I Can Has Spoiled Cat?

"On the other hand, I think cats have Asperger's. Like me, they're very smart. And, like me, they sometimes simply need to be left alone."

~Jodi Picoult

This is the face of a spoiled cat. Can you see the spoil? LOL. On the other hand, this is also the face of my child Dylan. Ask any cat enthusiast about whether there is any real difference between little boy humans, and little boy cats, and they will tell you, NOPE. Little boy humans and little boy cats are pretty much the same thing. Both are willful. Both have NO problem informing you of how completely wrong you are. Both species will fight with their brothers, out of a need to play and engage, and out of a need to express how completely pissed off their brothers can make them! LOL. Ask me sometime about the HUGE mistake I made over a little blue catnip mouse, that nearly lead to WWIII. No kidding!

I never had children, well, I never had human children. I was pregnant once, I lost the baby before I even knew I was pregnant. I never had time to become emotionally attached to the child. I had a very easy miscarriage, not emotionally speaking, but physically. A lot of blood, but no pain. I didn't even realize that was what it was, until a couple days later. After that event Alan and I didn't make any conscience decisions to not have children, I think we thought we might one day, but it wasn't really a priority. Here I am, a couple months away from my 51st birthday, and I can say that these furry little men meet all the needs I have maternally speaking. And I know one day I will meet my child in a different light then this one, but for now Elvis is keeping them filled in on all things mommy and daddy.

My furbabies love me. The need me, and they allow me to know that. I have someone to take care of and guide, although these two seemed to have come with the manuals on how to raise a proper human, so in actuality, I think it might be me who is being raised. I know I learn things from them all the time, and I can admit it! Here's the thing... what makes these two little boys right for me, is the fact that I will never have to get a call about a school shooting! Or a call about my child having gone missing. Or go through the worry of him coming to me one day and telling me he had been hurt by someone in such a way that he could only heal so just far but never completely.

Anyway, these two young men needed us, because of their individual stories. Both lost their feline mommies, but I was more than willing to shower them with love. And look at Dylan... I might be a little partial, but isn't he the most beautiful tabby cat? He isn't overly affectionate, but he doesn't mind being hugged for as long as I need to. He gets a deep brushing each night before I go to bed, and he purrs so deep that he sounds like a monster truck! His favorite thing in the world is to have his belly rubbed! Sometimes, when he is feeling silly, he will make an O formation with his mouth which means he is about the playfully attack. It's the funniest, cutest thing ever. I must do a video soon so I can share with you.

Sorry, I know I am going on and on here. I suppose I should put a sign at the top of the blog that reads...

WARNING: HOPELESS CAT LADY LIVES HERE. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

LOL. But really, isn't he cute?



Alan and I are thinking about sending a photo into I Can Has Cheeseburger. Without telling you which one is Alan's and which one is mine, care to help us choose the best one?

#1.

#2.

Dylan is a very spoiled cat, and I admit, I am the one who spoiled him! I am spoiled to, Alan is the one who spoiled me. Hendrix is spoiled, but that was both Alan and I together. Alan is spoiled, but that came from Hendrix, and me... a little. LOL. Okay, we are just a bunch of spoiled people, but there is so much love and life in this house and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Mood: Happy... still sick! But not happy I am sick!

~Me :)

Meow Mommy?

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

~Leonardo da Vinci

I am sick. It's a bad cold. I hurt all over... bad. I seem to get two or three hours out of the day when I am not in spasms of coughing, or doubled over in pain from pulled muscles in my back, legs, upper arms and chest.

My previous cat, Elvis, was a caregiver. He took care of Alan and we knew that his word was it! Every evening of his life, he would come into the living room at approximately 10:00 P.M. and stare a hole through us, until we got up, turned off the TV and went to bed. We would generally all get in bed together by 10:15 P.M.

After we lost Elvis to cancer, and prior to meeting our two new babies, I wondered what it would be like to not have someone care that much about the amount of sleep I got? I knew it would be just one more reason as to why my life would never be the same again!

Who knew? Hendrix was the first of the two new kitten children, and from the first moment Alan and I met our little man, he made it clear that he is here to take care of us! And a week later, when we found Dylan, we joked a bit with Hendrix that Dylan was now the baby, and he was the big brother, so it was his responsibility to take care of his baby!

We were just joking! But somehow it has always seemed like our little Hendix had not only understood our words, but had taken them completely to heart! LOL. Never assume your cat has NO idea what you are saying, they are amazingly intelligent and capable animals! It can be so funny when Hendrix will just out of the blue, begin to wrestle an unsuspecting Dylan, giving him the cat version of a nuggie, and biting him,vampire-like, about the nect!

I know I shouldn't laugh, but God help me, it's funny! Poor Dylan! And poor Hendrix when he doesn't understand why he is in trouble, when we told him that Dylan was his baby! LOL. Hendrix always looks up with a slightly hurt look on his face, as his eyes seem to convey... "But you said it was my baby!?"

Hendrix makes mistakes, we all do, even Elvis did, but the one thing he gets completely right is how he cares for Alan and I! He knows I am making scary noises. He knows I get scared when I can't breath sometimes, and he never leaves my side during those times! Yesterday morning I felt particularly alone, after experiencing a deep coughing spasm that made me feel like I was not so much pulling muscles, but rather breaking bones!

I was in the bathroom crying out of frustration, when the door opening with a thud. Hendrix came into the bathroom and wrapped his legs around mine, and pulled me down to sit, which I did. He then concentrated on nothing else for the 20 minutes except making me feel loved! He kissed my faced, rubbed his head on my forehead, then cuddled with me for about 3 hours after I went back to bed.

Hendrix loves me, and I love him back!

Mood: Happy

**Don't forget tomorrow, Saturday March 23rd, is the date for the next round of the Round Robin Challenges! Click HERE to be redirected to the official Round Robin Challenges blog where you can find all the information to play along!

~Me :)

Dad Knew Which Bolt

"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes."

~Gloria Naylor

Like most humans, I have my good qualities, and my bad qualities. Sometimes I think my very worst character flaw is my over propensity for sentimentality. It's my pattern of inability to let go of different things that serves as my greatest source of devastation. I have had super bad boyfriends that I seemed to have enough clarity to break-up with, but a year later I would find myself still mourning the loss of what could have been. Hell, I still find myself from time to time Googling old loves, not because I am unhappy in my marriage, or want to start some cheesy affair, but because I will remember a day we spent together, and I wonder what that perfect person was up to!

LOL.

When asshole thieves broke into our storage unit and took just about everything we ever owned, I didn't mourn the loss of the material items. Don't get me wrong, I still wanted the cherry wood dresser Alan and I purchased when we first got married, but at the end of the day it still amounted to being categorized as JUST STUFF. Alan wasn't stolen. Elvis hadn't been stolen. We lost replaceable items. Although I did have a particularly lovely little stuffed bear that breaks my heart to no longer own, but it has always been my hope that she found a little girl who needed a friend, and I know Bess the Bear would have made a wonderful one. But as at peace as I am with that thought, I still look for her on EBAY and other sights. She was a Boyd's Bear, about 14 inch's tall, and wore a blue gingham dress.

Lovely.



Yesterday, I experienced another great loss. Don't laugh. You see, I had inherited my father's PO BOX when he became ill and needed someone to help him with paying his bills. It was something shared by us, and that trust came to mean a lot to me. My father passed away in August of 1995 on the 29th day of the month. I had made plans to close the box 2 months after his death, but when the time came, I saw all kinds of reasons why owning a PO Box made sense for Alan and I, and he agreed! So we kept it, and used it for catalogs, and for corresponding with pals on the Internet and feeling better about privacy, because my siblings loved to go through our mail when at all possible. My sister in particular was LIVID that dad had shared his PO Box with me, as opposed to with her. She developed a hatred of that situation, that flowed over into our already rocky relationship.

She is stupid, mean spirited, a drug addict and I will speak about her no further.

I miss my dad. I enjoyed kinda feeling like he was nearby when I picked up mail from that tiny box. Unfortunately, the box is now gone. The yearly renewal for the box was for $49 and was due on February 28th. Well, that date came and left, with me having dropped the ball on getting a check to the Post Office. When Alan and I realized our oversight yesterday, and went to pay it, we found that due to a new rule, you don't get 30 days grace period any longer. You now only get 10 days grace! When we didn't show up to pay, they cleared the mail out, changed the lock, and immediately rented the box to someone else!

At first I was incredibly hurt. But then I remembered... dad knew which bolt could bring down an entire airplane!

How does that help ease the pain? Well, you see, Dad is right here with me at all times, he doesn't live in the Post Office. He gave me the values I have today. I am a liberal progressive because of him, a fact I literally thank him, and GOD for every single day! He never told me I couldn't fly in a plane, but he, as an aircraft mechanic, did in fact know which one single bolt that could bring down a plane of any size, and he refused to say which one, because he didn't want me to walk around with unreasonable fears. It didn't help, I had a strong fear of flying for most of my adult life, but one day I said FUCK IT, pulled the stick out, and allowed myself to live me life! Having survived 3 car crashes in my lifetime, one nearly fatal, I kinda found it stupid that I didn't give flying a chance.

The trip Alan and I took for our anniversary last fall was A-MAZE-ING! I wouldn't trade those memories, or the chance to photograph my beloved San Francisco from the sky for anything! And while I was up in the sky, pretending I was a snowy Egret, I could almost feel my very amused father sitting next to me! LOL. That's why I snapped the picture above, I could just tell he was right there, happy and aware that he hadn't raised a coward for a daughter. It wasn't in a twin engine Cessna... no... not on your life, twin engines are for pussy's... nope... I was flying in a single engine, Cessna Skyhawk, and I was living my life!

Sometimes it's not the great big things that hurt the most, it's the small things. Stupid things like a single tiny bolt falling off an airplane. But in my case, as much as that bolt falling off that metaphorical plane yesterday hurt me, it didn't and won't kill me. Dad isn't in the Post Office, he is right her with me when I need him. But on a happy note, the postmaster had changed the lock and therefore didn't need to the key... how cool is that? So, maybe when this cold of mine is finally done, I will make a trip to Michael's and buy some doodads and turn the key into a pendant or a bracelet or something like that! I am looking forward to that I think.

Damn... look at that... I think I have a pretty healthy outlook after all. Yes, I rock! LOL. Besides, the bill for my annual mailbox rental went from $49 to $89 in a year! I am pretty sure I would have given up on things anyway! LOL and again, I can almost hear dad somewhere whispering to me... "It's about damn time you let go of that thing... that price is outrageous! Damn republicans!

Yes dad... DAMN REPUBLICANS!

*Some of dad's favorite places in San Francisco. During the 1980s he work extensively on the restoration of the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Visitor Parked In The Western Sky

"I never really thought about how I look at the moon. It's the same moon Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and Cleopatra looked at."

~Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life As We Knew It

There is a rumor that if you go outside, just after dusk, you will see something special in the western sky. It's a comet, and it's called Comet Pan- Starrs (C/2011 L4). I checked out the western sky at sundown, and I saw the bright silvery bottom outline of the moon, but there wasn't any sign of the comet. It should have been positioned to the left of the moon, a slight angle down in the sky. I didn't see it, but I think it was being obscured by a small amount of wispy clouds that were in the same general direction.

I heard from the doctor, and as it turns out I don't have Whooping cough, I have a fairly new virus that mimics Whooping cough. THANK GOD! I will still have about a 2 week recovery, but I won't have to do any of the unpleasant things Whooping cough would have demanded. And more importantly, Alan won't have to walk around in a mask, take anti-biotics, or inform his coworkers that they may have been exposed to the highly contagious, painful, stupid, coughing spasm disease.

False Alarm!

My virus is a poser! Let's hear it for posers everywhere! RAH RAH RAH!

See, kept my word!

Anyway, back to the sky watching. I am going to try to get enough rest so I can venture out tonight, only this time I will drive down Grizzly Peak to my favorite spot, where I have a better, unobstructed view of the sky. The same basic place where I do my sunset photos over the bay should do nicely. Wish me luck! I think I will stop at either Panera or this wonderful little Chinese restaurant I frequent, and grab some soup for the trip. I am not sure which place will win out, both offer such different experiences, but both are wicked good so either way I win. Now, if the medicine kicks in and does it's job, and the twilight sky doesn't let me down, I think I will have something special to show you tomorrow!

Stay Tuned!

*If you would like to join me in photographing our visiting celestial visitor, pop over to SpaceWeather.com to get yourself a sky map and be sure to stop and take a look at the wonderful images of the comet compiled so far!



Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

It's Ice-Lolly To YOU!

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."

~Mark Twain



My work from home photography jaunts to my office continue. LOL. Don't let the happy little giggle just then fool you, I am NOT a happy girl! This cold of mine, as it turns out is not a cold at all. Nope indeed something worse lies beneath!

The symptoms weren't quite right. Low grade fever then outrageous fever then a low grade fever that goes away for a couple days, then mysteriously returns. No sore throat. Not that I am complaining. Sore throats suck! I had the bad mother of all sore throats once, Strep Throat, which felt like a collection of tiny stars that had been dipped in very HOT oil. YUCK. So, the absence of a sore throat is appreciated, but I have never had a cold that didn't include a sore throat.

Strange.

The next strange symptom came in the form of a cough. It was a strikingly unusual cough. It produced nothing or very little, but the cough itself was intense and intensely painful and fitful as well. Several times a day I begin to cough uncontrollably, to the point where I feel like some invisible entity has their hands around my throat. You know, like the mean spirited ghosts you sometimes see in movies and bad TV shows! It's deep, and again produces nothing, but literally leaves me blue from lack of oxygen. For several minutes a day, I can't stop coughing, and no air is getting into my body. Nothing. It feels like I had pissed my body off for the last time, and it is determined to choke the life out of me.

Okay, that's it! It was time for some tip-toeing through the web pages at WebMD and Kaiser Permanente.

Both medical information sites returned one distinct possibility!

Whooping Cough.

Great... I have a painful kiddie disease.

Make no mistake, while it is usually children who suffer from this, it is probably one of the toughest, painful, things I have experienced in my 50 odd years! I can't even imagine watching any baby or child go through the painful spasms of coughing I am experiencing, let alone if I had my own child experiencing it. I don't know how all those brave souls with children do it! I really don't!

I will find out for sure later today, well, almost. My usual doctor is out of town, so an associate will be calling me to interview me over the phone. If you could possibly have Whooping cough, they would rather you start with a phone interview. It makes sense, and besides, I don't have much energy. Every time I lie down to sleep, I wake up a short time later mid-spasm.

The final straw, the thing that made me finally call my doctor was the odd noise that tends to accompany the cough. WHOOP!

I will never make jokes about WHOOPING IT UP or MAKING WHOOPEE again.

Sigh.

But in the mean time, I have Popsicles and jello, and lots of nice cold water, and salty soup.

It's all good. Well, no it's not, but it's one step closer to being cured.

Whoop.

WebMD: Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Overview
Kaiser Permanente: Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Overview

Mood: Sad and Tired.

A Brief Overview Of Popsicles. Fun Fact: In England, they call them Ice-Lollies.

 

~Me

Thank GOD Fireworks Don't Happen Every Day!

"Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference."

~Robert Frank

 

I like the quote I chose for today's post. I think it fits my life as a progressive, and my life as a photographer. It fits a lot of decisions I make when it comes to actually clicking the shutter. Most of the time I prefer pure instinct, but in order to get better at what I try to accomplish with the camera, I have to schedule myself to practice with settings and light. Light! Oy... light can be your best friend, and just when you think you understand each other, the odd natural filter like a cloud or a flock of geese soaring over can change how you think about everything. Photographing fireworks is a lot like constantly trying to make a good impression. You have to get it right the first time, because there is NO forgiveness available.

 

Photographing anything in San Francisco, especially outdoors, comes with a unique challenge. In a word... angles. San Francisco is a love story, built on a million or so earthquakes. I swear, there are NO even angles remaining in the city. Nothing seems to really line up. My meter can read that I, and my camera, are perched equally straight on a hill, STRAIGHT, or even on a perfectly mostly flat surface and yet nope, some off angle is hiding somewhere, waiting for me to come along. Invariably there will be something out of whack! To the right. To the left. Something. I want and need to do more work with hills this year. Hills facing up and hills facing looking down. Stairs to. There are so many stairs in San Francisco... all of them present some challenges for the amateur photographer.

But challenges are good! I am thankful that I continue to be challenged by something I love so much!

I have not, and will not cease growing as a person, as long as I have photography to challenge me. And what's great about that is that as I adjust how I feel about lighting, I think I remain a little more open minded about the other challenges that haunt my brain. The ones that don't have much to do with photography. It all works out at the end of the day, and if for some reason I can't find the correct angle or lighting moment, or manage to screw in the right light bulb, there is always new opportunities the next day to get it all right!

My two great loves. Photography and Progressive Politics. 

Thank GOD fireworks don't happen every day!

Mood: Happy... but the head cold continues.

And Now... Boston with "More Than A Feeling"



~Me :)

Is "Head Cold" Capitalized?

"I want to grow a flower for every time someone tells me FUCK YOU." Then I'll go back to that person and pin the flower on their lapel in a gesture of friendship." And while they are looking down on it in astonishment, I'll bunch up my knuckles and punch them in the face."

~Jarod Kintz, I Want To Apply For A Job At Our Country's Largest Funeral Home And The Wear A Suit And Noose To The Job Interview.

As predicted the head cold (should that be capitalized) continues. Also as predicted, or as rather simply stated, I am posting some photos that were originally taken late last month. I am making progress in my illness, meaning I am aiming for my first day out with the camera to be Tuesday, in the afternoon. But as of today, we have crossed over into the pesky time of year when we lose hours. I know that it is only one hour of manipulated time, but to me it seems like hours and hours and hours! As you might guess, I am a HUGE fan of the FALL BACK but not of the SPRING FORWARD! It all seemed to work the way it needed to, so, okay, I got the concept, but then George H.W. Bush's moronic son, W, had to put his slimy hands on things yet again... this time... TIME!

It wasn't bad enough he made our money look stupid?

He had to fuck around with TIME as well?

Apparently... because here we are, setting the clocks ahead, even earlier in the year than we used to once upon a time.

Thanks a lot moron!

Anyway, in celebration of my least favorite day of the year, at least until the longest day of the year, June 21st, I have assembled some lovely poppy photos, which I have transformed into true art, suitable for framing! That's what happens when life gives you slightly blurry poppy photos... you make surreal poppy art suitable for framing!



Mood: Happy... Happy I TELLS YA! :)

~Me :)

Life's Challenges And Red Gates

 
 

"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional."

~Roger Crawford

 In two weeks I will be hosting the Round Robin Challenges once again! I haven't been a host of the photo challenge in a long time, the last time was actually for the subject of "Express A Feeling" on August 15th, 2010, which seems like forever ago, but was really less than 3 years ago. It seems longer somehow. Time is a strange thing sometimes, because it doesn't seem like my friend, and fellow Round Robin host, Steven, has been gone from the challenges, and our lives, for very long at all. Sometimes I feel like he will be back from vacation at any time to resume hosting again. In one of the last conversations we had, he told me that he would be back in no time at all, because he enjoyed sharing his photography too much to stay away for too long.

Time went by, emails and phone calls went unanswered, and I assumed that he had made the decision to jump off the net due to... well... whatever drives people to disengage from cyber relationships and pursuits. Some get jobs designing websites, and get sick to death of being on the Internet day and night. Some get busy with the day to day drama of being human, and boy can I understand that! Sometimes life is like a sitcom, which is fun, but when it's more like a drama... it can be downright exhausting! The last time I spoke to Steven he was still grieving the loss of his beloved cat, and I could more than understand how that can affect one emotionally, as it had been less than a year earlier that my cat Elvis had passed away. It was an event that I still have not fully recovered from even now. I find myself thinking about Elvis daily, despite my attempts at not doing so.

Karen, who is also a co-host, and original founding member of the challenges, lost her dog Tuffy during the same time frame. There was a lot of loss all interconnected. It was a lot, and it helped me to know that my two friends understood when I needed a bit of time to catch my breath. We all understood for each other... we all had our moments... we all needed the occasional step back from the challenges life was dealing. So sitting here right now, a part of the Round Robin Challenges again, for the specific reason of giving Karen time off to deal with not just the loss of another pet, her dog Pepper, but indeed a full plate of challenges ranging from personal, to employment to commitments made to her church.

Life. It has it's challenges.

"Don't give up! It's not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back."
~Steve Maraboli

I wasn't sure why I chose the subject of the current RRC: Gateways, to start things off. I went into my archives, and came up with a list of photos that had been previously posted, but not in the context of a photo challenge. The red gate photo is one of my favorites from 2012. It was taken on August 17th, in San Francisco, and graces the downstairs of the apartment on 20th street that Woody Allen used for his upcoming film, Blue Jasmine. My eyes were drawn to the gate immediately upon arriving at the film sight. It is a brilliant splash of color in an otherwise unremarkable street corner. Unremarkable until you look closer at the street and it's quirky splashes of color and life. A closer look at the street will reveal a lot of stories, from the dog walker I saw two days in a row, at the exact same time, with the exact same number of dogs, who stared down at a book he was reading as he walked along 20th street, never looking up to notice the movie being filmed, to the beautiful, medium sized admiral butterfly that alighted on a white gate, nearly directly across the street from the red gate that I found so fascinating!

 

Now I think I understand. Gateways lead us to the other side of barriers don't they? They let us walk away from pain on one side, into healing on the other. Life is full of gateways or bridges, although I think when a bridge is involved there is a lot more work involved. You know, the gate is a much quicker transition, but the bridge has tolls, and it's generally a longer journey beginning to end. Walking through a gate comes after the trip over the bridge. Of course I am probably over-thinking things again. Sometimes a gate is just a gate... right? But when I consider the whole picture, I can see some parallels. Sure. Anyway, life presents us with challenges, and it's up to us how we face them.

I like to face them with my camera, when at all possible.

That's why I take it everywhere I go.

Everywhere!

LOL.

The doctor's office. The DMV. Film sets. Grocery Stores. IKEA. Parks. Lunch. Bridges.

Anyway, in a couple weeks, on Saturday, March 23rd, I will be once again hosting the Round Robin Challenges, and if you would like to join us, you are most welcome! It's an easy enough challenge, and I would be very pleased to see how you might tackle it! So please consider playing along! If things go well, I might even consider reopening the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. I miss it very much sometimes. I think I have finally closed the gate on the things that made me so tired.

Round Robin Challenge: Gates
Saturday, March 23rd 2013

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Movies Photography And Basket Weaving

 

"My films are therapy for my debilitating depression. In institutions people weave baskets. I make films."

~Woody Allen

Mr. Allen has his films. I have my photography. Whatever one has or does to chase away the debilitating sadness is terribly personal to the one experiencing it. I know that a fellow human can't be thing... no. It has to come from deep within, way down deep. It is through the expressions of creativity come the emotion that makes us... us. Fear, sadness, despair, loneliness, there is no difference between those emotions and happiness, joy, contentment, popularity. Having too much of any one of those things can lead one to some dark ledges, in the middle of the night, during a storm... with lightning.

But I digress.

As I stood on the corner of Lexington and 20th, on that late summer day last year, I was filled up with all the motion back and forth, all the sights and sounds, all the life going on during the filming of Woody Allen's latest film, Blue Jasmine. In between the calls of QUIET... ACTION..., there was plenty to see both on the set and off. The public was allowed to come and go at will, and the neighborhood provided plenty of visual art. The young man in the photo above has a story, which is his to tell, but what caught this photographer's eye was the fact that he was dressed in garb that could have into fit almost any of Woody Allen's films! He probably dresses that way every day, and yet on this day he was simply moving about his life for a moment he became a part of the scenery of life like never before, at least as imagined by this observer! It was one of the many spontaneous, surreal moments that made me feel like I wasn't watching Woody Allen make a movie... no... it was more like I was sleeping walking and suddenly I was in a Woody Allen movie being made!

Have you seen it?

It's about a lifelong admirer of a genius, writer, producer, comedian, film-maker who brings the magic of movie making close enough for her to hear his voice across the street.

And she brought her camera along to document what it was like to watch a movie being made. But found instead that the danger of walking a sleepwalker is finding out you aren't in a dream but rather reality.

But hearing his voice across the street made the dream come true, and it was a more like a scene from a movie than reality.

Then suddenly she realized... she's in the movie.

And it was one of those days that remind her, no matter how things felt, or life got lonely, or world events scared or exasperated her, there would always be movies... and photography.

Art. And basket weaving.
 
:)

"The difference between sex and death is, with death you can do it alone and nobody is going to make fun of you."

~Woody Allen

Mood: Tired of coughing (That's a mood... right?)

~Me :)

Far Off Laughter On Late Winter Afternoons

"The Earth Is Art, The Photographer Is Only A Witness."

~Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Earth from Above

God has been working overtime as an artist lately... at least in my little corner of the earth. I am continuing to enjoy the sight of a bounty of beautiful autumn leaves, falling to the earth alongside the the softest of pink blossoms. When I see a late winter afternoon produce this kind of color, and shadow, I can't help but imagine that late in the evening, long after the park is closed, there are all kinds of spirits and sprites throwing hilarious drunken parties. Ones where they spend their entire time drinking all kinds of lovely elixirs, and making fun of the mere mortals like myself who can't believe nature can be this beautiful! Nature is a strange and wonderful magical realm.

Here are the original photos with the Watercolor filter versions alongside. I am thinking of doing a series of paintings next autumn. We'll see.



 

 

Tell me, when you are out and it's just you and your camera, do you ever hear tiny far off laughter?

And then trip for no apparent reason?

Is it always clumsiness?

Or do more than leaves, blossoms and the occasional animal haunt the parks and woods?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

NOTE: I am still fighting this cold, but I hope to have some new and exciting photos soon! Until then, I still have some photos from late February and early March that haven't been posted before.

Stay Tuned!

Sleeping In Tinfoil

"Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax."

~Arthur Schopenhauer

I have a cold. The Bay Area has a cold  front moving in, the meteorologists like to call it a storm. It's supposed to rain and rain and rain. It was supposed to be cloudy yesterday... it wasn't. I was looking forward to big bad, dark, threatening, ice filled rain clouds. Okay. Today it's supposed to rain. Okay. RAIN! It's the last 5 minutes of winter... act like it!

That is all.

“Sleeping in a tinfoil suit keeps me warmer and helps prepare me for my voyage to the moon. Would
 you care for some licorice? 
”



~Jarod Kintz, At Even One Penney, This Book Would Be Overpriced. In Fact Free Is Too Expensive, Because You'd Still Waste Time By Reading It."


Mumphf.

Temperature: 103.0

Mood: Flummoxed.

~Me :(

Gentle Reminders

"It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."

~Rainer Maria Rilke

I am enjoying spring. I love all the light colors. The pastels. Strange, I know, I am an autumn girl, and yes those earth tones will always catch my eyes before the soft pinks and amazing greens, but its a feast for the eyes, and one doesn't realize how much spring can be missed, until a gentle reminder warms your chilly bones. And the spring shadows are wonderful as well!

Mood: Content :)

~Me

Art About Town: San Francisco... "Annular Eclipse"

"Art and love are the same thing: It's the process of seeing yourself in things that are no you."

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

Annular Eclipse...
Noun: A solar eclipse in which the moon covers all but a bright ring around the circumference of the sun.

I think spending a little time, studying a great piece of Public Art, is a good way to begin a week, don't you? I am hoping to be able to get out this week with the camera, come rain or shine, and immerse myself in the magnificent Public Art that dots not just San Francisco, but most cities in the Bay Area! I have been doing my research and there are a lot of sculptures, and murals to be seen and photographed, and I think creating small "treasure hunts" if you will, is going to be my main focus this year. But you never know... sometimes it's not the photograph I assign myself to get, but rather the spontaneous moments of clarity of the unexpected art that makes the day spent outdoors with the camera!

The Sculpture: Annular Eclipse
By George Rickey
Located At: 560 Mission st. San Francisco
Kinetic sculpture with fountain and bamboo grove.

We had an Annular Eclipse in May of 2012. I was thrilled to be able to photograph the portion that could be seen in here in the Bay Area...

May 20th, 2012


I was quite happy with the end result! In order to get the shot, I had to bounce the reflection of top of our white awning in the backyard. Someday I will own one of those wonderful high powered telescopes that will make it look like I am right there, standing on the sun. Until then, it never hurts to be resourceful... right?

Solar Eclipse 2012: Annular Eclipse Makes Ring Of Fire (ABC News)

Mood: Happy

Have a great week!

~Me

Today An Arm, Tomorrow The Leg

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."

~George W. Bush

Well... it's all his fault...it's all George W. Bush's fault... right? The latest political bullshit, also known as the Sequester. It's his fault. Again I ask... right? Well, no. No it's not. As much as I would love to make a case for how it's his fault, I can't. No, the blame belongs firmly and exclusively with Obama, and the Republican party. While admire the president's show of political balls in his offer of a 2 for one compromise, he didn't try to give them everything! He is learning that terrorists can't be negotiated with, even when you give them what the want! But it distresses me that he still seems to be oblivious to the fact that the REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL NOT WORK WITH HIM... EVER!

The effects on each individual state will vary, but it will be devastating regardless of which state you live in. Here are just a few examples of how my state, California, will be affected this year alone...

California

1. California will face a loss of about $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education, which will put about 1,200 teachers and aides jobs at risk.

2. The Head Start Program
 Services for about 8,200 children in California will be eliminated.

3. Protections for Clean Air and Clean Water
- $12.4 million in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality.

4. Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution
 $1.6 million in Justice Assistance Grants that supports law enforcement, prosecution, crime prevention and education, correction and community corrections, crime victim and witness initiatives.

5. Job Search Assistance to help those in California find Employment and Training.
- $3.3 million in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, which results in about 129, 770 fewer people will get the help and skills needed to secure employment.

6. Child Care.
About 2,000 fewer disadvantaged children will have child care that allows their parents to work.

7. Vaccines for Children.
Around 15,810 fewer children will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, Hepatitis B.

8. Public Health.
- $2.6 million in funds to help upgrade it's ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events.
Also
-$12.4 million in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 9,400 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs.
-$2 million loss to California State Department Of Health Services, resulting in about 49,000 fewer HIV tests.

9. Stop Violence Against Women Program.
 -$795,000 possible loss in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 3,000 fewer victims being helped.

10. Nutrition Assistance for Seniors.
-$5.4 million loss for programs that provide meals for seniors.

And, of course, the nationwide cuts to federal programs affects everyone. The CDC. The FBI. FEMA and the F.A.A. are just some of the programs that will see significant cuts.

I don't know my country anymore! The levels of greed and selfishness are epic and embarrassing. When will the republicans end their incessant need to bend to the will of the top 1%? When will the republican party do the right thing, be it work in good faith with the president to balance the budget, or decide to be a part of the change for the better for future generations by voting for true gun reforms such as reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban? Now that can be blamed on George W. Bush! He has a lot of blood on his hands, as does any politician who puts a false idol above the life of even 1 American.

And as for President Obama... he should have stood up to the Republican party from day one, and he didn't! When he tried to deal with Republicans and they turned away, that is when he should have stood up to them, not turn the other cheek. I feel like the president has changed his tactics since the election last November, and that is a good thing, but I am afraid it is too late now. The sequester was a bad idea, and I said so when it was introduced, but what can I do? There was NO incentive for the special group of senators to reach a deal. I am only one small peep on the Internet, but I am pretty sure I wasn't alone in my belief that President Obama needs to move beyond his fantasy of some sort of a grand bargain. It's like America has become some sort of a cheesy reality show, and all of this drama and nonsense is scripted for ratings mindless entertainment consumption.

But to answer the question you are probably wanting to ask...

The answer is YES. YES I am glad I voted for President Obama a second time. Why? Because I would rather have someone in the White House who DREAMS of hope, and fairness and change, than someone who you only hear from during your NIGHTMARES.

Washington Post
White House Releases State By State Breakdown Of The Sequesters Effects

Mood: Frustrated

~Me :)

First Comes Autumn

"The last fling of winter is over... the earth, the soil itself, has a dreaming quality about it. It is warm now to the touch; it has come alive; it hides secrets that in a moment, in a little while, it will tell."

~Donald Culross Peattie

For the next five days or so, there will be some chilly weather systems moving through the Bay Area that will bring some fog, moderate rain and fairly cool temperatures, but it won't be harsh because basically, winter has already moved on. The snow last week on Mount Hamilton was short lived, but amazingly beautiful all the same, and it is more than likely the last time we will see it dusting the Diablo range this year. There will likely be a bit of a snow fall in the Sierra, but schedules being what they are, I am not sure I can make it up there to do any photography. That makes me a little sad, because our trip to Mt. Hamilton gave me a wonderful chance to experiment with lighting that I don't get to experiment with often. I loved how one moment the sun would create a halo affect around trees or branches and blossoms, but the wind around a corner and the whole scene would suddenly appear to have a blue cast on it. For an amateur such as myself, it was a lot of fun to work with!

Still, I have very few complaints about the situation with the weather. I plan to grab the cameras and head into Tilden Park for some late afternoon photography. Tilden never lets me down! There are plenty of opportunities to work with lighting and shadows. I am especially fond of the area around Little Farm and Lake Anza. Lots of birds and different kinds of trees, and if there is time, the Botanic Garden always provides some of the parks loveliest pathways and small trails. The best way to approach a day in Tilden is to plan not to plan! LOL. Just grab the cameras and let the scenes unfold without expectations. And when you finish in the park, there are usually some stunning sunsets to see! Grizzly Peak Boulevard is one of my favorite places to photograph the sun setting behind the Golden Gate. I never get tired of watching it!

Here are the remaining photos from the series I did last week in Walnut Creek and Cull Canyon Lake...

First Comes Autumn


And Now Spring
"Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be the only one of his instruments, not the composer."
 ~ Geoffrey Charlesworth


Proof Winter Was Here...
"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley


It will be time to feed and nurture the rose garden soon. The roses need some vitamins and a good solid dusting of cinnamon to begin the season. I am looking forward to seeing all those beautiful rose faces again! My cat Hendrix loves to eat rose petals like potato chips! LOL. He is a silly cat! He even cries for them when he sees me near them, so I always pick one or two for him. Fortunately they are one of the plants that is non-toxic to cats. No lilies for this girl! I only give him a couple petals at a time, and I only work with organic gardening products that I mostly make myself. I have to, my boy loves the roses almost as much as I do! :)

Winter was just cold enough this year to inflict a small amount of damage to the rose garden, but it's okay, thankfully, the roses are a lot smarter than I am, and they know what to do! Spring is an expert at renewing life... I will trust the season, and some TLC from me, to help the garden along. By the time summer arrives, the garden will be in all it's glory, and I can rest a bit. I chose roses that have a strong, spicy, clove scent, and some with a bit of a peach/citrus scent. It all blends together nicely, and on hot summer evenings, it makes me very happy to sit in the garden and watch the sun set!

Mood: Content

~Me :)

The Year Autumn Couldn't Stop Smiling

"Autumn... the year's last loveliest smile."

~William Cullen Bryant

I can't think of anything more beautiful, or magical, than to find a tree in the last days of winter, still holding onto the crimson kiss of autumn. The trees that surround Cull Canyon Lake are amazing! I would have expected by now to see only stick figures in the park, but instead the trees are still filled with the beauty of an autumn smile. It's like last year's autumn refuses to stop smiling! And it's emotion is catching, because I can't stop smiling either!













Is there anything more beautiful than the sight of a lovely tree filled with all the colors of delicious, sensuous autumn, standing beside a different tree alive with the soft, sweet blossoms of spring? It's the best of all possible worlds in the same moment of life! It's times like this that I am most thankful for my life on earth, and for the invention of the camera! I find magic in autumn leaves... and being able to bring my lunch to the park, and spend a little time in a second autumn, is nothing short of a wish granted! I have saved these moments, for later in the year, when everything seems unduly difficult and harsh, I can look back on last year's invincible autumn smile and things won't seem so difficult, in fact, it will remind me that anything is possible!

"Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year."

~Chad Sugg

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)