Photostories

In Living Color Bi-weekly Recap: February 11–24

Photostories across the globe

Hello, Hello! How are ya?

Before heading to a friend's house a couple of weekends ago, I explained that I was feeling blue and looking forward to our time together. She surprised me with this pot of flowers.

She must have known what she was doing because feelings of spring followed.

In my small section of the Western Hemisphere, it’s mid-February going on May. I left the house at 6:55 a.m. this morning and it was LIGHT outside!

Wild, isn’t it?

Since November, I have been waking up and heading to work in the dark, the moon still reflecting off the asphalt.

It’s motivating to have more light in my day.

Another way to motivate us writers is to highlight and celebrate what’s happening here at In Living Color. JoAnn Ryan helps us to do just that with a compilation of boosted stories from the past few months:

We’ve received quite a few challenge submissions — taking us all over the globe to crunch through cookies for Chinese New Year, pick colorful vegetables and eat curries in India, ogle pizza in Naples and Massachusetts, and attempt to choose between mouthwatering pastries in Bulgaria.

Read on to view monthly challenge submissions thus far (keep in mind half of the food stories are located in my last recap).

Monthly Challenge

TzeLin Sam makes us hungry for cookies and treats traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year celebrations:

Allisonn Church makes my stomach grumble, showing appreciation for foods cooked by someone else — in particular, her family’s experimentations:

Dr. Preeti Singh narrates an excursion to a garden near Delhi, where she is invited to pick the remaining vegetables of the season, have a picnic, and converse over conservation efforts:

Christina Daniels explains that she isn’t necessarily a “food person” but goes on to illustrate how food is integral in travel and truly experiencing a place:

L Burton shares how she hasn’t always loved Asian food, her love of the food developed into adulthood, in particular — miso and sushi:

Ryan Chin tells us about cooking on an old plow disc, and well — now you’re hungry. I’d take the breakfast taco any day:

lukthru helps us to find joy in the simple things in life, and in this case — it’s tofu pudding:

Julia A. Keirns shows us some homemade cooking and shares how it can reap more benefits than eating out:

Krasi Shapkarova shares Bulgarian pastries and foods I never knew I needed:

Purbita Chakraborty recalls memories growing up in India, appreciating foods in season, while also appreciating this season of her life in the Netherlands:

Nella DiCarlo invites us around her Italian family’s table for pasta:

Note: We are still accepting February monthly challenge stories through February 26! Let’s see your food.

Other Challenges

Rachael Ann Sand submitted her 2023 in photos in February, definitely still worth a read — especially if you, like me, are into nature photography:

L Burton continues the A-Z Challenge with M — exploring the transitions in her music taste, buying her first mood ring, and indulging in some cajun cuisine:

Barb Dalton then takes it away with the letter ‘O’ — getting creative and teaching me at least one new word in the meantime:

Rhonda Carrier follows with ‘W,’ updating us on her granddaughter's wickedly cool mask business:

Photostories

Yana Bostongirl takes us to Garden in the Woods, 45 acres of botanical gardens near Boston, Massachusettes — where she is reminded that everything ultimately will be ok:

Bruce Coulter takes off on another road trip with his daughter to the shore of Rhode Island. The cover photo alone is exactly stunning:

Anna Belle ✨ inspires us with photos from the golden hour — the hour before nightfall:

And shares more here:

An Ode to All the Dogs I Have Met, and the Ones I Haven’t

Lani Domaloy embraces the peacefulness of her retreat in the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest:

And don’t forget to check out this one, too:

Guardian of the Strait

Julia A. Keirns shares her canoeing experience in Cypress Gardens, South Carolina. You may recognize some of the movies that were filmed here too:

And here’s a couple more stories from Julia:

Mastodons on Parade and Valentine’s Weekend Bald Eagle Retreat

Brina Patel combats her autopilot mode by participating in a 12-week creative recovery program — and the results make me want to do the same:

Sujit Chakraborty shares authentic shots taken with his camera phone in the city streets of Mumbai:

Rhonda Carrier shares her seafood on St. Simons Island. If you want oysters or a free ice cream bar — you’ve come to the right place:

Marie Kester takes us to the Blue Mountains in Australia for a memorable hike:

Lauri Novak continues to help me stretch my perspective on architectural photography, this struck me as true:

I believe you can make just about anything look interesting if you try.

And don’t forget this one by Lauri too:

A Walk Through Anderson Japanese Gardens

Dr. Preeti Singh cannot help but sing while being surrounded by the tulips that grow in wintertime in New Delhi, teaching us to fully participate in our joy:

Mystical Aries takes us to the extraordinary and vibrant carnival in Eindhoven, which follows with 40 days of fasting:

Joe Guay - Dispatches From the Guay Life! explores the workspace and environment of creators. If only photos of these workspaces inspire us, can you imagine how we’d feel in real life?:

Kevin D. Jordan takes us to Bryce Canyon National Park, one of the many parks I’d love to witness in Utah:

M. J. Carson takes us to the Jardin du Luxembourg — 60 acres of green in the middle of Paris:

Kenny Minker then takes us to the shores of Lima, where he observes paragliders and goes into the reality of this “glorified kite”:

Anne Bonfert enlightens us a bit about the corporate-ness of her job as a skydiving instructor, but the gig isn’t bad, given the view:

Daphsam shares some extraordinary photos of Venice, Italy — urging us to witness the city while we still can:

That’s all for now.

Remember to spread the love for your In Living Color community with views, claps, highlights, and comments. Support feels good, doesn’t it?

As always, on behalf of my fellow editors of In Living Color (OCTAVIA EVER AFTER, JoAnn Ryan, Allisonn Church), as well as myself — thank you wholeheartedly for showing up with your spectacular stories and photographs.