Flight 93 Memorial

We visited the Flight 93 Memorial recently. It’s not that long of a drive from the DC area. The Memorial is still a work in progress, but it is nothing short of powerful already.

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The wall follows the flight path, which leads your gaze to the impact site. Each person’s name is engraved on a different wall panel. Only family members are allowed out to the impact site.

There are small grooves cut into the barrier every so often where people have laid mementos. You can see the impact site behind the barrier in one of the photos above.

In a small building there is a bulletin board where you can pin your thoughts.

I’m still saddened whenever I think about that day. It’s hard to believe over ten years have gone by.

Spring!

I must admit this winter was not terrible at all. That was a gift God designed just for me, I’m sure of it. The plants and trees still go to sleep for several months, which has left us without color in the DC area.

So it’s the little things, like tulip magnolias in the Costco parking lot, that bring my girls and me the biggest joy when nature begins to wake up. In fact, these trees inspired a quick jaunt into DC to see if the other, more famous cherry blossom trees had begun to bloom. (They hadn’t).

Image

I took this with my iPhone and then did some editing in LightRoom (some good, some questionable). I don’t think I took it over to Elements to edit there as well. I’m realizing I don’t really have an editing style yet–either a process that I consistently use OR a final look that tends to be me. I’m enjoying trying to figure that one out, though. I’m submitting this shot to Rock The Shot’s March photo challenge. If you’d like to play along head over to www.rocktheshotforum.com, specifically to this link here and add your pic.

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I hope it’s spring where you are, no matter how mild your winter was! . . . Unless you’re in the southern hemisphere. Then you’re probably beginning to enjoy fall.

Calling a woman a slut is NOT a war on women

We’ve gotten so good at throwing around extremes. We love everything and everyone, we’re BFFs with any and everyone. Not getting the latest iPhone on its release day makes it the worst day ever. Really?

There are people who want to say that calling a woman a slut is war on women. Maybe they’re also talking about the idea that a PRIVATE institution wants to choose what it covers in its own health insurance. Really? Are those really what we want to call

WAR ON WOMEN?

Let’s sit back and take things in perspective. This is war on women:

  • Sex-selective abortions and female infanticide. (Fortunately, female infanticide seems to be on the decline.) This is war on women.
  • Genital mutilation such as circumcising females (nothing to do with hygiene) or sewing vaginas shut. This is war on women.
  • Sex trafficking, which shockingly is alive and well IN AMERICA. This is war on women.
  • Murdering, and publicly at that, women for having affairs. This is war on women.

Do we really want to say that an inappropriate comment and the desires of a private institution are wars on women? Cut the political bantering and forced American-feminist outrage. Put on your big-girl panties, forget about the old, white dude that called someone a slut, get righteously angry, and get the word out about the true war on women going on under the radar all over the globe.

Stick to tradition or move on?

I have mixed feelings about this picture*:
It is an absolutely stunning portrait of Michelle Obama. On the other hand, it is a high-fashion, posed image of the First Lady of the United States. Michelle has great style (most of the time). There is no precedence saying that America’s first ladies cannot express their personal styles and one or two have been trend setters. For some reason, though, I feel uneasy about the first lady posing for high fashion like this while in her public position and then releasing the photograph. It’s obvious the feelings that are purposely being portrayed: style, power, grace, sophistication. No one holds their hand on their thigh like that naturally, though. It’s provocative – where is she? (looks almost like a bathroom or a hallway) what is she getting ready to do? (hike up the dress to adjust her stockings? Very probable if she’s in a bathroom). Who stands like that in a gown?

Can anyone help me put my feelings into words? I don’t want to be stuck with tradition (thinking First Ladies don’t pose like this) if there’s no reason a First Lady shouldn’t pose like this (and release it to the public), but aren’t I right to feel a little uneasy looking at this?

*I found the picture of Facebook without any credit to its owner/the photographer.

Self portrait

In New York City our hotel room was on the 23rd floor and had amazing views. We came back to the hotel one day to rest a bit before heading back out that night. As I was relaxing I realized that the afternoon sun was blazing through the windows creating an interesting looking shadow on the headboard. I grabbed my camera, trying to capture something interesting. I had to work quickly–in the winter the sun doesn’t like to stay in the sky very long and its movement is more obvious when you’re trying to play with its effects.

I edited it in black and white as well, but I think I like the color better.

Either way, I have a really long shadow-head. Ha! Rock the Shot has challenged its readers to take an interesting self portrait and I think this fits the bill. If you want to play along head over to www.RockTheShotForum.com. February’s challenge should be posted soon.