The Sun, The Moon, And October Surprises

 

"October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles."

 ~Sarah Guillory

Reclaimed

 

 Last night the October, Full Harvest Moon, was shining in all it's glory, but like last month, the smoke from all the wildfires was painting everything with an orange tint because of all the wildfires. The sun and the moon, both look like pumpkins in the sky. Perfect to user in October. Hopefully, by the time we get to the second full moon for October, which will happen on October 31st, all the smoke will be gone and the wildfires will be a sad distant memory. For a few days last month, we had a few days of blue skies, and reasonable temperatures. By reasonable I mean it was under 100 degrees. In fact, it was a little chilly the other day, and I thought for a fleeting moment that perhaps we had turned to corner of autumn, but I should have known better. It will be at least a month before we get to that delicious point of the season, when I get to take out my comfy sweaters, and put my favorite blanket back on the bed. Its a great feeling to have the kitties curl into me to keep warm and feel safe.

So, besides the moon and the sun being turned into pumpkins, and that there is another full moon to look forward to this month, October arrived with an exclamation mark behind it for other reasons. The phrase "October surprise" was once applied to the Stock Market, something would occur that caused a large move downward in stocks. But it has also been used in the world of politics. This year's political October surprise, shook the world.President Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania, have both tested positive for Covid-19. White House aide, Hope Hicks is also positive, and is unfortunately suffering with symptoms. History will document what comes next. The Stock Market is falling, I dread the thought of what it will look like by tomorrow morning. Trump not taking this seriously, is what got us here. It's on him. Who knows how many folks will ultimately be infected by their careless actions. 

 

I don't have anything more to say, except I hope folks who attend his rallies, will finally understand, Covid-19, is NOT A GAME. Hopefully they will all be able to get tests. I don't wish anyone harm, I just wish MAGA cultists would start taking care of themselves. I encountered a Covid-19 denier in the wild the other day. I was coming out of Kaiser, after having some routine tests done, when I passed a woman and her mother, coming into the hospital. I overheard the mom requesting a mask, and her daughter turned to her and said, "Mom, you don't need one, trust me I am very well informed." I felt so sorry for that little lady. The elderly get hit especially hard by this virus. I wanted to help her, but her daughter gave me a dirty look, and then started to laugh. It seemed like she was laughing at me, for wearing a mask. There was a lot I could have said, but you can't tell folks anything they don't want to hear. It left me angry, sad and very frustrated. I am always going to wonder if that little lady was okay, if she caught it. It hurts my heart to think of it.

So, my post tonight was going to just be about the sun and the moon, and how they look like pumpkins, but instead, we, America, are now in the middle of a serious national security issue, 32 days out from a national election. And everything just got turned upside down. The words "October Surprise" have never been more pointed.

Stay Tuned

 Harvest Moon By Neil Young

~Carly

October 2nd 2020

Stockton, California

 

The Orinda Theater Needs You

 

"No season appeals to the eyes as much as autumn; no season touches the souls as powerfully as autumn and no season invites us to the world of mournful thoughts as intensely as autumn!"

~Mehmet Murat ildan

The Orinda theater, in Orinda, has been an October tradition in our house for several years now. I first learned about this lovely theater through, Johnny Funcheap. That's the website where you can find free, or at very low cost, things to purchase, or events you can attend. Festivals, free days at parks and museums, and sometimes theaters, like this one. Every second Thursday's are Free Movie day. The first time we went, we saw Rosemary's Baby. We had an amazing time, seeing this horror classic on the big screen! It was great for people watching too. It seems on this visit, that most of the millennial's in the audience, not only came with their parents, but these kids had never seen the film before, a fact that still puzzles me to this day. How can anyone not know about Rosemary's Baby?

Anyway, before each film the management give a few details about the move, and then they hold a trivia contest, with gourmet cupcakes as the prize. That night there we 12 cupcakes arranged in a box which formed a baby buggy, something like the one on the official movie poster. From that very first night we were hooked. We have seen some really great films there. North By Northwest. Halloween. When Harry Met Sally. Eventually it became the official first outing of our vacations. Last year we suffered quite a disappointment when  PG&E cut their power because of worry over high winds and fire dangers. The film was Back To The Future, another film that I have never seen on a big screen. It was a bummer, but we thought there would always be 2020 to get things back on track.

And we all know how well that turned out, right? Covid-19 came along, and with it, a lot of heartache for everyone. Not all families have lost a loved one to the virus, thank goodness, but a lot of folks have lost their livelihoods. This little theater has suffered greatly. It's been closed since March, and is getting by on donations to their GoFundMe page. What's worse is, Trump is going around acting like he has single handedly saved all of us, while the pandemic rages on.

 The election is a little over 30 days from now, and I am genuinely hoping that he will be thrown out of office, at the very least, but to see him prosecuted for his many crimes would be even better. But its a harsh fact that even if both things happen, neither will safe the theater. I don't know how much longer folks, like the owners of this theater will be able to hang on. Every day that goes it becomes more likely that they won't be there anymore. It's really sad. I really love this place, there just isn't many theaters like this anymore.

If you can help save the Orinda Theater, please consider giving whatever possible to this amazing place. I know they would appreciate it, and so would the community! Just click the link below

Orinda Theater GoFundMe

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #10

~Carly

Stockton, California

October 1st 2020

Art About Town: Castro Valley... Sunburst

"The day was blossoming into a truly lovely example of autumn... the air was crisp, but the sun was warm."

~Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade

Okay, so last night the first debate took place between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. I spoke a little about it in my last post, sigh, as I sit here writing this all I can say is that it could be described with just one word... SHITSHOW. It wasn't just me saying that, in fact Dana Bash of CNN also came to that conclusion and said so on national television. God I miss real politics. Real debate. Real moderators running the show, not the candidates. Passion is one thing, but what Donald Trump does is not passion, it's dirty, filthy bullying. But I am not going to deal with that right now. This post is about art.

 Electrical Box art to be exact.

 These boxes are scattered all through the Bay Area and starting to make their way out here to the Central Valley.This particular box is titled, Sunburst, by artist Bhavna Misra. It's located in Castro Valley, at the corner of Center st and Heyer ave, in front of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church. I love the colors of it, and how upbeat it makes me feel. This type of public art has been a practical and necessary for the communities they are in. Making something so beautiful from the common, if perhaps a little mundane is magic. But that's what art does. It makes you feel. This kind of art has been around for over a decade, and each new one I spot ends up being a delightful surprise! I wish they had been around when I was a kid. I think I would have competed for a chance to paint a box for the community. What an honor it would be to make someone smile, as the are on their way to or from. I am very pleased that this exists in the world. 

 

 Today's Autumn Leaf Of The Day

~Carly

September 30th 2020

Stockton, California

33 Days...

"A moral character is attached to autumnal scenes; the leaves falling like our years, the flowers fading like our hours, the clouds fleeting like our illusions, the light diminishing like our intelligence, the sun growing colder like our affections, the rivers becoming frozen like our lives... all bear secret relations to our destinies."

 

~Francois-Rend de Chateaubriand

Memories d'Outre-Tombe 

Tonight is the first of three debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and I wish I could say I am looking forward to it, but truth is, I am dreading it. I am, or perhaps was, a politics nerd, but unfortunately, I am just too damn tired to put in any real effort into talking about it, with the exception of sudden bursts of venom I manage on Twitter. Take the graphic above as an example. I just made it earlier this evening, and it wasn't easy. I had to make myself do it. Now, I know what you're thinking, "No one made you do it" and of course, that's absolutely true, well mostly anyway. You see, I made me do it. I used to enjoy making my own graphics, especially for political posts, but my nerves, at least what's left of them, are completely frayed. So bad in fact that my patience is practically non-existent. Even with folks I genuinely like and admire. Sigh. 

Maybe it's just that I don't know what to expect. Trump is an asshole. Joe Biden can be an asshole, but usually it takes a fair amount of provoking, to cause him to lose his shit. Tonight has all the potential to be nasty beyond compare. My body hurts just thinking about it, but I guess it's a necessary evil at this point. Most pundits are expecting Trump to pull out a dossier filled with nothing but baseless innuendo regarding Hunter Biden, which would be funny if it wasn't so fucking pathetic. Dirty tricks of the 1950's. Paging Roger Stone! And just think... there will be two more debates after this one, and one with just Pence and Harris! The prospect of that one doesn't bother me quite as much, in that Pence mostly behaves like an adult, if one doesn't mind listening to him perform verbal fellatio on Trump. 

The next 33 days are going to be HELL ON EARTH! I am so grateful that I have my leaves to help me get through it. 

~Carly

September 29th 2020

Stockton, California

 

When Leaves Have To Let Go...

 

 

"When leaves have to let go of the tree,

 they wear their best colors

 and they dance all the way to the ground."

~Karen Kingsbury

Finding Home

Here are my first cemetery photographs for 2020. I have enjoyed visiting the graveyards close to where we live in the Central Valley, but this year, with the situation with the pandemic far from solved, I think it might be time to visit graveyards in Colma, California, and maybe even Golden Gate National Cemetery. I wanted to practice out here first, and kind of find my inspiration in the monuments, like this angel. I find the quiet and history of these places comforting, and I am needing plenty of comforting this year. Life has never felt more fragile. 

I guess in some ways I am beginning to identify with the character of Maude, from the amazing film, Harold and Maude. The older I get, the more I want to not just exist, but to live, especially now that things in the world have become so frightening. Deep down I know everything is going to work itself out, but sometimes in the middle of the night, I swear I can hear the missiles flying over. I wonder what Maude would say about that? I suppose, now that I think about it, she would simply burst into song, or steal a car. LOL. Two actions I am not nearly brave enough to try, but who knows, perhaps I will do just that one day, if I don't give up.

 Anyway, there are two historical persons, buried in the Bay Area that I have been meaning to pay my respects to. Wyatt Earp, in Colma, and the Black Dahlia, who rests in the Oakland hills. It's also time that I revisit the crosses on the hill in Lafayette. They were placed on the hillside as a tribute to the fallen American service members of the Afghanistan Iraq wars. It's been such a long time since I dropped by to pay my respects and do some updated photography. When that tribute was erected it was so controversial. The owners of the property wanted to share with the commuters along the HWY 24 corridor, what the human toll of those wars looked like in symbol. 

 Pretty soon a false narrative was established by Republican "patriots" who felt that the monument was somehow disrespectful. It wasn't disrespectful in my opinion, because like with most art, it was installed to provoke and make the viewer consider the full emotion of losing a loved one, or sometimes a full community, to war. All these years later, it's rarely, if ever mentioned. Isn't that always the way? Controversies stop being controversies when folks stop caring. It takes a lot of energy to be outraged. I am so grateful to our military, for the sacrifices they make for us every day, and they deserve so much more than to be forgotten. Hopefully, me and my camera can help that effort in some small way.

And Now Today's Leaf Of The Day

~Carly

Stockton, California

September 28th 2020

 

 

The First Autumn Leaf Collection Of 2020

"Autumn.

A season. A girl. A memory.

Autumn,

Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

Her smile was infectious.

Her laugh was a cure.

Autumn.

She broke me." 

~Akiah Watts

~Carly

September 27th 2020

Stockton, California

It Was August Two Weeks Gone

 

"The grass in the back field was almost waist high, and now there was goldenrod, that late summer gossip which comes to tattle on autumn every year. But there was no autumn in the air today; the sun was still all August, although calendar August was almost two weeks gone."

~Stephen King

Pet Cemetery

Of all the authors who have ever lived, I think Stephen King might understand autumn more completely than any than any other I can think of. The way it tastes, the way it has a way of stealing your last breath with it's beauty, and the way it can scare you. I photographed those beautiful ducks on September 11th, with the air so full of smoke that had drifted from the many wildfires, I could barely breathe, but there were those gorgeous creatures, minding their own business, without any real cares. I had a nice time with them. I knew things would improve, and they have, considerably, but this weekend is supposed to see higher temperatures, and winds, as it does in autumn, which is bringing renewed worries of more fires erupting.

 Fire season doesn't end now until December, ten years ago it was late October. The Earth is pissed, and frankly, so am I. I am sick of Republicans pretending Climate Change isn't real, but what can I do when a good part of the voting block would rather clutch their pearls over the irrational fear of losing their guns, then care the Earth is dying. All I, as one person, can do, is keep separating my plastic and aluminum, cut plastic can separators, and throw away as little trash as possible whenever possible, but I'll keep praying for the birds, butterflies, and the vegetation in California. In another decade, should we last that long, it's possible to see fire season not have a begin or end date, it will just be a constant threat. Autumn won't just be scary, for the chills of Halloween and the fun of being scared for the fun of it, it will be scary because it won't actually exist anymore.

~Carly

September 26th 2020

Stockton, California

West Lane Bowl (Mid-Century Beauty)

"An autumn garden has a sadness when the sun is not shining."

~Francis Brett Young

Cold Harbour

 In this case, the autumn garden is all the businesses shuttered, waiting for the Covid-19 to finally move on. Unfortunately, it seems like it will be a long time before San Joaquin County is out of the woods. There are so many places all over Stockton, with sad little notes proclaiming they will be back, and there will be better days, but I am not so sure. Trump is doing nothing to help this ugly time pass, in fact, he's reveling in it. Holding big rallies. Not encouraging any social distancing. It's sad. And the regular flu season is now just a heartbeat away. I feel for the businesses suffering.

 

Sorry, I meant to focus on the fact that this building is another example of magnificent mid-century style and architecture. I haven't been able to find much information about it, but apparently it predates 1963. I will try to do some more research to find out what it's story is. In the mean time, there is that amazing color combo of orange and turquoise again. A combination I noticed was also featured in the fabulous new Ryan Murphy series, Ratched. It's also set in Mid-20th Century, in a fictional psychiatric hospital, somewhere near Monterey. Maybe it will be explained within the series, you never know about these things, and it not, it gives me a nice excuse to visit the Monterey Peninsula in my quest.

Leaf Of The Day

~Carly

September 25th 2020

Stockton, California

Art About Town: Oakdale "Yesterday Is Tomorrow"

 

"The leaves are changing; I feel poetry in the air."

~Laura Jaworski

In August I told you about our trip to Oakdale, but I saved a little back for future posts. Well, the future is pretty much now. So, here is a look at a little bit of art that can be found in the Central Valley. It sits in front of the Cowboy Museum and it is titled "Yesterday Is Tomorrow." It was installed in 1992, by artist, Betty Saletta, and is in bronze. I was rather disappointed that the cowboy didn't have a name, but that tends to be a running theme out here. There is a ton of references to the Old West, but it doesn't seem to be specific to any certain events. Its kinda like it's just a generic history of the Gold Rush. I don't know, maybe I just need to explore more out here perhaps. And I can do that, because vacation begins October 9th, and I am really looking forward to some autumn adventures. This photo was taken in the last month of summer, while the wildfire was coloring everything a strange orange/red hue. I wonder what Oakdale looks like under a crystal clear autumn sky. If the leaf below is a preview, I have a lot to look forward to! Stay tuned, because I have more to share!

The Leaf Of The Day

~Carly

September 24th 2020

Stockton, California

One Autumn Leaf Four Emotions

"I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it." 

~Lee Maynard 

 I came across the most beautiful leaf yesterday. So pretty, in fact, that I ended up doing several versions of it. It was a really windy day, and there was this beautiful leaf standing up to it, curbside, in a puddle praying to not get hit I am sure. So many colors, which to me are like emotions when I look at leaves, because if a leaf is as pretty as this one is, all kinds of emotional memories can pass through my heart. Autumn is so beautiful. I see lots of Fall decorations using earth tones, but the leaves tell a much different story, and this one has the story of a whole year written in the book that will be this year's autumn, and we are only on page two!

And Now Today's Leaf Of The Day

~Carly

September 23rd 2020

Stockton, California

 

Welcome To Autumn 2020 And The Leaf Of The Day

"But when fall comes, kicking summer out on it's treacherous ass as it always 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 then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and the things he has done since last he saw you."

~Stephen King

Salem's Lot

Finally... we cross over. It's autumn. I feel safer, and yet I have never been more frightened. Worldly events make it seem and feel like if I go to sleep, I won't wake up. Killed at the hands of a madman. I kinda like a world with autumns. Where I can have my cats, my familiars, my photography and home. My love. My morning sun. This is the autumn I need to heal me. But maybe it's too much pressure to put on this one season. Still, if all goes well, I will get a six month nap, and I never sleep better, than I do in autumn, so there's that. But hey, we are here now, so I am going to enjoy the autumn light for as long as fate allows it.

~Carly
September 22nd 2020
Stockton, California

On The Last Full Day Of Summer 2020

"Summer-induced stupidity. That was the diagnosis..."

 

~Aimee Friedman

Sea Changes

It's the last full day of summer. The wild berries are dying on the vine. Most mornings require a light blanket, and the sun is shining that beautiful autumn gold, as the summer sun seems to already be sleeping. Nothing remains of the days filled with too much light, the smells of neighborhood barbecues, and backyard birthday parties that filled the world with the sounds of youthful joy. But autumn rises, so loud and with so much authority, I could almost feel it shove summer out of the way and say...

 "Goodnight Summer.

You did the best you could in the world of Covid-19.

 Now be still, let go."

 

Autumn Ready To Take It's Place

~Carly

September 21st 2020

Stockton California