Do all children grow up in families where it's assumed that everyone has a special talent? And do all parents expect their friends to see and applaud these "talents" time and time again? My older sister Carolyn was the ballerina in the family so she'd be invited to grande jete across the living room floor, always ending in an arabesque. I was the acrobat so my act included doing the splits and sitting on the floor with my legs hooked behind my neck. The latter was not very attractive, especially when viewed from the front. I was encouraged not to do it in a skirt. My little sister Miss Em was the actress so she would do one of her best impersonations of Marilyn Monroe. But sometimes she'd just lie on the floor on her back. When you're only three and very cute that can be enough of a talent to get applause from a friendly crowd. Those were our official talents, but we had unofficial ones as well. From a young age Miss Em could close one eye completely while the other stayed wide open. When I visited Emily (her adult name) and her husband Gorsha in Burbank, California last March, she was proud to show me she could still do it. So of course I countered with my special trick--touching my tongue to my nose. Again, it may not be attractive but it IS an unusual skill. Carolyn could lift one eyebrow which I tried to do for years with no success. I guess I'm not the supercilious type.

Since this Thursday's Totally Informal Transglobal Challenge for January 10, 2008 is: "A tribute to or in the style of Lee and/or Bev," the moderators of TITC, I thought it was the perfect time to show off my special talent. If you check out the photos that were given as examples of their work, I think you'll agree that I'm in sync with these wonderfully quirky, incredibly inspired photographers/moderators! These are the links:

Lee--http://www.pbase.com/reddishtiger/image/85560241
Bev--http://www.pbase.com/beverley_h/image/82634748

To see how others respond to this very cool Thursday challenge, CLICK HERE.