How Items Made It Onto the Scavenger Hunt List

Item #3 City Hall, Capitol or other Civic Building

The 2013 Summertime Scavenger Hunt is winding down - there's just two weeks left to find all the items.  I made a quick trip out today to take a few photographs of our local City Hall, which used to be a bank.  I had planned to go to downtown San Francisco to photograph this beautiful building, but I decided it might be more interesting for you to see a small town city hall instead.  I hope you like this peek into my home town!

Several people have asked how I selected the items for the Scavenger Hunt, so I thought I would share my thought process.  

First, I I want to create a list of items that is do-able, but will be also be a challenge.  It should require both effort and luck to get all the way through it.  But it should not be impossible.  To make sure it's not impossible, most of the items are flexible enough that they can be interpreted in several different ways.  Finally, I want the list to be fun and a little quirky!

Second, my goal is to create a list that will encourage people to get out and explore! Since it's a summertime scavenger hunt, I focus on items which would be found on a typical summery outing. I am very aware that participants in the Hunt live all around the world - so the items need to be things that can be found in any country. And, they can't be too summery because many of the participants live in the southern hemisphere where it is winter!

Third, I include some everyday items that people can find simply by wandering around their town. For these, I try to include things that could be interesting photographically or that would show interesting differences across countries.
Finally, I will often include items that I want to photograph personally or which remind me of some of my favorite blog friends. 
So, based on these ideas: the open air market, sunset, plane, someone napping, zoo animal, and fisherman were all things that seemed summery to me.  A theatre, city hall, local/coffee or tea shop, and tower are all things that could be found by taking a little trip.  The fence, candle, and bench are all commonplace things that could be photographed in an interesting way (and my blog friend Carola loves fences).  The funny sign, something that doesn't belong and cloud in the shape of something are items requiring a little luck and imagination. The stained glass item is on the list for my cousin Irene; the dinosaurs are there for Stacey. I was curious about the different police/fire trucks that could be found around the globe. The windmill was a challenging item (kindof like the unicycle from last year).  I love windmills and wanted to see what people would find. And, truly, I haven't been disappointed!
I've mentioned before that the original idea for the scavenger hunt started with a contest which the San Jose Mercury News runs each year.  Here's their list for 2013:

• o Building that's shaped like something else
• o Neon sign at night
• o Rack of postcards
• o Funny bumper sticker
• o Unusual wild animal (not in a zoo)
• o Historic statue or marker
• o Abandoned pay phone
• o Elbow in on someone else's tourist/family photo op
• o Water tower
• o Police officer eating
• o Tacky souvenir
• o Street performer
• o Dead end
• o A restaurant sign that's unappetizing
• o Exotic-looking plant or tree
• o Someone reading a book
• o Unusual hat
• o Overloaded truck
• o Merry-go-round
• o Something unusual not on this list

Also, my friend Young Nancy was the one who turned me onto the whole idea because her family runs a scavenger hunt.  So, those are my thoughts on what made the list and why. I'd love your feedback on what items you liked and whether there were any you really hated!  Also, be sure to check back in on September 21 for the final link up and opportunity to win a few prizes!