New Old Photo - Woodland Park Zoo Carousel Giraffe

Winter weather is keeping me and my camera indoors, but it's a great time to stay indoors and look for gems in my 10+ years of photos. There's always one I overlook and this one below is no exception! It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since we went to Seattle. We really enjoy the city - there is something for everyone from arts to shopping to a ferry cruise to nearby islands. And lots of nature too!

We spent a whole day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Ballard. I was really eager to go because the budgie house was new then - an indoor aviary where you can walk in and interact with budgies, cockatiels and other small parrots. I also had my new camera and was eager to try it out. I took so many pictures - and one or two of my husband patiently waiting for me to finish taking pictures at each exhibit. The zoo is huge and the exhibits are really quite lovely for an older zoo. It didn't feel like animal jail!

At the time there were two carousels - the traditional, historic horse one - and a newer one with wild animals. I don't think it is there anymore. I took too many pictures to really process at the time without Lightroom and I was quite pleased that I could touch this one up! It will certainly make an appearance on cards and magnets in 2017. It's also new in my Zazzle shop.

New in the Zazzle Store - Wooden Wagon

The artistic life is full of shoulda woulda coulda moments, and this photo brings back two specific memories. The first one is where I took it, at Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Calgary is a relatively young city compared to others, and in the quest to modernize, many historic buildings have been long torn down and paved over. Calgary used to be called Sandstone City because of the number of sandstone buildings; it's definitely a city of steel and glass now. Fortunately there's Heritage Park, which is a lovely place to spend a day and immerse oneself in Calgary's history. It's bittersweet because it's such a fun place, but at the same time, the idea that one has to visit a park to experience history is a little sad!

Recently while looking for a specific pansy photo, I came across this picture in my 2009 folder and I wondered why I didn't do anything with it. The composition is good, the subject matter appealing. Sometimes it just takes time to realize the potential of a photo, I suppose! I will be placing this wagon on cards and magnets for Christmas sales this year, but you can order it right away on Zazzle.

The second thing this photo reminds me of is a trip to Lethbridge, Alberta, that I took in 2007 with my friend Laureen. It was an amazing trip and somewhere by the Old Man River Dam, Laureen found an old tractor weathering in the tall grass. She came upon it suddenly and there was enough rusty stuff around there to warrant a tetanus shot. Having more of a sense of self-preservation, I hung back while she dived right in. I bet that rusty tractor is still there, and I think I can find it again. But darn, I wish I had been brave like her! Shoulda would coulda...