Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt August Linky: Conquering Fear

Item #2: An Ornate Door Knocker

Hello, and welcome to the August linky for the 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt! Today, I'm sharing what may be the most difficult and scary item from this year's hunt. This item was on a wintertime scavenger hunt, and I never found it. So, I put it on the Summertime hunt, and it's been pretty elusive. I've kept my eyes open as I've traveled around. Finally, I noticed this one on a door just around the corner from me. So, earlier this month, I pulled my car up in front of the house and took a photograph with my phone.

Immediately, the door flew open and the owner of the house came over to ask why I was taking a picture of her house! 

And I lied. I told her I liked, no, that I loved, her door knocker. I told her that I lived around the corner and had noticed it when I was walking my dog. Then I asked her if I could take a close-up of it. And she said okay. She was still looking a little suspicious, but she did say that she had just moved into the house and didn't like the door knocker at all and offered to give it to me when they redid their door. I politely declined and went on my way.

And I am so glad to have this item scratched off this summer's list!!!

I know that many of you have completed the Hunt, but don't worry if you're not yet finished. There's still a few more weeks left to complete the Hunt. You have until September 22, the official end of summer to find all the items.

If you've been playing along and have created a blog post about your adventures this month, please link up so everyone else can see what you've found. And please go try to visit some of the other scavenger hunt posts.

Photo Pairs: First Day of School (Past and Present)

Clara started her Senior Year of High School last Thursday, and I created this post for instagram. That's her on the left on her first day of pre-school in 2002 and, fourteen years later, heading off to her final year. This pair shows so much - I'm really proud of myself for taking a photo of her on those stairs every year; really glad we got rid of the carpet and painted the walls; and amazed by how she's grown (while still being so much the same).
Linking up with Helena's photo pairs project. Check out her blog here.

What I've Been Up to Lately

Hey all,
I've been a bit absent from blogland lately, but it's been busy around here. Hope to do some blog reading/commenting today and maybe even write a few posts! The biggest excitement was the start of school for Clara. That's her on the left. We've got a friend of hers staying with us for at least part of the school year. Her name is Carmen, and she is lovely and very low-impact. That's Carmen on the right, top. 
What else?

Went to Cleveland, Ohio for a quick business trip. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so they had decorated guitars all about the airport. I've actually been quite busy with lots of work matters (finishing a couple of articles, getting my syllabi ready for the new school year - I start teaching on Wednesday, taking care of some administrative matters, etc.)
What else?

Still volunteering at the Kitten Nursery on Wednesday nights and at Guide Dogs for the Blind Sunday mornings. May have to bow out of one of those as the year progresses, although the nursery will start slowing down in the fall as "kitten season" ends.
What else?

Enjoying watching my boy (in the middle) enjoy his summer. He leaves in less than two weeks to return to school. Will definitely miss him!
Hope you're all doing well and hope to get around for some blog visits soon.

Me on Monday: Summertime Music Traditions and Where did summer go?

Happy Monday!
Waving hi and linking up with Sian at From High in the Sky to report on the kind of weekend I enjoyed. What kind of a weekend was it? It was a:
-going to Stern Grove with friends for our annual summertime music picnic; enjoying some funk (Morris Day and the Time), a little wine, fun conversation and relaxation kind of weekend;
-wondering where the heck summer went kind of weekend; in fact, wondering how a whole week went by since I posted the July linky for the Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt;
-the kids both going off to a different music festival in Golden Gate Park and loving listening to their stories of "Outside Lands" when they came home kind of weekend;
-a "uh oh, Clara registers for school on Thursday and starts school in less than two weeks!" kind of weekend.
How was your weekend?