Kat Eye Studio

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Scooter Sightings: Keeping Cool

Here it is, the end of February, and I almost forgot the monthly Scooter Sightings post! What is wrong with me! I think the problem is there haven’t been many real scooter sightings lately. My husband said he saw a classic Vespa around town, but alas, I was not with him at the time. I’ve been getting the urge to ride my scooter so I wish the warm weather would hurry up and get here!

Today’s scooter sightings image is from Pavia, a small university town southwest of Milan. This beautiful scooter was parked in the shade at the edge of a courtyard, where students were studying at picnic tables under the trees, trying to keep cool. This was before my scooter obsession so I didn’t study the scene the way I would like to now. I can imagine the creative possibilities here with this red scooter!

I’m happy to share some scooter sightings from other readers too.

This one comes from Robin of Gotham Girl Photography, she found it in New York City. I would be in heaven with that color combo along with the vintage scooter. It’s a made-for-Kat scene!! Thanks for sharing this, Robin.

This pink cutie comes from April of My Captivating Images. April wrote, “This is Katie. She is one of my repeat clients and she is so much fun to photograph. She is always up for anything that I want to try. This particular session was suppose to be her Prom session. The only day we could get our schedules together was on Prom day! As luck would have it, it was pouring! It was too late to try to reschedule though so we were brave and went out into downtown Greensboro, NC. looking for overhangs and any other type of cover we could find. We came along this pink Vespa that just spoke to me. It just matched her dress and playful personality so well. So I headed into the salon to ask for permission to use it. I love the results. Sometimes you just have to accept what you have to work with and use your creativity. Sometimes you just have to accept that the weather isn’t going to co-operate (just be sure to protect your camera!). Sometimes you just have to accept it and make it the best you can. And guess what? Sometimes it far exceeds any of your “normal” work!”

I totally agree with April!! (And I want that pink scooter.)

If you have a scooter sighting, take a pic and email it to me! I’d love to share your scooter sighting here.

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Two of my Favorite Things

Sing along, to the tune of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music:

Cute vintage scooters and red wine with dinner…

That’s all I have written so far, but these are two of my favorite things from Italy. Found here in one photo! Today’s market/wheels photo is from Pavia, a smaller town just outside of Milan. We visited this town for a day trip in 2009, early in our two years in Italy. It’s so fun to look back and see this early capture of two things I came to absolutely love later.

It’s also the perfect image to share today, for our Mosaic Muse link up at Mortal Muses. We are finishing the theme Looking Out, Looking In. I love the texture and depth that is added to this photo by the reflections in the window I am looking through. Another cool thing – if you look closely, the graffiti that is reflected in the window is also reflected in the Vespa side mirror. This was a fun discovery of “looking out by looking in” as I edited the photo.

Wherever you find yourself today, enjoy the view, whether looking out or looking in!

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A Bike and a Smile

I’ve been getting a lot of smiles on my bike ride to work lately. It’s been odd, people see me coming and they smile at me. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. Why all the smiles? It turns out, they were smiling at me because I was smiling as I rode. 
You see, riding my Italian city bike makes me happy. It’s not as cool-looking as this bike I found in Pavia early on in my time in Italy, with its stylish zebra basket liner, but my bike still makes me happy. With it’s basket, fenders, chain cover, dropped bar and completely uncool kickstand it is a comfortable, functional bike. It is me.
I’ve had a lot of experience with bikes that were not me. You see, a long, long time ago I hated riding a bicycle. I taught myself to ride a bike at 8 years old. I never got that comfortable, like the other kids who had been riding since they were 5 and were jumping off curbs around the neighborhood. As a teen, I went to summer camp where one of the activities was cycling. They put everyone on 10-speeds, assuming we could ride them. I was nervous and scared on the 10-speed, all leaned over on a twitchy bike. I felt like I was going to crash, and eventually I did. So much for biking! 
And then… about a year after getting married, I mentioned I might like to try out mountain biking. The bikes looked more comfortable and it was the latest craze. My husband, an avid cyclist prior to our marriage, turned so fast into the parking lot of the bike shop it was almost illegal. Newly armed with biking gear I started to ride the trails with my husband and other friends from work. It was all guys, and I tried to become the cool biker chick. I tried to like mountain biking, I really did. But after a couple of years I decided that I just didn’t get why people would want to ride on these skinny dirt trails that you can easily ride off of. I didn’t get why people would want to ride on paths with obstacles like roots or rocks in the way intentionally. I made myself ride with the “must-have” clipless pedals for a year, to see if I would eventually like them. I hated them as much the day I took them off as the day I started with them. I forced myself to do all manner of things that didn’t seem to fit for me, in order to “become” a mountain biker. I tried to fit in with the mountain biking crowd, my husband and the guys I worked with. For years, I tried. It never worked.
What I did discover though, is that I liked biking to work. I liked the routine of getting out there, twice a day. Clearing my mind by working my body. Both getting somewhere and getting some exercise. Riding an exercise bike, nowhere? Ugh. Riding a bicycle to get somewhere? Perfect! 
One of the things I loved in Italy and Europe is that bicycling is not only a “sport” but a way to get around. A bicycle is an acceptable form of transportation. You don’t need snazzy gear and spandex to ride a bike. It opened my eyes to these bikes that were both comfortable and functional, with maybe a bit of style too.  I loved the look of the city bikes that were everywhere. I captured them with my camera but I think it was my heart speaking through the lens, reminding me this type of bicycling was for me. 
So, last summer I went out and found a city bike. It’s an amazingly huge and heavy bike, no worries about the lightness of frame here. I sit upright on a comfy seat. The bike has fenders, a chain cover, front and back racks, lights that run on a wheel generator, a kick-stand, wheel lock and a bell. It has the requisite drop bar in the front for riding in a skirt (although I’ve only done it that one time). I added a basket to the front rack, for even more functionality. I think I’m going to add some flowers to the front of the basket, that would make me even happier.
I look strange riding here in the US, among the mountain bikes on the bike path. There are more and more “city bikes” around but they still aren’t that common. My bike is giant and odd-looking. But I’m no longer trying to fit in, I’m just trying to fit me. Seeing as I’m smiling as I ride without even know it, I think I finally got it right. 

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What’s going on around The Kat Eye View of the World…

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Hallways with Arches

This is an early favorite, from our trip to Pavia in the spring. I don’t remember the name of the Castello, but it had a huge courtyard with these beautiful arcades on the first and second levels. This was the second level. I love the perspective of looking down the hallway as the arches get smaller and smaller. Perspective is a fun thing to play with!

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It’s the Real Thing

Coke. And thankfully, it’s the European thing, since we don’t like Pepsi. I like this image from Pavia for the overall composition, and the image of the Coke logo (which is everywhere here) along with Patrick studying the map (which is a regular occurence as we travel around). Just kind of symbolic of our time here.

I almost forgot the update today! Patrick just reminded me. Darn those earlier meetings at work, messing up my mornings. 🙂

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Bright

In the mood for some color and sun today, so I pulled out this window box photo. It’s one of my early ones here, from Pavia, and also one of my favorites. I love the unique flowers, that were matched perfectly to the building color. This was in a back street, not a normal thoroughfare, yet there was this attention to beauty and detail. I keep saying this, but this is something that I love about Italy.

Yesterday, I went to see an exhibition of paintings and drawings by American artist Edward Hopper at the Palazzo Reale in Milano. It was fabulous, he was an amazing painter of light and of unique American scenes. They compare his work to a “photographic view” so maybe that’s why I resonated with it so much. My favorite painting in the exhibition was Cape Cod Sunset, but this image doesn’t do it justice. The sky was the perfect rendering of the rainbow dusk sky that I’ve always loved. One thing I’ve learned about works of art, is that seeing them in a book or online is not the same as seeing them in person. The color, the texture, the feel is completely different.

It’s interesting that I discover this wonderful American artist in Italy, but I guess that’s just part of my rediscovery of art here. If you have a chance, take a look at some of his work. Or, maybe go see some art in person somewhere, to have your own artistic discovery. Happy Sunday!

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