swarovski lariats

Sometimes simplicity is best. A 14k gold-plated chain connects to genuine Swarovski Queen Baguette and Crystal Spike pendants, providing a lightweight - but not light on sparkle - accessory. Two necklaces here, one with a neutral and classy black and white scheme. The other, a brighter combo pairing vitrail and aurora borealis finishes. Which would you choose?!

All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling. DO NOT POST OR REUSE without linking and crediting me.

once upon a boardwalk...

 

  

As y'all may have known, I recently took a trip down south to Houston.

I found a lot of inspiration and as per usual, took too many photos.

I've got a summery mix (yes, palm trees in July umm holla!) of boardwalk fun here from Kemah, Texas.

From stacks of stuffed animal prizes, plenty of bright green palms, carnival rides galore, circus performers and more, it was a well-received break from the Chicago Chi-beria.

When we first arrived, the gleaming azure blue of the ocean was a sight for sore eyes - I hadn't left the Midwest for over a year. Like seriously  ✴ ✴ ✴ it was as if the skies opened up and Caravaggio's angels with those silky feathered wings flew down and partied with tropical drinks and hula skirts. Too intense? Sorry.  Pisces need oceans people.

Anyway when I got over the sweet, sweet signs of oceanic goodness, I could then devote my attention to the boardwalk. I was traveling with small children (of the cousin kind) so while they played the carnival games and went on rides I went on my recon mission. When I am in camera mode, there could be a hurricane outside and I'd be oblivious. I believe I almost was viciously attacked by seagulls but not totally sure as I heard screams and people running but I got some cool shots, no? There was also a fortune teller game but it WASN'T the real deal (how lame) Zoro so her shots didn't make it into this blog post.

I think one of my fav photos of the bunch is that ferris wheel one with the hallelujah sky (shall I photoshop in a Caravaggio angel?!). Oh and you'll probably notice the Starbucks shots because Starbucks is VERY IMPORTANT, people.

And my favorite stand at the boardwalk was the Saltgrass Junction General store with its Big Tex vibe. Barbed wire, the Lone Star and longhorns were staples. And toy guns?! Yes, lots of toy guns. Kids in Texas have guns and my cousins have pellet guns which sort of scare me but this isn't a political blog so let's skip over that. Cue the country jams. ♩ ♫ Oh, and the circus performer guy, he was cray. I kept thinking one of his flaming swords was gonna go soaring into the crowd. That's why I stood far back and used my mega zoom lens - safety first, kids.

There were a few touristy-type kitschy shops with shells, shark teeth necklaces and the like. I was more into the layers of squishy stuffed tigers and squids - could someone just win me a stuffed squid please? Oh, and there were these carrots with like a mustache and a soul patch which was just plain confusing. But that carousel?! Obsessed. I love Baroque-style, shiny metallics and plastic horses that don't smell so  right up my alley.

Finally, there was a pretty cool lighthouse at the end of the street which I kept my distance from because they are usually haunted in horror movies and I didn't feel like dealing with ghosts that day. Overall, we stayed at the boardwalk for a good couple of hours, and I took a good couple hundred of photos. The day ended with a fiery cinnabar-red sunset, ☼ thanks Tex.

Bye y'all.

Remember, all photos are COPYRIGHT Allison Beth Cooling, so please DO NOT use or repost without crediting me and linking to me. If you would like permission, to repost, just contact me here.

Kemah Boardwalk
215 Kipp Avenue
Kemah, TX 77565
(281) 535-8100
kemahboardwalk.com

tagged with: photography, summer, photoblogging, carnival, travel, photo blogger, houston, travel photography,
texas, beach, beach photography