Stair...

"A stair," Kafka once wrote, "not worn hollow by footsteps is, regarded from its own point of view, only a boring something made of wood."

There's nothing boring about this old worn-hollow beauty behind the Alexander Building. (I'm resisting the urge to create a movie scenario around this shot. But I won't stop you if you're so inspired...)

And speaking of inspired, Ken Mac over at the fantastic Greenwich Village Daily Photo surprised me with a "Blogging Friends Forever" Award just a day after lovely Scarlet at Jamjarsuperstar awarded me with an E for Excellence Blog Award. Holy moly! This is really great because I have never won anything -- except for $100 on a long shot horse named Clabber Girl years ago at Belmont Race Track. I'm truly honored to be picked by both Scarlet and Ken. Scarlet's musical knowledge is encyclopedic, and her blog is a fabulous source for discovering new artists. And Ken's phenomenal shots of New York capture the soul of the city to the point where you can almost hear the Gershwin soundtrack playing.

So, according to the rules of the award, I get to give the award to five other photo bloggers with these conditions:

1. Only five people are allowed.

2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.

3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.

4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

5. You have to give everyone else a pony and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Okay, I made up number 5. (Have I mentioned how much I don't like rules?)

With gratitude and great pleasure I would like to pass the award to these photography bloggers:

Hope of Knoxville Daily Photo. Hope can squeeze images out of her Nikon Coolpix that will astonish you. The photographs of her kids capture the essence of childhood and a mother's love with the same poignancy and joy of the paintings of Mary Cassatt...

Wayne of Vancouver Daily Photo. I don't know what I love most about Wayne's blog: his terrific eye for interesting subjects, or his ability to make me spew coffee out of my nose laughing at his self-deprecating wit. I picture Wayne as a sort of Canadian Jack Benny with a camera. Vancouver is a gem of a city and Wayne's record only adds to the luster.

Scott of Minneapolis Daily Photo. This shot of Grumpy's Bar is one of my favorite photographs of all time. Scott is always pushing his camera to create unusual, new images. Like this one. Scott's pictures remind me of David Foster Wallace stories -- ordinary subjects, deeply felt, often treated with an absurd and whimsical point of view.

Kevin of The Jimson Weed Gazette. When I first discovered K's photos, I'm afraid I fell all over myself in comments like a squealing fangirl. Spare, intense, often jarring -- I think Kevin's photos truly capture Los Angeles. What Raymond Carver did with a typewriter, Kevin does with a camera.

Meead of the former Mashhad (IRAN) Daily Photo and now at Portland Oregon Daily Photo. Meead's beautiful soul touched many of us from across the globe -- writing passionately about life in Iran and about his dream of peace throughout the world. Now he's studying in Portland and I'm honored to be able to see my country through his eyes. (Incidentally, Sara N now beautifully continues Mashhad Daily Photo.)

So there you have it. Treat yourself to a few minutes exploring the worlds of these talented bloggers. And thanks, Ken and Scarlet, for honoring me!