2012: Week 38

2012: Week 38, a photo by MAStapleton on Flickr.

My 9-year-old son picked the photo for Week 38, as it was the highlight of the week. My uncle and cousin were visiting from the States, so we took them around The Big Smoke to see the sights. As it happens, my son had a random inset day so he was able to tag along too. After a very full day of sightseeing, a river cruise and a trip around the London Eye, he said what he *really* wanted to do was go on the Starflyer.

The Starflyer, for those who don't know, is a swing ride on steroids. It reaches half the height of the London Eye and then you swing around. It's a miracle that (a) I got a photo that was in focus (b) I managed to capture Big Ben and (c) I didn't drop my camera. This is when a point and shoot really shows its muscle.

In any case, we survived. I found that the important thing was to Not Look Down. Ever. The 9-year-old? He loved it. And he thinks he found the most fun way to conquer his fear of heights. It's not how I would do it, but hey, whatever works.

2012: Week 37

2012: Week 37, a photo by MAStapleton on Flickr.

The 2012 Olympics are well and truly over, but it was blast while it lasted. On Monday in week 37, the Olympians and Paralympians had their victory parade through the streets of London. They estimated about 1 million people lined the streets to cheer them on.

Where I stood, at the corner of Canon Street and Queen Victoria Street, in front of the Mansion House tube station, it felt like every office worker in the area had taken their lunch break and decided to go. I could not believe the crowd. You can just see the athletes behind the Tube sign. When I got home, my family asked me, "Who did you see?" I replied, "I have no idea."

Spare a thought for the poor teachers I saw who took their classes to the parade. I can't imagine the stress of keeping them together in such a crowd.

But even worse, this poor guy had to retrieve his bike and then carry it above his head through the masses watching the parade. I submit that this is its own Olympic effort and deserves a gold medal all its own.

HOORAY! This photo got picked by The Guardian in its weekly roundup of photos for the week. You can see the others that they picked by clicking through this hyperlink sentence (now that is a sentence with SKILLZ.)

2012: Week 36

2012: Week 36, a photo by MAStapleton on Flickr.

Sunset over the Thames, HMS Ocean & London. #nofilter #ilovelondon

The HMS Ocean has been with us in Greenwich all summer, as part of the security forces that were staffing the Olympics and Paralympics. I've gotten so used to it being there that I don't even notice it any more. But it's leaving this week, and we will miss it.

Also, i would like to say that I was able to capture both the sun and the moon in the same frame, but alas, I checked the moon cycle and that dot appears to be just a spot on my camera. Sigh.

I chose this for my picture of the week because in a week of such epic sunsets, I was glad I captured this one. I love a sunset picture, but so did my grandpa. He took one in the same spot on the same beach in Florida for years (he had multiple photo albums filled with sunset pictures), so I know that somewhere he is smiling.