The Belle is Wringing is being revisited

I've been going through my photos I've posted and I came across one of my favorite shots.

She was at my favorite plaça, a plaça I sadly don't seem to frequent anymore.

But, the few times I'm there, I think of her.

She should be in her early twenties now. She could be in college, married with a child, or running for government office.

Many of the children are no longer children.

But come to think of it, I, who was then, am not the same now.

Are you?

Do YOU have any favorite photos of yours? Let me know I'd love to share them on my blog.
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Original POST:

... I could drink ice-cold gazpacho and have sugary lemonade.

I could delight in water balloon fights and be a victim of modern warfare.

This is what happened to the little girl in the green dress. Some lads sprayed not only her but also any child that passed by with the Banzai ....

To read the entire post click on the link below:

barcalunacy.blogspot.com/2008/08/belle-is-wringing.html

The Camera Never Lies

Slips in photos like typos in writing are springboards to magical impressions.

So it was with this photo.

Before my very eyes, the human seemed to slowly emerge out of the wall, unto the sidewalk, as if in a dream ...

Was it?

The camera never lies!

View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.

A Real Winner

She struggled to climb, fell several times and eventually reached the top.

She might be the girl in the middle but she was tops in my book.

Something They Ate?

Or, something they saw.

It's a mystery to me.

A Profile of Courage

At first she reminded me of the Dr. Seuss character in "The Cat with the Hat".

A Profile of Courage

But then I had a flash of the past.

Back in the day, I wore big, big glasses, comfy loose tops, torn jeans, short skirts etc before those styles became voguish in different eras.

And ... I didn't care what people thought.

I prided myself on non- conformity,

So, it was with a sigh and a smile, I took this photo.

The Truth Be Told

Have you ever wondered what he did in the confessional booth?

The Truth Be Told

Now you know!

And, REMEMBER, you saw it here first.

PS ... Taken by me like a speeding bullet, and that's the gospel truth!

Lit!

Don't you just love the sun's light as noon goes to evening ...

Lit!

He does!

View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.

Hit and Run Hula Dancers

She's got a flower in her hair, a lei around her neck and an inviting smile.

I don't know her name,

Hit & Run Hula dancer

but she's part of a group called the Hit & Run Hula dancers.

I was at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco when, from a distance, I heard this wonderful, seasonic music that ended and I thought no more.

But what luck for me.

As I turned they walked towards a huge dry fountain,

Assembled,

And, began to dance.

View barcalunacy's Hit & Run Hula FLCKR photoset.

¡Cosa Pobre! (Poor Thing!)

By the best of the very best photographers, I've been taught that when you don't have a tripod use a level surface, a pole, a tree, cup your arms to your chest, ANYTHING to hold that camera steady.

Squat and shoot!

And, according to my own experience,

Wear comfortable clothing!

This woman was brave for two immediate reasons:

Her dress and her shoes.

She took several pictures that were not to her liking, kept falling and making the funniest faces of displeasure.

I took my pictures of her that I liked and left her there squatting.

The obvious: she lacked stability in the absence of a tripod and a good teacher.

Take One and Cut!

It is not my way to take photos of people sitting in an outdoor café but I couldn’t resist just this one time.

When I first saw him, I thought him a most striking man.

I think the white beard and white hair added to his maturity.

plaça Rius y Taulet, 2008

So, I picked up my camera, ever so delicately, and shot the one shot.

Who does he look like to YOU?!

And, more importantly could it be?

You tell me.

The Belle is Wringing

It has been sub-Sahara hot here in Barcelona lately with each day simmering, smoldering and stir-frying your skin, if you like that sort of thing.

Now, I could sit here and complain but I’ve decided to take a positive view of my situation.

What are some things I can enjoy in hot weather?

The Belle is Wringing

Barcelona, 2008

I could hang my clothes on a rope and enjoy the aromas of Barcelona wherever I go.

I could drink ice-cold gazpacho and have sugary lemonade.

I could delight in water balloon fights and be a victim of modern warfare.

This is what happened to the little girl in the green dress. Some lads sprayed not only her but also any child that passed by with the Banzai Turbo X Spin Blaster, commonly known as the Luger of squirt guns.

When she had enough, she left them and went to the side of the plaza,

Wrung out her dress,

And returned for more.

Smart, spunky and my kind of girl.

View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.

And life goes on

The moment I took this photo I knew luck was on my side.

I was taking photos of young skateboarders at the plaça de Rius y Taulet in the summer of 2006. Once they realized I was photographing them the more they became unsuccessfully acrobatic.

But, my Minolta was totally uncooperative. (Or maybe it was the photographer overly-over ADJUSTING).

Then, in my viewer, above the skateboarders, I saw dilapidated, dull, green French doors slowly opening

And then,

plaça de Rius y Taulet
Barcelona, 2006

A young, curvy, sultry girl appeared, as if Juliet looking for her Romeo.

But I saw more.

Did Juliet know what I knew then and now?

The distance separating these two women was not measured in feet but in years.

Our “Juliet” has no idea what life has before her. For now, her memories are few, and thoughts of her future maybe be frustrating, uncertain and scary.

plaça de Rius y Taulet
Barcelona, 2006

But the older woman below may have a sack of memories to draw from, unending dreams to keep dreaming and remembrances of sweet experiences, real or imagined.

And life goes on.

View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.

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Me, watching THEM, watching YOU!

Ever feel like your being watched?

Well, sometimes, it isn’t me.

IT’S THEM!!

Who? You might ask.

Those pesky tourists, that’s who.

Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to resize.

These vacationers are taking a time out after being watched. Now they're doing the watching!

But I say this to the locals.

Don’t worry, I’ll bewachen* them, for ya!!

*bewachen … german word for: to watch.

I don’t speak German but I thought it would be fun to use this word.

Enjoy!!

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