Chained – Friday Fictioneers

Today is the day that I devote to the Friday Fictioneers flash fiction challenge. The rules are to write a story with a beginning, middle and end using no more than 100 words. Ready for my story? It is entitled “Chained.”

Chained – Photo by C. Hase

Working feverishly on a project my boss gave me, I had to pay attention to detail.

“What are you doing that for?” asked my type “A” personality boss.

“It needs to be done in order for this to be right,” I replied.

“What is that envelope doing in the garbage? You can use that to write notes on.”

“Now how did that get in there?” I smiled. Little did she know I found the 1955 calendar in the desk. Paper from 60 years ago!

I felt chained to my desk. It is time to look for a new job.

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Thanks go out to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting this challenge, and to C. Hase for the inspiring photo. And to you dear reader, thank you for stopping by for a quick read. Have a terrific day and be well… ^..^

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Vernon and Lily – Sunday Photo Fiction

Today I will tell you the tale of Vernon and Lily. This is a story written for Sunday Photo Fiction. This challenge asks that you use the photo prompt and write a story of about 200 words. Today I went over by 54 words, but the story of Vernon and Lily needed to be told. Here is the photo followed by my story…

Memories of Days Gone By – Photo by Alastair Forbes

She looked at the line of benches along the boardwalk. The one on the end was where she and Vernon used to sit. It brought back many memories. She gripped the walker and slowly headed to the bench so that she could sit. Looking out over the beach to the water, she drifted back in time.

As a young girl, she used to play with her friends on the beach. As she got older, she walked here with her friend Emmie. At 22, she met Vernon at Sue’s Seafood. They married a year later. Over the years, they had four children. They would bring them here to play. Those were the days.

After the children left home, she and Vernon made a weekly trip to the beach. That was until Vernon fell ill. He had a rare blood cancer. There were so many trips to the Dr.’s for treatment. Even so, Vernon still wanted to come to the beach. His last trip to the beach was five years ago.

How she missed her Vernon. She looked out over the water. A tear slowly fell down her cheek. She took her last breath, and closed her eyes. Standing before her was Vernon, looking just like he did in his twenties. “My love,” he said and then sat down next to her. Holding hands as they used to do, Lily rested her head on Vernon’s shoulder. As they did all those years ago, they both gazed out over the ocean as they sat on their bench.

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I hope that you enjoyed this tale. I give thanks to Al for the photo that brought to mind the story of Vernon and Lily. And, thank you to you dear reader for stopping by. Have an amazing day! Be well… ^..^

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Broken – A WordPress Photo Challenge

Cherie Lucas Rowlands over at WordPress has chosen the subject “Broken” for this week’s photo challenge. I think I have photos that will show you something broken. Let’s go and see what I have, shall we?

The gauges on an old tractor…

Old gauges

Old, rusty trucks…

Abandoned in the ghost town

An ancient Indian ruins…

Collapsed roofing and walls

A crack in a wall…

Cracked

Broken branches…

One huge limb

I hope that you enjoyed my images of broken things. Have a great weekend and be well… ^..^

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On the Water

One day at the lake with my nephew, as we were walking around it, we witnessed unusual behavior with the Canada Geese. Here is a series of shots of what these geese were doing…The captions tells all!

Walking on water

Giving chase

Keep on truckin’

Gotta get there quick!

Starting to run

The birds never took off!

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a wonderful day! Be well… ^..^

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Intricate – A WordPress Photo Challenge!

Krista at WordPress has chosen the topic “Intricate” for this week’s photo challenge! I love this topic! Let’s visit my world of intricate!

Let’s start with a resident neighbor who came to visit.

Looking at him up close

Each layer of feathers on a Canadian Goose has infinite details.

Feathers

Tiny bubbles form in ice, freezing their amazing details.

Bubbles on ice

The patterning of the wings of a dragon fly…

Loaded with details

The tiny details of a California Poppy emerge when you look close enough.

The beauty found it the center

An artichoke in bloom draws you in…

Blues

Look closely at the eye on this wasp. Do you see the spirals in its eye?  Click on the photo to see the intricate details of this amazing creature!

The eye of a wasp

Did I meet this challenge in looking at the intricate details? 🙂 Have an amazing day and thank you for dropping on by today! Be well… ^..^

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Motion – A WordPress Photo Challenge

This week The WordPress Photo Challenge asks us to go into the world of motion. Are you ready?

A glacier breaks and the huge piece of ice drops into the water…

Hitting the water

Catching a glimpse of Orca as they swim by…

Heading right

A turkey buzzard lifts off from a branch…

Gaining momentum

Watching a jellyfish swim…

Fanning out

Waves hitting the shoreline!

Small waves roll against the shoreline

Birds fly and a whale lifts its tail. Another blows out air…

Four whale

Me and my dog playing in the snow. He smiles…

It snows and we play!

One more: Water in motion going over the falls!

The beauty found in a waterfall!

There you have it! These are my views of motion! Have a fabulous weekend and be well!

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The Effigy – Sunday Photo Fiction

Welcome back Alastair Forbes, and thank you to Joe Owens for hosting Sunday Photo Fiction! This flash fiction challenge asks that the writer create a story that uses the subject of the photo prompt to create a story using about 200 words. Here is the photo and my story entitled “The Effigy.”

The Effigy – Photo by Alastair Forbes

“That tickles!” exclaimed Otis.

“Hold still,” replied Mortimer. “I have a few more strips to go.”

“My nose itches.”

“Hang on there, buddy. I am almost done.”

Sitting patiently he did his best not to move. “Are you done yet?” asked the impatient Otis.

“It is just about set, so hang on.”

The timer bell rang. Mortimer approached Otis. Grabbing the edges of the plaster cast, he gently pulled it off his friends face. This was just in time too because just then Otis sneezed!

“Did we do well?” he asked.

“Perfect!” said the smiling Mortimer. “We have one more step and then we are done for now.”

Grabbing a mixing bowl, he added alginate and a bit of water, and then stirred. When it was ready, he grabbed a tray and using a putty knife, he smeared the alginate into the arch.

“OK, now, open wide Otis.” He pushed up the arch onto his friend’s upper jaw. “Bite down.”

With the top jaw done, Mortimer set out to the bottom jaw. Soon they were finished.

Mortimer would soon become a premier sculptor. At his first showing, he received a number of accolades for his realistic dragon effigy named Otis.

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Sunday Photo Fiction

Thank you Al for the amazing photo that inspired this story! And to you too dear reader for taking the time to stop by! Be well and have an splendid Sunday!

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Early Bird – A WordPress Photo Challenge!

Brie over at WordPress has chosen the topic “early bird” for this week’s photo challenge. She is asking for early morning photos. One of the things that I like about early morning photos is the intensity of the colors. Sunrises can be amazing with an array of color, and so can objects photographed in the morning light. So, now, let me take you on a trek through my early bird photos!

Here is one of the many spectacular sunrises that I get to enjoy in the mornings while having a cup of coffee…

It begins

On a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico, I watch from the deck as the sun lifts up on the horizon!

Sunrise over Mexico

From the Sierra Foothills, down to Mexico, we now head out to the San Francisco Bay Area. Here is a sunrise over the San Mateo bridge!

Sunrise on the bay

Heading now to Alaska, here is an early morning photo of the majestic Mt. MkKinley, or Denali as the locals call it.

Mt. McKinley early in the morning

One last shot. This one is back at my house again. As the sun rises, clouds in the sky create shadows that offer up a very “God-Like” photo!

Casting shadows

Well, that is it for my early morning shots! Thanks for coming along to see these amazing places, and remember, be well! ^..^

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Patterns in the Wake

I find myself often hypnotized by water. The swirling patterns, the varying colors, and the white foam do it to me all the time…So, for today I want to share with you the patterns that I stared at while on a cruise ship!

It is artwork!

Artwork

The ocean sure is beautiful! I can almost see Neptune looking back at me!

Neptune looks up from below

The sun sets and the moon rises…

Moonrise

The water darkens.

Darkness

The next day, heading to the glaciers, I look down at the wake of the ship. Check out the amazing color!

Tri-color ocean

One final shot…this one as we leave the glaciers behind, I notice the gentle roll of the wake in the bay.

Leaving the glaciers behind

Well, thanks for stopping by! Have an amazing day and be well! ^..^

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CC&R Violation – Mondays Finish the Story!

It is Monday which is the day that I devote to the Mondays Finish the Story flash fiction challenge. The rules for this challenge are to write a story that goes with the photo and that one uses the opening line provided. The word limit is between 100-150 not including the opening line, which is in bold italicized letters. Here is the photo and my story!

© 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

“The neighbors were not happy about my choice of yard art, so much so that I actually received a complaint letter from the Homeowners Association.

The letter read, “It has come to our attention that you have recently installed extremely large art pieces in your yard. Our CC&R’s, if you read them, indicate that there is a height limitation of six feet on all garden art on properties within the association. We demand that you remove these pieces at once. Have a nice day…” The letter was signed by the Board President.

Frankly, their letter upset me! Honestly, I feel they are picking on me yet again. This is not the first time they have sent me a letter. I received another one when I put up the huge shed out back. I got yet another over the old rusty farm pieces.

What I don’t understand is why they never said a word to my neighbors about their six-foot phallus and testes!

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I hope that you enjoyed my story! If you like to write, you can join in on this challenge by clicking HERE!

Thanks for taking the time to drop on by! I hope that you have a magnificent Monday and be well…. ^..^

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