The feet that hold up a Gothic cathedral: PiersFoot (noun): the lower or lowest part of something standing or perceived as standing vertically; the base or bottom.
The architectural feature that makes the soaring arches and open spaces of Gothic cathedrals possible are the buttresses and piers. In the case of the latter, these are the feet of the cathedral and are the load-bearing columns. This picture shows several piers within National Cathedral.
Loose roots around an old tree in GeorgetownLoose (adjective): not strict or exact.
I chose exposed tree roots as my interpretation for loose. I happened upon these a couple of weeks ago when I was out shooting pictures in Georgetown, D.C.'s oldest and toniest neighborhood. I'm always intrigued when nature behaves in a manner contrary to what we were taught in primary school. According to my kindergarten teacher, roots grow below the ground and under the tree. Obviously, this tree had other ideas and chose not to stick as strictly to the rules of botany.
There you have it. My two things for this week...
Okay, truth be told: I've been laid up in bed with the flu for the last several days, so I haven't been out shooting off my camera. I had a couple of ideas for this week's challenge, but instead I've had to cull from my archives and use what I've got. This is what I've got. Or, as my sister would say, "Just making up sh*t as you go along, huh?" Yeah. Pretty much.
Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08
12 comments:
These photo's are awesome! That first one took my breath away. Absolutely beautiful sh*t if I may say so. I was thinking along the same lines as you 'foot of tree, foot of stairs etc' until the shoe found me..Sorry to hear you've not been well.Get better soon!
Love the interpretation of 'foot' in the cathedral. Very clever lateral thinking.
My dog likes these 'loose' roots on trees. He thinks they are sticks, and always wonders why he can't pick them up!
Thanks for taking over the challenge, especially when you are not well. It provides enjoyment for people like me who are many miles away and living in totally different circumstances. I also appreciate the thumbnail pictures. I was going to try this on another challenge but it is quite hard to do, as I soon found out!
D.C. I think you are very creative to find perfect entries of the 2 things challenge. Both are different and innovative for sure. The first picture reminds me of the terrific forces that must be upon that foot holding up the cathedral, the 2nd entry is just plain intriguing.
Lisa: Thanks! In the first one, I was actually trying to capture the immensity of the space relative to the people in it. The woman in the green sweater in the center of the picture was actually my original subject! The result, though, was a good capture of the piers and the people.
Bev: The loose roots always baffle me. I'm not well-versed in botany, so I don't know why this happens, but I see it a lot in the city. I liked the pattern of these particular roots.
Bobbie: Gothic cathedrals, like the pyramids of Giza, are amazing structures to me. When you think of all the technology and engineering understanding we have today, there still isn't a better architectural design for for this kind of structure. I'll be posting more pictures from National Cathedral over the next couple of weeks.
Your photos are amazing. Lucky you to have an archive of beautiful things at your disposal when you need it. Sorry to hear you are sick. Look on the bright side though; it is only your sick you have to clean up after! Get well soon. -K&N
Okay, all I have to say is that is some very good "stuff" you put on the blog today. It's much better than making up "sh*t" as you go. I too liked the tree roots very interesting interpretation.
K&N: Thank you! Nice to see you guys here. As for being sick, you do make a valid point... Still, being sick sucks.
JDK: The whole time I was posting this week's challenge, I thought, "I'm just making up sh*t here." Some days, I make up stuff better than others, though, don't you think?
I like this line of yours, ""Just making up sh*t as you go along, huh?" Yeah. Pretty much."
First of all, that pretty much sums up my blog in general. I have about a1 to 2 weeks of pics ready to go. In the morning at work while surfing the endless emails, sucking down coffee, I look at my pic and type whatever pops into my head.
Sometimes that works, other times it does not. Then I start my work day, trading nonesense from my head to blog for nonesense in the workplace.
Secondly, Pretty much is a regional statement uttered throughout the Twin Cities here. kind of interesting to read pretty much from out in DC.
You Two Things Challenge looks like a fun idea. How does that work? Hope youget well soon, that flu business is no fun!
Get well soon!
Dusty Lens: I didn't realize "Pretty much" was so regional! How funny. I don't know if I hear it a lot in D.C., but I tend to use it a lot.
If you go back out to the home page of this blog, under links you'll find the very first one is "2 Things Challenge." Click on that and it will take you to the website where a challenge and interpretations are posted weekly. It's kind of fun to try to find something to fit the two words every week. I'm still noodling what I'm going to do for this week's, which is: Empty / Full.
And thanks for the good wishes. I'm feeling a little better today, but you're right about the flu. It's a bugger!
Hi D.C.,
I hope you feel better!! These are nice entries anyway ... and to have culled them from your archives when you felt crummy ... fantastic!
There are so creative!
~ Diane Clancy
www.dianeclancy.com/blog
Diane: Thanks! I'm working on feeling better. I haven't been out of the house in almost a week and I'm starting to climb the walls!
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