A Look Back At December 2014

"If sex were shoes I would wear you out. But I wouldn't wear you out in public."

~Jarod Kintz

December was a strange month. Both for myself, and the world at large. I did a good bit of photography, but I was mostly concentrating on the last leaves of autumn. Missing this December are all the holiday happenings, such as public decorations, and the baking of the cookies, cupcakes, and other assorted goodies. I also tend to throw in the occasional savory treats as well, but somehow the whole "Reason For The Season" was lost on me. Maybe it was all the demonstrations, and protests together with the fact that the Christmas Fantasy in Tilden Park is under new management, meant I just wasn't that into it. 

I don't know. It seemed to me, that I wasn't the only one who felt less than festive. Grouchy people were a commanding presence. But away from me the holiday season it got. Although I did manage to get all the shopping done I wanted to do, I am now looking forward to taking down the Christmas tree, and moving on to January 2015. I will try again next year, because realistically, I love the holiday season, and besides, how many more do I have coming to me? Uggg.... Enough of the whining. On to the point of this post.

Here is the usual monthly round-up of pictures taken, posted a day early, so that tomorrow, New Year's Eve, I can bring you the yearly retrospective of photos posted to Ellipsis, Flickr, and Twitter!

Enjoy!

December 2014 Gallery

It was quite a month!

Next!

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

1,000 Words

"When you have police officers who abuse citizens, you erode public confidence in law enforcement. That makes the job of good police officers unsafe."

~Mary Frances Berry

I photographed this young police officer, last month, on Black Friday, in San Francisco's Union Square. As you might expect, it was very busy there that day, there were shoppers, tourists, homeless folks, maintenance workers, the usual protesters of different causes, and there was the need for added security because of expected unrest due to the grand jury's decision in the Michael Brown case. Alan and I didn't stay that day, he simply circled the block so I could take a few random photos to post here on Ellipsis. It was just too crowded to stop as we usually do, so I did my photos and we decided to go down to the Embarcadero instead. After all, there is the Embarcadero Center for shopping, as well as a great ice skating rink, similar to the one at Union Square. And an added plus, there is a really nice underground garage which always seems to be warm! What more could a girl as for? And we had a pretty nice time that day, but there was plenty going on back at Union Square.

After we got home, came the live photos and news reports of the violence which had broken out at Union Square shortly after we left. As darkness fell, and the holiday shoppers waited for the Square's annual Christmas tree lighting, along came some protesters making their voices heard about the Michael Brown case, unfortunately their were accompanied by some bitter hearts and opportunists who were out to assault police officers and vandalize buildings that night. As it was, several San Francisco Police officers were injured, as they tried to protect innocent folks just there to shop and have fun with their families.  As I heard these reports, I couldn't help but wonder if the cop, whose photo I snapped that day, was among the injured for doing nothing more that doing his job? He was there to make people like me feel safe. The day after Thanksgiving has become something quite different than when I was a child... or even a young adult. While I understand the need for protest, and even applaud it, I don't understand the use of violence to protest violence.

While this police officer didn't look especially happy that I was photographing him, he never once told me to put the camera away. He never once demanded that I erase the photo of him doing his job, if anything he just went about what he was asked to do... his job! It wasn't an easy thought. It wasn't easy to decided when, if ever, to show this photo. In the weeks to come, after Black Friday, the violence and protests have gotten bigger and more intense. In fact now we have two dead NYPD officers, executed in their patrol car in Brooklyn. Two men with families. Two men who had nothing to do with the killing of Eric Garner, a man killed for doing nothing, but refusing to be arrested for... doing nothing. He wasn't committing a crime when one particular NYPD officer used deadly force on him. The New York city Coroner declared Eric Garner's death a homicide, but the grand jury in that case also chose to not charge a white police officer in the death of an unarmed black man.

Where will 2015 lead us?
  As the year ends I find myself with more questions than answers about the year that is about to end. 

1.Why did Phillip Seymour Hoffman not simply enjoy what he had, why did he have to lean on drugs to fulfill him? 

2. What happened to Malaysian Airlines 370?

3. Why did all those poor folks have to die when their plane was shot down over the Ukraine?

4. Why did Robin Williams kill himself?

5. Why didn't Joan River's doctor just do her job and take good care of her?

6. Why did an entire nation of voters, vote against their own interests and put so many Republicans in office?

7. Why won't Obama stop looking for respect and admiration from Republicans?

8. Why did North Korea take a ridiculous little movie so damn hard?

9. Why aren't big corporations taking cyber security seriously?

10. Hell, why doesn't the United States take it more serious?

11. Why are there so many holes in the Secret Service protection of our president?

12. Why did our friend have to kill himself one dark night?
13. Why can't I seem to lose these 10... no 12... pounds I want to lose?
14. Will my stupid HTC Vivid phone, that takes amazing photos, just hang on for one more month?
15. Where the HELL did my brand new pink Nikon CoolPix S3600 go? I got it in August, and it's been missing since October!
16. Why did an unarmed man in Brooklyn, not committing a crime, have to die in a choke-hold?
17. Why did an unarmed man die at the hands of the police, in a Walmart, for holding an air rifle, an item sold in that store?
18. Why did the police use deadly force on a 12 year old African American boy, for holding a toy gun?
19. Why did so many young black men and boys die this year?
20. Are we done fretting over Ebola yet?
21. Will the Hague ever come get the torturers? DICK CHENEY AND COMPANY?
22. Are we over the Kardashians yet? No? Why?
23. Why is Teresa Giudice going to prison, but not DICK CHENEY AND COMPANY?
24. Was the young policeman in this photo okay when the day ended on Black Friday?
25. As I type this, yet another plane filled with people has disappeared. Why? What happened?
26. Is the California drought finally over?
27. Why can we find enough budget for war, but not body cameras for all police officers. It makes everyone safer!
28. Did that young police officer mind me taking his photo that day?
30. Isn't that photo worth a thousand words?

Has Black Friday taken on a new meaning?

. Why... why... why... why... why... why... why... why... why... ?

2014 was just all about the WHY?

I am ready for 2015 to be here already.

Mood: Quiet

~Me 

PS... This post contains exactly 1051 words, not including this post script.

Have Patience With Me, It's Only Been A Week

"Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control 

of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't."

~Steve Maraboli

Life, The Truth, And Being Free

Let go? Let go of autumn? Oh sure, I can do that, no problem. Well, okay, it's a bit of a problem. I already miss it so much. It's cold. My body hurts, and there is almost no color, except for the trees with autumn leaves still hanging from the branches. Sigh... I miss autumn, but I admit I am a bit obsessed with it. But I also know better than to say I quit autumn any time I want because that's not true. I am hopelessly addicted, all I can do is taper off, and hope you understand it I am not good at it.

:)

There Is Beauty In The World.

"Stop and smell the flowers

And lose it the sweet music and dance with me

There is beauty in the world

So much beauty in the world

Always beauty in the world

There is beauty in the world

Shake your booty boys and girls, for the beauty in the world

Pick your diamond pick your pearl there is beauty in the world

All together now

Heya throw your hands up and holla

Throw your hands up and holla

When you don't know what to do

Don't know if you'll make it through

Remember God is giving you beauty in the world

So love (Beauty in the world)

Yeah love (Beauty in the world)

~Macy Gray

Beauty In The World

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Memento Mori

"All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another persons

 ( or thing's ) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. 

Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt."

~Susan Sontag

The year 2014 is facing it's mortality. And I for one am ready to grieve it and leave it. What a dreadful, treacherous, mean spirited, devastating year it has been. So much sadness... so much loss. Most of it pointless. If I hadn't had my cameras, and my new McDillet friends, I don't know what I would have done. They make me smile. They make me laugh, and they remind me that there is something else to focus on besides grief, politics, and the negative forces in the universe! Isn't life odd and random sometimes?

 While I have been a fan of Dylan McDermott's for years and years, I never knew how much he would come to mean to me. If not for him, and the fun I found through him, by way of the McDillet Babes, his devoted fans, and Daily McDermott, I would have rarely smiled at all this year! I will always be a little in love with him just for that, let alone all the million or so other reasons, such as his kind heart, his generosity, and his warmth toward his fans. He is a very nice man.

Okay, so now I want to look back at a few photos that for one reason or another

 didn't make it into an Ellipsis post, because they are lovely, and deserve to be seen!

The Unseen of 2014

The Dark Before The Storm

December 9th, 2014

Autumn Orange

October 1st 2014

 The Ghost

December 27th 2014 Berkeley, Ca

The Witching Time

October 23rd 2014

 Half Moon Bay, Ca

The Little Mushroom

December 7th 2014, Tilden Park, Berkeley, Ca

The Ride Along

December 8th 2014, San Leandro, Ca

The Peace Banner

December 9th 2014

Berkeley, Ca

Fallen Leaves

December 16th 2014

Orinda, Ca

The Crow

December 17th, 2014

Community Center, Castro Valley, Ca

Holiday Lights

December 13th 2014

Tilden Park, Berkeley, Ca

The Dandelion

December 9th, 2014

Berkeley, Ca

The Orinda Theater

December 23rd, 2014

Orinda, Ca

Art heals... so does friendship! I am lucky enough to have both!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Adventures In Photography

 

"Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera."

~Yousuf Karsh

I only had my Nikon CoolPix S3600 for a couple months before it went missing, while we were on vacation last October. I still have no idea what happened to it, but wherever it is, I hope it is assisting some other person with a great love of photography, the way it did me! Oh my, I loved that camera, and it was an anniversary gift from Alan. It makes me sad thinking about it. So I try not to, but it's difficult, and frustrating, to not have any idea what happened to it.

Just look at one of the beautiful moments it captured...

Sunset On The 17 Mile Drive, Monterey, California

October 18th, 2014

Oh my, I had big plans for that camera! Lots, and lots of photographic adventures!

But...

Alan, knew how much photography means to me, so shortly after Thanksgiving, he bought me my newest Nikon CoolPix camera, the model #S3600. It's not that cute feminine pink, but rather an elegant and fun purple. I love the pretty color, and so far, I am loving the new camera as much as the old one! It's a dream to use.

Just look what my new camera can do...

Sunset Over Marin County, As Seen From The Berkeley Hills.

December 23rd, 2014

 

Isn't it lovely?

My new purple camera was amazing gift from Alan.

I am a very lucky girl!

Thank You Alan... I Love You!

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

 

Merry Christmas :)

"If my Valentine you won't be

I'll hang myself on my Christmas tree."

~Ernest Hemingway

88 Poems

Okay, I know, that quote really doesn't seem like a great poem for such a family holiday.

Let's try again.

"... freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin

inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night... ."

~John Geddes

A Familiar Rain

That's better, but not quite right either!

"He was a simple honest man. He never strayed,

He never drank  he never smoked, and he never kissed a maid.

And when he passed away his insurance was denied.

Because he never lived, they claimed he never died."

~Ted Gup

A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & A Trove Of Letters

Reveal The Hidden History Of The Great Depression

Hmmm... That last one leaves us with something to think about,

 but it's not very festive.

"Christmas, when observed with the right spirit, 

still has the power to call miracles from 

Heaven to Earth."

~Richelle E Goodrich

Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings For Every Day Of The Year

There... that's better!

From Our House To Yours...

Merry Christmas!

 

Mood: Festive

~Me :)

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Brothers Gordon

"There are no strangers on Christmas Eve"

~Mildred Cram and Adele Comandini

It's Christmas Eve! 

Time for this year's performance from 

The Brothers Gordon...

And From 2013...

 

And Now, My Favorite Christmas Song... And David Letterman's too...

 

 

We hope we have brought you a big holiday smile!

 

From our house to yours...

 

Merry Christmas 

 

And

 

Happy Hanukkah Too!

 

Mood: Happy, Grateful, And Filled With Joy

 

~Me :)

Wintery

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."

~John Steinbeck

Travels With Charley: In Search Of America

Winter begins. And I am determined to find the beauty in it. 

 Even the ugly beauty.

Actually, I love winter. It's cold, and wet, and frosty.

Well, everywhere but California.

Here... we call winter Naked Spring.

:)

Nah... I kid the bleak season!

;)

Mood: Wintry

~Me :)

 

Latkes And Pine Trees

"Santa Claus has nothing to do with it," the latke said.

 "Christmas and Hanukkah are completely different things."

"But different things can often blend together," said the pine tree. 

"Let me tell you a funny story about pagan rituals."

~Lemony Snicket

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story

This holiday season is fine, but everything surrounding it has been a little bit strange. Do you feel it too? I mean there is the usual stupidity... mass shootings, flaky family fights making the news, weather incidents, because for some odd reason people tend to forget what rain and snow are, and then there is the special kind of stupidity of politics... 

stupidity which usually comes with raisins on top whether you order raisins or not.

I expect stupid. Stupid has been a part of the American fabric for some time now, but I think 2014 has been a special kind of... WHAT THE FRESH HELL IS THIS?... with one scenario after another. I plan to address that later, after Christmas, for now I am concentrating on the most disturbing part of this holiday season... the lack of the heart of things. The decorations, the smiles on peoples faces, I even find myself missing the Christmas music playing in the background, like a soundtrack, as I shop. Something is missing, and it isn't because any silly made up WAR ON CHRISTMAS, it's missing because we are all mourning common sense. Remember that thing? Common sense?

Oh well, with each word I type here, I am reminded that by complaining right now it means I am passing some of the bad feelings along, and doing that right before the holiday could get me nothing but a lump of coal on Christmas morning. So, in that same spirit that I find lacking all around me, I will move on for now, and embrace feelings less negative by sharing photos I took earlier this month. They're pretty, and they remind me of all the good of the season... well... any season for that matter... nature and the gifts of color and beauty. They were taken on days when I just felt like giving up. I wanted to just throw my hands up in the air and say... OKAY YOU WIN... NO holiday spirit will happen in this house!

Fortunately, as always, my camera helped me come to my senses.

 My common senses!

Like I said at the top of this post... This holiday season is fine. There's is plenty of time for ranting and raving, and make no mistake, I plan to, but for right now I think my attention is turned toward something more important. My attitude.

The Reason For The Season

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards Men.

And Women.

And Cats.

And...

:)

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)