This week, Ann-Christine asked us to put our “On Display” photos on display. She writes, “…it could almost be about anything… from a shoe shop to a garden party. Maybe you passed a lovely market with an amazing display of fruit and vegetables, or a fancy shopping center with striking design in the windows, or maybe a garden with surprising ideas.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

Since autumn is but a few days away here in the northern hemisphere, I start my gallery with an autumn display I captured in Smithfield Virginia in 2015. The gallery was housed in a residence and parked outside by a makeshift picket fence, the blue bike was adorned with leaves in fall colors.

Of course, an aviation nut like me would have an image from one of the premier flight display teams in the country. I am thankful for my Nikon D-500’s ability to capture a burst of images. As the two jets approached each other, I locked on to one and followed it in my viewfinder while holding the shutter down. After downloading the images to my camera, it was easy to spot the moment the two jets crossed paths at over 400 mph closing speed.

At a restaurant in Mazatlán Mexico, a bartender came up to our table with a cart full of supplies. Of course, having watched him make one of his drinks from a distance, we obliged him with an order. He displayed his fiery skills with hands moving so fast they were a blur.

The Dwarf Car Museum in Maricopa Arizona features several hand-built miniature automobiles. The vehicles, all built to 11/16th scale are fully road-worthy and operate legally on the streets of Arizona. But don’t expect to see them on the road much, they are usually on display. If it wasn’t for the creator of this mini-Chevrolet kneeling behind the car door, you could easily think it’s a full-size production model. Gene Tweedy built this vehicle in a shop in the back of the museum, and on the day we were there in 2019, he was busy working on a 1960s-era Chevrolet.

Every Christmas season the Phoenix Zoo opens at night with a fantastic light display that draws thousands of visitors each year. Near the lake, a bronze bench with the likeness of three individuals is on display. I did a bit of research online to find the details, though former children of the Phoenix metro would recognize the team from a local afternoon children’s TV show.

One of my favorite stops in Phoenix is the Hall of Flame Museum honoring firefighters from all over the world. They have on display many examples of early firefighting equipment. As I passed one piece of equipment built in the late 1800s, I noticed a familiar name. In the mid-1800s, several of my family members emigrated from Luxembourg. I learned at one point that some of my family settled in the Albany New York area. When I saw this emblem on display, I started searching online city records for Albany. I learned that business records were lost in a fire that destroyed the city’s office of records. I have found other details that make it unlikely this company’s namesake wasn’t related to me, but I will never be sure.

In 2019 we visited Cartagena for the second time. Our trip through the narrow downtown streets allowed me to capture a fruit vendor with his products displayed on a cart. If all goes as planned, we are scheduled to visit Cartagena again in late November, our last stop on a Panama Canal cruise.

In Savannah Georgia, we visited a museum that features displays and dioramas that focus on the times before, during, and after the years when alcohol sales were prohibited in the United States. The gentleman in the foreground welcomed guests at the entrance in front of one of the dioramas on display at the museum.

One of my favorite pastimes in Arizona is visiting the car shows. As I walked by the row of cars one year, I noticed this beautiful chassis on display. Imagine my surprise when I downloaded the photos that I also got a car in the photograph. >grin<

Thanks to Ann-Christine for a great challenge this week. One of the reasons I delay my responses until later in the week is that it gives me the chance to view other challenge responses. Last week, Patti’s “edgy” challenge brought me to the edge of several cliffs. Next week, Amy is our host.

John Steiner