Lens-Artists Challenge #58 – Something Old, Something New…..

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”

Thomas Jefferson

OLD, NEW, BORROWED AND BLUE

This week Patti’s challenge comes from a popular saying that originated in Victorian England which was said to bring good luck to a bride on her wedding day. Try as I might to find a single image that combined all of the items in the wish (old, new, borrowed and blue), the closest I came was in my opening image above. Captured during our visit to China several years ago, it includes a very old wall, a blue bicycle, a snazzy new red-striped seat and I’m going to suggest its owner probably borrowed the yellow bucket behind it 😊.

RESTFUL MOMENT

“Luck has a way of evaporating when you lean on it.”

Brandon Mull

The Chinese are great believers in luck, and since I opened with a capture from our visit there I’ve chosen to stick with that journey for this week’s post . There was no shortage of things “old”, including the gentleman above, seated on an old bench in front of an old wall with it’s beautiful decorative window. 

OLD, NEW AND BLUE – SHANGRI LA

“I think we consider too much the luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The blue of the sky and water, as well as the old age of the buildings above are obvious. But where is the new?  Interestingly in Napa Lake near Shangri La,  each year a totally dry valley lush with greenery is home to grazing animals and rare migratory birds. As the snow in the 3 surrounding mountains begins to melt, the area fills in to create a massive (over 250 square miles) lake. The buildings are designed by farmers to house their livestock during the dry season.  So actually, both the lake and the water are brand new – literally not there at all a week before our visit. 

BORROWED SEAT

“Beware what you wish for, unless you have the grace to hope that your luck can be shared.”

Christopher Hitchens

I remember being struck by the scene in the image above. The combination of the giant sunflower heads, the little boy in his blue plaid shirt, (having of course borrowed a seat in the big rattan bowl), was a photographer’s dream. How nice that it also fit this week’s challenge.

BORROWED AND BLUE

“Good luck and bad luck are strands of the same rope.”

Sakura Tsukuba

Speaking of borrowed, I’m suggesting that one of the women in the image above has borrowed a space under her friend’s/sister’s umbrella to avoid the light rain that was falling. Both have taken a moment to study the details of the vista below. Their blue sailor jackets and the blue umbrella were a bonus on this one.

BRAVE NEW WORLD SHANGHAI

“Luck is for those with nothing else. I wish you strength and courage.”

Annette Marie

Finally, one of our biggest surprises – the ultra-modern skyline of Shanghai. The city is quite a dichotomy. The most populous city in the world, it is filled with beautiful old neighborhoods, areas of very heavy French influence, 157 city parks including a gorgeous botanical garden, and of course the newest area – Pudong. Developed in the 1990s, the Lujaizui financial district pictured above reminded me of the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. Despite its reputation for pollution and smog, we were blessed with beautiful clear skies for the nearly four weeks of our China visit.

Thanks to Patti for the opportunity to revisit some very fond memories of our China travels. Hers was one of the more difficult challenges for me, pushing me to search my archives for an appropriate response. I’m especially looking forward to your responses this week as you share your own creative takes on the subject! Remember to TAG them to help us find you, and to check out Ann-Christine’s Leya post next week for our next challenge. Until then, wishing everyone a terrific week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• August 10, 2019
• China, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography, Travel
• 123 Comments