Bad Photographs Of Great Art

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."

~George Bernard Shaw 

I take a lot of photos. And because I take a lot of photos, I take a lot of bad photos. Sometimes I take a lot of bad photos of really great art! I absolutely love Public Art, and have been featuring in on this blog, since roughly 2005, in my series, Art About Town. Sacramento has a lot of Public Art. A LOT. Most of it leans toward the political, but there is some whimsy along the way as well, and there isn't a single piece of it that I don't love! My point is, that while searching for one particular sculpture, or another, I spot opportunities to come back and do more searching. On one of my leaf peeping jaunts last October, I spotted these sculptures, and took some bad, place holder photos, so I could come back on a different day, perhaps in winter, and photograph them properly. Hopefully before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, I will be able to do just that. Yikes, that is only a couple days away... shrug... I better hurry!

I'll be right back!

~Mood: Happy

~Me  :)

Off To The Movies #2. Play Misty For Me

"The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all by yourself from the clues."

~Terry Pratchett

Moving Pictures

I love movies! Who doesn't want a few minutes away from the muck of every day life, by escaping into a world completely different than the ones we live in? A world with it's own problems perhaps, and while imperfect, hey, at least it's a world completely devoid of Trump! A world that doesn't contain cell phones, but does contain phone booths. A world that still has interesting, local easy listening music, rather than 24 hour cable news cycles! Yep, the early 1970's America was a lot different than today's America, but what hasn't changed is, the crazy!

Clint Eastwood really should have gotten more credit for this film than he did! Everyone acted like Fatal Attraction was some big deal, because it dealt with OCD behavior that ended up in the stalking of a married man. Well, sorry, as well done as that movie was, Clint Eastwood did it first in, Play Misty For Me. But okay, for the sake of argument, there were some differences. We won't split hairs, or boil bunnies, lets just leave it at, Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with, Play Misty For Me, and the subject of his film was quite progressive for the time.

And, to his credit, he didn't try to give the main character, Dave Garver any breaks. Dave wasn't interested in any long term relationships, and while he made that clear to his stalker, Evelyn Draper, he kept jumping back in bed with her, every time she showed up. I was also impressed with the fact that Eastwood did not make Garver out to be some unwitting victim, he knew the score, and even directed some genuine compassion toward Evelyn and her obvious need of psychological help. It was never intimated that Evelyn should have just been thrown away, or mocked because of her illness. 

Alan and I have had many a debate about this film, and it remains one of our favorite movies to discuss on long road trips, especially if we are heading down the Monterey Peninsula. I always think about it when we are in the area, because another thing I have to give Clint Eastwood credit for, is that he knew how to make the natural beauty of where he is filming, become a featured character of his movies. He did right by Monterey, Carmel, and my lovely, Bixby Creek Bridge. He used each of those places, to counter the crazy tense moments of the film, by just immersing you in the quiet, beautiful escape, that is the Monterey Peninsula. And it's definitely one of my favorite characters in the movie.

One of the reasons we chose Monterey and Carmel to visit on our vacation last October, was to see how much the town and landmarks in the film had changed since 1971. I love doing the visual comparisons, between then and now, and it adds to the excitement of actually stepping sideways into a moment of great movie making. It's as close as I will probably ever get, to stepping into an alternate universe! I used to visit movie locations all the time, when we lived in the East Bay, San Francisco is full of them, but now it is a bit more difficult... but... it's not impossible! So, look for more posts like this one, because of all the subjects I enjoy posting about, and photographing, movie magic is among my favorites!

Play Misty For Me

1971

Directed By Clint Eastwood

The Sardine Factory played a major role in the film...

*The address rock is still there!   :)

As did The Cannery and Prescott Avenue

1971

2018

I had a lot of fun with Alan, that day. We made some awesome memories! He enjoys exploring movie magic and TV magic as much as I do! He gets into the area, by checking out little coffee shops, while I work the camera. He makes me so happy! I was so lucky to have found him in this big world! It's his turn to choose which movie or TV show to step into next. Maybe it will be a movie filmed or set in San Francisco, like the Maltese Falcon, or perhaps it will be a TV show, filmed in and near Stockton, like Sons Of Anarchy. We'll see what comes next!

Note: At the end of Play Misty For Me, when Evelyn is lying in the water, that isn't a stunt person that's floating, that actually is Jessica Walter! How excellent is that?

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

The Result Of The Trumpy Lumpy Winter Day Doldrums

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens: the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind's eye."

~Katherine S. White

Last February, I decided to fight off the screaming Trumps, by venturing out with the camera. The world, after all, wouldn't end in the short amount of time it would take to drive around, and look for something, anything, that wasn't all about Trump! Or would it? Who knew, but I did know I needed a little while away from the crazy! As I sat behind the wheel of my car, I tried to think of one thing... just one thing... that he hadn't become completely, and irritatingly associated with! It has felt like he has insinuated himself into all aspects of day to day life, perverting most of them, but there had to be at least one thing that he hadn't managed to ruin! It took a moment, but then it occurred to me... flowers, yes, flowers... were the one thing he hadn't ruined for me!

But it was February! Where was I supposed to find flowers in February? I had a few roses by the garden fence, but they had a bit of winter chill burn on them. There were some silk flowers in my craft cabinet, but fake flowers, was a little too much like FAKE NEWS, to inspire any flight of fancy away from the topic I most wanted to ignore! What to do, what to do! Then I saw it, my neighbor's Magnolia tree was beginning to bloom, and the flowers were lovely! Eureka... there is my subject!

Did I mention while I sat in my car, contemplating which direction to go in, the sky opened up, and began to pour rain! The sky cried! Great, big, wet, tears of rain! Bigly! But not to fear, I simply picked up my Nikon, rolled the window down, and snapped away! I was photographing the Magnolias from a good distance, as it rained, and it was a bit foggy too, so the pictures didn't come out as nicely as I would have hoped for. The day I took them, I deemed them not worthy for posting, but upon a second look, I decided to work a little Photoshop magic, and enjoy them, and the memory of my day out of the Trumpy Lumpy winter day doldrums.

Thinking that my photos aren't good enough to post happens a lot. I put a ton of pressure on myself to get a preconceived end result with my photography, and when it isn't fully achieved, I let it sit in the file, until the end of the year when I have one last look with newly opened eyes. I like doing the occasional photo-shopped masterpiece, from photos gone astray. This year, I created a pretty nice Thanksgiving card, from a photograph that was less than perfect, and I got a couple complements on the artsy end result! And I also took a very blurry rural autumn country road scene, and turned it into an Impressionist painting! Again, with a few compliments.

The Magnolia in this post will probably be the last of the artistic disaster masters, for 2018. Well, at least I think it will be the last one, but who knows? There is always time for me to take my camera and veer off the rails again, but with a little luck, we will close out the "Oops Folder" with that pretty pink splash of late winter color! Imagine, beautiful shades of pink, against a deep blue cloudy sky! The only thing missing in the moment was New Age music, an aromatherapy machine, and a few well placed Omms.

Omm. Omm. OMM.

2018 Photo Editing Album

~Mood: Happy

~Me

Christmas Eve Cliffhangers

"Heartwork"

Each day is born with a sunrise

and ends in a sunset, the same way we

open our eyes to see the light

and close them to hear the dark.

You have no control over

how your story begins or ends.

But by now, you should know that

all things have an ending.

Every spark returns to darkness.

Every sound returns to silence.

And every flower returns to sleep

with the earth.

The journey of the sun

and moon is predictable

But yours,is your ultimate ART.

~Suzy Kassem

I haven't been feeling tip-top the last couple weeks. I am not sure what I have been fighting, but whatever it has been, it has been punching me down hard, and exacerbating my usual Fibromyalgia symptoms. So, when it came to Christmas shopping, I put a lot of it off, until the very last minute! Take for instance, Alan's Christmas sock, I waited until late in the day on Christmas eve. It had been raining on and off, most of the day, but after lunch, rain or no rain, I had to hit World Market for the last few items I needed!

After I finished at World Market, it was on to one more small stop and then I was homeward bound. Just as I was exiting the parking lot at the grocery store, I noticed an absolutely amazing sunset, in the western sky! Autumn has the leaves, but winter carries all that color in it's sunsets! Some of my favorite sunsets have been in winter, when the air is fresh and clear, and this sunset came after some rare wild weather, that left the air not just crisp and clear, but also carried the remnants of some rare Mammatus cloud formations that were very photogenic! I was only a couple moments from home, so as soon as I turned into the driveway, I grabbed my camera, and started snapping away!

It was thrilling to be able to not just photograph an amazing sunset, but a truly rare cloud formation, and if that isn't enough, I think I might have caught something in the clouds, besides clouds, how about a UFO... or possibly Santa Claus? Yep, that's right, there was something just a wee bit more special in that Christmas Eve sky... an object that I didn't see in the sky while I was photographing the clouds, but rather not until I uploaded the photos for editing! I had NO IDEA what the object was, so I sent the photo along to the meteorologist at KCRA TV. He didn't know what it was either, but guessed it might be a drone.

While a little less interesting, it's a lot more logical that it could be someone's holiday toy! Although, I don't remember seeing anyone outside when I was photographing the clouds, and it had been less than 10 minutes after the last, brief, yet torrential downpour, so I am not sure how many folks would have wanted to expose their drone to that much rain water, but you never know, perhaps it was a water resistant drone, I know very little about their features and characteristics! So, if we are approaching this from as logical a point as we can, drone seems to be the best explanation!

But it was, of course, Christmas Eve, so perhaps it was simply, Santa Claus! It could have been, I suppose, that jolly old guy, flying through the sky, off to deliver a doll, or a chewy dog toy, or maybe a drone to some lucky boy or girl! HAHAHA. Wouldn't that be ironic? Capturing a photograph of Santa Claus, delievering a drone, on Christmas Eve, after a rare storm? Wow, that's a lot of different storylines converging together, to make for one magical ending to the movie I am living in. Unless it's a TV show I'm in, and not a movie at all, in which case it isn't the end of show, it's merely a cliffhanger, until they get back to me from Mufon.

Oh yes, did I tell you I am submitting my photo to Mufon?

How cool is that?

Stay Tuned!

Anyone want to take a guess about what that object is?

~Mood: Happy

~Me    :)

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Christmas; Be the light for those who stand in the dark."

~Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann

24 Days Until Christmas: 24 Christmas Poems

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

~Mood: SO HAPPY!

~Me

Christmas Eve With My Angels

"You are never so lost, that your angels can't find you."

~ Jeff Rees Jones

Angels Bright

I am are so blessed! Alan and I have each other, but we also have our three little fur baby guardian angels. Hendrix, Dylan and Joey, fill our house with fun, life, and so much love that, at times, it's difficult to leave to do even the quickest errand! How did I get so lucky, to have found all my joys, in this big world? And it's not just Alan and our boys, I have also found wonderful friends, both online, and in real life! People who fill my heart with love, friendship and support! People who laugh with me, and at me, as I laugh at myself! Those who share my good times, and bad, and who will be there, when the sun shines on me for the last time. They're a gift, and I am thankful for them an infinite number of times.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to say life is perfect, or that there isn't some heavy concerns, my blog is filled with post after post, regarding my fears, battles with Fibromyalgia, the chronic physical pain I deal with, and the darkness which is Trump, but for a little while, I will put all of it aside, and concentrate on the happiness of being together for another year! It feels so good to take a break, for a couple days, to give up second guessing and worry, in favor of happiness! Cats don't have to love you, they choose to! So, if a cat loves you, then you know you have something special going for you! My boys can tell when my pain is overwhelming, and never leave my side. They work hard taking care of me!

So, it's time to embrace as much holiday magic in as I can find! Snuggling while watching old movies, making pies, enjoying snacks straight from the oven, chasing a kitty down the hallway, and giving him great big kisses, playing board games, and even being happy to lose, as long as the one you love most is sitting in front of you! I used to be so afraid of love, and friendship, which is silly, because it was through the magic of hearts open to love, and friendship, that our adventure was allowed to begin, all those years ago! Where would I be without Alan? Where would I be without my friends? And where would I be without my fur babies?

The Brothers Gordon...

Joey, Dylan and Hendrix

Heirloom Ornament #2
Christmas 2013
Berkeley, California

~Mood: Happy

~Me

The Full Cold Moon

Full Cold Moon ( w/mist)
December 22nd 2018
Stockton, California
Nikon

"The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human."

~Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me 

This is an unusual full moon. It was very nearly a solstice moon, missing the beginning of this year's winter solstice by a little over 24 hours, and Christmas by just two days! That's kinda magical! I love the night sky. Eclipses, comets, which by the way, I am still chasing, stars, meteors, you name it, I will be found, if the night is clear, searching for it in the night sky! I hope to get a telescope one day, that I can attach the camera to. I'd just love to photograph Saturn, just once!

 Full Cold Moon 

( Clear Edit )

December 22nd 2018

Stockton, California

Nikon