For Share Six this month we will be doing our final Disease awareness highlight for 2019.

For all of you ladies, and men, out there, this month is Breast Awareness Month and pink is our color.  I have a cousin who was diagnosed and fought to win against breast cancer.  Two years ago, a fellow photographer was diagnosed with breast cancer and I followed her journey, prayed for her recovery, and have witnessed an extraordinarily strong woman have to deal with a painful part of her life. Our own Janet Douglas is a breast cancer survivor as well.

Now I will confess to being a bit of an ostrich.  If I stick my head in the sand it will go away.  Honestly, the less I know the better I feel.  That way I do not have to worry about anything.  But I know that is not the best way to look at life.

However, if I am worried about it I will definitely do something.  I had never had a mammogram.  I had heard that they hurt like hell.  I was staying away from that lady and the jaws of death…  And then I had a pain in an area that I should not have had pain in and so I pulled up the big girl panties and headed off to the gynecologist who automatically sent me off for a mammogram.  I sucked it up, only to find that I either had an exceptional radiographer or it was not as bad as I had been led to believe.   Turned out I had muscle pain.  That was good news but I will be honest and confess that I was a little nervous.  I know that I will need to go for another one in the near future.  I won’t put it off for too long this time.

Ladies check your breasts regularly.  If you are bathing or showering take time to feel for changes in the normal structure of your breasts.  Look for a change in the size and shape of your breast.  If you have pain in your breast, don’t let it go, get it checked out.  If you are not breastfeeding and have nipple discharge, get it checked out.  If you find a lump in your breast or under your arm, get it checked out.  Be proactive, rather than reactive. The consequences of pushing it aside could be a long and heartbreaking journey, which you may survive or you may not.  Don’t let it go.  Take a look at the CDC site for more information on breast cancer

While it may be uncommon, Men, you don’t get off Scot free.  Like woman, if diagnosed early enough you have a good chance for cure.  Watch out for thickening of the breast tissue, or a random lump that is not painful.  If you have changes to the skin area of the breast. If it is red, dimpled, puckering or scaling, get it checked out.  Discharge or changes to the nipple area, get it checked out.  For more information on cancer in men, take a look at this site at the Mayo Clinic

Remember be proactive, rather than reactive.  While we have not had breast cancer in our family, my husband has had a melanoma, that spread to the glands under his arms.  I knew the fear of being newly married with a husband who now had one of the deadliest cancers I knew of.  He survived but it could have gone the other way.  My dad was not so lucky.  He had pancreas cancer. His time was very short once diagnosed.  Don’t leave it.  When it is too late, it is definitely too late.

What are some of the risk factors for breast cancer:

• Getting older
• Genetic Mutations
• Reproductive history
• Having dense breasts
• Personal history of breast cancer or some non cancerous breast diseases
• Family history of breast cancer
• Previous treatment using radiation therapy

Some of the ways that breast cancer is treated:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Hormonal therapy
• Biological therapy
• Radiation therapy

Some of the side effects of treatment:

• Hair Loss
• Nausea
• Tiredness
• Skin Changes

Most of my information has been researched on the CDC site

If you are dealing with breast cancer, you have my heart.  The journey I followed with my photographer friend, has been up and down, good days and bad days, laughter and tears, sometimes more tears than laughter.  She has been strong.  She was fighting for her life, for the opportunity to have more years with her husband and her young children.  It has not been easy for her, but she has stayed strong, and even on the hard days she has been as positive as she can be.

This month the theme color is pink.  I have to confess pink is not my favorite color.  Added to that work has been crazy and I did not have time to go out searching for pink.  So today I am sharing some of my favorite pink images I have in my files.

This last image speaks to me.  While in New York in July ’19, I saw a lady selling photographs which I really loved.  However, we were just starting out on our day’s activities and I could not see how I could carry it around, take photographs and not damage the image.  Walking along the highline, I happened to look down at the Chelsea Market and spotted this image on the side wall of the Chelsea Market and I fell in love.  The artist Kobra did an amazing piece of work not only on the Chelsea Market wall but further along as well. I will confess that there was a street light in the middle of my image which I painstakingly took 5 hours to remove to get the end result of this image.

Mother Theresa, born Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, in Skopje Macedonia, is one of the women that I admire.  Simple, humble and caring, she tried to emulate unconditional love all her life to the women of India.  In 1948 Mother Theresa began her missionary work to the poor.  She labored in the slums of Calcutta. To be willing to give your all, humbles me.  She humbles me. 

On a side note, I hope to go to Macedonia next year, to celebrate the marriage (18 months later) of my daughter to her husband Daniel with his family.   

Mahatma Ghandi, was born in Gujarat, Western India.  He trained to be a lawyer, but when that was not working out so well, he traveled to South Africa to assist an Indian merchant in a law suit.  Ghandi stayed in South Africa over 21 years, actually living in a area not far from where I grew up, years before I was born.  The house had been memorialized over the years.  He was a civil right activist in South Africa.  In 1915 he returned to India.  In 1948 Ghandi was assassinated on his way to a prayer meeting. If you have not ever watched the movie, check out Ben Kingsley in his role as Ghandi. It was excellent.

In the words of Mother Theresa “Peace begins with a smile“, and that is what I see in both faces in this image.  Let us try to spread love with a smile, with all those we come in contact with.  Remember to be proactive rather than reactive.

Thank you for joining me for this month’s Share Six blog post.  This is a circle blog.  From the sneak peak images I have seen, you are going to want to follow the circle.  Please take time to visit my friend and very talented artist  Janet Douglas and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month.  Don’t forget to leave a little love on their page as well.

Come and share your images  Facebook and Instagram tagging #sharesix_pink

Summer days, and the livin’ is easy….I can just hear the bluesy voice of Ella Fitzgerald.  I think of farms, and apple picking and the breeze blowing through my hair.  This is so not happening for me this month.

Summer days typically for me are on the beach and Richard playing the laid back Jimmy Buffet.  But this month it most definitely was not.  No this month we picked the hottest weekend to visit New York.

Why New York in summer.  Well it goes back to connecting with my brother again.  He was off to Philly but wanted to spend some time in New York. I opted to skip Philly and cross off another item on my bucket list and visit New York, along with a grumbling Richard.  I will give him credit – he always said never again – but he hung in there and went along with the plans.

The Castle in Central Park

I am going to use this blog to kick of the New York trip images.  What can I say New York, New York,  I was glad to cross it off my bucket list.  First impressions are that the transportation is fantastic, but at times you feel like a sardine in a tin can.  The people are friendly, so we found on the buses and at restaurants.  The streets are dirty, smelly and busy.  The traffic flows, despite the enormous amount of congestion caused by the taxi’s stopping at random.  The honking drivers certainly lived up to my expectations.  New York City is just that, a bustling city.  Tall buildings, endless construction and a large amount of people.

A view of the city from Central Park

Street Vendors outside the Natural History Museum.

One of the many city streets

That said there was a lot to see in New York, that was incredibly interesting.  Just plan well.  Do yourself a favor, buy a metro ticket.  The subway and the bus system were a great way to get around.  For just $33 we got a pass for 7 days and we really used it.  Just a reminder that if you are flying in to LaGuardia Airport you will need to get your metro card and then a ticket at the bus stop before you get on the bus. Not sure why because you do not pay any extra.  They just use your metro card around the city.  If you are heading out of JFK just remember that the subway going to the airport will not take unlimited metro cards.

The subway from the Staten Island Ferry to Dumbo

Just one of the many city reflections

We were in New York from Saturday to Wednesday.  We flew into LaGuardia airport and caught a bus to the cross street below our destination.  Our destination was West Harlem.  Richard, as per usual, said it was just a short walk to our rented Airbnb.  Hats of to Shama for an awesome apartment.  However, we had to get there first, and our short walk was directly uphill, in the stinking hot weather, dragging carry-on luggage and a heavy backpack thanks to camera equipment.  30 minutes later, sweating profusely, gasping for air (that is me not Richard, and I am totally convinced I am now asthmatic), we crest the hill and it dips downwards ever so slightly and I am beginning to think that maybe, just maybe I will be able to breathe again.  That is before I realized that we had to take our tired selves, the carry-on and backpack up three flights of steps to the apartment.  But what a pleasure it was to finally be able to stop and enjoy the beautiful apartment we had rented.

State of Liberty

New York City

We took in the city sites.  This blog is just a kick off coverage of around 2000 images taken in the city and there will definitely be more blogs on our adventure.  Instead of going to the Statue of Liberty, at a cost of $21 and getting caught up in long lines, we opted instead to take the free Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty instead.  The boat ride was about 45 minutes each way, and we got to see a small portion of Staten Island as well.  We were also able to get a view of New York from the ferry as we got further away from the mainland.

Dumbo

Manhattan Bridge

We caught a subway under the ocean and headed to the town of Dumbo, where we had to stop in at an underpass to have a beer, before we took on the Brooklyn Bridge, with its multitude of people. Rehydrate, rehydrate, rehydrate, not that beer does that but you get where I am going. Dumbo is apparently an up and coming area and I was encouraged to make sure we passed through it.  I loved that I was able to get some “from the ground” up images of the bridges.  When crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, watch out for the bicycles in the cyclists lane because they do not watch out for you.  When you come from Boca, where pedestrians have the right of way, and hit New York, where you are last on the pecking chain, beware of those cyclists 🙂

Brooklyn Bridge

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge took longer than I thought.  I kept loosing the other 3 because they are not photographers and they have not grasped the concept that you need to stop when something catches your eye and not just take the pretty people pics.  If you are walking the Brooklyn Bridge carry water, especially when it is hot.  You will go through it pretty quickly.  Also wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It is an interesting bridge and if you look closely there is graffiti on the railings.  My favorite image was a sign that said in red writing “this is not a lock bridge” and directly below attached to the mesh was a red lock.  The wiring system on this bridge is incredible.  I could have spent all day looking at the bridge.

World Trade Center – inside

911 Memorial

On the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, we walked onward, and I will confess tiredly stopping briefly to watch some street artists.  My feet were killing me, but we labored on until we reached the World Trade Center.  Wow, what an incredible inside to the building.  I was captivated when I looked at the design outside but inside was even better.  And then on to the 911 Memorial site.  It is sobering to know that buildings once stood at this site and so much devastation and loss occurred here on 9/11/2001.  The same day I was in hospital with Cameron, post op his first surgery of many in the USA.  We had just switched on the TV and watched in disbelief as the events unfolded.  This picture just shows a few of the many that lost their lives that day.

Street Art – Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi

The Vessel at Hudson Yards

We took in the Chelsea Market, and ventured up the High Line, strolled along the waterfront, had a super expensive lobster roll, before heading across town to catch the bus back up to northern Central Park.  If you are heading to Chelsea Market, head there early for breakfast or a bit later for lunch.  There are lots of interesting places to stop and grab something to snack.  The High Line is an unique overview of the city, built on old train tracks and leading through the city buildings.  You are able to see some captivating art.  You will also see awesome reflections on the various buildings.  And finally you will arrive at the Vessel, a unique piece of art found in the Hudson Yards.

This was our action packed 5 day {Summer Days} and this is just a small snapshot of our days in New York City.  There were other streets and alleyways that we ventured down.  There was up time and some serious down time at the end of each full day of walking.  Dinner in West Harlem was great, we ate curry the one evening, and stopped by a great Italian restaurant the other night.  The upside of renting an apartment we could eat at “home” if we were too tired.  The area I am told is an up and coming area, very eclectic, interesting people, and fun places to hang out at.  Look out for the blogs of New York coming up soon.

In the meantime, I am dying to know how everyone else has spent their summer days this month.  This is a circle blog and I encourage you to follow the links and see what the others have for you.    My friend and fellow blogger Katherine of Cobert Photography follows me and she is super talented and I know I am heading over to see what she and the other bloggers have shared.

Don’t forget to head over to the Facebook Page and the Instagram Page and leave us a photo showing us what your {Summer Days} look like.  Tag it #sharesix_summerdays.