Snpd Photographs

Still warm and sunny in mid-November

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Date: Monday 14 November 2011
Location: Palm Shores, FL (28.190533,-80.655813)

Driving from Melbourne to Merritt Island yesterday, I pulled the car over at a sign that says, "Welcome to the Town of Palm Shores - The Little Town that Cares." I never even knew there was a town of Palm Shores! Turns out that 900 people live in it, and it's in a small area along US-1 between the Eau Gallie and Pineda causeways. Here's an HDR photo I made from three photographs of a pier that extends into the Indian River Lagoon.

I did it in HDR because even though there weren't any particularly bright versus dark areas, I wasn't able to capture both boardwalk and shore details in a single photo, which I thought failed to show how surprisingly serene this unexpected, cozy place off the highway was. Also, I had just (ten minutes earlier) bought my first tripod and really wanted an excuse to test it out!

Portfolio update

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:09:00 +0000

I updated my portfolio. It lives on SmugMug at Viewing Tower Photography, and if you're on Flickr, the set is at Viewing Tower. Here's a preview:

After-dark Dance Party

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:03:00 +0000

Date: 8:28 PM 04 October 2011
Location: South Park, PA

On their last night in Pittsburgh before they had to fly back to California, my brother and his fiance threw the kids an after-dark dance party in our other brother's living room.

Here's Kim on the left, Corey in the middle, and Monica on the right:

Maybe you can better spot them here:

Still not clear? Here's one with the camera flash turned on and the shutter sped up:

Series title: After-dark Dance Party

Game Time

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Date: 9:05 PM Monday 03 October 2011
Location: South Park, PA

My father and all his rowdy friends (two of my brothers) watch the NFL game on Monday night. They - were - ready - for - some - football!

TB Bucs defeated Indy Colts 24-17, in case you missed it.

Title: Game Time

The Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:57:00 +0000

Date: 2:46 PM Saturday 01 October 2011
Location: Newark, DE

Not a lot of new Snpd photos this week-- still on vacation. But for everyone who was at the Delaware wedding over the weekend, I probably caught a picture or two of you. Check 'em out on my photo album: ViewingTower. The gallery is public, no password required. Enjoy browsing, and thanks for a great weekend everyone!

Title: The Ring

A Day on the Golf Course

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:19:00 +0000

Date: 1:06 PM Monday 26 September 2011
Location: Charlotte, N.C.

My father and I spent the morning on the links with his longtime friend-- since their Peace Corps days in Malaysia, 1960s.

Our combined ball count: lost one into the water on a 140-yard par 3 (I have no defense; poor club choice); found three in the thick rough; and temporarily lost, forgot, then found one in the little picker-upper my dad attached to the top of his putter for lifting balls out of the hole.

Total: +2 on golf balls! Total scores: let's not say.

Title: A Day on the Golf Course

Guacamole!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:45:00 +0000

Date: 8:36 PM Tuesday 30 August 2011
Location: Merritt Island, FL

It's food. Up close. It always looks good.

Diced (not blended, you culinary brutes!) and layered Haas avocado, plum tomato, and vidalia onion sprinkled with ground black peppercorn. Real food. No microwaving required.

To your health!

Title: Guacamole!

Blue Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:34:00 +0000

Date: 6:58 PM Saturday 23 April 2011
Location: Redington Shores, FL

No collection of photographs is complete without the requisite Pretty Sunset. Or Pretty Sunrise. Which one is hard to tell. Here's a sunset; take my word for it.

Almost missed this photo because my sister-in-law and brother were holding hands, jumping up and down on the sand, which is something you wouldn't pass up the chance to point your camera at, whereas blue sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico-- bah, they're a dime a dozen.

Title: Blue Sunset over the of Gulf of Mexico

Don't Poo on Me

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:46:00 +0000

Date: 9:04 AM Monday 25 April 2011
Location: Redington Shores, FL

The last photo represented end-of-day tranquility, the dark, serene evening wind-down. Here's a bright, lively equipoise to that.

What you can't see in this morning capture is the little girl's grandma, standing just feet behind her, encouraging her with cheers at every nibble and even at every near-miss between seagull beak and crumble of bread. This is my niece in a beach-goer's rite of passage: her first feeding of the birds. The event ended with plenty of happy seagulls after she turned to her grandma and, having so beautifully trusted in the promise of the payoff of patience, asked for the thing she might have secretly been planning all along: permission chuck the rest of the breadcrumbs into the air in one giant heave and let them fall to the birds as they may. Grandparent and grandkid left the empty beach in the wake of a snowfall of baked flour and, thankfully, no bird "bombings."

Title: The Promise of the Payoff of Patience

a.k.a. My Niece Feeds Seagulls by Hand

Beach Night

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Date: 8:12 PM Friday 22 April 2011
Location: Redington Shores, FL

Earlier this year, my brother (standing in the picture) and his extended kinfolk came down to Florida for the kids' spring break, which gave the Pittsburgh and Florida clans of the Richardses, Ippolitos, Goldbachs, Stroebels, and friends a chance to spend an entire week together in a beach house playing games, swimming, serving up vacation food, and hunting for Easter eggs. Despite that someone set the grill's exterior ablaze in pursuit of a crispy patty, we managed to keep most of our fire-related events very calming and enjoyable, such as the evenings spent gathered by the fire pit, with a view of sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

Below, my father enjoys the late-night warmth and glow of the flames, while my niece turns away until the desultory wind sends the smoke and embers in some other direction.

Title: Beach Night

A year of neglect

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:53:00 +0000

Achoo! This site is dusty. Over a year's worth of cobwebs have set up camp here. Let's start kicking the air around and hang some photos on the walls...

Away with the scratched-up body, gooey shutter button, and fifteen-minute battery. I have a new camera! A "real" camera. Well, it's from the consumer line and not the professional line, but still... it has a neck strap. That's a step up.

Was:

Olympus Camedia C-7000 (product photo)

Is:

Nikon D3100 (product photo)

Selected Snpd - Day 17

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:55:00 +0000

20100714 Wed

For the first time in history, the Snpd photo collection online has caught up with both my camera's xD card and the Gregorian calender. Congratulations, me! We'll see how long this up-to-dateness lasts.

Selected Snpd - Day 16

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:50:00 +0000

20100713 Tue

And we'll have no comments about someone's less-than-elongated thumb. Much appreciated.

Selected Snpd - Day 15

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:42:00 +0000

20100712 Mon

Whuh?

Selected Snpd - Day 14

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:31:00 +0000

20100711 Sun

Selected Snpd - Day 13

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:14:00 +0000

20100710 Sat

Following a brief (four months!) exercise hiatus, this little jogger is back on the street. She's pounding the pavement, hitting the trail, circling the track, pouring out full effort, going for the glory, racking up the miles, burning treads.

Okay, okay, I mozied to the bridge, got thirsty, and went back home... then forgot to put away these shoes for two days.

Selected Snpd - Day 12

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:08:00 +0000

20100709 Fri

It's an old Singer sewing machine-- the kind that operates on foot-pedal power.

Selected Snpd - Day 11

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:59:00 +0000

20100708 Thu

Here is an uncommon angle for looking at the mortar half of my mortar and pestle-- a bonzer find at the market in Njombe.

Selected Snpd - Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:13:00 +0000

20100707 Wed

Close up:

Though it might be difficult to tell, this is the face of authentic, vivid, uncomplicated, artless, ingenuous, unfeigned, (... I need every one of these adjectives, because I really mean this ...) profound love. He rarely went by much more creative of a name than Teddy Bear, but he never needed to. By far my favorite, he remains in a central space on the bookshelf, beside other beloved bears and rabbits and stuffed smurfs, but he is the only one to whom I still sometimes reach out to squeeze his stuffingless paw, pat his unfurry ear, or wish good night in my thoughts.

After twenty-five years of hugs, cubby holes, fevers and flues, all-nighters, stitches (for him, not for me; I remain stitches-free), machine washings that turned into hand-washings for fear of disintegration, coming along tucked under-chin to gymnastics practices, hours propped on the car hood and tilted back so he wouldn't miss the solid rocket booster separation, waiting bright and early in the van's back seat for the family to come get this show on the road, nights in the homes of kind adults who recognized him and sheltered him until his owner (or his owner's parents!) remembered where she had left him, listening to stories by a child too young to write them down, traveling home parcel post from hotels, sleeping in pillow forts, acting in puppet plays, stand-ins for stop-animation videos, and overall being around whenever he was needed for a hug or for a cry or for a scavenger hunt or for throwing at my brothers ("Now give him back, please!") ... even if he is only a stuffed toy, Teddy Bear will always have a place in my heart.

Thanks, Kim, for once upon a time spending your hard-earned "funny money" to buy your little sister a brown, fluffy bear.

Selected Snpd - Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:35:00 +0000

20100706 Tue

All of my brothers and I learned to play on this one.

I would love to know what year it's from.
If anyone knows how to find out:
Walworth manufactured by M. Schulz Co.
Serial number 114663

Selected Snpd - Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:34:00 +0000

20100705 Mon

Embe mbivu yaliwa kwa uvumilivu.

Selected Snpd - Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:13:00 +0000

20100704 Sun

Banner yet wave...

Okay. So it seems...

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000

Urban Dictionary has an entry for the acronym "SNPD"... this blog's name change to follow. See the faux pas a little lack of market research can lead to?

It's 2 AM and fireworkers have begun fireworking. Happy Fourth of July, Americans! You too, Britons! Okay, everyone!

Selected Snpd - Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:40:00 +0000

20100703 Sat

"I got a rock."

- Chalie Brown, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Selected Snpd - Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Ippolito) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:18:00 +0000

20100702 Fri

Take that, chameleon. Not so hidden now, are ya?

A note to you northerners who like to call our little Florida lizards "chameleons": this animal is not a chameleon. Neither is she a gecko. You certainly don't want to call her a gila monster; those guys are tough.

This little gal (or guy) is a brown anoles.

What children in Florida know about the brown anoles:

They change their shades of brown according to their backdrop, such as the brown cardboard box where you feed yours or the empty brown paint can where you let it run like a gerbil.

They cannot run in a paint can like a gerbil in a wheel. They are much too small to make the can roll, and they have small reptile legs and small reptile metabolism. They can, however, run in a toilet paper roll; but before getting much exercise at all, they usually walk out the end you didn't seal.

They get dizzy if you spin their paint cans for them, walking very low to the ground and a little bit off kilter long enough for you to run inside for a toilet paper roll.

They really really like when you catch them and put them in a shoebox habitat. They're especially appreciative of the "pond" in the corner, the rocky "coastline," the "meadow" of St. Augustine grass, and the toilet paper roll. It's only your dad who says they don't like living in there. If they didn't like it in there, then why else would they turn the color of your shoebox?

The things they eat, you don't want to touch. It is best you let them out to do their own hunting.

Once you let yours out for hunting, you will not see it again for a good long while-- might as well a find another one.

They have no inhibitions about where they mate. (Psst, anole. Your dewlap is showing.)

Two fighting anoles is really a silly thing: after muzzling each other for a few seconds, they usually just walk away.

It’s true about separating its ever-wiggling tail from its body in order to throw off predators, but how that could possibly be worth it is a total mystery.

You had to have put in a tremendous effort to annoy one seriously enough for it to bite you. This is when you hold it near your ear and let it clamp down like a clip-on earring. It’s not like they have teeth.

This is all true. If as a kid you spent a single Florida summer playing outside, if any of your friends had a pool, if someone ever left your screen door open for a minute too long while a lizard ran inside, or if you have woken up to see a male lizard on the wall doing one of those pushup sets they do, then you already knew these things.