Art About Town: Oakland, California... "Trumpet Flowers" By Karen Cusolito

"Trumpet Flowers"

By Karen Cusolito

Oakland, California 2013

"Great Things are done by a series of

small things brought together."

~Vincent Van Gogh

This is a photo from the archives, from May of 2013, but it wasn't part of the series of sculptures I included in the set I posted. I am not sure why I didn't include it, perhaps it was too dark, or I couldn't quite get an angle on it that was pleasing to me at the time, I am not sure, but when I found it yesterday it kind of made me happy inside, and reminded me that I need to go in search of some new public art placements. I love pieces like this one, it is made entirely of recycled steel. It's great when a piece of art not only inspires, but springs forth from something else once useful but is now discarded. It's like when the body dies, and the soul is finally free. 

"Put your ear down close to your soul, and listen hard."

~Anne Sexton

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

"Trumpet Flowers" 

By Karen Cusolito

Photographed 5/27/13

2:38 PM

Konica Minolta

Happy New Year 2014!

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, it will be happier... ."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

When I look back at 2013, and all the weird twists and turns it took for Alan and I, there is only one way to think about it. For us, 2013 will always be the Year Of Plan B! Most of the time Plan B would turn out to definitely be the way to go, but sometimes it took a little bit of time to realize just how fortunate Plan B could be! Our 2013 had adventure, and love, and curiosity, and a lot of good fortune, such as finding our energetic and silly new kitten Joey! 2014 is here, and no one knows what it will bring, but as the years tick off of my life, I am more and more thankful for the road I am on with Alan, and for our life with our furbabies... Hendrix, Dylan and now baby Joey... and all that life has waiting for me as the clock strikes midnight!

2014 IS Here! ON TO THE NEW ADVENTURE!

"We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and it's first chapter is New Year's Day."

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

From Our House To Yours... HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

It's New Years Eve, So...

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne
And there's a hand my trusty friend
And gies a hand to thine
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne

~Auld Lang Syne

I know, I know. I don't usually post a video as the head of my posts, I usually post a new photo, or an archived photo which just happens to fit my rant, rave or observation, but this being not just the end of December, but also the end of 2013, I wanted to take a slightly different look at things. Yes, I still have a retrospective of December, but I have included one page look back at each of the last 12 months. If you want to see the original retrospectives for each month, simply click on the date at the top of each page to be redirected to the original post containing all the round-up photos for that month. Please, as always, I welcome your input on my photography! Please feel free to share your impressions of my photography! Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the video clip, it's one of my favorite clips from one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally, and it just happens to fit New Year's Eve nicely. I never miss it!~

Enjoy!

Looking Back At 2013

A Look Back At January 2013...



A Look Back At February 2013...



A Look Back At March 2013...

 

A Look Back At April 2013...

 

A Look Back At May 2013...

 

A Look Back At June 2013...

 

A Look Back At July 2013...

 

A Look Back At August 2013...

 

A Look Back At September 2013...

 

A Look Back At October 2013...

 

A Look Back At November 2013...



A Look Back At December 2013...



Well, that was 2013 as seen through the lens of my camera, and what a year it was! It was filled with public art, and beauty. Tragedy, and relief. Love and new found friends. Sadness, and then incredible joy! In other words, it was a year! It was life! I can't wait to see what 2014 has waiting for me to discover! On to the adventure waiting to happen!

:)

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Mood: Inspired, Happy, Encouraged, Challenged, 

~Me :)

On The Eve Of September 11th

"War is what happens when language fails."

~Margaret Atwood

On The Eve Of September 11th

Here we go again. We (America) is about to march off to an unnecessary war. A war that doesn't have to happen, perhaps more blatantly than the last one that didn't have to happen. If I close my eyes, and listen to the justifications for the current plea for war, I swear I hear Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney talking, and in place of John Kerry, is that Colin Powell I hear?

Sigh.

I get it. I do. Syrian President Bashar Assad is suspected of using chemical weapons on his own citizens. It's a horrendous thought. I saw a video over the weekend of children, one small boy in particular, dying a slow hideous death, with a heartbreaking look on his face that seemed to beg... WHY? I won't forget that image easily, or quickly. I understand President Obama's anger, and determination to hold President Assad accountable. No one with a soul could have done that to that child! Of course that child's murder, and the murder of those around him, must be met with justice! But what is being asked of America, it's military and citizens, is wrong! Killing more, to prove murder, no matter how it is committed, is wrong! IS AS WRONG AS IT GETS!

And it's unnecessary in that there are legal paths that can be taken to accomplish the justice those victims deserve!

If President Assad did indeed use chemical weapons, he has committed a war crime. He needs to stand trial in an International Criminal Court. PERIOD!

Yesterday, a tape made it's way to the media, which showed the execution of seven men of Assad's military, being stripped down, bent over, and assassinated by gunshots to the back of the head. That act was carried out by just one of the several different anti Assad rebel groups. Which one? I don't really know! As I said, it was one group of many, who all seem to have different agendas. Also in the news recently, was a video of a different Syrian rebel eating the heart of a dead Syrian soldier. Again, I have no idea what group that rebel belonged to! All I know is, it made me sick! And I am pretty sure it is just as unimaginable, and horrendous an act to the average American. But does average America want to risk aiding a group like that, in order to scare Assad off of using chemical weapons? Are we saying... "Sure, torture, kill, desecrate the deceased body, hold the dead up as trophies, but we draw the line at chemical weapons, so we are going to help you with your presidential problems, now be sure to remember us on your holiday lists, because we helped!"

Okay, I know, that was way over simplifying things. Or was it?

President Obama has shown a shocking lack of leadership in this situation! God! I am now agreeing with some republicans! Do you know how profoundly sad that makes me? Honestly, I don't know how we can be sitting here, on the eve of the 12th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, standing on the cliff of yet another war! I supported President Bush's original plan to go into Afghanistan. 90% of my fellow Americans were with me in that. But by the time we heard the drumbeats of war in Iraq, I no longer trusted the word of President Bush, or those around him! I never supported going into Iraq, and if you remember me from my old AOL Journal days, you know how heavily that war sat on my mind and heart! I think that all these years later, we all know what that was all about! We don't need to rehash that situation, but we don't need to forget it either. Especially not now! I will not blindly support any human man, it makes no difference to me who the president is, wrong is wrong!

Dear President Obama...

I get the stand you are taking, but I cannot support a military strike now or ever! I want to see Bashar Assad stand trial in an open, international court. Make an example of him, and set an example while you are at it! If he has used chemical weapons, act accordingly, act legally. The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this past Tuesday that, any action taken against Syria would be illegal without Security Council approval or a sound case for self defense. Please Mr President, don't make everything worse by committing an international illegal act! You represent WE THE PEOPLE! The majority of Americans don't want you to do this. LISTEN TO US. Remember who you are, or at least who you were, or at least who you told us you were. God, I don't even know which one it is! And that makes me profoundly sad for both of us! You say if America strikes Syria, it would be limited and no boots would be on the ground, but what about the unknown? Maybe you believe that sir, but what about events you can't foresee? And what about the adjoining countries? What happens if Syria strikes other countries because of our actions, do we defend them? Or do we leave them to pick up the pieces on their own? Mr. President, the answer doesn't always have to be war! The answer needs to be, what doesn't happen nearly enough... JUSTICE!

If there is a regime change Mr. President, do we know who, and what we will be putting into power?

"There are causes worth dying for, but none are worth killing for."

~Albert Camus

Sincerely, And With Respect,

Just Me

Mood: Sad/Reflective

Note: I Titled This Post "On The Eve Of September 11th" because of how I have, ironically, written so many posts about how I wish we could all go back to Monday, September 10th, 2001. The day before everything changed. We could have all made different decisions. Some of us could have stopped what happened, and those of us who couldn't have done much to have changed the day, could have taken that particular day a lot less for granted.

~Me

International Court Of Justice (The Hague)
List Of Parties To The Chemical Weapons Convention
Organisation For The Prohibition Of Chemical Weapons
Chemical Weapons Convention
Brutality Of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma In West (New York Times)

This Year's First Rose From The Garden

"Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to be keeping it's dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared."

~Tupac Shakur, The Rose That Grew From Concrete

The rose garden has gotten off to a slow start, but everything seems to be coming along nicely! The first to bloom within the garden is the Julia Child rose! It's so small and lovely. It starts out bright sunshine yellow, and as it ages gracefully, the yellow color fades, and a soft pink color forms around the edges. Amazingly beautiful. The scent is a soft lemon licorice. It's inspiring that something so fragile doesn't give up!

Mood: Quiet but Very Happy! :)

~Me :)

The 29th Sunset

Time is free, but it's priceless
You can't own it, but you can use it.
You can't keep it, but you can spend it.
Once you've lost it, you can never get it back.

~Harvey MacKay

Yeah, I know, it's another January sunset, but there will never be another one like this one. Every sunset is a fingerprint of the day that I had. Good, bad, or otherwise, along comes a sunset and suddenly I am distracted by the unique fleeting moments of light. It's my favorite way to live in the moment.

A January Sunset With More Sky...


A January Sunset With Less Sky...


And Now... Gin Wigmore "Don't Stop"

 

Take nothing for granted.

Mood: Calm

~Me :)

A January Sunset

From For Ellipsis Album 2

"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy."

~Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers

Alan and I took a trip out to Treasure Island last Monday night, to photograph the buildings that are lit up in red and gold in honor of the 49ers making to the Super Bowl. There wasn't any fog to worry about, and the day itself had been warm for January, but you have to always keep in mind that the Bay Area consists of micro-climates, and the East Bay can be warm, but San Francisco more than likely isn't. Of course, that depends on what part of San Francisco you are in. If you are downtown, either in the financial district or the theater district, it will be warmer than if you are out at Ocean Beach, or anywhere along the coast. All those lovely tall buildings work as lovely cold and windbreakers.

When it comes to Treasure Island, you pretty much have to start all over! LOL. Winter, spring, summer, or autumn, it's a good idea to have a sweater or jacket with you! LOL. San Francisco weather... you got to love it! It always has a little something for everyone, and I wouldn't give it up for the world! I love having as many choices as possible when I am out with the camera. I have learned to bring all three of my current cameras with me when I go to the city. I sometimes have to work really hard to accomplish what I would consider a good photo, and then there are those times when all I have to do is point and shoot.

This particular sunset illustrates that point I think. You can't fake a moment like that. The city lights were down, but the light in the sunset was more than enough color to bounce the ambient light off the water. Again, each and every day I get a reminder about things I need to work on when it comes to my photography. I need to be better about documenting times of day, weather conditions, temperature and surrounding conditions. I like to keep track of why I chose a particular scene, or perspective. Was I in pain from my arthritis when I took a photo? Was the weather warm enough to allow me plenty of mobility? It's not just enough to know the basic environment, I need to know how my Fibromyalgia factors in.

In a lot of ways I believe that my Fibromyalgia and my arthritis has made me a better photographer. I can say without reservation that I work to achieve a photo, rather than just aiming without regard and hoping for the best. Because of my Fibromyalgia, I have learned patience. I have learned that my instincts are, generally speaking, pretty good when it comes to my photography. It's so strange that I struggle sometimes to find simple words, and they allude me. I will sit here and compose a blog entry and read it over and check it a second time, and yet there can be all kinds of mistakes that I don't catch. It's so disheartening. But when it comes to the visual... the taking of a photograph... the seeing of an extraordinary moment... it's almost as if my mind speaks to my hands and tells them when to press the shutter, to find hold that moment, and I am let in on the secret only after the picture is taken.

Apparently, I have an angel on my shoulder, or a muse in my camera bag, either way, I know I never deserve full credit for the photos I take. I just took the picture.

~Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

It's What Happens In January

Of winter's lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer's secret
Deep down within it's heart.

~Charles G. Slater

The leaves continue to turn and fall. It's what happens in January. Still. Quiet. Dark. No fanfare. Just a necessary event to encourage an earthly renewal. It's a good thing, and I am already planning which roses will bring new life to the rose garden in 2013. Perhaps I will embrace the muted tones this year. Honey Dijon and Pumpkin Patch. Both unusual and lovely. We'll see. For now, I share the last of the roses of 2012.

Just a little something to keep you warm.

 

 

 

And some leaves...

 

You knew there had to be leaves... right? ;)

~Happiness :)

~Me

Yesterday's Twilight

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on."

~Robert Frost

 

I have been happy with a lot of my late afternoon lighting opportunities. I take my camera with me wherever I go, even if I am just running another one of life's mundane errands, because you just never know what wonderful moment is just waiting around the corner. Yesterday I had some luck with the lighting, in the final moments of daylight I caught a sundown that dazzled in those lovely earthy muted tones that make me so happy inside.

 :)

~Me

Two Ants Walk Into A Bar...

"Night was spreading slowly around the spinning Earth. It should have been full of pinpricks of light. It was not. There were five billion people down there. What was going to happen soon would make barbarism look like a picnic... hot, nasty, and eventually given over to the ants."

~Neil Gaiman

 
Miss Agatha Pendragon, of the Berkeley Pendragons

ANTS. We still have ANTS. For almost a week now they have been a constant presence in our kitchen. We have tried ant stakes and traps. We have tried spraying RAID. We have tried wiping down the walls with HOT water and ammonia. We have tried caulking about the cabinets in an effort to stop them from coming in one of the pinpoint holes they frequent. The are under the cabinets and have spread to my nearly brand new stove. I don't know what is feeding them. We have both wiped the counters and taken everything out of the cabinets and wiped them down throughly. As for the stove, I am pretty much psycho about how clean I keep it. Alan bought it for me, and when we bought it, he let me choose the one I wanted. I didn't purchase the most expensive one, but I didn't choose the cheapest either. I wanted one with preheat timers, and delay cooking features, and the really nifty 4 option burners, you know for sauteing, boiling and, well you get the drift. We have spent the last week or so doing everything we can think of and NOTHING is working! Alan and I don't really know what to do!

The only left methinks is to once again wipe everything and paint the cabinets and walls. Hopefully that will wall them up throughly enough. It would be different if we owned our cottage, but we don't, we rent. The landlord has only owned the property for a little over a year, and in that time they have refused to replace appliances that are in other units because they have to. Having a working washer or refrigerator is not guarenteeed a tenant in California. It sucks, but it's true. We haven't personally asked the landlord about this issue, but if things don't change after our next effort of painting, then I am going to call and ask politely to have them hire an exterminator. An option I am dreading. Not because of the cost, so much as the risk to all my favorite little critters that frequent the yard. My oppssums, birds, kitty friends, deer, raccoons, which I don't really like, but look cute from afar. My favorite of all those is the oppossum.

Why do I like opossums? They RARELY if EVER get rabies, because they are flea free creatures. They clean up the yard by eating fallen fruit and vegetables. And oh yeah... THEY EAT ANTS JUST LIKE AN AARDVARK!

I guess I have one more option before contacting an exterminator... I could go down to the nature center and adopt a opossum! When Elvis was alive he had an opossum friend that used to come by to see him every night. We named her Agatha Pendragon. She was a beauty. Agatha had a little boy that Elvis just loved. We named him Epson. We called him that because when he would run he would across the yard he would make this sound that was similar to "epppp... epppp... epppp." Epson and Agatha would come by to see Elvis most days at around 2 in the afternoon, which is heartwarming in an odd kinda way, because opossums are nocturnal. It was just a little bit more magic we experienced by owning Elvis. He was very special, and I still miss him to this day, and his friends. Agatha stopped coming to the yard after Elvis passed away, and Epson was poisoned by an ignorant neighbor who didn't have enough sense to educate themselves about opossums. I miss Agatha and Epson, almost as much as I miss Elvis. But I digress I think. Anyway, wish us luck... okay? But if you ever get the chance to own an opossum, do so. You will never have to worry about ANTS!

:(

And Now, The Ant Conservatory Theater's Production of "Two Ants Walk Into A Bar."
(not really)

Ant #1
So, uh, do you ever worry that your itsy little neck is just going to snap under the weight of your head?
Ant #2
Stop asking me that. You ask me that, like every five minutes.
Ant #1
Sometimes I notice my antennae out of the corner of my eye and I'm like... AHH! Something is on me! Get it off! Get it off!
Ant #2
Yeah, the antennae again. Listen, I just remembered, I have to go walk around aimlessly now.

~Jim Benton, Okay, So Maybe I do Have Superpowers


~Me

Happy New Year 2012

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come... whispering... it will be happier."

~Alfred Tennyson

My dates for New Year's Eve!

 

As we begin a sparkly, snarkly new year, I wish you all the best! Hold on tight, 2013 will be a bumpy one methinks.

*New on Ellipsis in 2013...

The return of the Ellipsis Weekly Poll! There is a brand new one on the sidebar now, so, take part!
 

Q. If You Could, Would You Go Back And Change Your Vote From Last November?
Go answer on the sidebar. You know you want to. :)

~Me :)

New Year's Eve 2012 My Year In Photographs

"Tell him I was too fucking busy... or vice versa."

~Dorothy Parker

My word of the year for 2012 is ADVENTURE. I did a lot of new things this year, and it felt really good to just live my life. I like being 50. As my 50 year old self, I met some goals. I scared myself. I scared some others. I stood up to some bullies, and I allowed myself to have some fun. My thinking was centered around the possibility that the Mayan prophesy could be right. What if the world would end on 2012? Would I want to go into the next plane of existence a coward? Did I want to never face a fear, or follow a dream? If it was all going to be over in a matter of month, why not go out happy, and at peace with myself? So I did just that. I went out and made myself happy. I tried not to be selfish about it, because what fun is being happy, if those around you aren't happy also?As in every year, I thank the heavens above for Alan. He likes to go along with me on my adventures, and it really wouldn't be the same without him by my side.

 Here is all my best from the adventure that was 2012.

Enjoy!














































































2012 is going to be a tough year to beat, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Stay Tuned!

If I didn't care for fun and such
I'd probably amount to much
But I shall stay the way I am
Because I do not give a damn.

~Dorothy Parker

~Me :) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Raygun Gothic Rocketship"
Rocket Art Landing On SF Waterfront (San Francisco Examiner)