I’m happy it’s Friday!  And for getting caught up on all things around the house.  The last batch of laundry is in the last spin cycle and the sheets will be fresh out of the dryer in  no time.  It’s a good feeling going into the weekend with the hubs.

Yesterday was a different story.  Have you ever had one of those tasks when your “joy” went from full to expired in an instant?  That happened to me yesterday when I made someone angry.  I fled the scene on foot making a b-line for my car.  Home sweet home, that’s the only place I wanted to seek refuge for the remains of the day.  Read on to see how the story unfolds.

So I took this shot at the height of joy.  I was so excited to be in the heart of downtown San Diego.

I could NOT wait to get this shot.  I stood here on this corner a very long – long time taking all sorts of shots as these guys moved in and out of our busy town.

It was fun taking shots of strangers when they had no clue I was around.  This is all part of our urban assignment this week.

And this guy looking back at something.  Glad it wasn’t me.  The goal is to capture expressions without them seeing the camera.  Yay for getting the job done!

But here is the part where my joy expired.  I got yelled at on this corner.  The lady made a complete scene and I thought she was going to knock my lights out.  Seriously.

She was a dear homeless lady and my heart felt for her, while I worried about me.  I don’t know if I stood on her corner too long or what.  I couldn’t make much sense of what she was saying, but I could understand the word “pictures”.  Clearly I was not taking shots of her, but it was clear that she was not happy, at all.  She also pointed to her eye and said something.  I think she wanted to throw a punch.

So I quickly raised my left hand (in a wave gesture) and said “no – no” in a very soft voice. And it was that precise moment that I knew I did not have it in me to hit/harm her in my defense.  Nor did I feel safe standing there a moment longer.  So I quickly joined a group of strangers and walked with them away from her. Oh boy, did I ever have a very angry woman on my hands.  And all I could imagine is running and screaming thru the streets of San Diego.

Once I was about 300 feet away, I turned around to see if she was tagging along. Luckily, she was back there on the corner.

But my joy of taking photography in the streets of San Diego was gone.  My heart was pounding for a while and my artsy fartsy was out the window.  And all I wanted to do was go home.  So I did.  I didn’t even bother going to the other places I wanted to shoot.  I just made a b-line for home sweet home.

As late afternoon approached, I thought I’d hop in the car and run into town for some more shots.  I did run into town, camera in tow.  As I weaved in and out of the one way streets, my heart wasn’t in it.  Home, there’s no refuge quite like home and that’s where I spent the remains of the day and evening.

I don’t believe in giving up, but I do believe in time to heal that expired tank of joy.

Last evening when hubby asked about my day, he felt so bad, but thankful I was ok.  He assured me that he would take me into the city this weekend AND he assured me that I could have whatever street corner I pleased.  He said he would protect me from any and all who stood in my way of getting the shots I need for the class.  He’s amazing like that.  I love him for making me feel that everything will be ok.

I’m sure I’ll have all the shots I need for class come Monday.

Today was a brand new day.  A day I was ready to pick up my camera and shoot some more.

So I headed over to the farmers market, something a bit more my speed.

This is the very first thing (a little garden flag) I shot today. I think it was for good luck, as my little light was shining bright.

I took shots of decorations on the outside of old buildings.  This establishment has been in the same family since the 1800’s.

This wasn’t for sale, just a part of the outdoor decor.

This shot tickles me.  Gramps, the guy over on the left side of the pic (I like how one sock is up and the other down) was trying to tell his “bride” that I was taking her picture. Fortunately, she could not hear him and I was able to capture a lovely market exchange.

This pair of shoes (hanging on the exterior of a building) called for my attention.

And this old (cash register?) piece called for a shot too.

I was truly in my happy place.

It was sheer joy when the owner of this beautiful pooch allowed me to have a photo session with her baby.

He had my heart at hello.

Mommy was feeding him treats and he was drooling for more.

I can’t think of a better place to shoot than the farmers market.

And I can’t think of a better way to end this week.  It’s nice ending on a good note.

Blessings – Debbie