Computer Blues

We went out of town to the in-laws for a few days to celebrate the 4th. Seven different households all hanging out under one roof - a million kids running around. I brought my camera and I've got pictures to share. The kids are getting along wonderfully, but I can't make the various electronics play nice together. I'll be back posting on Friday!

Trifle

My patriotic contribution

jewelry pouch

I have one of those pouches that hangs over the back of a door and has tons of pockets to hold jewelry which I rarely utilize but today as I passed it I noticed these poodles watching me and I thought maybe they wondered if today would be the day I'd take them out.

Good Impression

I like to remind myself that it isn't always about perfection.

Construction or Sculpture?

It's all about context.

Usually, when I would see something like this on the street, I would hardly notice and just think that some city construction project must be getting ready to happen.  But this was outside of Otis, an art school, and instead I found myself thinking about the cool minimalist sculpture that must be in the works. Construction or sculpture?

custom guitars

For $9.95, you can choose your favorite color and get it customized ith your name....

Painting the roses red

Saw this city truck applying some type of greenish color to the grass and all I could think of was "painting the roses red" from Alice in Wonderland.

I went to church today. Yep, you heard right - church. The sermon was on compassion. Ok, that's sounds like a typical morning at church. But this sermon was given by a ukulele strumming, blues harmonica playing Buddhist monk. So good.

Toast

As I was making dinner tonight, after a hectic and technology frustrating day, I noticed that the toast I intended on having for breakfast was still sitting in the toaster; no wonder by 1pm I was hungry!

Family Camping

I can't wait for our family camping vacation this summer. Maybe this is where I get my love of camping from . . .

Buds

The buds are growing!!! It won't be long until it's guacamole and margarita time.

Coyote Skull

The coyote skull is soaking in water. Looks kind of prehistoric, doesn't it?

Prayer card

Attended a cousin's rosary tonight; this is in her memory.

Hummingbird in My Studio

For some reason, hummingbirds sometimes fly into my studio. Today it happened again. They've always found their way out again. This one didn't.

Sculpture

Saw this sculpture on Lake Blvd in Pasadena but it was too dark to see what it represented.

Candy machine

Prop candy machine on the new Buena Vista Street at California Adventure.

Shapes and Light and Color

I started a new painting in a series today. All very serious, everything intentional, nothing just for fun.

I took a break and sat in the backyard eating lunch, staring off through the trees, thinking about nothing in particular, only noticing shape and color.

And I thought, "That's what I want to paint. Just shapes and light and color."  But that's not how I paint - at least, not usually. Although it might be how I will paint tomorrow.

34,000 Feet

JFK => LAX

Somewhere over the middle of the country

34,000 Feet

Virgin Atlantic

Surprise Mystery Squash

A few weeks ago I planted a few garlic to see what might happen. I used some dirt from the yard, some bagged garden soil from the store, and some compost from our kitchen waste. We don't really "take care of" our kitchen-waste compost. We don't have a fancy recepticle - just a trash can with air holes drilled in the sides. It rarely gets turned or mixed. We don't harvest worms. We just let the scraps do their own thing and pretty soon it looks good enough to mix in with the other dirt. I'm so glad we don't do it "right" because what we get is just too much fun to miss. Yes, the garlic that I planted seems to be growing just fine, but I've also got about eight mystery vines growing among the garlic. Two, I think, are pumpkin, which is surpising because we almost never have pumpkin in our kitchen. Maybe they're acron squash - that would make more sense. Another, I'm pretty sure, is butternut squash. I love butternut squash. Then there's this one which appears to be turning into spaghetti squash. We eat lots of spaghetti squash. Wonderful to have so much food growing in our back yard. But what's really best is the fun of going out to water the garden and finding so many, many surprises.

Video games

It amazes me how kids as young as 2 know what video games are; he hasn't quite gotten the concept but "plays" with his mom and has a blast. Give me an old fashioned board game anyday....