30 Days of Photographs II: The Devil

This is my friend Zelma. What she is holding in her hands is the Devil’s tool. A camera. And not only does it represent the past 30 Days of Hell, but it’s also pointed at me. I love cameras, I love taking photos and look at gorgeous shots other people took, but point that thing at me, and I will run screaming. I cannot stand photos of myself, and as soon as I see a camera pointed my way, I somehow transform into the lovechild of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Hulk. But uglier. Also, I'm pretty sure that, much like the Devil, the camera will suck out your soul if you let it come too close.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine.

I would like to thank all the wonderful bloggers who participated in 30 Days of Photographs II, and made it such a huge success. It’s been a true pleasure to view the photos every day, the level of creativity and talent has been astonishing. I’ve made a lot of new friends during these 30 days, and also, completely lost my mind. Holy crap, that was a real challenge, wasn’t it? But while I’m extremely happy about finally having some free time again, I still feel a little sad about the challenge coming to an end, so Michael and I were thinking, why not expand it, just a little bit?

We know you’ve all taken tons of photos, desperate to make them work for the themes, and if you’re anything like Michael and I, you will have about a million of them that you never got to use since you were following the rules like a good blogger and only posting one photo a day. So we’d like to invite you all to take a final look through all the photos you took, and, if you like, post a few of your favorite outtakes and rejects tomorrow to give them the attention they deserve.

Michael and I are also going to be looking at all of the photos -- yes, all 500-something of them -- and choosing our favorite by each blogger. We will post our favorites soon, and if any of you would like to do the same, we would be thrilled.

Once again, thank you for playing, thank you for being amazing, and thank you for the many, many laughs. Oh, and for telling Michael that I won. *

30 Days of Photographs II: The Devil

30 Days of Photographs II: Lines

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Lines

30 Days of Photographs II: Outlier

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Outlier

30 Days of Photographs II: Nude

This is my little sister. She is the most beautiful thing I have.

One rude comment or inappropriate suggestion, and I will hunt you down and feed you to the cats.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Nude

30 Days of Photographs II: My Toothbrush

Okay, for this theme, blame Michael. It was ALL him. I tried to veto this theme so many times, telling him it was gross, that I didn’t want to take a photo of my toothbrush, telling him that my toothbrush is private, and that only I look at it. But every time I tried, Michael would in turn veto a theme that I wanted to add. He went so far as to say that he found it hilarious that I thought it was so disgusting, and that he only fought so hard to keep this theme on the list because I was so grossed out by the whole thing.

Let’s all give Michael a collective dirty look.

Thank you.

Still, this doesn’t solve the problem I’m having. My toothbrush is private. It goes into my mouth! Unless it’s a cookie I just baked, I do NOT take photos of stuff that goes into my mouth. Plus, this is a ridiculous theme; this is supposed to be a photography challenge, where you take pretty photos of pretty things, or exciting photos of exciting things. What’s so challenging about taking a photo of a toothbrush? And seriously, what are we supposed to do, look at 18 photos of toothbrushes and compliment each other on how pretty toothbrushes we all have? No way. I am NOT playing.

And yet, I am…

So here, Michael, you win. Look at my pretty toothbrush.

Also, please note that this post is exactly 250 words long. Cheater.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: My Toothbrush

30 Days of Photographs II: The Future

This might come as a surprise to you, but as Michael and I were picking the themes for this challenge we weren’t picking themes that we already had ideas for, or that we thought would be easy. On the contrary, we picked themes that we thought might be challenging, throwing in a few easier ones to keep everybody sane. The past ten days or so, I’ve really been struggling to think of ideas, even had a few desperate moments when I thought about posting photos of posters or something. The same thing happened with “The Future.”

I thought about everything from tinfoil hats to flying cars to UFOs to remote controlled toasters, but nothing seemed to be good enough. And then it hit me. It was so obvious, right there in front of me the entire time.

I am getting married this summer. My future is with M. This is his ring, the symbol of our future together, of our love. Planning this wedding is a lot of work, more than I ever thought it would be, and we’re only really getting started. Among all the stress and the invitations and the music and flowers and food, among all the decisions I have to make, the “I do” part of the wedding seems like a small thing.

Because that’s the only part I’m 100% certain about.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: The Future

30 Days of Photographs II: Crowd

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Crowd

30 Days of Photographs II: Fish Tales

M and I saw this man a mile away, or should I say heard him. He was making a terrible racket, screaming and swearing and growling. He couldn’t walk in a straight line, and I was certain he would fall and break something. But like every professional drunk, he somehow managed to stay on his feet.

As he came closer I held on to my camera a little tighter. He seemed angry, menacing, and even violent. He stopped to look at us, his eyes bloodshot from too much vodka. He eyed my camera and opened his mouth to speak.

"The European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs screwed us over."

M and I blinked. Huh?

"That’s what politicians do, they screw you over. We sent him there to fix our financial problems, to fix Europe’s problems, and look at what’s happened!"

We blinked some more. Huh?

He then went on to spin a story about how Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, is an undercover spy, how politics in Finland is rigged and how Europe is going down. Despite his dirty clothes and stinky breath, he showed a surprising knowledge of the workings of financial politics in the EU, and as he walked away, I snapped a photo of him, wondering if it was all just a big fish tale, or if there might have been a grain of truth to his conspiracy theories.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Fish Tales

30 Days of Photographs II: Portrait

I have a friend called Zelma. This is obviously not her. This handsome young man is Andréas. He and Zelma play in the same band, Rizzle. I've seen them play so many times, and yet, I never get tired of it. If you have the time, go check them out, have a listen, it'll be worth it.

This photo was taken in a cave, under red lights, with a non-Rizzle band playing music in their pajamas. A toy reindeer stood on the stage with the band, and when someone picked him up, he lost his antlers. It was all very strange, and I think the photo captures the absurdity of the situation perfectly.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Portrait

30 Days of Photographs II: Moon

5:33 AM.

That's the time when the moon rises today. I haven't seen the moon since this challenge started. Every night I've tried to catch a glimpse of it, but to no avail. I saw it one morning when I was driving to work, but I was late, it was light outside and I didn't feel like stopping to take a photo.

But luckily, I do have a photo for you. A photo of a movie poster. See, last night M and I saw Iron Sky. It's a dark sci-fi comedy with a heavy dose of parody and a very healthy attitude towards Western politics. Oh, and there are Nazis on the moon. A quality film, if you ask me.

If you have the chance, go see it, it was well worth the watch, and the soundtrack was awesome.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Moon

30 Days of Photographs II: Bird

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Bird

30 Days of Photographs II: White

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: White

30 Days of Photographs II: Fire

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Fire

30 Days of Photographs II: Time

Time can be a cruel mistress.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Time

30 Days of Photographs II: Ordinary Matters

Money, the most ordinary of matters. We all deal with it every day. We work for it, we spend it, we count it and sometimes, we dream of having more of it. This girl was counting it. Maybe even dreaming of having a little more of it, because they sold two different kinds of chocolate bars at the concert, and she chose the smaller one, the less expensive one. Then again, if she’d had more of it, she’d probably still be counting it, because that’s what money does to you.

Money, can’t live with it, can’t live without it.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Ordinary Matters

30 Days of Photographs II: Wood

Oddly enough, I was struggling with today's theme. You'd think this might be the easiest of them all. I mean, everything is made of wood, right? I took a photo of an old wooden chair with flaking paint, but didn't like it. Then I took a photo of the hardwood floor at my sister's place. Didn't like that one either. Next, I took a photo of an old treadle sewing machine, the kind with the wooden table, you know the kind. I didn't like that one either. And so, I'm going with wood in its most basic form.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Wood

30 Days of Photographs II: Forty-two

My copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is from 1995. I've read it too many times. The dust jacket fell off about 10 years ago. The pages have turned yellow and during the years I've added little pieces of paper with notes, and marked my favorite quotes. But I didn't want to take a photo of the book for this theme. I wanted to take a photo of dolphins or mice or depressed robots or happy doors or bowls of petunias or seriously good computers or men with two heads or a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster or even just a towel on a windowsill against the night sky.

But it was late, my doors were depressed and my robot was happy and M had drunk all the Gargle Blaster and the night sky was overcast and I was tired. So finally, I just grabbed the book, and took a photo of the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Forty-two

30 Days of Photographs II: Pleasure

Many things bring me pleasure. Warm summer rain, for example. Chocolate. Cool autumn rain. Sleep. Refreshing spring rain. The dark of night. Walking in the rain. A good book. Rain. But honestly, when I hear the word "pleasure" none of those things comes to mind. Not at first. The first thing I think about is lust, desire, lovemaking. The Big O.

No, not Oprah.

I thought about how to accurately portray that feeling, and the ideas that I discarded ranged from mildly amusing to completely outrageous. It's weird, because we're not really supposed to be thinking about lust and desire and pleasure, and certainly not expressing them in pictures. (At least not outside of the safe confines of the home.) There's a bit of a "don't go there" surrounding the notion of pleasure, and it's no wonder, I mean, as far sins go, lust made it into the top seven, after all.

Me, I don't think pleasure is particularly sinful, and so, I took this photo for you.

Now tell me, was it too much? Or just right?

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Pleasure

30 Days of Photographs II: Fear

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Fear

30 Days of Photographs II: Wheels

When I first moved to Turku, I used to own a pretty pink bicycle. I even told you about it once. That post is 2.268 words long. Today, I only have 250 words to tell you about my favorite set of wheels I ever owned. 205 now. 203. 202. Crap!

Onward.

Many, many bad things happened to that pretty pink bike, and in 2.268 words I tried my very best to describe all the horrors that my bike encountered. In the end, there wasn’t much left of the bike, to be perfectly honest, and I never felt like I were accurately able to convey exactly how violated my bike was before it went to bike heaven.

Until now.

I found this bike while I was out for a walk the other day. It had been stripped of everything useful, and then some. Much like my own bike. Some poor soul had left it, locked, chained to the lamppost, only to come back to find it molested in the worst way.

You cannot imagine how satisfying it was, knowing that I wasn’t alone.

I particularly like how they set the rear wheel in concrete.
Forty-two points for originality.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Wheels

30 Days of Photographs II: Waiting

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Waiting

30 Days of Photographs II: Something I Hate

I was really struggling with this one, and for the longest time I going to post a photo of 30 Days of Photographs. See, I was arrogant. I used the time we had before the challenge to prepare well. Or so I thought. I had all photos for days one through eight, and I was laughing at the other idiots contestants participants, already whining about how difficult this challenge was. And then yesterday I realized I hadn’t taken a single photo past day eight! All that careful planning, wasted. And now here I am, scrambling day by day to post a photo, just like the other idiots contestants participants. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.


As luck would have it, though, something I really hate happened. It started snowing. In April. This always happens. Spring will be here, the ground free of snow and ice and the sun will start to feel warm for the first time in months. And then it snows. “Takatalvi,” we call it. The ugliest word in the Finnish language, one that doesn’t exist in any other language. It describes that feeling when you’ve just changed the tires on your car from studded winter tires to wonderful flat summer tires, only to realize you’ll now have to change them back or take the bus to work. It describes how you’re sitting on your knees in front of your closet, trying to find those winter boots you chucked in there just a couple of days ago, thinking you wouldn’t need them until next winter. It describes how you wake up in the morning, smiling at the thought of the approaching summer, only to look out the window and see a sparkling sea of white.

I hate takatalvi.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Something I Hate

30 Days of Photographs II: A Stranger

I was at the bar, having a drink with a couple of friends when I spotted this guy. He was missing two front teeth; you could see it when he laughed. The beer slid down easily and refills were plentiful. Every time his team scored on TV, he cheered, giving the rest of the bar a nice little show. After the third beer, his laughter turned silent, became an occasional smile. By the fourth beer his happy look had turned weary, his eyes tired. By the fifth beer his head grew heavy and his sight grew dim, and slowly, he put down the pint, while I picked up the camera.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: A Stranger

30 Days of Photographs II: Mirror

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Mirror

30 Days of Photographs II: Tragedy

It's early January and the air at Helsinki airport is clean and cold. It smells of water and pine trees and snow.

It's dark. It'll be late before we're home again.

We've spent New Year's Eve in Prague, standing on the Charles Bridge while fireworks set the sky on fire. We rode trains through Germany, explored Berlin. And now we're back in Finland. The bus driver's laconic voice wishes us welcome home. Everything is okay, he says, we'll be in Turku before midnight.

There's a woman sitting a few rows behind us on the bus. She's crying. Loudly and inconsolably, as if her world has been torn apart and she has nothing left. She's in Finland, but she's not speaking Finnish. She's on the phone with someone, speaking in an exotic language, her voice thick with tears. In moments like this, I wish I wasn't so Finnish.

Finland is full of people minding their own business, observing, quietly ignoring. She sounds like she's all alone in the world and she's lost everything she ever cared about. I wish I could go to her, sit down next to her and ask her if there is anything I can do to help. But while the air is clean and smells of water and pines trees and snow, she's riding a bus in a country of a solitary people. A people who carries their burden alone. They will listen to you cry, they will feel your pain, but only from a distance.

For her, the bus is empty.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Tragedy

30 Days of Photographs II: Power

I do not like electricity. I assume my dislike of it stems from growing up with a father who was an electrical engineer, and seeing him stick forks into the electrical sockets while telling me never to do what he does but what he says. Of course, then he never did tell me anything about electricity, which has left me with all sorts of conflicted feelings about forks and electrical sockets.

I know how to change a broken light bulb, and in a pinch I can replace a blown fuse, but ask me to touch anything metallic during the cold and dry winter months, and I will look like an idiot, trying to just barely make contact because maybe if the contact is really brief and feather light, I won’t get a shock from the static electricity.

Yeah right.

Still, electricity brings me the internet, toasts my bread in the morning and makes the little rabbit dance (don’t ask.) So what if some days it takes me 5 minutes just to work up the guts to open the door of my car, it might just be worth it.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Power

30 Days of Photographs II: The Experiment

How can I possibly explain this in 250 words or less?

It was an experiment, you see. A bright idea one of the two of us had, I can’t remember who it was anymore, but I’m fairly sure it couldn’t have possibly been M.

“Sure,” he said, I’ll try anything once. Which is a lie, by the way, he won’t. He says he will, but he’s a liar.

And then, well, the corn field was pretty big, and the shoes wouldn’t really fit. And the ducks were chasing the beavers and the extension cord wasn’t really long enough and um, well, you can see how that would have been problematic.

Now, the mask, it was, like, so complicated! And really, who carries duct tape around wherever they go anyway?

Then M started doubting the whole thing, and well, you know how it is with the ducks and quacking and the echoing.

But the top hat really put the finishing touches on the outfit. And the bite marks were hardly noticeable from a distance. It might have needed a ribbon, or a bow or something, but M said it was fine the way it was. Well, you know how men are.

Who would have thought it would be so difficult to hold the “David” pose for so long? It seems pretty straightforward, but you’d be surprised.

Yeah.

It appears I cannot explain this in 250 words after all. I’m terribly sorry. But the photo really says it all, don’t you think?

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: The Experiment

30 Days of Photographs II: From An Ant's Perspective

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: From An Ant's Perspective

30 Days of Photographs II: Architecture

This is the Church of Empress Alexandra Martyr, located at the market square in Turku. It’s an orthodox church, and a beautiful building, ordered by Nicholas I of Russia in the early 1800’s. I don’t know if Nicholas also ordered the impressive wrought iron fence, or if that was a later addition, but I like it. Luckily, the gates are kept open so no one will have to sacrifice their nuts to get in when the bells are ringing.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Architecture

30 Days of Photographs II: Silence

“Then something woke you. What woke you up? Did you dream? What was it?”

“I woke up and heard the lambs screaming. I woke up in the dark and the lambs were screaming.”

“They were slaughtering the spring lambs?”

“Yes”

“What did you do?”

“I couldn’t do anything for them. I was just a –“

“What did you do with the horse?”

“I got dressed without turning on the light and went outside. She was scared. All the horses in the pen were scared and milling around. I blew in her nose and she knew it was me. Finally she put her nose in my hand. The lights were on in the barn and in the shed by the sheep pen. Bare bulbs, big shadows. The refrigerator truck had come and it was idling, roaring. I led her away.”

“Did you saddle her?”

“No. I didn’t take their saddle. Just a rope hackamore was all.”

“As you went off in the dark, could you hear the lambs back where the lights were?”

“Not long. There weren’t but twelve.”

“You still wake up sometimes, don’t you? Wake up in the iron dark with the lambs screaming?”

“Good-bye, Clarice. Will you let me know if ever the lambs stop screaming?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll tell you.”

From “Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris. Sorry about the photo, it was the best I could do, in Finland the lambs are still hibernating this time of year.

---

This post is a part of the 30 Days of Photographs II challenge. Please visit the rest of the participants for more fantastic photos: MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Mariann, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl, Kristen, Pam and Katherine. *

30 Days of Photographs II: Silence