else might be better. One was of a clasp on my mother’s over 100 year old tiny Polish prayer book, while the rest were taken of booze in a bottle, flowers and bugs on the national mall. I ended up using the whale charm even though I know it’s not the best image. But I really liked the back story. I figured there would be a lot of flowers and insects and I am certain that no one else thought of this. I’m not exactly a photographer and an iPhone is my camera. It’s a great way to try and be creative. But I don’t think my images are masterpieces. 

Family Reunion in Massachusetts

About a month ago I was really excited to get an invitation to attend a family reunion in Massachusetts for today. It’s been about twenty years since we traveled to Boston and that was for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. So we made reservations and planned to drive to Massachusetts yesterday. Three weeks ago my mom, now 95, was admitted to the hospital, sent home after four days, then readmitted after twisting her foot and fracturing her ankle. She had surgery with pins and screws last Saturday and was supposed to go to the rehab center in Monday. But things didn’t turn out that way. She’s having more medical issues which are starting to stabilize, but she’s not going anywhere yet. Then the hurricane warnings came that included a state of emergency for the DC area. On top of that, our building is having major renovation work to the foundation that includes ripping up our patio and garden. Not knowing if we would need to take an emergency trip to Florida for my mom, or know the true course of the hurricane, we decided to cancel our trip because it just didn’t feel right, and I was worried and stressed out by all the emergency phone calls I was getting. So here we are - the reunion is taking place and I’m hoping to see a lot of photos. Luckily everything is looking better, I’m finally feeling less stressed, and I’m not sorry about our decision. 

Polish Festival at St. Stanislaus in Fall River

It's been ages since we attended the Polish festival in Fall River. The last time we were there was for my parents fiftieth wedding celebration. We all joined our family in Boston and made the trip south to visit known and familiar landmarks of days gone by. That's where my parents were born, met, and got married. What I remember about the festival is the food, but also losing my balance and sticking my foot, with shoes and socks, in water after a little boat ride, and having a very soggy and squishy situation on one side only. At a later time, someone threw a dart right in to someone's head! Luckily it didn't stick! My cousin still has connections there, and I found these photos on Facebook advertising the event this coming weekend. I sent the food photo to my mother. She remembers the festival well and has wonderful memories from them all. We are pretty sure the venue has changed, but the event remains the same. There are hundreds of these community activities going on all over the place, but this one brings back a really good feeling.