looking for a bridge -

“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”   David Russell

A bridge too far – water under the bridge - the bridge of the nose – a connection between two points or bridging your differences – A bridge is an often used metaphor expressing our need to move forward, to connect,  to change.  So why couldn’t I find a photos of a bridge, any type of bridge in Rio; the land of water flowing, and people walking, crossing, going and getting somewhere.  Let me back up, I do see walkways and crossings everyday, why can’t I find a beauty, graceful, curving, colored lights, aesthetically pleasing bridge to take a most spectacular photos of.

We do have the 13 km bridge (high causeway) that links Rio to Niteroi and beyond, taking the 101 north.    I’ve posted some photos of it before.  It is a much needed bridge, functional, a getting the job done bridge but I wouldn’t call it a beauty.  Maybe this is the issue, a reflection of the culture here, the building with functionality versus aesthetics.  The outside of homes being simple and straightforward, functional not often aesthetically pleasing.  I often wonder if it is more expensive to build something of beauty than something that is stark and plain….. sorry side-tracked…..

Bridges, being in Rio this weekend I hoped for an opportunity to find a new, not photographed or posted before, bridge.  A walk around the Lagoa netted me 6 photos – a pedestrian walkway the is the start (the finish even) of the canal that drains the Lagoa into the sea.  Beautiful no, interesting story maybe.

functional – getting us walkers were we need to go – safely and with dry feet.  One end offering someone a dry home away from home.

the protected pool of water, waiting to flow to the sea, offering food and leisure entertainment to the locals.

    

and next to it a way across the water to a private space.  (a ferry does bridge the gap between land and island.) 

Motion – movement on the streets

OK, I am game for learning new things about my camera.  I went back and printed Rebecca’s mini-course on Panning, read it again & again, thought about it, talked with Camillo about it and almost caused a divorce (He kept asking me questions about my digital camera that I couldn’t answer – it is not a semi-automatic 35mm like he knows and understands – anyway we agreed not to talk about it anymore.) and finally tried it a few times.  

We were in Friburgo for the week, hiding at the house because the town was clogged with Carnival goers and other strangers, so my options for action to try and capture was Spritzer and cars on the road. 

  OOPS, If you are sitting still and they are moving, you have to move the camera and click the shutter at the same time…… Hand – Eye coordination becomes a factor…..  but even with the motorcycle missing there is some panning movement.  (Nikon d40 - M)

Improved?  there is a sense of motions….. If you start to feel seasick blink your eyes a few times…..  (Nikon d40 – landscape)

  Click AFTER the actions starts….!!

  Almost have it….. (Nikon d40 – landscape)  to bad the yellow ball isn’t more distinct.

    We have come into Rio for the weekend and I walked down to the beach last evening hoping for some skaters, skateboarder, bicyclists.  There were enough to try with my point and shoot Samsung TL240 , there also were 200 people per sq. meter, all in the way, moving, jostling, drinking, sweating.  There were two guys on skateboards that I have to say looked mighty fine, tan, muscles, sweat and, of course, movement….. but I couldn’t catch them to take their picture….. plus Camillo reads my blog. (that is not me in that photo.)

    

Hey can you do it?  That is a giant rubber band they are walking….

  movement in the Lagoa this morning…

(I played with this a bit….. I added wind special effect trying to get more movement….. )  In the end was fun trying new ‘actions’ with my camera…..

Carol’s Brasil: part 111

Finally the promised final segment.

I don’t have a clear memory of when I first began to talk to Carolina, but it must have been in early 2009.  She stopped by ‘flowers’ and left a comment, adding her memories of Brasil as it tied into my post. Then I went by her blog (click link above) and began to enjoy her posts about experiencing Brasil as a peace corps volunteer in the late 60s.  It didn’t take long and we had exchanged personal information and began to email about her hopes of returning here for a visit.   She made plans, they were canceled.  She made more plans and once again they were canceled.  Until she contacted me back in May of this year with her final plan, I didn’t really believe she would ever come.  And, unlike her first couple of plans, this time she would include a stop in Rio.   I offered her a sofa to sleep on and she accepted – finally my first blog related friend was coming to visit. 

Back and forth, back and forth the emails flew.  She was listing all the things she wanted to do.  I was trying to give her input without encouraging or discouraging activities on her list.  I did think from the beginning that the list was way too long but it was her trip and her energy; her four days here would be packed.  She mentioned right from the beginning that she wanted to hang-glide.  And I considered joining her, but visions of actually running across a mountain top and jumping into clear blue skies put that notion right out of my mind.  She wanted to do it, had wanted to for years, and I thought she should give it a try.   

Starting early on Saturday morning Carol began making contact with different ‘hang-glide captains”.  What do you call these guys that take you up and down anyway?   She narrowed the list to 2 possible, asking questions like how much, when, how long, do they provide a video, and do they pick up and deliver?   Then once the priority plans were made we decided on our weekend activities and that she would call them on Sunday night for a Monday  fly time.  On Sunday it was, ‘call tomorrow at 9:00’.  On Monday at 9:00 it was, ‘the wind is blowing the wrong direction, call at 3’.  At 3 it was ‘call at 9’ on Tuesday, and on Tuesday it was a repeat of Monday.  And then she was out of time. 

Learned a couple of things;  there is a wrong direction for the wind to be blowing, and that if the wind was right on Saturday or Sunday we should have made the hang-gliding a priority – course we only knew about number one after Saturday and Sunday were over...... So I guess we only learned one thing – that is to ask about wind direction.  

I think, no I hope that Carol enjoyed her days in Rio – If going by my photos of the weekend are any gage, even leaving out the lost hang-gliding, and the museum workers’ strike, and that the Parque da Catacumba is closed on Mondays, we still managed Niteroi, a walk through the Hippy Square on Sunday, bought vegies at the fruit/vegetable street market on Monday, walked partially around the Lagoa at sunset, she walked the beach once while I napped, she shopped in and out of the Ipanema gallerias while I napped (yes I nap routinely), we went to one nice restaurant for dinner, and last but not least, we had a great stroll through the botanical gardens.  And with all of this said I just have to add, “I can’t wait until she returns so we can finish off her list.”

 

 

For the sake of seeing...

I don’t know how many times I have been to Rio’s botanical gardens, ‘Jardim Botanico’.  Walking over from Ipanema several times a year, lugging my Nikon D40x in a small backpack and carrying the point and shoot in my handy pocket, my purpose focused on a brisk walk, on exercise, on calories and fat loss.  Seeing interesting sights but not stopping, not giving up on my exercise.  As in all change, slowly the purpose of the walk has become a stroll to see; to see the birds, to see the leaves, and to see the flowers that are prominent during my walk: stopping to watch a child play, to find the birds in song, so walk down the slope for a closer look at a flower. 

I can’t say that yesterday I jumped  eagerly out of bed, it was more of a slow roll and groan, but I did wake with a determination to walk to the gardens to see what was blooming.  I managed to leave the apartment a little after ten, walked to the Lagoa, partially around it to the little street that cuts beside the Jockey club to Rua Jardim Botanico. 

Along the walk were young boys playing soccer, a class of rowers, a tennis match, a small construction on the path, and the usual bikers and joggers.   A small tree was in bloom showing me, for the first time, its abundant, bright red, waxy leafed flowers. Anyone know the name of this tree / flower?

A crane wading gracefully among the reeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      and bright yellow birds hidden among the red leaves of the fig trees.

    It took me a good 40 minutes to get to the gardens.  I must have been looking up or sideways, detracted or something, because I missed the shortcut that runs along the water.  I ended up walking along the street, surrounded by cars, busses and speeding motor bikes – not the best way to go if you want peace and beauty.  

It now cost $R6.00 to get into the gardens – a bargain for sure, but another change.  I always promise myself that I will walk the trails to the right of the entrance but when I arrive – I go left (because I know where the bathrooms are!).  Yesterday, I changed to my bigger camera and went to the right. 

Good choice!  Along the outer edge of the gardens are huge old trees.  I will put those photos into an album for you to see.

 

There was not much in the way of flowers this time of year, but there were a few surprises to take pleasure in.

              

      More Later !

In Rio – twisted, In Friburgo–contorted

This week I am in Rio and my usual Friday My Town Shoot-Out photos focus on the town were I am on Fridays.  But my first couple of photos, taken in Nova Friburgo last week, works perfectly for the Contorted topic.  And then there are a few I took this week in Rio are quite twisted.  
This first photo shows the layer of mud still covering the yard of a house down the street from a major slide.  The house was undamaged, at the least the front where I was standing it looked unscathed but the front yard shows only one small area of hope, of green.   I should go back and see how much green is poking up through the mud. 
The second photo is of only one of the many cars littering this slide area.  Its contorted frame attest to the ride it took down the hill, through homes and apartments, riding a fast current and being battered by large boulders also along for the ride.
definitely contorted.
 
I try to focus on the beauty around me.  Last week I received several comments on framing about the beautiful that surrounds me where I live.  Yes there is beauty around the lagoa, in Ipanema, in the Botanical gardens, but  I would hate to have you come here to visit and during the drive from the airport to Ipanema think, ‘she lied, I want to go home mow’.  Rio is a typical super-city with miles and miles of substandard housing, apartment building and businesses that haven’t been cleaned nor maintained for years, blights.     Over the years I’ve learned or should say, I’ve taught my eye to see only the beauty.  So here we are back on the beautiful side with twisted beauty in Rio.
            
I spent some time trying to find the name of these trees but had no success.  They are small trees with smooth multicolored bark.  Camillo thinks they were imported from Asia.  If anyone has a guess let me know.  I have talked before of the Ficus (fig) trees that line the streets of Ipanema, they also are along the lagoa.  Big trees, roots running from high branches down into the ground, not because I find it beautiful but interesting, here is one last twisty photo of those roots as they run unhampered along the ground.
  

Rio framed by the sea and the mountains

It is hard to believe that Friday has come around again so soon.  Today, we traveled from Friburgo to Rio, then lunch out, grocery shopping and, of course, our nap in the heat of the afternoon, so this day went by way to quickly and I find myself writing this post almost at midnight – but still on Friday. 
I have always taken photos with distant points framed by trees, or flowers, or contrasting colors - enhancing, adding perspective, diverting my eye from the too wide horizon.  Framing creates a space and context.  Here are a few framed photos of the Lagoa in Rio.
  
  
 
And just so you don’t forget – the view from the veranda in Nova Friburgo.  Taken this week at sunrise – the clouds in the valley obscuring the slides on the hills across the valley.