Sunday Stills a Rosy Perspective

For Terri’s Sunday Stills monthly color challenge where we are working with “Pink.” I love pink, all kinds and shades of pink. I love pink flowers, pink clothes, pink sunrises, one of my favorite crystals to work with is rose quartz, you get the idea.

from my digital art collage collection

“Pretty pretty please don’t you ever, ever feel like you’re less than, less than perfect. And pretty, pretty please don’t you ever, ever feel like you’re nothing, ’cause you are perfect to me.” ~Pink

Above, a little digital piece with a quote from Pink’s song “Perfect.” There is a more explicit version so be warned if you go looking for the song lyrics.

A crazed computer screen on the fritz? A bizarre finger painting? Hmmmm

Here’s an eclectic bit of pink. What the heck are we looking at? A fish finder sonar screen of Loch Ness from our Nessie hunting trip. The different colors indicate varying water temperatures. It was a fabulous day spent on the waters of Loch Ness, if you have a chance to visit the Scottish Highlands, I highly recommend it.

Sign at the Osaka Rail Station

Here’s an interesting bit of pink signage. It seems that pink is universally associated with feminine. Here the boarding point for the “women only” car on a commuter train in Osaka, Japan. From what I have been told, at peak hours the train can be jam-packed and women complained that being squeezed up against men was undignified. Osaka responded by designating one or more cars as “women only” no men allowed.

An intrepid adventurer

Here a bright pink jacket and very long queue displayed on an intrepid adventurer climbing steps to a small shrine at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” near Kyoto. Yes, that’s me ;-). Balancing precariously without a handrail I felt like a tightrope walker.

Pretty People

A young couple in traditional dress pose for pictures near Kyomizu. Love the bright pink kimono. Such charming people, they just smiled and waved to tourists snapping away. We were trying to capture the changing foliage but couldn’t find a way to frame the walkway and pond due to limited space. Ultimately, we just left the lovely people in and it turned out beautiful.

Of course, I can’t leave without some pink flowers.

Pale pink lotus flower

A delicate pink lotus flower growing in a large serenity pond in Suzhou, China. There were many different varieties of water lily and lotus in the pond. Lotus tend to be taller and rise above the water much more than a water lily. There you have it, teaching moment. 😉

pink rhododendron

And finally, a gorgeous rhododendron from my all-time favorite flower photography place, the Queens Garden in Invercargill, NZ. The park nearly over flows with rhododendrons of every color and size.

This week’s challenge prompts:

Cee’s Midweek Madness “Any pale color” – see Lotus above
Cee’s FOTD – rhododendron

That’s it from Castle Serenity for this week. Til next time remember

~ Look for me where the wild things are ~JP

The Lone Sentinel – a Crimson Creative Challenge

For Crimsons Creative Challenge # 167 come join in the fun.

The Lone Sentinel

He had been tasked with protecting the old enchanted forest by the Lady of the Woods herself. To protect this one stand of trees. The years turned to decades and the forest thrived. But then man came with his machines and his fire and the forest fell. Still Kratos stood, a burned and dying stump, guarding the ground. Until the carver came. He stroked Kratos’ bark and cleaned the outer layers to reveal the beauty of his grain. Then the carver gently pulled away dead debris until he found the face of the guardian.

“There you are brave Sentinel,” the man said as he gazed on Kratos’ face. And he walked away, but he left Kratos a gift, magic portals for his eyes to see every intruder, friend or foe. He stands there still in quiet judgement of any who would try to further desecrate his lands.

Word count 147

Til next time ~Peace ~JP

A twisted tail

Round and round the light did turn
casting shapes upon the waves
dolphins leap and waters churn
imaginings mortal memory saves
ships of wood and men of steel
twisted tales from days of old
siren’s dirge the bells doth peal
from waters deep and bitter cold

For Crimsons Creative Challenge #113
also linked to JusJoJan #8

Til next time ~stay trippy hippies ~JP

CCC – Lovers Leap

For Crimson’s Creative Challenge 109

Lovers Leap

Waves pound against the beach
far below the “lovers leap”
tourists come to gawk in vain
searching for the charred remains
where lovers leapt to their demise
their dirge a seagull’s mournful cry
rest they here beyond sorrow’s reach
as waves pound against the beach

 

Til next time ~Peace ~JP

Thursday photo prompt – Along the Causeway

For Sue Vincent’s Thursday Write Photo

writephoto 5.7.20

Along the Causeway

Somewhere along the causeway
it fell from deadened fingers
a splash, a wave, it sank away
catching a moment’s glimmer
before it’s gone forever

A shiny silver keepsake
a sign of love for years
break the chains that bind
washed away by sea and tears
never to be seen again

Sometimes love is lost
but life is gained
when we release
the heart break’s pain
and learn to love again

The Dance — Garth Brooks

Til next time ~Stay safe, stay sane, stay sanitized ~JPP

Dawn – a Writephoto prompt

WP 11.7.19 frosty-dawn

For Sue’s weekly photo prompt #writephoto

Dawn

Dawn breaks above the snowy hills
cast away dark fear and ills
beyond the clouds, bright color spills

The night was long, dark and cold
nightmares flee as dawn unfolds
’til the sky is bright with colors bold

Colors dim now blossom bright
blends of purple a warming sight
now herald the coming of the light

Til next time ~Peace ~JPP

Meeting at the Bistro

FFFC 4.1.19

Meeting at the Bistro

She sat in the bistro looking out at the scene on the sidewalk, taking in the wild cacophony of sound and color that was the energy of this city. Her latte sat untouched, next to an empty notebook as she played the tourist. Solanj looked around, she would have preferred a more private setting for this meeting but the man claimed to have information about her sister’s attackers so she hadn’t tried too hard to change the location of the meet. Continue reading “Meeting at the Bistro”

The Road Ahead – Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #6

FFFC 3.25.19

For Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge # 6

While there are no definitive style or word limits, I suggest trying to keep your posts to under 300 words.

The Road Ahead – Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #6

There it was. The road that lead to Avonlea. Siofra gazed down at the long, long black line through the wastelands. Just last year the old road had blazed it’s trail through the prairie grasses. Lush and green, dotted with wildlife, it had been a beautiful drive. But that was before the Two Day War. Most of the world’s population had perished in two days, millions more in the aftermath. Then had come the nuclear winter and the holocaust summer. Savage wind storms had ripped through the world turning grasslands and forests to deserts. Continue reading “The Road Ahead – Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #6”