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"There are no walls at the edge of the universe... absence of gravity is the limit of space existence."
~Toba Beta, Betelgeuse Incident
RRC: On The Walls
Above you see one of my very favorite paintings at The Legion of Honor, in San Francisco. I took this photo in July of 2006 on my first visit to the Legion of Honor, and so it was the first time I had actually seen this piece titled, Dorothy Spreckles Munn, by Salvador Dali, in person, but I instantly loved it. I was at the museum that day to specifically see the Monet in Normandy exhibit, but was thrilled to be able to just get lost in all the art at the museum. The picture I took of this painting, really doesn't do it justice, it should really be seen in person. Her eyes are mesmerizing. It is absolutely stunning!
Now, take a look at what I have found on other walls in my many travels...
Autumn Leaves On The Wall At The Ghiradelli Candy Factory...
Late December 2011
The Bubblegum Wall San Luis Obispo California...
October, 2005
Yep, that is really random bubblegum, deposited by random people along a full sized wall on an alleyway.
On The Wall Of A Business in Berkeley, California...
January, 2007
"Free Paris Hilton", Berkeley, California...
December, 2007
Brown Moth I Found On The Wall Of Our Gardening Shed...
(2007) Obtuse Euchlaena - Euchlaena obtusaria
Clock On A Wall In Lafayette, California...
2006
Okie Doke. That's my round up of ON THE WALL. Click here to visit the official Round Robin blog which contains a link to the posts of the other participants for this round. Better yet, why don't you join in the fun. You can find all the information you need by clinking the above link!
:)
~Me :)
"Exerperience is the name every one gives to their mistakes."
~Oscar Wilde
LOL. Ooops might be an understatement. I was out with my camera a while back, when I saw this pretty bird, so I thought it would be a good time to get in some practice with action shots. As you can see, it didn't exactly turn out as I hoped it would, in fact it was way off. As frustrated as I was, I couldn't help but see the humor in the situation. LOL. You see, this bird had been buzzing me, and my lunch, while I was enjoying a really pleasant day at Chrissy Field in San Francisco.
After about 25 minutes of solid buzzing, I decided to get the camera out and give the pesky bird the attention he was apparently demanding. I got it out, got my settings a fixed and ready, and what do you think Mr. Bird did? He came to a landing almost directly behind me on the picnic table behind me... LOL... where he settled in and refused to fly for the remainder of the time I was there! When things like this happen, I am pretty sure it is a message from the gods of photography saying... meh... you aren't so great!
Well, it could be, you never know about these things. LOL.
Anyway, Alan and I did have a good laugh about it, and as it turns out it's kind of a fun photo... don't you think? I mean you can tell it's a bird, and if you look really close, you can see one of the bird's eyes, and his beak. See. Wings, skinny bird feet. One eye and a beak. Yep, that's a bird. Right? LOL.
Sure it is.
"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."
~Mary Tyler Moore
:) By the way, Chrissy Field is absolutely gorgeous, and one of the best places to visit in San Francisco. It is great place to do some birding as well as enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. If you ever come to San Francisco... don't miss it!
~Me :)
"The first rule of hurricane coverage is that every broadcast must begin with palm trees bending in the wind."
~Carl Hiaasen
Photo #1... PALM LEAF (palmate)
Okay, so just to be different I thought that I would take on two subjects that I rarely find myself photographing. Palm Trees, and almost anything related to commuting. I dislike palm trees with a passion, probably because they are just so darn common in California, but it could also be because they provide very little in the way of shade, and because they are so very uninteresting. Once in a while, however, I do see something about one of them that I will find photogenic, and earlier today that's what happened. The sun just happened to be shining through the leaves of a palm tree, in such a way as to be very pleasing to the eye. SNAP.
Tell me what you think about the photo. Good points. Bad points. Indifferent.
Now on to photo #2... TAKING THE FAST TRAK...
"Americans will put up with anything, provided it doesn't block traffic."
~Dan Rather
Now, there are a lot of things about FAST TRAK I find amusing... like why didn't they just spell it FAST TRACK? And isn't it amusing that it's called FAST TRAK and yet the little light that tells you to go through the toll booth, because you have already paid your toll with your FAST TRAK device, is yellow, which means SLOW DOWN. Okay, okay... I know... the powers that be want you to go through the poll booth area at a speed that is safe, which I completely get, and observe, but it's still odd to me. LOL. Was FAST TRAK the best name the powers that be could have come up with? Probably... but I kinda like... PREPAID CAREFUL. Nah... too long. Hey... how about... PAID SLOW. Nah... what does that mean? It sounds like I made payments on my device, and now everyone knows I had to buy it on layaway. Nope... that wouldn't work. Okay... I guess FAST TRAK was the way to go. But it's still kinda funny. Well, to me anyway.
:)
To be serious for a moment. Every once in a while the news will report that someone, who isn't observing the proper speed limit, will go racing through the toll booths in the FAST TRAK lanes without slowing down. NO A GOOD IDEA! Humans work in that area. Driving really isn't that hard. Follow the rules. Leave early to avoid being late. SERIOUSLY CALIFORNIANS... PUT THE DAMN CELL PHONES AWAY ALREADY!
~Me :)
"
My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plants point of view."
~H. Fred Dale
Time for a garden update. As you can see, the veggies have finally begun to make an appearance. The ones you see here are my beloved Heirloom tomatoes. Mr. Stripey to be exact. I have two Heirloom tomato plants this year, the other one is a Black Krim, and while he is coming nicely too, he is just a bit behind Mr. Stripey, but I think I will have some pictures of the Black Krim soon. Alan is also growing some lovely Momma Mia tomatoes along with some Zucchini and some yellow Crookneck Squash. The veggies are all doing well, and I think I will be posting some pictures soon of some wonderful homemade pizzas and perhaps some soup, stews and pies. I have several recipes I am working on developing. We'll see. I always look forward to coming up with my own recipes, and I love cooking in the autumn.
And now the roses...
What can I say, I have no complaints about me lovelies. Since I first began the rose garden, 4 years ago, I have had my ups and downs. Aphids. Cats who enjoy a good rose as if it were a box of popcorn, and the occasional gopher... lol... well... you know about gophers... but this is the strongest and most disease resistant the roses have been. They are all really strong, and I am confident they will do really well over next winter. We have added some white rock this past week, which give them a lot of protection when weeding. I am planning to do some cuttings in October, and if all goes well, I will have some second generations to plant in the early spring. At least that is what I am hoping for. Last year we took 5 cuttings and 3 survived. That's not too bad... is it?
:) Heirloom Tomatoes YUM!
~Me
"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence."
-Ansel Adams
I am definitely in a black and white mood, both in my photography and in day to day life. I made an observation today on Twitter regarding the upcoming presidential election, and just how weary I feel about it. Odd. Most years I can't get enough politics, but this time around... well... sigh.
It all feels incredibly dismal. 4 years ago I wasn't ready to put my faith in Obama because it seemed like he had too much figured out. Its not that his theories seemed unsound, no, but rather he was so very sure that every step he had planned was going to absolutely work.
I found him to be unrealistic then... and four years later... he is unrealistic now. NO DOUBT... he inherited a MESS. He has tried in good faith to help America undo the damage left behind by nearly a decade of incompetence by the Bush administration, but I am out of patience watching Obama hope... yes... hope that the GOP will wake up one morning, ready to compromise.
President Obama announced yesterday that he wants to see the tax cuts for the middle class extended for another year. Okay, what about those fat cats who haven't paid their share? What about them? Obama says he wants those tax cuts to expire. Haven't we all been to this dance? It's Tax Cut Roulette. Is there one reason that I should expect that this round will end any different?
Its exhausting.
It makes me want to turn my head and look away.
But the resistance to that is that I have NO patience for folks who don't care enough to pay attention.
By my own standards for myself... I have to pay attention.
And I want to pull my hair out.
Vote Obama?
I am finding that prospect nearly impossible. I don't have much faith in him. He refused to listen to the experts on how to rebuild the economy, and here we are, 4 years later, and the best we can realistically say is, we could be worse off. How sad is that? The thought that we could already be in better shape, on our way to financial and social prosperity, if it wasn't for those damn republicans. We may not have made much ground, but at least we know... it could be worse.
Sigh.
Vote Romney?
All I can say is... A WORLD OF NO.
Let's pretend he never strapped the family pet to the top of his car and drove to Canada. Let's pretend he doesn't seem to know what his own values are. Let's pretend he isn't indecisive. Let's pretend he doesn't have tax shelters in the Cayman Islands. Let's pretend he doesn't own 8 houses, and his wife, Anne, doesn't drive 2 Cadillacs. Let's pretend...
I would rather not thank you.
Shrug.
~Me :)
As always, please feel free to share your opinions. Agree? Disagree? Indifferent? It's all good. Share away. However, respect is expected and encouraged.
"If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment."
~Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney took amazing photographs. I have loved her work and style since I first saw her photos in the 70's. It was heartbreaking to me when she passed away from breast cancer in 1998. I have a few books of her photography, and at times I have tried to style certain photos after some of her lovely photos. My winter photographs mostly, and of course my black and white ones as well. She had a lovely, soft, uncluttered style to her photography. I find them comforting. While capturing a single moment, she at the same time, reminds one that life need not be rushed. She understood life and it showed in the gentle photos she took. Someone told me once..." If you love the subject you are photographing, your pictures will convey that love." When you look at her photos, it was apparent, she knew about love.
It's nearly the middle of July, and I am already thinking about the coming autumn. Photography speaking, I will have a very full October this year. Alan and I have a lot of special days planned for this year's vacation month. Along with the usual photo jaunts, we are adding a ride above the San Francisco Bay in a Cessna, and now we have added a whale watching trip on board a catamaran. I don't get seasick... not even a little bit... but this is the smallest boat I have been on, so it will be a new experience. I am so excited to step outside my comfort zone and try these new opportunities. With my camera in my hand, I am always braver. LOL. We'll see. I know both are perfect ways to spend an October day. October is a lovely time of year in the Bay Area.
So, this week I am putting one foot back into the water, so to speak, by doing all new photography. I am particularly interested in doing some black and white scenes. Some simple, everyday scenes is a start. It's been too long since I worked with that. I need to also do some summer photos that are as interesting in black and white as they would be in color. That takes a lot of thought. Weather, time of day, and choice of subject must be planned out. On the other hand, just getting in the car and photographing subjects as they introduced themselves is fun also. I want to begin a transistional file of season to season. Summer to Autumn has challenges of it's own. Should be a good way to exercise those creativity muscles that have been neglicted while my thyroid needed attention.
Again... We'll See.
:)
~Me :)
Today's Awesome Photography...
JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/apadf6-57-58-and-59.html
"Imagine a delicious glass of summer ice tea. Take a long, cool sip. Listen to the ice crackle and clink. Is the glass part full or part empty? Take another sip. And now?"
~Vera Nezarian, The Perpetual Calender of Inspiration
Color... Crazy, Vivid, Picturesque... Color. I enjoy photographing grays and muted earth tones, but how could anyone with a camera ever pass up the bright, cheerful shades of summer. Blue like the ocean, purple of royalty, the bright sunny oranges, which will transition to soft pumpkin shades in autumn. Color.... Crazy, Vivid, Picturesque... AMAZING COLOR.
Happiness.
~Me :)
