Sunday, January 20, 2008

Caption This 54

Please caption this image
[Click here for instructions on how Caption This works]

Deerfield Beach, FL, December 2007
[Click to embiggen]


It's late afternoon and I'm walking back to the wondervan after a really nice day at the beach. Because half of the free world had the same idea, we've had to park in another time zone. So I'm alone for the long trek, and will drive back to pick everyone up.

My photo-geek mind interprets this as a prime opportunity to shoot some fast scenes of whatever tickles my fancy before my understanding and lovely wife realizes I've been dawdling. So as I carefully balance the myriad bags on my shoulder, I hold my camera in my hand, stopping periodically to shoot.

The pastel-and-white painted concrete buildings stand out as a signature of this place, the perfect architectural antidote to hot days, breezy nights and the occasional hurricane. We don't have anything like this at home, I think to myself as I stand in the middle of the parking lot to capture this pattern.

Your turn: Please caption this image. Pull in co-workers, friends and family if you wish. This party's been growing in recent months, so may as well open the invitation list to the entire world. Your challenge for this week: please forward the URL for this entry - here it is for your convenience: http://tinyurl.com/3aepla - to someone you think might find it fun. I'll shamelessly favor folks who help spread the joy (I'm whorish that way!)

About last week's image of a median-sitting guy waiting for a handout: This photo saddened me for so many reasons. I often wonder why I have this much and others do not, why the world has to have so much need immediately adjacent to in-your-face gluttony. I thanked my lucky stars as I snapped this photo and continued on my way. Weeks later, I surmise he's still in a similar place, while I'm sitting in a comfy house watching the snow fall. Not sure what to make of the whole fairness thing.

Oops, ruminated a bit there. About the captions, yes. I couldn't pick just one (I know...the earth has stopped spinning.) Robin's "When worlds collide" and Steve's "Crate expectations" both stabbed at the nagging guilt I felt after taking this photo.

If you haven't read Robin's or Steve's blogs, you're missing out on a couple of major bloggy treats. Please visit Robin (click here) and Steve (click here) and congratulate them both. This week's honorable mentions list is a biggie:
  • Robin (yes, she wins AND she gets an honorable mention): "American Paradox."
  • Anne: "Take a load off, Manny."
  • BreadBox: "Okay, who stole the bus stop?"
  • ~Easy: "Here I sit, Broken Hearted..."
  • Judy: "Down, but not out."
  • Tial Aisha Ansari: "Just another day in Paradise..."
  • Mama DB: "Fixture."
  • Carrie: "Will smoke for food." and JunieRose2005: "Will work for smokes!"
  • Jenty: "Watching life pass by."
  • Sara (I'm a closet Diff'rent Strokes fan): "What you lookin at willis."
  • Joy T.: "I will not judge you if you do not judge me."
Have fun with this week's contest. And please don't forget to spread the joy...

40 comments:

awareness said...

And he's finding his stairway to....heaven......... (song in Zepplinish nasality!)

Jason Roth said...

"1000 steps to opulence."

Danielle said...

Escher.

Sara said...

The culmination of all the 12-step programs out there

Sara said...

Effort required to get to the room with a view

Anonymous said...

Carmi...your generous and more than kind words here made my day. Thank you.

I'll be back with a few of my own...soon :).

spwriter said...

Thanks, Carmi. And I am honored to share the "title" this week with such a talented blogger as Robin. She's uber-creative and super-smart and she blogs with a cute southern drawl.

I'll think on these stairs for a bit before offering the usual barrage of captions. But here are a few to get things started:

"Which way is up?"

"Stare Steps"

"I think I'll take the elevator."

kenju said...

Thanks for the mention on last week's caption, Carmi.

This one: "Steppin' Out"

Anonymous said...

A novel concept! Fun!!

Anonymous said...

Vertigo

Stair master

What goes up must come down...

I don't need no stinkin' gym!

Breathless

Beverly said...

I have no caption, but it makes a great optical illusion.

"Am I coming or going?" That will be my caption, I guess, after thinking of an illusion.

Nestor Family said...

I like what mama db put : Escher.

Here's mine: Up, up, and away! Or is that down?

(Yeah, yeah... pick someone else's! Ha ha!)

Anonymous said...

Cool shot! I was thinking Escheresque. Guess others were, too!

Catherine said...

"Esher's less famous brother was a big fan of chocolate as a building material"
(Well - they looked like chocolate bars to me - and definitely Esheresque)

Michele sent me

Andi said...

Rhett, don't get lost carrying me up these stairs.

(I thought of Escher,too.)

Andi said...

Oh...Michele sent me. :-

Anna said...

This shot doesnt even look real! Nice find! I would have stared at that for hours!

I am never good at the captions!

spwriter said...

"Up the down staircase"

"You can't get there from here"

"Flights of inspiration"

"Sidesteps"

"Bellman's nightmare"

David Edward said...

escher

Bobkat said...

What a great photo! Everyone has already come up with the captions I had in mind so I will just leave it at having admired your phtotgraphic skills :)

Sara said...

I'm never moving out of this flat, took me 2 weeks to get everything up those stairs!

Jodi Cleghorn said...

As above, so below: a surrealist stairway.

Oh and I have the rather humble job of letting you know I nominated you for a 'Roar for powerful words' award - because although I come by sporadically (nature of motherhood time constraints) your words and images always leave a powerful impression on me.

(feeling quite embarrassed now!)

Anonymous said...

~vertigo~

Anonymous said...

ooops... vertigo is taken...

Panorama view.

Vanessa said...

as i stare at the stair...

kind of feeble but i'm a sucker for wordplay ;)
Vx

Anonymous said...

My original thought was part of the chant from the Winchester Mystery House tour, "You go up to go up to go down..." but I don't remember that, so I offer the less original, and less historical, "one step forward, two steps back..."

Anonymous said...

upside down

Linda said...

up the down staircase

Beth Wright (P31 OBS Team Member) said...

Life is full of ups, and ups and ups!

Omykiss said...

Stair symmetry

Omykiss said...

Second thoughts .. stair symphony

Anonymous said...

"The Disorderly Labyrinth."

Rainbow dreams said...

it's making me dizzy... :)
not sure that is a caption or a comment...!

Tiel Aisha Ansari said...

That's one small step for man. And another small step for man. And another...

The higher you climb, the farther you have to fall

Public safety message # 523: Use the handrail

I got your perspective shot right here!

Can't... move... legs...

(end captions) Actually this reminds me of a couple of years ago when I was staying in a hotel in Las Vegas and the power went out. We had to walk down the stairs to leave-- some 20+ flights. At least it wasn't up.

Sara said...

fancy the lift?

Joan said...

Aww, I'm apparently not the first to think of Escher. Well, as they say, great minds think alike! Here's a stab at it anyway:

Save your breath! Eschew Escher.

Carolyn said...

This is a really neat photo!

Let's see...

1) "Poor Mans Elevator"
2) "Upstairs/Downstairs"
3) "Staircase inside Hotel California" (the song x The Eagles)
4) "A journey of a thousand steps begins on this staircase."

Carola said...

The Climb of Mr Have-a-Rest

Carola said...

BTW that was meant to be MT Have-A-Rest - ya know like MT Everest...

Ah -- bad i know :)

Anne said...

Escher's Muse