A Frame
This is a frame I got for a present one year. It came with this picture inside it. I liked the picture so much that I’ve never taken it out of the frame:~)
Every time, I clean the table that holds this frame, I hesitate for a few minutes and look at the picture. It always captured my imagination. Over the years, I’ve thought of many different stories about the girl in the picture.
Your turn
Now, it’s your turn. This picture is the subject of the challenges today. I’m hoping your imagination will tell a story about this picture.
So, go ahead. Take a moment and study it. In addition to the girl, there’s a lot to see in this picture, if you look closely.
The Challenge
Since everyone is busy right now; I’m making this first challenge very easy. All you have to do is choose ONE of the following questions and answer it in the comment box:
What’s the name of the girl in the picture?
What’s she looking at above the bowl?
What is the purpose of the bowl in her hands? Is it water to drink or something else?
Why are there ships in the background?
What is the significance of the other things in the picture?
Who’s the other person in the picture?
The Special Challenge
You might need to take some time with this one, but that’s what makes it a “special challenge” :~) Using the questions above as a guide, tell a brief story about this picture in 100 words or less and leave your story in the comment box.
You don’t have to answer all of the above questions in your story. Also, if you feel like being a rebel, you can totally ignore them.
All I ask is that you use your imagination and let this picture tell a story.
The 2011 Calendar Giveaway (NOTE: This contest is now officially closed.)
Remember, if you want to enter the random drawing for my 2011 calendar, you must do the Special Challenge and you must include in your comment the words, “Calendar Special Challenge.” NOTE: You will only be entered into the drawing by putting all three words in your comment.
Even if you added your name into the calendar giveaway last week, you can do it again and double your chances of winning a calendar:~)
Posting Schedule
I will have posts up for this coming Thursday, December 16, and next Thursday, December 23, but will not have a Story Photo post on December 27, 2010.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Okay, never done anything like this but this is what instantly came to mind.
The young girls are at harbour watching the men go out to battle on sea; the atlas indicates they shall be travelling to far lands. Women in mythology and symbology have always been assocaited with water and I like the thought that the girls here have a bowl/s of sea water as both part of their offerings to the Gods of the Sea (Poseidon etc) in the hope of calm waters and protection and to act as a constant connection to the men who are leaving them behind.
There – feel rather embarassed but there you go
Carrie´s last [type] ..A shiny new Gardening book what I love -
@ Carrie — VERY WELL DONE!!! I think you captured the story of this picture nicely. I like how you explained what the things in the picture meant and I loved how you wrote about the bowls of sea water as offerings…that’s was a nice touch.
Thank you for participating in this challenge!!!
As she peers above the bowl, I think she has caught sight of herself in the mirror.
Lynn´s last [type] ..So I did- Stella and the snow
@ Lynn — Ah, so you caught the “reflection?”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this picture:~)
Sara, WHat a delightful picture – she has an exquisite face. I presume (maybe wrongly??) that it’s a print. The original must be beautiful! (If you have any more info about it, I’d love to know – but I imagine not, or you would have said…)
She is listenig to/under the guidance of a fortune teller/magician (out of frame), having a protective spell woven for her loved one(s) who are sailing far away to war or to discover new lands (note the armada of ships and the globe). Part of the magic ritual is to hold this bowl of seawater while thinking of her loved one(s) and listening to the incantation of fortune teller.
I have just noticed what seems to be another face behind hers. Not sure if it is a face or just part of the pillar.
Could be an alter ego – full of foreboding instead of hope, with eyes cast down instead of uplifted.
I could be here all day – must tear myself away!
georgina´s last [type] ..Cars Toddler Bed Review
@ Georgina — I wish I knew where this picture came from. It’s obvious it’s not the typical picture that comes in a new frame. There is so much in it. I was pleased you saw the second face. To me it looks like it is her face. It does make you wonder what the “artist” was thinking about, as do the various items in the picture.
I enjoyed your writing about this picture. I like the idea of a fortune teller/magician and the weaving of a protective spell for a loved one, leaving on a sea journey. Very well done and thanks for sharing your writing:~)
I think her name is Eliza Howe. She’s pretending to sip her warm tea, but she’s actually looking out for one particular sailor…named Jonathon Dundswoody. His ship has just arrived in port and with all the people milling about, Eliza hasn’t caught sight of him yet, but she’s searching for his broad shoulders and black hair. When she does see him, her whole face will light up and she’ll blush and even deeper shade of rose and pretend to be disinterested when he spies her. And she won’t be able to hide her dimples when he makes a bee-line in her direction…
Talon´s last [type] ..Detached
@ Talon — See that’s what fun about pictures like these. Others have seen this picture telling about a departure, whereas you see it as a return:~) I can imagine the story of Eliza and Jonathon…the adventure of a sailor and the young woman who has stolen his heart, but doesn’t know it quite yet.
I always enjoy it when you share your imagination! Thanks for this writing:~)
What is the purpose of the bowl in her hands? Is it water to drink or something else?
She is drinking tisane, made from lemon tea leaves from a lemon tree. From this tree, a handsome young sailor picked lemons, handed them to her and said, “with your smile, you won’t need any sugar to bake the sweetest lemon pie.” Then, the young man set sail for six months. They didn’t know each other’s name but they thought about each other each night they were apart. Today, his ship comes back. She is looking out for him knowing in her heart that their story has just begun.
“Calendar Special Challenge”
@ Belinda — WELL DONE. I love the twist of a “lemon pie” and the love story about to begin:~)
Her reflection looked out to the open sea and the sister ships.
Canada. That’s where they were all heading.
Anya, however, refused to look. She had refused the move in the first place, but to no avail. At seventeen she was voiceless. Powerless to prevent being uprooted from her beloved town of Birr.
Her father had foolishly slipped from the second story window while adjusting the shutters. Fallen to his death on the cobblestone below, leaving her mother a widow and penniless.
Her reflection looked with anticipation to the open sea.
Anya looked with heartbreak to her native green isle.
Eliza´s last [type] ..Words From The Editor- Money- Silver Locks- Dating- Thrift Stores
@ Eliza — That’s cool that you told the story from the two perspectives — the reflection and the girl:~)
Thanks for participating in this challenge!
Ooh I like that picture too. Usually frames just come with weird pictures of people you don’t know. Haha!
What’s the name of the girl in the picture?
Her name is Rebecca.
What’s she looking at above the bowl?
She’s staring off into space.
What is the purpose of the bowl in her hands? Is it water to drink or something else?
I thought maybe it was tea or hot soup.
Why are there ships in the background?
The ships are leaving to go out to sea exploring new lands and she is staring out to space all sad because her husband is aboard that ship.
What is the significance of the other things in the picture?
The globe is her husband’s because he likes to explore.
Who’s the other person in the picture?
That’s her reflection in the window.
Caity´s last [type] ..Joey
@ Caity — I know what you mean about the picture. I think that’s why I found it so interesting! I imagine it must be a real painting somewhere. It makes me want to see the entire picture.
Thanks for your interesting answers to the questions. I like that you had her “staring off into space.” I can identify with those words. I was also pleased that you saw the reflection.
I hope you have a nice holiday BBQ in NZ. I imagine it will fun to not have the snow this year. You are a bit like I imagine this young woman…experiencing your own adventure in a new land:~)
Hi Sara, I like that picture too!
Her name is Natasha.
The other person is her reflection in a window.
She is a Russian refugee living in England.
The ships are sailing to the “new world”.
She has been looking at a globe trying to figure out where the new world is.
“Calendar Special Challenge”
A pensive Natasha watches through the window as several ships sail to freedom in a new far away land. Being a refugee herself, she understands their desire. She left her home in Russia for England only a year before. Where, she wonders, is this new world that these people are risking everything to reach?
@ Linda — It’s so much fun for me to read how each of you interpret this picture. It is interesting that you see her as a Russian refugee, now living in England.
Your writing captures how the moment when the girl has reached her own destination, but is already feeling curiosity about what else is out there. Well done and thank you for sharing this:~)
When I see red, the first name that came to me was “Annie”.
She was about to drink the water when she noticed her father coming to talk to her. Her father is about to talk to her about marrying her to an officer, but her heart really belongs to a pirate…
This is starting to sound like a certain movie, somehow…
Kelvin Kao´s last [type] ..Ads- Ads- Ads
@ Kelvin — I like your story. Perhaps you tell the story with your puppets. It will become a famous movie and as you receive your Oscar (not the grouch), you will reflect back to this picture and the girl in red, named Annie:~)
Hi Sara – Things are crazy in the Exceptional world these days so I am not entering the contest but… I did want to drop by and say hi and say – what an interesting picture to come with a frame! I have never seen anything quite like that one before. I hope that whatever she is thinking, it is something about travel and wonderful adventures! I also hope that it involves a desert island that is quite warm!! (It is freezing up here)
The Exception´s last [type] ..A Different Kind of Sight
@ TE — I am pleased that you stopped by and I hope all is okay? I know what you mean about the picture. I think maybe is it some famous picture hanging in the Louvre in some hidden room.
Hey, I live in Florida and we’re freezing!!! It went down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, which is impressive in Florida. Please do stay warm and take good care of yourself:~)
“Calendar Special Challenge.”
The lover of Saypon:
Marie’s in the window
In a house by the shore
She’s waiting for her lover
For that ship to board
She knows he’ll be gone
For six golden moons
and she’ll get to see me
Her other lover soon
For in the other ship
Out in the bay
I just got back
From being far away
She drinks to the one
Now on his way
And to me her lover
That will be here today
I can see both her faces
in the window’s reflection
but I care not because
Marie is perfection
desk49´s last [type] ..Madness- Short Story Page 5
@ Ellis — You delight me with your poetry. This is one is wonderful and fun story poem about this picture. I liked how “she drinks to the one/Now on his way/And to me her lover/That will be here today.”
Thank you for participating in this challenge:~)
Hi Sara,
Here’s my take.
The question: “What’s she looking at above the bowl?”
Her vision is lost in her imagination, where she can see all the marvels to be discovered when traveling to remote places by the sea, and yet she cannot go.
The “Calendar Special Challenge”:
“Sara is looking at a crystal ball in the form of a framed picture and seeing herself…in a past life! The young girl; whose life provides some of the strange memories and the love for the sea that Sara has without a rational explanation. Then the picture that seemed to find her instead of the other way around. Her eyes, wanting to know, wanting to see what’s beyond, but the times didn’t allow, so the spirit travels through time to incite the modern girl in modern times to go out there and live.”
Raul
Alien Ghost´s last [type] ..Traveling Ghost
@ Raul — I like that story:~) I also particularly liked this line, “Her vision is lost in her imagination, where she can see all the marvels to be discovered when traveling to remote places by the sea, and yet she cannot go.” I think you captured the marvels of imagination!
Thanks for participating in the challenges, Raul:~)
Aaawww man… so many blogs and so little time in the day to visit them all! I’m sorry I haven’t been here as often as I used to be, Sara. I plan to make up for that in the new year. Let’s hope I stick to it!
As for THE CHALLENGE, this is the question that took my fancy. I’m not sure why:
What’s the name of the girl in the picture?
Her name is Clarabelle. Why? Because it means “famous, brilliant”, which is what she is now with so many blogging eyes upon her right now!
By the way, I particularly liked Carrie’s take on her. Very interesting.
@ Tony — Hey, I’m pleased to have you visit:~) I like everyone’s comments to this picture. I can’t believe how much I enjoy the Story Photo series!
That’s cool about the Clarabelle. I didn’t know that.
Thanks for stopping by, Tony:~)
Red prevails and brings joy here.
I don’t believe I have ever seen this painting before, and I LOVE it.
I think her sailing man just left on that boat, and she’s a bit grateful for the break?
xoxo
Jannie Funster´s last [type] ..The Unknown Mom — World Premiere
@ Jannie — I like your take on this…that she’s feeling relieved that the sailors are leaving!
Ooooo, love this picture~ her name is Penelope and she is drinking an herbal tea that will help her forget her love who is sailing away.
If I had to give an award to the blogger with the best pics – it’s YOU!
Holiday hugs
suZen
@ Suzen — After drinking the tea will she remember her love when he returns????
Thank you about your nice comment regarding the pictures. I enjoy taking them very much:~)
Hi Sara .. I love the picture as you say – it is truly remarkable & definitely worth writing a story about.
1) Emmeline
2) Reliving life
3) A reviving potion
4) Ships with spirit connections
5) It’s a shipfaring village – baskets for the sea catch
6) Her hero from another nation
**–**
Spirits came and communed with Emmeline – she didn’t understand this properly – they told of lands far away – warm waters, golden sands – sometimes her beaches glowed with that gold, the same as the ring she found washed ashore, while the sea would look like aquamarine or turquoise, or sea blues.
More often the sea would be blustered with white horses, deep dark green and blues, against a cruel grey slate sky; her families’ sea catch would be sparse – worrying times. Emmeline would dream, look through her ring, create her visual splendour, allowing her to drift away and be with peaceful souls.
**–**
Enjoy the pre festive run .. with a big hug! Cheers Hilary
Hilary´s last [type] ..A Georgian Silver Swan
@ Hilary — Very nicely done:~) I liked this story you told. I can see Emmeline looking through her ring.
Happy holidays to you:~)
The admiral looked out from the ships quarterdeck at his daughter drinking from the bowl.
(see what i did there?. lol)
Will that spoilt little girl ever wake up and get a job?
The admiral sinks away into the distance.
Well somebody has to pay the bills!
.
Lol, i hope i didn’t spoil your visions of this picture.
Arts Web Show´s last [type] ..Performance poem titled belief
@ Arts Web Show — LOL I’m always curious about what YOU see in the picture:~)