A Look Back At July 2013

"In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away."

~Shing Xiong

 

Wow! When I put together this month's retrospective, I couldn't believe how busy the month had been... and how emotional as well! From the fun of the Fourth of July, to the crash of Asiana Flight 214, to the photo you see above, of a fun day in San Francisco, playing tourists! It was a full month! A summer day in San Francisco... there's nothing like it!

Here, see for yourself...

































Like I said, it was quite a month! And now, on to August!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

My Tabby Terrorist

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

~Ernest Hemingway

Dylan. Dylan will be 5 years old next month, but he has a way about him that he can fluff himself up, roll into a ball, and turn his head, giving him the appearance of being about 3 weeks old. LOL. He can be a total brat terrorist one moment, and practically a stuffed animal the next.

But he is an honest cat always. You always, always know how he feels.

He is the baby... and he knows it.

Spoiled!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Yellow And White Water Lily

"I would like to pain the way the bird sings."

~Claude Monet



Isn't it gorgeous? There was only one water lily in bloom when I visited the Conservatory Of Flowers last week, but one was all that was necessary to make me smile. It looked like a little bit of sunshine. Beautiful! With the golden Koi floating about and the reflection of the panes of glass in the water, it all came together nicely to make for a gentle, serene scene. Perfect!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco "Hard Bop" By John Atkin

"Hard Bop" By John Atkin The Fillmore Center San Francisco

"Sculpture occupies real space like we do... you walk around it and relate to it almost as another person or another object."

~Chuck Close

 

Earlier this month I posted the first two parts of my three part series about a temporary sculpture installation in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. I will be posting the last of the series soon, but for now I would like to take a look at a different sculpture, which is permanent to the neighborhood, "Hard Bop" by artist John Atkin. The sculpture sits at the Fillmore Center, at the corner of Fillmore and O' Farrell streets. I have become quite fond of this sculpture. My visits to that neighborhood wouldn't be the same without stopping to enjoy it for a few minutes. Abstract sculpture hasn't always interested me, but lately I have come to really enjoy viewing pieces like this one.



What do you think?

To learn more about this piece, and the artist, click here.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Someplace I Have Never Been

"I never kept up with the fashions. I believe in wearing what I thought looked good on me."

~Bettie Page

RRC: Someplace I Have Never Been

A couple weeks ago, Alan and I, grabbed our cameras and got out of the house for the day, deciding to spend some time in the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. There are some amazing murals all through the neighborhood, as well as the occasional bit of public art, which makes it very photogenic, but it's not just that which draws us in, it's the fun and spontaneous sights as well!

We have visited Haight/Ashbury quite often over the years, but it seems like it is never the same place twice! I thought about just posting pictures from around the neighborhood, but with the true  spirit of this challenge in mind, "Someplace I Have Never Been," I decided to step into one of the marvelous, gitchy boutiques on Haight that has caught my eye many times, but I have never actually been inside!

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

~Coco Chanel

Welcome To The Betty Page Store...









Aren't the clothes amazing? Oh my goodness, how I love retro-chic! The first dress would be perfect for a night of swing dancing, don't you think?  And the red dress with the cute little cropped jacket is just perfect for going out to lunch, but don't forget some little black gloves to go with it! Gosh, I could have bought all kinds of beautiful things that day, but I decided to put them on my Christmas list. Alan liked the fancy pink and blue dress the best, but I kept going back to the marvelous red one! LOL. What style! What glamor! I can remember pictures of my mother, when she was a young lady, rocking outfits just like those! Thank goodness for retro-chic! Don't you just love the black handbag with the pink bow? :)

Bettie Page was quite the curvaceous beauty, and the clothes in this store represent the styles of her era the 1940's and 50's perfectly! Lucy, Ethel, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and then there was Bettie Page. While she wasn't exactly known for a conventional modeling career, Bettie is better known for a life of twists and turns. She lived in San Francisco for a while, but as her career as a model went through it's paces, she moved about the country. She was known as not just a "pinup girl" but indeed the pinup girl of her time, and she was named "Centerfold Of The Month for Playboy's January 1955 edition. Her life took yet another turn later, when she became a Christian and she began working for the Reverend Billy Graham for a while. Unfortunately, while she achieved her own kind of stardom, she also experienced a good bit of tragedy as well. However turbulent her life might have been, one thing is for sure she left her mark on pop culture, and her style lives on! Katy Perry, Madonna, and many other performers have paid homage to her through their stage style.

While some may have not approved of her choices in life, one thing is for sure, she lived in a stylish time! A time when girls with curves were all the rage, and it was okay not to be a poster girl for stick figures. GO CURVES! I am always watching old movies from the 40's and 50's and admiring the style of white gloves on women, and hats on men! What a marvelous time for fashion! While Bettie Page is known mostly for her risque modeling, she also did a significant amount traditional fashion modeling as well! Good or bad, she was her own person, and I admire that!

How To Dress Like A Fashion Icon In The 50's.

1950's Vintage Fashion Trends Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn Fashion Icons

Bettie Page Store

Mod Cloth

Okay, you have seen my "Someplace I Have Never Been," so go see where everyone else has been! Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, where you can find all the information you need to play along, plus the link to all the participating Robin posts!

"Create your won style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others."

~Anna Wintour

Read more about the life of Bettie Page at Biography.com

Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)

July 2013 Butterfly Gallery

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste)

"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days... three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain."

~John Keats, Bright Star: Love Letters And Poems Of John Keats To Fanny Brawne

We visited the butterfly exhibit at the Conservatory Of Flowers on Wednesday, and I can't imagine a more perfect way to spend a summer day! There were a lot more butterflies flying about, then on our last visit, and a lot of new types that I haven't photographed before! The Conservatory has completely redesigned the exhibit, adding some new touches this year, such as a better variety of things with wings, and the addition of new age music to enjoy them by! It is a lovely place to stop and relax!

July's Butterfly Gallery...


Great Southern White (Ascia monuste)




Monarch (Danaus plexippus)




Monarch (Danaus plexippus) And Buckeye (Junonia coenia)


Julia (Dryas iulia)


Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)


Morning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)




Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon Lucas)

The Conservatory Of Flowers, in Golden Gate Park, is such a gorgeous place any time of year, but during the summer and autumn, it just comes alive with beauty! There is nothing quite like it!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Perfect Midsummer Day In San Francisco

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

~Mark Twain

Depending on who you ask, Mark Twain may, or may not, have said that. Personally, I believe he probably did, because even in the middle of the summer, I still need a heavy sweater when I cross the bay into San Francisco! See that marine layer in the top photo, that's what keeps us cool, even on a bright midsummer day! Oh, it's not like it's always cold in the summertime, in fact I can remember some absolutely sweltering days, but for the most part it's usually quite mild there. And I love it!

Can you tell?











I did a lot of photography yesterday, but it wasn't all photos of San Francisco, I also photographed some public art and a lot of new butterflies at the exhibit at the Conservatory Of Flowers! You'll see! I will be posting what I saw in San Francisco, over the next several days!

Stay Tuned!

To Thine Own Shoe Be True

"If you were to ask me what's under my bed, I'd tell you shoes. They're brown, and they're still attached to the body that's been decomposing there since I hid it three days ago."

~Jarod Kintz, This Book Is Not For Sale

I came across this pair of tan deck shoes, hanging on a pole, in Haight Ashbury the other day. I named this photo "Pole Dancing" for obvious reasons. LOL. If you are in a creative mood, feel free to leave your own caption for this photo in the comment thread. I would love to see what you come up with.

And Now A Poem...

No red, Yes no?
In out, up down,
Do, don't, can, can't?
Choices sit on the shelf of life
New shoes in a shoe shop
If the crowd are squeezing into must-have shoes
And the one pair left are too tiny for you
Don't feel compelled into choosing them
If you're really a size 9, buy that size.
While everyone hobbles round with sore feet
Your choices should feel comfortable
Or they aren't your choices at all.
Why limp, when you can sprint?

~David Baird, Fiesta Of Happiness: Be True To Yourself

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Does The Truth Set You Free?

"Whether you live to be 50 or 100 makes no difference, if you made no difference in the world."

~Jarod Kintz, Great Listener Series Mute Women

BradleyManning.org

I spotted this poster in the Haight last week. I couldn't believe how effective it was at provoking my feelings of sympathy for Mr. Manning, as if I didn't already have a world of sympathy for him. I don't approve of how he has been treated by his own government. Yes, he is a whistle blower... a teller of truths... and what did he get for it? Certainly not a timely due process. Certainly not as much support from the general public as I would have expected. But that's the thing about the truth, along with the clear conscience, comes the responsibility, and the fact that some folks would just rather be lied to, as opposed to knowing the naked truth.

Quotes About Truth From Folks Smarter Than Me...

"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood."
~George Orwell, 1984

"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you."
~David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest

"There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth."
~Maya Angelou

"Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it."
~Mark Twain

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."
~Oscar Wilde, The Importance Of Being Ernest

"Me occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
~Winston Churchill

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole."
~Malcolm X

Thoughts?


Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco... Stop And Enjoy The Fillmore (Part Two)

"Aftermath" By J Seward Johnson. San Francisco, California. July 17th, 2013

"There are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in history books."

~Charlie Chaplin

Stop And Enjoy The Fillmore (Part Two)

A little over a week ago I posted the first in a series of 12 sculptures which were recently installed, on a temporary basis, in San Francisco's Fillmore district. The collection is called "Celebrating The Familiar" and it's placement is for encouraging visitors, and native San Franciscans alike, to not just visit and patronize the Fillmore neighborhood of the city, but to indeed stop and enjoy it for it's own unique atmosphere. As with last week's posting of the first 4 sculptures, I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood, and taking in all the sights and sounds around me. I hope to photograph the last four sculptures in the series this week, which will make me a little sad because I will be done with this series, but on the other hand I am so glad I decided to break them up in groups of four, rather than photograph and post them all at once. I have really enjoyed the different experiences each time I have visited the Fillmore.

"Celebrating The Familiar" Part Two




"Aftermath" By J Seward Johnson




"Out To Lunch" By J Seward Johnson




"Waiting To Cross" By J Seward Johnson




"Frequent Flyers" By J Seward Johnson

I really love this series. People, going about their lives, living life, is art. Sometimes life is drama, and sometimes it's all about the whimsy. There is extreme beauty in the ordinary, and there can be magic in the routine. It's all a matter of perspective, and the eyes we choose to see with.

Part Three To Come Soon... Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy And Inspired

~Me :)

**To see Part One in the series click here.