June Scavenger Hunt Finds

I had to smile when I read through the 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt list that Rinda posted on June 1 because I had captured many of the items on the list during our vacation just the week before! However, the rules state that photos must be taken between June 1 and September 22, so today I'm sharing photos I captured in June. 

I have 21 photos to share, which in essence means I completed the hunt in one month! There are three items that I did not find, but I was able to substitute the three alternatives for those. And I have to admit that one photo is a little bit of a cheat stretch. Nonetheless, I'm giving myself complete credit for this year's hunt! Here are my June finds, all of which (with one exception) were captured on an impromptu overnight road trip to San Antonio. (Click on the photos for a larger version.)

 

1. A bouquet of flowers - As we were strolling along the River Walk, several dinner boats passed by, and one of them had a bouquet of flowers on the table!

2. An ornate door knocker

3. A person walking a dog - The River Walk was pretty crowded during the day and evening, but Sunday morning as we were dining al fresco, a family walked by with their dog. They were rounding the bend of the river before I could grab the camera and snap a photo.

4. People playing a board game or card game

5. Architectural columns - It is extremely difficult to get a photo of the Alamo without tourists in it, but with some patience I was finally able to capture this shot of the front door and the columns on each side.

6. A metal bridge - This was actually my first find of the hunt. On our way to San Antonio, we stopped in Waco at Buzzard Billy's for some Monster-Ella Cheese Sticks. Up the river a little ways is a railroad bridge. If you look closely, you can just see the driving bridge beyond it, and even farther is an old suspension bridge for pedestrian traffic.

7. A turtle - This might not look like the photos others are posting, but these are definitely my favorite kind of turtles.

8. Someone "plugged in" to social media - I was hoping to find someone with ear buds or headphones, but this guy was definitely plugged in and oblivious to anything else going on around him.

9. A tent - This tent was one of the displays at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

10. A college or university - There are so many options for photographing a college or university, but nothing screams Texas like a new football stadium!

11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish - I'm really not sure what kind of dishes these are, but we found them along a stretch of the 130 Toll Road where the speed limit is 85 miles per hour. (Robbie pulled over for me to capture this photo on our way back home!)

12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet - Found along the River Walk.

13. A merry-go-round or carousel

14. A traffic signal - I knew it would be easy to capture a traffic signal, but I had no idea I would find one designed for boats on the San Antonio River!

15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it - There were flags on flagpoles all over San Antonio, with one or two flags, but we didn't see any with three flags . . . until Robbie spotted this optical illusion. The small flag at the bottom is actually on a flag pole miles away.

16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air - Our room at the Hilton Palacio del Rio was on the 16th floor overlooking the river. I captured this panoramic with my iPhone, although I apparently didn't keep the little arrow moving along the horizontal line, which resulted in some of the buildings appearing to lean one way or the other.

17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms - I actually captured several photos for this prompt, but my favorite is this one of two Alamo Rangers.

18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle - This is the only photo not taken on our impromptu trip; I actually found it on one of the Dallas freeways the following weekend.

19. A ticket booth - The movie theater ticket booth inside Rivercenter Mall.

20. A natural body of water - According to our river boat guide, if you follow the San Antonio River south from this point, it'll take you all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt" - I had a small printout of this year's list in my pocket as we enjoyed our time in San Antonio. I folded it up so that only the title showed so Robbie could snap this photo of me!

 Alternative A: People eating outside - Most of the restaurants along the River Walk offer outside dining, so this was an easy alternative to find.

Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella - The weather was absolutely beautiful, but rather warm hot, so I wasn't surprised to find someone sheltering under an umbrella.

Alternative C: A rocking chair -This little grouping along the River Walk looks like a great place to take a break. (You might recognize that chair as the one from #8 above - Robbie pointed it out to me as we were leaving our hotel for the river boat tour. When we passed it again later, it was occupied, so I was able to check off two items in the same spot!)

 

I had so much FUN hunting for the items on this year's list that I'm challenging myself to find them all again in July! (Thanks for the INSPIRATION to be observant and take photos again this summer, Rinda!) 

 

Are you participating in the hunt? Which items are you finding the most challenging to locate?