sunburst

Part of a public art piece that I found interesting; reminds me of a sunburst.

Break time

My eldest giving her feet a rest.

Red Doors

There's just something about red doors . . .

The mosaic eye is watching you...

Today I made a wonderful discovery:

at the Chambers Street subway station,

the walls are decorated with mosaic eyes.

Creepy. Awesome.

Giving the Internet its Due

My mom

Today I spent Easter with my aunt. My aunt, two cousins and their families. These are people I didn't know existed until just a few months ago. I was hesitant to attend their Easter dinner, didn't expect to really connect with these people, but wanted a chance to meet them all, at least once.

Oh boy. I had fun. As people were laughing, and talking over each other, and pulling out games to play, I found myself saying (more than once) "I think we really are related."

All of this came about through the magic of the internet and Ancestry.com. Mostly, I think the internet is a huge waste, and social media a freakish thing best steered clear of.  But this is one instance when I wish the internet had been available a long time ago.

I think my mom would have really liked her sister. The one she never knew she had.

light fixture

Over the years, we've enjoyed many family meals at Story Teller's Cafe, however, today was the first time I ever looked up and noticed this beautifully crafted light fixture.

Easter flowers

I'm completely blown away by the beauty of the flowers this spring.

It seems like there are new wonders to behold every day.

Easter pumpkin

Somehow this pumpkin was over looked when carving Jack-O-Lanterns and escaped the Thanksgiving pie and has remained forgotten sitting outside until today when I took notice; now I don't have the heart to dispose of it...

No words

The beauty of this flower has left me speechless.

Don't Start on the Jelly Beans

A rather . . um . . . ugly Easter bunny at the local burger joint. I'm pretty ugly myself after eating all the Rolo candies that were supposed to go in my sons' Easter baskets. Please, don't let me get started on the jelly beans.

Things we see

Today I decided to take a photo

of a woman taking a photo

of a dog dressed in sports gear

with a sock monkey.

Yup.

(And yes, this is the SECOND photo I've taken of a dog in sunglasses)

Muffler Man

This guy stands proudly in front of a muffler shop greeting customers; I think he has a brother who works for a donut shop.

Rescued Books

I could sit and thumb through old books all day long. This is a page from one of the dozens of books that I rescued from a trash bin outside a school library. So sad I couldn't rescue them all.

Break through

The sidewalk didn't have a chance against this determined tree.

Car Fire

When I was walking toward the school to teach yesterday morning,

I followed a fleet of fire trucks that were screaming down the street

And in a grocery store parking lot

(almost directly across the street from the school)

giant plumes of smoke filled the sky

A car had caught on fire.

It was so smoky that I just pointed my camera and snapped,

unsure of what (or anything!) would be in the frame.

This shot came out.

Just as they fire had been put out.

An exciting start to the day.

Barrio Chicken

Came across this chicken or rather rooster walking casually down a local neighborhood street. He didn't seem to mind having his photo taken.

This Song Has No Title

This picture is from a visit to the L.A. County Fair - two years ago. It cracks me up every time I see it, but it has absolutely nothing to do with what I stopped and noticed today; what I've been noticing for the last few days.

My problem with capturing a new photo for today's blog is that, while I have been stopping and noticing, what I've been noticing hasn't been visual. I am usually a very visual person. I only learn when I can see something. When I meet new people I look closely at their face and see the letters of their name in my mind. So I've been a little surprised by myself the last few days. What have I been noticing?

-Do the birds always sing like that? Or is just because it's spring?
-Why is my breathing so shallow? See how much better it feels when I fill my lungs full of air?
-Hey, I can feel my upper back muscles when I stand up straight and push my shoulders back.

These are just a tiny few of the things I've been stopping and noticing lately. I'm afraid, as I'm writing this, that it sounds rather mundane. But honestly, these last few days, my senses seem to be on overdrive and when I'm taking the time to notice everything that I hear, touch, smell, taste, it can be a bit overwhelming.

And just when I start feel like I can't possibly stand the sensation of noticing one more thing, when I feel like I'm on double overload, that's when I notice one more thing. I notice how happy I am.

And the picture of the horse's butt? Well, that makes me happy too.

Straw Hat

Fish Tacos

Waiting for Fish Tacos in Lincoln Heights

Obligation/privledge

Reporting to serve....not as dreadful as many claim.