Cory's Brick

After Dad and Kelcey left on Saturday morning, the rest of us took a tour of Graue Mill. Here's a small snippet of wall and window that happens to have some bricks in it.

Ryan's "Brick"

A stretch of the Lincoln Highway between Elkhorn (now Omaha) and Omaha (still Omaha), Ne.

/rl

"Brick" due tomorrow!

Next weeks topic is surplus.

No, I don't mean we have a spare topic. I mean the topic is "Surplus."

/rl

Ryan's "Forest for the trees"

The fallen trees slightly obscure the forest. It's not a great photo, but I took it this week :)


In case anyone is interested, I posted photos of last weekend's adventures.


/rl

Cory's Forest for the Trees

One of the first things that Madeline did after coming home was losing the hair on the top of her head. Unlike most Lueninghoeners, however, she started growing it back. Here's the forest of hair that's starting to grow on the top of her head. Yes, that's my chin on the right - I cheated and am posting this picture that Lis actually took.

Craig's Forest for the Trees

This is a cheat, because I couldn't think of anything this week, and I'm packing up today for a conference I'm attending next week, so I don't even have time to just throw something together. I didn't want to post *nothing*, since I know Q's out this week and next.

This was taken in 2005, driving across Labrador. It's about as close as I've been to being in the middle of nowhere. The Trans Labrador Highway is (or was, at that time) a gravel road between Happy Valley/Goose Bay and Wabush/Labrador City. It's a day long drive with *nothing* but trees, except in the middle when you hit the town of Churchill Falls. All told, on that road trip, we went 2.5 days without seeing asphalt highway.

When I think of forest, I think of this.

Next week - "Brick"!

"Forest for the trees" due tomorrow.

/rl

Craig's Ugly (and late)

I am truly fortunate, in that I have in my possession both the ugliest shirt in the world, and the ugliest chair in the world. I was torn on which I would use. I considered both, but I think the shirt wins. So, behold! The ugliest shirt in the world, made of what looks like every tie my dad wore in the 1970s.

See the ugliest shirt in the world on the ugliest chair in the world here

Ryan's (belated) "Ugly"

Oddly, one of the major hazards of rock climbing in Minnesota is not gravity, but the Wood Tick (Dermacentor variabilis ) also known as the "American Dog Tick", or "Those Nasty Little Bastards That Make Me Consider Bathing In Coleman Fuel While Playing With Sparklers." Overall we found more than 50 of these things.

So far as we know, none of them got a mouthful of human. A few got a mouthful of Sam, but he (despite his protestation otherwise) is not a human. He is canine, and was wearing Frontline. Frontline makes ticks get dead. I want to wear Frontline.

/rl

Q's ugly

I'm afraid I'll have to sit the next couple weeks out. I'll be in Ireland and Scotland for a friend's wedding and a little R&R. But I'll be certain to post plenty of pictures when I get back . . .

Cory's Ugly

After working in the garden all day, Lis's toes are perdy ugly.

Next Week...

Next week: Forest for the Trees

Ugly due NOW!

Apologies in advance...

I have not yet taken an "Ugly" photo (actually, I have taken a ton of ugly photos) this week. I am going to go climbing for the rest of the week, so I won't be able to post a photo until Monday.

I beg your collective forgiveness.

/rl

Q's alive

the current condition of my sink.

Ryan's "It's Alive!"

A friend called me _way_ too early Friday morning to ask if I would photograph a pregnancy test. My immediate response was that it seemed pretty awkward...



Congrats to Charles and Kristina!

/rl

Cory's Alive

Each fall, the Beetle goes into deep hibernation. In the spring I adjust its valves, change its oil, and take it out for a victory lap. As of today, it has reached this year's "It's Alive!" state again.

It's ALIVE!

I had a great idea for It's Alive!, but I didn't get to take it before I left to spend the weekend in Santa Fe. So, I improvised. I wanted to take a picture of a monster, so I found the cutest monster I could. I was working with a different camera, but dang, it's nice! Extra bonus, view the full size and zoom up on Tasha's eye to see the reflection of me!

Next up - "Ugly"

"It's Alive!" is due Sunday night.

I can see the bottom of the topic barrel again. Time for a refill.

/rl

Q's cut

I know, I know. I'm late. I was out of town all weekend and this was the first chance I got to sit down at a computer for more than two minutes.

In my free time, I cut out interesting images and shapes and collage them together. For this photo, I'd considered trying something along the lines of what this guy does with pulp fiction covers. But I sort of liked the looks of this one, even though it doesn't compare to the cut out paperbacks.

Ryan's "Cut"

In today's tough economy, one can save a lot of money by cutting one's own hair. With practice, nearly professional results may be obtained:



/rl

Cory's Cut

Cut!

Next week: "It's Alive!"

Post your "Cut", chop chop!

/rl

Q's spring

I had considered a photo similar to Craig's since this one doesn't say spring precisely. But it is outside, and it is nice weather, and it is spring.

Craig's Spring

Get it?

Get it?

I'm sorry.

Ryan's "Spring"

I seem to recall that the robin is considered the "Bird of Spring."
I seem to recall that Emily Dickenson wrote a poem about about robins and spring.
I seem to recall that most dental procedures are more uplifting than Emily Dickenson's poetry...

/rl

Cory's Spring

I was going to post a pretty picture of some leaves bursting open or something spring-like like that, but I think this image is more fun: around our house spring is when the ducks come back and wander through the yard.

Here's what happened a few moments later.

Next Week

Next week: Cut. Cut cut cut cut cut cut. Cut.

Cut.

"Spring" due tomorrow!

Cory's Best Of Q1

Like Ryan, most of my recent stuff was for here. But here's a nice little cardinal I captured one cold afternoon in January.

Ryan's "Best Of Q1"

Slim pickings here - most of my photos from January, February, and March were taken for the blog. Here are some friends playing that game with the funny looking ball (not rugby, the other one).


/rl

Craig's First Quarter

Taken at an abandoned building on the trail up to the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawai'i.

Q's 1q

From January, this was a late night out with my friends Andy (right) and Dan.

Next week: Spring!

Post your "Best of Jan/Feb/Mar" soon!

/rl

Q's forbidden

I wasn't able to come up with something truly forbidden this week, so I just made a picture I like of something looked down on: stripes and plaids.

Ryan's "Forbidden"

Photographically, not my best. I had just taken the photo I planned to use when I passed this building. I found it amusing...

My "planned" photo is here.

/rl

Forbidden

There's so much I love about this sign. First is the apparently necessary translation of what a "no left turn" sign means. Next is the egregious use of quotation marks on said sign. Finally is that, while no left turn is allowed, it's apparently okay to go *straight*, except 59th street is offset as it crosses Harlem. This involves, you guessed it, making a left turn.

Cory's Forbidden

I was kind of busy last week, so I didn't manage to take a really great picture. But I did recall this great bridge that's next to Hinsdale Hospital: it is only one lane wide, so there's a stoplight on each side to keep traffic flowing only in one direction. It is also built as an arch, so there's no way to know when you start over it if the people on the other side are paying attention to their stoplight. Very exciting. You can kind of see what's happening on the Google.

Anyway, traffic is forbidden from driving over this bridge in two directions at once!

Next week...

Best of 2009Q1! I suppose that means, January, February, and March only.

'Forbidden' due today. I forbid you from not posting something.

Q's (unhatched) peep

which came first? the cadbury creme egg or the peep?

Ryan's "Peep"

Finally figured out where the M&M's have been going....

Also, I promoted "Forbidden" this week. We had already agreed that it should be "Best Of" for the first quarter of 2009. Do we want to change it?



/rl

Craig's Disco Peeps

If we knew why peeps went to discotheques, we'd have a much deeper understanding of the world.

Cory's Peep Show

I took a special trip to the Chicago area's only Peep farm for this week's topic, and came back with this picture of some peeps ready for market.

I also had an alternative shot that looks a lot more rustic, but the Peeps didn't look so peepish in it...

"Peeps" due tomorrow!

Next weeks topic is forbidden.

Err... no. The topic isn't forbidden. The topic is "forbidden."

I think.

/rl

Q's new

recently a friend mailed me a letter . . . a new one (at least to me) snipped out of sheet metal.

Ryan's "New"

April showers bring May flowers. Will blizzards in April bring us lizards in May?

Anyway, sometimes "New" things come too early.


/rl

Cory's New

I was hoping I would have "new kid" pictures for this week, but it's still a little early. So I settled on these little guys. Bonus points for identifying them!

Craig's New

I'm cool with quarterly best-of. Here's my 'new'... Spring is here. Ostensibly.

Due tomorrow night: "New"

Next week's topic is "Peeps".

Cory and I discussed doing "Best of" quarterly instead of yearly. It sounds good to me. Q and Craig?

/rl

Ryan's "Chain"

By a lucky coincidence, Jenny started making chain this weekend.



/rl

Craig's Chain

Do two links constitute a chain? I was quite fascinated by the erosion on the concrete. This one's a couple of years old, but I wanted to try this out before I posted something new for New.

Q's chain

i return!

however, it appears cory and i think very similarly.

shameless self-promotion: i finally got around to building a portfolio website like i've said i'd do for the past six or eight years. www.quenluen.com.

Cory's Chain

I spent all week trying to think of where I would find a chain, and then I remembered where I keep my chains: in the garage, attached to my bike.

Welcome, Craig!

Also, "Chain" is due Sunday night. Shoot something "New" for next Sunday.

Somebody needs to fill up the topic bucket. I can see the bottom.

/rl

water

i'm in phoenix for the weekend. there is no water here.

Ryan's "Water"

This week's story is similar to last week's - I had a wonderful shot lined up involving Niagara Falls, a helicopter, spotlights to create a rainbow at night, etc. Unfortunately I ended up studying for a Calc exam instead. Oh well. Ducky likes his water.


/rl - stretching the truth a bit.

Cory's Water

I tried the typical "water drop" picture, but failed miserably. So here's some water for drinking.

"Water" due sooner rather than later.

"Chain" will be due later rather than sooner.

/rl

Ryan's "Candlelight"

So, say that one plans a photo for most of a week. A photo that involves a friend's dungeon-like storm cellar and some candles. One prepares for the photo - makes arrangements to use the dungeon-like cellar, purchases enough candles to keep the little old ladies dropping nickels in the lockbox at St. Bridget's for weeks, creates an idea in one's mind how it will be lit. Then one realizes that he's not very good at Calculus, and should spend that time and energy integrating, derivating, and performing other obscenities upon numbers and trigonometric functions. What does one do? One improvises at 11:00 at night, risking burning down one's bookshelf:

Anybody want some of those little tea candles? They were $0.02 a piece in lots of 50. I spent $2.14 with tax. I have a few to spare...

/rl

Cory's Candlelight

Nothing special, just a candle that is lit. Instant candlelight!

"Candlelight" is due tonight!

The spinning wheel-o-topics has stopped on "Water" for next week.

/rl

Q's technology

Ryan's "Technology"

Given a supply of iron and a hammer, you can make a chisel. With a hammer and chisel, you can make a file. With a hammer, chisel, and file, you can make the rest of the world.



/rl

Cory's Technology

The biggest technology I have access to right now: a 40-rack Blue Gene/P system - 40,960 nodes, 163,840 processors, 450 teraflops. Also hidden off the frame to the right is 8 petabytes of disk space and a mess of 38 miles of network cabling.

Science!

"Technology" due within 6 hours

We have about 174 hours to shoot "Candlelight."

/rl

Q's pants

Ryan's "Pants"

Lighting the inside of a dryer is quite a pain....



/rl

Cory's Pants

It turns out I'm not very creative when it comes to pants...

Next week

Technology.

Pants due today!