We love animals in our family. Since the beginning, we have had one cat, two African dwarf frogs, several fish (I can’t remember how many), and five dogs. We once had three labs at the same time and lived to tell the tale. However, at the moment, we have one dog, and his name is Cisco.
We adopted Cisco a little over a year and a half ago from Fredericksburg SPCA. It had been almost two years since our last lab had passed away. The husband returned home to find that I had been looking at dog photos on their site and found one that “needed” me. So, we went to look.
Our yard has become a cartoon factory. We always know when something is there. AooooooooOOOOO! He loves the sunshine and will lay in it whenever he can. He won’t climb onto your lap or get on the furniture. However, he loves to cuddle ninety percent of the time and wants to be in his bed right beside you. He seems to know when we need to cuddle, too.
It wasn’t always easy. It has taken work. But he is a great dog.
One of our favorite museums in Washington, DC, is the National Museum of Natural History. Our children, especially our daughter, have always been dinosaur fans. The last time we visited was before the pandemic. We loved seeing all of the changes they had made.
A big favorite was the Fossil Lab. They opened it and created a space where visitors could walk by windows and watch the paleontologists working. This exposed the behind-the-scenes in an exciting way.
We also enjoyed the rock and mineral exhibit. The earth comes in so many colors and textures. Sometimes, it’s difficult to imagine how many until you see them in one place.
In the plant arboretum on the top floor, you can also look out the windows and see the US Capitol building.
If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit it.
A few interesting facts about Bristol. The Virginia / Tennessee border runs through town. You can walk State St. and criss-cross between the two.
It is an old town with character and there are several vintage signs that just beg to be photographed.
Bristol is the birthplace to country music. The Bristol Sessions were recorded by Ralph peer in 1927 on the Victor record label.
” All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate… I choose love.”
Johnny Cash
If you go, definitely eat local. I ate at The Burger Bar. Some of the best parmesan fries and I’ve ever had. And the burger was awesome as well. And they didn’t mind letting this photographer take photos of the money on the walls of the restaurant. Great place to hang out.
I might have been dodging storms, but walking around Bristol made it a great day.
“Coming Home” received an Honorable mention in the Monochrome division of the same show.
A Photo taken inside historic Goolrick’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain showing a neon sign, “No Public Restroom”. The photo of this iconic building was taken prior to the start of the current renovations.
Just as with ads, how an article is designed conveys a message and draws the eye of the reader. The use of typography, the type of photos as well as their placement create a mood and communicate ideas.
Typography
Typography
The above double page spread utilizes typography in three different ways. The first is the the most noticeable. The title, done in a bold sans serif all caps font. In fact, except for some extremely slight deviation in the letter “R”, every letter in the title is without decoration and it is presented in black. It creates a strong statement taking up almost the entire third of the page opposite the photograph. The choices for the sub-heading are the second choice . In this case it is set above the main title, the text is smaller than the title and a serif font is used. The third option on the page is in the caption. They use a san serif font. The font size is a little smaller than the sub-heading, but it is a red color instead of black, helping it to stand out on the page.
The Photo
The photo in the article uses a couple photography methods to draw the eye.
The students in the photo are placed at the cross-juncture in the bottom third of the photo. Their age is inferred in the photo and having them at that point alludes to the possible subject of the article, even though they are blurry and you can’t see their faces.
The leading lines of the street draw the eye forward. In this case the lines draw your eye toward the other focal point of the photo, the light.
Alternate Photos
The top photo closely recreates the same general feeling for this article. It has the same leading lines created with being in a tunnel. There is a difference with the placement of the subject of the photo in a different location being centered in the photo. However, the overall feeling is closely matched.
The second photo is also a “street scene” and has the same leading lines but a different subject. The leading lines of the buildings on the side draw the reader to the subject in the center.
The last street scene has leading lines from the median down the center of the street and the buildings on the side of the street.
Each of these are general enough that I think they could be swapped out of the layout, though I believe the first one is the most effective of the three.
