In Need of Repair

Next week, they'll start pulling apart our bedroom. I lay on the bed taking pictures of the walls and the ceiling, feeling sad to be losing more of the quirks of our house. But then I looked through the pictures and noticed how worn and dirty and completely in need of repair everything is. Not sad anymore.

cat casualty

This guy sacrificed his life to be a gift Boots the cat presented at our door step.

Huge Bird of Paradise

I've decided to concentrate more of my entries close to home. I walk our hill several times a day. Every time I walk it feels like a new neighborhood - every time I see something that makes me stop and notice. But usually I have forgotten my camera. No more.

drive without distractions

Thankful this is all that happened when a woman checking her GPS on her cell phone rear ended my husband in his parked postal vehicle.

Out of place

Yesterday I was with a friend
She: a white woman who'd grown up among the Maori of New Zealand

Me: a white man who teaches an ancient Hawaiian tradition

And we came across a wild turkey, digging for grubs and worms

in Battery Park--the very bottom tip of a very urban

New York City

All of us "out of place" in our community

and yet all of us managing to survive

(and perhaps even thrive)

Freeway walker

While I was on the 101 fwy, I saw this woman walking along side; didn't see a broken down car or anything.

The How of It

Art college for the fine artist is all about the why of it - theory and critique. It's all about figuring out why you are making art.

In art college, very little is directed to the how of it. No one taught me how to prepare a canvas or organize a palette of colors. No one showed me how Rembrandt or Rubens painted.

Now, it's time to learn the how.

I'm taking a painting class that is the exact opposite of the painting classes I had in college. This one is all technique and no content. No one here cares why I'm painting; they only care how.  A hard mental switch, and a slow process of painting. But I'm happy.

The underdrawing on my carefully prepared wooden panel

Lucky Penny

I pick up coins from the ground. Even pennies. I pick them up, put them in my pocket, and feel richer and wiser and luckier. 

 Every day, when I walk the dog, I see this penny. I want to pick it up and put it in my pocket. But this penny mocks me. When our street was resurfaced, someone placed a penny on the wet tar and pressed it just enough to embed it. It shines and winks at me everyday. "Pick me up. You know you want to."

a pair

This pair of avocados are just asking to be picked...soon.

Fearless Playing

Today, my violin finally moved from the piano bench where it had been sitting quietly since last Christmas. I dusted it off, tuned it (sort of) and played. I tried to fearless, but I am quite sure it must have sounded something horrid to anyone passing by the open windows. Now it sits on the dining room table. I hope I have a chance to be fearless again tomorrow.

instructions

Step by step instructions on how to wash your hands in a local restaurant restroom.

Daily News, 1947

We pulled the cheap 1970's paneling off the wall in the bedroom. Underneath we found more, but this time heavy wood panels. And glued onto that, we found pages from the Daily News, October 31, 1947.

License plate

I was on time, I guess this driver wasn't.

Christmas Violin

Last December I got out my violin (that I hadn't played in 35 years) and did my best to learn the most simple Christmas carols I could find. I promised myself that the following year I would spend some time with my violin and really learn to play something right. So I didn't put it away; I left it sitting on the piano bench (the piano also gets little to no use) thinking that if I saw it sitting there, I would remember my promise to play it. Now, it's almost October. The violin hasn't moved since last Christmas.

I promise that tomorrow I will pick it up and, at the very least, dust it off.

Meow!

Was quite surprised by Milo when I went to get a bath towel.

Endeavor

How could I not post the space shuttle today? Very cool to witness history in the making.

Space Shuttle over L.A.

The space shuttle was just shuttled over our heads. 

In a few weeks it will travel through the streets of L.A.to its final home at the Science Center 

near downtown. Would love to see that, but just don't know if I can handle those crowds.

Dumpster Books Redux

Books saved from the dumpster, scissors, glue, and old press-on letters make for a well spent evening.

Today's vertigo challenge

button

Four years later...still haven't changed my mind.

You should probably avoid this staircase if you have vertigo...

Flower Switch

There are a lot of one-of-a-kind things in our house, repurposed or handmade by a long-ago owner. I love all these quirky things, but over time, one by one, they are disappearing. All the electrical on this wall needs to be replaced, the entire wall ripped out. This light switch cover may be the next disappearing victim. But if I can just grab it before the workers start trashing everything (I've lost so much that way), this little piece will find a new spot somewhere.

trio

This little Gnome has now joined the other 2 fellows in my cubicle; too funny.

Similar texture

Shadows in the Living Room

I don't know where these shadows came from. I've never seen them in my living room before. I hope they come again tomorrow.

Dusk in Chelsea

flat tire

Was greeted by a flat tire at work today; fortunately I, for some odd reason, had an air compressor in my van and was able to fill the tire up and get to the tire shop before they closed; and..fortunately when I purchased my tire in January,I paid for a warranty which I was able to take advantage of; got a new tire free of charge; sort of; had to pay for labor but the savings of  new tire was huge!

A Day at the Dog Beach

Home from the beach and Donkey is D*O*N*E.

Best invention ever - the dog beach.

Wet Paint

We spent the day painting a fence that stretches

all the way around the perimeter of a cul-de-sac 

that borders our neighborhood park.

Preparation for an upcoming centennial celebration.

It was great to work with our hands

And live UNplugged for a day.

facet

Spied this hummingbird facet and found it charming.

Desktop

This is just one pile of many that cover the desktop. 

The topmost paper of this pile is dated from January this year (not too bad); 

the bottom-most paper is dated 2001.

apple tree

Apple tree in a friend's yard which the birds have already started enjoying.

Working Gloves

We will be working in the garden tomorrow.

When I saw how these were labeled, 

I knew they would be perfect

ivy trunk

Ivy just takes off and grows where ever it can

30th Anniversary

Well, we made it to 30 years. 

Sometimes I don't even know what to think about that.

Stopping to see the berries

Box fun

Kids and cats seem to see boxes in a more creative way then the rest of us.

Staring out the Window

I see this view every day. It's right outside my front door. But for some reason, as returned home this morning, I sat in my car and just stared.

Pastoral

At my writing desk

Design

Interesting drum design

NYC thru a bus' window

The view of NYC's skyline

always takes my breath away...

Fire in the Hills

This was actually from a few days ago, but I forgot about it until now. There were fires in the neighboring foothills. On that overcast morning, the smoke flowed out from the mountain valleys, and the ranges were seperated in a way that I didn't even know existed.

Puppy Profile

Welcome to the family, Guthrie.

Sticks & Stones

Attended a birthday party and one of the little favors was a play of "sticks & stones" and in a small glass vase sticks were represented by pretzels and the stones were small chocolate rocks; very creative.

Invitation

The bed is calling me

from across the room

at my writing retreat.

Saying, "Leave the writing until morning.

Come on--you know you really want to sleep."

But I need to resist the urge for a little while longer

and get some writing done.

Sigh.

While Walking the Dog

Grasshopper

This fellow was hanging on our screen door; was kind enough to pose for photo before moving on.

Another Food Photo

I know, I know, another photo of someones food. But I couldn't resist; the bell pepper was so pretty against the blue cutting board.

tourists

Lighting is poor but this is a group of tourists (I presume) all taking photos of the fireworks at Disneyland.