I met somebody last spring and was so inspired that against all odds I created the unforgettable picture below.
Sorry, it is not a photo but I hope that you’ll be impressed by this extraordinary haircut and the depth of my imagination.
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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: It’s All About Nature
For me nature is usually in many colors and it would be easy to show just one photo.
However, it is different in black and white. So I decided to show several photos. .
I don’t like you anymore!
People are strange!
Let’s play hide and seek!
I am watching you!
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: White Flowers
1. I am color-blind.
2. I missed many Cee’s challenges.
3. I don’t know names of majority of flowers.
However, I decided to take part in the old CFFC as I hope that I
do know what white is. I also hope that I am right that there is a lot of
light and dark green on the photo below.
By the way, how these white flowers are called?
For many decades I photographed interesting places, scenes, people, etc.
Photography for me is a very important hobby, an essential part of my life.
Very often I meet somebody or something and make a shot. During processing I try to understand better what attracted me and to express meaning of the shot..
Below is a picture of a stranger I met in the morning this summer in Pocono Manor.
What a model!
What a proud beautiful profile!
This stranger loves walking and knows that walking is very good for health.
I hope you know it too.
I love instructions and regulations!
Some of them are short and bold, others teach you how to live (or to die) right.
Their styles are different. Some of them use art to touch your heart and to stimulate your thinking, your feelings of right and wrong, your kindness, choice of your paths in life.
For example, fishes love this one. I wonder who wrote it and who paid for it.
It’s Anton Chekhov’s style!
Only three words! They express so much!
They are about life and death, about meaning of life.
For some people they are about adventures and actions.
We are all different!
Some of us are for unlimited freedom. Often they don’t even know that freedom is always limited.
Others are for enjoyment and pleasure. They’ll kill for pleasure of fish cleaning!
I am a simple man. I am for enjoyment and pleasure too but I find it in watching beautiful fishes and in eating well prepared fish dishes.
And here is completely different style.
I hope that you fully appreciate the difference.
Surely, you noticed the wonderful combination of colors and science.
This picture is full of love to people. It gives all available information how to “Break the Grip of the Rip!”
It’s a six words poetical story!
Everything is precise, easy to do. I especially like “wave for assistance”.
However, my wife told me that the most important instructions are:
“Know how to swim” and “If in doubt, don’t go out”.
She added: “The last one is universal! It is applicable not only to rip currents. It is for all women and men who think of going to blind dates!”
“IF IN DOUBT, DON’T GO OUT”.
It happened in July of 1956.
After graduation from the Moscow Textile Institute my best friend Yuri and I bought a very cheap two weeks tour from TEBERDA to SUKHUMI.
When we arrived in Teberda we understood why the tour was so cheap. It was arranged by a students sport society for brave people who wanted to get really hard experience of hiking in the mountains.
It was our first time in the Caucasus Mountains. When all members of the group arrived we were told that each of us would have 40 kg in a backpack.
“I wonder if we die the very first day”, said Yuri.
“You are an optimist! I wonder who will eat our first lunches”.
Three days passed and miraculously we were alive and had ravenous appetites.
On the fourth day our group stopped earlier than usually at a wonderful spot that had a crystal clear spring. We put up our tents, placed our heavy backpacks in them, gathered wood for fire and helped people responsible for cooking that day to start preparing dinner.
Then I suggested Yuri to go up the mountain and to enjoy sights from the top but he was more interested in staying near a girl who was busy cooking.
I went up alone.
It was a gorgeous summer day. The air was fresh and sweet. Trees, bushes and grass were in their best green dresses. As I went higher and higher I saw some flowers.
Gradually ascent became more difficult and instead of walking I had to crawl.
It became clear that the top of the mountain was still far away. So I decided to move to my right to see our camp below. There were trees and bushes on my right and I used them as my support to move closer to the side of the mountain.
Finally I reached a point with a perfect view. It was terrific!
I saw a circle of our five white tents in the rays of the Sun and the spring near it. The dinner was ready and the fire was dying. Everybody was preparing for dinner. I saw Yuri sitting with the girl on the blanket near our tent.
“Yuri, look up!”, shouted I. “Can you see me?”
Nobody moved. Apparently, nobody heard me. It was time to go back and to have dinner.
All of a sudden I realized that I was in a very difficult position. I was clinging to the steep slope. Two small bushes on my left were gone. There was nothing I could use as support to move in any direction.
Fear paralyzed me! I did not know what to do. It seemed to me that any my movement will bring a fall and fast death.
On the other hand, i could not stay long in this place. What for? Nobody was coming to help me anyway. I needed to act fast! There was no time for fear!
I looked around very, very carefully.
There was something that looked as a flat outcrop on the level of my boots to my right. There was also a tree on the ground above it.
“Can I move my feet to that outcrop? Will it support me? Will I then be able to catch the tree with my hands? Will it support me? Is there a chance then to move to a flat place or not so steep slope of the mountain?”
It took a second or less for all these questions to run in my mind but no answers came.
I was not ready or willing to die but I had no choice. I had to take a risk!
I gathered everything I had and moved to the outcrop. Unfortunately, it was farther away than I thought. I could not reach it. It was my last step!
All of a sudden a strong gust of wind appeared from nowhere! It picked me up and brought on the outcrop. I caught the tree and the next moment another gust of wind brought me to the flat ground.
I dropped there. I was sweating and at the same time I felt very, very cold.
Some time passed. I started slowly and very carefully my descent to the camp.
In about an hour I heard voices. Somebody was calling my name.
I responded and in several minutes Yuri and nine other members of the group gathered around me.
“Do you want a drink?”, asked Yuri. Sure, I wanted it.
“Do you want hot soup?”, asked one girl. “I brought it and here are a cup and a spoon”.
Oh, how I wanted the soup! I wolfed it down.
“We were very worried!”, said Yuri. “What happened?”
“Miracle!”
PAINTING by JF
MY SHOES?
SUPPORT OF A SAFEGUARDS’ STATION
A CHAIR AT THE ENTRANCE TO A CONSTRUCTION SIDE
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WHOSE WORLD IS IT?
OURS!
MINE!
OH, YEH?!
More than 50 years ago “Istanbul (not Constantinople)” was the very popular song in the Soviet Union. At that time only élite at the top could get permission to travel and to see Turkey or any other country.
After we became Americans we visited more than 50 countries including Turkey.
Istanbul is a wonderful city! It has so much to offer that you need to stay there long time just to get a proper feeling of it. Unfortunately, we had only one week for travel in the country.
However, it is impossible to forget the word Istanbul in America. You can see It all over the country.
ON HOLLYWOOD BROADWALK
— Why did you provoke the fight?
— I did not expect it to happen!
— Did you trade without a license?
— No. I gave beer free. There are many witnesses.
— Are you crazy?
— No, no! I am a good worker, a member of an union, have a wonderful family.
— Ok, Ivan. We let you go. Only tell us why did you spent your savings to give people free beer?
— You know, I am not a young man. I wanted to see how everything will be after the victory of communism!
Painting by JF
Tonight I received from my friend an email with Russian jokes.
Below are three of them.
– Doctor, I broke a leg in two places!!!
– Do you remember those places?
– Yes,of course!!!
– Don`t go there anymore!*
– Doctor, every morning at seven o’clock I take a piss.
– Well, what is wrong about that?
– I do not wake up until eight o`clock!*
– Doctor, my husband thinks he is a racehorse.
– I can treat him, but it will cost a lot of money.
– We have the money. He has already won two races.*
In June of 2014 I published my first and only play “Love and Moscow Derby”.
I hoped that many thousands from all countries will read and enjoy it.
Surely, everyone thinks about love, many people love horses and everybody is a gambler.
However, so far the play did not go viral.
Today I reread the first act of it (only love, no horses) and liked it very much.
What’s going on?
Please read the first act (only 234 words) of my play “Love and Moscow Derby” HERE.
If you like it please don’t hesitate to reblog, retweet or share it in any other way with your followers.
Go for it!
Yes, we can!
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.
People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.
When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know.
PAINTING by JF
Who am I tonight?
Definitely a man of 80+ years old. Retired long time ago.
I know that I love people, animals, birds, fishes (especially well prepared).
I love nature, food, exercising, doing a lot and doing nothing.
I love to think and to meditate.
Reading is huge part of my life.
In this blog I write, show you my photos and paintings, share quotes I like.
Who am I tonight?
Please read or reread my post A MIRACLE?!
Can it be that I am a writer?
I hope that all of you are very kind.
Best to you!
“You know, Ellen, Sally is really my best friend!
Yesterday after a party she brought me home to the fifth floor and left with my husband!”
“But don’t you live on the first floor?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I also thought that you were not married.”
“Yes, I am not. But I loved the view there!”
Painting by JF
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Patient: “Doctor, I snore at night so loudly that I wake up from my own snoring. What should I do?”
Doctor: “Sleep in another room!”
Painting by JF
I found out that many of the followers of this blog do not know how to find what they are interested in among almost 800 posts of the “Pursuit of Happiness”.
Actually, it is very simple if you know meaning of pages on the WordPress platform.
A header of each post includes a photo and a black field below it. On the black field there are words that express different topics (humor, travel, my writings, artists, etc.).
When you click on any topic a page appears. Sometimes there is an introduction to the topic. In all cases a page has links to all posts on this topic in the blog.
For example, if you click on words “My writings” on the black field on the header you will get exactly the same result as if you click on “MY WRITINGS” here.
You’ll get an introduction to my writings and links to many, many posts.
You will understand my words “I am a history” and will find life stories, fiction, humor and tragedies, book reviews and other interesting information.
Try it and I guarantee you compensation for your time if you are not satisfied!
Please don’t forget to let me know that you like my writings.
Best to you!
THIS IS FROM ANOTHER TOPIC ON MY BLOG
First week of February I was shooting photos for Cee’s Black & White Photo Callenge: Textures. At that time I found so many wonderful textures around that I can post 3 pictures daily for a long time.
One day I went to the beach and made a photo below.
I liked it very much as there were different textures in it: sand, grass, leaves.
Then I turned around and suddenly saw another wonderful opportunity.
Without hesitation I made another picture that showed wood, metal and large leaves.
Then I put my tiny Canon in my pocket and was about to go home to have my breakfast.
Something stopped me. What was it?
At the last second I noticed letters on both knobs.
I bent down and read on the upper knob “PUSH”.
It became interesting! I pushed and got very cold shower!
When my wife saw me she asked: “Why are you wet?There was no rain.”
After I explained what happened she said: “You made my day!”
Can you believe it?!
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS 