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21-FEB-2005 Lonnit Rysher

* Tucked Away Soundly

Queens NY

We're all tucked away soundly, warm and toasty in our apartments,
with our untouched cars looking like rows of fluffy marshmallows.
Tomorrow is another day. We can clear them off then.

Canon EOS 10D ,Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Fisheye
1/125s f/8.0 at 15.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge24-Feb-2005 18:13
Lonnit, I know all about what you're talking about and that's great that you do this for you family. My folks also led us on a strict organic diet of healthy foods and buying no prepackaged or precooked foods from stores, except some Haagen Dazs once in while as birthday treats, which was the only source of white sugar that we had ;) raw can sugar or raw honey where the only sweeteners my mom allowed. They went as far as driving upstate once a week (a total of a 4 hour drive) to get fresh organic raw milk from the local farm.

-Techo
Rod 24-Feb-2005 12:13
Sounds like you're right on top of the food thing Lonnit. As we never watch TV we seem to have had the time for all the preparation of healthy foods. We are a lot slacker than we used to be but still people say we're healthy eaters. Yes we both smoke:-( we have tried to quit 100s of times, when the kids were young they banned us from smoking in the house but since they have left home we sneak one now & again under the ceiling exhaust fan:-)
ctfchallenge24-Feb-2005 01:01
I think the leaning building helps to pull one into the shot along with the leading lines of the cars and tire tracks. It helps with the openess as well.

Yes Rod, it sure is atypical here. As it turns out, it's a good thing I'm that way b/c we've discovered all my kids have rections to all that garbage they put in the food here. My boys have ADHD and all 3 kids get emotional reactions to additives. We've recently started the Feingold elimination diet and it is helping. Many of the symptoms are gone. We're still trying to work out what is causing the last of the symptoms. Here 80% of all food on the grocery store shelves have "natural flavorings" which aren't natural at all. Many of the additives, including colorings, are made from petroleum!!! Most everything that says "natural flavors" actaully contains MSG - which they are quite reactive to. There are dozens of other hidden sources of MSG as well. It's truly hideous. ADHD levels here are thru the roof! one in 6 American children has it! Everything that goes into the average child's mouth contains dyes, chemicals, flavorings, preservatives, and get this.... chemicals designed to make the 'food' addictive!!!!! "Diet" foods are also pumped full of these addictive chemicals! And all this is perfectly legal! Many of the chemicals used in our 'food' are illegal in other countries and they cannot be imported. Then again, we're also the ones who ban certain pesticides from use here, but it's fine to sell them to other countries and then buy the produce that contains the banned chemicals!

We do allow them treats. When you know what to buy there are several cookies and ice creams, etc., that are free of additives. I just baked some oatmeal cookies from a box mix a few minutes ago... it's just the real stuff, organic oats and whole wheat flour, non-alluminum baking powder... and then I added organic eggs and butter. All the yum and fun with none of the chemicals. There's a wonderful book on it called _Fed Up_ by Sue Dengate. She's from Oz.

Do you still smoke? That's really funny. I saw a used lens for sale the other day and it specifically said 'non-smoker'. Smart lens, I thought. LOL!

~Lonnit
Rod 23-Feb-2005 10:06
I think the buildings leaning back & cars looking forwards seems to make the shot work for me.
Rod 23-Feb-2005 10:04
This is unbelievable Lonnit
Lonnit wrote "the only TV they watch is PBS. Not only is it better quality programming, educational not trite or violent, it also doesn't offer the commercials for all the crappy toys and candy and junk foods. My kids never ask for toys, junk cereals, garbage foods, etc. They've never eaten McDonald's or Burger King. They've never even had soda (or Pop as you might call it! LOL!)."
It sounds Un-American, they must be the healthiest kids in the USA:-) Our kids had a similar upbringing food & TV wise but we did allow a little rubbish now & again so they didn't get the forbidden fruit urge:-) They still eat healthy foods. Me & the missus were the only health food nuts that smoked:-)
ctfchallenge23-Feb-2005 03:21
I did defish the shot a bit. I was thinking about the perspective but I decided to leave it - it didn't bug me that much! LOL!


Techo, the thing is that the taxes here are laughingly low compared to Nassau and Suffolk. What you save in the price of the house is made up for in taxes, so it pretty much all works out even. Right now I couldn't imagine leaving the school district. It's outstanding. Also, right now hubby drives opposite the traffic. When everyone's headed to the city, he's headed to Nassau.


X-box? I don't do those things. The only electronic games my kids have are educational games on the computer. They don't ask to play every day, but when they do ask, the limit is 30-45 minutes. We don't have cable TV because I don't want to expose them to the garbage that is on it. Yes, the history and science shows are good, but they watch all those on PBS. In fact, virtually the only TV they watch is PBS. Not only is it better quality programming, educational not trite or violent, it also doesn't offer the commercials for all the crappy toys and candy and junk foods. My kids never ask for toys, junk cereals, garbage foods, etc. They've never eaten McDonald's or Burger King. They've never even had soda (or Pop as you might call it! LOL!). They know it's all trash and they don't even want it. But you're right - so many kids have great yards and are never in them b/c they're plugged into the TV or video games. :(



Rod, having the bathroom to yourself is not a thing we have here either! LOL! Someone is always coming in and you can best believe Budget and I always seem to be headed there at the exact same moment! LOL! If you want a bathroom to yourself here, you'd better wait until your home alone! LOL!

Well look at that... I warmed up yer ol' heart, did I? You're bawling on like a silly woman - not that it isn't wonderful to see that you have an actual human side! You really opened up there for a moment! My pictures must have been very successful! They really got you thinking about where you live and where I live and comparing them, and that makes me feel they were a huge success. So, votes or not, I feel like a winner already. I learned something in this challenge and you've been a great teacher! :)


Gayle, it pretty much sounds like she has what I had when I was a kid/teen. Even in my old neighborhood it's not like that anymore. YOu don't really see kids out in the summer - they all go to camp b/c parents are nervous about letting the kids have the independence we had.


~ Lonnit
alexeig23-Feb-2005 00:56
Nice wide angle. Have you considered using Edit/Transform/Perspective to make verticals vertical?
Techo 22-Feb-2005 21:51
I like the composition and the title :-)

Wow, for 1mil you should be able to get a great house, for 2mil, it should be a waterfront property with a grand backyard and a pool ;-) I know that 1mil won't buy you what it used too, but are you thinking to get a place more to the east? e.g. The Hamptons? now that's where I know 1mil doesn't mean too much.
Rod 22-Feb-2005 10:06
That's true Gayle, but these days I think they just shove the kids in another room with the X box thingie:-)
ctfchallenge22-Feb-2005 09:48
Aaaaah, but Rod, wasn't it nice to be able to shoo the kids outside when they got under your feet (or you just needed a break from their noise/mess etc.) and know they'd be safe playing in the yard or with the neighborhood kids?

I was thinking about million dollar houses. Around here, apart from some of the large farms, the only house I can think of that would come close is a VERY large and lavish place up the road. The house is huge, with acres of paved forecourt, a private lake complete with swans, tennis court, pool etc. We live in the MUCH poorer area LOL!
Gayle
Rod 22-Feb-2005 09:16
Wow that brings back memories of when we lived in Canada, great shot Lonnit. I've really enjoyed being taken into some of our posters world. I don't think apartment living is so bad especially if you have a bit of room to move like Lonnit has. Our house is just a three bedroom, one bathroom & toilet, lounge & dining room & a kitchen family room. It would be a lot smaller than Lonnits place. I'm not sure that it didn't help in making us a very close but independent family. Plenty of times all four of us would be in the bathroom at once. Maybe the missus in the shower, me shaving, Josh cleaning his teeth & Holly waxing her legs all chatting away. I look back on those times with fondness now that there are only two of us in the bathroom at once now:-) Hang on, wot am I doing here gossiping with you girls............I’m a bleeding bloke:-)
ctfchallenge22-Feb-2005 08:19
Yes, being married to an ex-SF resident, I'm well aware of real estate prices in the larger US cities. When we bought our house, he was so sure there was a mistake in the price and someone was gonna add more! He still comments on what an absolute bargain it was....to me it was a fair price for a nice house. LOL! For under 100k, we got a spacious 1960's brick and tile house, split level with double garage and spare room downstairs (my studio now!), a large yard, balcony, garden etc. etc. Since then real estate prices have gone WAY up and we made a good purchase. We are slowly renovating it and it always seems to be in a constant state of "half-finished" LOL!
My kids live a typical Aussie country town life. For Bry, her bike isn't a toy, it's her main mode of transport. She rides it to school, to her friends houses, all over town actually. Summer or winter, she plays outside most of the time. She'd hate living in a city apartment cos then we couldn't have pets (we have 2 dogs, 3 cats), and she LOOOOVES her fur-babies! She goes to the shops by herself, to and from school by herself and anywhere else her busy schedule takes her. Yes, she is very lucky (and so am I, to have such a terrific, independent little girl :-)
Gayle
ctfchallenge22-Feb-2005 03:20
Mine isn't in that row. TBH, it stinks having a family and living in an apartment. I really want a house. We've been casually looking. We want to stay in the neighborhood. The thing is that we bought a second apartment next to ours and broke through to make it all one. We've got about 1800 square feet. The bedrooms are nice sized and you certainly know my dining room! LOL! I've got a 12x25 sf living room, and 2 baths (one which is 7x10!) plus we have an office. So, to get all that space, plus a bit more (I want an extra room to use as a studio!)we're looking at spending $1,000,000.00+!!! Believe me, what you find in this neighborhood for a million bucks is NOT what you'd think of as a million dollar home by any stretch of the imagination! The section I REALLY would love to get into starts at almost 2 million! So, unless hubby manages to somehow double his business, there's not much of a chance at buying there.

It's not unusual for families to live in apartments here. I REALLY want a yard. For a million bucks you get a postage stamp of a yard. :( Still better than nothing. I can't let the kids go outside to play by themselves. My boys have ADHD. Listening is NOT one of their fine skills. So, until this past fall I've not been able to take them outside by myself. We live on a main street so if they were to run in different directions and not stop when I called them, it'd be soo dangerous. This fall I started taking them out with some balls and a bunch of outdoor things and they were good about staying with me. But then it started getting dark early, before homework was done. In the spring we'll start going out more. When I was a kid I was out all day, playing on my block. I just can't let them do that here and it breaks my heart. We just bought the boys bikes for thier birthdays last summer. They've only gotten to ride a few times. Again, they can only go up and down the walk in front. My daughter got a bike a few yrs ago and we kept it at my in-laws. She'd ride it once in a while there. Tell Miss Bry she is a very lucky child!
~ Lonnit
Gayle
Canon DSLR Challenge21-Feb-2005 23:31
Well, I can see you won't be driving anywhere today. Which car is yours? I can't imagine having a family and living in an apartment. Here, apartment living is confined to singles, young couples and retired folk. Families live in houses with yards. Where do the kids go to play? Can they go out on their own safely, and do they have bikes to ride?
Miss Bry would want to know that.
Gayle