"Lives of Quiet Generosity"
If one spends any time among the homeless and "underhoused" in a Minnesota shelter, one cannot help but notice the small, quiet but significant acts of generosity that are amazingly commonplace there. A young man, bare-ankled and with duct-taped toes on his shoes, incredulously receives the gift of a pair of socks from a scruffy-looking stranger. A tired looking man in the lunch line asks for a second plate to bring to "that lady in the wheelchair." An older man with a small disability income gives a shelter worker a handful of bus tokens to give to someone who may need them. An elderly woman who uses a walker to get around brings cookies to the center and cheerily claims "we all need a smile!" An incredibly bad-smelling man pulls a filthy, but wrapped, candy out of a tattered pocket and hands it to a grateful shelter worker.

2. The opportunities to document such acts of generosity are endless at a homeless shelter. To be sure, there are predatory folks looking to prey on the vulnerable, but they really are few and don't last long. When one sits quietly in the center the generosity (often in the face of great need) is immediately evident.

3. Of course the community at large gives great gifts of money, time and goods to keep the shelter going. These are critical gifts to the life of the program. However, it is the seemingly small gifts between the homeless themselves that is the spirit of the center. It becomes apparent that when one has very little, one is more willing to give greatly - be it a pair of socks, a smoke or a smile....

Visitors to Pebble Beach along the San Mateo Coast were greeted with the sad sight of this beached whale. The whales are traveling north to their summer feeding grounds having left the warmer waters off Mexico where they travel every winter to give birth.

This graphic photo of one of our bravest under attack is fresh from
the latest fighting along the Northern California Coast.
This brave soldier was treated at a field facility with liberal doses
of grog. Nobody knows what triggered the hostilities.
Apparently the invertebrates have had enough of being the food
of humans and aren’t going to take it anymore. Their attacks
are almost always lead by the crabs,
with lobsters taking flanking and blocking positions.

(note: no invertebrates were harmed or eaten in the production of this series)

With the ongoing worldwide siege of the marine invertebrates,
the coastlines of the world are literally devoid of all human activity.
A network of devoted volunteer sentinels, hunched over their
spotting scopes in all types of weather, are poised to alert the
coastal communities at the earliest signs of impending attack!

It doesn’t take a seasoned negotiator to decipher the body language
of this starfish after hearing the latest cease fire offer from the
Homo sapiens. The apparent glee of the human negotiator came just
prior to the invertebrate being hurled back into the sea from whence
it came


(note: no invertebrates were harmed or eaten in the production of this series)

Sorry Folks but this is an old series from an earlier challenge I just couldn't resist re-entering. It was from Shutter's Photojournalism series. imo this fits the topic to a t.

Arlington, VA March 26, 2002
Local youth, Tristan Potter (14) was the victim of a recent and widely reported bizarre cola can explosion caught on camera (inset). The impact of the mini soccer balls released from the can knocked his teeth out of whack. On closer inspection a local orthodontist found it necessary to remove one ball that had lodged between two lower incisors, forcing them apart.

Upon removal of the ball the teeth fortunately reverted to their original position, but were kinda loose. The decision was made to wire the teeth together until they re-rooted. The offending ball was smooshed mercilessly on the victim's bib (good riddance).

The wire was attached to the teeth with some kind of magic glue set by UV gun toting hygienists. When they fired it, the mouth blued up.
Inset (above) shows the detail of the UV glued wire. The lower lip sustained a mini soccer ball imprint demonstrating the force of the explosion, which was heard three blocks away.
No other such incidents have been reported and Coca Cola does not plan a recall.

PS, PSE used - but the monsters real... ;)

The culprit was apprehended red handed at the scene of the crime. He had no comment.

This photo was taken through the window that the suspect entered by. It is apparent the level of damage caused.

The victim of the vandalism surveys the extent of the damage...her feelings are evident.

Yet another haunting image from the crime scene. The vacant feeling of the torn curtains in the open window give it an eerie feeling...

The grief of the victim is apparent, as she clutches her ruined comforter tightly.

3/25/2002 Cape Canaveral, FL. Storms moved in from the west late this afternoon breaking up the evening sky. It is our normal rainy season during which the extreme heat of the day generates evening storms. Our newer residents have a difficult time understanding all of this. But basically, we depend on replenishing our water in the rainy season. The basic ingredients used to make a Thunder Storm is a warm, moist air mass and the humid tropical air that flows between the east and west coasts.

Volunteer Canadian Border guards are patiently waiting for the snow to melt along the Canadian-US border. Winter is a particularly difficult time as the actual border line cannot be seen.

Looking out over the snow, the volunteer Canadian border guards spot a potential intruder approaching.

A moment goes by and the volunteer Canadian border guards are distracted by a call from the left announcing the arrival of coffee and donuts.

Not sure if they should leave their post, the volunteer Canadian border guards look around for approval. Eventually they join the others for coffee and donuts leaving the border open for entry. Tomorrow will be another day to wait for the snow to melt.

April 8, 2002. Southern Minnesota - The dilapitated grey barn could barely be seen through the dense fog. Only nineteen minutes left on the battery, and 100 miles to go, but this really looked worthy. Quickly the truck came to a stop on the small two lane serviceable highway which wound through the farm hills of southern Minnesota – a dangerous and unthoughtout action. Still not a good view, so the truck backed up on the shoulder to get the right composition. There. Perfect. Hope the oncoming cars see the hazards in the fog.

Camera in hand the driver’s door of the small pickup opens, and a focused photographer slides out onto the moist remote pavement. In the distance dogs bark. Dogs? They sounded a good distance away. More dog barks. Closer. The photographer, now on the far side of road heading into the ditch turns to look into the foggy field across the roadway. Dog barks getting closer. THERE! Dogs, mangy dogs, only slightly farther away from the truck than the photographer – and these were not “let me slobber all over you barks”. It seemed as if both the dogs and the photographer stopped to assess their options - the dogs to attack, and the photographer to take a picture. The lens cap was already off and the camera on, so the photographer quickly composed, zoomed, and fired.

At the instant the shutter clicked, the dogs seems to bark and charge with renewed vigor. Now it was distance versus time. The dogs were no doubt faster, but had more ground to cover. It was going to be close. The photographer reached for the door handle as the dogs encroached up the ditch. The door slammed shut as the crazed dogs barked and circled in a frenzy. The photographer was safe, his heart rate on a steady decline. Safe.

Now safe, the photographer under composure and behind a car door, slowly rolled down the window and fired some more.

A day of thirst quenching, & gender bending at the Fair

One very small woman, joins 6 very beefy men, to entertain the fair goers with some smokin' bluegrass.

The flowering of the cherry blossoms marks the beginning of Washington DC’s tourism season. After the tourism slowdown following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, tourism officials in the nation’s capital are happy once again. Halfway through the two week festival, attendance equals or surpasses last year’s.

The cherry blossoms are predicted to be in bloom through April 7, so there’s still time to come visit the nation’s capital and see the blossoms.

At this quiet copse of cherry trees, midway between the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial, tourists and Washingtonians alike are seen enjoying the warm spring weather underneath a canopy of pink blossoms.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/cherryblossoms

Sacramento, CA -- The dedication of a monument honoring over 850 California firefighters who died in the line of duty was being unveiled later in the day. The corps of bagpipers and drummers were busy tuning the pipes in preparation.

A firefighter is deep in thought at the USS California Ship's Bell monumnent before attending the memorial service. Over 5,000 people consisting of families and friends of the fallen firefighers were joined by firefighters from around the state.

The honor guard was practicing while bystanders watched.

After a long, lonely evening alone with Mr. Jack Daniels, Dale decided to switch his attention to a safer, more relaxed friend, Ms. Toliet.

(All models in the photo are over the legal drinking age of 21. Photo staged and completely fake.)

Although the day started out in adventure, the search for Excaliber ended in tragedy as King Lego III was slain by Blutus.

Vicki is four years old. She is learning to play checkers for the first time. Katie is teaching her how.

"Is this the way you do it?"

"I took your piece."

Anna Lawson is an active collector of fountain pens. She shares this hobby with an online community of friends from all over the world. She manages a pen listserv and has met many virtual and real friends through this hobby.

Anna shares her hobby with many other collectors. Here she is at a pen club meeting in Seattle, WA. With her is another collector, Mark, who shares her enthusiasm for pens.

Anna loves to introduce her love of pens to friends. Here she is with her friend Jerry teaching him caligraphy and introducing him to the fun of fountain pens. She is enjoying the interaction and the fact that he is hooked. Already he has acquired a new pen and some ink. He seems to be enjoying himself as well.

The measure of a good pen is in how it writes. Here Anna and another collector test out some pens.

The cows are on the moo-ve again! Last year's Udderly Sonoma, part of the Bodacious Bovines Round Up graciously posed to have her portrait taken. The Round Up kicked off a year long celebration of public art in Sonoma Valley which led to "The Second Coming of the Cows" which will end this August when the cows are put up for auction. The proceeds will support a public arts program.

Spotted tethered to the flag pole in front of City Hall, Udderly Sonoma gazes over a fountain. Animal Rights Activists are upset that Udderly Sonoma is too far to get a drink of water and is charging City Hall with cruelty to animals. Udderly Sonoma was given her identity by Jan Hansen in 2001. She was cloned by William Kreysler & Associates near Petaluma, CA who specializes in molds and finished fiber-resin sculptures for sculptors and architects worldwide. The original bodacious bovine was carved from a large block of pink styrofoam. Nine body pieces make up each cow. When assembled each cow is carefully seamed together and filed down before getting a gel set coating, and then a coat of white paint. Potential artists are given a coloring book like sheet of paper and are invited to decorate a cow. Sponsors look among the winning designs and pick an artist to complete the decoration of a cow mold. Also available for decoration are four feet high Plaza Chickens which remained hidden from this photographer's view.

Udderly Sonoma was a good model for proving once again the difference between a cold north light and a warm southern light. More information about Udderly Sonoma and her lovely sisters can be found at www.sonomacows.com. There is a map available to aid in the hot pursuit of the cows, as well as special cards which when stamped entitle one to special drawings and prizes. It is recommended that any families with children hurry up to Sonoma for a delightful day of cow and chicken hunting.

To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations--such is a pleasure beyond compare.--Kenko Yoshida

Washington DC April 1, 2002

The great Potomac River winds its way through this city, and extends itself into a scenic basin, the Tidal Basin, where it waters hundreds of Japanese Cherry trees around the basin's perimeter. At the beginning of April these burst into millions of blooms, -a great tourist attraction.
Today there is a strong wind and the temperature is in the fifties.

One particular petal on one particular tree, distinguished from all the others by its striking pale pink tint is barely holding on. It has seen thousands of people walk by, admiring the spectacle, but not able to notice its special pink beauty among the millions of others before their eyes. This petal, along with all the others has a tenuous hold on life and clings by a thread.

A particularly sharp gust separates the pink petal from its blossom and it begins to fall to the ground. Yet another gust picks it up, high into the air and over the river.

The height is dizzying, the pink petal is faint yet must float down, fade and disappear into the waters which will carry it gently back past the tree which gave it life.

I believe this photo is telling a story of the impossible love between a drunken man and his “beloved” plastic Dolphin. I was wandering around Tel-Aviv (Israel) area with my 707 trying to find a good snapshot photo for this Challenge. Suddenly, he was there, talking to the Dolphin. Just one Click and there you have it… a true love story.

Remember the days when we were young and immortal.
Sadly this persons first day of being 21 and able
to drink legally was his last.

After a long day of fighting evil villains and drinking cappachinos, Jen finally ran out of gas and fell asleep.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France. Because over nearly 2 years before I moved to Paris I used to come in on the Eurostar from London once or twice a month to see my girlfriend.



I love the station becasue it was the place my girlfriend would be standing waiting for me, when I came into Paris. Why I hate the station is because, it's the place that we said goodbye before I had to go back to London. I still have that knot in my stomach when I come to Gare du Nord to take a train somewhere, feel alot better when she is with me when I get on a train.

Thomas Jefferson's text for the 11th amendment to the Bill of Rights was written and mailed to the US Constitutional Convention from Virginia on Friday December 9th, 1791, two years after the founding of the US Post Office.
The over 200 year old letter was returned today by UPS, under their contract with the US Post Office, and was marked "Return to Sender - No such Organization". The previously missing amendment reads, 'As all power is vested in, and emanates from the people, to insure that the rights of the people shall not be abridged by an elite seeking to
impose laws for their own special advantages, no lawyer shall be allowed to serve as a member of Congress. '