Category: Photography

Six Sentence Story: A Look Around Room 215

When I opened the door to Room 215 of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro I was surprised to see the tall, thin man who said he got here before I did because he took a mathematically complicated short cut inspired by his proof of the Collatz conjecture he didn’t think I’d be able to follow (which was probably correct). In the back the red-headed writer with her new friend, Moxie, got into the dumbwaiter to take a ride to the roof to see the ocean.

In the room I noticed a black and white TV console on the side of which was a bookshelf with children’s books and a complete World Book Encyclopedia, but as I walked about I almost stumbled over a four-foot tall bellhop trying to hand me a Bible who quickly displayed a sign saying, Watch where you’re going! Having no plan specifying what to do with all this old stuff I sat down wondering where the story was that I was hoping to receive.

After a while, since nothing much was happening and I had already acknowledged the existence of everything my mind would let me see, I decided to leave. As I stood up, the door to Room 215 quietly shut – all by itself – and a soft voice coming out of nowhere in front of me asked, Leaving so soon?

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Denise offers the prompt word “plan” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: The Chance of a Lifetime

Although Timothy treated no one badly, neither was he very kind. He plan was to keep himself busy looking for the chance of a lifetime that kept slipping from his grasp.

His view of God wasn’t all that different from his view of anyone else he didn’t pay much attention to. Should someone ask him if he loved his neighbor as himself, he’d say, Sure, why not?

One day it was Timothy’s day to go through the pearly gates. Although he got through (perhaps by the skin of his pearly teeth or perhaps because there really is Someone who generously hands out unmerited mercy – if the heart can handle it – rather than gotcha karma with interest), he regretted all he could have done differently when he had – all along – that chance of a lifetime.

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Denise offers the prompt word “plan” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

June 2026 Limericks

All of these limericks were originally posted to Esther Chilton’s Laughing Along With A Limerick during the month of June 2026.

Road Hog Limerick

Like a hog he was hogging the road
and we honked all the more as he slowed.
Well, we all tried to pass
but we couldn’t alas
and we’re still to this day on that road.

Prompt word: “road” June 1, 2026

It is white. It is bright. It is true like the spirit of love about you.

Jelly Donut(s) Love Song

They filled a fine donut with jelly
and they said it was good for my belly.
Well, the first tasted good
as my mouth knew it would.
The first dozen were just too much jelly.

Prompt word: “jelly” June 8, 2026 (modified)

It is new in the way you are new now today.

Winter’s Chills and Summertime

There are birds with their bright shiny bills.
There are words that delight with their thrills.
There’s a this for each that.
Here’s a kiss for my cat.
There is summer to fight winter’s chills.

Prompt word: “bills” June 15, 2026 (modified)

since His Spirit is living in you.

Busy Train

There once was a tiny toy train
protected from weather like rain.
It went “choo-choo” all day
in a circular way
and it circled again and again.

Prompt word: “train” June 23, 2026

The Weed Has Gone To Seed

It is true that the plant is a weed.
I’m the gardener, I know, so I need
to get off of my butt,
get my hoe out. Now what?
It’s too late? The weed’s long gone to seed?

Prompt word: “weed” June 29, 2026

Six Sentence Story: Room 215 Found!

When I failed to find Room 215 I went back to the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro to ask for directions again. I was told to take the first hall to the left and then the second hall to the right and then I could charge right in to capture the mysterious story I was looking for.

When I returned unsuccessful again, the tall, thin man asked me to raise my left hand and when I raised my hand, he said, “I thought so.” He tied a waiter’s towel around the wrist of my other hand and told me to not overthink it but this time take the first hall in the direction of the hand with the towel tied to it and then take the hall in the direction of the hand without the towel tied to it.

I went back, overthinking it all the way, and I found Room 215! I took a deep breath and opened the door.

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Denise offers the prompt word “charge” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Sky Blue Joy

The best burden to bear is one that is light. I mean, who wants a heavy load and no one wants one so light that he floats away. Gravity has its advantages, you know, as long as joy keeps your hearts afloat.

And so the babbling, like a charge of Don Quijote, went on and on and on, but eventually – thank God – it was over.

Larry wondered what Maggie and he were going to do next. He looked at her and she smiled back.

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Denise offers the prompt word “charge” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Distortion Using Contrast and Cropping

Dale offers the prompt “distortion” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

I use the GIMP photo editor. It’s a free tool with many features I have not explored. I mainly use it to shrink the size of the image and rotate it a bit if I got the horizon wrong.

Here I am going to use the contrast feature of the editor along with cropping.

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Here is the original.
I figured I could add contrast. I did and then brightened it a bit because it got pretty dark. It gets spookier the darker it gets.
I cropped the original, but this doesn’t distort it very much.
So I added enough contrast to make it spooky.