what might have been

As soon as we decided on the "doors and windows" theme I found myself scouring the streets on the hunt for my photo.  This building above caught my eye because it is oddly nestled between two more modern buildings and it made me wonder...how has it survived, not to be torn down or renovated to match the contemporary urban look to its right and left?

I love all the character in these windows...the rusted metal flowers along the top, the piece of window frame hanging down on the diagonal, the multi-sized window panes, the decorative window guards, and the textures in the building facade.  Even though it is all boarded up and abandoned, I found it to be a bright spot on this otherwise unassuming block just off of 9th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

When I saw Trevellion's photo below, I immediately imagined it as a closeup of what the window in my photo might have looked like many years ago.  Perhaps someone lived there who collected these gravy boats, hanging and stacking them with care in the bright sunlight.  That fleeting thought of what might have been made me smile.  I love how a photo can do that, don't you?

~christy of urban muser

bric-a-brac by trevellion

when it rains

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain," - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am going to go ahead and add "icing" to that quote :)  This winter has been long, and is still not over (snow on Friday if you live in the northeast!) I am trying to be patient awaiting spring.

All of this crazy weather puts me in a reflective mood.  I am grateful for a warm safe home, with windows and doors to keep us safe from the elements of mother nature.  I am glad that I can witness the astounding power safely behind glass and then when spring/summer finally arrives bask in its warmth.

Spring, you are worth the wait, and I can't wait to see you!

April of April Newman Photography

rain by bhamgal

daydreamer

This is my window on the world outside when I am at work. I watch the snow fall on the other side of it. I hear the rain lash at it. I feel the heat of the sun through it. And during my breaks, I look out and daydream.

I wonder if Rebecka is also a daydreamer. She looks as if she might be as she gazes wistfully out of the window, bathed in that lovely light.

I've loved looking through all your window and door pictures. Thank you for sharing them all.

kirstin of fleeting moments

twinkle by Rebecka Bjurmell

the other side

Doors. Do you ever see a door that looks so intriguing, so different than what you are accustomed to, and wish you could peek inside. Just a peek, to see what life on the other side of that door is like? While 'on holiday' ten years, ago I became fascinated by the windows and doors of Europe. I took, what was for me (I was shooting film at the time), quite a few photos of them all along our trip. I don't see many doors like the one above in my daily life in the Midwestern small town where I live. This a favorite from my trip. I love the texture of the plaster around the doors and the warm beauty of the wood, and what looks to be a pull for some type of bell next to the door. I study this photo and wonder. I wonder who lives there, behind such imposing doors. I wonder what it looks like inside this home. I try to imagine what it is like at the end of the day to walk up the cobble-stone street to arrive home, unlock this door and slip inside. And I wish I had reason to pull that handle, to hear the ring of the bell and get a glimpse of what lies behind these doors.

Karin's photo of a bright yellow door gave me the same feeling. Oh how I would love to ring the bell, push open that fabulous yellow door and step inside a fairy-tale cottage.

dreaming . . . maureen of Cottage 960

Yellow Door (to fairy tale land?) by Karin van D

seeing blue

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, 

or the light won't come in. ~Alan Alda

I must have stared at hundreds of windows over the past week or two. But, choosing one to photograph felt like choosing a personality...an outfit to wear for the day...or a political party. So many times, I would discount a particular window because it felt too corporate, too ordinary, to clean, too dirty. Then I pulled beside a local school and noticed these blue windows. Even though the building itself seems rather uniform, I felt like these windows brought the school to life. Perhaps these windows are also a reflection of how I see myself.

I'd much rather see myself as these pretty blue windows captured by DorteF. I love how personality is pouring out of these windows' soul. It leaves me curious about the type of people that live behind these walls, which brings me back to making assumptions. Alan Alda's quote above is spot on. Every once in a while we've got to scrub off our assumptions to get a fresh perspective on the world, and perhaps see even ourselves in a different light.

Until next time,
Ashley of Ramblings and Photos

pretty blue by DorteF

coming and going

Growing up I remember going in and out of the house, banging the screen door countless times a day.  "Mom!  Can I have a snack!"  "Mom, can I go over to so-and-so's house?" "Mom, I just fell off my bike again, do we have any bandaids?"  My best friend lived on the other side of the block and we could yell to each other from our bedroom windows.  I'm not sure what the neighbours thought of our hollered conversations across their backyards, or why we didn't just use the telephone, but it worked for us.  We take the openings in our homes for granted, but on a daily basis they usher us out into the world and then welcome us back in.

There's a sadness to the decay of this door I found in a small abandoned building on a hike recently.  Someone carefully laid coats of paint on it, the door knob was polished by many hands going in and out, but now it sits quiet.  Nettebar's window gives me the same feeling of melancholy.  At some point in its history, all the panes were lovingly buffed and someone dreamed while looking out at the street or their garden.

But I like thinking of those openings as opportunities, whether they are in daily use or just markers of the past.  Every day we put on our shoes and step out the door to welcome what comes next.

cheers,
mosey of mosey along

window by Nettebar

what windows are for

Across the headlands
The forest masses
Under gray skies
And mist
Into a solid wall
Of muted gray
Through which cars
Glide skirting noiselessly
The rocky edge.
Through a window
I watch, windows are
For watching -
Square pieces of life
Ever changing.
~Windows by Donovan Holtz

I could have not described any better what windows are for than Donovan Holtz did with his beautiful poem. I had a hard time picking a doors&window picture because there were so many beautiful ones. I finally settled for the one below.

Jackie Rueda's picture impressed me, for the stunning light and sentiment of spring and its warmer days to come.

See you in 9 days,

Love,

Suki

cat tail by Jackie Rueda

door personality

I love capturing doors and windows. I had a friend describe windows as the "eyes" of the building to me once. If that's the case, then doors are the expressive mouth. I love to wander the back streets and alleys of an old town, looking at the doors and windows. Viewing them overall, the doors can give a sense of the personality of the community, yet viewed individually each door has its own personal style. Color, care, decoration... even what surrounds the door can give you clues to the people who live behind it. 

This image from shutterbug1018 (barbarac) shouts of an outgoing personality. Someone put a lot of themselves into creating this wonderful door scene, it speaks of a creative spirit I would love to meet. 

What does your front door say about you?

Kat of The Kat Eye View of the World

red door by shutterbug1018 (barbarac)

moments

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty

While recently visiting with a friend,  I captured the weekend ritual of her husband quietly reading his Sunday newspaper.  I was struck by the intimacy of the scene.  The way the sunlight was illuminating his face, the stillness of the room, and the gentle rustling of the pages.  I felt like an intruder in his space, his moment... that precious time alone before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. 

In my featured photograph,  Mamadunk captured a similarly private moment.  It leaves me wanting to know more of the story but also wondering what emotions she had when she clicked.  What about the scene spoke to her heart?  Was it the sense of aloneness that was almost palpable?

It is in these moments that I hesitate. What do you do?  Do you take the shot knowing that just the click of the camera may interrupt the magic? 

xo
tammy lee of bliss and folly

untitled by mamadunk

and the next theme is... DOORS AND WINDOWS

Doors?
Windows?
Doors AND Windows?

You guessed it, our next theme is DOORS AND WINDOWS.

Intrigued by the story that broken glass or peeling paint tell?

broken and blue by kat eye view

Or does catching some morning light or a blanket of snow inspire you to dream?

finding the light by à la mosey ......  green door in winter by lucy.loomis

Does a perfectly composed arrangement of window, roofline and sky bring you joy?

two moons by lucy.loomis

looking out by blue elephant photography

Or is your imagination captured by the anticipation of what's on the other side?

Major Focus by soupatraveler

Please fill up the Mortal Muses flickr pool with your images of DOORS AND WINDOWS,
and we'll see you in nine days!
(Join Tammy tomorrow as she starts us musing on images from our CAMERA PHONES.)

cheers,

mosey