The 5th generation is merging into the Four Generation culture and workplace.
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: It’s A #Numbers Game

This week’s Sunday Stills theme is all about numbers and how we can incorporate them into our photographic images. Sure there are challenges with numbers of objects within an image, number combinations, etc, so this week, we will try to capture actual numbers. Images with a particular number of items are also fine to use. Numbers that are implied also work. I’m sure you will show us your creative side and I can’t wait to see what you share!

I admit that these are not the most spectacular images you’ll ever see, but it’s just for fun this week.

Have you ever heard this expression… ”it’s a numbers game”? Years ago, when I was explaining the hiring process to summer swimming pool management candidates, I used this expression when asked how many pool managers and assistant managers we would be hiring. It sort of became a joke with the summer staff once our entire lifeguard staff was hired. But it was true… the number of management staff depended on the number of public pools that would be opened and how many qualified staff we had to fill the positions. Truly a numbers game.

“You have to be odd to be number one.” ~ Dr. Seuss

Playing by the Numbers During Vacation and Travel

“It is a great privilege to travel alone on the right path knowing at heart that one day millions too will travel on that same road!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

We saw this rock formation near Wenatchee, Washington, on our short vacation to Leavenworth in April. You can see people used their Billy goat skills and spray paint to commemorate their favorite number.

Numbers painted on cliffs
Numbers on a rock face in Wenatchee, WA

Over the years, I’ve visited many places on our vacations. Sometimes the numbers beg to be photographed to tell a story:

Inside Arizona Memorial
Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor
Boulder Dam Hotel
Historic Boulder City near Las Vegas, Nevada

This is a sign near my father’s home in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California. This is part of the trail of the 100-Mile run.

Western States trail

Then there are the fun numbers commemorating a visit to San Diego:

Boat name Top Gun80 anchored near downtown San Diego
San Diego Yacht Club
Got moonshine?
Got moonshine? 70 proof

The featured image shows how we celebrated my dad’s 80th birthday in 2016. We will all see him again in July in Reno Nevada to celebrate his 86th! Stay tuned. Last weekend over Memorial Day my brother traveled from Phoenix to visit us here. We even celebrated his June birthday with the Spokane family a few days early while he was here. Want to guess how many candles? It’s 50-something…

birthday cake and candles
Celebrating brother’s birthday

Graphic Numbers

Can images of numbers be artsy or something we even want to see? Many of us create images/graphics for our blogs for how-to posts, and I was no exception. I used pictochart a few years ago when infographics were all the rage to create this fitness information chart. On the right, I styled items to create an image for creating editorial calendars for blogging.

“Numbers are intellectual witnesses that belong only to mankind.” ~ Honore de Balzac

Find-Fitness-Infographic
Editorial-Calendar Perspectives On Blog

Sometimes I photograph random numbers that may commemorate an idea or place.

time for fitness
NPS Logo 2016

Now that I live in the community of Nine Mile Falls, I see vehicles driving by with the window decal “9 Mile Proud.” I am jonesing for one of my own, but no one seems to know who made them originally. At least I caught this stylized version (with Painnt app) on a truck window in the Middle School parking lot recently.

9 Mile Proud Window Decal

I also notice other types of numbers, this one when my Toyota Rav4 hit 100,000 miles.

Toyota Rav4 10K Miles
Toyota Rav4 100K Miles

Clock Numbers and Symbolism

What would we do without clocks and time/temperature-measuring devices?

black and white thermometer
Outdoor temps in black and white
Clock time
My clock in real time. Took photo for the post at that exact time.

Are you a person who sees numbers frequently on clocks and digital time-pieces? Are you someone who sees 11:11, 12:34, and 4:20 daily? You are not alone. And I really don’t like numbers…at least not the arithmetic kind. The numbers below pop up nearly every night on my bedside table clock. I woke up, saw them, and with this prompt in mind, took pics with my cell phone. Voila!

clock numbers 1234

Sources indicate that these types of numbers are angel messages. You can believe it or not. Here is a website with more information. I never realized “4-20” was a thing until my hubby joked about it one day. So now I see this number daily. Why? I have no idea and zero interest in marijuana or cannabis.

“The most credible story traces 4/20 to Marin County, Calif. In 1971, five students at San Rafael High School would meet at 4:20 p.m. by the campus’ statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to partake. They chose that specific time because extracurricular activities had usually ended by then. This group — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich — became known as the “Waldos” because they met at a wall. They would say “420” to each other as code for marijuana.”

Time Magazine
900 day streak graphic

I recently saved this notification on the Duolingo app as I continue to struggle to learn German. “Ich lerne sehr langsam.” As of today’s post, I’m at 915 days in a row. Truly a numbers game and great external motivation.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Sunday Stills weekly challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

Photo Challenges this Week

And just for fun … how many sunflowers are in the picture?

sunflowers invade the forest
How many sunflowers?

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than in miles.” ~ Tim Cahill

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared their number-themed photos. I edit these all week as new links are added.

Themes for the rest of June are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page. This page is updated monthly and I am open to YOUR theme ideas, too!

What numbers plague you or follow you around, begging to be acknowledged? Have fun with this theme and I’ll be excited to see what you can share.

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122 comments

    • Hahaha, yes, in that photo we celebrated Dad’s 80th birthday in 2016. We all traveled to Mammoth Lakes, CA and my brother-in-law got everyone shirts with a baseball theme. I still have my shirt–we had fun that weekend. Almost 6 years have passed as he approaches 86. He’s losing some memory and has shrunk a bit. He’s hanging in there though and we will celebrate big with him in July in Reno and Tahoe. Thanks for asking and letting me explain, Jacqui 🙂

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  11. I love that first picture, Terri, of the team. The look on the oldest player’s face is priceless. Great fun this week with your numbers photos. They’re everywhere, aren’t they? I’ll admit to seeing 11:11 quite a bit. That always seemed strange to me. And when I saw the birthday image of your brother, I thought: Wow, Terri’s dad looks really young for 86! Great genes!! Ha ha. Of course, then, I figured it out. Thanks for the fun.

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    • Thank you, Diana, so glad you enjoyed the numbers games 🙂 In that first photo, it’s just all of the family wearing Webster-80 shirts to commemorate my dad’s then 80th birthday. I guess we’re a team. LOL! My brother looks just like my dad when my dad was younger. 11:11 is an “angel” number I’m told. Interesting, kind of like astrology if that’s your thing.

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    • Thank you, Tina, and yes your post is perfect for the numbers this week! When we visited the Arizona Memorial, we were told that there were over 1200 souls that are still in the ship. Sigh…yes it is very moving to think of. Happy to see your link!

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    • Thank you, Natalie! Funny how numbers play a larger part in our lives than we realize. Many of those sunflowers are withering, as their time is coming to an end. They put on a fabulous show this year with all the late snow and rain. Thanks for linking!

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  20. Love this Terri. I’m not much of a numbers person either. I didn’t know that about the numbers you mentioned either. I’m still debating my post…lol. struggling with being inspired. I may be back tomorrow with a link if I come up with something.

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  24. This is such a fun post, Terri. I couldn’t imagine when I started reading it how much fun it would be. At almost every new paragraph, I thought, “Hey, I’ve got something like that.” I thought the same thing about how young your dad looked until I scrolled. I knew better though. Your brother looks great for his age, too. You all age so well! Like Cee, I’ll be back! 🙂

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  28. There are numbers in the photos and the content but I totally went in an unexpected direction as I looked at my archived photos. Isn’t it interesting how prompts can lead to all sorts of things. Thanks again for hosting. Bernie

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  29. Terri,
    What a fun idea! Great pictures too! Speaking of Ole Smoky Moonshine…We’re going camping in the Smoky Mountains this week and I was looking for some hiking trails near the campground and found this trail map from three years ago. Which trail to take? Have a great week! Joe

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  34. So much fun here Terri! I love your dad’s 80th birthday photo, and all your mentions/photos of numbers. The sunflower field is brilliant and I’d love to run amongst them 🙂 I often see the numbers 12:12 which is weird as my birthday is 12/12 – I don’t try to understand how the mind works!
    I did my post based on our road trip up to Queensland to visit my daughter and grandson, so many numbers abound when you start looking!

    Making the days count #SundayStills

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    • Thank you Debbie! I enjoyed reading your post and some folks used various numbers in the text of the post so that was fun to read! How cool you see 12:12 and that’s your birthday. Must be imprinted on your brain! Most of the sunflowers have faded away already, but we had two whole months of them. Now the alpine lupine (purple wildflowers ) have taken over.

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  51. What a great collection of images about the “numbers game” Terri. I like the sepia-toned photo of your dad and players all wearing the #80. I can’t imagine those billy goat hikers scrambling up there on the rock to leave their mark. I laughed at your car mileage – my car is a 2009 Buick LaCrosse and I have only 9,400 miles on it. As an avid walker and a person who has worked from home since 2011, I don’t rack up a lot of miles. 🙂 I’ve never seen the Arizona memorial but what a sobering list that is – it reminds me of going to see the facsimile of the Vietnam Wall last Summer. Also very sobering to see all those lives lost. How about 105 sunflowers – a wild guess!

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    • Thank you, Linda! Ding-ding-ding, you win! LOL, I have no idea how many sunflowers there are but each bush can hold around 40. There was probably hundreds if not thousands of blooms in the forest at that time. We had fun with my dad’s 80th birthday back then. He will be 86 this July 15 and we will be meeting up with him and my brothers then (in Reno, NV area). As for your car, wow, at that rate you will keep it forever!

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      • Oh Terri, I was off by a country mile if there could be 40 sunflowers on each bush! I never guessed well at the jellybean jar at the carnivals. You’ll be taking some creative photos for your dad’s 86th birthday too. Yes, my car is just a baby, not even broken in yet. I had to have A/C work done on it last month and was told I need to drive more and use the A/C more as the seals were drying out. I’ve gone to the same mechanic for 20 years – my last car, an ’88 Buick Regal was 21 years old and only 84,000 miles when I got rid of it. I did not have a walking regimen then.

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  52. What an incredible feature photo, Terri. The composition, the idea behind it, the family surrounding your dad. I think it’s special, fun, and precious.

    Congratulations on your 900-day streak on DuoLingo. That is behind impressive. Wow. That’s over two years in a row that you have been learning German daily? Talk about determination. I’ve been trying to do this with Spanish. And, I would manage, except for often not having internet in Baja, which would reset my streak. Now, I’m on a personal record of 42 days. The internet is more reliable in the US. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Liesbet, I’m glad you enjoyed the family photo. Dad was very happy that weekend. We’ll see him again in July for his 86th. I think my brother-in-law is making another set of shirts for the occasion.
      I’m glad you are learning Spanish! It’s a very useful language. I would have had another 50 days on my streak but I missed logging into the app by one hour two years ago. It’s nice to have Hans around with his fluent Spanish and fairly fluent German, and of course Alexa, LOL!

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  53. I don’t know how some people have the willpower to climb such high heights to spray some paint, Terri. But I do rather like that rock foundation in your first photo. I wonder how many people added their art to it?

    Your brother’s smile is lit up with that lovely birthday cake. I won’t count the candles, but just say that it’s all fun from now on.

    Your Toyota Rav4 has done well to reach that milestone. I hope it continues to give you many happy years of motoring.

    I counted 338 sunflowers. I hope I’m right.

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    • My brother and his hubby had a wonderful time visiting, Hugh. They even brought plaid shirts to fit into country life, LOL. I was quite lucky to capture that rock formation while Hans was driving. It didn’t look easy to get to. The Toyota is now out third car but with its 4W drive, Hans uses it in the winter to drive in the snow, and I still use it for short trips in town. Alas, I’ve no idea how many sunflowers but your guess is as good as any!

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  60. Shoot!! I missed PC’s ball game yesterday. Would have been a fantastic opportunity to capture some numbers with my lens. Maybe next weekend. Great cover photo of the fam. I had to stop and think ‘what is4.20?’ so I am with you…no interest in pot. I do tend to see 11:11 or notice it when I see it. And 12:34.
    Great inspiration here. Now to find my numbers!

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