8/30 The Pretty Houses

Picture Taken August 30th 2010

The park was a fun, but I was ready to get back into the city. I decided to go back to one of my favorite areas, The Highlands. The Highlands is an older area of Louisville. It is where conservative and liberal Louisville meet in a beautiful mosaic of beliefs, cultures and ages. Many would say the best part of this area is the famous Bardstown Road, but I decided to walk through the neighborhoods. This is the neighborhood where I went to school for most of my life. I remembered passing "the pretty houses" on my way to and from pre school, and to my surprise they were still there and still colorful. It is always refreshing to see something that has stood the test of time. This was only a small and blurry memory of mine, but these houses being beautiful and unchanged my day.

8/29 Fear

Picture Taken August 29th 2010

Taking a break from trees and green, I took a picture of this cave. I would have loved to explore it if I wasn't so afraid of it. I'm not afraid of the dark or tight spaces, but for some reason I didn't want to get too close. I rationalized my fear by telling myself that the many bats in the area probably live there. I made excuses for passing the cave. I told myself there would be nothing to photograph in there, that it was probably a dead end and a small uninteresting cave. I will never know if these things are true. I could say that I left this cave as a little unknown mystery but I passed it by because I feared and had little interest in this unknown cave.

8/28 Roots

Picture Taken August  28th 2010

I  decided to continue in my new favorite park at a later part of the day. I wanted to see this now familiar place in new light, literally. I loved these trees because they created almost an archway leading to the creek. I loved the way the sun shone through the leaves to give just enough light and just enough shade. The exposed roots and the way the branches curve and twist create lines that are unusual and more amusing to the eye. The low water gave me the rare opportunity to see these roots, walk beside them and of course trip over them.

8/26 Random

Picture Taken August 26th 2010

When I was wondering through the same area I've been photographing the past few days, I have learned that you can go far enough away from the road to forget it exists. I went past this point to find that if you keep walking you will find civilization once again. This cement block is completely random. There are no trees for about 20ft then they begin again as if they never ended. I found this grafitied block in this grassy area. From what I can tell it serves no purpose and it never has. Maybe it was supposed to be a foundation or hold something, but now it is old and cracked. The colorful spray paint, which some would consider vandalism, I believe is beautiful. This lump of cement would have been boring and dull in the sea of color, but someone who wanted to make their mark on the world gave it the little color it needed.

8/25 Green

Picture Taken August 25th 2010

Same creek as Monday, but I had the opportunity to walk further down this time. Because of the recent heat, the water level is low and I was able to hop from rock to rock down to this bend. I am really happy I decided on color film because the whole city is the best shade of green right now. It is the perfect time of year where everything is as green as it can be before leaves start to change. I cannot wait for autumn to hit with its new color pallet, but I am enjoying the green while I can. It has been here for months, but soon it will all fade. I change my mind often enough about how I wish things would be or look, but I know for sure that I will miss this soon.

8/23 Whoops

Picture Taken August 23rd 2010

I took the time to find someplace new. While driving around thinking of places to go, I parked on the side of a road I travel daily. I knew there was a creek by this road, and I appreciate what I can from my car window, but today I decided to explore it beyond the road. I couldn't have been happier and more embarrassed with my find. I cannot believe I pass this daily and never thought to explore or photograph it. I have always believed that I had a curious nature, but I guess running on schedules and shopping lists can stunt a quality like that. I thought I had been everywhere in this city worth going and photographed all I could, but once again I am wrong. There will be many more photographs of the same area to come!

8/22 Growing "Old"

Picture Taken August 22nd 2010

Same beautiful park, and still more trees. Trees have seemed to capture my attention this weekend. I think that I am puzzled as to how these trees can't survive in an area where everything around it thrives and where it used to thrive. This, like every other situation surrounding me reminds me of leaving home. Maybe this example of the trees is relevant or maybe the thought of leaving home is taking over my head, but I will try to explain. Louisville has been an amazing place for me. I love this city very much, but I feel as though i have outgrown it in some ways. Many people around me are staying close by for school. They are excited, happy, and satisfied by doing so. Staying here didn't feel right. I could be successful at a college close to home, but I believe I have much more to learn by going away.

8/21 Back to Basics

Picture Taken August 21st 2010

With my 35mm manual back in hand, I'm back in the swing of things. This is the first place that came to mind when I loaded film in my Minolta. The first picture I ever took with that old camera is of this very same tree. Although the pictures have the same subject, the two are very different. I took the first in the winter of 2009, it was a cloudy day, I used black and white film, but most important of all the tree had branches. I'm not sure why the branches of this old tree had to be cut off. I remember hiding in their shade many summers ago after running, and laying under the tree listening to friends play guitar. This picture is almost ironic. Everything around the tree is alive and green, but the subject, focus, and beauty of the picture is dying and will probably soon be gone.

HEY!

Hey people that read this,
I've switched back to my manual camera . The pictures from the last few days are coming soon I promise!!

Thanks!
Hannah

8/19 Retreat

Picture taken August 19th 2010

More cleaning led to this little find. It is a little pin of the sacred heart symbol, but to a Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) graduate it means the world. I am not at liberty to post many of the special memories I relive whenever I see this pin so that I do not expose the many secrets SHA senior retreat is made of, but I can explain how a Christian symbol can mean so much to a girl who was never too fond of Christianity. Senior retreat is a unique experience. You learn more about yourself and others you can ever imagine. This symbol wouldn't have meant anything to me before then, and it still has nothing to do with the sacred hear in my mind. This post probably makes no sense at all to any reader that didn't attend SHA, but the best way I can simply put it is that this pin reminds me of myself, the real me.

8/18 Roses

Picture taken August 18th 2010

As all of my friends begin to leave for school and start their college classes, I have plenty of time to think about the last of my high school days. While cleaning out my room for my little brother, I came across my graduation roses. At my high school, Sacred Heart Academy, a student receives a single rose her freshmen year and a dozen roses at her graduation. Over the past few months I still couldn't bring myself to throw away the old, dead roses from that day. As  someone that didn't have any attachment to Sacred Heart before those last few days, I cant believe I would hold onto them for so long. I learned so much from Sacred Heart, but these roses and an old sweater are the only material things I have to show from it.

8/17 Packer

Picture taken August 17th 2010

This picture is of my dog, Packer. Yes, he is named after the NFL team. This is one of his rare quiet moments and I couldn't let it pass by without capturing it. I know it is typical of pet owners to believe their own pet has unique human-like characteristics that no other pet does, but Packer holds a conversation better than most people I know. I do not mean I guess what he is thinking in the illusion of unconditional love. I'm sure that if Packer could actually speak he would prove unconditional love to be a fable. Packer responds vocally to almost every command or word spoken to him. I may very well be a crazy, obsessed pet owner, but luckily my pet is equally crazy.

8/16 In Peg's Garden

Picture taken August 16th 2010

It isn't often that I venture out in my mom's garden anymore, but the dog took my shoe outside. After chasing him around for a half hour I gave up and looked around. Because of the deadly heat last week, most of the flowers are dead. The green leaves and various plans survived,  but the only break from the endless green were these flowers. I have to confess, I do not know what kind of flowers these are. The only think I do know about these flowers is that they are white. It is amazing to me that something so small, pretty and dainty can outlast everything else around it. They survived 110 degree heat, heavy thunderstorms and being "marked" daily by my dog. It is an underdog story in my own backyard.

8/15 Thunderstorms

Picture taken August 15th 2010

I was lucky enough to take this picture before the sky completely opened up with rain and before all daylight was lost. This picture is an example of pure luck. It was luck that there was lightning in the distance so I could close work early. Because I closed the pool early, I was able to walk to my car while it was still light out. It is lucky enough that I work outside at a place so beautiful. Simple things mean much more when they are unexpected. No one expected a flash of lightning on a calm night like this one, but when we took our eyes off the pool and looked at the sky no one could miss the beautiful purple clouds. I love summer thunderstorms more than anything else in the world. I get excited when the air gets heavy and humid because I know there is a storm on its way.

8/14 Driving to Nashville

Picture taken August 14th 2010

Even while driving I took the time to appreciate the beautiful landscape on an otherwise boring 3 hour drive. Although the road stretched in front of me is an interesting part of the photograph and could represent some big journey in my lifetime, I really wish I could remove it from the picture. The rolling hills and blue sky in southern Kentucky is what I really wanted to capture. The hill in this picture is nothing in height compared to others in the country or even region, but when all you have seen in the past few hours is pavement you appreciate the simple things surrounding you much more. I have lived in Kentucky my whole life and see landscapes like this almost every time I travel, yet every time I pass them I take the time to marvel at their height and how they are covered in lush trees to the point that I took this picture from my front windshield.

8/13 Home

Picture Taken August 13th 2010

This is a picture of my street, Primrose Way. This has been my starting point in every journey I've taken in the past 15 years. Every time I leave my driveway for whatever reason, this is the last thing I see before I begin towards my destination. Just looking at this picture makes me smile. The way the light from the sun is reflected off the leaves illuminates the trees and creates shadows on the pavement. The street and the trunks of the trees create perpendicular lines in the photograph that create depth. This depth reminds me as the many times I have traveled this road for pure enjoyment. I did this as a child and I continue to do so now in my "adult life".

8/12 Friends

Picture taken August 12th 2010

If someone were to ask me what my life is like with my friends or who we are, I cannot think of a better response than this picture. On the night this picture was taken, we were playing "Pretty Pretty Princess". Ironically, the male participants were the most competitive.The blurred motion in this photograph shows the struggle for the tiara while also making Silas' face the focal point. This picture reminds me of not only this night but the many nights we have spent together. It is a perfect representation of my life before moving to Denver.