It Was A Walk In The Park...

"A lone walker is both present and detached, more than an audience but less than a participant. Walking assuages or legitimizes this alienation."

~ Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History Of Walking

Is it really only Thursday? It's been a very long week so far, oh it was the usual number of days, but it has had a god-awful... I don't know... darkness to it. There is nothing more depressing than a beautiful summer day that carries the weight of grief as a companion. Yes, I took Robin William's death hard, I am, in truth, devastated. I have some very personal reasons for that, and as such I will probably never share why, but believe me the grief I feel right now is deep, but I will be okay because I know, this to shall pass! Cold? Perhaps! True nonetheless. The loss itself, however, will haunt everyone who loved him forever. That's what suicide does.

Forgive me, I had no intention of getting this into things. I guess I am just sharing about how dark I feel at the moment. It's the same darkness I felt a few months back when our friend "J" took his own life, in the middle of a cool, dark, mid-spring night. No sign was shown by him that day, it was business as usual, and yet within a few short hours he was gone. Just gone. And the rest of us were left with little information about why he made that decision. I have come to the conclusion that truth is... it was none of our business! So, when that fact finally sinks in, it both simultaneously heals you, and drives a stake through your heart. 

Nice!

Thanks friend!

What choice do I have now? The same I had a few months ago. None. So yesterday, I decided to take Alan's advice, and grab a cold drink at Starbucks, and head out with the camera! Alan reminded me that when I grieve, I tend to see things I photograph differently. My perspective is, or seems to be, finer tuned. He reminded me that I took some of my best photographs after the death of my friend Pam, and again after the death of my Elvis. I don't know if I took any photos yesterday that would qualify as "some of my best" but I made the effort. And what did I find through the tainted eyes of grief? Autumn is beginning to kick summer out on it's treacherous ass! 

 "But then fall comes, kicking summer out on it's treacherous ass as it does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he had done since last he saw you."

~Stephen King

I am glad I made the effort. At first it didn't sound like a good idea. I was tired, and really just wanted to nap, but moving forward has to start somewhere, right? Starting at the end of summer seems fitting somehow. The old wound for my friend, and the new one for Robin Williams are two separate spaces that need time, space, and in the end, letting go of. 

"The scariest moment is always just before you start."

~Stephen King

Mood: Quiet But Okay

~Me

Goodnight, Lauren Bacall

 

"You can't start worrying about what's going to happen. You get spastic enough worrying about what's happening now."

~Lauren Bacall

Rest In Peace Beautiful One!

~Me 

Oh Captain, My Captain...

I will miss you! 

God is a tough audience, but I know you will do your best!

Rest In Peace

~Me

One Photo, Two Versions...

 

"Weeds are plants too, once you get to know them."

~A.A. Milne

A little over 10 years ago, I spotted this in a yard in Berkeley. I was just out doing errands, and looking for a parking place. The parking sucks in Berkeley, but sometimes I am thankful for that irritation because you can happen upon the most interesting things on your travels around town, and your quests for a parking place.

I don't know why, but I LOVE this planter/yard ornament! The first time around the block I saw it, and it just struck a cord. The second time around the block, I got a better look, and kinda felt a weird draw to it! The third time around, I gave up, parked the car, and got my camera out. I tried to be discreet, and not make the homeowner nervous, but I knew I couldn't go home that day, without photographing it! 

I am still not sure why I find it so intriguing, but I do!

I just do!

Version #2

 What do you think?

In color or Sepia?

Mood: Creative

~Me :)

Photography In Black And White

 

"The Friendship Embrace"

March 21st, 2007

San Francisco, California

"When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls."

~Ted Grant

I took this photo back in March of 2007. I haven't posted it before because, as a rule, I feel like it would be improper to steal one's moments. I do take the pictures, obviously, but usually it is for my own education about doing spontaneous photography. When I do a photo like this one, nine out of ten times I am a passenger in a car, and an opportunity will present itself. Like this one did! I have always liked this picture, because the gentleman in the photo knew I was taking the photo, and seemed quite okay with it... flattered almost!

But I never posted it until today.

I think it deserves to be seen.

Mood: Creative

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Where'd You Get Those Eyes?

Autumn Me (Selfie) 2006

"The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter... ofthen and unconscience but still a faithful interpreter... the eye."

~Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

RRC: Where'd You Get Those Eyes?

Eyes? I suggested an eye challenge? Yeah, I think I did! I just wonder why I chose eyes? I hate doing selfies... HATE THEM. But I have done a few, and thankfully Karen said we can think outside the box when it comes to the challenge topic, so here are some of my favorite eyes. Most of the photos have been posted before, but there are some that while photographed a while ago, haven't been posted before. 

Enjoy!

Where'd You Get Those Eyes?

Elvis 2006

                                                  Elvis And The Boy Next Door 2008

A Scan Of My Left Eye
                2009

                                                               Hendrix Kitty 2010

The Whistling Tree
    Autumn 2012

                                                       Baby Dylan November 2008

The Ostrich
  June 2005

                                                              The Kitty Next Door
                                                                          2007

And with that last photo, we come to the end of my gallery of EYES! :) 

Now that you have seen my gallery, why not check out what every one else came up with? To be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, just click the link at the top of this post. That is where you will find the links to everyone's blogs, and all the information you need to play along!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Here's An Epiphany...

"Poets have been mysteriously silent on cheese."

~G. K. Chesterton

As the Fibromyalgia rages on, I am posting yet another archived photograph, but never before seen, of one of my favorite things ever... CHEESE. And what's the epiphany? Well, I took this photo back in 2005, and nine years later, I still LOVE CHEESE! 


Now excuse me, while I try to will feeling back into my fingers. Stupid Fibromyalgia.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

I'm In A Purple Mood

 "Weeds are nature's graffiti"

~Janice Maeditere














I seem to be in a purple mood. I am not sure why... just am. Anyway, while I know that this is basically and invasive weed, I have always admired the Purple or Plume Thistle. I love the green and purple contrast. If it wasn't so irritating, it would be lovely to have around. Shrug. I think I will just appreciate it for it's beauty, and forget about the irritating part!

~Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Pink

"Stop counting crayons, just draw pictures."

~RuPaul

Good advice! Sometimes it's just as simple as that!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

About 3 Seconds Long

"It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen."

~Anthony Burgess

Okay, so filming is underway in San Francisco, for the newest in the "Terminator" series, Terminator 5: Genesis. It officially began last night at around 10:00 P.M. and was due to film through the wee hours. I am not there, of course, but hopefully I will be able to make it over to San Francisco one day this week, with my camera by my side, to capture some of the behind the scenes fun! Or at least what Craft Services has available for the cast to munch on! 

Watching a movie being filmed is a little like watching paint dry. I have learned that whether there is a snack table for extras or not, always bring your own food. Both times I was promised food in exchange for being an extra in a film, I found that what we were told would be available was a striking overstatement. BYOF! Now, if you are merely watching the filming for the sake of having some fun and getting some behind the scenes photos, you tend to have more options, and there are usually several open restaurants in the general neighborhood that you can duck into. Still, I prefer to eat before I go, or eat after I am finished with my photo taking. But that's a personal choice. When I went to watch Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine, my blood sugar was out of control, all I had was some water and still my BG was over 200. Stress is stress... even the good kind!

This time around the celebrity is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who really doesn't due much for me! Not a fan! I used to be, then he became the governor of California and frankly, he put so many families in so much pain, based on his bone-headed decisions I couldn't even watch his films for a long time. I don't think about how hard things got for us, it's a waste of time now, but I haven't completely forgotten those times either. That would be difficult to almost impossible. But California is on it's way to healing, and it's a much brighter future, so let the filming on the next big blockbuster begin! I wish the film luck! And I am very happy for San Francisco! We need more filming to be done here! Apparently it's pretty easier to work here, because one onlooker described the scene being filmed in the Mission district as only being 3 seconds long! LOL. Sounds about how... ahem... filming with Schwarzenegger would be. I can only imagine, but the mind does reel!

Quiet 

Rolling

1 2 3

And Scene!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Hour Of Pearl

Point Montara
March 3rd, 2005
 
"It is the hour of pearl... the interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself."

~John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

This photograph is from the archives, but has never been previously posted, so technically it's new! 


Right?

Why didn't I post this photo back in 2005? I am learning a lot about myself by tip-toeing through the archives. I think I passed on posting this subtle sunset, in favor of the sunset that came a few minutes later, and was much more intense in color. I think early on in my digital photography I concentrated too much time on the dramatic. I am taking note of that, we will see what this autumn brings. I am not sure I know how to do subtle in autumn! LOL. We'll see!

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Art About Town: Santa Rosa... A Joe Cool Summer (2007) Archived

"I think I have discovered the secret of life, you just hang around until you get used to it."

~Charles Schulz

One of my favorite memories of chasing down public art, happened in the summer of 2007, you see, that was the Joe Cool Summer in Santa Rosa, California! That summer Snoopy statues, each with a different theme, dotted the town, and Alan and followed the pup around town, with the help of map that indicated each uniquely themed Snoopy could be found. It was a lovely way to get to know Santa Rosa, the town in which Charles Schulz lived, and where the Charles Schulz Museum is located! 2007 was the third year that Santa Rosa exhibited the Peanuts art, the two previous years featured the main man Charlie Brown, and the second year was completely devoted to Woodstock. I need to do a search through my archives to see if I can come up with the photos I took from the earlier series, but for now we have Snoopy to enjoy. I always loved Snoopy!

A Joe Cool Summer 
Santa Rosa,California
2007

Classic Joe Cool

Beagle Ridge

Asnoopbis

Cool Reflections

Cool The World

Coolest Conservationist

Impressionist Joe

Joe Brakeman

Joe Masterpiece

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem

 Pucker Up Sweetie

Shakespeare Snoopy

World Famous Novelist












Alan and I had an amazing time that day. And to think, it was August 2nd 2007, so just about seven years to the day! I think it might be time to revisit Santa Rosa! It's less than two hours from Berkeley, and that makes it just about perfect for a day outing with the camera and the hubby! 

Note: I only posted a partial list of Snoopy sculptures, to see the full gallery from the summer of 2007 click here.

Sounds like a plan! :)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Strength Of Observation

"It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way, so we must dig and delve unceasingly."

~Claude Monet

I have spent the last week or so digging deep into my archives, trying to get photos moved to the new computer. I should have saved the images to either a portable storage device, or online cloud, but I procrastinate a bit, so now I find myself tasked with going through files going all the way back to 2003, to make decisions about what to store, what to keep on a flash drive, and what to store in one of the older computers I keep for just that... storing files.

It's quite a task, I have a lot of images to file, but it's a lot of fun too! I have been smiling a lot the last few days as I reminisce about my kitty Elvis... gosh I miss him... and all the flowers and interesting places I have been in the last decade! I have come across photos, and memories, I hadn't considered in years! I think tip-toeing through the archives more often! Sometimes one forgets just how happy they really are, and how happy they have been!

Life is good!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: Berkeley, Addison Street Poetry Panels... "A Textbook Of Poetry, 21 By Jack Spicer

"There is something about poetry beyond prose logic, there is mystery in it, not to be explained but admired."

~Edward Young

A Textbook Of Poetry, 21
By Jack Spicer

Hold to the future. With firm hands. The future of each afterlife, of each ghost, of each word that is about to be mentioned.

Don't say put beauty in here for the past, on account of the past.
On account of the past nothing has happened.

Stick to the new. With glue, paste it there continually what God and man created. Your fingers catch at the edge of what you are pasting.

You have left the boy's club where the past matters. The future of your words matters. That future is continually in the past.

That pathology leads to new paths and pathfinding. All the way down past the future. The words go swimming past you as if they were blue fish.

I love the Addison Street Poetry Panels and visit when I can. They inspire me, and calm my nerves, and remind me that even in the toughest time, there is truth and beauty just around the corner! Addison Street is a very special place on this earth.

A Look Back At July 2014

"Taking a picture is like giving a piece of your soul away. You allow other people to see the world through your eyes."

~Katja Michael

It's time to say goodbye to another month! Goodbye July, 2014! You were kind to some and devastating to others. I have no complaints about my life, or my little corner of the world, but I am saying some prayers for others... prayers of peace...and keeping a good thought that maybe August will bring some kind of ... well... sanity to this world. I will never give up on hope. NEVER!

Looking In The Rear View Mirror...

And Forward We Go...

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

 

"Go on, hitch a ride on the back of a butterfly. There is no better way to fly."

~Pat Monahan, Scott Michael Underwood, and James W. Stafford

~Get To Me

Just a picture and a quote tonight. Super busy, means super tired! I thought about maybe not doing a post for today, but I came across this photo in the archives from February, and thought it deserved to be seen! Just think, that pretty butterfly has already lived it's life, and moved on to the other side. I imagine that heaven must be  filled with the souls of a million butterflies! In fact, I can't imagine heaven without a creature of such beauty, but in truth, I imagine there is all kinds of beauty in heaven. And cats too. LOL.

What, and who, do you think you'll see in heaven?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Zebra Longwing
Heliconius charithonia

The Old And The New...

San Francisco
March 1st, 2014

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."

~Mark Twain 

Mark Twain loved San Francisco... and so do I. But he loved the city in a different era, so I have often wondered what he would think of today's San Francisco. I would love to be able to sit down with him, and really find out what he thinks of today in general. Would he be a follower of reality TV, maybe, but I think if he did it would be to mock it. Would he enjoy a good ride on BART? I will have to consider that one longer! LOL. How about all the amazing street performers, especially the ones who dress like him, and tell tall tales? Someone impersonating you could either be the biggest compliment ever, or a total insult, so I am sure when it comes to that he would consider the issue from all angles.  What about one of the most famous quotes about San Francisco, most often attributed to him, not actually being by him?

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

According to Snopes.com, it wasn't said by Twain! This opinion is based on some pretty extensive research into his writings. That quote is simply not something mused by him, however it's believable he could have uttered it. Have you ever been in San Francisco in the summertime? It can be cold... really cold... and layers of clothing are often required, but it's also true that we have micro-climates in and around the city, and we natives have just come to depend on the best bet of always leaving the house with a sweater, or jacket, no matter what the temperature says it is! LOL. It's just what we do! And I am sure that during his time in San Francisco, he learned to do the same thing! That's the one thing about San Francisco that he could probably still relate to the best, if he were to suddenly come back for a visit. The weather. Cities change. People sometimes change. Culture changes. The weather generally doesn't. Unless you consider Global Warming a thing. Gee, I wonder what he would think about that?

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics"

~Quoted by Mark Twain in his autobiography, he attributes the quote to Benjamin Disraeli.

"So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it, but I couldn't find honest work."

~Mark Twain

:)

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Vivid

"To be creative means to be in love with life, You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance it's beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, and little more dance to it."

~Osho

I agree whole heatedly that your general outlook on life affects your creativity. When I became deeply depressed years ago, and lost my ability to enjoy life, I couldn't even think about being creative, and yet people around me encouraged me to try. I at first that it was a waste of time, but as it turns out, I was wrong. I took pictures. Dull, lifeless, unfocused, half hearted photos, and it was frustrating because one of my favorite joys in life seemed to be gone, like I had surgery to remove it. In a lot of ways it sent me further into despair, but in that I felt like I had no choice, I continued and I snapped photo, after photo. Then one day, 3 years after the depression began, I felt myself wake up, and I felt life again. And I saw life again. I saw colors and places and objects with renewed interest. Like those things had not existed for a time. VIVID. LIFE WAS VIVID ONCE AGAIN!

I have been feeling uninspired lately, but slowly I have been getting my photography mojo back. This week I am hoping to get out and do some real photography! There are some new public art pieces in San Francisco, and some new gardens that look promising. I may not have my energy as high as I would like, but I have the will and the drive, so perhaps the other will follow. I have to try... right? If the current conflict in the middle east, and in the Russia/Ukraine has taught us nothing in the last couple weeks, it has served as a reminder that life is too short to allow depression to take our joys from us!

Mood: Encouraged

~Me :)

Here We Go Again...

"You live and learn. At any rate, you live."

~Douglas Adams

Okay, well, it was inevitable. Today I am officially posting from the new computer. It is an HP Envy. It's too soon to tell you that you should be... envious that is... but I will get back to you on it! LOL. It's going to take me a few days to get everything back where it belongs, you know, websites and such, but I do have a few things in place. Blogger and Twitter, and, of course, I have my celebrity crush, Dylan McDermott, all nice and tucked into my favorites tab! I have my priorities after all! :) The one downside to getting this new computer is having to deal with Windows 8.1!

 I will not mince words, I was happy... HELL... thrilled after the disaster that was Windows Vista. What a walk through hell that was! 7 was everything Vista promised to be. Well, you know, you were there! Anyway, I liked Windows 7 very much, and I feel like they could have just continued with that program, but no, they created Windows 8, and then later, 8.1, so get over it and get with the program, right? Learn it and stop bitching, right? It's not like I hadn't used it before, I have it installed on my laptop, and it was fine there. So really, get over it!

Okay. I will. 

Sigh.

I don't like change, unless it's summer changing into autumn. I am completely on-board with that!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)