Patricia Sands

Author

travel

CBBH Photo Challenge: Windows

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NICE-PatriciaSandsPhotos

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Okay, I know it’s Sunday, not Friday, … life is crazy but I am still managing to keep track of the days … honest!

Out of respect I wanted to leave my post about Amanda Todd in place all last week. Thus and therefore, I’m a tad late with my Friday post. This week I’m combining it with some new photography fun.

I’m hooked into another photo challenge! Oh yes I am. I was introduced to it through the friendly MegTraveling blog I follow and couldn’t resist, especially when the subject for October is “windows”. This challenge is monthly and it originates from the fabulous East Of Malaga blog. I still want to do the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge too so I will have to see how I can fit it all in. You know how I love to share my photos and enjoy yours.

Here are two  brilliant photography blogs I recommend: Chronicles of Illusions and artistic.  After you finish peeking through my windows, hurry on over to visit them.

You also know by now that I’m a self-confessed travel junkie and have been taking photographs since I was six years old. It’s a deadly combination when I’m on a trip … the shutter simply gets steaming! In Europe, doors and windows are irresistible to me.  Here are a few of my contributions to this challenge and … um, no surprise here … guess from where …

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Do you take photos of windows when you travel? If you were strolling down the street below, would those green shutters have captured your imagination? I have some good friends who don’t take any photos when they travel! Imagine! What’s your pleasure?

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My corner of the world

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This week my friend, author Sheryl Browne, invited me across the pond (only *virtually* unfortunately) to chat with her about where I live and where I fantasize about living! I took a welcome break from *revision world* where I’m still hunkered down but making progress.

Sheryl has been running a series about our home towns with some of the authors in our LOVEAHAPPYENDING.COM literary group. It’s great fun to learn more about each other although those of you that know me will not be the least surprised at my answers.

Here’s a bit of the post and if you click right here you can visit Sheryl’s website to read the rest and leave a comment. Take a few minutes to check out her hilarious and entertaining novels. There’s never a dull moment in her stories!

“With our children grown, we now live in a condo overlooking Lake Ontario with hiking and biking trails outside our door and a fabulous Italian restaurant just a few minutes’ walk away.

An easy 15-minute drive takes us to the heart of the downtown area and just a little longer gets us to Pearson International Airport. Public transport is readily available and, like most cities, Toronto is dotted with delightful neighbourhoods that have their own distinct character.

This is part of the view as we bike or walk along the lake. From time to time we bike right downtown in just 45 minutes.

So why would I ever want to leave? Um … well …I do have a confession to make. Hmm – I believe your next questions covers this subject.

SB: My next question is: Do you like to travel? Where is your favourite place in the world and why? I think I can see you do, Patricia. And I can definitely see why.”

Where is your corner of the world and what do you like best about it? If you could live elsewhere, where would you choose?

The Wireless Generation – could this be you?

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For a few weeks now you may have noticed me talking on Twitter or Facebook about a documentary project being prepared for Sundance called The Wireless Generation.

Here’s the skinny on it.

“ABOUT THIS FILM

The internet has changed everything. Not just how we work, but where. Working from home in the US has increased dramatically in recent years and they estimate that by 2016, 63 million Americans will work from home at least part time (Source: 2011 Forester Research).

We wanted to look at the edges of this movement, the people who are not just working from home and keeping the status quo, but those who are taking this new freedom — the opportunity to choose to live anywhere without having to consider workplace location — and what happens next.

If you shift your life from being centered around where you to work, to being centered around how you want to live, what happens?  Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?”

Drew and Christine Gilbert’s website is here. I hope you find the time to go and get to know them. Christine’s posts are often hilarious in their honesty and her ability to go with the flow no matter where they happen to be living.

Their dedication and professionalism to this project is serious and I truly believe the subject matter is such an authentic representation of how opportunities are changing in our world for people who have the right set of circumstances to take their work wherever they please.

Check out their Facebook page and send them a photo of you wherever in the world you are working on your laptop. At the very least it’s an inspiration to dream big if travel is your passion.

One of our sons is working on his laptop right now from France. I wrote most of my soon-to-be-published (yippee!! – sorry, just lost it there for a sec – it will still be a few months) next novel from France last summer after beginning it in Florida and finishing it here in Toronto.  A 20-something and a 60-something as part of the Wireless Generation in our family! Love it!

You may well be doing the same thing or thinking about it. If you can make it work, why not? This documentary is about some folks who ARE making it work. It’s interesting, relevant, and a story that should be told. Please help support this by passing the word around. They are doing brilliantly on Kickstarter and with just six days left to jump on board every little bit helps. Got $5 to spare?

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/almostfearless/the-wireless-generation?ref=card

Is this a dream of yours or have you already made it happen? Does it even appeal to you? How are you following your dreams? 

Forgive a little shameless self-promotion here, but I’m following my dream too! The Bridge Club is the Book Of The Day on eReaderNews today. If you can pop over and like their page and tweet it up a storm, that would be magnifique. Thanks. Here’s the link:

Alright! TBC is up on eReaderNews. Here’s the tweet and if you have time to like the Facebook page that would be SO appreciated! Thanks a million. Feel free to add your own comment or hashtags.

Book Of The Day-The Bridge Club –http://ereadernewstoday.com/book-of-the-day-the-bridge-club/6717389/ A book club favourite! #women #life #bookclubs

How do you capture the colour?

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Well it’s actually a little bit of France, Spain and Italy today.

Do you like to take photos? I’ve been snapping away since I excitedly unwrapped … alright, I know that was a very, very long time ago but I’m positive I was extremely excited to get it …  a Kodak Brownie Camera on my 6th birthday. Much to the dismay of my long-suffering family, I’ve just never stopped! If you want to know what my kids were doing on any given day when they were youngsters, I’m positive I’ve got a photo … okay … lots of them.

I loved working as a portrait photographer for several years but, apart from torturing snapping my family, travel photography is my passion. The possibilities are endless, aren’t they? I’m always fascinated when I meet people who just don’t bother to take pictures and several friends of mine are in that category.  It’s just not their ‘thang’. How about you?

Years ago, photography could get complicated with the constant changing of lenses and understanding settings, etc. Today, I often see fabulous photos that have simply been taken with an iPhone! And the beat goes on …

I’m supposed to tag five people to join the contest, but I’ll leave that up to you. The instructions are simple: just enter five photos that represent the colours I show below. If you’re interested, it’s a great contest that has been underway for a while and entries have to be in by August 29th. You still have time! Here’s the website to check out  the Capture The Colour Photoblogging Travel Competition .

For the fun of it, here are the entries I chose.

RED

Pomegranates just picked – Valle de Lecrin, Espagne

WHITE

La Plage – Baie Des Anges, Côte D’Azur

YELLOW

Fleurs de Courgette – Antibes Marché

GREEN

Off season on the Italian Riviera

BLUE

Blue in Saint Tropez