Solomons Seen: July 5th - another Sunday on Solomons

A photography course my wife and I watched suggested trying some different angles, times of day and topics to spark some creativity. The bottom line to the first 'episode' of the class on DVD , by a National Geographic photographer I might add, is to have fun and to take multiple views and see what works. He actually said multiple time; "Have fun." I liked that approach, it's in complete alignment with me. So, today, I tried looking for a little different approach. I arrived a little earlier in the day, and tried to find a different type of lighting on the island. While the outcomes were decidedly 'mixed' in that many of the trials produced less than thrilling results, I definitely had fun.

The sole remaining farm on Solomons has fascinated me for some time. It seems both out of place and right at home on the banks of the Patuxent all at the same time. The Thomas Johnson Bridge is very close to the farm, and this morning I tried to find a new angle on the scene.

The gray cloudy sky didn't provide the best of backdrops, but I "went for it" anyway. Just walking along the fence which is elevated a few feet above the road next to it gave a new perspective of the place. Perhaps the best part was that I witnessed a group of youth coming the streets for trash left from the 4th of July festivities the evening prior. They saw me too, and soon there was a chorus of: "Take my picture!!"

Now, there's always one in the crowd that is not so willing a participant... and I'm guessing you can tell who that might be! It turns out the Youth Group from Lusby, and I'm sorry I don't recall the specific organization, does this every year!! They were a wonderful bunch, and full of energy. Well, at least while the camera was out. Their leader needed to remind them to carry and not drag the garbage bags, and one of the crew said that she should be paid. The playful response was that she was being paid... in food! Like I said though, they were a delight and beautifying the island.

Then next several shots are from church today. Notably, this young lady was twirling around on the grass, just enjoying life. And like the group above, she noticed the camera and nearly immediately and without me asking, went into 'pose' mode.

The two photos below are of the table settings in the fellowship hall. Again, this was all in the name of trying something just a little different.

Solomons Island United Methodist Church got a big 'plug' from Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) the other night during their concert. It turns out that BNL saw a sign on our church advertising BARF Kids, and they created a short song about it, with lyrics such as "purging for Jesus" or something similar to that. For the record, BARF stand for Being Around Really Fun. So, BARF Kids.

The sign was modified just a little today:

A little trash that was left behing

There's always something going on, or something to look at while walking on Solomomns. Today on the walk to get lunch there were some typical sights of motorcycles, bicycles and flowers.

you don't normally see too many mopeds

I like the contrast in this photo. The cyclist at the table had some very nice high tech bicycles on the far side of the iron fence - you can make them out if you look closely, but this near side had some beach cruisers. All are welcome on Solomons - high tech and low tech.

Lunch is always good at Lotus, and today was no exception. It was even better shared with friends and their mom and the new star of the family. By that I mean the extremely adorable 7 week old.