Traffic jam...

Torino, Italy

Being at the front seat gives one all the opportunity to take shots, I think our co-blogger Photo Cache would agree. I miss her drive by shots. 

I'm not knowledgeable about cars and their models so I won't try identifying each in the photo. You can! ;)

Rodina Mat (Motherland Statue), Kiev

Mother Motherland (Ukrainian: Батьківщина-Мати) is a monumental statue of the "Mother Motherland" in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The sculpture is a part of Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Kiev. Built by Yevgeny Vuchetich, the titanium statue stands 62 m (203 ft) tall upon the museum building with the overall structure measuring 102 m (335 ft) and weighing 560 tons. The sword in the statue's right hand is 16 m (52 ft) long weighing 9 tons, with the left hand holding up a 13 by 8 m (43 by 26 ft) shield with the State Emblem of the Soviet Union. The Memorial hall of the Museum displays marble plaques with carved names of more than 11,600 soldiers and over 200 workers of the home-front honored during the war with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Hero of Socialist Labor. On the hill beneath the museum, traditional flower shows are held. The sword of the statue was cut because the tip of the sword was higher than the cross of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. (wiki)

Kiev, Ukraine - March 2011 

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Scenic Sunday

Of Trucks and my Dad

(photo taken while on the opposite road in Italy, on our way to Venice)

Would you believe that a big part of my teenage life were spent around trucks? My dad has retired from his work as a seaman then and decided to engage into a trucking business, later on a nipa hut business with own delivery to clients. At some instances he would personally drive one. I guess that comes with his want to always be out travelling and seeing other places. This would give us (mom and I at most) uneasy and sometimes sleepless nights.

That's mostly because trucks travel more conveniently at the wee hours of the morning --- no hassles of travelling around smaller vehicles, not much pedestrian or totally none - means less accidents and faster travel time too. The sleepiness however is a big factor. It is never a good thing to travel when one didn't have enough sleep earlier on. So we had to request daddy to hire a number of drivers to relieve us of the worry regarding his safety on the road.

In those years I got acquainted with a lot of parts truck though earlier on I knew some auto, bicycle parts - because whenever daddy tinkers with them, I get to be around and familiarize myself.

Of course, I learned stuff like disc brake, alternator, bug shield and  heater hose...that's one of the most common sources of coolant leaks in vehicles. These hoses allow hot coolant to enter and leave the heater core to heat the interior of the vehicle...they tend to be brittle and then they crack. I remember dad has to have those as spare ready especially when he's out to travel long distances. It was his habit of checking that everything is in place before leaving and travelling.

We had to sell the trucks when daddy got older...I'm sure he had his own memories of seeing different scenes and fields, meeting different vehicles along the way, having his own drive bys. The only difference with our drive bys is, I get to capture what I see with my camera, his; etched in his memories.



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This is a true story written for a Bucks2Blog campaign .

Tiltshift attempt

I haven't been successful with tiltshifting photos taken on eye-level...I make better ones when the photo was shot from top view. What do you think?

To Experience Vancouver Kayaks

This photo is blurred not because my hand is shaky but because we were in the train when I clicked the camera. This is one of the many drive by shots I took during our 6-hour-travel back from Nurnberg. I didn't realize that there was a kayak and saw it only when I viewed the shots later on.

Some posts ago I mentioned that the hubby plans to go on a US and Canada trip. Riding on the famous Vancouver Kayaks and fishing are listed on his to-dos. Hubby is an adventurous guy so I bet he'll enjoy hiking, camping or boating along with kayaking and other activities that Canada has to offer.