Round Robin Challenge: Wild Thing

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

~John Muir My First Summer in the Sierra

Round Robin Challenge: Wild Thing.

For this challenge, I bring you two kinds of Wild...

Wild #1. Wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Wild #2. Just Wild







From my perspective, Christmas is as commercialized as we decide to make it. We can go out and spend a ton of money, or we can make gifts. We can spend the next year paying off things we felt some need to buy, or set individual budgets. I find the whole "War on Christmas" and "Christmas is Commercialized" arguments silly. You can choose to be as negative as you want to want to be. But negativity is not for me, I will just enjoy awesome creativity and sparkly lights.

Okay, you've seen my pictures and read my rant, now go see what the other Round Robin participants are up to! Hey, better yet, you can play along. Just click the link at the top of the post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog where you can find the list, and information on how to join in the challenge.

~Me :)

Art About Town Oakland: "Offering" And "Uprising" By Bruce Johnson

"Offering" By Bruce Johnson, 2009, Redwood and Copper

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

~Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late last month, I visited a lovely park in Oakland, the Uptown ArtPark, that was filled with sculptures... and inspiration. I posted the first photo of the sculptures I photographed that day, here, which was titled "Dandelion" by artist, Karen Cusolito, now I bring you two more. They are titled, "Offering" and "Uprising" by Bruce Johnson. Both sculptures are made of redwood and copper, and both were dated 2009. I must say, I enjoyed them very much, but there was something about "Offering" that captured my attention longer as I studied it from all angles.


"Uprising" By Bruce Johnson, 2009, Redwood and Copper

So tell me, what do you think? Do you enjoy Public Art and if so, any thoughts on these two pieces?

"He he works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."

~St. Francis Of Assisi

Visit the artist's website to learn more about the artist and his sculptures...
Form And Energy... Sculpture By Bruce Johnson

I will be posting more photos of sculptures on display in the Uptown ArtPart next month, so stay tuned!


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Paper, Plastic, Or The Bags I Always Forget?

"Life is never boring when everyday I weird, sill conversations with my husband that only us understand."

~IKA Natassa Twivortiare

Look at that! Does my husband rock or what? He fit the purchases from both Walmart, and Safeway in the back of our 2013 Chevrolet Spark, with no problem at all. I couldn't have done it in a million years.

The List Included...

2 37lb Boxes Of Fresh Step Cat Litter
1 40lb Bag Of Purina Indoor Formula Cat Food
6 12pk Coke Products
3 pkgs (Female Doo-Dads)
1 12pk Grade AA Eggs
2 pkgs Kraft Processed Sliced Cheese
4 Lean Cusine Frozen Meals
2 Boxes Family Sized Sundried Tomato Crackers
1 Gallon Fat Free Milk
1 Special K Cinnamon Pecan Cereal
2 pkgs Sargento Shredded Cheese


 He is my hero!

I have NO IDEA what the mental block is with both experience when it comes to remembering that we need to bring our earth friendly reusable bags, as mandated by Alameda County. Sheesh... the law went into effect last January. We bought tons of them for shopping, but we almost NEVER remember them when we leave for the store! The worst part... they are all there, clean and ready to go, on the very door we use to go out of the house! We literally have to look at the bags, in order to leave the house, and we almost always forget them! And the thing is... I have NO idea why we habitually forget them.

We like the earth.
We voted YES on the plastic bag ban. I think.
We like that the reusable ones never break like the plastic ones do.
We always remember to throw them in the laundry after we remember to use them.

It's nothing short of a mystery.

Of course some might say Alan and I are experiencing "senior moments." We are both over 50.

Personally, I scoff at that. To me, a senior moment is when you bend over to pick up a cat toy and suddenly you expel a fart you didn't know was lurking around. Of which I know nothing of, personally speaking.

No, I think our absentmindedness is a matter of that... absentmindedness! I mean after all, it's not as if we both forget to put our pants on before heading off to Safeway. Now THAT is a senor moment. And while I turn 51 at the end of the month, I don't even qualify for a discount at restaurants and theaters yet. Well... most restaurants and theaters anyway!

WINK.

But really, isn't Alan awesome?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)



 He was clearly a genius at puzzles. Me, not so much!

A Mid June Sunset

"Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are. There cannot be one without the other, yet they cannon exist at the same time. How would it feel, I remember wondering, to be always together yet forever apart.?"

~Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

 

When I walked outside to check on the roses last night, I actually didn't even make it to the garden. This sunset just grabbed my attention, and my imagination, and all I could do is spend the last few moments of light watching the colorful clouds move past. It was breathtaking!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

My Rose Garden, June 2013

"It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside."

~Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Just a short post today. The vegetable and rose gardens are both taking off. I will have pictures of the Heirloom tomatoes later in the week! I am a happy camper with the garden, but I am having to keep one step ahead of the aphids. It's seems like it will be a big year for those pesky pests.

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Coping Mechanisms

"People say time will help you heal and move on, but it's not true. Time only teaches you to manage the tears so they fall when you are alone, because everyone else thinks you should be okay by now."

~Kaliana Dietrich

It's true. Time does heal you. But it's also true that time does teach you to manage things. It's also true that those who love you, friends, relatives, sometimes even mere acquaintances will expect you to return to your old self in their time periods... not yours. You don't have a say in it. You can give it a try and pretend to be okay, but you will eventually grow to resent the pressure to conform.

At the moment I find myself in a frustrating situation. I am being bullied by a neighbor. We had a falling out 2 years ago in one of those "final straw" moments. He doesn't just bully me, he bullies anyone he feels he can get away with bullying. Because he doesn't know when to stop, he always ends up getting his fingers slapped, but he will eventually start up again. It's pretty much a regular pattern. Behaviors such as making as much noise as possible without breaking the law. Letting his dog bark at 3:00 in the morning, then he reminds all of us who live around him that he has a police scanner on his iPhone and can quiet the dog before they arrive. Stupid immature behaviors like that.

I've done some research on bullies, and I have a new insight about things. Adult bullies were often bullied as children. If their parents, or teachers, didn't or wouldn't, or couldn't teach them proper coping mechanisms, they often grow up to become bullies themselves. It's not an excuse for their anti-social behavior, but it's a reason.  I try to have compassion. I try to remember that deep down the neighbor is seeking attention. I try. GOD HELP ME I TRY! But I am only human! I try. But there are times when I could just pack up and move from my cottage, but I cannot let someone drive me from a home I have lived in, comfortably, for nearly 15 years... and I won't. To give in is to empower the bully, and you know what happens after that!

So, I am trying my best to learn to have compassion, and understand that his behavior is more about his struggles than mine, and hope that one day he will tire of his own behavior... Probably not likely, but people do, sometimes, change for the better. What can I do? At age 51 I don't give into bullies, and especially not in his case. But for the sake of debate lets say I did move, I would always wonder if the empowerment I would be handing him, would be passed onto whoever moved in after me. I have seen him drive other neighbors off the property with his baloney, and that's exactly what happens each time, he becomes a bigger monster.

Truly, I would feel bad about passing that kind of a haunted house along to someone.

As for how I am dulling the pain and anxiety... with... my choice of coping mechanisms...

Alan, Head Phones, Researching The Subject, Old Movies, My Cats And Yes, The Occasional Valium.

For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy or there is none
If there be one seek till you find it
If there be none then never mind it

~Mother Goose

Mood: Quiet

~Me

PS: About the photo for this post. I saw these items in a shopping cart in the parking lot of a K-Mart here in the East Bay. I haven't touched them in any way, this is exactly as they were arranged. In a weird way it made me feel less alone.

And Now, Blue Jasmine... The Movie Trailer

"Men learn to love the woman they are attracted to. Women learn to become attracted to the man they fall in love with."

~Woody Allen

 

Finally... the trailer for Woody Allen's, Blue Jasmine, is here. The large picture above was taken at one of the filming locations in San Francisco, a few hours after filming wrapped for the day! LOL. On that day I was a few minutes late, and a Woody Allen short. If you look very closely at the trailer you will see this building, slightly altered for the film, but recognizable all the same. Alan and I only made it to two of the many locations used in the film, if I could I would have been at all of them, cameras with me, taking in the fun. Unfortunately, life... work, doctor's appointments... had to come first. That and good old fashioned mistiming. LOL. In the next few days that followed I was able to get the photos I wanted. Last August was the best part of the summer. The best part of any of my summers. :)

Okay... go watch the trailer. I can already tell it's going to be one of his movies that stays with you long after you have seen it. Kind of like Midnight In Paris, Manhattan, or Interiors. I already identify at bit with Jasmine. I have a profound first hand knowledge of what it feels like to have your life pulled out from under you... suddenly, and without your permission. Perspective gets lost in the pain, and yes, Xanax by the fist fulls becomes a bigger part of your life than breathing. That was my life 12 years ago. When they "no longer felt good about giving me Xanax, Anhedonia took over for me. Anyway, we will leave it at that. No need to numb every day, Anhedonia... is now just a distant memory.

And THANK GOODNESS. Because if I still had Anhedonia, I couldn't have taken the awesome photo you see above!

LOL. Go watch the trailer...

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

Have A NIce Day!

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention with the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequila."

~Mitch Ratcliffe

 

Have you ever noticed that good news doesn't usually come on Fridays? As a matter of fact, bad news doesn't tend to come on Fridays either, well unless it's political. You see Friday has long been deemed the "news dump"day and politicians love it because they can come out and tell the truth, which is quite often ridiculous or infuriating, and they have two full days, AKA the weekend, to gather their collective wits about them, for the ensuing question barrage questions they know will be coming.

That's the world of Politics.

But yesterday, there was a pretty interesting bit of news that came from the Technology world. Well, it's kinda new, actually the article I read was dated June 5th, which was a Wednesday. I am not sure if Wednesdays hold any special good or bad connotations as far as news goes, but this was good news, and I read about it yesterday, which of course was Friday! LOL. Anyway, it seems there will be a major new update coming for Windows 8, on June 26th, a Wednesday, which when downloaded will make it's current operating system be called Windows 8.1.

Yeah, yeah... we know that. Right? Well yes, Microsoft did say a while back that they had heard our screams of WHY,WHY,WHY,WHY, WHY,WHY? Why oh WHY, did you change the Windows operating system so drastically? Why have you made it impossible and confusing to use? Thank you for making it pretty with the awesome little tiles, and the beautiful colors, but WHY did you take away the Start Screen Button? WHYYYYYYYYY? Just Why!

Okay, if you haven't read the article that came out Wednesday, hold on to your hats, and buttons, because as of June 26th Windows 8.1 will be available for download, with some cool new features that promise to make it much more user friendly, and without mentioning it, there is a strong indication that the beloved Start Button will be back! I know. If they haven't mentioned it, maybe I am in for a let down, but most articles I have perused seem to all agree it will be there... in the lower left corner... right where it belongs.

Frankly, I have come to terms with the Windows 8 system, and made my piece with it. After thinking long and hard about whether I should give up and have Best Buy downgrade my Toshiba laptop back to Windows 7, I chose to soldier on. After all, whether we like it or not, Microsoft has moved on from Windows 7, therefore all future computers, desktop or otherwise, will be sold with Windows 8 already loaded. Besides, while I was super annoyed in the beginning, I have acclimated to the Windows 8 system now, and I am okay with it.

But I have to say, I really love sitting her at my desktop PC, which runs Windows 7, and not have to put as much thought into the tasks I need to perform. My lovely Start Button is right there, in the lower left hand corner, like an old cherished friend. Smiling at me, and telling me in a soft voice... "It's okay... I am here. I understand. I am your friend and I will never leave you." LOL. Well, okay, it doesn't really say that, the most my computer ever says to me is... "You've Got Mail, And We Have Forwarded It On To The NSA."

Have A Nice Day!

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

They Know Your Uncle Jim Has Hemmorrhoids

"Of course I'm not going to look through the keyhole. That's something only servants do. I'm going to hide in the bay window."

~Penelope Farmer, Charlotte Sometimes

Sigh.

I took this photo on January 25th 2005, just 5 days after George W. Bush's second inauguration. As you can see, the owner of the Grand Lake theatre in Oakland was no big fan of President Bush, and if you have known me for any length of time, you know I wasn't either. But if you arent' aware, I think America changed with Bush in office. And it wasn't a change for the better. It was a change toward a country of infighters. I found myself, at times, thinking that we just might be on the verge of yet another civil war, fuel by the Bush administration nonsense. If you just happened to not agree with the administration, you better not say it out loud, or you met with not just hostility, but rather vulgar actions and death threats by rabid "Bushies". Just ask The Dixie Chicks.

But what could one do? The only things we on the left could do, was wait for President Bush's second term to end, and eventually it did. But about two years before that finally happened, both the right and the left was searching for our next national leader. I can't speak for the decision making process of the left, I have no idea what goes on in their minds, but as a Democrat/Liberal/Progressive, take your pick, I know I wanted most was some relief from the oppression of the Bush administration. The warrant-less wiretapping of average Americans, the TSA searching procedure at airports, his failure to sign the Assault Weapons Ban back into law, the holding of anyone, anywhere without due process.

Do I need to go on?

So, as we inched closer to the 2008 election it seemed more and more of the country had also grown tired of the same things that weighed heavy on me. We were all ready for REAL CHANGE. I was a Hillary girl. I thought in 2008, just as I do now, that Hillary Clinton would be the right person to dig us out of the desperate hole we were in. She could do wonders with restoring our name around the world. She could and would bring a fresh perspective... yes... as a woman. I believe she would have brought to the White House, and the nation, a sense of perspective. A decency. But alas, she lost in the primaries to Senator Barack Obama.

Remember him? Candidate Obama?

Candidate Obama and President Obama are two very different people... aren't they?

Did you read a newspaper (remember those) or visit and online news outlet yesterday? If you did, you know that once again America has sold out to fear. Personally, the article at The Nation was the one I read yesterday that brought a lot of perspective to the whole thing, "Secret NSA Program Gives the Agency Unprecedented Access To Private Internet Communications." Holy Cow. So, if I want to email... oh... say... my Aunt Sue... I don't have an Aunt Sue... but if I did... that means someone, somewhere, might be reading my HAPPY 89th Birthday E-Card before she does? Hmmmm. All in the name of national security?

Shame of Candidate Obama! Sir, you lied. You said one thing, and you are doing another. If you lied about what you will do as president, if only we trust you and vote for you, then what else are you lying about?

Shame on President Obama! Sir, you aren't any better than George W. Bush was! You have not just continued the work of Bush, but expanded the very things you promised to stop. Why couldn't you have had the courage to just come out and tell us, prior to the election last Autumn? Every single day more and more of those freedoms that we all enjoy saying we have are being taken away from us. Every single day! And ironically, all this wiretapping failed catch the Tsarnaev brothers who were involved in the Boston Marathon bombing. But what do they know?

They know if you Uncle Jim has hemorrhoids
They know if your neighbor Mr. Whoever, is having an affair.
They know that you get a daily horoscope
They know that your dog, Mr. Ruffles, threw up a tapeworm
They know that you think someone aught to invent a glue that is as sticky as a booger
They know that you are an avid Stephen King fan
They know that you want a real solution for Male Pattern Baldness
They know that you once Googled... "Why Can't An Erection Last Over 4 Hours?"
But do they know your deepest, darkest secret? How about your darkest thoughts? Not even the ones you are serious about, but the ones you have that go fleetingly by?

Would you want them to?

If you are me...

They know I Think George W. Bush is the worst thing, besides Dick Cheney that ever happened to America
They know I love cats
They know I send myself a list of quotes daily, for the purpose of using them on my blog
They know I am crazy about Mootsie's Tootsies
They know Alan and I flirt while we play Words With Friends
They know Alan and I play Words With Friends while he is at work
They know I LOVE ordering lunch to go from Chipotle
They know I watch One Life To Live and All My Children on Hulu.
They know I have a huge crush on Todd Manning
They know I love to order old movies from Amazon.com
They know... well... they know. They know whether or not I wanted to share. 

As for my deepest, darkest thought. Well. I have daydreams of a meteor, the size of a semi, hitting my neighbor. But I don't think of it often, because with my luck, I would be home, and I would end up getting hit right along with the pain in the ass neighbor. That's the luck I HAVE.

I miss the America we were on Monday, September 10th, 2001. Don't you?

And you know what?

You can't blame that on W!

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

My Orange Tabby Heating Pad

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

~Leonardo da Vinci

I took this photo of Dylan after he had been a member of our family just 2 days! I was already hopelessly in love with him, having experienced love at first sight the minute we met. He and I were meant to be each other's family, it was written in a big book by God himself, and I never had a chance! Neither did Alan or Hendrix. Hendrix had been adopted a full week earlier, but he was very happy to have a little brother to beat up on, and share toys with. We are a true American family. A mom, a dad and their two little boys. Well... one little boy, and a tabby colored hot water bottle! That's right... you read that last part correct. We didn't adopt a kitten, we adopted an orange tabby hot water bottle. Or maybe space heater is more accurate. Either way... Dylan throws off heat better than any heating pad I have ever owned.

As I have mentioned many times, I am not a big fan of summer, other than the fact that my joints seem to swell and hurt less during summer, I don't really have much use for it. I consider it 3 months that are necessary to finally reach autumn. I don't like heat. Not one little bit. In winter, if one finds the temperature uncomfortable, you can always put another layer on, but in summer, you really only have a few options to rectify the situation. But what do you do when it's summer, and the kitty cat love of your life insists on sitting on your lap, or sleeping across your legs when it's summer? LOL. I don't have the heart to push him away, but even with the air conditioner going, and the temperature in the room reads 65 degrees, I still wake up sweating!

A cat's normal body temperature is 100 to 103, so ideally, 101 is just about perfect. I have never had Dylan officially checked as to what is usual number is, but I am thinking it is probably 103. LOL. Goodness, it's just the oddest thing. Elvis weighed about 29 pounds at his heaviest, and he never threw off heat. Hendrix, who weighs about 13 pounds, is a normal kitty as far as how warm he is when he is sitting on my lap, but Dylan... he is unbelievably warm. LOL. He weighs maybe 8 pounds. He is the smallest cat I ever owned, and he is by far the warmest! And the funniest part is that he actually gets upset if the air conditioner cools the house off too much! He will walk around, mewing and meowing until I turn the air conditioner off! LOL.

And I usually do! LOL.

He's my baby. He has a warm soul. Or he's demonic. I am not always sure which! LOL.

Yes I am.

It's the first one... he has a big, happy, warm heart and soul.

But goodness he throws off heat!

:)

Here is a little fun reading about cats...

99 Interesting Facts About Cats

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

It Was Tuesday So...

"You've got this life and while you've got it, you'd better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone's hand like they're the last you'll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there's no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running play music in your head when there is none and eat cake like it's the only one left in the world!

~C. JoyBell C.

Yesterday was Tuesday, and that means that the Daily Special cupcake at the Teacake Bake Shop in Emeryville was the Madagascar Vanilla with Honey Tangerine Buttercream frosting. It's amazingly delicious. Life affirming delicious! I first tried this little beauty a couple months ago when Alan and I went to the movies at the AMC Everyville. Yesterday we went to see Star Trek: Into The Darkness, and after the movie we enjoyed a little sweet culinary treat and our respective warm beverages. For me of course it was all about the cupcake, but for Alan it was the Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut cookie, also from the Teacake Bake Shop. Tuesdays, who knew how fantastic Tuesday's could be?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Everyone Knows It's Wendy

"I fully appreciate the ability of trees to attract kites. They have special powers that way."

~Charlie Dunton

Everyone knows it's Wendy! LOL. I decided to have a little fun with my photo editing program by making a GIF of my beloved kite Wendy. I have owned her since January of 2007, and I adore her, but I haven't had many opportunities to fly her. I am hoping to take her to Ocean Beach next week, now that the weather is beginning to get really warm. Ocean Beach is a great place for kites! On any given day you can see all kinds of sizes and styles of kites! Now that Alan has that gorgeous dragon kite, I should be able to do a lot of photography while I am there! Okay, I will admit it, the summer does have it's charms!

The Association... "Windy"


"Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy"


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Gemini

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

~Unknown

When Alan and I visited the Conservatory Of Flowers Butterfly Exhibit last month, not only were we treated to a gorgeous variety of beautiful butterflies and the flowers they enjoy, we also got to see them as they are when they have just emerged from their cocoons! What A TREAT! In years past, the butterflies remained behind a protective glass viewing case until they had been emerged for a while, but this time around the conservatory releases them into the room as soon as they are completely free from the chrysalis. Baby butterflies! Okay, I know that it'd not really accurate to call them babies, as they are fully grown, ready to fly, fully mature creatures, but to see them at their most vulnerable makes one think of them as infants, if only for the few hours it usually takes them to spread their wings. This lovely little creature was born May 22nd, 2013! I love butterflies, nothing in nature can compare to their beauty!

According To The Universal Psychic Guild...

Gemini
Element: Air
The Ruling Planet: Mercury
Symbol: The Twins
Stone: Aquamarine
Life Pursuit: To Explore A Little Bit Of Everything
Vibration: Intense Mental Energy
Gemini's Secret Desire: To Be Ahead Of The Crowd

"I'm a gemini, so I change my mind every day."

~Natalie Portman

Click here to read more about Geminis.

Personally, I am a Cancer. My birthday is at the end of the month, so we will delve into what it's like to be me as the month moves forward! Doesn't that sound like fun?! ;)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Blue Jasmine... The Movie Poster And Cypress Green... The Car

"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 yourself from the clues."

~Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

 

Finally... the poster has been unveiled! Little by little, inch by inch, we move closer to the premier of Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine. I have been waiting since last summer for this movie, and in just a couple months it will finally be in theaters and the big question I have had since we turned the corner onto 20th street, in San Francisco, that hot August day last year... Is the top of my Cypress green 2007 Saturn Ion visible from the second floor window where Woody was filming a scene? LOL. Did my car become a star that day? You bet! At least in my hopes it did! You see, to me, if you are seen in a Woody Allen movie, even if it is just the top of your head, or hood of one's car in this case, then you have made it into cinematic history. If the top of Lilith, my car, can be seen, I will have a permanent smile the rest of my days! I kid you not. I wouldn't want to have been seen in the film in a million years, I much too shy for that. But to see my car would be like having the best secret ever, a secret that's all mine, because who else would care but me? Does that make sense?

If Lilith is nowhere to be found in the movie, no worries, I enjoyed watching it being filmed so much that I am still smiling over it. Alan and I continue laugh about how completely out there I got just standing across the street from Mr. Allen. There I was, maybe 20 steps from someone I have admired and appreciated my whole life, I had all my cameras with me, I had every opportunity to get the quintessential Woody Allen photo, and what happens? My hands wouldn't stop shaking! I had to work incredibly hard to get the handful of photos I did, but at least I didn't give up! I didn't run away, or rather shy away. I stood there, tried to calm myself down, and got the photographs I came for! I met the challenge! Fear BE DAMNED!

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must no love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

~Woody Allen

If my car, Lilith, did indeed make it into the film, here is how she would appear...
 

I know, at first sight, not much to write home about. But to me... the thrill of a lifetime. I hated having to get rid of my beloved car last year. She and I have a lot of memories together! Oh my... alas... it was time. My Lilith died less than one month later. And I miss her, I really loved that car! So I can't help but hope, a little, that she somehow has done will I will never be able to do, live on immortal. To be seen, if only in a glimpse, world wide, as a splash of color in a Woody Allen film!

How can I not think of her lovingly, after all, if not for her, and Alan of course, I would have never been able to reach my lifetime goal of making inadvertent eye contact with Woody Allen! And I did it not once... but twice! :)

Tee Hee!

 

"80% of success is showing up."

~Woody Allen

Mood: Happy


~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: On Location

Painted Ladies or The Six Sisters
Alamo Square Park
San Francisco, California

"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person."

~Alec Waugh

RRC: On Location

Hollywood Location Scouts listen up! I have found your next awesome places to feature in a movie!



I bet you have seen this lovely row of six Victorian houses somewhere before! If they look kind of familiar, bet you can't place them, let me help. They were featured in the opening credits of the ABC comedy, Full House, and have at least made an appearance in approximately 70 or so other TV shows and movies! The park across the street from the houses, Alamo Square Park, is lovely and interesting all o it's own. Not only does it face these famous houses, but features a rather interesting attraction called a shoe garden, which contains every size, shape, color and style of shoes you can think of, all placed in loving tribute to someone. That's the cool thing about places like San Francisco, there is so much beauty right in front of you, but you never know what wonderful, magical gem might be just across the street, hidden away, waiting to be discovered.

Now, I Give You San Francisco At Christmas...


Union Square
December, 2012
San Francisco, California

It's not that Union Square, in San Francisco, hasn't been seen in a major motion picture, as a matter of fact it can be seen in the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but wouldn't a movie about a romance set during Christmas be beautifully filmed in San Francisco? Our skating rinks could give the Rockefeller Center ice rink run for it's money!

Need A Great Picturesque Place For A Character To Grab A Bite To Eat?


Tony's Cable Car (Menu)
2500 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, California

Look no further! Tony's Cable Car serves up the BEST burgers in San Francisco! Not only is it conveniently located on Geary boulevard, but it would be adorable featured in a movie as just what it is... a quaint neighborhood burger place. God, I get hungry for their burgers just considering it! Hollywood needs to make this place a STAR!

And Now For The East Bay... Berkeley


Tilden Park Berkeley, California

If you can't find a place to relax in Tilden Park... you don't want to relax! On the other hand, if you can find something to do in Tilden Park... you don't want to do anything fun! Tilden has Little Farm, The open space botanic garden, Lake Anza for swimming, plenty of trails for jogging, the carousel and steam trains for the kids. I love this place! Berkeley in general is a pretty photogenic place, and it's not that it hasn't had it's share of movie moments! The Graduate was partially filmed here, but I think 40 years later, it should get another chance to shine!

More From Berkeley...



Last, But Not Least, I Bring You To One Very Photogenic Spot In Sacramento...

 
Tower Bridge
Sacramento, California

Wouldn't the Tower Bridge make a spooky movie... spookier? I always have the best time photographing this bridge. And to make it all a little bit more spooky, it is located near Old Sacramento, which gives one a small step back in time to wooden streets and Old West storefronts!

Hollywood... Have I Made My Case?

Okay, now that you have seen my On Location  destinations, go see what the other participants are up to. Just click the link at the beginning of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog where you can find the list of participants, and all the information you need to play along!

See You At The Movies!

~Me :)

Looking Back At May 2013

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

"The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new."

~William Thackeray

Another month of my life has come and gone. Did I learn anything? Perhaps. LOL. Will I remember to use it, reference it, or otherwise allow it to make me smarter? Well... for that you will have to stay tuned! I know you will be on the edge of your seat! LOL. Anyway, here is a nice round up of the amazing moments I experienced in May, shared by my camera and me.

Looking Back At May 2013...











And now on to June! What will I see with my camera? My camera and I will take it one step at a time and We'll see!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Smile... Pass It On

"Does the giraffe know what he's for? Or Care? Or even think about his place in things? A giraffe has a black tongue twenty-seven inches long and no vocal cords. A giraffe has nothing to say. He just foes on giraffing."

~Robert Fulghum, All I really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

I spotted this goofy giraffe near the Oakland Zoo. I love it. Is it public art? You bet! Does it make me smile? Of course it does! I wish there was more stuff like this around. I would love to see art taken seriously in public schools again. Can you imagine how much nicer one's commute would be to see the occasional wild animal, or vase of flowers, or even just an amazing smile or message like... "Have  A Nice Day"... painted on a support beam or overpass? Great things can begin with a smile.






Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Sad Little Bear

"A bear teaches us that if the heart is true, it doesn't matter much if an ear drops off."

~Helen Exley

While I was photographing the gorgeous sculptures in the temporary sculpture park in Oakland on Monday, I just happened to spot this medium sized brown bear sitting on the balcony of an apartment  across the street. I couldn't quite make out the details of his face, but decided to take the photo anyway, because it was such an interesting sight. When I got home, and saw it on the computer, I knew I had to post it. The bear looks so sad, so lonely. I don't think I have ever seen one quite like it. The face of that medium brown bear nearly broke my heart.

I would like to think that it doesn't always have such a sad look on it's face, but rather from time to time he smiles a big broad smile. Times like when it's favorite human in the whole world is home, or when it's favorite canine or feline is chewing or drooling on his ear. Of course in the rational world stuffed bears have no emotion at all, and while I kinda count on the rational world, particularly in times such as these, I have to admit, I don't mind the occasional pondering about the feelings of Teddy Bears.

 

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

Art About Town: Oakland; Dandelion, By Karen Cusolito

"Art and love are the same thing: It's the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you."

~Chuck Klosterman, Killing Yourself To Live: 85% Of A True Story

Yesterday, Memorial Day, is a perfect day for hunting down Public Art. The traffic is low, and their is very few people moving about, so unobstructed views of the art, makes the whole trip a much nicer experience. Although, sometimes I actually enjoy watching others enjoy the art along with me. I don't know... I guess it just all depends on my mood. Yesterday it was cloudy and on the verge of raining, which is my favorite kind of day. Clouds and mist do something to outdoor sculptures. To me it somehow inspires a deeper appreciation for sculpture. I am not sure why, but it does. I think I must have a bit if Lilly Munster in me. Give me a cloudy day, a picnic basket, and sculpture park, and I am one happy lady. Oh and of course... my cameras.



This sculpture, "Dandelion" by Karen Cusolito, was one of 9 sculptures that grace this temporary sculpture park, the Uptown ArtPark, at 19th and Telegraph avenue in Oakland. I was able to photograph all 9 sculptures in this exhibit, all by crafted by different local artists, and I will be posting the rest of them over the next few months, along with public art from various other Northern California cities. Even with the incessant sunshine, I can't think of a better way to spend a summer then by photographing beautiful public art.

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Memorial Day 2013

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

~Thucydides

Have a relaxing, peaceful and safe Memorial Day.

~Me :)

Blue Heron At Crissy Field

"Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someones horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much."


~Gregory Maguire, Out of Oz

I wish I could have done better with this photo, but I was just so in awe of this Blue Heron that I wasn't ask focused as I should have been with the camera. Pun intended. Sometimes you have to miss really good moments, in order to capture the scene in front of you. Sometimes it's better to just enjoy the moment as and accept the memory rather than trying to make the moment immortal. It's always a split second decision. Good. Bad. Or otherwise. Over all I am happy with the photo as is. But the moment... it was a moment of unbelievable beauty.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)