I took this in the charming little town of Rostock, Germany. I loved the peachy walls and gray shutters in the background. Rostock was an unexpected gem and I’ll be blogging about it in the near future.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Peach Cruiser
Posted in photography
Tagged bicycle, cobblestones, Germany, gray shutters, peach walls, Rostock
4 Comments
Vintage Planter
I’ve been meaning to photograph this old pickup for months and am glad I waited. It’s been planted with succulents and everything is blooming in and around it. Sea lavender and vintage pickups: two of my favorite things. 🙂
The fence is really that bright green, and even more so with the sun low in the sky.
The succulents really set off the sea lavender, don’t they?
The pickup is next to a very small nursery that was closed when we were there. I want to go back and compliment them on the way they’ve done this.
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
L.A. Farmers Market
The Farmers Market in Los Angeles first opened in 1934, but was originally a dairy farm owned by A.F. Gilmore and a partner in 1870. Oil was actually discovered on the site in 1905 and the Gilmore Oil Company occupied the space.
The large derricks were eventually outlawed, and the land remained empty until 1934 when two businessmen, Fred Beck and Roger Dahlhjelm, approached A.F.’s son, Earl Bell, with the idea of letting farmers and merchants park their trucks at the corner of Third and Fairfax and sell fresh produce from the back of the trucks. By October 1934, the market was really popular, and more farmers and merchants moved into permanent stalls.
I think that’s what surprised me the most: that the market is permanent. I should have known this, because it’s so old, but it just didn’t occur to me. I was expecting lots of fresh produce and flowers, but they were in short supply. No matter. The place oozes retro charm and is a great spot for eating and people-watching. Jimmy Kimmel often shoots segments of his show here and the market was the setting for an episode of Entourage. Let’s stroll through it….
I love the vintage look of this Starbucks sign.
All of the produce photos were shot at this particular stand. I didn’t really notice the tree in the second photo until I looked on the computer. 🙂
I also liked all the colorful tables with mint-colored chairs.
The pies were even more drool-worthy in person.
This crêperie looked so cute, but I have to confess I can’t stand crepes made in the U.S. I’ve tried many, and they’re either too rubbery or sweet or blah-tasting. American crêpes just can’t compare to the ones I had in Bretagne. Best ever.
The “fudge brownie monster” sounded amazing, but we decided on ice cream at this place:
The coffee ice cream was fantastic. 🙂
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Farmers Market Sneak Peek
One of the things we did in L.A. the other day was to visit the Farmers Market on Third and Fairfax. Don’t let this photo fool you–there wasn’t that much fresh produce. It was mostly places to eat. Full post on Tuesday.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Favorite Cookies
My all-time favorite cookies are chocolate chip. Especially with Guittard milk chocolate chips. I made some this weekend:
The very same day, I saw this on line:
Charles Schultz
Made me laugh.
I’m going to be in L.A. today, so won’t be able to answer comments. See you Friday!
{carole}
Travel Scan: Prague, Old Town Square
The photos below were taken from the tower at at the Old Town Hall in Prague.
Those beautifully colored buildings with amazing architectural details? Everywhere in Old Prague. Truly a stunning city. Would love to go back and shoot for days.
I had to turn the camera to take everything in. Sorry if it gives you vertigo. I’m not a fan of heights, but this tower didn’t bother me at all.
The statue depicts religious reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for his beliefs. Hus opposed Vatican control of the church and later became a symbol of anti-Habsburg rule. The memorial was erected on July 6, 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.
As you can see, the square was a tiny bit crowded. We were there in July, peak tourist season, and the city was packed. It was OK in the early morning, but after that, wall-to-wall people. I’d like to see the city in the winter with snow and fewer tourists.
The large squares are umbrellas for outdoor cafes.
Seriously, if you get the chance, go see Prague. This city will not disappoint.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Posted in photography
Tagged Czech Republic, Jan Hus Memorial, Old Town Square, Prague, shops, sidewalk cafes
11 Comments
Nobel Hall
Stockholm’s City Hall. It houses Nobel Hall where they have the Nobel ceremonies, and was completed in 1923.
I took this shot of the exterior from the shuttle bus because I knew I wouldn’t get a chance to shoot it when we went in. I learned that lesson in St. Petersburg, big time.
The Blue Hall (Blå hallen) is the main hall and is best known for the annual Nobel Banquet after the Nobel Prize award ceremony. The walls were supposed to be done in blue mosaic tiles, but architect Ragnar Östberg changed his mind and used unfinished red bricks. For some reason the name stuck.
Up the stairs from the Blue Hall lies the Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen) named after the decorative mosaics made of more than 18 million tiles. The mosaics illustrate motifs from Swedish history. This is where they have the ball after the Nobel Banquet.
The mosaics were installed between 1921 and 1923 by the firm Puhl & Wagner in Berlin.
You may recognize the Eiffel Tower in this one.
Golden Hall is 144 feet (44 meters) high.
I have to say, it was pretty cool to see the gold lit up by sun streaming through the windows.
Details in the hall and a close-up of the mosaic tiles.
Gustav Vasa. The building was inaugurated on June 23, 1923, exactly 400 years after Vasa’s arrival in Stockholm. He was king from 1523 until 1560, and his grandson was responsible for building the Vasa ship.
As you can see, nearly everyone is gone. I took this on the fly to give an idea of the size of the hall.
Outside, a beautiful view. I believe that is the island of Riddarholmen and the Riddarholmskyrkan, the royal burial church since the 17th century.
I wish we’d had more time in Stockholm!
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Posted in photography
8 Comments
First Rose
I intended to blog about Stockholm today, but just didn’t have the time. I’m working on a collaboration with Flickr that’s exciting, but time-consuming. More on that later. Oh, I’m also teaching myself how to paint with watercolors. A little intimidating, but fun so far.
For now, the first rose of spring from our backyard:
Sooo happy this rosebush survived the fire.
Great weekend, everyone!
{carole}
Tropical Green
I have lived in Southern California for more than ten years, but I still get a kick out of seeing bananas and grapefruit growing outdoors. Especially in the winter:
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Top 12 on Flickr
I noticed that a lot of bloggers did retrospectives right after New Year’s. I thought about doing that, but decided instead to look at my stats on Flickr to see what’s getting the most views. It gives me an idea of what will sell and what won’t. But not always. Sometimes I’ll spend a good deal of time setting up a shot, only to watch it fall flat. Or I’ll hesitate to put up a photo that I think is inferior and it does great. Other photographers have told me the same thing. Anyway, here are my top 12:
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
Incidentally, numbers 4, 7 and 10 were shot with the iPhone. The stats include everyone who views the photos, not just photographers on Flickr. When I posted the photo of Jesse’s place (number 6) Breaking Bad was still really huge, so there was a lot of curiosity. The popularity of number 7 is a total mystery. Maybe people are Googling “boy toy” expecting something different? 😉
Hope your week’s going well so far.
{carole}
Pearls & Prose 