Fourth of July – Slow Shutter Speed

I chose to live in gratitude this year, and given the world condition, it’s difficult. So, thank you Patti for reminding me there is always hope and encouraging us to look into our own lives to show what gives us hope.

My rose garden, which I’ve neglected this year and still blooms, gives me hope. I’m not a gardener, but these roses have the resilience to show their beauty without much help from me. Maybe if individually we each show our beauty of spirit we can help bring beauty into this world.

Animals in their own habitat also give me hope. They live life simply and naturally. Some only hunt when hungry and some live off the land.

Holidays and festivities give me hope. For a short while we gather and enjoy, laugh and become childlike. Each year our community has a July 4th parade where golf carts, cars and bikes are decorated. If you’re not in the parade, you’re watching it. This is followed by a good old fashioned hot dog lunch.

Dedication to a passion brings me hope. When I’m out with my camera, I don’t think of other things. I just enjoy. My camera brings me to nature and sometimes artistic festivals where artists display their talents. One such festival is Chalk it Up. These artists paint with chalk, putting their all into it only to have it last a few days. Their dedication to their art and wanting to bring joy to others gives me hope.

I love trees–big ones like our Giant Sequoias and small ones; trees with leaves and those without. Trees are expressive in the way their branches bend, or stand out straight. Trees are strong and have a certain energy. Have you hugged a tree lately?

I’ll end with sunflowers. Just looking at them as they follow the sun, gives me hope. Their determination to blossom every year in the same fields shows that given the right care they will continue to smile at us. Can we give the world the right care and have it smile back?

We may not be able to change the world, but we can affect our small micro world and create hope. We can offer hope to our family and friends by helping and caring for them.

Thank you Patti, for reminding us that there is still hope. When you respond to her challenge, please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. I truly enjoyed your responses to Tina’s challenge last week of Children (human and animal). What a joy they are, giving us hope. Next week Ann-Christine will be presenting the challenge, so look for her post. Until then, stay safe and have hope!

The day before July 4, I was Toastmaster at Skillbuilders Toastmasters. My theme was July 4. Well, it had to be given it was July 3. I didn’t mean to become so emotional, but when I started talking about how I thought we were losing sight of what the holiday was really about and that to many it has become an opportunity for a three-day weekend, I did. I urged our membership to look back and remember the holiday for it’s early reasons, appreciate the country that we have the good fortune to be citizens of, and do what we could to make it better. The look on their faces told me that I was reaching them.

So, on July 4 my photo buddy Marlene and I caught the second half of the Roseville July 4 parade. It was great to see a small town celebrating. When we were in Bridgeport, California, the weekend before, (my next post) the streets of this tiny town were already decorated and waiting for the celebration. I can imagine they also had a parade.

Street photography was next after the parade. The water fountain was on (recycled so it’s okay during this drought) and the kids were having water fun.

Later in the evening we went to a block party in my son’s neighborhood. It was a great party and the beginning of a tradition. This was a chance for neighbor to meet neighbor. That’s sort of keeping with the spirit of the holiday. As if to complete the scene, the sun put on a show as it set. Then came nightfall and tons of fireworks. I discovered that these little fireworks are more difficult to shoot than the large aerial blasts. When I say a ton of fireworks I meant it. There must have been at least $1,500 to $2,000 on the table. This made me wonder about how that investment could have been put to better use.

For those of you who are U.S. citizens, i hope this blog spurs you on to think about our country, it’s founding and why we truly celebrate Independence day.