Down to the Last Mystery Photo This Go Around

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 39 Comments

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand. ~Neil Armstrong

Back when I started these Mystery Photo Games several years ago, I had no idea that I would continue them on. But I’ve had fun straining my brain to come up with the mystery photos and many of you have said how much you’ve enjoyed the game. Plus, several of you have won your choice of one of my books as a prize for playing the game. You’ve never had to get the answers right to have an entry, but I was wondering the other day if I should have a special prize for anybody who gets them all right.

I wouldn’t have had to worry about giving away that prize this time because I was extra tricky on a couple of the pictures. I will confess that the picture I posted Sunday surprised me. I didn’t expect it to look like it did when I enlarged a section of it and I for sure would have never guessed it if I didn’t know what it was. I’m sort of looking at it with surprised eyes now.

But as always, you all had some great ideas of what it might be although a few of you admitted to being stumped. But you still came up with something to guess. I know it’s good for our imaginations and brains to do that mental exercising.

A few of you saw bird feeders, especially hummingbird feeders. I have seen some beautiful ones, but this picture is far from a birdfeeder. A popular guess was of flower stems in a vase. I could see that in the picture. Lucy made me smile with her specific guess of an English cucumber in a glass of water and Becky saw asparagus in that glass. Love it when you get specific since I know you are seeing what you are describing. I liked your guesses about a paintbrush or painted glass. Mary wondered if they might be scallions and Winnie said it looked like a sensevieria plant. If you know what that is, you are better than me. I did go look it up and it’s what we commonly call a mother-in-law tongue plant. At least that’s what my mother-in-law told me and she knew plants. 🙂

Suzanne guessed a cactus plant and several went for rhubarb. I could see that. Rhubarb has those green and red stalks. Watermelon was mentioned once or twice. It is watermelon season. Lavon guessed a poke plant, but didn’t have much confidence in her guess. She did have a fun memory of her boys painting each other with poke berry juice and staying purple for a while.

Several guessed a painting, a neat guess that could cover a lot of ground. I liked Paula’s guess of a vase reflected in a mirror. Reflection does play a part in this mystery. Lee said a Christmas ornament. Another guess that can cover a lot of different things.

Lisa went rogue on us and listened to her husband who thought it was a guitar. Actually it is something a man might think of first, but no, it makes no music. I liked Karen’s guess of green drapes. I was seeing the image she described. I have to admit I couldn’t see the guitar or the brush or broom bristles a couple of others guessed. But that’s the fun of the game – seeing something different in the image.

I liked Jennifer’s persistence in trying to figure out the mystery by copying the photo and turning it this way and that to get a different view. One of her guesses hinted at the truth – at least grass and well, maybe not so much after all. 🙂

While the photo of the graduation caps and gowns was almost a slam dunk, this one scored a shut out. Nobody came close and you’ll understand why when you see the rest of the picture. I think it was the reflection of the grass in the metal that made it such a mystery. Plus, it’s not the kind of photo I generally take, but I spotted it on a walk recently as I passed by some farm machinery and decided it might make a good mystery photo. I guess it did.

And now we are down to our last mystery photo for this game. You can get another entry in the drawing by guessing on this one that I’m sure won’t be as hard as this pesky lock. I’ll pick three winners by random this weekend, notify them by email, and announce the winners on Sunday’s blog post. Winners will get their choice of one of my books autographed to them or to someone else if they are gifting the book. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. Deadline for entries is midnight EST on Saturday, June 22, 2024.

Thanks again for making this game so much fun.

Now, it’s guessing time again. Just what is that picture up top?

Comments 39

  1. I realize I’m a little late in entering. Fabric curtains.

    My daughters and families were in this week from MI and OR and went back home Friday. So it was a fun and busy week.

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      Thanks for coming on with a guess anyway, Mary. I know you must have had a wonderful time with your daughters and all there from other states. Great that they could come at the same time. Had to be fun.

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    You all have made the game so much fun this time. Am I just saying that because I’m fooling some, er, most of you on some of the photos. And maybe this one too. Weathered wood is by far the most popular guess, but is it a right one?

    Pamela, you are on the wood side. Love how you’re sticking to it! That’s how we should be. Think we’re right until we discover we’re wrong. Will you make that discovery? That remains to be seen.

    Emily, you aren’t quiet as positive with your wood guess if that ? is any indication.

    Deborah, you had a different guess. Paper. Very interesting.

    Pam, you are a different eye too. Metal bleachers is a wonderful guess. Not saying it’s right, but I love the guess and I remember sitting on lots of metal bleachers when my kids were in school and playing sports and in band contests. We’ll see if I found an old picture of those old bleachers. The rest of the photo will come into view tomorrow.

    Becky and Janice, you are there with the wood guesses. I like the idea of weathered wood on a barn. We have one of those old barns here on the barn. I’ve taken quite a few pictures of it to post on Facebook. So did I take a snippet from one of them? Remains to be seen.

    Joyce, I have considered those tire tracks before. Was this the time when I finally went that way?

    Joanne, love that you enlisted your husband’s help, but weren’t necessarily ready to go with his guesses. Tell him there’s a lot of difference between wood and a dress. Deborah’s guess of paper at least might be made of wood. And Joanne, I like that you think for yourself. Not saying you’re thinking right, but we will see tomorrow.

    Megan, you are in there with the wood camp. My sister has one of those floors with wood that’s a little different. But did I take a picture of that floor?

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    Again you all are the best. Thanks for playing my Mystery Photo Game with such enthusiasm and so much imagination. That doesn’t sound good for the guesses, does it? But maybe I’m just trying to throw you off. 🙂 I have to admit that last picture of the lock was really, really hard and I definitely threw you off. I would have never guessed it in a million years.

    Suzanne and Ann L., you both are seeing ribbons, but then, Ann, you change it to bacon. LOL. Actually, I did a mystery picture once of bacon. Some people guessed it.

    Karen & Jeanne – Celery isn’t a bad guess. Who knows? It might even be right and then again, it might not be.

    Sarah and Judi, you could be right. It could be a rug, and Judi, I would never laugh at a guess. Smile maybe. 🙂

    Margaret, Paula, Birdie, Dana & Charissa – It certainly could be wood on a split rail fence or a barn. We did tear down a barn a year or so ago with some neat barn wood. Paula, I certainly have the dogs. So, I might have a dog house. No chickens though. Charissa, a wooden railing would be an easy pictures to take, and Margaret, it’s always good to be pretty sure of a guess. Wooden steps might be right. Wooden something might be right. Then again, it might be wrong.

    Susan and Dianna and Lee, love that you’re seeing somebody’s hair and Lee, Darrell’s is a mixture of black and gray. Hmm. Did I get him to let me take a close up of his head?

    Lisa and Marji, I do take a lot of pictures of flowers. I do try to make them into mystery photos sometimes. Did I this time? That is the question.

    Hope and Donna Jean, those tires can be interesting. Especially tractor tires.

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  4. Well…I see grayed weathered wood; I am sure I am wrong but that’s my guess and I’m sticking to it.
    Thank you for all the fun! I’ve enjoyed the game!!

  5. Another good one Ann!
    I’m seeing straw broom bristles. I think.
    These mystery photos have been fun, as always!
    I hope you have a great turnout at the book party Saturday. I was hoping to be there this time. But my sister from Oklahoma showed up with her granddaughters a couple of weeks earlier than expected. So my granddaughters decided it was a good time to have a sleepover with their Okie cousins. I’ll have wall to wall girls Friday and Saturday nights. So hopefully next time. Maybe I’ll get to see you when I make it out to Tastefully Delicious. 🙂

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      No problem about the book party, Lavon, although, of course I would always be glad to see you. It was a fun afternoon. Not all the chairs were full, but quite a few of them were. The library people were so helpful. I hope you are having a wonderful time with your sister and the grandkids and nieces. I will be at the Gathering of Authors in Frankfort in August and Tastefully Delicious will be scheduling something with me in July. It’s a great store with so many unique things, I guess including my books.

      I’m glad you enjoyed the Mystery Photo Game. I came up with some good ones this go around.

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